Academy Aetherion was a neutral institution that took no side, even though it sat within the borders of the Pathlight Empire.
Inside one of its classrooms, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the windows and walls. The warm light carried a calm and positive atmosphere for the students gathered within.
At least, that was how it should have been.
But the classroom Ard taught was different.
A blood-red aura roared and churned, so violent it bled through the walls and spilled into the corridor outside. The students inside were drenched in cold sweat. Their faces had grown more expressive, though not in any ordinary sense. It was the expression of people experiencing genuine terror. Eyes stretched wide, pupils shrunk to pinpoints, and several students had already fainted from the sheer pressure alone.
What had actually happened? Let us return to a few moments earlier.
When Ard entered the classroom, he walked straight to the desk prepared for the professor at the center of the room and stopped there.
He stood with his gaze facing forward, eyes sweeping left to right, taking in each student one by one. Then he spoke.
"Alright. Some of you may already know who I am, but I will introduce myself regardless. My name is Ard Le Ventias, son of the Ventias Duke family. Starting today, I will be the professor teaching this class."
His voice was flat and even. He stood straight with one hand in his pocket. His crimson eyes were sharp, the kind that noticed even the smallest movement.
After introducing himself, Ard fell silent and continued looking over the students, waiting for questions or conversation. When nobody spoke, he moved on without hesitation.
"Let us begin."
"Ard Le Ventias, right?"
One of the students spoke. Ard stopped and looked toward them.
The student continued.
"Ard Le Ventias, son of Duke Ventias. I heard he is not actually the Duke's biological son."
Ard said nothing, waiting to hear the rest. Around him, the students began whispering among themselves.
"Ah, really? I also heard that Ard Le Ventias is not even human. He is a demon."
That statement immediately caught the attention of several demon-race students in the room. A female student with blazing red hair, bright as open flame, picked up where the first had left off, and the classroom grew louder for it.
Her name was Luna de Grave.
The daughter of Marquis Grave, a family blessed with the fire element since the era of the Great War. It was said that one of their ancestors had once defeated several generals from different races in single combat.
The student who had spoken first was also from the Grave family, none other than her own brother, Tesslon de Grave.
'No wonder they say things like that. They must see me as competition because I carry the Ventias name.'
Ard let out a short exhale and ignored them. He planned to start the lesson immediately.
"I always thought the Ventias family had fallen this low."
"Exactly! Why would they raise that demon?! Did they forget the disaster of the Great War?!"
"The demon race was the worst of them all. They enslaved more races than anyone and they were cruel and sadistic about every moment of it."
"The ancestors of Ventias must be weeping in shame right now."
"Of course they are. Their descendants are out here raising a demon and giving him the family name."
Hearing students insult him openly to his face clearly did not sit well with Ard. Even so, he only stared at them with cold, steady eyes.
"Hey, look. I think he is angry."
"Wah, scary."
"Stop joking around. Do you not know he once beat a professor half to death for insulting him?"
"Seriously?!"
"I guess demonic nature really does run in the blood."
The demon-race students were visibly furious, but they could not do anything. Those were historical facts, and the academy forbade conflicts without just cause.
As for Ard, he simply exhaled through his nose and scratched the back of his head. Their insults felt outdated to him. Old material. Nothing he had not heard a hundred times already.
"Luna de Grave. Tesslon de Grave of the Grave family. Anna Veldira of the Veldira family, known for their swordsmanship. Sai Lucius of the Elf race. Viona Ge Lef of the Elf race. Lukas Gremory of the Beastmen race."
The noise died instantly.
Ard continued.
"How pathetic."
He smiled at them. It was not a warm smile.
"What?"
"I was simply thinking how pathetic and outdated all of you are. Is there really nothing else you can say? Nothing beyond the same tired lines?"
"You!"
Tesslon stood from his seat.
"The Grave and Veldira families are not close, yet here they are, becoming friends just to get ahead of Ventias. A venomous snake and a bird, trapped in the same cage. And yet neither kills the other. Anna."
