Seraphine's POV:
The sun shone through the windows of the lecture hall as it's lays of light illuminated the almost empty classroom.
*Creak*
The sound of the door opening was heard as seraphine Drayne walked into the room. Her heels clicking against the floor as she entered with elegance.
Her face maintaining a friendly smile as her eyes scanned around the room.
More than ten students had arrived inside the hall taking the front seats in the room.
Most of the nobles recognized her immediately upon her entrance and just as quickly looked away in fear.
'Mostly recognisable faces.... No one to pay attention to now.'
'No free seat huh? Inconvenient....'
As she walked forwards her figure stopped infront of a desk directly infront of the blackboard.
She bent down on the desk until her mouth reached the ear of the commoner sitting on the desk.
"I'm sorry, but if it's alright with you would you shift seats? I would really really appreciate it!"
After speaking her eyes met his before she adjusted her hair behind her ear???? Correction needed.
At her words his face was dyed a crimson red.
"Y-yes! Your royal highness! You can take the seat if you want... I-i can just get another one!!!"
He quickly got up from his seat before quickly bolting away to the back of the class.
"Hehehe... S-she looked at me, the princess looked at me."
As soon as he dissapeared seraphine's smile turned back into a neutral expression as she waited for the professor.
'I've heard a lot about him from Ivan.... His recent victory against the headmistress for one. Well I can confirm if he's worth recruiting in a while anyways.'
"Seraphineeee!"
Just as she had taken care of one problem two others came into the class.
"Hehehe don't tell me you forgot about us! How could you be so rude."
'I forgot that these idiots were joining the academy tch.'
Seraphine forced a smile before waving at them.
" Mouuuuu! Seraphine- san you can't act this frosty with your best friends. The other's will think we're stalkers!"
'But you are....'
Two girls Cally with a bright smile on her face and mira with dark circles so long it looked like she hadn't slept for days came over.
"Morning."
"Well. You're early! Trying to impress someone at? Ay!" Cally whispered the last part into seraphine's ears as she elbowed her.
Seraphine's face started contorting before she finally controlled it.
"It's nothing! I want to leave a good impression on the professor after all...."
"Boooooooooooring... Professor Marius is already booked for another class so it's not like he'll be teaching us." Cally said with a sad face.
"Imagine if it was professor Marius though... I wouldn't mind if he *punished* me here and there hehehehe. " Cally spoke dreamily as she formed from her mouth.
Mira leaned into the conversation whispering,
"Do you think we'll get him for class? "
"Professor Ashvale that guy? I mean.... Even if we haven't seen him before he's got quite the achievements right? We don't need to worry."
"Tch i wouldn't even be attending this class if I didn't need an easy point for graduating hmpf."
"Besides seraphine will protect us if anything goes wrong!" Cally stuck her tounge out at Mira.
"You....!"
...
Laughter bubbled between them as they continued talking. The tension of the first day of the academy vanished into the air.
They continued laughing freely before--
Creeeaaakkkk~
The door opened,
The entire class went into silence as they stared at him.
He moved without any sense of urgency.
His tousled black hair flowed in the wind. No family crest, no jewellery nothing fancy, but his lean yet handsome figure caught the eye of some.
The whispers began,
"Is that really him?"
"That's the commoner that not only passed but also destroyed the evaluation orb!"
"It's a pity.... If he was born a noble unlike us he would at least have a chance to live in peace...."
As his eyes looked up at Lysander, the noble next to him got up and approached him.
'sigh.... Another talent destroyed.'
"Hey kiddd are you lost?"
One of the nobles boys got up before putting his arm on Lysander's shoulder, grinning.
The boy didn't speak or respond but simply looked at him.
He walked past the noble without sparing him a glance.
Lysander walked past and sat first row on the last seat facing the window. The unspoken protagonist seat. He folded his hands on the desk before closing his eyes.
"H-huh?" The noble stared into the space where Lysander once was before staring at him dumbfoundedly.
'There's no way... This commoner? He walked past me?' A vein bulged on the noble's forehead as he clenched his fist.
He walked towards Lysander's seat before meeting him face to face.
"You.... JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"
As the noble's fist was midway in the air and about to reach Lysander a sweet hypnotic voice resounded in the class.
"Now now, Ron what do you think you're doing?"
As the noble stared back in anger at who had inturrupted him the colour drained from his eyes.
