“Alright, let’s head out,” Simon said.
The three of us made our way outside.
The pastures and walkways that had been empty only minutes ago were now packed with students and club booths.
Colorful banners hung from poles and stalls, displaying club names and symbols.
Some banners were so large that you could immediately tell which clubs had the most influence—or the most funding.
Voices rang out from every direction.
“Join the Fire Magic Club!”
“Mana Stone Research Club applications are open!”
“The Student Council is recruiting!”
Some clubs demonstrated sword techniques, spells, artifacts, and research projects to attract new members.
“Come watch the Artifacts Club demonstration!”
That immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Many students began moving toward the booth.
Imara suddenly grabbed Simon and me by the wrists.
“Come on!”
Soon we found ourselves standing among the crowd.
At the center of the demonstration stood a senior student holding a thin silver bracelet.
“We will now demonstrate the power of a low-grade mana amplifier.”
First, he cast a basic fire spell.
A small flame appeared above his hand.
Then he put on the bracelet and cast the exact same spell again.
This time the flame erupted outward, nearly four times larger than before.
A chorus of gasps filled the crowd.
“This,” the senior announced proudly, “is only a fraction of what you can discover and create as a member of the Artifacts Club.”
Simon smirked.
“Wow.”
He crossed his arms.
“That was actually better than I expected.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“so you are definetely joining?”
“I might come back later.”
We continued exploring.
The more booths I saw, the more I realized how much Ash-Fall encouraged its students to experience different fields.
Some students were dissecting monster corpses.
Others explained the uses of various mana stones.
One booth displayed third-grade spellbooks.
There was even a storytelling club.
A student stood on a crate dramatically shouting:
“Learn the true reason behind the war between Shenguang and Eiskalt! Was it really because of mana, or was there something more?”
I raised an eyebrow.
The moment he noticed me, he cleared his throat and quickly sat down.
Imara burst out laughing.
Simon groaned.
“Man, I actually wanted to hear that.”
He pointed at me.
“You scared him away.”
“I didn’t even do anything.”
Honestly, I was curious too.
As we continued walking, I suddenly heard someone call my name.
“Li Qiang!”
I turned around.
A familiar figure was jogging toward us.
A smile immediately appeared on my face.
“Rowan.”
He finally made it.
“Hey, Rowan.”
He stopped beside us and grinned.
“Not exactly hard to find three royals walking around together.”
Fair point.
I noticed Simon looking slightly confused.
“Ah, right.”
“Simon, this is Rowan.”
“Rowan, this is Simon.”
The two shook hands.
“Nice to meet you.”
“You too.”
I turned back to Rowan.
“So, found any clubs you’re interested in?”
He folded his arms thoughtfully.
“Hmm…”
“I’ve been thinking about joining the Adventure Club.”
My eyes widened.
“Really?”
“I thought you’d pick something like the Magic Research Club.”
Rowan laughed.
“That was one of my choices.”
Then his expression became more serious.
“But I figured I need real combat experience too.”
He shrugged.
“Besides, first-years never end up on the front lines anyway.”
We all nodded.
Eventually, after nearly an hour of exploring, Imara clapped her hands together.
“Okay, guys.”
“We’ve seen most of the booths.”
She pointed in different directions.
“Let’s split up and visit the clubs we’re actually interested in.”
“When we’re done, we’ll meet back here before finding Ogun and Aleksandr.”
Everyone agreed.
Then we headed off in our own directions.
Imara
As we separated, I headed toward the Student Council booth.
A crowd of students was already gathered there, writing down their names.
Then I spotted a familiar face.
“Jasiri!”
My brother looked up from the registration table.
A smile appeared on his face.
“Imara.”
I immediately marched over.
“Do you know how hard it is to find you?”
“And why are you avoiding Ogun?”
A nervous smile appeared on his face.
“One question at a time.”
“And I’m not avoiding Ogun.”
I crossed my arms.
“So you’re avoiding Ogun.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
I pointed at him.
“You’re avoiding him.”
Jasiri sighed.
“I just need some space.”
His expression softened slightly.
“I need things to go back to the way they should be.”
I rolled my eyes.
“That sounds exactly like avoiding him.”
“I’m not discussing this with you.”
He pointed toward the booths.
“Shouldn’t you be having fun?”
A grin spread across my face.
His smile immediately disappeared.
“Oh no.”
“Oh yes.”
After signing my name, I leaned closer.
“Also, I already signed up for the Combat Club.”
“I heard they’re holding demonstrations at Training Field Two.”
Jasiri groaned.
“Of course you did.”
Training Field Two was packed.
Students filled nearly every available space.
Senior members demonstrated different fighting styles using swords, spears, daggers, shields, and even hand-to-hand combat techniques.
The atmosphere was electric.
I loved it.
A third-year and a fifth-year were currently sparring in the center of the field while students cheered around them.
As I wandered through the crowd, I noticed someone standing alone.
Silver hair.
Calm expression.
Perfect posture.
Siana Signer.
I walked over.
“Hey, Miss Signer.”
She turned toward me.
“I see you’re joining too.”
“Of course.”
Of course she was.
Honestly, this was perfect.
Nothing motivates me more than being close to my rival.
I grinned.
“Don’t think I’ll go easy on you.”
“I’m definitely beating you.”
Siana blinked.
Then gave me a confused look.
“Beating me at what?”
I narrowed my eyes.
Nice try.
Pretending not to know.
Very sneaky.
But I wouldn’t fall for it.
As I looked around the field, another student caught my attention.
A crowd had gathered around a boy with bright red hair and blue eyes.
“Who’s that?”
Apparently I said it out loud.
Siana followed my gaze.
“That’s Casimir von.”
“Our Rank Three.”
I blinked.
Oh.
“The son of Sir Cale von?”
Siana nodded.
“Yes.”
“A noble from Eiskalt.”
“A family of knights.”
I looked at him more carefully.
Straight posture.
Calm expression.
Confident without appearing arrogant.
Now that I knew who he was, I could definitely see the resemblance.
Interesting.
So that was Rank Three.