Anna Veldira frowned at the sound of her name.
"Why do the snake and the bird not kill each other?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ah. It seems the Veldira family has been lacking in early education. I asked why, and instead of answering, you responded with what do you mean."
"You!"
Seeing Anna hold back her anger, Ard only smiled and went on.
"Luna and Tesslon. The Grave family is known for producing talented young people, including both of you. A simple question like this should be easy, should it not?"
Ard's eyes narrowed while his smile stretched wider. Luna and Tesslon fell silent, veins rising beneath the skin, teeth pressed together.
"Seems both families are equally foolish."
"What?!"
"I said the Grave and Veldira families are equally foolish."
"Do you understand what you just said?! Are you insulting two of the great noble families?!"
Tesslon slammed his hand against the desk.
"Hmm. Of course not. I am only stating facts. The Grave and Veldira families are foolish."
"Do you know who the Grave and Veldira families are? Even if you belong to Ventias, you cannot possibly face two great families alone."
Anna kept her voice firm, though she was clearly trying to remain composed.
Ard was quiet for a moment before he answered.
"You are right. The Ventias family might struggle... a little."
The entire classroom went still.
"A little?"
"Yes. A little. Did you forget? No matter what, Ventias still stands above both Veldira and Grave in every aspect that counts."
"Where does that arrogance come from? Are you trying to make the students here become like you?"
"Have I ever considered any of you my students?"
Silence.
"And have any of you ever considered me your professor?"
More silence.
Ard let out a quiet snort, knowing those words had landed exactly where he intended.
"If the Veldira family is the venomous snake and the Grave family is the bird, then by the natural order of things they should be killing each other. Snakes and birds are natural enemies. They are trapped in the same cage. Neither can ignore the other. The snake has its venom and its coils. The eagle has its beak and its talons."
No one spoke. Ard continued.
"Both creatures fight fiercely because they are confined to the same space. Both are dangerous. Both are capable."
"But while they are in the middle of that fight, another creature enters the cage. A powerful predator, one that is the natural counter of snakes, and one that even a golden eagle would struggle to handle in such a small space without enough room to build momentum."
"That creature is the honey badger."
"Because both animals sense a greater danger, instinct tells them to run. But they cannot run. They are in a cage. So whether they like it or not, they must kill the honey badger first before they can return to their own fight."
"Hmph! What is dangerous about a honey badger?! They are just ordinary animals that eat honey!"
Tesslon said it with full confidence.
"It seems the Grave family has truly declined. You do not even know something this basic."
"What?! I will—"
"Tesslon. Enough."
Luna cut him off.
"Luna, you dare interrupt me?"
"If you know nothing, stay quiet."
"Luna, you are getting bolder—"
"The bird and the snake would die."
Tesslon went stiff. "Why?!"
"Thick skin that claws and fangs struggle to pierce. Resistance to venom. It is the natural counter of both creatures. And honey badgers do not hesitate to go straight for the head."
Everyone in the classroom was quiet after that.
Luna lowered her head. She wanted to deny it, but she could not. It was too humiliating for someone with her pride.
The sound of applause cut through the silence.
It was Ard.
"A+ for Luna. It seems your sister can still use her brain."
"I want to ask something, Professor."
"Go ahead, Luna. Answering my students' questions is part of my duty."
"If the venomous snake is the Veldira family and the eagle is the Grave family, then who is the honey badger?"
Ard let out a long sigh and pressed his fingers to his forehead. Why did she even need to ask something that obvious?
"Is it not clear? It is Ventias."
The classroom stirred.
They understood immediately. The Ventias family was the natural counter of both.
"And one more thing. Sai Lucius. Viona Ge Lef. Lukas Gremory. Were your families not among those who once tried to destroy Ventias during the Great War? Unfortunately for them, the ancestors of Ventias slaughtered every last one and left only a single survivor from each bloodline."
"Ugh..."
The words struck deep. Ard had spoken a historical fact as though it were nothing more than a footnote, and in doing so, carved it directly into their faces.
* * *