The classroom slowly filled with conversation as first-year students took their seats.
Rows of police wooden desks curved around the room in a semicircle, all facing a large blackboard etched with glowing runes.
Tall windows overlooked the academy gardens, letting in the cool morning breeze.
Ethan chose a seat near the middle.
Not too close to the front.
Not too far in the back.
Rowan sat beside him, placing a notebook neatly on his desk.
Oliver arrived a moment later and dropped into the seat behind Ethan with an exaggerated sigh.
"I'm already tired."
"We haven't even started," Ethan replied.
"Exactly."
Rowan smiled without looking up from his notebook.
More students filtered into the room.
Some Ethan recognized from registration.
Others were complete strangers.
He quietly observed them, trying to remember names from Lucien's memories.
A girl with silver hair sat near the front.
Another student with freckles nervously organized his pencils for the third time.
The atmosphere felt surprisingly…normal.
Like any first day of school.
Then Ethan noticed something.
"…Where's Adrian?"
Oliver leaned forward.
"Who?"
"The commoner."
"Oh."
Oliver shrugged.
"He wouldn't be here."
Ethan frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"The Swordsmanship Department has its own orientation this morning."
"…Oh."
Of course.
Lucien's memories quickly filled in the missing information.
The Royal Academy separated students into their primary departments for specialized training.
Swordsmanship students trained together.
Magic students attended their own lessons.
However, general subjects—like history, strategy, monster ecology, and some mana theory—were shared between departments throughout the semester.
"So we'll still have classes together eventually…"
Ethan muttered.
"What was that?" Rowan asked.
"Nothing." He silently sighed in relief.
If Adrian had been in every Magic Department class, Ethan would've had far fewer excuses to naturally approach him.
This way…
Their interactions would happen during shared classes and on campus, making everything feel more natural.
The classroom door opened.
Professor Marianne walked inside carrying several books under one arm.
Conversations immediately stopped.
She placed the books on her desk before surveying the room.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Professor," the class answered together.
"My name is Marianne Everhart. I will be your primary instructor for Practical Spell Casting and Mana Control."
Her crimson robes swayed gently as she walked to the center of the room.
"Before we begin…"
She looked around the classroom.
"I would like to make one thing clear. No matter your family name… No matter your social standing… No matter how much magical talent you were born with… Everyone starts at a different point."
She rested one hand on the desk.
"Talent may determine where you begin. Effort determines how far you go."
The room became completely silent.
"For today's orientation," Professor Marianne continued, "we won't be casting spells."
Oliver quietly whispered behind Ethan.
"Thank goodness."
"…I heard that, Mr. Hawthorne."
Oliver immediately straightened. "Sorry, Professor."
A few students laughed.
Even Professor Marianne's lips curved into a faint smile.
"I appreciate your honesty. But you'll still be attending practical training this afternoon."
Oliver's shoulders slumped.
"…There it is."
Marianne picked up a piece of chalk and began writing on the board.
Mana
Control
Discipline
"Magic is not simply about producing larger flames or stronger winds."
"It's about precision."
"A poorly controlled spell is more dangerous than no spell at all."
As she spoke, she lightly tapped the chalk against the board.
A tiny spark floated into the air.
It danced above the classroom before gently landing back on her fingertip. The flame wasn't impressive because of its size.
It was impressive because it never wavered.
Not even once.
Several students watched with amazement.
"Now then. I'd like each of you to briefly introduce yourselves."
A collective groan spread across the classroom.
Professor Marianne ignored it.
"We'll begin with the front row."
One by one, students stood.
"My name is Clara Winslow…"
"I'm from House Dorian…"
"I specialize in water magic…"
The introductions were simple.
Nothing unusual.
Until
"Lucien Veris."
Ethan stood.
Dozens of eyes turned toward him.
He suddenly realized how many people were in the room.
"My name is Lucien Veris."
"I'm from House Veris."
"I use fire magic."
He hesitated for only a second.
"…I hope we all get along."
Simple.
Short.
He quickly sat back down.
After everyone finished introducing themselves, Professor Marianne nodded in satisfaction.
"Excellent."
She reached beneath her desk and produced a stack of small wooden boxes.
"These contain your practice mana crystals."
Students exchanged curious glances.
The professor began walking down each row, placing one box on every desk.
When Ethan opened his, he found a smooth crystal no larger than his thumb.
It glowed faintly with pale blue light.
"What is it?" Rowan asked quietly.
Ethan remembered something from Lucien's memories.
"A training crystal…"
Before he could explain further, Professor Marianne answered for the class.
"These crystals respond to mana. They do not measure power. They measure control."
She held one up.
"Your first assignment is simple. By tomorrow morning…"
"I want each of you to channel a steady flow of mana into your crystal for one full minute."
"No more. No less."
"If the crystal cracks…You used too much."
"If it goes dark…You used too little."
She smiled.
"You'll quickly discover that controlling mana is much harder than gathering it."
Oliver stared at the tiny crystal in his hand.
"…Somehow, I think I'm going to fail."
Rowan chuckled.
"I was thinking the same thing."
Ethan turned the crystal over in his fingers.
It felt cool against his skin.
A small blue notification appeared where only he could see it.
[New Training Quest
Successfully complete the Mana Crystal exercise.
Reward:
50 System PointsImproved Mana Control (+Minor)
Failure:
None]
Ethan smiled faintly.
"Looks like I'll be practicing tonight."