The Grand Auditorium truly lived up to its name.
Rows upon rows of seats stretched across the massive hall, all facing a grand stage at the front.
Students poured into the room, searching for seats and talking excitedly amongst themselves.
Imara and I followed the crowd and eventually found seats near the middle.
The moment we sat down, Imara turned toward me, her golden eyes practically glowing.
“I still can’t believe I’m here.”
“Really? Couldn’t tell,” I replied with a cheeky smile.
She immediately shoved my shoulder.
“But seriously,” she continued.
“I’ve always wanted to come here. Actually, my brothers are attending the academy right now.”
“Huh. Now that I think about it, I remember hearing that last year.”
“Yup!” she said proudly.
“I have three brothers. The oldest is Langa. He already graduated from Ash-Fall.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of him. Powerful fire mage. Uses dual swords.”
Imara somehow became even brighter.
“That’s him! He’s the best!”
I laughed.
“And then there are my twin brothers, Ogun and Jasiri. They’re both second-years.”
“Honestly, it was because of all the letters they sent home that I wanted to come here so badly.”
As she continued talking, it became obvious how much she loved her family.
And how close they all were.
A small smile appeared on my face.
Must be nice.
Before I could dwell on the thought, a voice interrupted us.
“Hello beautiful. Is the seat next to you taken?”
Imara looked up.
Before she could answer, the person had already sat down.
“Well, princess, how have you been?”
Imara immediately rolled her eyes.
“Hi Simon. Nice to meet you again.”
The sarcasm in her voice was impossible to miss.
Simon placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
“Of course. I know you’ve been dying to see me again.”
“Yeah. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Seeing my confusion, Imara sighed.
“Right. Li Qiang, this dufus is Simon Psaras, Prince of Panta Rhei. We met three years ago when I joined my father on one of his expeditions.”
She pointed at him.
“Dufus, this is Li Qiang.”
Then she pointed at me.
“Li Qiang, meet Dufus.”
I couldn’t help laughing.
Simon was tall with tan skin he had light blue hair with matching deep blue eye to go with it.
Reaching across Imara, I offered Simon my hand.
“Nice to meet you.”
Simon shook it enthusiastically.
“Ah, yes. I’ve heard about you.”
His grin widened.
“Powerful mage. Handsome. My competition.”
Imara groaned.
“I don’t think Li Qiang is competing in the same category as Mr. Sixth Place.”
Simon immediately frowned.
“Show off.”
The three of us burst into laughter.
Soon, a voice amplified by magic echoed throughout the auditorium.
“Good afternoon, first-year students, and welcome to Ash-Fall Academy.”
The conversations around us gradually quieted.
A man stood at the center of the stage.
“My name is Matthew Signer, and I am the principal of Ash-Fall Academy.”
The entire room became silent.
“Today is both a celebration and a beginning.”
His gaze swept across the hundreds of students. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“Ash-Fall Academy was founded one hundred years ago following a devastating war between kingdoms.”
At those words, a few students glanced in my direction.
What are you all looking at?
The principal continued.
“Today, Ash-Fall stands as a symbol of unity between all four kingdoms.”
“Since its creation, this academy has produced countless mages, magic warriors, alchemists, scholars, and leaders.”
His voice carried across the hall.
“And over the next five years, I hope all three hundred and twenty of you will continue that legacy.”
The auditorium erupted into applause.
I could feel excitement spreading through the room.
The principal smiled.
“Now then.”
The applause slowly died down.
“I would like to introduce a representative from our second-year students.”
The room immediately became attentive.
“This young man ranked first throughout his entire first year.”
Murmurs spread.
“He also participated in last year’s Inter-Academy Tournament and secured one of Ash-Fall’s victories.”
The whispers grew louder.
“Who is it?”
“That sounds insane.”
“No way…”
The principal smiled.
“Please welcome Aleksandr Ivanov.”
The room exploded.
“That’s him!”
“The Crown Prince of Eiskalt!”
“Second-Year S-Class!”
“I heard he defeated a high-ranking magic swordsman!”
Aleksandr walked onto the stage.
I couldn’t deny it.
He was eye-catching.
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Jet-black hair.
Piercing red eyes.
Simply standing there made him seem larger than life.
As his gaze swept across the auditorium, it felt as though he could see through every lie and truth hidden within a person.
For a brief moment, his eyes passed over our section before continuing.
A low whistle came from beside me.
“So handsome.”
I turned toward Imara.
“Your type?”
“Nah.”
She waved dismissively.
“I like people who are more bubbly.”
Simon immediately threw an arm around her shoulders.
“Just say the word, beautiful, and I’m yours.”
“Yeah, no.”
I laughed and turned back toward the stage.
Aleksandr began speaking.
“Good afternoon, fellow students.”
His voice was calm but powerful.
“Many of you are princes, nobles, heirs, and prodigies.”
A pause followed.
“The academy does not care.”
Nervous laughter spread through the room.
“At Ash-Fall, your title earns you nothing.”
“Your effort earns everything.”
“If you believe your status alone makes you important, this academy will quickly prove you wrong.”
His red eyes scanned the crowd.
“We do not reward titles.”
“We reward results.”
Silence filled the room.
“Thank you.”
Without another word, Aleksandr turned and walked off the stage.
“I already like him,” Simon said immediately.
“Same,” Imara agreed.
I found myself nodding.
The principal awkwardly cleared his throat before returning to the podium.
“Well…”
He adjusted his glasses.
“That was Aleksandr Ivanov.”
A few students laughed.
“Now, I would like to introduce this year’s top-ranked first-year student.”
The magical screen behind him lit up.
Rank 1 — Siana Signer — 210 Points
The entire auditorium froze.
Then chaos erupted.
“Two hundred and ten?!”
“That’s impossible!”
“Did she get every question right?”
“She’s a monster!”
“Wait…”
Someone suddenly realized something.
“Signer?”
“Isn’t that the principal’s daughter?”
The murmuring intensified.
A girl with long silver hair calmly walked onto the stage.
Unlike the excitement around her, she looked completely composed.
No arrogance.
No smug expression.
Just quiet confidence.
The principal smiled proudly.
“My daughter, Siana Signer.”
The whispers somehow became even louder.
“Of course she’s the principal’s daughter.”
“Still… 210 points is ridiculous.”
“I don’t think anyone was beating that score.”
Siana gave a polite bow before stepping beside her father.
The principal chuckled.
“Now then.”
“I know all of you must be hungry.”
The students instantly became interested again.
“Please head to the cafeteria. Refreshments have been prepared.”
“Thank you, and welcome to Ash-Fall Academy.”
As students began standing and filing toward the exits, Simon turned toward us.
“Well, I guess we know where we’re heading.”
Imara raised an eyebrow.
“Who is we?”
Simon pointed between the three of us.
“One.”
He pointed at himself.
“Two.”
He pointed at Imara.
“Three.”
He pointed at me.
“We.”
“Don’t sass me.”
I couldn’t help laughing as the three of us joined the crowd heading toward the cafeteria.