"Wait... isn’t that Adrian?" A hushed voice came as everyone tried to get a better look.
"Adrian? You’re kidding, right? I heard Julian Montfort charred him with his lightning magic yesterday!"
"Keep your voice down! Do you want him to hear you?"
"Then explain what I am looking at! He looks perfectly fine. Not a single burn mark, not even a scar. How is that possible?"
Several students exchanged bewildered glances before turning their attention toward Adrian. Adrian walked in their direction loking absolutely fine. His clothes were spotless, his skin was unmarked, and there was not the slightest indication that he had suffered a beating at Julian’s hands the previous day.
In fact, he looked better than ever.
His complexion appeared healthier. His hair fell neatly across his forehead, framing a handsome face that drew more than a few lingering glances from the girls.
"Since when did Adrian become so handsome?" a girl whispered to her friend, barely concealing her surprise.
Her friend glanced toward him and immediately nodded, "I was thinking the same thing. His skin looks completely different, and his face... How did I never notice that before?"
"He almost looks like a completely different person."
"Still, what’s the point?" another student interjected, lowering her voice, "He’s Tier Zero. A handsome face won’t change that."
Her words earned a few quiet nods.
"That’s what I don’t understand," a boy whispered from the next row. "Julian’s lightning magic struck him directly. I was standing close enough to see those bolts tear through him. How could he recover overnight without even leaving a mark?"
"Perhaps Julian went easy on him."
"Are you stupid? You saw what happened!"
"Then maybe someone from House Ravencrest treated him."
"Why would his family bother spending resources on him?"
Julian’s demonstration yesterday had left a stronger impression than he had expected. The students had witnessed him being struck by lightning, and now they were struggling to reconcile that memory with the perfectly healthy young man sitting in front of them.
It was hardly surprising. From their perspective, his recovery made no sense. Unfortunately for them, Adrian had no intention of providing an explanation.
The System continued to conceal his true cultivation, keeping his Early Iron Core hidden beneath the appearance of a Tier Zero student.
Let them wonder how he had recovered. Let them speculate about whether House Ravencrest had intervened or whether Julian’s lightning attack had somehow been less effective than it appeared.
The more they argued among themselves, the less likely they were to discover the truth.
For now, appearing healthy was more than enough.
Byt the time he arrived in the class, the teacher was already there, preparing the day’s lesson, not even looking at Adrian. He did not want to get in between the house of Ravencraft or Montfort.
"Do you think Julian knows he’s back?"
"Of course he will."
"Poor Adrian. Even if he somehow survived yesterday, he’s still Tier Zero. Julian could hit him with another lightning bolt whenever he wanted."
A few students nodded in agreement, their confusion slowly settling into familiar contempt.
At the front, the teacher had already started his lesson, explaining the defensive applications of Water magic. New chapters come out on novelping.com first.
The old mage was a D-Rank Water mage who had spent decades teaching at the academy. His knowledge was respectable, and his experience was considerable, but his lectures had a peculiar ability to make even the most enthusiastic students lose interest within minutes.
"Water magic is not limited to offensive techniques," the teacher explained, drawing a diagram on the chalkboard, "A properly constructed water barrier can disperse the force of an incoming attack, provided the caster maintains sufficient control over its density and direction. However, a barrier that is too thin will simply collapse under sustained pressure, while one that is unnecessarily thick consumes more mana than the situation requires."
Adrian rested his cheek against one hand and watched the demonstration.
He was considering whether he could find a discreet way to test his abilities outside the academy when the classroom door suddenly opened.
"Excuse us, Professor. We are late."
The familiar voice immediately caught Adrian’s attention.
Julian walked into the classroom with Lyra tucked in his arms. Neither appeared particularly concerned about interrupting the lesson.
The teacher lowered the piece of chalk in his hand and frowned.
"Young master, Montfort, Miss Snowhite, how marvelous of you to attend the lecture... Please... Come in."
"My apologies, Professor," Julian replied, winking at Lyra and not even looking at the professor, "We got delayed by something important."
