Chapter 196.1 - Gaze

The classroom was alive with a quiet sense of anticipation as the cadets settled into their seats. Unlike some of the more rigorous combat or strategy courses, Artifact Studies was a two-hour weekly course that, while not mandatory for all specializations, had drawn a surprising number of students due to its engaging nature.

At the front of the room, Professor Aldric Fenwell stood beside a long table, his sharp green eyes gleaming behind his thin-framed glasses. A variety of small artifacts were carefully arranged before him, their polished surfaces catching the light from the overhead fixtures. He was one of the academy's more charismatic instructors—not just because of his deep knowledge of relics and enchanted items, but because of his ability to make even the most mundane theoretical topics sound fascinating.