The "Useless" Student Enrolls

Hearing the amount, Leah was also taken aback. The tuition for a medium-level student was only eighty gold coins per term. One thousand gold coins was outrageously high.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered what her mother had said three days ago: "Even if ten or eight more children were to enroll, House Stark could afford it." She couldn't help but feel a bit resentful. Her mother's words had turned out to be an unfortunate prophecy.

One thousand gold coins was indeed a staggering amount, and Leah hesitated. This wasn't a small sum, and she felt she should consult her parents. But then she thought about the mocking crowd in the square. If they left now, they would become the laughingstock of the town.

Seeing Leah's indecision, Ryan tugged at her sleeve and said in a low voice, "Sis, forget it. Let's just go home."

Leah looked at Ryan, her heart aching. She thought to herself that even if she were scolded by her parents upon returning, she would accept it. Biting her lip, she said, "Teacher, I don't have that much gold on me. I only have eight hundred gold coins. Also, last time I represented the academy in a competition, the academy awarded me three hundred gold coins. I've been keeping it at the academy for tuition. After deducting what I've used, there should still be two hundred gold coins left. I'd like to transfer that to my brother. Is that okay?"

The middle-aged man smiled warmly. "Of course. Since the academy awarded it to you, it's your gold to use as you wish. You can withdraw it anytime. But are you sure you want to pay one thousand gold coins?" He looked at Leah with disbelief.

Leah sighed in relief and avoided directly answering his question. Instead, she said calmly, "Then I'll trouble you, teacher." She handed over two bags of gold coins, one large and one small.

The man wiped the sweat from his forehead, took the bags, and said, "Wait a moment. I'll process the enrollment for you."

When Ryan saw that his sister had not only given him her competition reward but also used her own savings, his stubborn pride finally broke. Tears streamed down his face as he burst into loud sobs.

Ryan knew that his sister was standing up for him and didn't want outsiders to look down on him.

Leah hugged Ryan tightly, comforting him. "Don't cry... This amount of gold is nothing. In my eyes, no amount of gold is more important than you."

Instead of calming Ryan down, Leah's words made him cry even harder. In all her years, Leah had never seen Ryan so heartbroken. She could feel the weight of his disappointment. For a ten-year-old child, this outcome was indeed cruel—so cruel that it didn't even give him a sliver of hope. Thinking of this, Leah's eyes also welled up with tears.

The siblings held each other and cried. The middle-aged man, witnessing this scene, was at a loss. He wanted to comfort them but found himself speechless.

After a while, Leah realized she had lost control of her emotions. She wiped her tears, took a deep breath to steady herself, and led Ryan over to the man. "Teacher, is the enrollment process complete?"

"It's done. It's been done for a while."

The man handed Leah the enrollment documents and the academy badge. "I've been waiting for you. To be honest, I envy you. Compared to the hardships of cultivation, genuine affection is even rarer. What happened today may seem unfortunate, but I believe this experience will be an important part of your growth."

"Thank you, teacher. I'll take good care of him," Leah said respectfully as she accepted the items.

What the man didn't know was that, years later, his offhand words of comfort would be remembered for a lifetime by the boy everyone had mocked as "useless."

Leah put her arm around Ryan, and the two walked out of the headmaster's building together. At that moment, the entrance tests were still ongoing.

To silence the gossiping crowd, the headmaster had publicly announced Ryan's exorbitant tuition fee, shocking many.

When people learned that Ryan had already enrolled, they were all secretly amazed.

For an ordinary family, a year's expenses might only amount to a few dozen gold coins. One thousand gold coins was an amount many would never see in their lifetime.

While people envied Ryan's wealthy background, they also looked down even more on this "useless" boy who could squander money so freely. The gossip spread like wildfire.

Leah ignored the crowd and led Ryan toward the academy gates, where their carriage and attendants were waiting. Although the attendants had heard some rumors, no one dared to ask questions. They silently followed the carriage as it headed back to House Stark.

Inside the carriage, Leah remembered that before leaving home, her mother had given her seven hundred gold coins. Because of Ryan's special circumstances, her mother had prepared five hundred gold coins for tuition and two hundred for the siblings to celebrate Ryan's enrollment and enjoy themselves.

Leah had confidently said that they wouldn't need so much. But not only had they fallen short, even her own savings had been wiped out. Yet she didn't regret it at all. Somehow, she felt that the one thousand gold coins had been well spent.

When the carriage stopped in front of House Stark, Leah and Ryan stepped out. Ryan broke free from Leah's grip and ran straight to his room without looking back.

Leah watched his small figure disappear but didn't stop him. She knew Ryan was deeply hurt and needed time alone to process everything. She then walked alone to the main hall of House Stark.

In the main hall, a middle-aged man sat in the seat of honor. He wore a blue robe, his strong features and tanned skin giving him an imposing presence. This was Harry, the head of House Stark.

At that moment, Harry was chatting leisurely with Leah's mother, Alice.

Seeing Leah enter, Harry laughed heartily. "Hahaha... Leah, how did it go? Your mother said you two were going to celebrate. Why are you back so early?"

Seeing her father's cheerful smile, Leah's eyes reddened, and she burst into tears.

