After an embarrassingly eventful night, Alicia finally returned to her dorm the next morning.
The black scorch marks that had pierced through the wall, floor, and ceiling had completely vanished, and everything in her room had been neatly restored to its original state.
"Phew~ finally over!" Alicia exhaled deeply, then quickly pulled out a change of clothes from her luggage. After a short shower in the washroom, she met up with Alice, who was already waiting by her dorm door, and together they headed for the cafeteria.
After a fast breakfast, the two hurried to the classroom building.
Today was the official start of the new term.
Looking back at everything that had happened since her enrollment, Alicia couldn't help but feel like it was all surreal.
She hadn't even been at the Academy for a week, yet it felt like months had passed.
What could she say? Her life had simply been too full of disasters lately.
Ten minutes later, the two girls arrived at the classroom building and went their separate ways.
Though they were good friends, they were in different classes, and thus headed in opposite directions.
"First-year class... First-year Class E!!"
Following the map in her hand, Alicia finally found her classroom. The first thing she saw was an extravagant metal door, covered in elaborate magical arrays she couldn't even begin to understand. Embedded at each corner of the intricate carvings were several small magic crystals.
Each of those small magic crystals alone was worth fifty gold coins!
There had to be at least twenty of them embedded in that door—meaning the door itself was worth no less than a thousand gold coins.
What kind of class had she ended up in!?
She gulped nervously, then reached out to push the door—only to find it wouldn't budge.
"It's a sliding door. You need to pull it to the right," Yuui sighed, covering his eyes helplessly at her mistake.
Alicia blushed slightly, then pulled the door open as instructed.
As soon as the door opened, a wave of noise rushed out.
"First place among freshmen? You? Don't make me laugh!"
"Why not!? My 'xxx' deck is unbeatable! Prove me wrong in a Duel!"
"Fine! Let's Duel, then!"
"Ah~ Her Highness the First Princess is so beautiful!"
"I still think Miss Alice is prettier!"
"Hmph! Stupid boys!"
"Prince Zack was so cool that day! I've decided—I'll follow him forever! I'd give up my most precious thing for him!"
"Your most precious thing? You little flirt! Bet you're just after his body!"
The chaos of voices in the classroom overwhelmed Alicia's mind, leaving her completely frozen.
Yuui stood beside her, his mouth twitching a bit before he muttered, "Ah, yes, a classroom full of fourteen and fifteen-year-olds. Figures."
Though Yuui's current appearance was that of a seventeen-year-old, his actual age easily exceeded five thousand years; therefore, mentally, he was well over a hundred.
The only reason he could still make jokes like this was because of his naturally cheerful personality—and perhaps because eight years of raising Alicia had made him feel younger at heart.
As the door opened, the noisy students turned to look. The moment they saw the girl standing in the doorway, their chatter immediately died.
One by one, those who hadn't realized what was happening followed suit, glancing toward the entrance.
Alicia, snapping out of her daze, realized this wasn't exactly what she'd imagined. She had assumed most students here would be wealthy nobles or elites—surely a bit more refined in their behavior. Yet, their conversations were... childish, to say the least.
Now that everyone's attention was on her, her timid nature began to surface once more.
Regardless, Yuui had no intention of letting her shrink back.
The next moment, he took control of Alicia's body, his eyes radiating authority as he surveyed the class.
Alicia: (0A0) "Yuui-san, what are you doing!?"
"Establishing dominance," Yuui said calmly in her mind. "We're on our own here, so we need everyone to know we're not to be messed with. Luckily, this is a Duel Academy—strength matters most. Backgrounds help, but not much.
"We'll be here for three years, so it's better to make sure they all understand: we're not easy targets. Anyone who challenges us better be ready to be crushed."
With that, Yuui released the full aura of a Great Magician—Alicia's current level.
In other words, he showed their rank.
Instantly, the wave of magic far surpassed that of nearly every student in the room, causing many to gasp.
To enter Saint Fusion Academy, one had to be a prodigy—even so, there were levels even above "prodigy." Beyond prodigy was "freak," beyond freak was "monster," and above that still... "demon."
Every student here was a genius, yet in front of Alicia… this "monster"... they suddenly felt small.
Her power outclassed everyone present by a whole tier, and paired with that kingly gaze, those who dared meet her eyes quickly looked away.
Even a few stubborn boys who tried to hold their ground out of "man pride" soon bowed their heads under the pressure.
There was simply no resisting it.
After scanning the room, Yuui nodded a little and said in a measured, approving tone, "Not bad. You all have decent strength. As expected of students who made it into this Academy."
Strangely enough, the class felt... honored to be acknowledged. It was as if a true monarch had praised them.
Alicia, watching this from within, wasn't even surprised anymore.
After all, this wasn't the first time Yuui had used her body to intimidate others. He'd once scared off beasts and even grown men with nothing but her presence.
And just as she was about to relax, a familiar voice suddenly shouted from the hallway—
"Late, late, late!!!"
...
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