Chapter 38: Midgard academy

The academy was the one and only one in the entire world, created by masters of magic for the elite generation.

Only royals were exempted from writing the entrance exam. Even children from big clans all over the world still had to take an entrance exam.

Julius had been riding for more than six hours, and the carriage finally came to a stop.

"Your highness, we've arrived," the knight's voice came from the front, and Julius tapped Sasha, who was sleeping on his lap.

"Finally." Cider stood up, stepped down first, and Julius followed.

The first thing he did was to look up. Above them was a large floating island that had seemed much smaller from a distance.

A man wearing a black robe walked towards them, and the knights bowed in respect.

The royal carriage left them there, and the man greeted them.

"Welcome, your majesties... Please, brace yourselves." The man's voice reached them, and then a black smoke emanated from his body, forming a solid dome around them.

Julius calmly observed the dome with his eyes and was immediately astonished.

'Darkness essence. It's by far one of the rarest essence magic types to exist. And one of the strongest too. Also, that guy has it.' He thought, and then, all of a sudden, the dome began to dissipate. Julius was shocked to find themselves in front of a crowd of people.

"He... This speed..." Rowan was stunned, knowing the distance they had covered in mere seconds.

"This way, please..." The man walked towards the crowd, and they observed the students.

'That guy is also a prince, so we'll be meeting soon now,' Julius thought, preparing himself mentally.

He had his crown hovering above his head with a magical hum.

"Are those all royals? They're quite many."

"Yeah, I heard some are siblings with the Ghost Flash."

"The Ghost Flash! No way, so he was a prince."

Julius could hear students chattering about all sorts of things, but one thing caught his ears.

'The Ghost Flash. That's what people call that bastard Caesar...' he thought, his eyes becoming more focused.

They were led into a room with a white door close to the academy entrance. There were all sorts of crystals lighting up the place, and Julius could see many tapestries on the walls and paintings of ancient warriors hanging on the walls.

He could see a few people already there and couldn't help but feel confused when he saw the people within the room.

By the side stood a beautiful demon girl with silver hair and wine-colored eyes. The black horns on her head shone as if polished.

She looked over to Julius and gave a small smile. Julius went to take a seat, his expression not changing one bit.

'I thought Ivana would change her mind when she said she'd come. But to think she pulled it off and is here now. This is just crazy. And that guy...' Julius looked at the demon beside her, who seemed to emanate a sinister energy.

He had gold-colored eyes and the same black horns as Ivana, but with pure black, wavy hair.

'Vernox, we finally meet.' Julius put on a slight smile as he stared at the MC of this world, and then he noticed the final people.

One of them was a dwarf boy with a big axe on his back, and the other was a rather tall and slender guy with pointed ears, signifying his elven race.

'Can't believe I'm already seeing the MC. Besides, he looks so normal now compared to what he later became...' Julius swallowed and kept his thoughts to himself.

After more than an hour, Julius and the others were regularly checked on by caretakers, ensuring they were comfortable.

The white doors finally creaked open, and another guard in black walked into the room.

"It's time for the next test."

---

Julius and the other royals were finally outside, and he glanced sideways at his sister, who seemed very confident.

At the front was an altar, and a man wearing a full white robe with golden outlines stood upon it.

"Well, we were able to conclude the entrance exam quite quickly. Congrats to the students who qualified for the next stage, which will be the class placement exam," the man said with a smile, his eyes going towards the royals at the front.

"And for those who don't know me, I'm one of the three chiefs in the academy—Chief Wintor," the man said, then continued.

After explaining the rules, Julius braced himself as he prepared for the first phase.

He glanced at the demon boy Vernox again and couldn't help but sigh. It was awkward as no one had said anything throughout their stay at the guest house.

"The first challenge will be a combat test against one of our magic dolls," the chief said, pointing at the front. A seven-foot-tall humanoid hunk of metal arose from a magic circle on the ground, holding a basic sword in its hand.

"Try your best to injure the doll, and your points will be calculated fairly!"

"First challenger: Ery Deus Yin!" a teacher shouted, and then a girl came rushing forward.

She was slim, with a panicked expression, holding a short sword close to her body. She charged towards the doll with quick speed.

The doll immediately raised its sword against her, and a wave of essence covered its entire body, deflecting her direct blow.

The girl was taken aback by its use of essence, but she activated her own, becoming faster and stronger.

The doll seemed to deflect her moves easily, but she caught it off guard and slashed its face.

"Haha..." The girl let out a laugh, but her expression changed when the doll charged towards her, now on the offensive.

---

More and more people began taking the tests, and soon it was one of the main characters' turn again.

A girl walked forward, wearing a battle outfit with the emblem of a Drake on it.

"That's Selena Drake!"

"What? You mean the one who is the genius of this generation?"

"I heard she has a God's Eye, one of the rarest forms of magic essence awakening in this world. People who have them are considered blessed by the gods."

"SELENA, MY LOVE!!"

Julius observed the blonde-haired girl with cold brown eyes radiating calmness and a coldness that froze people in their place.

Julius smiled, seeing one of the most important characters in this world. He couldn't help but pay attention to her.