《The Tale of a Reincarnated Aristocrat.》 Chapter 1. The reincarnation. The glow of the computer screen illuminated his weary face as he typed furiously, trying to finish his homework before fatigue overtook him. His stomach grumbled, a stark reminder of the hours he had spent lost in his work. He glanced around the cluttered room, his eyes landing on the tower of empty instant noodle cups and crumpled chip bags scattered across the floor. A heavy sigh escaped him, mirroring the emptiness in his eyes¡ªa silent testament to countless nights of exhaustion and solitude. ''I''m hungry! I''ll just grab something to eat at the convenience store.'' Haruto thought as he pushed himself away from his desk, stretching the stiffness of his limbs. Making his way downstairs, he checkedthefridge, hopeful for a quick snack. Finding it nearly empty, he realized that his parents on vacation overseas with his younger sister, leaving him with the responsibility of managing the house all by himself. The quiet of the house reminded him of their absence, filling him with a mix of independence and solitude. His parents stood by the door, their suitcases packed and ready. "Are you sure you don''t want to come with us?" His mom asked, her voice tinged with concerns. He smiled, leaning casually against the doorframe. "I''ll be alright," he assured them. "Besides, I''ve got a few things I want to finish off here, and it will be nice to have a some quiet time." His dad raised an eyebrow, glancing at the video game console left running on the desk. "Alright, but give us a call if you need anything." "I promise I won''t forget. Enjoy your trip!" He chuckled, shrugging. As the car pulled away, he watched as it disappear down the street, feeling a sense of relief. Finally, he had the house all to himself and time to do as he pleased. He opened the fridge and sighed ''I knew it. There is nothing in here,'' he muttered. ''I should have stocked up on some groceries.'' The shelves were bare, save for a few unappealing leftover. Feeling too lazy to cook, he decided to head out to the convenience store instead. "Thank you for shopping here!" The cashier said with a friendly smile. "Welcome," Haruto replied, taking his bag and heading out of the store. He carried his snacks and some other groceries, feeling a contented buzz as he walked home. As he navigated through the crowd, a flash of recognition stopped him in his tracks. Amid the sea of faces, he spotted a familiar figure¡ªone he hadn''t expected to see here. It was a girl from his class, her silhouette district even in the dim streetlights. He blinked, puzzled. It was already dark, and seeing someone from his school out so late, especially someone like her, felt oddly out of place. ''Misaki-chan? What is she doing all alone at this time? I thought that the school''s festival had ended earlier in the afternoon...'' He wondered. Misaki is the most popular and prettiest girl in Haruto''s school. Almost all the boys have a crush on her, including Haruto himself. Although she''s popular, it doesn''t affect the way she treats people. Screams pierced the night''s air, cutting through the bustling streets where people were either heading home from work or having a night out with friends. Amid the clamor, a car hurtled down the road, its headlights slicing through the darkness. The vehicle swerved dangerously toward a group of pedestrians, Misaki among them, caught off-guard by the approaching menace. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "Watch out, Misaki-chann!!" Haruto yelled out, to get her attention. He dived in front of the car, pushing her out of the car''s way. (Car brakes) ''Well, I guess it''s probably the end for me. At least I get to save a beauty like Misaki..'' Haruto lay in a pool of blood, the warm, sticky liquid soaking into the pavement beneath him. His vision blurred as he turned his head to face Misaki, her face streaked with tears. "Are you okay, Haruto-kun?" She asked, her voice trembling as tears spilled onto his face. He managed to faint smile, though the effort made him wince. "Heh,I''ll be alright.Don''t worry about me." Misaki''s grip tightened on his hand, her voice chocked with emotion. "Good to hear. Just stay with me!" Haruto''s strength waned, making it harder to form words. "B-B-but are you okay?" he rasped, his voice barely a whisper. Misaki''s tearful smile was the only response he needed, reassuring him that she was fine, even if tears were flowing down her cheeks. Suddenly his consciousness began to fade away, with every second that passed by his consciousness drifted. He tried to fight against the cold arms of death, but he found it difficult. The last thing he saw before his consciousness faded away was the crying face of his crush, Misaki. "Somebody call an ambulance!" ....... "....." Later, Haruto woke up in a dark, unrecognizable place, submerged in a water-like state. He couldn''t feel his body. ''Where am I?'' he wondered. ''Is this what dying feels like?" Haruto was in a state of confusion. To make things worse, he couldn''t fulfill his dreams. All the precious memories he''d made with his family and close friends, all the good times he had with his friends, and all the things he wished he''d done while he was still alive flashed before him. ''I can''t feel my body or my heartbeat...'' he thought. ''If I die and become a ghost, what will befall me? Will I wander around? It''s a headache. I''m frustrated... I should''ve gone with my parents!'' Nothing made any sense to him in that moment. On one hand, he''s dead, and on the other hand, this could all be a nightmare and he would wake up on his bed in the morning. He tried to move his body, but his body refused to obey his commands. He felt like he was floating around in space, lacking the ability to move his hands and feet. He felt all alone with the darkness for company, as the darkness threatened to consume his entire body. The feeling of loneliness persisted. ''I hope Misaki is doing alright. I hope you didn''t get traumatized..'' He thought. Suddenly he began to regain consciousness, his body enveloped in light, the feeling of warmth taking over him as the strange light carried him. He found himself in a strange room surrounded by many people eagerly waiting. The first thing Haruto saw was an old man flashing a light in his eyes; the light floated around the palm of his hand. Haruto blinked, trying to clear his vision and make sense of the scene before him. The room was adorned with intricate tapestries and glowing orbs that hovered mid-air, casting a soft, ethereal glow. Whispers filled the air as the onlookers exchanged glances and murmured amongst themselves. The room was old fashioned and looked like the rooms in the old castle that are in Europe, or like a picture you''d see on the internet and paintings. "Well, doctor, how is our son''s condition?" A woman''s voice asked the old man who wore a lab coat. "I hope there isn''t anything wrong with the recovery magic that was used," a male''s voice chimed in. ''Hmm... where am I...? Wasn''t I dead a few seconds ago? This must be an illusion or something...'' ''Wait, did he just say "Magic"? I must be misunderstanding something here!'' He tried to figure out how he got to this place. At one point he had been in a dark watery realm, but now he was in a room surrounded by people... The room wasn''t the hospital or anywhere he knew. It was an ordinary room built for a person of high status. "Ah, your son is doing well and recovering. Please ensure that he receives adequate care," the doctor explained. "And please give him something to eat or drink." "Yes, I will make sure of that!" The man exclaimed. The doctor left the room after running some more examinations and checkups on Haruto. But the couple remained in the room with a couple of maids. "Oh, finally you''re awake.." The woman said as she got closer to Haruto. ''Wha, who are you people? And where am I?'' The woman hugged him and said, "Finally you''re awake, Leon dear." And the man who was standing next to her joined in too. ''So that means that these two are my new parents? Hmm, I guess I must be isekai''d, then?'' Haruto couldn''t believe that he was reborn in another world. He was totally confused about the event taking place in front of him. It felt strange to him... Name: Suzuki Haruto. Age: 18. Cause of death: motor vehicle accident. Title: hero\savior Stamina: 2/10. Chapter 1.1 . Reincarnation completed. "Um, who are you?" Haruto asked the couple, his gaze focused on the strange people surrounding him. The woman and the man stared at him in shock and disbelief, as if he said something out of line. They were at a loss for words at the fact that their son didn''t remember them. ''But the doctor said that he was fine, though....'' The woman thought to herself. "Leon, are you feeling okay?" The woman asked him "You seem to be alright though..... Maybe something went wrong?" She added, leaning in and trying to figure out what was wrong with him. "Dear, calm down... our son is going to be alright." The man chimed in and started to assure the woman. Even though Haruto had some understanding of what was going on, he still was clueless. Because he never thought that he''d experience what the protagonists of his favorite Isekai light novels faced. At least that''s how he felt in that moment. ''What is going on? Is this truly happening...? If I was truly reincarnated in another world...wouldn''t I understand the language right away? I don''t have a good knowledge of web novels, although I read plenty of them, but I know that those kinds of stories are pretty popular in anime and manga...'' As the realization began to hit him and the initial shock had worn-out, he began to cry from both happiness and sorrow; and from all of the shared memories he''d made with his family and friends. Noticing that he was crying, the woman was confused and didn''t know what to do. "Someone please get him some water or something?!" The woman asked. A maid rushed into the room after hearing the woman ask for water. She was carrying a tray that had a cup filled with water on it. She placed it on Leon''s lap and he took a sip and put the cup back on the tray. ''I''d always thought that reincarnation was a myth, that people made up or something... Now I am in another world...'' He got up from the bed and stood in front of the mirror in his room, and looked into it. He was bewildered to see what had happened to him¡ª he wasn''t in his body, and to make things more complicated, he was a child. The first thing Haruto noticed was his lovely, long silver whitish hair that had been washed for years, and his bright big blue eyes that would be rare in the place where he came from. He wore a light blue pajama that made him look adorable! This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Oh wow, I look young..." He marveled at himself in front of the mirror. The man and the woman were confused about what their son was doing. To them, he was acting strange... maybe something had happened to him when he was in the coma. He returned to the bed after admiring himself in the mirror. ''This is my second chance at life, I can''t waste my time! It will be good if I stay away from the politics of this world....'' "What''s wrong, Leon dear? Are you feeling okay?!" "Oh... nothing, Mother, I''m fine.." He answered the woman, as he was looking at his reflection in the mirror while sitting on his bed. The woman who seemed to be his mother had long, silver whitish hair, and the same bright blue eyes as her son with pale skin, she was wearing a nice dress, which made her look like a noblewoman. She looked to be in her late 20s. The man who was standing next to her was a man around the age of 30, he had brown hair and brown eyes, and he was also wearing expensive clothes. ''Okay let''s see, base on my knowledge of Isekai web novels and light novels I might end up in a middle-aged Europe-type world or something similar. But I''d guess from how the couple dressed, I think I will go with my first option.'' The woman and the man glanced at each other in confusion at the fact that their son was behaving strangely as if someone else had taken over his body. "Mother, father. I''m coming in!" A much younger female voice said before she entered the room. It was a little girl who looked somewhat exactly like Leon who came into the room and smiled upon seeing him in good shape. She then began to fidget with her fingers. It was strange for Leon. ''Huh, she looks exactly like me. Is she my twin sister?... I gotta be the most unlucky guy...'' She smiled shyly at him, before she hid behind the woman. Haruto was shocked at seeing the girl hide from him, Since he was good with kids in his past life. "Sophie, don''t be afraid of your older twin brother." The woman said calming down the girl. "Uh, one question... What kind of older brother was I?" He asked. "Well, you weren''t a very good big brother." The woman replied to his question. "You don''t remember what happened before the incident...?" The man asked curiouser. "No... what exactly happened to me...?" "It''s nothing. Just get some rest and try to regain your strength, alright?" The man said changing to topic of the conversation. Leon nodded, hopping that they would forget about asking him that specific question about his memories. ''What happened to me? Well, I''ll find out later what happened to this body...'' Sophie walked slowly to him, her feet trembling as she got closer. She hugged him tightly when she reached him. "I hope you get well soon..." Sophie whispered to him. "Uhh, thanks." And so, Leon remained in his room for the rest of the day to recover his strength. During that time, all he did was lie in bed and gaze at the spacious compound through the window. Later on that night, a celebration was held to celebrate that Leon had recovered from his coma, and regained his strength. ''My new life is just beginning... I can''t wait to see where this new journey takes me!'' Leon smiled at Sophie and the rest of the family, and they all enjoyed the party together. After that, he went to bed. Chapter 2. The Beginning of a new life. ''All these strange memories, pouring into my head. But I can''t recall any of those events. Who am I becoming?'' All those thoughts were in his head, none of them felt familiar to him. If he could remember the thoughts, it was like a distant memory or a strange dream he was experiencing. It made no sense to him why he had such a weird dream about a strange place. ''What strange place... I''ve never been there before. Am I going mad? Or was I someone else?'' All of the tall buildings that loomed him, and the strange devices the people were carrying with them stood out to him in a strange way. The people looked different than the people encountered in his daily life. Leon sighed and gazed pensively through the window at the forest in the distance. It had been one month since Haruto reincarnated into Leon, and he had just finished training with his father and the instructors. During the last month, Haruto spent his days in rigorous training with his father and his instructor, and studying in the library of the family he was reincarnated into...he''d learned a lot about the world and the family he was reborn into. Leon and Sophie are about to turn seven in a few weeks. They have three older siblings, two brothers and a sister who are away in Military school, and a little sister who was just born recently. Sylvester, Leon''s father, is the lord of Zulania, one of the largest and wealthiest provinces in the Holy Light Empire. As one of the Empire''s highest-ranking nobles, Sylvester''s influence elevates the Blaze family to among the most powerful in the world, second only to the Imperial family. Sylvester gained recognition long before he became the ruler of Zulania; he was a brilliant student in the Military school, and he was really popular with the populous of his family''s territory. And if it wasn''t enough, the House of Blaze is closely related to the Imperial family. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Sarah, Leon''s mother is the second wife of Sylvester, they got married 5 years after the death of his first wife. She is from another high-ranking Noble house, within Sylvester''s territory. Sarah is is known for her diplomatic skills and her reclusive behavior. She spent her time reading famous books that tells stories of adventures and mysteries that piqued her interest. Leon gazed out the window at the dense forest, his mind racing through the trees. With a deep breath, he left the view behind and descended the stairs. In the cozy warmth of the nursery, he found his baby sister peacefully nestled in her crib, her gentle breaths rising and falling like a soothing lullaby. "Hehehe!" (Baby) "Hey, how are you doing Emily?" Leon played with his baby sister until he was exhausted. Sophie sat on the edge of her bed, her gaze fixed on the window. Outside, the guards moved methodically along their patrol route, their footsteps muffled on the gravel path. The rhythmic clinking of their armor was a constant reminder of the vigilance that surrounded the compound. His exhaustion weighed heavily on him as he trudged into the room, his muscles aching from the day''s grueling training. With a weary sigh, he collapsed onto the bed, his eyes closing before his head even hit the pillow. The thought of disturbing her was floating, lost in the deep, the well-earned rest he desperately needed. ''Phew, I just can''t believe that I trained myself so hard... Haa. I miss reading my web novels.'' "Leon, you''ve changed... I hope we can spend some time with each other..." Sophie muttered to herself, with a Grin as she watched over Leon. Zulania, the Blaze family¡¯s domain, stands as one of the richest provinces in the Holy Light Empire. For centuries, the Blaze dynasty has guided its fortunes, transforming it from a modest coastal village into a thriving kingdom. After decades of independence, the once-wealthy kingdom was integrated into the newly established Holy Light Empire, but its prosperity remained undiminished. In the quiet of their luxurious home, Sarah glanced at her husband, Sylvester, a note of concern in her voice. ¡°How did Leon¡¯s training go today? Did he show any improvement?¡± Sylvester rubbed his temple, a hint of fatigue in his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s hard to gauge right now. Remember, he¡¯s just recovered from that accident.¡± Sarah nodded, her worry palpable. ¡°I understand, but¡ª¡± Sylvester took her hand, his gaze steady and reassuring. ¡°Trust me, Sarah. He¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ll get through this.¡± They exchanged a comforting look before retreating to their room. As they settled into their bed, Sylvester¡¯s thoughts drifted to Leon, hoping the young man would find solace and successtin his training. Leon''s recovery weighed heavily on his mind, mingling with the quiet of the night. Chapter 3. New friends. (Yawns!) Leon blinked groggily at the ceiling, the morning sun shining through the open curtains. His mind slowly registered the fact that he''d slept through the precious afternoon and night. With a frown, he turned his head toward his twin sister''s bed, only to find it neatly made and empty. A sense of unease prickled at the back of his mind as he tried to shake off the lingering fog of sleep. He sat on the edge of his bed, his head hung down gazing at the floor, deep in his thoughts. ''I slept throughout the entire night, huh? Can''t believe that I trained myself so hard that I slept so deep.'' Leon thoughtto himself. He slowly lifted his head and saw in front of him about four maids standing in front of him holding a towel. "Good morning, young master!" The maids greeted Leon with their beautiful smiles. Leon simply smiled awkwardly at the maids. "Okay, let''s start my second day since I reincarnated...." Leon whispered to himself to get motivated. For he had been excited to begin his day. "Huh?" One of the maids glanced at Leon, showing an hint of confusion in her eyes. The maids helped Leon to get up and accompanied him to the bathroom, where he had his bath. After he was done the maids dressed him up to his dismay. "You''re done!" "You look amazing, young master!" One of the maids mused, her eyes sparkling with joy as she admired Leon''s appearance. Leon felt a flush of warmth spreading across his cheeks ¡ª this was the first time in years he''d been complemented by a woman who wasn''t his sister or mother. He wasn''t sure how to respond, a small, awkward smile forming on his lips as he nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, you guys. I appreciate the compliments." Leon responded, rubbing his head unsure on what more to say to the maids. "Your breakfast is ready, sir Leon," one of the maids said to him. "do you want us to accompany you there? You know, since you might not remember where the dining room is." ''Ah, I don''t know where the dining room is... I was reincarnated for one month only, my meals were served to me in my room so I didn''t get to go where the dining room was.'' Leon nodded in silent agreement and trailed behind the maids, their soft footsteps echoed in the spacious corridor. The massive doors loomed ahead, near where he and Sophie had been resting. With a gentle push, one of the maids swung the heavy doors open, revealing the grandeur of the dining room. (Gasps) "Wow!" The dining room stretched out like an expansive ballroom, sunlight streaming through the massive, arched windows that cast long, golden rectangles across the polished marble floor. In the center, a colossal golden table gleamed under a gently spinning ceiling fan, laden with a feast that defied logic. Platters of succulent seafood glistened beside freshly baked bread, their aromas mingling in the air. A giant roasted chicken, its skin perfectly crisped, dominated the center. There was enough food to feed an entire army, much less a family. Leon''s mouth fell open as he took in the opulence around him. The room''s elegance, combined with the sheer amount of food, reminded him of a royal banquet hall¡ª where kings might dine. He sat down at the dining table, and the maids served him his breakfast. His stomach grumbled as he looked at the sheer amount of food. After eating his breakfast, he went to the balcony, to sharpen his small sword that had gotten dull from his time training. (Metal grinding.) (Leon sighs) The gentle breeze swept across the field, rustling the leaves in a soothing rhythm. Leon stood still, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon, a contented smile playing on his lips. The warmth of the sun caressed his skin, and he relished the peacefulness that wrapped around him like a comforting blanket. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As he worked on his sword, the metal catching the sunlight, he felt the subtle texture of the blade under his fingertips. He had spent the entire day meticulously honing the weapon, each stroke with the whetstone deliberate and precise, his focus unwavering, lost in the satisfaction of his craft. When he felt that he was satisfied with his work, Leon pushed himself up off the ground and dusted his hands. He walked over to the railing of the balcony, his eyes drifting down at the vibrant garden below. A kaleidoscope of flowers in every color imaginable swayed gently in the breeze, interspersed with neat rows of ripe vegetables. Laughter filled the air as children chased each other between the plants, their joyous shouts echoing against the stone walls. Leon''s heart softened at the sight, memories of his carefree days playing hide-and-seek with his friends flashing vividly in his mind. Sophie moved gracefully among the children, her laughter ringing out like a soft melody. Her eyes sparkled with joy as she bent down to ruffle a young boy''s hair, her smile wide and infectious. The children gathered around her, their faces lit up with excitement, as they shared their stories and games. (Children laughter) Leon¡¯s eyes followed the children as they played, their laughter drifting through the air. A small smile tugged at his lips, the scene pulling him back to the days when he ran through the park with his parents. He could almost hear his mother¡¯s laughter, feel the warmth of his father¡¯s hand on his shoulder. The memories washed over him like a familiar melody, stirring something deep within. ''Haa, this brings back memories! I wonder how my precious family is doing...'' Leon thought, his eyes almost filled with tears at the thoughts of his previous family from his past life. He hurried through the quiet, dimly lit hallways of the mansion, his footsteps barely a whisper against the marble floor. As he descended the winding staircase, the air seemed to grow heavier, anticipation curling in his chest with every step. His fingers grazed the cool iron of the garden gate, his heart thrumming in rhythm, before he slowly pushed it open. The gates swung open with a sharp metallic clang, the hinges moving smoothly with a practiced ease. Without paying attention to his surroundings, he rushed forward¡ªonly to collide with a thud into a young girl. She stumbled back, her hazel eyes wide with surprise. Her brown skin contrasted sharply with her silver hair, shimmering in the faint light. Leon quickly got to his feet, and the girl followed after. Both of them were blushing. Oops, I¡¯m sorry for¡ª" "Oh, it''s nothing... It was all my fault," the girl interrupted, her words spilling out before Leon could finish. "If I had been watching where I was going, this wouldn¡¯t have happened. Don¡¯t worry about it!" She flashed him a cute, innocent smile, her hazel eyes sparkling with warmth. Seeing the little girl smile after she had apologized to him made him feel bad for bumping into her. He wanted to say something, but he didn''t because he didn''t want her to feel even worse about herself even more. But he knew that he had to say something to her. "Ah, you don''t have to apologize for anything. Let''s just say that it was both our faults, hehe!" Leon tried to compromise with her. "By the way the name''s Daniella, a half-elf! I''m not good with swords, but I would like to study magic at the Military Academy!" Daniella energetically introduced herself. Daniella is a half-elf with dark brown skin, and long silver hair held up in a ponytail. She has hazel-colored eyes, that go with her cute face and slender body. She was wearing fancy clothes from that world. To Leon, she looked pretty, because she was unlike any girl he had ever seen, both from his previous and current life. "N, nice to meet you. My name is Leon Alexander von Blaze, I don''t know what I should do with my life. So I''m not picky about my future." Leon introduced himself nervously to Daniella. "Don''t be shy about talking to me, we''re practically friends already. So you don''t have to worry, hehe!" ''Thanks for clearing that up for me, but I don''t want to make friends in this life though. But I can''t just tell her that! I might hurt her feelings!'' Daniella was staring at him after he had introduced himself as if she knew him. Leon was tempted to ask her about the old him, but he changed his mind. It was not like she was going to understand where he was coming from or what he was talking about. "Do you want to know what I think about you?" Daniella asked him, her heart beat heavily in her chest. "Yes, go ahead. I want to know." Leon replied to Daniella. She paused before she spoke, "You know, you talk like a grown-up." Leon was left speechless at the fact that a little girl said something like that to him, he was feeling some kind of way. Daniella gave Leon a Mischievous grin. They shook hands and *kinda* instantly became friends. Then he joined Sophie''s tea party and made more friends with the other boys and girls there. After drinking a lot of tea and eating a lot of Biscuits, everyone was lying in the grass unable to move and holding each other''s hands. "Uhhh....." "I''m filled...." It was already late in the afternoon and the sun was about to set. Everyone said their goodbyes and left, except for Daniella who was having a sleepover with Sophie. Daniella gave him a tight hug and ran off. "See ya later Leon-kun!!!" Leon heaved a sigh. The garden was empty with some tea cups and plates scattered around the place, with Leon still lying on the ground.