"Y-your royal highness! What can I do for you?" Ron hurriedly lowered his head repeatedly as sweat beamed down his forehead.
'This bitch.... Why does she have to interrupt now out of all times??'
"Oh it's nothing Ron. I'm feeling rather hungry for some reason. Would you be a dear and go grab me a sandwich from the cafeteria?" Seraphine smiled widely at Ron before clapping her hands together.
"..... Fine." He swallowed his pride barely hiding the hostility in his gaze.
'you fool. I'm not saving him from you but the opposite.' seraphine muttered under her breath as she stared at Lysander.
'Just what is that?'
Although other's couldn't see it but from her eyes she could see the mana around Lysander behaving weirdly. It was as if the fabric of space around him was being breaking apart.....
'ill have to keep an eye on him, for sure.....'
Seraphine narrowed her eyes.
"Damm that was kinda badass not gonna lie, right seraphine?" Mira whispered.
"Who exactly is he?" Cally asked while twirling her hair wishfully.
Seraphine didn't answer but kept on watching him.
'What exactly are you doing here Lysander Aelwin?'
________________________________________
The gossip returned in a wave. The energy had changed no longer fun, now sharp with curiosity and quiet tension.
The commoner students had gathered near Lysander trying to talk with him like eager fans, while seraphine was stuck with the gossip her friends had.
Before,
The temprature suddenly dropped.
Fhhssskkk
A hiss cut through the air as a thin rift spiraled open infront of the chalkboard, it's edges slowly growing until it reached the size of a normal human.
Slowly a human walked through.
His boots hit the wood. His velvet red coat fluttered in the wind as his mana covered the class.
Alaric Ashvale had arrived.
________________________________________
He didn't speak at first.
He just walked towards the central platform, his each step echoing. His gloves sparkled faintly as the complex mana seals on them reflected the light.
One of his gloves twitched s one of the chalk pieces on the podium floated into the air.
It spun before slowly writing something on the blackboard.
Professor Alaric Ashvale
Magic theory and Applied combat instructor.
Still he said nothing. His eyes calmy scanning everyone in the room.
Alaric smirked.
'I think that's enough Aura farming for now.'
"If you're here to be ordinary."
"You're in the wrong class."
Silence.
"The imperial academy doesn't accept failures. Dropping out now would be better for you lot of you have nothing planned for the future...."
"Each and every one of you are promising prospects who will become the cornerstones of the empire if raised properly... My duty here is to make sure that occurs."
Finally Alaric withdrew his mana and everyone could finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Most of you, especially those of noble birth already have prior education and experience.... Some already being 3rd circle mages."
"Useless."
"If you've rushed the process just so that you can advance a realm without paying attention to the foundation you'll never become and Archmage."
"This is the reason why the first few classes will focus mainly on the basics.... No matter if you've learnt them before."
Alaric raised one of his hands as a rune appeared.
"Now if I pass my mana through this..."
A ball of fire appeared on Alaric's hands.
"Now..."
Another rune formed. Spirals, crescents, overlapping layers with sharp edges. The air around it bent.
As he activated it a giant fireball appeared dwarfing the other one in size.
"Comparing them both they are the same spell. Same mana input. Same grade."
"The only difference is the efficiency.... If you cannot master this part of being a mage it would've been better if you went to some third grade academy instead."
"Who knows? If you mess up while making runes then..."
Alaric altered one line in the rune.
BOOM
The rune exploded in a sharp shockwave as books fell over and students fucked under the table.
"You mess up? This happens."
"You will not be spoon fed. Since this is our first meeting I will end the class here with an assignment."
The blackboard updated.
Assignment 1: craft a stable grade 1 tune. More complex the better.
Due: Tomorrow
"S-sir?" One student spoke nervously. "Isn't that too advanced for a first assignment?"
Alaric blinked " I didn't ask or your success. I ask for effort. I learn more from your failure than your performance."
He clapped his hands twice.
"Class is dismissed."
The students exhaled. Some panicked, other's whispering to themselves.
The same time as Alaric left the room another student who had been sitting quietly in the corner followed him out, her purple hair shining as she ran.
Seraphine stood up from her seat slowly. Her eyes fixated on the black haired boy. Who had no reaction on his face even as Alaric came and went.
She smirked faintly.
"This year is gonna be fun..."
Meanwhile the noble who went to get seraphine a werewolf sandwich sighed in relief as he heard what happened from his friends.