Reality & Calling

"Now, it's time to announce the top-ranked student..."

All eyes in the room, including Nathania's, turned to Aether, who wore a slight smile.

"It appears there's something you all want to discuss with me?" Aether's calm and gentle voice prompted a chuckle from Nathania.

"It seems you and the other students have already figured this out, haven't you?" Nathania smiled as she looked up at him.

Upon hearing her remark, Aether offered a small nod and shrugged his shoulders with indifference.

"Hasn't this been the case since our first year?" Her words carried an air of arrogance, but none of the students dared dispute them.

It was a universally accepted truth that the real competition for the top spot was for third place, as Aether had firmly secured first place and Arshley consistently claimed second place.

This dynamic had become a legendary tale throughout the school, an unassailable fact in both class rankings and academy-wide rankings.

Nathania nodded and smiled, her gaze returning to the ranking paper in her hand.

"In first place and at the top nationally, we have Aether Luke!"

As Nathania's voice filled the room, expressions across the faces of the students shifted, realizing that Aether had secured the top rank in the entire eastern region.

"As expected from the most admirable figure in the academy," some marveled, while others could only sigh in acknowledgment.

Although envy and jealousy lurked in the hearts of some, they recognized that such feelings were futile in the face of Aether, who had held the top spot for three consecutive years.

Arshley, upon hearing Aether's ranking, offered a small round of applause, her admiration evident.

"As expected of my Aether!" She whispered to herself, a warm feeling washing over her.

Despite consistently trailing behind him, she felt genuine happiness for every success Aether achieved.

On the other hand, Helena gazed at Aether with admiration, a subtle smile forming on her lips.

"I'll never let you slip away, Aether~" She whispered with profound sentiment, casting furtive glances in his direction.

"Man, you're truly a force to be reckoned with. I stand no chance against you at all!" Neil marveled as he patted Aether's shoulder with admiration.

He had initially believed that, if he gave it his all during the test, he could at least surpass the duo of Aether and Arshley.

Naturally, Neil had set his sights on securing the top spot, but even with his full effort, not only was he unable to reach Aether's first-place ranking, but he couldn't even surpass the second spot, which was consistently held by Arshley.

Upon hearing Neil's comment, Aether simply chuckled and waved it off.

"No need to make a big deal out of it; this is quite ordinary." Aether feigned indifference, and Neil, who witnessed this, couldn't help but feel a bit irritated, momentarily forgetting that he had once put on a similar act to Ethan.

Meanwhile, Ethan let out a sigh of regret but felt a sense of joy seeing his friend achieve the top rank, even at the national level.

Soon, Nathania, having completed the class rankings, slowly closed the paper and placed it on her desk.

She then returned to her previous position and addressed the students.

"Alright, I've finished announcing the rankings. Now, let's move on to today's main topic, the core of our class today." Nathania spoke lightly, and some students picked up on a subtle change in her words.

"Today's class? Are you saying that after your class, we won't have any more classes for the day?" One student raised a hand, expressing confusion.

Upon hearing this question, several other students also seemed to catch on, their gazes fixed on Nathania, awaiting her response.

Nathania gave a slight nod and responded, "That's correct! This class of mine is not only the last class of the day but also the final class of the week."

Upon hearing this statement, the students collectively widened their eyes in astonishment, finding it hard to believe what they were hearing.

However, Aether and Arshley remained composed, having already guessed this turn of events.

"It seems the Earthlings and Martians' agreement will indeed result in the closure of all academies, including Zeon Academy, for a full week," Aether commented nonchalantly before returning his gaze to the front.

The students fell into a hushed silence, eagerly awaiting Nathania's further explanation.

Soon, Nathania took a deep breath and addressed the students, her gaze encompassing the entire room.

"As all of you are aware, tomorrow is a momentous day, marking the first time in decades that a treaty between Earthlings and Martians will be forged." Her words hit the students like a shockwave, causing them to widen their eyes in disbelief.

"That's right! I completely forgot about it!" Someone exclaimed in shock, echoed by others.

"The peace treaty we've been hearing about in the news? Is it actually happening, and are we really making peace with those Martians?"

Instantly, the classroom erupted in a flurry of discussions, and the excitement was palpable.

To regain their attention, Nathania promptly rapped the blackboard, bringing the students' focus back to her.

"Could you please quiet down and listen to what I have to say first?" Her stern gaze swiftly reminded all the students that this woman was infamous for being nicknamed the Deadly Demon.

As they settled down and got their attention back, Nathania resumed her composed demeanor and took a deep breath.

"Due to the significance of tomorrow for the human race on Earth, all academies in the eastern region and other Federation regions will be closed for one week. I wanted to emphasize that tomorrow is a historic day, and I encourage all of you to watch the treaty-making and signing either through live broadcasts or online streaming." Nathania concluded her statement, leaving the entire class momentarily speechless.

It was evident that news of a peace treaty between Martians and Earthlings still felt foreign to those who had grown up hearing about the perceived cruelty and ruthlessness of Martians.

The high number of Earthling casualties at their hands and the power of their technology, Genesis, only added to the skepticism.

Moreover, the sudden proposal of peace by the Martians themselves had left everyone with a sense of unease.

Recognizing their perplexed expressions, Nathania sighed, understanding their concerns.

"All of this is beyond our reach and power as ordinary people, so I hope you can all come to terms with it for the sake of achieving peace with the Martians." Nathania's words seemed to dispel the lingering confusion and unease.

Indeed, how could ordinary Earthlings hope to contend with the Martians, who possessed ancient technology as advanced as Genesis?

Even scientists projected that it would take anywhere from five hundred to two thousand years in the future before Earthlings could develop technology even remotely similar to that of Genesis.

The sheer power and sophistication of the ancient Martian civilization were unfathomable, and Earthlings couldn't compare their technology with them!

"Alright, that concludes what I wanted to share today, and we'll wrap up this class." Nathania's gaze swept the room, eventually landing on Aether.

"Student Aether, would you kindly join me in my office? I'd like to have a brief conversation with you."