Hopefully, Daniella Leon and Sophie can become close friends sometime in the future, bonding over shared experiences and quiet moments that reveal the depth of their connection, despite any challenges or differences they may face. Chapter 4. Sleepover. Leon slowly stood up and returned to the mansion, his mind drifting to the afternoon''s event. He had indulged in more tea and Biscuits than he should have, and now the weight of it all made every step feel sluggish. (Breathing heavily.) ''I knew that I shouldn''t have eaten so many snacks... but it was the most fun I had ever since I was reincarnated into this world! I know that I will regret this afterward.'' Sophie and Daniella were already in the room, and sitting on Sophie''s bed and chatting about various things. "I kind of like the new Leon," Sophie said softly. "He has truly changed, and I like it!" She added with a smile. "Yeah, from what you''ve told me, he sounded like a total jerk!" Daniella teased, laughing. "It''s pretty amazing how he''s different now. Anyways, enough about that¨C Let''s do something fun!" "Yeah, sure," Sophie answered with a smile. Daniella and Sophie chuckled,then started playing with Sophie''s collection of dolls. They had been best of friends for as long as they could remember. Their fathers, close friends themselves, had introduced them when they were little, hoping that they would grow just as close¨C and they had. Leon walked slowly down the long hallway toward his room, the sound of Sophie and Daniella''s playful voices echoed behind him. He pushed the door open and stepped inside. ''I''m beat! I thought I wasn''t going to make it to my room...'' Leon thought that before he drifted off. "........." As night fell, the sky darkened, and the moon shone brightly overhead. It was dinner time, and the maids had been sent to fetch the children. "Wake up, Leon! Wake up!" Daniella shouted, shaking him by the shoulders. "Huh? I''m up, I''m up! What''s going on?" Leon mumbled, rubbing his eyes groggily. "Isn''t it supposed to do dinner time?" Daniella asked. Just then, the maids knocked on the door and entered the room, leading Leon, Sophie, and Daniella to the dining hall. At night, the dining room was even more breathtaking, with its grand chandeliers casting an elegant glow, transforming it almost into a ballroom. They took their seats at the long table and began their meals. Leon tried to eat, but the snacks from earlier sat heavy in his stomach, making it hard to enjoy the food. He noticed Daniella and Sophie glancing at their plates, clearly feeling the same. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. "Good night, Leon, Sophie, and Daniella... How''s the sleepover going so far?" Sarah asked, taking a bite of her food. "Anything fun happen yet?" ''Why is Mother calling my name? I''m not friends with Daniella or Sophie!'' "Um, it is going great! I wanna hang out with Daniella more!" Sophie replied to her mother''s question with a smile. Daniella nodded in agreement with Sophie''s statement. Sylvester glanced at his wife, Sarah, who returned his look with a smile. "Alright, Sophie dear, we''ll arrange another play date with Daniella''s parents." Sylvester assured her, causing Sophie''s face to brighten. "I''ll let Daniella''s parents know," Sarah added, nodding in agreement with her husband. "Yay!! I''m so happy! Thank you guys so much!" Sophie''s face lit up with excitement on hearing what her parents had said. Leon and Daniella exchanged glances before returning to their dinner, each lost in their own thoughts. After the meal, Sarah gently ushered the children to their room, her voice soothing as she recounted a bedtime story they all knew by heart. She planted soft kisses on their foreheads, whispered "good night," and quietly closed the door behind her. The moment the door clicked shut, Daniella and Sophie sprang from their beds, their giggles and the scuffle of feet filling the room. They darted around, their whispers escalating into playful shouts, as they reveled in their newfound freedom. ''Oh no, they''re hyperactive!'' Leon heaved a sigh covered his ears with his pillow, and somehow dozed off. Leaving the girls up. Sophie and Daniella played throughout the night until their strength ran out and they fell asleep... The next morning, Leon rose early, took a quick bath, and made his way downstairs for breakfast. After finishing his meal, he headed to the garden to practice with his wooden sword. As Leon swung the sword under the morning sun, he noticed an Elf lady and a man with dark brown skin entering the garden. He paused, studying them with a curious gaze. From the way they looked, they seemed like a pair of strong Adventurers. The man was wearing some high-quality gear, and the elf woman also had on some high-quality gear but she had a staff. " Good morning, Mr and Mrs... How may I help you? " Leon asked, showing a cautious look on his face. "You don''t have to be afraid, sir Leon. We are Daniella''s parents, we came to pick her up. " The Elf lady said calming the situation. "I am Lilia, Daniella''s mom, nice to meet you!" "And I am Antony Grant, Daniella''s father." Daniella''s parents were wearing armor, and it seemed like they were adventurers. The two introduced themselves to Leon and bowed in respect. "Nice to meet you two, my name is Leon Alexander von Blaze." Leon introduced himself and bowed. ''What''s wrong with this couple, how come only one of them uses their surname? Oh yeah, from what I can remember from the original owner of this body, Father once told me that only nobles have last names, not ordinary people, and those ordinary people who do have surnames aren''t originally from this world... I don''t get it...'' "Oh, I forgot... Please follow me!" Leon gestured for the couple to follow him to the living room. Daniella Sophie and the entire family had already woken up, and they were sitting in the living room. Upon seeing her parents Daniella ran up to them and hugged them, and they hugged her back. "Oh Daniella, I miss you!" They waved "goodbye" to everyone and left the house, and Leon returned to his training. And afterward, he went to do some research on the world he had found himself in. ''Finally, everything will get back to the way it was. I can''t wait to grow up quick, I will attend the Military Academy and be powerful, hahaha!'' Chapter 5. The Birthday party part 1. It had been two weeks since the chaotic sleepover, and Leon was finally beginning to feel like things were returning to normal. That is, until the morning started with a familiar voice. ¡°Wake up, wake up, Leon!¡± Sophie¡¯s voice pierced through the fog of sleep. Leon groaned, pulling the blanket over his head, hoping it would drown her out. It was too early to be disturbed by Sophie. ¡°Sophie, it¡¯s too early...¡± he mumbled, his words muffled by the blanket. But Sophie was relentless. She yanked the covers off with a playful smirk. ¡°Come on! Don''t you remember what today is? Don''t tell me you''ve forgotten!" Leon blinked in confusion, trying to shake off his grogginess. His sister¡¯s excitement made him feel like he was supposed to know, but his sleepy mind was still catching up. He hadn''t seen her this happy since Daniella came by. ''Oh, he forgot that...'' Sophie thought, her eyes lingering on Leon. Her playful demeanor faded as a flicker of sadness crossed her face. "Are you alright, Sophie?" Leon asked, his voice softer, noticing the sudden change in her expression. She quickly nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah, I¡¯m fine," she replied, but Leon wasn¡¯t convinced. He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged it off, figuring she''d tell him if it was really important. He got up from his bed and made his way to the bathroom, the feeling of having missed something still nagging at him. After his bath, he found Sophie waiting by the door, her usual bright energy restored, as they headed to the dining room togeth Their parents wasn''t up yet, so Leon and Sophie ate their breakfast by themselves. "Happy birthday, big brother Leon!" Sophie said wishing him a "happy birthday" nervously. "Ohh, is that so? Happy birthday to you too, Sophie." Leon replied to Sophie, his face filled with confusion as to why is Sophie wishing him a happy birthday. ''Ah, so today is my birthday? Or rather today is the original Leon''s birthday... But why didn''t I know that? This emphasized what my mother said when I just woke up in this body'' (Leon) Leon thought to himself, remembering the time when he woke up in this world. It had brought back some memories of his old life. ''So he forgot about it... (Sighs)'' (Sophie) Leon and Sophie ate their breakfast, and Leon went to his parent''s room to check up on them. As he opened the door to his parent''s room and entered. He only saw his mother and baby sister cuddling, but his father wasn''t lying next to them. It was a surprise to see his father not lying down next to his mother and his little sister. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Good morning, mother. Where is Father? He isn''t here." Leon asked his mother enquiring about his father''s whereabouts. ''It''s Leon, he must not find out about it. I gotta come up with something, to not ruin the surprise!'' (Sarah) "Uhhh, your father is attending a very important meeting with the Emperor, in the Imperial capital," Sarah responded to Leon''s question nervously. But Leon knew that his mother was lying, due to his fast experience with his old parents. At least he wasn''t going to tell her about his reincarnation, or the old him. "Oh really, didn''t Father just come back from a meeting last week?" Leon mumbled to himself while scratching his head. "Okay!" Leon kissed his mother and baby sister left the room, and Continued his training with his sword instructor. "Thank you for the training, teacher." "Hmm." They bowed to each other in respect at the end. Sometime later, Leon, Sophie, and their mother and baby sister prepared to go out shopping. While they were waiting in the huge compound, a black Mercedes Benz-looking car drove into the compound and stopped in front of Leon''s face. His eyes widened and his jaws dropped to the ground, upon seeing the high-end car in front of him. In Leon''s POV, he thought that he would be in a world with a Medieval-style transport system. He''d never thought that such technology existed in this world, a world where he was reincarnated. That had brightened his day. They hopped in the car and drove off. While driving Leon looked out through the window and was blown away. "Where to, Lady Sarah?" The driver asked. "Uhh, take us to the most popular and expensive clothing store!" She answered the driver. Outside of the vehicle was pure forest and the blue skies stretched on for miles, the view was breathtaking. And the city showing in the distance. As they drove through the Medieval-style city with stone paved roads and stone houses, Leon saw people wearing neon vests working and picking trash on the roads. The car drove into the city and stopped in front of a clothing store. "Oh wow!" Sarah led the children into the store, leaving the drivers outside. Once entering the store, they were greeted by a woman standing behind the counter. "Welcome, how may I help you?" "Yes, can you please get us the most expensive clothes you have?" "Yes right away, madam." The woman went into a room in the back of the store and returned minutes later holding some clothes. She placed them on the countertop. "Here. You can try them on if you want!" The woman exclaimed, "If so please follow me." Sophie picked up a dress that matched her and followed the woman, not wanting to feel left out Leon grabbed a random suit and went in after. Meanwhile, at an airport waiting to get checked in, three teens who wore Military military uniforms of the Empire were waiting in line. They were two boys and a girl. Brandon Blaze, the oldest sibling, and a talented swordsman, in the Military Academy. He''s 17 years old, and is very popular, due to his family''s influence. He is around 5''9 foot tall and has brown hair and brown eyes, with a muscle figure, that looks good with his Military Academy uniform. Although he is quite popular with the opposite gender, he is betrothed to his fiance, and is the next in line to rule the territory and take over as the head of the Blaze family. James Blaze II, is a 14-year-old studying at the Military Academy, to become a magician. He has blonde hair and blue eyes, that match his face, and light skin. He is of average height. And also is popular with women. To the other Nobles, he should have been the next in line to the family''s fortune, not Brandon. Alexandra Sylvia Blaze is a 12-year-old girl, and studying in the Military Academy to one day become a Magician. She has long blonde hair and blue eyes, just like her mother. She has a nice body. Which brings many suitors to ask for her hand. They only had to stamp their passports and make their way to the jet their father sent for them. "So what did you buy for the twins?" Alexandra asked. "Nah, I didn''t have the chance." (James) Brandon just smiled, as they entered the jet. Chapter 6. The Birthday party part 2. Leon''s POV. It has been approximately one month and two weeks since I reincarnated, and today''s my birthday. Or rather it''s the original Leon''s birthday. I don''t know, I''m so confused about what is happening to me. On the one hand, I''m excited about the future that this new life has in store for me, but on the other hand, I feel like I stole the life of the original Leon. I''m currently in a fitting room, trying on a suit my new mother bought for me. At least not yet, anyway. I began to remove my clothes and Change into the suit. "Done! Now let me see how I look." I turned around and stared right at the mirror in the fitting room. I was wearing a gray suit and black tie, which made my silver-white-ish hair stand out. I sighed, knowing that I made a mistake... I should''ve chosen a different colored suit... I''m such an idiot! I was staring at myself in the mirror; To be honest, I felt strange right now, like I was excited about something. After I was finished putting on the suit I exited the fitting room, and went to the main store. My mother was waiting for me to show her how I looked in the suit. I feel embarrassed that I would stand out in front of so much of strangers. I hope I look good... From the way everyone was looking at me, I could tell something was up. "Uhhh.... Do I look bad?..... Is something wrong with the suit?" I asked my mother, feeling kinda embarrassed. Everyone''s eyes have been on me since I came out of the fitting room. Then why are they staring at me? That''s strange... "No dear, you look good in your new suit!" Mother exclaimed, "Don''t be shy about it." "Your mom is right, Lord Leon. You look amazing!" The woman who stood behind the counter gave him a thumbs up. Everyone nodded in agreement with my mother. Sometime later my younger twin sister walked in the room looking like a little model walking down a runway. Sophie was wearing a lovely dress, and she looked extremely beautiful. When she noticed me looking at her face lit up bright red. "Uhhh. .. Big brother Leon, what''s wrong? Do I have something on my face?" Sophie asked me. I shook my head. I patted Sophie on her head, she seemed to calm down a little. "You look beautiful, Sophie." I smiled as I tried to calm her down. She began to smile. "How much for them?" Mother asked, reaching into her purse, and taking out a couple of gold coins. "Hmm... Let''s see. About 10,000 Noars equals four gold coins!" "Okay! Here you go!" Mother separated four gold coins from the others. And gave them to the woman behind the counter. Then we exited the store and got into the car, waiting for us in front of the store. Narrator''s POV. Sylvester was waiting for his older children''s flight to arrive at the airport. He was waiting in his car. The thought of meeting his three eldest children made him feel excited for them to reunite with the rest of the family, and to celebrate the birthday of their siblings Leon and Sophie. Sylvester couldn''t contain his excitement any longer. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ''Leon and Sophie would be excited to meet their older siblings! I hope they remember them though... it has been some time since they''ve been home.'' ''I hope they could arrive sooner... '' Sylvester thought, trying to fight the sleepiness from taking over. Some hours later, his private jet landed at the Airport. And Brandon, James, and Alexandra walked out of the jet. They were carrying their luggage. To be honest, it''s not classified as luggage. Because they were holding backpacks. He got out of his car and walked towards his children. They hugged their father as soon as he reached them. "Hey, guys. I hope you had a good flight?" Sylvester asked his older set of children while hugging them in tears of joy. "Yes indeed. The flight was wonderful!" Alexandra replied to her father. James and Brandon nodded in agreement with their sister... Sylvester gestured to the guards to take their luggage, while he showed them to their vehicles. And began their journey back to the Blaze family mansion. It has been years since Brandon, James, and Alexandra, visited their family and their hometown. The last time Brandon and James visited was a year ago when Alexandra was about to enroll in the Military Academy. Meanwhile, at the Blaze family mansion. Leon, Sophie, and their mother and baby sister had just returned from shopping. And entered the mansion behind their mother carrying Emily. "Welcome back, sir Leon. Lady Sophie, and Lady Sarah!" The maids greeted them upon the manor. "Thank you. Can you please prepare the children for this afternoon?" Sarah asked as she sat on the comfortable-looking Couch. "As you wish!" The maids bowed and took Leon and Sophie to their room. To be more specific the two of them dressed in different rooms, due to the obvious situation. Sometime in the afternoon. The twins were Already dressed and ready to go. Their mother Sarah was ready. A police escort was waiting to take them to the venue where their birthday will be held. ''Oh wow! This is amazing! Who would''ve thought I would be escorted by the police, in a good way I mean? Essentially in a fantasy world.'' The scene blew his mind. Seeing all those police vehicles, he only thought that the rich, royalty, and world leaders only got police escorts. Two high-speed police motorbikes were leading the convoy, while an SUV driving behind them, with two other police motorbikes following behind. They drive off slowly, like something you''d see when a powerful world leader is passing through somewhere. When the convoy drove through the city the streets were lined with people as they drove through, people were standing behind barriers cheering for them. The convoy drove into a huge compound, of one of the Blaze family''s hotels and stopped. A butler opened the door and the twins stepped out of the car and walked on a red carpet. And entered the building. They were greeted by the Receptionist and walked down a Corridor. They came upon a room and entered it. When they stepped into the room, some shadowy figures jumped out, and the lights turned on. "Surprise!!!" All of Leon and Sophie''s friends and family jumped out from the shadows, scaring him almost giving him a heart attack. But Sophie was unfazed. "Huh?" ''Huh? Is she even human? She''s practically unfazed! How are we even twins?'' Sarah led Leon and Sophie to their table in the room. The room was well decorated, with balloons and other stuff. And the table had a cake on it, with decorations of things that they both liked. Leon''s POV. Sophie and I were led to our table, at the end of the room with a cake on it¨C it was splendid. The room was filled with lots of people, both whom the original Leon knew and who Sophie knew as well. We sat down at the table and the people proceeded to give us gifts, and wish us a "Happy Birthday." Then Daniella came up to the table with a smile on her face. Sophie''s face lit up upon seeing her friend. "Happy birthday, Leon and Sophie! Here, I brought a gift for you." Daniella said as she took out something from her small bag. She handed Sophie and me our gifts, and Sophie got up and hugged her. I couldn''t help but smile knowing that Sophie had made a friend.... I''ll just stay in the background, not to get in Sophie''s way. Because I kinda stole the life of her real twin brother. Sophie and Daniella began playing with each other, dragging me into their game. "Yo, Leon. Happy birthday, dude." One of my new friends Jake came up to me, a guy who I met on the day when I also met Daniella. "Thanks for the wishes, Jake." Thus the birthday party went on, and Jake, me, Sophie and Daniella played. Until we got tired and had to return to the table. I hope Mother and Father don''t have any more surprises. By the way, why did he go to? Father didn''t come to our birthday party. Did he travel to the Capital today? Or is he doing something more important than Sophie and I? Nah, he wouldn''t do that! This party is amazing! I can''t wait to go to the military Academy, to be with Sophie and Daniella and all my other friends. While everyone was engrossed in their things, the door to the room swung open. And four figures appeared at the door. And they entered the room. "Huh?" "Is that who I think it is?" "Is it really them...? Chapter 7. A Birthday Surprise. Leon''s POV: continuing. I stopped to see the mysterious people at the door. Upon seeing the people at the door Mother walked excitedly to the mysterious people and hugged them passionately. The scene that was taking place in front of my eyes had made me confused. I mean, this was the first time I saw my mother being so friendly with strangers. She usually spends her free time reading her books or taking care of Emily.... yeah, she''s kind of an antisocial person. "Aww. Welcome you guys! You''re right on time!" Mother exclaimed, letting the strangers in the room. Huh? Who are they? And why is Mother acting touchy with strangers? Father would not be happy with her... wait, one of those guys looks kind of familiar. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind at that moment, I was scared of their presence. The three people were wearing military uniforms, and the much bigger Man was wearing a suit. Daniella, Sophie, and Jake came and stood next to me, and stared at the mysterious people alongside me. With the same look on their faces as I: a look of shock and disbelief. "Who are they?" Daniella asked me, trying to get information about the mysterious people. "I don''t know them. Maybe they''re mother''s guests, I guess..." I responded to Daniella''s question. As the mysterious people walked up to us their figures became recognizable. They were my older siblings, who took the time out of their studies to come to Sophie and I''s birthday party, and whom I hadn''t seen for years. "Here are the birthday boy and girl! Bye now please take care of them!" Mother said before skipping off with Dad, happily. Leon''s POV: ended. Upon seeing the twins, Brandon hugged them passionately. He hadn''t seen the twins in years, so he lost his mind at the sight of them. "Aww! Happy birthday you guys. I know you''ve missed your big bro!" Brandon was acting like a child and rubbing the twin''s head. ''You''re acting like a child again, Brandon.'' (James) ''That''s Immature of the heir of the Blaze family fortune.'' (Alexandra) Both James and Alexandra were talking down to Brandon in their minds, watching him play with his younger siblings. Daniella and Jake couldn''t help but laugh at the twins. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Seeing that, Sophie quickly released herself from Brandon''s grip. Leaving Leon. (Leon sighs) ''I gotta find a way to get out of Brandon''s grip! Someone, please help me...'' The only thing that was on his mind was to get out of Brandon''s grip. James had to separate Brandon and Leon. "Ahem! Happy birthday, lil bro, lil sis..... Here." James reached into his bag and took out two magical stones, a teddy bear, and a small sword. He gave them one magical stone each, and he gave Sophie the teddy bear, and Leon took the small sword. Even though James said that he didn''t get the twins anything, he had the gifts in his bag all the time. Fooling Alexandra and Brandon. It was a successful plan, James came up with. "What? I thought you didn''t buy anything!" Alexandra suddenly said in shock. "No fair, James. You tricked us!" Brandon grumbled. Sarah, who was carrying baby Emily came to check up on Leon and Sophie. When Alexandra spotted the baby, she collected her from Sarah. Giving her some free time. Thus the birthday party went on as Sophie, Daniella, Jake, and Leon played birthday games and enjoyed themselves. Until they couldn''t anymore, it was late in the night so Sarah had decided to take the twins to their room. And Daniella''s parents allowed her to sleep over. after Brandon went to his room, but upon entering his room he stopped. His face was filled with shock. He couldn''t believe his eyes. His room was filled with boxes and some other stuff, Brandon''s room was unrecognizable to him. "Haaah! What happened to my room?!" Brandon yelled out, causing his siblings to check up on him. Upon seeing what happened to Brandon''s room, the others rushed to their rooms. But their rooms were just like Brandon''s ¨C or even worse. "Stepmom, what happened to our rooms?" They asked Sarah sternly. "Sorry, I kinda put random stuff in your rooms...you know, since you guys don''t spend time at home I had decided to use them as storage. I''m very much sorry!" That night Brandon and James, And Alexandra slept in different rooms, close to their rooms. Leon and Sophie slept throughout the entire night. "Hahaha.." (Stranger laughs) The next day, early in the morning Brandon was chilling out on the balcony, catching some breeze and the sun from the early morning sun. he was thinking about the times he used to play in the yard. ''(Sighs) Soon I will take over the Territory of the family and I won''t be doing anything fun... the challenges of being the leader of the Blaze family are going to be troubling.'' (Brandon) "What are you doing out here all alone, Brandon?" A voice asked him. He turned around to face the person who asked him and saw James his little brother. "Nothing. I was just deep in my thoughts." "Is there anything bothering you in particular? I am your brother so I know when something is bothering you." James asked, noticing that something wasn''t right with Brandon. Brandon hesitated to speak. He didn''t want to burden James with his responsibility, but seeing how James was willing to listen to him vent made him want to say something. "It...it''s just that I feel like I''m disappointing our father. The struggles of being the ruler of Zulamia, and our family are putting a lot of pressure on me." Brandon explained his fears to James. "I just don''t know what I should do... I feel like there will be no breaks or fun with being the ruler of Zulania." He added. James didn''t know what he should do so he decided to hug his big brother, and just let him vent his frustration. Chapter 8. The next day, Leon and Brandon were summoned to their father''s office, early in the morning. He wouldn''t often send someone to come to his study, so the brothers were somewhat caught off guard. Sylvester was sitting in his chair, looking at them intensely and sending shivers down the brother''s spine. "Good morning, Boys. How was your night?" Sylvester greeted Leon and Brandon. From how their father greeted them, they could tell their father was up to no good... Brandon couldn''t help but be curious. "Not to be rude or anything, father. But I just want to know why did you summon us this early in the morning?" Brandon asked their father in confusion. Uh-hmm, you never sent for us before! What''s the problem, father?" Leon chimed in agreeing with his older brother Brandon. ''Curiosity is killing me right now! What is it?'' (Brandon) ''Father never sent for anybody, especially in his private study. For the month that I''d been reincarnated, he''d never sent for me... so there gotta be something wrong!'' (Leon) Brandon and Leon''s minds were racing, making them both feel nervous about the reason their father summoned them. A wave of silence and awkwardness filled the room. Sylvester, already feeling bored, and fed up with the silence began his explanation. "Well, what''s the reason for me to hide it from you guys? The true reason I called you guys here, is for you, Brandon to duel with Leon." "Huh? I have what?" "A duel with Brandon?.... I can''t possibly defeat him!" Leon suddenly spoke up in the meeting. Sylvester turned to Leon and said, "You were training, weren''t you? Plus how can I see the results of your training." "Yeah, but..." Leon tried to give his father an answer, but he couldn''t do so. ''This is wrong. I bet ¨C no I know that this is some sort of crime or Felony on earth, or at least carries a heavy charge. Well, enough of that, I have to try my best!'' (Leon) Brandon couldn''t believe that he had to fight his younger brother, and to make things worse, is that Leon was weak. That was troubling him for some reason. He couldn''t bring himself to accept that he was going to duel with his younger brother Leon. "Alright! Since that''s all I called you here for. you may go and prepare for the duel this afternoon." Sylvester said ending off the meeting. "Yes, father." "Yeah..." Leon and Brandon nodded and left their father''s office. Brandon immediately went to train, on the other hand, Leon went to get some proper sleep. Sophie and Daniella had woken up some minutes later and immediately heard of the news about Leon and Brandon''s duel. They ignored it and headed down to the dining room. "I just can''t believe that Leon challenged Brandon in a duel, out of all things.." Sophie said in a quiet voice. "Shouldn''t you be on Leon''s side?" Daniella asked, wondering why Sophie said that. "I don''t know whose side to be on. But I''m super excited to see who will win!" Sophie said. Sophie and Daniella ate their breakfast talking about random stuff and laughing with each other. "Did you guys hear the news?" (Maid 1.) "Oh that? I know since early in the morning!" (Maid 2) "Me too!" " Even the maids and servants were notified about the duel taking place in the afternoon. They were placing bets. Who would win? Most of the bets were on Brandon. Everyone was underestimating Leon based on Brandon''s experience with the sword. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. afternoon. it was afternoon, around three o''clock in the afternoon. And everyone was gathered in the training grounds, in the Blaze family mansion. It was located at the far corner of the compound. But Sarah wasn''t there, she went out for the afternoon. Leon and Brandon were at the center of a makeshift fighting arena, surrounded by all the servants and everyone else in the mansion. Sophie and Daniella had prepared snacks for both fighters. As the sun shone down on both of them, they stared at each other. Brandon was thinking about holding back against Leon. "You better not go easy on me, Brandon," Leon said to his older brother. Brandon smiled at him before he spoke. "I will see what I can do about that" "Ready to fight? Let''s not waste time and get straight to the duel! Ready, fight!" After Sylvester gave the signal to fight, Brandon got into his fighting stance and waited for Leon to attack first. ''Okay, Leon. Let''s do this. Let''s see what you can do...'' Leon dashed toward Brandon and swung his wooden sword, but he blocked Leon''s attack. And counter strike, by using his full strength to push Leon back and go on the offensive. He was pushing him back. Brandon was going easy on Leon because he didn''t want to hurt him. If it was someone else, then he would be forced to use his full strength. Leon knew that for a fact. ''This is so hard! But I have no endure it !'' (Leon) Leon Tried dodging Brandon''s swings, but he was slow and he ended up getting hit by Brandon''s wooden sword and was thrown across the area. "Ugh..." Leon slowly got up to his feet, and began running towards Brandon, but got knocked out with one strike. Everyone was left surprised that Leon did not put in at least a little effort. ''Okay, Brandon I give you the win.... I don''t want to show my strength at least not yet... I know that I should be fighting for my parent''s approval, but I don''t want to...'' (Leon) ''Thanks, Leon for the win. I know you were just playing with me... Because no way in hell is anyone from the Blaze family has such a weakling like that." (Brandon) (Brandon Breathing heavily) "The winner is Brandon Blaze!" The entire crowd cheered for Brandon, as he exited the arena carrying Leon on his shoulders. He couldn''t believe that he had to fight his younger brother. As Leon opened his eyes to see Daniella and Sophie sitting beside him. He sat up on the bed and looked around the familiar room. It was the first fight he was in since he reincarnated into this world. "Oh, Leon you''re awake!" "Good to have you back." Both Sophie and Daniella greeted upon noticing that he had awoken. "Ah, what happened...? Oh..." At first, he was confused, but he remembered what had happened to him and about the duel. All of the memories about the first day when he was reincarnated into this body, the memories about the duel all of them rushed into his mind. Daniella and Sophie were observing the strange behavior of him. It was late in the afternoon when Leon regained consciousness. And he went downstairs in the garden to take some fresh air. Meanwhile, Sophie and Daniella were sitting on the balcony of the mansion having a conversation. The atmosphere between them was sad and depressing, as they looked at the sunset. Daniella had a sad expression on his face, and her heart was heavy with sadness. "Sophie, I want to talk to you, " Daniella said in a sad tone. Sophie turned to face her, no longer focusing on the beautiful sunset. "I will be leaving this city very soon. Today is my last day living in his city. So, please take care." "Huh? B, but why do you have to leave?" Sophie asked, about to cry. "Are you leaving for good?" "I don''t know that for sure, but I know that I will always remember you." "Me too." The two girls hugged compassionately And sobbed in each other''s arms. Leon was watching the scene feeling emotional. Sophie and Daniella hugged compassionately for a couple of seconds before Daniella left the mansion with her parents, both of them in tears. Leon stroked Sophie''s head, and she hugged him crying in his arms. They both entered the mansion after a while of Sophie crying and Leon feeling bad about the situation, talking about Daniella. "I''ll miss her very much!" "Yeah. Me too, me too. Maybe we should''ve been close friends just like you guys." Leon comforted her as they made their way into the mansion. Sitting in her parent''s car and driving away from her friend''s mansion, Daniella waved at the house and drove off into the sunset. ''I''ll miss you, Sophie and Leon. Please don''t forget about me!'' (Daniella) Her eyes welled up with tears, as her parent''s car drove farther away from her friend''s mansion. "Daniella, ready for a new adventure? " Daniella''s mother asked her. She nodded shyly. That night when the Blaze family was eating dinner, the dining room was filled with silence and everyone was eating. As they continued to eat, Sarah couldn''t take the silence from her children anymore. "So, how was everyone''s day? I hope you guys enjoyed your afternoon!" Sarah asked her family. Everyone remained quiet and didn''t answer her question. "Uh, what''s going on with you guys? Especially Sophie. She seems sad..." Sarah questioned her family. "Everything is fine, honey. It''s just that Sophie''s best friend Daniella suddenly moved away from the territory. " Sylvester answered his wife, assuring her that everything would be alright... "Yeah, stepmother, everything is just fine! You don''t have to worry yourself." Brandon joined in. "Aww, that''s awful! You guys were very close, it''s such a shame..." Sarah didn''t know what to say to her daughter, either to comfort her or to stay quiet. The Blaze family continued eating their dinner as the moonlight shone down on the family mansion. ''I hope Daniella''s is safe on her trip..'' (Leon) Chapter 9. Status viewing test. It has been about five years after the duel between Leon and his older brother, Brandon. And since Daniella moved away to another city in the Empire. Leon and Sophie are now 12 years old and about to be enrolled in the Military Academy. They''ve grown up quite well. Sophie had gotten much taller and her silver white-ish hair had gotten longer. And she has gotten cuter, and more popular, Just like her older brothers Brandon and James. Leon, nothing much had changed about him. He has gotten taller of course, but he got introverted since he spent so much time in the library reading complicated books for a child his age. Some say he took after his mother who also loves to read books, but the only thing that separates them is the type of books they choose to read. They all are currently eating breakfast in the luxurious dining room, eating the food prepared by the maids. Two of Leon''s older siblings returned to the Military Academy, while Brandon stayed back because he had graduated and returned to the family domain to prepare himself to one day rule the territory after his father. Sophie was looking down at her food, feeling sad about something. Leon noticed his twin sister''s strange behavior. "Uhhh.... Are you doing alright, Sophie?" Leon asked in confusion. Because he had never seen Sophie so depressed like that. "You don''t seem to be in a good mood." Sophie always had a smile on her cute face, a smile so sincere that Leon or anyone could feel good hanging around her. So seeing how depressed she was made everyone feel concerned about her well-being. ''She doesn''t seem to be herself... Maybe something is up.'' (Leon) Leon could feel something was up with Sophie''s behavior, but he could tell that something was up with her. Maybe because they''re twins or something. If he were to guess, he''d say that this has to do with the events that happened five years ago. Sophie heaved a heavy sigh before she began to speak, the expression on her face could tell how she felt at that moment. "I miss spending time with my best friend, Daniella... I wish that she didn''t leave. Not like I hate spending time with you or anything, it''s ...." Sophie replied in a soft depressing voice. ''So that''s why she''s so depressed! To be honest, I missed her too, although I barely knew her... I didn''t get to spend enough time with her to feel any deep emotions, but I can how that may affect someone like Sophie who knew her personally.'' (Leon) "Don''t worry, Sophie soon you''ll have the chance to reunite with her once we successfully enroll in the Military Academy," Leon said, as he tried to comfort her. Sophie hugged her twin brother Leon and began sobbing uncontrollably in his arms. Which felt like an eternity for Leon, and they continued eating their breakfast. "Yes, just keep going! Once you successfully enrolled into the Military Academy, we will have a celebration," Sylvester said to both Leon and Sophie. "Oh, and one more thing before I forget, today I will take you guys to view your status. So please prepare yourselves." "Huh.... Status?" "We''ll get ready for it, father." Both Leon and Sophie had different reactions to what their father had said: with Sophie being surprised, and Leon having a mutual reaction. To him, his time studying didn''t go to waste. "What?! Can I go, please?" Brandon asked excitedly. "No. You have to stay home and babysit Emily." Sarah reminded Brandon about his tasks. "Awww!" After breakfast, everyone went their separate ways and on the other hand, Leon and Sophie went to prepare for the trip ahead.... Now Leon and Sophie are in different rooms. Due to puberty and bodily changes. The maids dressed up Leon and Sophie for the upcoming trip with their father. Sometime later, Leon and Sophie were gathered downstairs in the Blaze family mansion. ''Uhhh.... I am super nervous about what will happen! It''s my day!'' (Leon) Leon''s feet and hands were trembling like crazy, while he was waiting with his twin sister for his father. Sophie gave Leon a nervous look and he tried to comfort her. ''This is unbelievable! I can''t even imagine how strong I would be. Please wait for me, Daniella!'' (Sophie) Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. A few minutes later, their father came to greet them. At that moment a black Mercedes Benz S-class drove up and stopped right in front of Leon''s face. Although he saw a car once in this world he couldn''t get the thoughts of a traditional Isekai world transport system out of his mind. But he had to accept it as a part of his life. A butler came and opened the door and Sylvester hopped in the car and gestured the twins into the car and they drove off. They drive out of the city and arrive at an old castle, on the outskirts of the city. They drove into the castle compound and stopped in front of the castle door. Seeing the ruined castle made Leon feel scared. "Ready, Leon, and Sophie?.... Let''s go!" Sylvester said as he opened the car door and they hopped out of the car and entered the old castle, that should be in ruins. ''Huh?... This castle is so spooky! I am scared.'' (Leon) *Drip* *Drip* *Drip* Walking down a dark and spooky hallway, filled with vines coming out of the walls and floors. Dripping water fell from the ceiling, even though it wasn''t raining outside. The only thing that stood out in the hallway was the spookiness of the dark hallway. "Hmm... This place was in a much decent way. How did it change?" Sylvester said in a reminiscing way, while he held tightly on his children''s arms. They came upon a door at the end of the hallway. Sylvester pushed open the door and they entered the room. Unlike the rest of the castle, the room was more livelier than everywhere else in the castle. It was more intact and tidy. At the end of the room was a table with chairs around it, and sitting in one of the chairs was a very beautiful girl with long Golden hair and green eyes, like Emerald. She was wearing an oversized coat, which covered her normal clothes and rather huge breasts. She was looking at them as they advanced to the table. Leon was looking straight at the beauty sitting at the table, for he had not seen a beautiful girl like her. ''Wow, she''s so cute!'' (Leon) Sophie quickly turned Leon''s head from the beauty sitting at the table. Leon and Sophie sat down at the table, alongside their father. "So how may I help you, Sylvester?" The beauty said energetically. "Cut the crap, Ava. I want you to help my youngest children to see their status." Sylvester responded to the beauty''s question coldly. The beauty smiled snuggly and said, "It''s been so long since we hung out, Anyway, they will be enrolling in the Military Academy, right?" Ava asked. "Yes. I want to enroll them in the academy." "Well, you guys are one day late for the Status Viewing Test," Ava said. "Everybody had already participated in the Test at the Grand Tower. I apologize, I can''t assist you." "Please help me check out the status of my children!" Sylvester pleaded with Ava to help him. Sighedbecause she hadn''t seen him in such a pitiful state. She reached her hands beneath the table took out a crystal ball, and placed it on the table in front of them. "Place your hands on the crystal ball and state your full name, for this to work," Ava explained. This is an important ancient ritual in this world called "The Status Viewing Test". It''s like a coming-of-age Ceremony, for young boys and girls who want to pursue a career in the Military or adventuring. It has been since the olden days, probably since the foundation of the Holy Light Empire. Every year children who turn 12 are taken to a Grand Tower and churches throughout the empire to access their magical potential. This ritual is much required by the nobility. Sophie slowly placed her hands on the crystal ball and stated her name. "My name is Sophie Marian von Blaze." After she stated her name a bright light engulfed her body and the entire room, and her white-ish silver hair glowed brightly. Everyone in the room had a surprise look on their faces. "Huh?.. Is that..." "This is brilliant." Sophie''s Status. Name: Sophie Marian von Blaze. Age: 12. Title: Holy Saint, mage. Magic Affinity: Fire, ice, wind. Lv 1. Xp 0. "Come on, Leon. You''re up! " Leon nervously placed his hands on the crystal ball and stated his name. "I am Leon Alexander von Blaze." ''I hope that I receive an average skill...'' (Leon) A bright light engulfed his body, and he began to glow like crazy. But it wasn''t as intense as Sophie''s. ''Huh?!'' (Leon) Leon''s Status. Name: Leon Alexander von Blaze/Haruto Suzuki. Age: 12. Title: hero\savior, swordsman. Only up to his title was showing up on the crystal ball, Leon couldn''t use magic. He was the only Blaze family member to not be able to use magic. That was a big letdown for Sylvester. "Huh? This couldn''t be... My son has no affinity for magic..." Sylvester muttered to himself in disappointment. ''So that means that I can''t use magic. At least I won''t be used as a political tool to the family, let someone else do that.'' (Leon) "Sorry dude, I''m sorry about your situation... I wish you well." Ava said wishing her friend good luck. "It''s OK. I still love my son. He''s still a Blaze..." Sylvester said to Ava. "Good luck convincing society about that!" She said jokingly. Sylvester heaved a heavy sigh at what Ava had said. They said goodbye to Ava and left the castle, and returned to the mansion. After returning to the mansion they explained everything to their mother and older brother. And even about the fact that Leon can''t use magic. They took in everything well and decided to accept Leon as he was. Leon and Sophie went to play with their friends in the garden, while their parents and the maids prepare Leon and Sophie''s military Academy uniforms. ''This is it, Daniella. Wait for me, I''m coming!'' (Sophie) Sophie couldn''t help but smile at the fact that she would be reunited with her childhood best friend. To her, everything was in order for her to attend the Military Academy. ''This is it, now my new life begins! I''ll train myself to become a great swordsman and live a quiet life.'' (Leon) Leon thought as he sat down on the balcony and stared into the sunset, alongside his twin sister and older brother. That night, a celebration was held for the twins to celebrate that they were going to get enrolled into the Military Academy, and their Status Viewing Test. ..... Hopefully, this new start could be a good new life. Chapter 10. Goodbyes and a beginning of a new journey. Later on that night, after the Blaze family had their dinner, Leon and Sophie were summoned to their father''s office. Sylvester was sitting at the table, looking through a paper under a lamp on his table. The office was dark and spooky, with the moonlight shining in through the window. It didn''t seem like he wanted to discuss anything normal. From the expression on his face, it looks like he wanted to discuss something serious. "Please sit down, you two," Sylvester said while he continued to be occupied by his paperwork. Leon and Sophie sat down nervously. They were wondering about what could be the reason why their father summoned them. ''What''s going on? And why did father call us for?.... He must be mad about what happened earlier.'' (Leon) Leon thought as he waited for his father to get angry at him. ''This is bad! Maybe it''s about revoking my enrollment in the Military Academy?'' Leon''s mind was racing, and he was panicking. Seeing her twin brother in a state of panic, she gave him a comforting look. Making him feel comfortable. "Sorry for calling you guys so late in the night. I want to talk to you about your enrollment in the Military Academy," Sylvester said seriously. "Huh?.... " "What...." "I just came off the phone with the principal of the academy, and he would like to see you two after the entrance ceremony... So prepare yourselves to attend the Military Academy." Sylvester explained to the twins. Sophie smiled happily, and Leon gave a plain expression. "Are you serious?! That''s awesome!" Sophie exclaimed, with her face rosy red. "......" ''To be honest, I''m not that excited about this news, but it would be a nice change of scenery. But I''m happy for Sophie, seeing two best friends reunite is super cool!'' (Leon) Leon was smiling inwardly upon seeing Sophie so happy to be reunited with a long-time friend and how she was excited to start a new life in the Military Academy. That had made him somewhat happy. "Your mother and I have already prepared your uniforms for you to attend the Military Academy. So that you can start your upcoming journey ahead," Sylvester sounded pretty stern. "......" The feeling of going to another province in the Empire is overwhelming for both Leon and Sophie, especially for Leon, in another world. He hadn''t gotten used to his new body or family. Haruto was very excited about traveling to another world. Unlike him in his previous life, he''d never traveled anywhere outside of Japan. Neither less outside of his prefecture. "With that said, you guys can go back to your rooms. I''ll let you know if any development is made." Sylvester said dismissing the twins. Sophie slowly got to her feet and left the office. But Leon remained at the table unmoved. Sylvester looked at Leon with confusion on his face, wondering why he remained in his office. "What''s the matter, son? Is everything alright?" Sylvester asked. Leon let out a sigh and started to explain himself. "Father, can I ask you a favor?" "Yes. Go ahead." "I was wondering if I could enroll at the Military Academy, as another person. Not like I''m ashamed of the family name, I just want to live a normal life at the academy. So please, can I do that?" The office was filled with an awkward silence after Leon had spoken. Sylvester was shocked, he didn''t expect anyone from his family to ask for something like that. ''maybe he was just trying to pull my legs.'' Those thoughts were the ones that ran through his mind. