In the air an old man stroked his puffy snow white full beard,his eyes a clear navy blue, he wore blue inner robes and green outer robes, with a green pointed hat,and green pointed shoes,his wrinkles showing his age ,behind and above him were all sorts of mages only one wore a formal suit but even his fashion sense gave off an aura of mystique, some having skulls and animal hides on their clothes as they wielded their wands some having long staffs while others much shorter,the old man finished stroking his beard his facial features lightening up,in moments Darian scanned his surroundings seeing some familiar faces and others he had only heard of,he remembered how doulos threw heeps of books and files for him to memorize on each of the nobles that were chosen but this was simply the bare minimum " this place ,builds and establishes connections,and influence, it's all a big chess game everyone will try forming their own groups creating connections,that are simply pawns for later use"
"At the same time certain families already have enemies from infighting in a way lines have already been drawn before we even stepped foot in this place, certain pieces can only move certain ways"
Moments later after everyone had gotten the time to process what had happened the mages descended escorting all within the courtyard into the halls and their arranged seats, in the process Darian ears rung as nobles scoffed at one another specifically many talked about Conrads name in disdain and anger and how he quickly rose into power some suggesting theories of dark sorcery aiding his quest Darian scoffed and released a smirk this just showed the significance nobility placed on conrads rapid rise in power ,"rumors!,rumors!,rumors!" Darian thought deprecatingly in his head "all I care about is benefits! ,benefits! ,benefits!"
Darians goal was not only to learn,but this place was one of, if not the greatest hubs of information,he had access to,he had many goals in this, gaining power was just one of the many, he planned to keep a low profile for the most part aswell to not gain unwanted attention,it's what he and his parents ultimately desired,this was a tacit agreement made without the exchange of words,this was also the reason the magical equipment given were of such a quality,lacking offensive ability or stunning rank despite it being well within their affordable means
"I want to keep a low ,profile" Darian thought to himself "Buuut, at the same time I want to gather power and information ", the problem was clear "these two things Naturally contradict themselves, if I want power offcourse that will bring attention, if I need arcane secrets that will also cause attention, it's seems ultimately a sacrifice of goals must occur", as Darian was in deep contemplation he actively bit his thumb
Until Doulos snapped him from his deep trance placing a hand on Darians shoulder in concern as they were one of the few yet to leave the courtyard,"let's go young master ",Doulos said,"your far too kind" Darian replied as he climbed the stairs
Within the assembly,over 500 noble children had gathered and split into sections based on seating arrangements each seat finely spaced from one another their instructors standing either on their left or right hand sides in attendance ,the seats themselves being some of the most comfortable and lavish in the kingdom,the assembly had yet to formerly begin allowing those who sat near each other some leeway to talk or familiarize themselves with one another,Darian sat at the very front row on the right, besides him on his left was a familiar face it was Edward Kinsley the son of Rosewald Kinsley he had blonde hair like a upside down bowl and wore dark green aristocratic attire besides him on his left was his blonde female instructor and on his right a female member of the beast folk with silver hair and brown eyes that appeared to be his maid
"look who the goblin dragged in " the blonde haired Edward said tauntingly his head tilting downwards his blue eyes wide open as he smiled with malice, "It seems this esteemed institute has lost its credibility ", he said while giggling ,"You know, as it seems ro me they just pick everyone nowadays,even those feeble rats on the street,unlike my family with years of service we shouldn't even be placed, in the same room let alone be forced to breath the same air ",he said while pinching his nose and lifting his head high
Darian smiled " if it only takes a rat a few years to reach what it took years,for your ancestors to achieve,what does that say about your family" ,the strategy was simple Darian could not directly insult Edward's family for a noble that would be too scandalous if it were to get out they exchange such words so it was best to leave it to implications,"Only fools are goated by others,into relinquishing their pride over a few words ,but at the same time those who are already fools deserve to be put down to their place " Darian thought as he looked at Edward with apathy, "the arrogance!!" Edward said in his heart," the fool believes he can ascend to the 9th heaven, only plunging to reality when his wings are ripped from his back "
But Darian continued " your family was once known for selling beastmen as slaves during the norn wars, and according to rumors, you especially sold the woman to engage in all types of debauchery,if this is true, I m surprised half your family has no furry ears or fluffy tails,or maybe,you could pay me to find your long lost brothers ",Edward's anger rose ,Darian chuckled " but I see the family business,as honorable as it is has evolved from selling beast tribe slaves to hiring them as maids ", "Hahaha" Darian chuckled a little louder than before just enough for Edward's ears to hear,as he leaned on the armrest ,the female beast tribe maid releasing a chuckle
"Attention ,Attention!, order! ,order! ", the wooden staff striking the ground multiple times, the voice and the clashing of the staff with wooden planks reverberating across the assembly hall,the aristocrat's chatter coming to a screeching halt, on the podium an old wizard stood before the congregation infront of him a floating glowing green orb meant to amplify his voice " My name is Nordwind Carigules,and Iam the head of this institution",Darian chuckled thinking back to his experiences in his original world "In other words your the principal ",he thought
" Let me tell you a little story on how this institution was founded "
" A long time ago during the norn war,This place was once the residence of the Queen of dragons,Viran, and a major stronghold for the dragons,and in our march for the future of the many, the great hero Oliver chrokus ,led a raid and wielding the heros blade slew her and her legions initiating an increase in aggression from both sides,Releasing a roar that rallied warriors and a wail that signaled our enemies crushing defeat,In his honor was this institution built to create leaders ,no ,warriors, in all aspects, that would prevent the tragedies that occured in those years from repeating themselves,and if we cannot prevent wars we will win them "
The crowd Roared clapping ,as they stood in consolidation, as he had no problem with what was being said ,Darian joined in the clapping until it naturally dialed down,"And it seems that this year the blade of heroes has returned home ",this information silenced the crowd it wasn't out of surprise or a lack of information Doulos chuckled revealing a grin " ah the folly of nobility,fate is not dictated by wealth,unfortunately " ,Darians eyes became keen like a hawk ," As expected ,they do not support the swords candidate "
This reaction was what Nordwind expected ,this was simply a social experiment to him his eyes bent as he moved on to the next topic," Besides your instructors and myself ofcourse,in this very palace are a hundred and 12 mages specializing in various fields the best of the best who have devoted themselves, in Oliver's quest to inspire the new generation ,In this place the laws of royalty and nobility blur ,their will be no special treatment ,for those of higher social status or wealth, whether it be the kings children or a demigod one shall prove his right to rule,and believe me ,we will,test you ,at the end of these five years their will be the broken and the reborn "
Darians hand was on his chin in deep thought, " while a nobles reputation and the trust of the people are greatly effected by the outcome of the next few years,it's not something one can't make up for, and will most likely not result in any demotions unless their stupid,as for the entire equality spiel that's a load of bullcrap!! "
Nordwind continued "Throw all preconceptions of what you know,out the window,You have learnt about the 9 keys of magic ,and it's infinite possibilities but to those of you with a meticulous mind,you have noticed that creating random spells have huge drains ,and unpredictability,spells depending on the strength are prone to backfiring,In a battle the unexpected is death,so you will be learning detailed spells and how to interpret them,spells that have been researched upon so thoroughly we are aware of their exact costs and possible draw backs,but in the future as masters,you will right your own "