Alienation I — Virion

'The division in status...'

I grasped my battleaxe like I was holding on for dear life. I swung my blade forward, tearing through a dummy that had spawned in my training room.

That division in status was not something I was fond of. It created conflict and deterred unity. It isolated people and created hostility.

But there was nothing I could do about such things. Going against the flow would simply dictate the end of my life if I did so.

I needed power if I wanted to swim against the current.

Power that I had yet to achieve.

Ding—!

The chime of a bell reached my ears. I looked at the clock, and it was half past one in the morning.

I had to go to sleep. I wondered how Lily Ilventire and Caelum Phricius spent their free time while I washed up and prepared for bed. My thoughts on their activities wandered from training to studying to partying.

I didn't know which. But I wouldn't be surprised if the two were training just like I had been doing a few moments ago. Obviously, there was a reason why they were second and first place respectively. And it was likely hard work.

'Sylfie is probably fast asleep by now,' I then thought about my dear friend who had somehow become friendly with that very suspicious-looking Caelum.

It baffled me how the two could get along. Aside from their general positive vibe, they were polar opposites. And I recall that it all started with Caelum mentioning that he was a commoner just like her.

Was my identity as a noble affecting my friendship with Sylfie in some unseen way? Probably, but I didn't know for sure.

"Hah," I sighed as I collapsed onto my bed. I had placed my battleaxe by my bedside while a sheathed knife sat at my nightstand, all for the sake of emergencies.

No. I wasn't paranoid about anything, I promise. I just liked taking the necessary precautions in case anything happened. I wasn't aware of what would occur in the future, but my instincts were telling me that something was definitely coming.

I just didn't know when.

With my thoughts in a mess as they jumped from idea to idea, I ended my first day of school in Aethercaller.

...

The next day came, and I heard the beautiful chirping of birds just by my window. Sunlight was shining through my curtains, illuminating my room with a warm yellow. I got dressed and headed to the canteen on the Auclesius building's ground floor.

There, I saw Caelum eating with Sylfie. The two were chatting happily, laughing at certain ideas and enjoying each other's company.

Oh, and Lily sat nearby, just a seat away.

Usually, Lily would be surrounded by other nobles trying to get into her good books, but it was Caelum's presence that deterred them from currently doing that. The young noblewoman looked like she was happy with such a phenomenon.

She could eat in peace.

I placed my tray down near Sylfie, and right in front of Lily.

"Ah! Young master Virion! Goodmorning~" Sylfie greeted me with a cheerful smile.

"Goodmorning," I replied.

Caelum gave me a nod, and I couldn't resist nodding back. I still did not know how I should treat this classmate of mine. Meanwhile, Lily just gave me a glance before returning to her food.

Placing my attention away from the people at my table, I could also feel the gaze of dozens of nobles piercing through me at this moment. Even the commoners were staring at me from their respective tables.

Frankly, it was starting to get bothersome, but I just shrugged it all off. The problems of others weren't going to be my problem. Otherwise, I would never be able to solve them all.

After I sat down, I chatted with Sylfie and ate my food. Caelum and Lily left before I finished so I went with Syflie until we had to enter separate classrooms.

My first class today was [ Individual Duels ].

And when I entered, I once again felt the gazes of every student in the room. This time, I returned those gazes with a fierce flame in my eyes. These people would be the people I would be duelling with.

'I was right,' I thought as I scanned the figures of every student I could spot.

From Rank 1 to Rank 50, we all shared this classroom. I saw Caelum, sitting as still as a statue as per usual, and Lily who had her eyes closed, seemingly in meditation.

The room I was in was less of a classroom and more of a small-scale arena. It was set up like a theatre, except for one part. The stage where the actors would have been was a reinforced platform instead.

Ding—! dong—! Ding—! dong—!

When the bell rang, a robed wizard assistant entered the classroom just in time. Whoever they were, they simply walked in, pasted a scroll onto the bulletin board and stood in the middle of the arena.

They said nothing throughout all this.

Curiously, a few students glanced at the scroll. Murmurs then flooded the class swiftly after. I tried to steal a glance, but with about fifty students barring my way, I could do nothing.

Some were even intentionally blocking my view.

'How petty,' I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

It was only when the crowd thinned that I was finally able to approach the scroll.

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Individual Duels

Duel #1 — Simplicity

- Physical mana users must fight barehanded.

- Spiritual mana users are restricted to a single offensive spell, a single defensive spell, and a single utility spell.

- Each duel must be decided within three minutes.

- Partners are as listed below,

Rank 1 Caelum Phricius VS. Rank 26 Jealis Havra

Rank 2 Lily Ilventire VS. Rank 27 Kiri Julius il Guanne

Rank 3 Virion von Santos Sol VS. Rank 28 Ix

...

...

...

Duels must begin in five minutes. Failure to stand on the stage counts as a loss.

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