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"Head, quite a few new students have already arrived outside the Trial Plaza by now, including those from the other three Regions and from Dragon's Valley." At Celestial Academy in the Eastern Region, Moira Ashwood held a report in hand as she reported to Tobias Wren. "The Trial Road is about to open."
For every iteration of the Trial Road, Celestial Academy assigned a number of instructors to oversee it, which itself served as a form of assessment for the Academy's instructors, and Moira Ashwood happened to be this iteration's chief overseer.
Of course, for the instructors so assigned, it was equally an opportunity, since it let them observe and confirm their intended students earlier than the rest.
The competition within Celestial Academy ran far fiercer than the world outside imagined. That rivalry existed not only among the students, but among the instructors as well. Each year, the Academy put its instructors through an assessment, and the results of that assessment came down to their students' performance. So securing promising new students was, for these instructors, a matter of no small consequence.
This was also why, when Roland Hargrove had come calling, Moira had agreed to the request. For one, it did the Hargrove family a favor, but more importantly, she'd looked over the file on Elise Hargrove. The girl's talent was genuinely impressive, and her specialization in plant-system card crafting happened to align perfectly with Moira's own field.
That said, the gap between one instructor and another existed all the same, and Lady Dawnford, Selene Dawnford, was the most glaring example of it. The Academy's assessment exempted Selene outright. No one dared subject her to it. As Lilith's student, with Lilith standing as the Head's own superior, that alone was more than enough, and it left no shortage of instructors quietly envious.
"Is it that time already?" Hearing Moira's report, Tobias set down the fishing rod in his hands, an unreadable depth in his eyes. "When the Trial Road opens, I'll be attending in person as well."
"Head, you're attending in person?" Moira was taken aback. For the Head to personally attend was an exceedingly rare thing. The Trial Road was, at its heart, a matter of rookies pecking away at one another. Even the finest of exam candidates hardly warranted the Head's personal presence.
By Moira's recollection, the last time Tobias had attended the Trial Road in person had been nearly ten years ago, when Selene, Lilith's student, had been among the entrants.
"Just a passing whim. And perhaps another guest or two will be arriving as well." Tobias waved a hand, offering no further explanation.
As for the matter of Luke, having discussed it with Selene, Edmund Hargrove, and Aldric, Tobias had no intention of telling anyone. "Handle things however you normally would. Pay me no mind."
So while Tobias wouldn't expose Luke, he did intend to meet this student standing behind Selene ahead of time, and to observe his showing on the Trial Road besides. Tobias held a keen interest in Original Cards, or more precisely, in the creator of Original Cards.
I believe you, you big-headed freak. Moira, however, didn't buy Tobias's talk of a passing whim in the slightest. Having worked under him for so many years, she knew perfectly well that the man never made a move without reason. There was absolutely something going on beneath the surface.
Her gaze swept the roster of new students once more, but she couldn't pick out where the anomaly lay. As for the guest Tobias had mentioned, Moira had a rough guess as to who it might be, given that this cohort of the Academy's included students from Dragon's Valley.
---
"Looks like we didn't arrive too late." At the Transfer Station Trial Plaza, the figures of Luke, Elise, and Lyra materialized. Red-Eyes Black Dragon, meanwhile, Luke had already recalled before entering the plaza. He had no desire to be gawked at like some exhibit in a zoo all over again.
The Trial Plaza was a dedicated gathering ground the Academy had opened up for all its new students.
Luke's group drew the notice of the surrounding new students the instant they appeared. Some merely glanced over and looked away, but a good many lit up at the sight of Elise and Lyra. Even among a crowd of Card Masters that ran heavy on beauties, the two of them ranked at the very top.
More than a few young men shot Luke envious looks on the side. He was a new student the same as they were, and yet there he stood, so effortlessly composed with a beauty to either side, while they remained resolutely, miserably single.
As for Elise and Lyra, they stayed serene under all those gazes. With the monster Luke standing beside them, few among their peers could catch their eye to begin with, and their own strength ranked in the first tier as well, second only to Luke's.
"You're here too?" Just then, Iris Dawnford and Serena Frost walked over.
"Good grief, what's this now? Two more beauties?" Somewhere nearby, an envious murmur rose from a new student. "This guy's luck with women is downright unreal. Isn't he afraid of setting off a bloodbath?"
With Iris and Serena's arrival, Luke's group had grown to five, four of them top-tier beauties, and even the new students who'd had no particular interest a moment ago couldn't help sneaking a second look.
"Just got here." Luke felt a flicker of surprise at Iris and Serena's appearance. Serena Frost wore her usual cold, aloof air, though Luke's group had long since grown used to it.
"A bit earlier than the two of you. I was just wondering when you'd finally show." Compared to Serena, Iris was considerably more talkative, and then her true colors surfaced. "Luke, on this Trial Road, I want to test myself against you again. And this time, I absolutely will not lose to you!"