The separate evaluation became the most discussed topic inside Aethermoor Academy by the next morning.
Students talked about it while crossing corridors between classes. Others discussed it loudly inside dining halls while exaggerating details they had barely witnessed themselves. Even upperclassmen from other divisions had begun showing interest after hearing rumors involving Gareth Valehart and the advanced combat arena.
The stories spreading throughout the academy varied wildly depending on who spoke.
"I heard Gareth couldn't land a single proper hit."
"No, the important part was the aura."
"They said the barriers shook."
"Someone from the combat division said his swordsmanship doesn't resemble any known style."
"I heard Gareth ended the duel himself."
Some stories became distorted quickly.
Others remained surprisingly accurate.
But regardless of which version spread through the academy, one thing remained consistent.
The name being discussed everywhere was Zynar.
The atmosphere inside Aethermoor had subtly shifted overnight.
Not dramatically.
Students still attended lessons normally. Training schedules continued as usual. The academy itself had not suddenly transformed into chaos because of one evaluation.
Yet something invisible had changed beneath the surface.
People paid more attention now.
Especially toward one person.
Inside Class S, the difference felt even clearer.
The moment Zynar entered the classroom that morning, several ongoing conversations unconsciously quieted for a second before resuming again.
Not fear.
Awareness.
Students glanced toward him more frequently now.
Some with curiosity.
Others with caution.
A few with competitive interest.
Zynar himself showed no reaction to any of it.
As usual, he simply walked toward his seat near the window section before sitting down calmly.
Finn immediately leaned across his desk.
"You know half the academy thinks you're secretly some hidden imperial knight candidate now."
"I don't care."
Finn sighed dramatically.
"You really need more interesting reactions."
Nearby, Crest adjusted his glasses while quietly observing the room.
Even he had noticed the atmosphere change.
Yesterday's evaluation had done something important.
It transformed Zynar from rumor into certainty.
Before, students only speculated about him.
Now they had witnessed undeniable proof.
The stable aura manifestation alone had shocked most of Class S.
Months ago during swordsmanship lessons, Zynar could barely maintain aura for a single moment.
Now he had stood against Gareth Valehart himself while using fully manifested aura naturally.
That level of progression was difficult to ignore.
Dorian sat quietly near the opposite side of the classroom while reviewing magical notes.
Yet even he occasionally glanced toward Zynar throughout the morning.
Not because of fear.
Because the duel had forced him to reconsider the scale of talent existing inside the academy itself.
If someone like Zynar existed within Aethermoor—
then how strong would the exchange participants from the other kingdoms and empires be?
That question had begun lingering in the minds of many students.
Near the front rows, Lyra calmly turned a page inside her book while Isolde sat nearby.
Neither openly discussed the duel.
But both had clearly paid attention to one particular detail.
Zynar's aura.
It had felt strange.
Not unstable.
Not corrupted.
Just fundamentally different from ordinary aura manifestation.
As magic users, they sensed it more clearly than most swordsmen.
The aura surrounding Zynar's blade lacked the familiar feeling normal mana refinement carried.
Yet neither spoke openly about it.
For now, observation felt more useful than assumptions.
A few rows behind them, Aldric Solvane sat quietly while listening to nearby conversations without joining them.
The prince's expression remained calm as always.
Yesterday's duel had not shocked him the same way it had shocked many others.
Instead, it had made him curious.
Because strength alone was not what interested him.
It was the way Zynar fought.
No wasted movement.
No unnecessary emotion.
No desire to impress.
Everything about his combat style felt designed purely for efficiency.
That was unusual.
Especially within noble society.
Most talented swordsmen carried pride within their blade.
Most nobles displayed confidence through their combat style.
Zynar displayed nothing.
His sword existed only to end combat using the shortest possible path.
That distinction remained in Aldric's thoughts longer than the aura itself.
The classroom doors eventually opened.
Professor Tal entered with his usual composed expression before placing several documents across the desk.
The room quieted immediately.
Tal observed the students briefly.
His gaze paused momentarily on the unusual atmosphere before continuing naturally.
"As expected, all of you became louder after one evaluation."
Several students awkwardly looked away.
Finn coughed lightly.
Tal ignored him.
"The exchange preparations will continue beginning today."
With a wave of his hand, multiple training schedules appeared across the board behind him.
Additional combat assessments.
Advanced practical exercises.
Team formation drills.
Joint division training.
The atmosphere inside the classroom sharpened immediately.
The exchange event no longer felt distant.
The academy was beginning to move seriously now.
Tal continued calmly.
"Your schedules from this point onward will become more intensive."
Several students visibly sighed.
Finn looked personally betrayed by reality.
"Professor... are we still allowed to sleep?"
"No."
Finn lowered his head onto the desk.
"This academy truly despises happiness."
A few students laughed quietly.
Even Tal's expression softened slightly before returning to normal.
"The exchange representatives will not be selected based solely on individual strength."
That immediately regained everyone's attention.
"Adaptability, teamwork, practical combat judgment, and performance consistency will all matter."
This changed the atmosphere again.
Because now students understood something important.
The exchange event was not simply about being powerful.
It was about proving usefulness.