The old mage looked as though he wanted to say more, but he eventually gulped the words.
Meanwhile as Julian walked to his usual seat near the front, his gaze swept across the classroom and stopped abruptly. The smile pon his face disappeared.
For a moment, he simply stared at the back row, seemingly unsure whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"What the hell...?" The words escaped Julian before he could stop himself.
Lyra turned toward him, her brows drawing together, "Julian, what’s wrong?"
He did not answer her. Instead, he continued staring at Adrian, his expression shifting from surprise to disbelief.
"Adrian?" Lyra followed his gaze again, and her eyes widened when she finally understood what had startled him, "How is he here?"
Julian had to force himself to look away before his surprise became any more obvious.
Julian leaned slightly toward Lyra and lowered his voice, "Look at him. He actually came back."
"I can see that," Lyra whispered, still studying Adrian with confusion. "But how? You hit him with your lightning magic. I thought he would need at least several days to recover."
"Perhaps he’s more stubborn than he looks," Julian muttered, "Or perhaps he is too stupid to understand when he should stay in bed."
Lyra gave a small, uncertain laugh, though her eyes remained fixed on Adrian for another moment.
Julian gave Adrian one final look before walking toward his usual seat. Lyra followed, although she glanced over her shoulder once more before sitting beside him.
Adrian simply returned his attention to the chalkboard.
He had no intention of starting a confrontation in the middle of a lecture. There was nothing to gain from revealing his abilities in front of the entire class. Julian’s confusion was already entertaining enough.
The teacher resumed his explanation of Water magic, seemingly determined to continue the lesson as though nothing had happened.
At first, the difference was so subtle that only the students nearest the front noticed it.
The teacher paused, and glanced toward the windows, and frowned.
Before he could resume speaking, the temperature dropped further. A thin layer of frost began forming along the edges of the nearest desks, and several students instinctively pulled their hands away from the cold wood.
Soon the sounds of boots clicking against the floor echoed from outside the classroom and the classroom doors swung open, and two guards in polished silver armor entered first.
The guards surveyed the classroom before moving to either side of the entrance, leaving the center clear.
The cold intensified around them. Students in the first two rows could see their breath, while those farther back felt the chill spreading through the room. A few students exchanged uneasy glances, but nobody dared to ask what was happening.
Then a young woman entered.
Her long, straight silver hair fell neatly over her shoulders, contrasting with the dark blue of her dress.
Her eyes were a clear, piercing blue, and her expression carried the cool indifference of someone accustomed to having her decisions accepted without argument.
She possessed an elegant beauty that naturally drew attention, yet there was something distinctly intimidating about her presence.
She did not need to raise her voice or demand that the class acknowledge her authority.
Adrian recognized her.
He had seen her before, and there was no mistaking the identity of the silver-haired woman standing before the class.
She was someone whose position in the kingdom placed her far above ordinary academy students, and her sudden appearance was bound to attract everyone’s attention.
The rumors about her A-Rank Ice talent were well known throughout the kingdom.
Even so, there was a difference between hearing that someone possessed extraordinary magical talent and experiencing the effects of that power from only a few steps away.
The frost along the desks was because her magic was leaking into the room simply because she had allowed it to spread.
She looked over the class once, the students had hurriedly straightened their uniforms and the teacher who was now struggling to decide whether to bow or wait for her to speak.
Following her was Darius Ravencrest.
His posture was confident, his expression composed, and his A-Rank Fire aura radiated just enough heat to push back the chill around him.
He stopped beside the silver-haired woman with the ease of someone who had occupied that position many times before.
Darius was her official bodyguard, a connection that gave him both considerable prestige and a convenient excuse to stand at the side of one of the most influential young women in the kingdom.
He had made a point of displaying that status during Adrian’s Awakening Ceremony, and there was little doubt that he enjoyed the attention it brought him.
The old Water mage hurried away from the chalkboard and bowed deeply.
"Your Royal Highness, Princess Isolde."
’And my soon to be sister in law.’ Adrian smiled, "This is going to be fun."