Her sudden crying confused Harry, and a look of concern flashed across his face. He suddenly realized that only Leah had returned—Ryan was nowhere to be seen. Could something have happened...?

He didn't dare to think further and urgently asked, "What happened? Where's Ryan?"

Seeing her father's anxious expression, Leah forced back her tears and, between sobs, recounted the events of the elemental test. She ended with, "Mother's words were like a curse."

Alice sighed with a bitter smile. "Oh, you child..."

Harry, however, relaxed. He ruffled Leah's hair with his large hand. "I thought it was something serious. You're such a big girl now, crying like this will only make people laugh."

"Everyone's laughing at Ryan, calling him useless. 'Ultra-low'—I've never even heard of such a thing. There must have been a mistake in the academy's test," Leah argued, trying to defend Ryan.

It was no wonder Leah thought this way. Most people had at least some elemental perception. Cases like Ryan's were extremely rare, which was why even the headmaster had personally intervened.

Harry, however, waved it off. "Talent is innate. Ryan has been weak since childhood. The fact that he's alive today is already a blessing. Some things can't be forced. But you did well today. A mere one thousand gold coins is nothing to House Stark. Let those petty people see that House Stark isn't to be trifled with!"

"Your father's right. One thousand gold coins is nothing to our family," Alice chimed in.

She then added, "Go and spend some time with Ryan. He's had a tough day and needs comfort. Your father and I have some things to discuss."

Leah knew her parents wanted to discuss Ryan's situation without her. She nodded and headed to Ryan's room.

Once Leah was out of earshot, Alice lowered her voice and asked, "Harry, what should we do...?"

"Don't worry. Although this is unexpected, it's not a problem. Everything will be fine," Harry reassured her.

Meanwhile, Ryan had locked himself in his room. The sudden blow was too much for the ten-year-old to bear.

For the next three days, Ryan didn't leave his room. Although Leah visited him daily, no matter what she said, Ryan remained silent. He only ate a little of the food the servants brought, and his body grew thinner by the day.

Harry and Alice also tried to console him, but their efforts had little effect. Then, on the fourth morning...

Leah brought Ryan the academy badge. "Today is your first day at the academy. Change your clothes, and let's go together."

Ryan glanced at the badge engraved with the words "Norton" and thought for a moment. "Sis, I've decided to give up on enrolling in Norton Academy."

"Why?" Leah saw the determination in Ryan's eyes.

"I've thought about it for a long time. I don't want to waste time on something impossible," Ryan said, trying to justify his desire to escape reality.

Ryan's attitude worried Leah, but she kept her tone gentle. "Challenges aren't scary. What's scary is not having the courage to face them. Everyone dreams of studying at the academy. Even if you don't become a powerful elementalist, you can still learn a lot. Strong individuals are important to the empire, but resources are equally important. If you don't learn, you'll be left behind by the world. How can you give up such a rare opportunity so easily?"

Ryan shrugged. "So what? I said I'm not interested."

For days, Leah had feared that Ryan would give up on himself. But the very thing she had hoped to avoid had happened.

Faced with Ryan's stubbornness, Leah finally lost her temper.

Frustrated, she shouted, "You're just afraid of being laughed at as a 'useless' person, aren't you? If you don't even dare to go to the academy, then in others' eyes, you're not just useless—you're a coward. Hmph... Think about it!" Leah stormed out of the room, her chest heaving with anger.

As Leah stepped out, her eyes reddened. She regretted speaking so harshly.

But over the past three days, she had bottled up a lot of frustration. Ryan, who hadn't left his room, didn't know that the news of his "ultra-low" talent had spread like wildfire. Some people were even betting on whether Ryan would dare to show up at the academy.

For someone as strong-willed as Leah, all of this was unbearable. She couldn't tell Ryan, fearing he wouldn't be able to handle it. In fact, she felt even more wronged than Ryan, as she had endured just as much ridicule.

Ryan was shocked by Leah's harsh words and actions. It was the harshest she had ever spoken to him in ten years.

The word "coward" struck Ryan's heart like a dagger.

Leah was so angry that she skipped breakfast. After tidying up her room, she prepared to leave for the academy. Just as she stepped out of the courtyard, she heard Ryan call out.

"Sis, did you forget something?"

Leah turned around sharply and saw Ryan standing there, dressed in a blue-and-white robe, the Norton badge pinned to his chest. Her eyes lit up with joy.

"You rascal, you've come to your senses? You didn't disappoint me."

Ryan grinned. "I just don't want another title like 'coward.'" He looked at Leah with determination.

For Ryan, a ten-year-old boy, he couldn't think too far ahead. As Leah had said, if he didn't even dare to go to the academy, others would truly see him as a coward. Everyone has some pride, and he didn't want to be looked down upon.

Leah quickly stepped forward and took Ryan's hand. "I have to say, you look very handsome in this outfit. Let's go."

"Very handsome" was Leah's way of affirming and praising Ryan for facing reality.

Compared to the siblings, the atmosphere in the headmaster's office at Norton Academy was rather tense.

A beautiful woman sat sideways, her curvaceous figure accentuated by a tight red robe. This was Annis, the headmaster of Norton Academy.

Her right index finger tapped lightly on the desk, as if deep in thought. In front of her stood a dozen people, all arguing loudly. Only Gunter stood silently to the side, saying nothing.