And that naturally increased tension inside the academy further.
The rest of the morning passed beneath increasingly intensive lessons.
Combat theory discussions became more detailed.
Magic control exercises grew stricter.
Even practical formations during class showed higher expectations than before vacation.
The academy itself had begun accelerating.
And every student could feel it clearly.
Later that afternoon, several instructors remained inside one of the western faculty chambers discussing the exchange preparations.
Professor Rhett stood near the window section overlooking the combat fields below while Tal reviewed documents across the table.
"The other students are starting to notice," Rhett said calmly.
Tal nodded once.
"That was inevitable."
Neither needed to specify who they referred to.
Rhett folded his arms.
"His growth rate is becoming difficult to explain naturally."
Tal remained silent briefly before answering.
"Students like him appear occasionally throughout history."
Rhett glanced toward him.
"No," he said quietly.
"Not like this."
The room fell silent for several seconds.
Because both instructors understood the issue clearly.
Aura manifestation alone normally required years of refinement.
Yet Zynar had progressed from unstable manifestation to complete combat application within only months.
That level of growth should not have existed naturally.
Tal finally closed one of the documents calmly.
"The exchange event will make things more complicated."
Rhett nodded slowly.
Because if Zynar continued growing at this pace, internal academy rankings themselves would become unstable.
And once rankings shifted drastically, so did academy dynamics.
Meanwhile, across another section of the academy, Caelum Voss sat quietly beneath one of the outer courtyard trees while reviewing several combat notes.
Students occasionally passed nearby discussing yesterday's duel.
Most conversations sounded exaggerated.
But Caelum understood enough to separate rumor from truth.
His thoughts remained elsewhere entirely.
Because the problem was not merely Zynar's strength.
It was something far stranger.
In Caelum's previous life—
Zynar had never existed.
Not inside Aethermoor Academy.
Not among exchange participants.
Not within future military records.
Nowhere.
Caelum remembered countless names from the future.
Famous knights.
Powerful mages.
Imperial commanders.
Future monsters who would shake the continent years later.
Yet no matter how deeply he searched his memories—
Zynar did not exist among them.
That contradiction had begun disturbing him increasingly over the past weeks.
Because strength at Zynar's level should have left traces somewhere within history.
Especially someone growing this quickly.
Yet Caelum remembered nothing.
And now events inside the academy itself were already beginning to shift subtly around his existence.
The exchange preparation timeline felt different.
Student growth patterns were changing.
Class dynamics had evolved differently.
Small distortions continued accumulating.
Which meant one unsettling possibility slowly became unavoidable.
The future Caelum remembered might no longer remain reliable.
That realization quietly unsettled him far more than the duel itself.
By evening, most academy students had finally returned toward dormitories after another exhausting day of intensified preparation.
The academy grounds slowly quieted beneath the darkening sky.
Lights illuminated pathways between buildings while cold wind moved through the massive structures surrounding Aethermoor.
High above the main academy towers, one rooftop remained silent.
Zynar stood near the edge overlooking the academy below.
The distant training grounds could still be seen from there.
Small figures moving beneath lantern light.
Late evening practice continuing despite exhaustion.
The exchange event had already begun changing everyone.
Cold wind moved lightly through his dark hair.
Then footsteps approached from behind.
Steady.
Unhurried.
Zynar did not turn immediately.
Aldric Solvane stopped several steps away beside the rooftop entrance.
Unlike the atmosphere nobles usually carried around him, there was nothing formal about this moment.
No guards.
No royal presence.
Just another student standing beneath the night sky.
For several seconds, silence remained between them while the academy lights flickered below.
Then Aldric spoke calmly.
"The academy has been unusually noisy since your evaluation."
Zynar looked toward the distant training grounds again.
"People talk too much."
A faint amused breath escaped Aldric.
"Usually because they don't understand something."
Silence followed briefly.
Cold wind crossed the rooftop again.
Then Zynar finally asked:
"And you?"
Aldric's gaze shifted toward him calmly.
"I'm still deciding."
The answer caused no visible reaction from Zynar.
Aldric studied him quietly for another moment.
"Your swordsmanship is strange."
"It works."
"That's not what I meant."
Zynar remained silent.
Aldric continued calmly.
"Most academy swordsmen fight to win."
His eyes narrowed slightly as though recalling yesterday's duel.
"You fight to end things efficiently."
The rooftop became quiet again.
Below them, distant student voices echoed faintly through the academy grounds before fading into the night air.
Finally, Zynar spoke.
"Is there a point to this conversation?"
Aldric almost smiled slightly.
"Not particularly."
That answer felt strangely honest.
For several more moments, neither spoke.
Two completely different people standing beneath the same cold night sky while the academy below slowly moved toward a future neither fully understood yet.
Eventually Aldric stepped away from the rooftop edge.
"The exchange event will become troublesome."
Zynar's gaze remained on the academy below.
"It already is."
Aldric glanced toward him once more before turning toward the exit.
And while walking back toward the rooftop entrance, one final thought remained quietly within his mind.
Zynar was someone he still could not properly understand.
Yet strangely—
that only made him more interesting.
[End of the Chapter 46]