Chapter 10: The Entrance Ceremony

Chapter 10: The Entrance Ceremony

The grand hall of the academy was filled with the best and brightest of noble and knightly lineage, the elite class gathered in reserved seats near the front, while the rest of the first-year students sat in neat, orderly rows further back. The faculty stood along the perimeter, assessing their newest students with a mixture of pride and scrutiny.

At the very front of the hall, four students stood on the raised ceremonial platform—each of them representing the peak of this year's entrants. Among them was the top-ranked student, Lucien von Hohenfeld, the golden-haired prodigy whose overwhelming talent in both swordplay and magic had already solidified him as the best of the new generation.

Lucien stepped forward, the hall silencing in anticipation of his speech.

"As the finest of this generation, it is our duty to uphold the honor of knighthood and magic," he began, his voice carrying the perfect mix of charisma and arrogance. "Only the strongest, the most disciplined, and the most worthy will rise above the rest. This academy does not cater to the weak, nor should it. Those who cannot stand at the top must recognize their place beneath those who can."

The words themselves were typical noble rhetoric, but there was something pointed about the way he said it—something dismissive, as if making it clear that certain individuals didn't belong here.

Jessica sat beside her brother, watching the room more than the stage. Tobias stiffened, jaw clenched, hand gripping the armrest of his chair tightly.

"Tch. He's a pompous ass," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear.

Despite the aching in her body, despite the residual soreness from both the dire wolf encounter and the combat evaluation, Jessica managed a small, amused smile.

"You're just noticing now?" she murmured back.

Tobias shot her an annoyed look but said nothing. The speech continued, but Jessica barely listened. Her attention drifted to her surroundings, particularly to her designated seat.

While the other elite students sat in elegant, well-maintained chairs befitting their status, her chair was... different.

Old. Unpolished. The legs were rusted, the wood splintered. It was a mockery—a blatant message.

A magic cripple didn't belong among them.

She stared at it for a long moment before sitting down without a word. It was a minor inconvenience at best, but the intent behind it was laughable. Were they expecting her to cry? To be humiliated? If anything, it was more amusing than offensive.

The whispers around her were relentless.

"That's the Moran girl..."

"She lasted five seconds and got into the elite class? What a joke."

"Did you see her in the exam? Fighting like some back-alley brawler—disgraceful."

"She's barely even a noble. If she weren't a cripple, she'd still be an embarrassment."

"She's lucky her brother is competent. Otherwise, she'd be tossed out immediately."

It was... exhausting. Not because their words hurt, but because they truly believed she wanted this attention.

Her five-second duel had caused an uproar, not because it was impressive, but because it stole their spotlight. They were used to predictable hierarchies, where talent and noble lineage dictated worth. And yet, here she was—a magic cripple with no respectable standing—placed among them, disrupting the natural order.

They weren't mocking her because she was weak.

They were mad because she didn't act like she was.

Beside her, Tobias was getting more irritated by the second. Jessica could practically hear his teeth grinding. His usual aloof expression was nowhere to be seen—he looked indignant, openly glaring at the nobles whispering around them.

"Disrespectful bastards," he muttered. "You lasted five seconds against a full-ranked knight and still humiliated him. They should be shutting up and learning something."

Jessica glanced at him in mild surprise.

"Hah. So you were impressed."

He shot her a glare. "Shut up."

The ceremony continued, but she already knew how this year would play out. The elite students would sneer. The instructors would scrutinize. The nobles would whisper.

And she?

She'd endure it all the same way she always did.

With a smile.