A cold breeze swept through the stone paths of the Royal Academy, carrying with it the scent of damp earth from the previous night's rain. The campus, usually alive with the sounds of students preparing for another day, felt strangely muted.
The silence wasn't natural.
It was the kind of silence people created when they didn't know what to say.
Leo walked alone through the academy gates.
His footsteps echoed softly against the ancient stone.
He had imagined this moment many times during the journey back from the Hall.
Would everyone pretend nothing had happened?
Would they cheer because he survived?
Would they ask questions?
Reality was far colder.
The conversations around him stopped one by one.
Students looked up.
Some immediately looked away.
Others whispered.
"...That's him."
"The survivor..."
"No... don't stare."
"I heard he fought something beneath the Hall."
"My cousin says the instructors hid the truth."
"They say the forbidden seal reacted because of him..."
Leo kept walking.
His expression remained calm, but each whisper landed like a stone in his chest.
He had faced monsters without fear.
Yet the eyes of ordinary people were somehow harder to endure.
Near the training grounds, a wooden practice sword slipped from a first-year student's hands.
The boy instinctively stepped back as Leo approached.
"I'm... sorry."
Leo blinked.
"You don't have to apologize."
The boy hesitated before quietly saying,
"My seniors told me not to get close to you."
For a brief moment, Leo couldn't find the right words.
He simply nodded and continued walking.
Behind him, the boy whispered almost guiltily,
"I don't think he looks like a monster..."
By the time Leo reached the main courtyard, dozens of students had gathered.
Not to welcome him.
To watch him.
Their eyes followed every movement.
Some held curiosity.
Some fear.
Some pity.
None of them felt normal.
Leo suddenly missed the days when people ignored him completely.
"Oi!"
A familiar voice shattered the oppressive atmosphere.
Kael pushed through the crowd with his usual lack of elegance.
"There you are, you idiot!"
Before Leo could react, Kael wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"You disappear into forbidden ruins for days and come back looking even uglier than before."
A few students gasped.
Several stared at Kael as though he had lost his mind.
Kael looked around.
"What?"
Nobody answered.
He shrugged.
"What? Did he suddenly grow horns while I wasn't looking?"
A few nervous laughs escaped the crowd.
The tension eased—just a little.
Leo couldn't help smiling.
"...Thanks."
Kael clicked his tongue.
"Don't thank me."
He lowered his voice.
"I just hate seeing everyone act like they've already judged you."
Leo looked away.
"You heard the rumors."
"I heard idiots talking."
Kael folded his arms.
"I'll believe my own eyes."
For the first time since entering the academy, the tightness in Leo's chest eased.
Not because the whispers had stopped.
But because one person had ignored them.
As they walked toward the dormitory, Kael continued talking almost nonstop.
He complained about instructors.
About food.
About assignments.
Anything except the Hall.
Leo realized Kael was doing it intentionally.
He didn't want Leo to relive what had happened.
That simple act of consideration spoke louder than any comforting words.
Inside the dormitory, however...
Silence returned.
Several roommates quietly gathered their belongings.
One avoided eye contact entirely.
Another forced an awkward smile before leaving the room.
Within moments...
Only Leo and Kael remained.
Kael sighed.
"So..."
"They're scared."
Leo nodded.
"I know."
"You angry?"
"No."
"Hurt?"
...
"Yeah."
It was barely above a whisper.
Kael looked at his friend.
For the first time since they met...
Leo looked tired.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Later that afternoon...
An emergency assembly was announced.
Every student and instructor gathered before the central platform.
The Academy Headmaster stood at the front.
His expression was more serious than anyone had ever seen.
"The events beneath the Hall remain classified."
A wave of whispers spread instantly.
"However..."
"The Royal Academy will now operate under temporary Imperial supervision."
The courtyard exploded into confusion.
"Imperial supervision?"
"The Empire is interfering?"
"What happened beneath the Hall?"
Even the instructors looked shocked.
The Headmaster raised his hand.
Silence returned.
"The representative has already arrived."
All eyes turned toward the academy entrance.
A black carriage bearing the Imperial Crest rolled slowly through the gates.
Its wheels made almost no sound.
The carriage stopped.
A knight opened the door.
Elegant black boots touched the ground first.
Then a woman stepped out.
She wore a long black military coat trimmed with silver.
Her silver-blonde hair moved gently with the wind.
Crimson eyes calmly swept across the gathered crowd.
There was no arrogance in her posture.
Only quiet confidence.
She looked impossibly young.
Yet every Imperial Knight behind her lowered their heads slightly.
Not out of fear.
Out of respect.
She climbed the platform with measured steps.
The Headmaster inclined his head ever so slightly—a gesture that stunned every instructor present.
Leo noticed it immediately.
Someone who could make the Headmaster show respect...
was no ordinary officer.
The woman stopped at the center of the platform.
Without raising her voice, she spoke.
"My name is Evelyn Ashbourne."
"I am Captain of the Imperial Investigation Division."
Her voice was clear enough for every student to hear.
"Effective immediately, I have been granted full authority by the Imperial Council to investigate the incident beneath the Hall."
The courtyard fell silent.
Then Evelyn's crimson eyes moved across the crowd...
until they stopped on Leo.
She studied him for several long seconds.
Not with hatred.
Not with curiosity.
As though she were examining a puzzle.
Finally, she smiled.
A polite.
Professional.
Unreadable smile.
"Leo."
The entire academy froze.
She knew his name.
"I look forward to learning the truth."