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "And what made you decide to do that?" Sylvester asked Leon, bewildered. "I just don''t want people to use me or the family name to get some clout. That is my reason for doing this," Leon replied to his father''s question. "Clout... can you please elaborate on what that means?" Sylvester asked, caught off guard by the unfamiliar word. "Uh, I think the word means fame..." Leon answered his father. ''That''s reasonable....'' (Sylvester) ''Ah, I think most modern words don''t exist in this world''s dictionary. I''m such an idiot!'' (Leon) The thought of sending one of his sons as a commoner to the Military Academy was a dangerous thing but it would be a good experiment. The Blaze family is well-known for doing what would be questionable for the mobility of that world. "Okay, I''ll let you do that. But I''m going to need a later every week or once a month. Or I''m going to assign you a bodyguard." "Alright, that''s reasonable.... Then it''s a deal!" Leon and his father Sylvester shook hands and made a deal. At least Sylvester would just sign up for Leon to be an independent person. The day of the departure. Leon had just woken up had his bath, and had his breakfast. "Uh... Sir Leon I- good morning! I just want to say goodbye, and good luck with everything!" A maid around the same age as him, with blonde hair and blue eyes said while blushing. "Thank you, Marie. I appreciate it!" Leon hugged Marie and comforted her. At that moment Sophie entered the dining room, upon seeing Leon and the maid hugging her face turned red with anger. "Leon! What the hell are you doing?!" ''Uhhh... This is awkward.'' (Leon) Sophie ignored it and sat down at the table. "Marie? Would you please be kind enough to Fetch me my breakfast?" "Yes. My lady." Marie left the room and Leon sat down at the table, Sophie gave him a disgusted look. "What did I do? I didn''t do anything wrong." "Ugh! You''re such an idiot! And I hate you." ''How could he do that? Hugging another girl. I can''t stand that!!'' (Sophie) Of course, Sophie is an over-protected younger sister. Or you can say she has a brother complex. With that, they ate their breakfast and went to their rooms to pack up their bags. Leon packed a smaller size bag, meanwhile, Sophie packed about two or three suitcases. Leon got ready and put on contacts, with the help of the maids. He didn''t want to be noticeable to anybody. Brandon was eavesdropping on both Leon and Sophi''s conversations. Later on that day, everyone was gathered in the mansion''s compound. Leon and his new look, and Sophie walked out of the mansion and the butlers put Sophie''s suitcases in the Mercedes. "Huh?... Why only mine is being placed in the car?" Sophie asked in confusion. Sylvester looked at her and explained everything to her. With that, everyone began to wish the twins good luck. "Good luck with everything, man I''ll be joining you at the Military Academy, soon!" Jake said as he and Leon did a fist bump. "Um, why do you look so different, dude?" Jake asked, showing concern on his face. "Well, I wanted a new look for the academy." "Ah..." Jake is a year younger than Leon, so that means until the next year then he would be able to attend the Military Academy. He couldn''t wait to join Leon at the Military Academy. Sophie and her female friends hugged and they cried. Leon felt something in his chest. "Goodbye, you guys! I''ll miss you!" Brandon yelled out from the top of his voice. Sophie hugged Leon and hopped in the car, and drove off. While Leon took public transportation with some other children to the train station. Normally it would take about six hours to 12 hours to get to the next train station by plane. But by train, it would take about one or two days, depending on the train schedule. The train is steam-powered probably from the early 20th century, that transports people to the city of Celestia, and also foodstuff to the smaller towns, villages, and settlements. Celestia is the religious capital of this world. Unlike the other territories within the Holy Light Empire, which is ruled and administered by the nobility, the city is ruled by an Arch Bishop and a Clergy of priests. The people of Celestia are highly religious, they worship a pantheon of Gods known as the "Primordial Luminaries." The people of Celsteia hold various festivals to celebrate during the years to celebrate the different Light gods, goddesses, and saints. The city is very important in the Holy Light Empire, For both Military use and tourism. Since the city of Celestia is close to the sea, it also holds a navy base and thriving port. The Military Academy is also there in the city of Celestia. When the train arrived at the station, Leon and everyone else gave their tickets and boarded the train. "All aboard the train!" The conductor shouted, and the train began to roll off. And pick up speed as the train moves. Leon sat down next to some other people wearing the Military Academy uniform. He didn''t say anything to the other children. At that moment, some strange men walked into the cart. Leon could sense something was up with the men. One of them had blonde hair and another one was a tall guy, wearing a robe with the hoodie covering his face. The other men weren''t that important to Leon or they weren''t strong enough. ''Something is off about these guys... I can''t put a finger on it but I know something''s up.'' (Leon) Another boy who was sitting next to Leon also sensed something in the atmosphere. "Hey man, I feel uncomfortable..." "What''s wrong with you, dude?" "I sensed something off in the atmosphere. I don''t know what but it''s strange." "Where?..." The boy pointed to the strange men. Getting his friend''s attention. "Hmm..." Leon let out a big sigh got up and headed to the bathroom. The boys also got up and followed him. The train continued driving as if something was about to happen. Chapter 11. The Train robbery. Leon slowly went to the bathroom, deep in his thoughts and knowing he was being followed. ''I hope Sophie is doing okay... I kinda miss her... she''s probably on her way to the Military Academy .'' (Leon) ''Those guys are strange, especially the blonde guy and the hooded guy. The other men are average, not all that strong. They can be easily beaten.'' Leon thought as he entered the bathroom. a few minutes later, Leon exited the bathroom, planning to return to his seat... When he stepped out into the corridor and closed the door. Once turning around, he saw a scary-looking red-haired guy bracing against the wall. And standing behind him was his friend who was standing nervously. The scary-looking guy had red messy hair and hazel-colored narrowed eyes. To anyone else, he looked like a troublemaker. He was wearing the same navy blue blazer, that represents the Military Academy. But his blazer was unbuttoned, revealing his white wrinkled shirt. ''Hmm. His name tag and badge aren''t showing... It''s kinda hard to identify him.'' (Leon) the other guy, his friend had much softer features, that matched his face. He had black hair with brown eyes, and wearing his Military Academy uniform neatly. But the thing that stood out to Leon was the boy''s three stars on his badge. ''He has three stars? Sophie has a four-star count. In the academy, It''s quite rare for a student to have more than three stars; The average student in the academy averages from 2-3 stars. How come these two don''t have the same amount?'' (Leon) Leon tried to ignore the guys, but it was too interesting for him not to find out what happened. He stopped and stared at the red-haired guy, smiling smugly. ''Hopefully, I don''t get beat up...'' "So, you''re just joining the academy too, huh? And you only got one star, that''s weak!" The boy said to Leon. Teasing him. "You can hand over your fee now, hehe!" "A fee? I don''t have any cash on me, so if that''s all, I''m going back to my seat." Leon said. "Why you....!" He clenched his fist ready to fight, but his friend held him back, not allowing him to do anything stupid. He wasn''t going to hit him, it was just a ploy to get Leon''s money without using violence. But his friend misunderstood something. The red-haired boy growled at Leon... Leon walked away confidently no care in the world back to his seat. Listening to the boys behind him talk. "Just calm down and relax, Samuel. Don''t let him get to your head, he''s only playing around with you." The boy said to Samuel, calming him down. "Yeah, you''re probably right." Samuel and his friend returned to their seat. Leon was already there, enjoying the view from outside and drinking a cup of juice. Seeing that made Samuel''s blood boil. They sat down and the person who was serving the meals came up the their table, pushing a push tray. "Excuse me, what do you want to eat?" ''About time...'' (Leon) A burst of evil laughter sounded in the train getting everyone''s attention. At that moment, a couple of masked individuals stood up from the passengers holding guns and swords. To some, it was four bandits, while to others, they were plentiful. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "Everybody, put your heads on the tables in front you you! I will urge you to give up your valuables if you don''t want to get hurt!" The bandit leader said in a calm but threatening way. "Please don''t hurt me! I have a child!" (Lady) "Now, you better do as I say, or this woman gets a bullet to her head!" The man threatened as he grabbed a woman. In fear, and didn''t want the lady to die everyone began to throw their valuables in a bag, carried by one of the bandits. Such as their expensive watches, necklaces,s and special items. Hearing panicking from one of the carts, the conductor of the train sent some Imperial guards, who were on the train to check out what was the problem. "Go check out what''s the matter with cart seven. Something isn''t right." "Yes sir!" The Imperial guards rushed to the cart, trying not to cause the rest of the passengers to panic. When they arrived, they pointed their guns at the masked man. He smiled evilly and gestured to the woman. Implying that he''s got a hostage. "Drop your guns, soldiers. You don''t want a civilian to die." The soldiers slowly dropped their guns and dropped down onto the floor, fearing that they might harm the civilians by trying to stop the masked men. "Make your demands! What do you want in exchange for releasing the hostages? Is it free passage, or something else?" One of the Imperial soldiers asked. But the masked men didn''t pay attention to him. Samuel feeling helpless and useless, he grind his teeth clenched his fist, and punched them together. Causing flames to appear, engulfing his fist. "You will never get away with this! I Samuel promise you that!" Samuel swore as he lunged at one of the men, knocking some out. He turned his attention to another one holding an AK-47. The man fired the gun a few times, missing all his shots. Samuel, seizing the opportunity jumped and hit him with an uppercut.... Therefore, the rest of the men, sensing that their plans had gone wrong started firing at Samuel disorderly, shooting all over the place. Luckily for everyone else, the bullets didn''t hit them, the men were amateurs probably a bunch of random men. Samuel''s friend protected everybody with his [Shield] skill. Seizing the opportunity once more, he knocked out the rest of the bandits, leaving the leader to be the last man standing. The Masked man threw the woman back in her seat. Throwing away his Pistol. And drawing a sword, and lunges at Samuel. Samuel was in the right spot for him to use his special sword skill, but his sword was blocked by Leon. "What the... How did you cancel my skill? Who are you- no what are you?" The man asked in confusion. Nobody hadn''t canceled his skill before. ''Wow, did I just block the sword of an adult who is probably on the same level as Brandon or Father?'' Leon had to ask himself that question because he was caught off guard by how weak the man''s strike was. "What the... You''ll pay for humiliating in such a way!" The man growled. "Huh... your sword skill needs to be refined. You can''t go around with a sword without knowing how to properly use one." Leon said trying to caution the man. "Allow me to teach you how to use a sword properly." Before the man knew it, the young boy in the Military Academy''s uniform had already lunged at him. He barely saw him and couldn''t get the chance to block it and was easily defeated by a random student of the Military Academy. He didn''t even know if the boy was a student who was enrolled or not. The man was laid out on the ground as he was tied up along with the other bandits by the soldiers. Leon was left standing there in disbelief that the man was defeated so easily without him putting in enough effort. "haa haa..." ''I can''t believe that he was so weak...'' (Leon) As Leon looked around, he saw the faces of the other passengers and the smiles that they were showing. They thanked the gods of that world and Leon for saving them from being robbed. They then began to collect the items that were stolen from them. The train continued driving on the rail tracks, until the train arrived at a small city just outside of the Zulanian province, surrounded by mountains and a fort. The train usually stops at this city to deliver foodstuffs to the smaller villages, towns, and settlements in the region. The city of Leone is a small city-state outside of the Zulanian province. It was a trading hotspot for merchants to trade their goods. This city is one of the wealthiest cities in the empire, third behind Zulanian province and Celestia. It is also known as "The Gateway to East". After the train stopped the Leone Police Department was already on the scene, at the station. It was very convenient to have the police at the station. The men were taken in by the police and everyone in the cart had to make a statement on what happened. Samuel his friend Leon booked a hotel for the night, because of something to do with the train. Leon went up to the balcony, he saw the hooded man just chilling on the balcony. Leon didn''t bother him, but he sat down on a bench and got lost in his thoughts. "Hmmph. That''s Leon for ya. No care in the world." ''I hope tomorrow the trip will be smooth. I kinda miss Sophie..... Hopefully, her dream to reunite with her friend come true.'' (Leon) Chapter 12. The journey continues to the Military Academy. Leon ate dinner with Samuel and his friend last night. Afterward, he went up to his room and watches the nightlife of the city. ''Ahh, this view is so relaxing! I wish that back home in Zulania looked just like this. I mean, had this kind of atmosphere....'' (Leon) The city of Leone is a bustling city-state, outside of the Zulanian province. Stuck between two forts, and a mountain. The people were shopping for their stuffs and just hanging out. Seeing that, Leon couldn''t help but feel anxious. "Okay, tomorrow I will continue my journey..." Leon yawned and lay down on his bed and drifted off to sleep. Leon woke up the next day, feeling optimistic about the day, smiling strangely. He got ready and rushed downstairs and eat breakfast with Samuel and his friend... Afterward, they made their way to the train station. A few police cars were there at the station. The police were still investigating the train. They sat down and waited. Sometime later, the investigators left the station, and everyone boarded the train. And the train was on the tracks again. "I hope we get to Celestia on time." Samuel''s friend said while smiling. "Yes. Finally, we get to continue our journey, huh?" Samuel responded to his friend. "Hmm." Leon leaned back his head on the seat and dozed off. The hooded guy watches Leon with astonishment. "That guy, Leon, is letting his guard down to those two guys." He whispered to the blonde guy. "Hehe. That''s Leon for ya! But we aren''t here to get involved with him, we''re here to.-" "-Yeah, I know, I know. We are here to watch over him. Orders from his father." ''Oh father, why did you?'' (Leon) The train continues to drive on the train tracks to Celestia. It will take another couple of hours to arrive at their destination. So til then, everyone will have to endure. Meanwhile, at one of the Blaze family estates near the city of Celestia, Sophie prepared for the entrance ceremony later on the day. It was about 8:00 am when she woke and got ready. She ate breakfast and left the estate, and headed to where everybody will have to meet up to continue the journey. It was another train station... that everyone have to take to be able to enter the Military Academy. The school is well-hidden from the public sights. No one knows where the academy is, the only people who know are the emperor and the high-ranking nobles. Like the Blaze family. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. As Sophie''s car pulled up to the train station, in front of the station was filled with expensive and luxurious cars, owned by rich kids or their families. "Okay, let''s do this!" Sophie took a deep breath and exited the car. All eyes were on the beautiful girl with long silver-white-ish hair and pale white skin, who''d just come out of the Roll''s Royce car. They''ve only heard from their parents about the Blaze family, and how showing off is what they did for a living. But Sophie wasn''t showing, it was her icy cold demeanor. ''Why is everyone staring at me? Do I have something on my face?'' (Sophie) She walked confidently down the path everyone made for her, and stand all by herself. Not knowing that she''d cause a commotion. Sophie sighs inwardly. Waiting for the train. "Isn''t she a part of the Blaze family?" "Yeah, I heard that the Blaze family is super influential! We better be careful with that one..." "Yeah... Shouldn''t she come with her twin brother?" "That''s strange... Enough of that, just look at her star count." A few hours later, the steam train arrived at the final stop, at the Holy City of Celestia. Everyone handed over their tickets to the conductor, Leon, Samuel, and his friend headed to the bus stop with some other students. The Holy city of Celestia is very huge, unlike Leone. It had a Medieval feel to it. The streets were made of stone and also were the buildings\houses. A church was conveniently at the center of the city, with a water fountain. ''Oh, so this is the Holy city of Celestia? I''d heard my father talk about this city.'' (Leon) "So this is Celestia? This is super cool!" Samuel exclaimed suddenly. "Wow!" They boarded a bus and headed to the next train station. Expensive and luxurious cars lined the streets of Celestia, and the cars looked cool to Samuel his friend, and the other kids. But Leon was unfazed because he is actually the son of a high-ranking noble. The bus arrived at the bus stop out of the next train station, they exited the bus and entered the train station. While walking Leon dropped back. A girl wearing the academy uniform was running toward the station, not paying attention to her surroundings. She was carrying a basket of cake in her hand. "Watch out, move!" she yelled out. Leon wasn''t paying attention, therefore she collied into Leon. A girl with dark brown skin and hazel-colored eyes was on top of him. He could something soft and huge pressing against his chest, their faces were inches from kissing. Her face had a reddish color to it. Even though it wasn''t noticeable. She quickly got up to her feet and gave her hand to help the strange boy out. She smiled warmly at Leon making Leon reminisce about Daniella. ''She looks exactly like Daniella... But an older version.'' ''Hmm? He looks oddly familiar. Like I know him from somewhere.'' (Girl) "Ops. Sorry I wasn''t paying attention." Leon said. "It wasn''t your fault. If I was looking where I was going and not running, then none of this wouldn''t happened." She said, taking the blame. "How can I repay?... Let''s go out sometime for lunch." Leon suggested. she nodded and they sat down on a nearby bench, to cool off. ''I know she looks similar to Daniella.'' Later Leon and the girl made their way to the station. They almost missed the train, Leon show the teacher his badge and entered the train behind Samuel and his friend. Sophie and the girl entered the train at the same time. The train was a modern looking one. It is used by the academy to transport food to the academy, and students. It runs on a daily bases. "Haa! This chair is super comfy!" The girl said to Sophie, as she sat down next to her. "Yeah..." "Don''t you remember me? Daniella!" "Oh yes. I''d miss you so much!" "Me too." Sophie and Daniella hugged and reunited with each other. Both are in happy tears. The start of the brand new journey begins for Leon and the group. Will they make it through? Chapter 13. The Military Academy. After getting settled down the train began to move slowly and gradually pick up speed as it continued to drive. Leon sat down in his seat, near the window. Pondering about something on his mind. ''Ah, I can''t believe that today I''ll be enrolled in the Military Academy! ...That girl... She looks kinda familiar like I''ve met her before. Who knows, maybe I must be mistaken.'' (Leon) Leon looked out through the window and was shocked. Beyond the train were forests everywhere, and the city was showing in the far distance. And as the Train drove away from the city, the train drew closer to the Military Academy. The students were chatting among themselves, the Train was super noisy. The teachers didn''t do anything to quiet down the noisy students, they just sat around doing nothing. As long as a fight doesn''t break out between the students, they were all right with the noise. Leon leaned his head against the window and was about to doze off when a girl sit down next to him. Her uniform looked different than everyone else, her blazer was the same color as the other students, but it had red trimmings around her shoulders and chest area. She smiled cheerfully at him. "Hey there! I saw you were alone and thought I should come and talk to you." The girl said energetically and with a big smile on her face. "Well, uhh... I appreciate it." He responded to the girl acting awkwardly. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. The name''s Aria, a freshman just like you! Ah, by the way, we will be in the same class, hehe!" Aria said in a joking tone. "How did you know that we will be in the same class?" Leon asked her. "Well, I know that because both of us have the same amount of stars on our badges. One star... That means that we will be in the lowest class in the academy." Aria explained to Leon. ''Ohh, I think I get it now... How many stars we have determined which class we will enter. So that means that the person with five stars will automatically be placed in the highest class.'' (Leon) "Oh, plus this amount of stars is temporary. You will receive your permanent amount of stars after the entrance ceremony." Aria added. "Oh, thank you for the information." "You''re welcome." Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "Ah, sorry, I got carried away. My name is Leon, A pleasure to meet you." Aria Johnson, a girl with knowledge and beauty, she''s from a faraway province in the empire. Her parents are adventurers, they are not that famous. Her father is from another world and her mother is from a small town. She has long blonde hair, held up in a ponytail, with two different colored eyes. The right side is blue and the left side is hazel colored. Leon and Aria chatted throughout the rest of the journey, and time flew by fast. And the train arrived at the third stop. Everyone exited the train and stood outside in the station. The students were talking among each other, making noise. AA teacher came out of the train looking annoyed. "Quiet down, you fools! And form two lines to separate the boys from the girl. Now listen up, and try not to give up in the first month of your in this academy!" The man said threateningly. Suddenly the place went silent, and all eyes were on the teacher. He is one of the most popular and strictest teachers in the academy. But he doesn''t know that, he''s clueless. Everyone wants to be in his class. "Please make your way to the two buses waiting at the exit of the station, and wait till further instructions." He added. ''So this guy is the one who taught big brother Brandon? I want to be in his class!'' (Sophie) Thus everyone got into the two buses and the bus began driving slowly up a hill. At that moment the bell from the church rang about three times, as the buses drove up the hilly dirt road. Leon and Samuel reunited on the bus, and Aria and Sophie, and Daniella became friends. The buses drove up the hill and stopped in front of a giant gate, the gatekeeper opened up the gates and the buses drove into the compound. The compound was very spacious and built like a fortress, there were many other buildings scattered around the compound. And the much larger castle-like building was at the back of everything. The two buses came to a complete stop, and the students came out of the buses. "Everyone, please follow me to the auditorium, where your entrance ceremony will be held." Another teacher told the students to follow her to the auditorium. They followed the teacher to a flat building, they entered the building. Inside the building looked like a gymnasium, but it was filled with chairs and a pulpit on the stage. Everyone took their seat and the auditorium was packed. James and Alexandra were also there, standing on the stage. The auditorium was filled with silence, and the noble students were whispering to each other. "Isn''t that James and Alexandra Blaze? They look like siblings!" "Yeah, they look so cool! I want to be friends with them... Imagine the fame you''d receive from being their friend..." "Yeah..." Leon could hear everything they were saying, but he didn''t do or say anything. ''It''s their problem to handle, not mine..." James noticed the attention he was getting and he smiled at the crowd. All the girls went crazy after he smiled. Alexandra looked nervous and creeped out by the first-year boys, she noticed Leon in his disguise and waved at him shyly, no one noticed when she waved at Leon. The auditorium was packed. This is a new chapter in the Youngest in the Blaze family members, Leon and Sophie, and their new friends. It would be till later in the afternoon that the entrance ceremony will begin. So everyone will have to wait. They were served their lunch. Chapter 14. The Entrance Ceremony. The students ate their lunches and began talking with each other once again. The auditorium was filled with silent whispers, and the upper classmen were just helping setting up the stage, so they couldn''t anything about that. The instructors were busy teaching their classes. No one was available. Sitting there in the auditorium, Leon felt anxious about his new life from then on. The only thing he could do think about at that moment was to just stay put. ''Alright, Leon, you have to stay calm.... Why am I like this?...'' (Leon) Leon sank down in his seat, feeling down and lonely. Regret began to set in of not coming to the academy as a noble. He glanced up on the stage at his older brother, James. "He''s so cool!" Leon muttered to himself. (Leon Sighs.) Samuel who was sitting next to him glanced over at him, with a concerned look on his face. "Are you feeling okay, Leon?" Samuel asked him, feeling concerned about Leon''s well-being. "Nothing.... I just miss home." Leon responded to Samuel''s question in a low tone. But Samuel and his friend knew that something was up with him, but they didn''t want to dig around in Leon''s affairs''. "Alright, dude... Let''s talk about something else, then." Samuel suggested to Leon. ''Hmm? I don''t know nothing about Samuel nor his friend... Maybe I shouldn''t ask about that.'' (Leon) Leon pondered to himself while he sat there in the auditorium. It may have seems that the new students came early this year. All of the seniors who were helping out were thinking such things. "They''ve arrived earlier this year, huh?" "Huh? Who?" "I mean the new first year students, they came early." "Yeah, last year''s selections were the same thing. What''s wrong with this school''s time?" "I wonder the same thing, bro. Let''s continue our work before the principal gets here.... That guy is super scary!" The upper classmen chatted between themselves, unaware of the sudden arrival of some of the teachers. A few minutes later, the work was done. The auditorium was well decorated, as a very important event would take place their. Or like the Emperor was going to visit the academy, that would be shocker for the new students. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Wow!" Sophie, Daniella and Aria sat comfortably at one of the seats in front, where all most everyone sitting there were nobles or children of famous Adventurers. They were chatting about random stuffs. "So what do you girls do in your free time?" Aria asked Sophie and Daniella. Both Sophie and Daniella were kinda shocked to hear that question. "Well, Uh. My name is Sophie Marian von Blaze, and I''m a noble. Nice to meet you guys!" Sophie introduced herself to the girls, acting awkwardly. "I''m Daniella, nice to meet you." "I''m Aria, a daughter of an adventurer." The girls introduced themselves to each other, smiling and talking about random stuff. At that moment, an old man wearing a high-ranking military uniform walked into the auditorium. He walked down the walkway confidently, his face was without a smile, he looked super serious. He is the principal of the Imperial Military Academy, his name is Sir Alexander Schulz. He was in the imperial army. Sir Alexander Schulz was an high-ranking member in the army. He has a five and a half stars on his uniform He climbed the stage and stood behind of a mic, all of the students stood up and gave their new principal a salute and remained standing. Alexander gestured them to sit down. He cleared his throat, and began his welcome speech. "Welcome to the Imperial Military Academy, First years. I hope your journey here wasn''t stressful. The Military Academy welcome you talented young swordsman, magicians, and those who want to pursue a career in the military. I know it is hard to study in a place far away from home, but keep fighting if you want to accomplish your dreams!" "At this prestigious academy we only accept the finest of the freshmen this year. So please try your best to pass the entrance exam. Thank you all for coming." The principal stepped away from the mic and and stood at the back with Alexandra and James. Another teacher took the mic. "Please welcome the first year representative, Aria to give a speech." Everyone began to clap as Aria walked on the stage. She gently collected the mic from the teacher, she took a deep breath and started her speech. There were cameras were in the auditorium. But they could film the ceremony alone. "On behalf of all of the first years, I would love to thank the principal for accepting us into this prestigious academy. I promise that we will work hard to accomplish our dreams, by working side by side with the academy, so thank you for allowing us to attend this prestigious military academy!" Aria bowed after her speech, where she captured the hearts of the teachers and the boys. Applauses sounded throughout the auditorium, everyone clapped including Leon. He was so happy that Aria was the representative for the first years, he was so happy that he couldn''t contain his smiled. Aria exited the stage and sat down in her seat next to Sophie and Daniella. They were shocked. ''Oh yeah, father said that Leon and I should go to the principal''s office after the Entrance ceremony was all over... So maybe I could meet up with Leon once again.... I miss him!'' (Sophie) Thus the Entrance ceremony went on and they did all that they have to do, with Leon feeling anxious about something. After everything was finished, The students were separated and placed into a few classes, for the written part of the entrance ceremony. Leon was in the class with the same people he came, while on the other hand, Sophie was with Daniella and Aria. The class was separated on class, like on nobles and peasants. "Welcome students, this phase of the entrance ceremony with be a written exam. You will have 90 minutes to write and complete this exam, any more than 90 minutes your papers will not be collect." A voice echoed through the classroom, on a PR system. It was a voice of a man. "Now begin!" Suddenly papers appeared on everyone''s table in all of the classes. The papers was filled with lower level math''s, science etc. So it was quite easy for Leon, who went through something like that. The students all bent down their heads and began their written exams. Chapter 15. The Entrance Exams Begins. All the students bent down their heads and began writing on the papers on the tables. The examination rooms were filled with intense silence, as the students writes the exams. Everyone was focusing on their own papers, as the timer went on. A wave of competitiveness came over the room Leon was in, as he tried to remember all the exams he''d taken throughout his entire 18 years of living in his previous life. "What''s the answer...? I forgot..." Leon muttered to himself, as he sat there trying to figure out the answers. ''I am so confused right now. I can''t figure out the answers, after a long time of studying during my previous life. I can''t do anything!'' (Leon) "Remember, students. If you get caught cheating your papers will be taken away, and you will be expelled!" The man behind of the PA system spoke once more. "Huh.... Seriously?!" "Not cool, dude. Not cool." "This sucks..... How will I pass now?" The examination room where Leon was placed in suddenly became noisy, after the teacher was finished passing on his message to all of the classes. ''This kinda sucks.'' (Samuel) A few minutes later, Leon had finished the written exams, so he just bend his head on the table, covering his work. Samuel, Leon and his friend were separated and were in different classes. But Leon and Samuel ended up together. Almost all of the teachers were busy teaching their own class, while some of them was supervising other exams. "I''m done with this! I can''t take this anymore!" A random boy yelled out of frustration. No one was listening to the boy vent his frustrations. Everyone was busy focusing on their own problems. In another class, Sophie was taking her tests. She was searching for her answers, although it was kind of easy for her twin brother. All of the examination rooms were so quiet that you could hear a pin drop in each individual classrooms. As soon as 90 minutes was up, the teachers entered the classrooms to congratulate the students on passing the written part of the entrance exams. "Congratulations students, on passing the written part of the entrance exams. Please follow me to the training arenas, so that we could see your magical, and sword abilities." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. The teacher ordered them. The students formed two lines and left the classrooms and made their way to the training arenas. The training is a huge building that was designed like a stadium. At least the exterior. All of the students were led by their class teachers into the training arena. Oh, and the training arena was at the western part of the compound of the Military Academy. Inside of the training arena looked like a futuristic colosseum, and it had lots of training dummies at the middle of the stage. The principal sat down and looked down at all of the students. "Welcome, students. This is your finally examinations, all you have to do- I mean, is fi you have magic you have to fire your best magical attacks spells at the dummies down there. And if you''re a swordsman, you will have to duel each other. So, why don''t we start with the magic users." The principal suggested. All of the students who can use magic gathered in the arena, including Sophie, Daniella and Aria. Leon was excited to see his twin sister use her ice abilities, he had no expectation for the two other girls. "Now, begin!" First, a random guy went up and shot out a fireball out from his hands, it missed the target. He walked back to his seat smirking. "That was an attempt, Raymond." Thus, all of the magic users went and tried shooting at the dummies, but some of them failed massively. It was only the three girls left, Sophie and her two friend. Daniella and Aria. First Aria went up and pointed her fingers like a Pistal at her targets, and shot a small fireball from her finger tips. Destroying an entire training dummy. "Hmmph." Daniella walked up after Aria was done. She focused all her might to form a fireball in the palms of her hands, she shot the fireball at one of the dummies. Destroying them just like Aria. (Daniella breathing heavily) Sophie went up after Daniella. She took a deep breath and conjuring a few ice spikes that hovered beside of her, she gestured the spikes to attack the training dummies. Impaling the training dummies with her icy spike. The girls reunited and sit down back in their, while Sophie wondered if she''d impressed Leon. But she had gained a few followers. "Oh, Sophie. Isn''t she the coolest girls?" "Yeah, she is." After that, they went on a small break, for everyone to rest up. Even though it was already afternoon. "Hey, Samuel! What''s up with you?" Leon asked. "Oh nothing, I''m just relaxing with my friend, Keith." Samuel responded to Leon''s question. ''Keith, huh?.... So that was his name, for real!'' (Leon) That was a huge shock for Leon, he didn''t really expect Samuel to reveal the name of his friend to him. While they waited for the duel, Leon and Samuel chatted. "So, why did you not take part in the previous activity?" "I wasn''t feeling it. I wanted to fight in the duel!" Samuel exclaimed while he clenched his fist in excitement. "Now, let''s continue with the exams. It''s time for the duels. First up, is Samuel vs Maxwell von Clover." Samuel and the boy both walked on the stage next to each other. They turned to each other and drew their swords. It was shacking that Samuel had a sword, actually he barrowed the sword. They two stepped away from each other. Samuel lunges at Maxwell, but he blocked it. All of the crowd cheered for Maxwell. "Nice of you for blocking my sword strike, you''re a strong one." Samuel said. "Thank you, I appreciate that, but you know, I have the upper hand, haha." Maxwell smiled menacingly at Samuel. This could be trouble for Samuel, as the fight got on. Leon was cheering for him in his mind, while his friend cheered for him. Chapter 16. Max smiled once more at Samuel and pushed him back off of his. The crowd was cheering for both fighters, but majority of the students who were children of the of high-ranking nobles were cheering for Max. Only a few students cheered for Samuel. Samuel lunges once again at Max, but his sword was blocked. The impact of the swords sent a shack up both fighter''s hands. Both of them backed away from each other. (Both fighters breathing heavily) "You''re strong, huh, Samuel? But as I said before, I have the upper hand in this duel." Maxwell stated once again to Samuel. "Sorry, but it isn''t up to you to decide who has the upper hand in this duel!" Samuel smiled smugly at his opponent and charges at Max. But Maxwell blocked his sword and pushed him back once again, and he went on the offensive. The only thing Samuel could do was to block Max''s strikes. The crowd was cheering for Max as he was swinging his sword at his opponent. "That boy doesn''t give up, does he? The only thing he could do right now is to try and defend himself against Maxwell''s strikes." "And why is that? He seems to be swinging his sword randomly." "Well, that''s Maxwell von Clover''s sword style..... To swing randomly and catch his opponent off-guard, and strike them." "Really?" Max suddenly stopped going on the offensive against Samuel, and jumped back in his corner with a smug look on his face. Samuel, taking the opportunity went on the offensive on Max, but Max dodged every single of Samuel''s attacks. Samuel dropped to his knees out of frustration. Totally forgetting about the duel. ''I think my sword style didn''t work on him....'' (Maxwell) Max walked up to the frustrated Samuel and Looked down upon him. "Remember, we''re dueling each other, right? Come on, get up.... I don''t want to win like this, I want to finish this match with a bang!" Maxwell exclaimed excitedly, and let out his hand and helped Samuel to his feet. "I like your style, dude. Hehe!" The crowd were shocked to see Max helped his opponent. It was the first time he had helped his opponent, at least one they knew about. "What''s happening down there? Is Max showing mercy to his opponent?" This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "....I think so..." Samuel stood up and walked to his corner. Both of them got into their fighting stance, both of them took in a deep breath. Samuel''s sword was engulfed with flames and he lunged at Max. A huge explosion sounded in the arena, and smoke was there. The smoke covered the entire arena making it hard to see who won. A figure was standing at the center of the ring,, and holding a sword in his hand. The smoke cleared up bit by bit and the person who was standing in the arena was revealed. "Who is that...?" (Gasps) Suddenly Max exited the ring, leaving Samuel lying unconscious on the floor. Most of the crowd cheered as Max walked off the ring. The Medics immediately ran onto the ring to check if Samuel is okay. "Winner is Maxwell von Clover!" Keith and Leon went with the medics to also check up on their friend. Samuel was not in a bad condition, actually he looked alright with a few bruses and scratches. "Oh, you guys, what are you guys doing here?" Samuel asked his friend and Leon. "Well, we just come to check up on you." "Yeah..." Thus the tournament went on and the fighters did they best, Keith won his match and up next will be Leon''s duel with a boy named Karl. "Up next, is Leon Vs Karl Stuart! Duelers please make your way to the fighting arena," Both Leon and Karl made their way to the ring. As they turned to face each other, Karl had a disgusted look on his face. He tried to put on a fake smile on to Leon. "Remember, please don''t use magic in this fight. Now fight!" Karl drew a expensive looking sword and stood in a fighting stance. Leon Also drew his sword and stand in his fighting stance. Both of them stared at each other for a few long second. "Nice sword, Karl. How much did you buy it for?" Leon asked him. "Don''t insult me, you fool! This sword is priceless, a family heirloom passed down in the Stuart family!" He responded to Leon question with anger. ''Oh, I see, I see...'' (Leon) The crowd stayed quiet as Leon and his opponent stayed down each other, some of the crowd was cheering for Leon including Sophie and her new friends. While on the other hand, the others in the crowd stayed quiet, the reason was they don''t like Leon''s opponent. "Come on, let''s stop this and fight!" Karl charges at Leon but he managed to dodge his attacks, he used Karl''s momentum and threw him to the ground. He stood over his opponent and looked at him. ''I thought you were strong. Is he that strong?'' (Leon) Karl got up again and lunges at him. As Karl swung his sword Leon blocked his sword and hit the sword out of his hands. To be honest, this fight was a letdown for Leon. ''This sucks... fighting a weaklin.'' (Leon) (Leon sighs) "I thought you were strong, you disappoint me." Leon placed his sword to his opponent''s neck, and he surrendered the match. "How could I lost to an insignificant fool? This can''t be real..." He mumbled. "This isn''t possible, I was told that this sword is a powerful legendary one..." "The winner is Leon!" It was already night time when the entrance ceremony ended. So the students were taken to be checked in. They passed through the receptionist, where they''ll get officially enrolled into the Military Academy. They received their badges and was taken to their dorms. The boys and the girls were separated from each other. As soon and his roommate arrived to their they threw themselves on their beds. "Wow, finally I get to finally get enrolled..." His roommate exclaimed. "Yeah, today was intense," Leon responded to the roommate. "Oh, by the way the name''s Liam, nice to meet you." "I''m Leon." They shook hands and chatted with each other throughout the night, while they unpack their stuff and prepare for the next day. Chapter 17. "So, Leon, why did you joined the Military Academy? pardon me asking that question if you don'' tmind." Liam asked him. To Leon no one had asked him about his decision to join the Military Academy. That caught him off guard.... The only person who had asked him that question was Aria, and in some ways his father. ''That caught me off guard.... Since I reincarnated I''d never thought of my future in this world. It was unexpected...'' (Leon) "Huh?...." Leon gave his roommate a confused look. he was deep in thoughts and was thinking of what his next response would be. "Don''t worry about that for now, Leon. In my short time staying here, most of the freshmen students don''t know why they are here either." Liam said calmly to Leon. "Thanks, dude... I really appreciate that." Leon responded to to his roommate''s explanation, thanking him in the process. "No sweat, dude. We''re practically friends, Heheh!" When his roommate said those words he remembered something he''d heard from the past, from Daniella. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. With that, the boys changed into their PJ''s and lay down on their beds and drifted asleep, the both of them. ''Perhaps I should really think about my future in this world....'' Meanwhile, back in the Blaze family mansion, and sitting in his office going through some important paperwork With the moonlight as a light source, Sylvester sighed worried about something. ''Hopefully Leon and Sophie is doing alright now... This is quite troubling.'' (Sylvester) He continued signing the important papers in the dimly lit office. The night was a quite stressful night for Sylvester. At that moment, someone knocked on his office door. No one had access to his studies, other than his Butler and wife. The other servants were not allowed to enter. The person at the door entered into the office. It was Sylvester''s Butler who entered the office, he was carrying something in his hands. "Master, a letter had came for you." Sylvester nodded and gestured him to put it on his desk. The Butler placed the object on Sylvester''s desk. It was a rather suspicious looking envelope sealed up. He took a deep breath and opened the envelope. Sylvester was trimbling with both excitement and fear. "Please leave me, Cedric." Sylvester said calmly to him. Without saying anything he left his office. The letter Sylvester had received is a letter updating him about Leon''s activity. It seemed to be like he was doing okay. ''OK, I''ll just go get some rest now!'' Sylvester left his office and went to his room where his wife was waiting for him. He lie down next to his wife and fell right asleep... His wife was already sleeping. Oh, and Emily was sleeping with her parents that, because she had a nightmare... And Brandon and his fiance was just cuddling with each other in their bed. That night, the all of the Blaze family members slept really comfortably... Hopefully this can be a good start to a new life. Chapter 18. The next day and Leon had woke up early in the morning. It was around five o''clock in the morning when he woke up. The sun was about to rise and the Military Academy''s staffs had just woke up also. Leon instinctively glanced to his roommate''s bed. Liam was already up, and doing something on a table placed in their room. Liam turned around and stared at him with a smile. ''Huh? What''s this?.... Dude, you''re weird!'' (Leon) Liam was looking at him with a concerned look on his face. To Leon, the way his roommate was looking at him was weird. The atmosphere was kind of awkward between the roommates. ".... Is it morning already? Time really flies here!" Leon exclaimed, while he sat up and stretched out his body and yawned. ''Time really flies in this world. Didn''t I fell asleep a few hours ago? To me, it only felt like had a little sleep.'' (Leon) Leon thought to himself, while he sat there on his bed, clearly deep in thoughts. "Oh, you''re awake, Leon?" Liam asked him "I hope you slept good last night? Get up and take a shower, we''re going to be late!" Liam ordered. "Fine, fine I''ll get ready!" Leon groaned annoyingly. Leon got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, leaving his roommate back in their bedroom. As he pushed open the bathroom door and entered, he walked up to the mirror in the bathroom and looked at his reflection. He sighed with annoyance as he stared at himself in the mirror. ''This new me is frustrating! I don''t look good with black hair.... Maybe I should go to school with my original silver white-ish hair.'' (Leon) So Leon began to wash off all the dye out of his hair, and his hair started to look silver once again. He had his bath and dressed up, then he left the bathroom and entered back into the bedroom. "You''re done with taking a shower? Oh, your hair is silver now?! What happened to you?" Liam asked him as soon as he entered back into the room. "Huh? Is that a problem?" Leon asked feeling confused about what happened. Stolen story; please report. "No, It''s nothing to do with your hair. I''m just shocked that you dyed your hair that color." Liam said jokingly. "Are you ready to go now? We''re running late, right?" Leon asked Liam. But when he took a closer look at him he saw that his roommate wasn''t wearing his Military Academy uniform. "Aren''t you getting ready to head out?.... Shouldn''t we be heading out now?!" Leon asked with a confused look on his face. Liam sighed. "Settle down you''re in an hurry. Just chill out, we''ll get going in a few minutes.... It''s early in the morning..." Liam said to his roommate Leon, telling him to sit down and wait. Leon sat down on his bed and began waiting. On the other hand, Sophie is sitting on Daniella''s bed side trying to wake her up. "Daniella, please wake up, wake up we will be late!" Sophie whispered that in Daniella''s ears. And she started to shake her body, causing Daniella to wake up. "Hmmm. Is it morning already?" "Yeah...." Sophie nodded in response. "Come on, Daniella! Have your bath and get ready to let us go!" Sophie said joyfully. She helped Daniella to get out of bed and Daniella made her way to the bathroom to take a shower, deep in her own thoughts. She turned on the pipe to let it run out the cold water. And she began to undress herself, and she got into the bathtub and relax. "Haaa, this is comfortable!" Daniella exclaimed. Oh, by the way, the bathrooms looked just like the ones from earth. It looked modern-day ish. Every individual rooms in both males and females dorms have their own bathrooms, so there will be no piling up. Daniella finished having her bath she dried out her skin and hair, then she got dressed and exited the bathroom and met up with Sophie who was waiting for her all dressed up in their bedroom. And then they left the room. "Oh, by the way, Sophie why are we going to the auditorium? Shouldn''t we wait for the results in our rooms?" Daniella asked Sophie as they walked towards the auditorium.edit Sophie sighs and began to answer the question. "Well, it''s just a speculation, but I know that something is going to happen at the auditorium." Sophie responded to the question. The girls continued walking to the auditorium, without saying anything else. Meanwhile, Leon and his roommate Liam was heading to the auditorium, and not saying anything. "Uhhh, one question though.... Should we go to the auditorium? I think it would be best for us to stay back in our room." Leon asked voicing his concerns. "I don''t know. But I have a feeling that tells me to head towards the auditorium.... I can''t explain this feeling..." Liam replied to his roommate''s question. "Alright, I will put my trust in your intuition then." "Come on, spend up! We''re going to be late!" Both of them started to walk faster than how they were walking earlier. Within time, they arrived at the auditorium. The other students were waiting and standing outside of the auditorium, talking among themselves. It was around eight o''clock in the morning, and the upperclassmen were heading to their classes. And the teachers were going to teach their classes. "Hey, you guys! You''re here!" A random boy called out to them, causing the other students to turn their attention to the commotion. "Huh? Isn''t one of those guys the one who defeated Karl Stuart?" "....Yeah, it seems so.... Plus he dyed his hair silver! Karl Stuart won''t be happy...." "Hmm..." Leon and his roommate Liam walked up to the other students confidently, while the other students watched on. No one was paying attention to their surroundings. The sun was shining brightly. Chapter 19. After Leon and his roommate Liam arrived at the auditorium and settled down. They stopped under a shading of the auditorium while the other students stared at them. The main reason why was the fact that Leon had dyed his hair, and mainly because he''d defeated the number one best student, Karl Stuart...... He was everyone''s favorite in the duels. "But still, I can''t even imagine that Karl Stuart was defeated by a nobody." "....yeah." The other students were talking about the duel, and was shocked by Leon''s sword skills. At that moment, an uncomfortable feeling came over Leon and he looked down in embarrassment. (Leon Sighs) ''I feel super uncomfortable! I can''t remember the last time I was popular...'' (Leon) Leon was confused about the sudden attention being placed on him, at that time, he was thinking about the consequences of defeating someone elite son. Although he himself is also a noble.... ''Uhh... What if Karl Stuart decided to come back at me? No one can save me, I''m doomed!'' (Leon) Leon''s mind was racing, and he was thinking about how to get out of the situation he''d found himself in. "Huh? Leon, are you feeling alright? You look way too pale." Liam, seeing that Leon was in a bad mood he asked. Leon raised his head and looked at his roommate Liam with a worried expression on his face. "Sorry... I was just deep in thoughts. Don''t worry about me!". Leon replied to Liam''s question and gave him a thumbs up. "Alright, if you say so, dude." Liam said to his roommate Leon, clearly knowing that he was lying to him about something. For now, everything was going fine. It was around school hours and all the upperclassmen were heading to their classes, while talking about the first years. "What''s going on over there? Those freshmen are super noisy.... To be honest, there''re super lucky!" "....Yeah.... I think I know why they''re so noisy. It''s because one of the first years defeated their number one best student.... at least that''s what I''ve heard." (Chuckles) Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "These first years are getting a lot interesting!" "Yeah..." 30 minutes had passed, and no teachers had showed up. And the sun was beating down on the student''s skin, they were getting frustrated. "This sun is getting hotter and hotter as time passes by. Where are the teachers?!" "Yeah! We''ve been out here all morning!" "Some of us was here since early in the morning!" ''Geez... These guys are getting mad.'' (Leon) Leon thought that as the other students complained about their situation. "Isn''t this sun getting hotter and hotter? It''s super hot." Liam said, whispering in Leon''s ears. Leon just nodded in response.... The sun was scorching and no one was prepared to handle that. At that time, Leon could feel someone coming towards him, but he couldn''t tell who it was. "Hey there, Leon dude...!" A arm was thrown over his shoulders, and upon turning around he saw that it was Samuel and his friend Keith. But Samuel was smiling smugly as he always was. "Sup...?" "Uh... Hey?" Both Samuel and Keith greeted him. Making Liam feel all confused about what was happening. "Hey guys, long time no see. How have you been?" Leon asked them. ''Who are they?... Nah, I won''t get into their friendship.'' (Liam) "Just chilling out. How about you, Leon?" Samuel asked him with an annoying smile on his face. "Ah, nothing.... Oh, I want you to meet my roommate Liam." Leon responded to him, and then introduced his roommate Liam to Samuel and his friend Keith. "Oh, it''s an honor meeting you guys, I''m Liam." Liam introduced himself and stretched out his hand to be shaken. "Likewise." They shock hand and began to laugh. Leon couldn''t help but smile at the sight of that touching moment. Suddenly the doors of the auditorium opened up and some men wearing black robes stepped out of the auditorium and just stood there. One of them was holding a staff with a red stone on it. Their faces were unknown. "Settle down for a while students! And please form two lines like before, and make your way into the auditorium for your assessment." One of the robed men spoke up. The students formed the lines and waited for the men to let them go into the auditorium. They were whispering between themselves. They will have to get assessed for the school to place them in their classes and to give them their permanent star count. It has been in the academy for generations. At that time, Sophie and Daniella arrived at the auditorium and joined the female line. "Why are you guys late? You know, you were supposed to be here earlier." The robed man asked them. "Sorry for being late! We were hungry, so we stopped at the Cafeteria...". Sophie explained. " Sorry... " Daniella joined in too. The robed man sighs and cleared his throat. "Since that''s over with, let''s enter the auditorium and start your assessment. Please maintain the lines as we enter into the auditorium..." The robed men gestured them to follow them, and they entered into the auditorium with some of the students feeling confident and some feeling anxious and nervous. When they entered into the auditorium, everyone was shocked by the interior of the auditorium. It looked different from yesterday. Although the seats are still the same as before, the auditorium looked different there were a table on the stage with strange looking people sitting on it, and the atmosphere just felt different to Leon. ''This room is different... Something is up.'' (Leon) Leon felt uncomfortable and no one noticed that, other than his twin sister Sophie and in some way Daniella. "Please come one by one to asses your star count. And after, you will be placed into your classes due to the amount of stars you have received." The man said to the students. ''This is a new beginning. I can''t wait to start my military Academy years, watching over Sophie!'' (Leon) Leon clinched has fist in excitement and smiled happily. Chapter 20. A Brand new Beginning. The students were taken into the auditorium to check which class they would be placed in. Some teachers were also there in the auditorium, along with the men in robes. The robed men guided the students to their seats and the auditorium had became noisier. A few of the upperclassmen was there in the auditorium to help out with the preparations, including Alexandra and James. Leon and his friends were still together, while on the other hand, Sophie and Daniella had not reunited with Aria. When the students settled down, a wave of competitiveness was all over in the auditorium. With some of the students feeling confident and some students were nervous and anxious about the situation. While that was going on, one of the teachers walked up onto the stage and stood behind of a microphone, and cleared his throat. "Ahem, thank you students for coming here this morning. I hopped that you guys were given a brief explanation by the examiners, so that means I don''t really have to give any explanations...." The teacher said calmly. "Sorry for not giving you students a heads up on the situation. Today we will have to assess your magical abilities and skills to determine which class to put you in.... so with that out of the way, let us begin your assessment!" He added to the explanation. "....What? I thought we were done with the enrollment yesterday! What the hell!" One of the students spoke up. The teacher sighed and continued talking. "Yes, you guys are done with your enrollment. But we have to do an assessment on your magical abilities and skills, that''s why we didn¡¯t give you your results right away. " He explained. ''Everyone in here is so strong! I feel out of place around everyone...'' (Leon) Leon thought to himself as he leaned back into his seat. Samuel seeing that Leon was in a position, stared at him with a concerned look on his face, but he didn''t want to bother him. "Leon looks kinda stressed out, isn''t he?" Samuel asked his friend Keith. Keith just nodded in response to Samuel''s question. With that, they continued to listen to the teacher. "Now, students, please come one by one up to the stage for us to assess your magical abilities and skills. First the girls will get assessed, and after the boys would go next, understood?" The teacher ordered. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. With that, the students did what the teachers said, and the girls formed a line and began walking towards the stage area. Sophie and Daniella was somewhere in the line. All of the girls attention was on James and Alexandra, some with admiration and some with env. ''Ugh, so annoying. '' (Sophie) ''You guys are so annoying...'' (Leon) Both Leon and Sophie thought... All the girls were assessed by the robed men and they returned back to their seats. And then, without any hesitation, the boys got up and began walking towards the stage area, after the girls turn. They all stood in a line.... "I feel kinda nervous, do you?" Liam asked his roommate Leon. "Yeah.... me too.." Leon responded to Liam''s question.. Both of them were nervous while they both waited in line to be assessed. At that moment, Leon felt as if someone was looking at him intensely.... he brushed it off and continued to wait. ''Huh...? I just felt like if someone was looking at me.... Nah, that''s just impossible. '' (Leon) Time passed, and all of the boys that was in front of Leon and his friends had been assessed by the robed men . And it was Samuel''s turn. He went up confidently and stand there in front of the table that the robed men were sitting on. One of the robed men placed a giant crystal ball up to his badge. A tiny glow shine from the badge. "Huh?" "Samuel, please go ahead and sit down, after Everyone is finished we''ll give you your results. " The teacher told Samuel, and he went back to his seat. The same thing happened to everyone else in the line, and then it was Leon''s turn, he walked shyly to the table that the robed men were sitting on and stood there. ''Alright, Leon, just don''t think about anything bad.... everything will be fine. '' (Leon) He thought to himself, as he tried to motivate himself. The man placed the crystal ball to his badge and a small glow shine on his badge. "Leon, please go ahead and sit down, soon we''ll give you your results... Oh, by the way, the principal wants to see you in his office afterwards..." "Thank you for the information. " Leon said as he went back to his seat. After all the students were finished with their assessment, they began to work on the student''s results. And after, the robed men stopped working and handed the results to the teachers, and suddenly a screen rolled down, showing the results of all of the students. [Some of the results of the students. Girls. Sophie : is placed in Class 1-S. Daniella::is placed in Class 1-S. Aria: is placed in Class 1-B. Alica: is placed in Class 1-A. Boys. Samuel: is placed in Class 1-F. Keith: is placed in Class 1-S. Liam: is placed in Class 1-A. Karl Stuart: is placed in Class 1-B. Leon Alexander von Blaze: is placed in Class 1-F.] "Students please look up to the screen and see your current results!" The teacher said to the students. "Wow, is that our skills?!" "Oh, super cool! This is amazing, just look at my skill!" Everyone in the auditorium was supposed to see their skills, no one had expected their results... Leon smiled warmly at the screen that has his results shown on it. ''This is perfect for me, at least I won''t be the center of anyone''s attention....'' (Leon ( Meanwhile on one of the upper floors of the auditorium, a few upperclassmen was staring down at the freshmen down below. (Smirks) "Looks like these freshmen are getting interesting. " "Yeah... what next?" "Just watch and see, just watch and see..." (Chuckled ) Chapter 21. Meeting with the principal. All the students eyes were on the screen that just dropped down in the auditorium. "Whoa, is that my results.....?" "Super cool! That means that I''m in Class 1-S?!" The students were astonished to see their results on the screen that just dropped down. With some students feeling optimistic about their future, and while on the other hand, some was feeling down about their future in the Military Academy. The screen that had just dropped down in the auditorium had the students results on it, along with their new permanent star count. So that made the students directly know which class they''ve end up in. ''Ah, Daniella and I are in the same class.... My dreams had finally come true! '' Sophie thought to herself, unknowingly smiling in result of the good news she''d received. Daniella seeing her friend smile, she couldn''t help but to be happy. "You''re smiling, Sophie. I''d never seen you smile like that before." Daniella said to Sophie, while she stares at the screen. "Huh...? What do you mean? You''re smiling too!" Sophie responded to Daniella. "Right...." "Hehehe!" Both girls hugged each other and cried quietly in each others'' arms. "Hopefully we could remain friends forever, Daniella. " "Yeah, me too...." Sophie and Daniella stopped hugging each other and sat properly in their seats. "I hope that you students are satisfied with your results! From today you guys are now students of the Imperial Military Academy, I wish you all the best in the future activities, and make your families proud!" One of the teachers said encouragingly to the students. All the students turned their attention to the front of the auditorium, and faced the teachers and upperclassmen. James and Alexandra couldn''t help but to be proud of their younger siblings. "Leon and Sophie seems to be doing well for themselves... I''m really proud of them!" "Yeah, me too.... But Leon could''ve done even better if he wanted to...." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "You''re right." Alexandra and James talked between themselves, as the ceremony goes on. "I won''t waste anymore of your time, but with no further ado, we will escort you all to your various classes. Students please form a line with those students who have the same amount of stars as you. And we will escort you to your various classes!" The teacher said once more. So the students did what the teachers said and formed lines. Leon and Samuel went together and everyone else went their separate ways. The auditorium was filled with lots of students and teachers. ''Everyone in this room is super strong! I feel out of place and unprepared... But I can''t wait to start a new journey in the Military Academy!'' (Leon) Leon bent down his head and raised it up back, and smiled inwardly. Samuel, seeing Leon''s behaviour couldn''t help but to be curious . "What''s wrong, dude? You seems so happy for some reason." Samuel asked him. "Oh, nothing... I was just thinking about something..." When they started walking out of the auditorium, Leon saw Sophie being escorted by a female teacher. Leaving Daniella in the line. And they exited the auditorium, a teacher came up to the Class 1-F group. "Leon, right? Please come with me to the principals'' office." The teacher said to asking for Leon. "Alright, I''m coming..." Leon and the teacher left the Class 1-F student line, and was taken to another part of the academy. "What does the teachers want to do with that loser?" "I don''t know either. Maybe he''s in trouble..." The other students were wondering about why the teachers would want to do with someone like Leon. They continued walking towards the principal''s office, and came upon a separate building and entered into it... "Wow!!" Inside of the building was a giant hallway made of stones, and has lots of priceless military artifacts and old pictures of former principals and Generals in the imperial army, and in the academy''s history. "Surprise, huh? This is the museum of the Military Academy! It has been around for decades..." The teacher explained to Leon. "Yeah, awesome!" Leon exclaimed in awe. They walked through the museum and end up in front of a giant pair of doors right on the other side of the museum. The teacher knocked on the door and entered into the office.. Upon entering the office, Leon was taken aback by the interior of the principals'' office. Because it looked almost like a modern day office. Sophie was already in the office and sitting at the principals'' desk. "You must be Sylvester''s last son, right?" The principal asked while looking through a bunch of papers. "Leon Alexander von Blaze, isn''t it? Hmmm..... You look rather different from your picture your father sent me." The principal was sitting at his desk and talking to Sophie. His long white beard and military uniform made him look rather high-ranking military officials or noble. Leon sat down next to his twin sister. And the teacher exited the office. "I am Alexander Schulz,, the principal of this great establishment. And the former homeroom teacher of your older brother Brandon Blaze. Nice to meet you two!" The principal introduced himself to the twins. "So what did you call us for?" Sophie asked the principal. The atmosphere in the office was intense and awkward, the twins were staring at the principal. No one else was in the office. Leon couldn''t believe his eyes, that he was in the principle office... "Well, you''re father wanted me to get you settled in the academy. That''s why I agree to take you under my wings." The principal explained. ''Huh? '' (Leon) "Alright....." Leon and Sophie stared at each other and Sophie couldn''t recognize him at first. Sophie smiled shyly at Leon. "...." Hopefully this could be a brand new start for Leon. Chapter 22. "Wow! So you taught big brother Brandon?! That''s awesome!" Sophie exclaimed with a smile on her face. ''So the principal was big brother Brandon''s homeroom teacher.... I''m so confused about this. Wasn''t he a high-ranking officer in the Imperial Army?'' (Leon) Leon thought to himself, as he sat next to his twin sister Sophie. He couldn''t help but to let his eyes wonder around the office. Unlike his father''s office back home, the principal''s office looks much more modernised than his father''s office. There were lots of old pictures of former principals of the academy hang up on the walls, just like the ones from the museum.... But they all looked clean and brand new. It was unlike the isekai manga and light novels he''d read back on Earth.... Leon was deep in his thoughts while Sophie and the principal talked about their older brother Brandon and his accomplishments. ''So he was big brother Brandon''s homeroom teacher, huh?...'' (Leon) Leon couldn''t understand what was going on there. He was clueless about the principal and Brandon. "Principal, can you please tell us about our big brother? I mean, about his years in the academy..." Sophie asked the principal curiously. Leon who was in his thoughts suddenly started to pay attention to the conversation. The principal sighed and ran his fingers through his long white beard before he spoke. Leon and Sophie listened carefully to the principal. "Well, I was transferred to this school about a few years ago, when Brandon had just been enrolled into the academy. He had just lost his mother and he was very depressed, I was placed as his homeroom teacher.... And from then we became close to each other." The principal said looking sad. "Oh~" "Whoa, that''s kinda sad..." Both Sophie and Leon was in shock after hearing the principal telling them about their older brother Brandon. "Brandon was a very talented swordsman in the academy, he was good with his studies and always helping his classmates with their assignments and such. Maybe that''s why he''s popular?..." The principal explained. Stolen story; please report. The principal continued to tell them about their older brother Brandon in details. Both Sophie and Leon listened to the principal explain...The conversation went on for a few more minutes. (Principal sighs) "Ah, your older brother Brandon was one of my favorite students..." The principal said to the twins. They both nodded in agreement with the principal. At that moment, a awkward silence came over everyone in the office, it was so awkward that no one spoke for a while. Meanwhile, Daniella was sitting in the Class 1-S classroom, thinking about her best friend Sophie. She let out a huge sigh. ''I hope Sophie is doing all right... I''m so worried about her. What do the principal want with her and that guy?'' (Daniella) Daniella thought to herself. She bent her head on her desk, waiting until Sophie to return. The reason for that is because the classroom was extremely boring and without anything to do, so most of the students just chill out in their seats, because they were all shy. "Hey, so you''re friends with Sophie Blaze, right?" A student came up to Daniella and asked her. Daniella slowly lift up her head and stared at her and answered her. Back in the principal''s office... "Well, it''s getting quite late, so why don''t we continue this conversation later, huh?" The principal said to the twins, cutting the conversation short. "Huh? Why?! But it was going really well!" Sophie exclaimed in confusion. "Just try and calm down, Sophie. Calm down..." Leon joined in trying to calm her down, by patting her on the head. "B, but.... I!" Sophie looked up at her twin brother, her eyes was filled with tears as if she was about to cry. When she saw Leon''s smile she quickly calmed down and came back to her senses . "Sorry for that, Leon..." Sophie apologized. "It''s okay..." "You may return back to your classes. Please be careful." The principal said to the twins. Sophie and Leon got up from their seats and was about to leave the office, the principal called back Leon. "Leon please wait. I would want to have a word with you." Leon stopped and returned and sat down back. When Sophie exited the principal''s office, she was escorted to her classroom by a teacher. When she entered her classroom she was shown her seat, it was next to daniella''s seat. They didn''t talked to each other for now.... "So what made you decide to attend the Military Academy like this?" The principal asked Leon in confusion. "Huh? Didn''t father inform you about my decision?... Well, the reason why I decided to attend the academy as a peasant is because I wanted to live a normal life as a student..." Leon responded to the principal. The principal stared at Leon with confusion in his eyes, he scratched his head in confusion... It was the first time Alexander had heard about a Noble pretending to be a Peasant, especially a high-ranking one at that. "Well, it''s a first time for everything, huh?" Leon and the principal continued to talk about his future at the academy, making plans for the rest of his years in the academy. Hopefully this could be a good start for Leon''s future at the Military Academy, and his friends. ''Hopefully Leon is doing all right... Hopefully the principal is really nice to him...'' (???) Chapter 23. A challenge from Karl Stuart. Walking down the long stretch of hallway filled with old artifacts, and deep in his thoughts.... Leon let out a heavy sigh of relief, knowing that the hardest part was done.... Talking to the Principal. He had just left the Principal''s office and was being escorted to the Class1-F classroom by a teacher. (Flashback) "Yes, your father did inform me ahead of time, before you arrived... But I don''t understand why a high-ranking Noble like you would do this... " the Principal said in disbelief. The office went silent for a while, before Leon gave his explanation again. ''But didn''t I give a good explanation...? What else would I say to him? I can''t say that I got reincarnated...'' (Leon) Leon pondered to himself. "But I already answered this question." Leon replied to the Principal confidently. "Yes.... But I didn''t feel satisfied with your answer..." The principal responded back. "Anyways, let''s move along from this conversation then." The principal said, cutting off the conversation, "You''re a brilliant student like your older brother... So, why did you decide to go into the lowest class in the academy? You have good grades, you know?" "Hahaha..." Leon laughed awkwardly, while he sat in his seat... And so Leon and the Principal continued to talk about random stuff, and that went on for a few more minutes... ''I just can''t wait to start a new life at the Military Academy! But I have to try and raise my star count, in the least suspicious way as possible... Oh, and help my classmates rise the ranks in the academy...'' (Leon) Leon thought, as he clenched his fist in excitement... But the Principal didn''t notice that at all... The atmosphere in the office was a good one, Leon was super excited to begin his first year in the academy. "Alright, Leon... Since you''re no longer known as Leon Alexander von Blaze, I''ll have to give you a monthly allowance, just like the other students who are not descendant of Noble blood..." The principal explained. "So, how much would that be? I hope it''s not a small amount." ''I hope it''s not a small amount of money.... If that''s the case I would have to find a part-time job... And from what I heard from father, the academy doesn''t allow people who work a part-time job... It''s tough for an ordinary person.'' (Leon) Leon pondered about the situation that was bothering him. His mind was racing. "Well, it would be around... Uhh.... N10,000 Noars..." The principal answered. "Huh...? 10,000 Noars?!" Noars, the official currency of the Holy Light Empire. Although many kingdoms, Provinces, and city states under the Empire''s sphere of influence uses their own currency. "Fine... Let''s do this, then!" So Leon and the Principal shock hands and agreed with each other, and continued talking with each other once more. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. (End of Flashback) Leon sighed heavy once more and looked down. The teacher who was escorting him, turned around. "What''s wrong? Are you okay?" The teacher asked him . "Oh, nothing.... I was just thinking about lots of things." Leon responded to the teacher. "Alright, if you say so...." "Hmm..." Leon and the teacher who was escorting him continued to walk to his class, keeping quiet and not talking to each other. While they were walking to the class someone Was waiting for them, hiding in the shadows. The strange person stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of Leon and the teacher. They stopped right in their tracks and stared at the strange person. As the person''s identify revealed and he stepped out into the light, it turned out to be Karl Stuart who stepped out. Both Leon and the teacher were shocked to see Karl Stuart there, it was like if Leon''s nightmares were coming true. The teacher instantly backed away from Leon, as four other people stepped out of the shadows and surrounded Leon. Backing him up into the wall. "Huh...? W, what is this, Karl Stuart? Why are you picking on an innocent guy?" The teacher asked Karl, shivering with fear. "Hehehe, shut up and stay back, you stupid teacher!" Karl said mockingly. With a evil smile on his face. "Yeah! Stay out of this, teach!" "Yeah!" "Hehe..." "What? Would you defy the orders of the heir to the Stuart family?!" Karl''s gang joined in the conversation, agreeing with their boss. Karl Stuart and his gang continued to back Leon into the wall and continued closing in on him, towering over him. "So, you think you can defeat me and get away with it? So you think you can embarrass me in front of everyone?" He asked Leon , as he narrowed his blue eyes. Leon felt Instantly frightened by Karl Stuart. "Uhh, no?" Leon responded to Karl Stuart threat. His mind was racing thinking about what Karl Stuart would do to him.. Either way, he couldn''t escape from his punishment. "Hmm... Now since I get a closer look at your face, you kinda look like an old arch enemy of mine... What was it again? Oh, and you two have the same name too, and look alike! Ah, this would be a lot of fun punching in your face!" Karl said with a wide smile on his face. ''Yes. This would be a lot of fun! Now is time for my revenge!'' (Karl) ''Huh? Do I look familiar to him? It''s been a long time since I looked properly at myself into the mirror... Hopefully I don''t die. '' (Leon) Leon lifted his head and stared at Karl Stuart who was towering over him, like a giant and looking intimidating at him. His narrowed blue eyes stared daggers into his soul, and his long blonde hair that was covering his face. ''Never thought that he would come for me that soon... I was prepared for it but, not so early.'' (Leon) "S, so what do you want with me? Please don''t hurt me!" Leon asked Karl Stuart, pleading with him not to hurt him. He smirked and said to him, " a duel. I want a rematch! " Karl wanted a rematch to prove himself in front of the instructors and students, he wanted to be the most popular guy in the first years. Leon couldn''t help but to smile inwardly. "I, Karl Stuart challenge you to a duel. In the next few weeks from now at the battle arena. Don''t chicken outta the challenge, hehehe!" Karl declared to Leon and the teacher, before walking away with his gang. "You better be there if you don''t want the academy to be a living hell for you!" One of his friends threatened and the others just chuckled. And thus Leon and the teacher resumed their journey to his class. The teacher quickly apologized to him for not doing anything to stop the bullies, and they continued to walk to his class. As they walked passed the other classes Leon quickly noticed how all of the classes looked modernized. And as they walked down the corridor the difference between the best and worst classes began to seem apparent. The highest grade classes in the academy looked pretty luxurious and modernized, but to medium to low grade classes in the academy looked rather outdated.... Most especially the1-f classroom. When they arrived at the class1-f classroom, and Leon entered he greeted the class and went to a random seat in the classroom. This year the Military Academy had a few amount of students in the1-f classroom... Around 10 students was in the class this year. His seat was conveniently placed next to Samuel''s . The classroom had old desks and bench and looked more outdated than every other classes. ''The Military Academy is a battle place.'' (Leon) Leon pondered to himself about the situation that he''s in. "Hey, nice to have you here, Leon dude!" Samuel exclaimed. Leon just smiled awkwardly at Samuel. "Yeah, yeah.." Leon muttered to himself... As he pondered about the future in the academy. Chapter 24. The Introductions part 1. Some time has passed since Leon arrived at his classroom, and all of the students in the Class1-F classroom were talking to each other. And finding out more from their classmates. The Class was plundered into chaos and noise. No one from outside of the classroom didn''t expect nothing much to change from the new generation of class 1-F students. "There you go again... Something like this always happens in that classroom..." "What do you expect from a bunch of delinquents? They''re nothing but a bunch of low lives after all..." The Class 1-F was seen as the lowest grade class in the academy, due to the bad reputation it had gained in the past couple of years... No student in their righted sense would go to the Class 1-F classroom. "Even though there are only ten students in that class, they are still delinquents." "Yeah, you''re probably right... But didn''t the guy who defeated Karl Stuart is in that class?" "Sighs... If you''re right, then that Karl Stuart guy is a shame to the other Nobles." The two upperclassmen said to each other, before they walked away and headed to their classroom. "Wow! You know, I was shocked when I saw that we''re in the same class?" Samuel exclaimed with excitement, as he smiled smugly. "At first, I thought it was a bug in the system or something, ahahah!" He added, laughing like a Maniac. "Yeah..." Leon just responded to Samuel with a bland reaction and answer. After Samuel saw how he responded to him, he instantly stopped laughing and stared at him feeling embarrassed. "Oops, sorry..." He apologized. All of the students at that moment stopped what they were doing to watch what was going with Samuel and Leon. They all stared at the event that was playing out in front of their eyes with anticipation. "Nah, it''s nothing. Let''s continue our conversation and not draw attention to ourselves, okay?" Leon said to Samuel and they continued their conversation. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "So, what do you plan on doing in the academy?" Samuel asked with a wide smile on his face, "well, as for me I plan on being the best mage in the academy, by the time I enter my second year!" ''God, that''s so ambitious of you, Samuel... Well, everyone in this class must have dreams of their own.... And only I don''t know what I want to do with myself in the future...'' (Leon) Meanwhile, in the Class 1-S classroom Sophie sat in her seated, while she was surrounded by her classmates who were asking her questions about her family. They surrounded her and daniella''s seats. "Is it true that you have an older twin brother?!" One of the students who surrounded her asked confidently. "Well, uhh... Uh, he didn''t come..." She didn''t know how to respond to her questions. And thus the students continued to ask Sophie stupid questions. Her classmates didn''t even gave her the opportunity to answer their questions. But before the questions could get out of hand, the door of the classroom pushed open and a strange man entered into the classroom. He walked confidently up to the teachers desk and planted himself in the seat. He watched as the students surrounded the two innocent students questioning them. He let out a heavy sigh. All of the students who were surrounding Sophie and Daniella turned around to see who or what caused the disruption. "Good morning, students, since I caught your attention please take your seats and prepare yourselves for registration!" The teacher said in a calm but stern voice. The students obeyed the teachers and made their way to their seats, and sat down. They all listened as the teacher called out their names in a annoyed tone. Afterwards... "Oh, by the way students... I forgot to introduce myself, the name is Seth, your homeroom teacher. Nice to meet you all..." Back to Leon''s class... Before Leon could get a chance to answer Samuel''s question, the door of the classroom was pushed open and a woman entered the classroom and made her way to the teachers desk and planted herself in the seat. Suddenly the chaos and noise stopped and the students started to look at the strange woman who''d just entered the classroom, including Leon and Samuel. All of the boys stared in awe at the beautiful woman sitting in front of them, mostly they were staring at her giant breasts... She has long silky blonde hair and big green eyes, that matches with her cute face. To the boys in the class she looked gorgeous! She wore an oversized coat that covered up her normal clothes.... A tight Mimi skirt with her shirt. That looks good on her slender body. "So, this is the Class F classroom, huh...?" She mumbled to herself , as she let her eyes wondered around the classroom. And suddenly her eyes landed upon Leon, sitting next to Samuel. ''Hmm...? Isn''t that Leon Alexander von Blaze? How come he''s in such a low level class?'' (Teacher) "Hello class! My name is Ava, and I''m going to be your homeroom teacher... It''s a pleasure to meet youall!" Ava introduced herself to the classroom. "With that said, I would like to welcome you to the Imperial Military Academy! Even though you guys are in the lowest grade class in the academy, please fight to rise the ranks of the academy. Promise me that!" "Yes ma''am. We''ll try our best!!!" They all made that promise to their teacher. Chapter 25. The Introductions part 2. (Leon''s Point of View...) The classroom was filled with awkward silence after we all made a promise to the teacher who looks kinda like the woman who helped Sophie and I with our "Status Viewing Test".... what was her name again? Oh, Ava or something like that.... Hmmm, she looks oddly familiar.... It''s like we''ve met before. The only thing that was on my mind was the teacher who''d just entered the class. I was starting to get a headache just by thinking about it. All of us were staring at the teacher, miss Ava, waiting for her to say something to the class. But her Emerald green eyes were fixated on me.... And while all the boys were staring at her. Oh wow, she so cute! I just can''t take my eyes off of her! I bet the other guys must be thinking the same thing as me. Or something close to what I''m thinking about.... Ava, huh....? "So, may I know the names of the students that I will be taking care of?" The teacher asked us with a smile on her cute face. Everyone began to stare at her in disbelief and shock. The class was in a frenzy afterwards. "Huh, are you seriously kidding with us? And why should we do that?" One of my classmates suddenly yelled out with frustration. "Umm, miss Ava.... Shouldn''t you go through the register and call out our names and such more?" Another of my classmate who looked shy and timid asked the teacher who had an annoyed look on her face. All of us nodded in agreement with the two students who spoke up. The students, or rather my classmates are right. Shouldn''t the teacher go through the register and say their students names? At least, from my experience in my previous life that was the case.... Well, I guess every teacher has their own methods of teaching their students. "I guess you''re right... But it wouldn''t be any fun if did that. I just want you guys to tell me your names and your goals by yourselves." Ava said that while she let out a small laugh and had a smug and happy look on her face. And thus, the classroom went silent once more as they all stared at each other, waiting for someone to take the initiative and start us off by introducing themselves. Someone please stand up and start us off! The class went on like that for a few more minutes. Sophie''s class must be way ahead of mine.... Daniella~ "If you guys want I can choose who should start us off, but that won''t be any fun...." Miss Ava suggested to the class with a evil grin on her face. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "We have all day, you know? So even if you manage to not introducing yourselves today, there''re still tomorrow, hahaha!" Eek, scary! She''s super cute but scary at the same time! I don''t know why the school decided to hire her as a teacher... Samuel was focusing on the commotion happening in the classroom. I also remained quiet while staring at miss Ava. Suddenly a hand raised up in the air, and someone from the front of the class stood up. And the person found themself being stared at by the entire class... It was a girl who looked really cute and fashionable. Noticing that, the girl began to blush with embarrassment. I feel kinda sorry for her.. The class waited in anticipation for the girl to introduce herself. "Uhh, I am Alice, I''m 12 years old and I''m from Celestia! And my class is Magician, Umm, and my star count is 2!" A cute sounding voice came out of the girl''s mouth, and everyone was shocked to hear a sweet voice came out of her mouth. All of the boys were astonished to hear her voice. Alice, a timid looking girl stood there with a red face from embarrassment. She has silky silver hair and big bright blue eyes, that matches with her cute face. Her Navy blue blazer was neat and tidy, and her gray skirt ended up to above her knees. Alice... She looks really nice! I bet I can become friends with her... Oh, plus she''s really tall! She seems to be really self conscious about her height or something... The students were spaced out from one another, so no one sat near to each other. Apart from Samuel and I. "Sup? The name is Scott, I''m 11 years old. My class is Knight warrior, and my star count is 1!" A boy stood up next and introduced himself in an aggressive and cool way. Opposite to Alice, his hair and clothes were messy and untidy. He has brown hair and narrowed eyes... He stood there confidently with a smug smile on his face. Although he may look like a delinquent, he seems to be a nice guy.... Huh? Did he just say he was eleven...? But I thought only twelve years old were allowed to enrolled in the academy! Another student stood up and began to introduce herself with elegant and grace. Huh, is she a noble person? But I thought that all of the nobles were in the upper class. What the hell is going on? I was stunned by what I saw, A noble person is in Class 1-F! What the hell is going on here?! "Hmmph! My name is Alexis Bloomberg, I''m 12 years old and the first daughter of Grand Duke Bloomberg! My class is a healer. So, if you have any injuries please ask for help, hehehe!" The Bloomberg House, huh? From what I''ve heard from eavesdropping on one of father''s conversations, the House of Bloomberg is well known for providing experienced Knights to the Emperor. I even heard that the recent head of the family is serving the Emperor as his personal knight. That''s really cool, A fellow noble person! "What? Are you serious?! So that means that she is a noble?" "Oh wow, I never thought that she was an ordinary girl!" All of the students were staring at the girl who''d just finished introducing herself. No one had expected that a noble person was in the class. Alexis Bloomberg had a elegant and graceful feel to her. She wore a robe that covers her uniform. She has blonde hair and golden eyes that matches with her cute face. And thus, all of the other students introduced themselves to us. And next it was Samuel''s turn to introduce himself. "My name is Samuel, A 12 year old. I''m an all rounder student, I can fight hand to hand and with a sword, and also use magic! My star count is 1\2!" Hmm? Samuel seems to change his looks. He looked sophisticated compared to how he looked before... But he got to do something with his messy hair. Now everyone stared at him. "I am Leon, nice to meet you guys! My class is swordsman, and my star count is 1." As Samuel sat down I stood up and introduced myself to the class. Then sat down. Then everyone had began to stare at me. " Isn''t that the guy who defeated Karl Stuart? " "Why is he doing in such a low level class like this? Shouldn''t he be in class 1-S?" And so the class continued and we talked about our hobbies and goals. We didn''t do anything school work or anything neither any military drills or sorts. Maybe it''s because we''re new to the school or because the world is at peace. But we just played games with miss Ava. Although they are boys in the class, most of the students are girls in the class 1-F classroom. (Leon''s Point of View ended...) Chapter 26. Some time later, and it was break time for the first year students. And everyone in the Class 1-F classroom was waiting to be let out and join the others. While Leon was talking with Samuel. "So what do you wanna do after this?" Samuel asked Leon, feeling happy. "Uhh, I dunno. What do you want to do?" Leon responded to Samuel''s question. "Oh, come on, dude! You''re no fun! I expected something else from you, you know, since we''ve been sitting here for so long~" "Sorry for ruining your fun... " ''Well, sorry for ruining your fun, Samuel. I just don''t know what to do in this situation. Cause in my previous life I didn''t get to go out with friends.'' (Leon) Leon thought to himself as he stared out through the window, and staring at the other first years hanging around the compound. And Samuel also was staring at his other schoolmates, hanging around the compound. "So, you want to go and collect Keith and hang out in the academy''s Cafeteria?" Samuel asked once more. "Yeah, sure. Let''s do it then!" Leon said as he continued to stare at the other first years. And miss Ava was staring at Leon, wondering if he was the same boy who she helped with his "Status Viewing Test". Fighting her thoughts to either confront him or to just let things go. Not knowing what to do or say in that situation. ''Sighs..... could this be Leon Alexander von Blaze? I''m just so confused... what next to do?'' (Ava) "What to do, what to do? This is hard!" Ava muttered to herself in frustration, sitting at the teachers table with her legs crossed, and with a childish look. ''This is stressful!'' (Ava) All of the students in the Class 1-F classroom were staring at Ava with anticipation. And wondering when they would be let out to join the other students. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "Um, miss Ava, can we go out for our break?" Alice asked the teacher, with her face blushing, and raising her hands. "It''s getting hot in this classroom! It would be even more better if we had AC in this class, just like the other classrooms!" "Hmm mm! " The entire class nodded in agreement with the student who''d just spoken up after the shy and timid Alice. "Oh, sorry for keeping you guys in class for so long~ you can go out now." Ava said to the students, giving them the order to go out for their break. So everyone started to exited the classroom. And Leon and Samuel prepared to go and collect their friend Keith. Or rather Samuel''s friend. "Ready to go, Leon?" "Uh, sure. Let''s go then." Leon and Samuel said to each other. When they was about to left the classroom, miss Ava stopped them. "Please wait for a couple minutes, I want to talk to you about something, Leon. " "Huh?!" "What?!" Both Leon and Samuel stopped dead in their tracks, and turned around to see what the teacher wanted. "Yes, what may I help you with? " Leon asked with a hint of Sarcasm. "What do you want with Leon? We wanted to go and collect our other friend." Samuel joined in the conversation as well. Ava didn''t focus on the other boy who stood there next to the boy who looked quite like Leon. ''Huh? What dose she want from me? Did I do something wrong? I don''t know what she wants from me, but I guess I should see what she wants...'' (Leon) (Samuel sighs...) ".....well, I wanted to discuss something with your friend here. So, please can I borrow him for a few minutes?" Miss Ava asked, finally feeling free from her consciousness. Samuel had no choice but to let her borrow Leon. Because he didn''t want to cause attention on him or Leon. "Fine. But please be quick, we wouldn''t want to keep our friend waiting for long. " So, with some negotiating, Ava managed to get Leon to go with her to the teachers office. The teachers office wasn''t too far away from the first year students area. It was its own area. Meanwhile, at the Blaze family mansion, Sylvester and his wife Sarah were sitting in the gardens and watching little Emily play. When a strange man in black robes entered the garden and kneeled in front of Sylvester. "Sir, the children has arrived safely at the Military Academy." He bowed after saying that. "Well done, please continue to watch over the children for me. That is your orders for now. " Sylvester ordered the robed man. "Yes, Roger that. " Then the robed man got up and walked away from that place, Emily and Sarah were staring at Sylvester, right after the robed man left the mansion. "Daddy, who was that scary man?" Emily asked. "Don''t worry about that, sweetheart. Everything will be fine..." Sarah said calming down Emily, while giving Sylvester a disappointing look. "Look what you''ve done. You scared Emily!" Sarah scold Sylvester. "Fine, I get it, I get it. I''ve overdone it this time. " Sylvester said apologies to Emily and Sarah. Emily ran up to her father and hugged him with a bit of tears in her eyes. Sylvester smiled and hugged her back, seeing that made Sarah smile out of happiness. Leon and Ava sat down in the teachers office, while Sophie and Daniella went to the Cafeteria. Hopefully this can be a good first year for Leon... Chapter 27. Who are you? Leon accompanied miss Ava to the teachers office, in a separate building. Upon arriving at the teachers lounge Miss Ava guided Leon to her desk, Leon nodded and followed Ava to her desk, feeling anxious about what was going to happen. "Please come this way!" Ava said as she led him to her desk. When they arrived at the desk, Ava gestured him to sit down at her desk. ''Uhh, what could be the reason why Miss Ava called me? I don''t know why.... Maybe she found out my real identity! Nah, you''re just misunderstanding the situation...'' (Leon) Leon was deep in his thoughts wondering what could be the reason why Ava called him for, he couldn''t get those thoughts out of his mind. ''Is he really him? I mean, Leon Blaze! There could be a small chance of me being mistaken.... But it wouldn''t hurt to at least find out my suspicion.'' (Ava) The teachers lounge looked even more spacious to Leon, he was in awe. The other teachers hadn''t return to the teachers lounge as yet. So, the only people who were in the teachers lounge was Leon and Ava, and some other teachers who were far away in the teachers lounge. "Can I ask you a question, Leon?" Ava asked with her face turning serious. "Umm, go ahead. You can ask me anything..." Leon replied to her question. "So, tell me this... Who are you? I know it may sound weird but, please answer my question!" Leon was shocked after he heard what Ava had just said, he couldn''t believe his mind. That he couldn''t help but to chuckle at the question that was just asked. Noticing that he was not taking what she ask seriously, her expression changed from serious to annoyed. And she couldn''t help but to say something. "Huh? Did I say something funny?" Ava asked as she slammed her hands on the table. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ''Hmm, she''s really mad right now!'' (Leon) "...Not really. It''s just that you are the only person who was straight forward and asked me that question. So, what made you come to conclusion?" Leon spoke up and answered her question. "Oh, it''s nothing to worry about. I just thought you looked like someone who I met in Zulania a few months ago..." "Zulania..?" The teachers lounge where they were was filled with awkward silence, as Leon tried to process what was going on. ''Did she just say Zulania? Oh, could she be who I think she is? The name sounds the same and all.'' (Leon) "Are you going to tell me who you really are?" Ava asked Leon once more. "I mean, from the moment I saw you, my mind was trying to figure out who you really are." Leon''s jaw dropped after he heard what Ava had just said. And feeling trapped he decided to tell her everything that happened... Well, not directly everything that happened. "Ah, I surrender, I''ll tell you everything. Well, the reason why I decided to come to this school as a normal student, is because I wanted to have a normal life as a student, and not to be used for my family''s influence." "Is that so.... So you''re Leon Alexander von Blaze?!" "Yeah..." ''Well, not she found out my real identity... If she''s really Ava from that time, I guess it wouldn''t hurt to tell her then. But I can''t trust her...'' (Leon) "But please don''t tell anyone else in my class, right?" "Yeah, I mean, if I did such a thing I would betray the trust of your father Sylvester..." Both Leon and Ava stared at each other. One in disbelief and the other was feeling anxious about the situation. "So, was your father in agreement with this stunt? I know Sylvester well, and I know that he wouldn''t agree to such foolishness. Leon, please tell me how did you get him to agree with your plans?!" Ava asked in amusement, wondering how he got the approval of his strict father. To the outside world Sylvester was known as a strict and ruthless father. But to his family, he was the coolest father in the World! "It''s nothing special, I just find a way around it...." "Oh, so is that so? Hehehe, then Sylvester must have some kind of weaknesses!" So Ava and Leon continued their conversation with each other, and finding out more about each other. And so the meeting was over and Leon got up and said goodbye to Miss Ava, and left the teachers lounge. When he left the teachers lounge, he bumped into a strange looking guy who was entering the teachers lounge at the same time. He didn''t think anything about it and continued going on his way, not worrying about anything. And reunited with Samuel and they went to pick up their other friend Keith. The strange looking guy looked at Leon as he grinned. "Hehehe!" ''Leon Alexander von Blaze, huh?'' (????) Chapter 28. Hanging out with friends. "Sup, Leon dude! Why did you take so long? And what did the teacher wanted to discuss with you?!" Samuel asked Leon upon him returning to him. Leon stopped and stared, wondering if it would be a good idea to tell him about what he''d discussed with miss Ava back in the teachers lounge. But he couldn''t let anyone else find out about his secret identity. ''Should I tell him about my secret identity....? Nah, maybe I shouldn''t....'' (Leon) "Huh....? Oh, it''s nothing. Just nothing." Leon responded with a tired voice, as he tried to keep his cool. "Alright, if you say so....let''s go and meet up with Keith. He must be waiting for a long time now." ''Sonething feels wrong with Leon''s reply.... Like he''s hiding something from me. Maybe I shouldn''t get involved with his affairs....'' (Samuel) Samuel thought it as he begin to Walk. "Let''s go then." So both Samuel and Leon made their way to the Class 1-S classroom area. It was break time already and all of the other classes had gathered in the academy''s compound, just hanging out and playing with each other.... Especially the first years. It was overwhelming for Leon, navigating through a crowd filled with students. He couldn''t handle the pressure. ''This place is packed! It''s hard for both Leon and I to navigate through this crowd!'' (Samuel) While walking down the corridor to the Class 1-S classroom, Leon could feel someone''s eyes were on him. Tracking ever step he''d made, as he watched around the area around him, but no one from the crowd of students gathered on the corridor had their eyes on him. He just ignored the feeling and continued walking with his friend to the Class 1-S Classroom. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Huh.... Why are you looking around like that? It''s kinda weird, you know?!" Samuel cautioned him about his behavior. "....." Leon didn''t have anything to respond to Samuel. When they arrived at the classroom, both of them waited for Keith to go and meet them. While waiting, Leon spotted a girl who looked exactly like Sophie. She was coming out of the 1-S classroom with a silvered hair girl with dark brown skin. They both looks really confident while they walked. ''Is that Sophie coming out of the classroom? Wow, she looks really different, I didn''t even recognize her! ..... but who is that girl with elven features? She looks really cute!'' (Leon) Sophie glanced at him as she passed by, noticing a familiar face. And the other girl shy a slight glance at him also. "So, what do you want to do, Sophie-chan?!" "Umm.... I don''t really know what I wanna do." "It''s okay. You don''t have to rush anything! .... Let''s go and explore the school and maybe then you''ll be able to think of something!" "Yay!!! Let''s go then, Daniella-chan!!!" The girls skipped away happily. With no worries in their heads. Leon was staring at the two girls happily walking away. ''Sophie, Daniella..... Huh? Where did that come from?!'' (Leon) At that moment, Keith came out of the classroom and stopped in front of them. But Leon wasn''t paying attention to what was going on, his attention was on the beautiful girls who''d just walk pass them. Samuel tried to get his attention, and he began to pay attention once again. "Huh.... What''s the matter?" Leon asked. "I see, I see Leon. You got a thing for one of those girls, huh?" Samuel said jokingly, teasing him. As he threw his arm around his shoulder. Leon''s face turned red at that moment when Samuel said those words. "Yeah, plus they were staring at you intensely." Keith joined in the teasing. "It''s not what you think, okay?! I just felt something familiar with both girls!" Leon exclaimed. "Don''t worry about it, man. Who would blame you, they''re kinda hot." Samuel said as they left the first year area. And so, Leon, Samuel and Keith played sports and hang out with each other. They explored almost the entire academy. It was mind blowing for Leon to explore the academy. Something he surely couldn''t do if he hadn''t been reincarnated. And thus, the day came to an end and everyone went back to Samuel and Keith''s dorm, where they continued hanging out with each other. And this is how the first day of school in the Military Academy ended. Chapter 29. Preparing for Training. As Leon walked to the first year students building along with his roommate Liam. His head looking down to the ground, not bringing up any conversation along the way. Actually they''ve stopped at the school''s cafeteria to grab a bite to eat, before continuing their journey to their classes. As they walked to the first year students building, and as the early morning sun beats down on their skin. It was unusually hot for the morning, even though there are protective barriers surrounding the academy. "Phew! It''s really hot this morning, huh?!" Liam exclaimed to him as they walked to their building. When Leon heard what his roommate Liam had said, he raised his head. His eyes widened. "Hmm." "What''s the matter, Leon? You haven''t been talking since we left our dorm...." Liam asked with confusion. "Uhh.... Nothing, I was just deep in thoughts." "Alright, if you say so.... Let''s get going then!" ''Is it me or is today hot? Yesterday wasn''t like this.'' (Leon) Leon thought while he and Liam beaded to their separate classes. So they continued walking to the first year building, and as the uperclassmen were also going to their classes. Leon accompanied his roommate to his class ¡ª the 1-A classroom.... After they separated from each other, Leon walked down the corridor to the Class 1-F classroom. "......" ''It has only been a few weeks since I started coming to the Military Academy but, we never completed any notes or drills for the term.... What is going on?'' (Leon) There were not too many people hanging out on the corridor, unlike later on the day or unlike the first couple of weeks since they enrolled into the academy. Leon continued to be deep in his thoughts as he made his way down the corridor to his classroom. When he approached the door of his classroom, he stretched out his hands and pushed the door open. Before entering the classroom he took a deep breath to clear his mind, and walked into the classroom, feeling nervous. "Good morning everyone!" Leon greeted the class and walked towards his seat and sat down. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. Samuel wasn''t in his seat, he wasn''t in the classroom. In fact, Samuel hadn''t come to school as yet. Almost all of the ten students in the Class 1-F classroom were not present. The only person that was in the classroom was Alice, Alexis and another female student. "Uhh, good morning...." Alice was the only person who returned Leon''s greetings. Alexis and the other girl just sat there and talking with each other. ''Typical nobles.....'' (Leon) (Alice Sighs Heavily) 2 Hours later.... Two hours later, and everyone else was seated in the classroom, with miss Ava standing in front of the class talking. "Good morning, students. I can see that one of you guys didn''t come as yet!" Ava had a smirk on her face as she spoke. She was energetic as ever. No can explain where she got all those energy from. It was a total mystery! Everyone in the classroom started looking around to find out who was missing, none of them didn''t know who it was that wasn''t there. "Didn''t everyone come this morning? I''m so confused!" "I think the teacher is right... All ten of us isn''t here. That red hair guy." Samuel didn''t made it to school as yet. The class went quiet and they were waiting for Ava to at least give them something to do, at least just for the day. "So, what are we going to do today, teacher?" A student asked Ava. "Yeah, please give us something to do! We haven''t taken down any notes for the term." Another student joined in. Ava was astonished at what was going on in her classroom. She couldn''t believe how her students wanted to improve. ''Huh? What''s going on here? For the past couple of weeks I''ve always thought that these children didn''t want to do anything....'' (Ava) (Ava Sighs Heavily) "Well, I wasn''t necessarily planing on anything to do today.... " Ava said with a forced smile on her face. Everyone had begun staring at her with excitement in their eyes. It came as a shock to everyone in the Class 1-F classroom. "So what are we going to do today? Training, notes or drills?" Someone spoke up and asked Ava , with his voice filled with excitement. ''Why is she freezing up like that? Didn''t she make some kind of plan...?'' (Leon) Leon just sat in the classroom keeping quiet. He was just sitting there in all of the commotion. "Okay! Today I will take you guys to do some special training in a Simulated Environment! But first I have to get permission...." Ava said. "Whoa! Are you serious?!!" "VR? But I thought that kind of technology is a secret!" "Wow, so Virtual Reality is a real thing in this world too.... Well, this is unlike any Isekai." Leon mumbled to himself, while the entire class was plundered into chaos. "Yes, virtual reality training. Is that a problem? Please prepare yourselves for an intense training. We will be leaving soon!" Ava exclaimed excitedly. In a strange room that wasn''t well lit, a bunch of men wearing traditional medieval robes were sitting around a giant table. Their faces were covered up by their robes. They are men, or rather high-ranking nobles from all over the Holy Light Empire. Who have a different views from the other nobles. "So, why did you call this meeting? Did anything of importance happen in the Empire?" "Why did you summon us? You know that we all have things to do,, unlike you." (Man Sighs) "For once I will ignore your foolishness. You see, while you guys are enjoying your lives, everyday things change for the worse. Those magic-less other worlders are introducing strange technologies to the people.... What are we going to do?" "Hmm, you''re right...." "Yes, indeed. We have to do something about it before our traditional magic loose its place in the world." "Don''t worry about anything. When it''s time, we''ll strike and put magic in its rightful place, hahaha!" And so the strange scary looking men in robes continued their meeting. Chapter 30. VR Training Room. "Please excuse me, students. I''m going to ask for permission from the Principal. So, please remain quiet!" Ava explained to the children, as she prepared to leave the class. "Yes ma''am!" "Sure thing, go ahead..." The students responded to their homeroom teacher with excitement and with some hesitation. They didn''t exactly know if they were allowed in the VR room. "One question before you go, miss Ava..." One of the students raised their hands and ask a question.. "Yes!! Go ahead and ask your questions, Emma!" "Y, yes ma''am!" Emma, the girl who''d just asked Ava the question stood slowly, showing some nervousness. Ava Sighs. She was wearing the school''s uniform but was missing the Navy blue blazer. She has brown eyes and brown skin, and a she has a brownish colored hair, with a cute hairstyle and face that matches. "Umm, what kind of training are we going to do in VR?" "Ah, that was your question, Emma? That''s a good question. Well, we''re going to be doing a stimulating that feels like you''re in a rea lcombat situation." Ava explained to the Class 1-F students. "Uh?" "What? Are you kidding with us?" "You gotta be kidding me...!" "Combat training? Isn''t that too advanced?" Miss Ava shock her head. Everyone in the class were utterly shocked after they heard what their class teacher had just said. '' Virtual reality, huh? I''d never expected to hear about VR in this world. VR games, huh? Well, I shouldn''t be all that surprised, since there''s cars, guns, and modern-day trains in this world...'' (Leon) Leon sat down in his seat and, and deep in his thoughts. He too was taken aback by what miss Ava had said. "Alright! I''ll head out now, to get the permission! Oh, and Emma, tomorrow please come to class in your full uniform, okay?" Before Ava left she warned Emma, and she left the classroom skipping along the way to the Principal''s office. While walking to the Principal''s office, she saw a familiar person walking down the corridor to her, heading to the Class 1-F classroom. As they passed each other, they greeted each other. "Good morning, miss Ava.." "Morning, Samuel. I see that you''re running late this morning!" "Sorry..." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. So they continued walking to their respective areas. ''This morning is the worst!'' (Samuel) Leon rested his head on the table, he didn''t know what to do since he hadn''t talked to anyone from his class. He was completely useless in this situation... ''Everyone here seems to be quite good at communicating.... What should I do?!" (Leon) "Your name''s Leon, right?" One of his classmates spoke to him. As he looked up he saw a boy from his class looming over him, looking kind of scary. "Uh, yeah... What''s up? What do you want?" Leon asked. "N, nothing. I just wanted to introduce myself to you! The name''s Scott!" The boy introduced himself to Leon. "Nice to meet you, Scott! My name is Le-" "-Everyone in class knows who you are. In fact, everyone in the school knows who you are! You''re the guy who defeated Karl Stuart!" Scott cut off Leon and complemented him. "Oh, so everyone knows....?" "Yeah, you''re practically famous around the first years in the academy, Dude!" Another guy who was sitting in of them turned around and said to Leon. "Haha~ is that so?" Leon laughed awkwardly... "Yes, he''s telling the truth. But just between you and me, watch your back. Because Karl doesn''t like getting embarrassed, especially in public." Scott whispered to Leon. ''Yeah, I''m doomed....'' (Leon) Leon sunk into his seat. At that moment, the classroom door open and Samuel entered into the classroom. He didn''t greet anyone and just sat in his seat. Everyone had stopped what they were doing and watched as Samuel entered the classroom. No one didn''t expect Samuel to come to school today... ''What''s wrong with him? He seems to be in a bad mood this morning....'' ,(Leon) "That Samuel guy thinks he''s better than us, hmm!" Scott mumbled as he returned to his seat. A few more minutes later, Ava returned to the Class with a huge smile on her face. "Okay, get ready kids! Now we''ll be going to the VR training room!" Ava exclaimed to the entire class. "Although there are ten of you guys, please form a single line and follow me." Without wasting any time, all ten of the Class 1-F students got up and exited the classroom. And began walking behind Miss Ava to the VR training room. ''The school compound looks really empty! Shouldn''t there be people doing military drills in the compound?'' (Leon) "Look, isn''t that the class 1-F students? What are they doing?" "I dunno. Seems like they''re going somewhere. Let''s just leave them alone and focus on ourselves!" "Alright, alright. Geez!" As they walked across the academy''s compound, all of the Uperclassmen and other classes were staring at them, making some of the 1-F students feel unmotivated to do anything. "Everyone is staring at us now. What should we do?" Emma asked Ava. "Just don''t focus on any of them, alright? Soon we''ll be at the training area." Ava responded to Emma''s question. "Alright...." Alice was acting timid and shy as they walked to the VR training room. To Leon, even Samuel was acting weird. Eventually they arrived at a small flat high-tech building at the Eastern part in the academy. "Students, welcome to the VR training room. AKA the Technology Development Unite!" Ava said as she led them up to the building. Everyone was astonished at the building in front of them. No one had ever seen such high-tech buildings in their provinces. ''Whoa, is this place real?!!!! I can''t believe that this world even have VR and buildings like this one!'' (Leon) "Wow, this is amazing!" As Ava knocked on the pair of sliding glass doors, a voice was heard. "Who is it?" "It''s Ava Summers. Can I please have permission to enter?" "Yes. You may enter... Just wait for a moment." When the voice said that, the doors were opened remotely and Ava walked in the building, followed by Leon. Because everyone else were scared because the doors opened by itself. "Don''t be scared guys, it''s just a feature of the building!" Ava said with a smile. As the students entered into the building, they felt a cool breeze hit them. "It has all of a sudden gone cold!" "Yeah, it''s freezing! What''s going on?" The students were freaking up. "Welcome. How may I be of service to you, Lady Ava Summers?" A scientist looking guy cane out to greet us. He was wearing a facemask along with his lab coat. He smiled warmly at Ava. Inside of the room looked like a laboratory from back in Leon''s. The floors were cleaned and tidy. Ava smiled... "Can you please let me borrow your virtual reality system for a few minutes or hours?" Ava asked the scientist guy. Chapter 31. Beginning of the VR training in another world. Leon''s Perspective. The scientist guy led us into the training room, which kind of looks like a typical lab from my old world. The inside had lots of testing areas where maybe they do experiments. Everywhere I turned I saw people in lab coats running around, working, doing their jobs. But I couldn''t get the thought of this world having technology out of my mind. Well, at this point, nothing else could surprise me in this world! Hopefully Sophie is doing all right. And hopefully she found her friend, Daniella... All of my classmates were looking around the room with some looking in awe and some in disbelief. Huh, didn''t none of them heard about VR before? I could have sworn that the ordinary people of this world had heard about VR before. Samuel been acting weird ever since this morning! What could be the problem with him? Did he get into a fight before school today?! But his skin doesn''t seem to have any marks on it! So I walked up behind Samuel and tapped him on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at me, it seems like he''s in a bad mood. "....." Samuel didn''t say anything to me, he just stared at me. "What''s the matter, Sam? Are you feeling alright?" I asked him. Samuel shock his head before he spoke to me. "Everything''s okay, I just had a bad dream and didn''t recover from it!" Samuel replied to my question with a forced smile on his face. "Alright, if you say so dude... just talk to me if you need to talk to someone, alright?" I decided to leave him alone for now. For him to come back to his normal senses. As we made our way deeper into the building, the scenery changed from lots of people working together in one space, to a desolate hallway that was dimly lit. "So, what brings you to our laboratory, lady Ava? You wasn''t interested in studying like the rest of us. I don''t know what you''re up to, but...." The scientist guy asked Ava as we made our way down the desolate hallway. "Like I said earlier, I want to borrow your virtual reality thingy to train my students!" "Ah, so you''re using the children as a way to get permission to come here, huh?" "No! You''re definitely wrong!" Miss Ava and the scientist guy were talking in front of us as we made our way down the desolate hallway. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. All of my classmates were looking at the both of them while they continued to argue with each other. While Samuel and I were in our own worlds. They still don''t know that we all could hear then... are we invisible? None of us didn''t even try to interrupt them, all of us just listened to them arguing. Well, it''s better for us to listen to miss Ava and scientist guy argue, than to fight amounce ourselves... When we arrived at the end of the desolate hallway, we came upon another room with a metal pair of doors. The scientist guy reached into his Lab coat''s pocket and took out a kind of a identification card and scanned it in the scanner near the door. At that moment, a beeping sound echoed in our ears, and as the doors slowly slid open and the scientist guy entered and he gestured us to follow him. "Welcome to the VR training room, where we develop the best simulation systems for the Military!" The scientist guy welcomed us. "Wow, so this is it, huh?!" "Cool!!!" "Amazing!! I just can''t wait to use them!" All of my classmates looked very excited to see the room and the VR setups. The room looked like a normal room, but with lots of giant TV screens and computer monitors hanging up on the walls and on tables. And a giant machine was in the middle of the room with some chairs that have VR headsets connected to them and they were hocked up to the machine. Oh, and people were working on the computers, and on the giant machine. "This right here, is the Simulation N22," the scientist guy said while pointing to the giant machine." This is our latest project. Although it''s in its demo stages, we have some success in starting it up. But we need someone to help us test if it is useful or harmful!" The scientist guy explained. Did Ava bring us here to be lab rats? I can''t believe this! "But sir, isn''t unsafe?" One of my classmates asked the scientist guy. "No. It''s not harmful to humans... but we want to be safe. We just want you guys to test out the machine for us, that''s all." Miss Ava didn''t say or do anything. She just stand there and just listening to everything. "But isn''t it dangerous?" "Yeah, there could still be a chance it''s dangerous for us..." "I say we don''t have to use that VR machine!" My classmates were talking between themselves. "Alright, students! Since you wanted to do something today, and didn''t want to sit in class all day. Why don''t you just go for it, hehe!" Miss Ava suggested to us, with a smile on her face. Something tells me that she have something to do with it... I couldn''t shake the thought that miss Ava have something to do with what''s going on.... I don''t know how, but miss Ava convinced us to hock up with the giant machine at the middle of the room. "Okay, everyone. Split yourselves into two teams, blue and red. The two teams will be facing off each other in two rounds of capture the flag... and whichever team either eliminates the most members of the opponent''s team or captures the flag wins." The scientist guy explained the rules of the game to us. And so, we split ourselves into two teams and made our way to the two sets of chairs that were connected to the VR machine. I didn''t have to think before I chose my team. So I walked up to the blue sides of chairs and sat down. My flour other teammates joined me. Oh, it seems like Alice, Emma, and Scott, alongside another of my classmates joined my team. And it seems like Samuel joined the red team along with the others... "Upon you entering the Simulated area, you will no be able to use your magic, or special Items you may have on your person. You will have to go and search for a weapon that suits you... good luck to you guys.." The scientist guy explained to us once more... so we can''t use our magic... oh well, not like I can use magic anyway. Good luck to Samuel and the others. As I put the VR headset on, everywhere got dark all of a sudden. I couldn''t see anything! End of Leon''s Perspective. Chapter 32. Lets start the training! Darkness surrounded all of the members of the Class 1-F classroom. Everyone was in shock and awe at the fact that they were in virtual reality, they couldn''t believe how real it felt at that moment. "Whoa! This feels just like reality!!" "It looks and feels like the real world!" "Yeah, although we can''t see or hear anything it feels real for some reason...." All of the students who were in Case 1-F were not in the same place, they got separated upon them entering the VR world. Although they were in total darkness, they still had their feelings intact. "Where did the lights go? I can''t see anything!" Someone from the blue team spoke up and ask. "True, I can''t see a thing! Where is the lights?" ''From the way everyone sounds, it seems like they''re excited for the VR experience. To be honest, even I wanted to see how it feels in VR from another world! Well, I got to say that I''m quite surprised!'' (Leon) Leon thought to himself as he stood there in total darkness. Meanwhile, outside of the VR world Ava was standing behind of the scientist guy as he worked on a computer. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Are my students going to be safe? You know, since you said earlier that it''s in its demo stage..." Ava asked the scientist guy feeling concerned about her students. The scientist guy stood up straight and turned to Ava, who was distressed. "Don''t worry about your students, Lady Ava. They''ll be alright.... besides, it''s just a virtual reality! So even if they got killed in the game, they won''t be dead in the real world..." The scientist guy said with confidence, as he placed his hand on her shoulder. ''But I''m still kinda worried about the students.... especially Leon. Oh, Sylvester would be very mad if anything happens to him!'' (Ava) "Are you sure...?" "Yes, I''m sure! 100%!" "Fine. I''ll trust you then.... mainly because I know you!" As the other scientist people continued to type on the computers, Ava looked around in the lab. She was surprised to see how much the lab had changed ever since she was working with the scientists. "This place had changed a lot, huh?" Ava asked feeling reminiscent about her past. But the scientist guy didn''t respond to her and just went back to typing on the counter. Ava just let out a heavy sigh. "Sir, the VR training system is ready to start!" One of the engineers informed the scientist guy. "Red team is in position to start!" "And blue team is in position to start!" "Alright then, let''s start the training! Everyone ready?!" ''Okay, it''s time to see how strong my students is!'' (Ava) Back in the VR world... Everywhere around Leon began to glow and turned into a vast forest. And the different teams spawned separated in different parts of the forest. "Wow, this place is beautiful!" "Oh, who would have thought that this world is so surreal!" Everyone in Leon''s team were in disbelief of the environment they''ve found themselves in. No one didn''t expect to be in such a beautiful place... Leon just remained calm and focus. So, both the Blue and Red teams advanced into the forest carrying their individual flags. Chapter 33. Let the games begin! The students wasn''t wearing their normal school''s uniform, instead they were wearing camouflage military uniforms with pieces of clothes with their team colors tied around their arms. Some of the students camouflage military uniforms were customized and the others wasn''t. As both teams advanced into the forest, they were being monitored by the scientist people and by their homeroom teacher Miss Ava... As the Blue team continued to advanced deeper into the forest as their entire environment turned dark, with little sunlight shining through the thick trees. Leon was leading his team to a safe place so that they could plan on a strategy to use in the battle ahead. "So, what''s the plan, captain?" Scott asked Leon while they were walking through the forest. "What''s the plan, Leon? As I see it we''re just bait for the other team..." Alexis also asked him... "Yes. Please tell us something! We just can''t continue walking in the open without some kind of plan!" Emma also said to him. Everyone except for Alice bother Leon with their questions. And plus in Leon''s Perspective, he didn''t even see himself as their captain. ''I don''t even know what to do! I don''t know any Military strategy! But one thing I know is that we have to have the high grounds in a battle.... but where could we find a high building or area? I gotta come up with something quickly!'' (Leon) Leon was scrambling in his mind to come up with something to help his team win. "A, alright guys. I think I have an idea!" Leon suddenly spoke up to his teammates. He was now in everyone''s attention... all eyes were on him. Although he felt somewhat nervous, he pushed those thoughts at the back of his mind. "Yes, what is it? Did you come up with something to help us win?" Alexis asked Leon. "Come dude! Spill it!" "....." All of his teammates were staring at him with anticipation, and with an optimistic look in their eyes! "Well, I thought, you know.... that we should scout for the high grounds and just chill out and let the other team find us..." A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. ''Hopefully they understand where I''m coming from... at this moment, that was the only thing on my mind! Back in my old world I''ve never played FPS games. So I don''t know what to do now!'' (Leon) "You''re telling me that we should camp out and wait till the other team find us? You''ve got to be kidding me? That''s bullshit!" Scott responded negativity to Leon''s suggestion. ''Well, I guess someone doesn''t like my suggestion...'' "Sorry...." "Since you''re the smart one, then why don''t you come up with another suggestion then?!" Emma said to Scott. "Ugh, fine!" ''Cool! I''ll make sure to thank her properly.... thanks for standing up for me, Emma...'' "Let''s continue moving! " Leon ordered. So they continued moving along through the forest, with Leon as their captain. They arrived at a running stream in the forest, so he stopped and took some water and the others followed him and took some water. And the Blue team continued moving forward. Within no time they arrived at a small abandoned village deep in the forest. ''Wow! Who created this VR world is a genius! This is some 3D modeling!'' Everyone was in awe of the small village in the VR world. "Students, before you go and start today''s training, let me inform you about something we failed the tell you about .... that there are dangerous monsters around the forest, especially in the small abandoned village deep in the forest, good luck!!!" The scientist guy informed the students about the situation. Although the Red team is far away, they still were afraid. "Sir, we have one problem!" "What is it? I''m busy right now!" "Sir, the Blue team is already in the abandoned village deep in the forest!" One of the people typing on the computers informed the scientist guy. "What?! Prepare to extract the students from the VR headsets!" The scientist guy ordered. Ava was unfazed about the situation some of her students have found themselves in. ''Please be careful, Leon and his other classmates....'' (Ava) Sounds could be heard from inside the houses of the village, sounds of growling noises. All of Leon''s teammates were looking at him with judgemental looks. (Growls) Everyone began to back away from the village in fear.. due to the fact that they didn''t have any weapons. "What''s that sounds? Hopefully it''s not the monsters the scientist guy is talking about...." Meanwhile, in the Red team Samuel had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. In fact, he was thinking about his friend Leon... ''Could Leon be in that area...? Nah, that''s unlikely. Leon would never do that!'' (Samuel) The Red team continued to advance into the forest... ''No, don''t tell me that I''m going to die again? I don''t wanna die yet!'' Leon stepped forward in front of his teammates, clearly trying to protect them. ''Hopefully it''s a weak level one...'' Suddenly a big horde of monsters came out from every houses in the village. Monsters of every kind like: Goblins, Orks, etc. There were no end to them. Scott also stepped in front with Leon, he stood there in his fighting stance. "What are you doing here, Scott? You should be protecting the girls." Leon asked him on why is he with him. "You don''t expect me to stand by and leave all the fighting up to you! Besides, the girls will be fine if both of us protect them!" Scott responded to Leon''s question. Leon glanced at the girls and they nodded in agreement with Scott. "You ready, Leon? Then let the games begin!" Both Leon and Scott picked up two dangerous looking metal rods and dashed towards the horde of monsters! "Ahhhh!" Chapter 34. Both Leon and Scott rushed towards the horde of monsters advancing towards them. And while the other members of the Blue team watches on in anticipation. The monsters were walking slowly towards the children, without showing any signs of slowing down. "Ready to take down some monsters, Leon?" Scott asked him. "Yeah! Let''s do this! I''m ready!" When they got closer to the horde of monsters slowly advancing towards them, the both of them swung their weapons at the same time, taking out the first couple of monsters that were in front of them with relative ease. Upon impact the monsters shattered into pieces, like the ones from the MMORPG''s from Earth. "Whoa! They are strong, aren''t they?!" Alexis asked.. "Yeah, they just took out a whole bunch of monsters!" Emma exclaimed. Alice didn''t say anything, she just watched what was going on. As Leon swung the rod he''d picked up from the ground, he felt like the monsters were neverending. Like there were an infinite amount of monsters in the area. "There are no ending to these monsters.... it''s like the more I took out the more they comes. Did I just lead my team to their deaths....?'' (Leon) Leon wondered to himself as he was dodging the attacks of the monsters. Scott also was trying his best to avoid all of the monster''s attacks. Until they were back where they started, along with the girls. The monsters backed them out of the village. (Both Leon and Scott breathing heavily) "Are you alright? Sorry that I lead you guys to this village...." Leon apologized to his teammates. ''I bet they must be really angry with me.... only if I had rejected to be the team''s captain.....'' (Leon) At that moment, Leon felt like he couldn''t do anything to protect his teammates. So the only thing he could do at that time was to bow his head in shame. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ''I''m such an idiot! Why didn''t I just come to school as a Noble?!'' "D, don''t be l, like that.... you haven''t given up on us as yet! I mean, it''s not over yet! So please don''t be hard on yourself!" Alice said with a smile on her face. And as she tried to comfort him. "Although it pains me to say but I think Alice is right. You don''t have to beat yourself up because of us." Alexis joined in. Everyone nodded in agreement with the both of them. "But I thought you guys were angry with me..... shouldn''t you guys be angry with me? You know...." Leon asked his teammates. "Well, I can only speak for me... at first yeah, but now I don''t feel anger towards you...." Scott responded to Leon''s question. And everyone nodded in agreement with him. And as the herd of monsters closed in on the children, everyone in the Blue team backed away from the entrance of the village in fear of the monsters. Mainly because they didn''t have weapons of any sorts to combat the monsters. "Sir, the Blue team is surrounded by monsters from all sides!" One of the people at the computers informed the main scientist guy about the situation unfolding in the VR world. The room was filled with people panicking to try and somehow save the students who were in danger. Miss Ava continued to remain calm in the situation. Although that was what everyone around her thought. Instead she was full out panicking inside. ''Oh, please be safe children.... hopefully they make it out in one piece....'' (Ava) "Alright! Let''s try and get them out of there!" "How can we do that, sir? It''s only in its demo stages!" "I, I don''t know..." Meanwhile, in the Class 1-S classroom, Sophie was feeling a uneasy feeling inside of her stomach. Like if something bad is going to happen. But she couldn''t tell what. The only thing that she knew at that time was that it made her feel sick. "Hey Sophie, are you feeling alright today? You don''t look so good...." Daniella leaned over and asked Sophie. Feeling concerned about her well-being. "Everything''s alright.... it''s just that I suddenly got a bad feeling all of a sudden." "Please take it easy, alright? If it gets too bad please don''t hesitate to tell me! I''ll walk you back to our dorms!" Daniella said to Sophie while giving her a thumbs up. ''I hope Leon is doing well...'' (Sophie) (Back in the Lab) Everyone was frantically searching for a way to either return the students who are surrounded by monsters back to their original world, or teleport them to another place in the VR world. That''s the two options they came up with. "Will, will my s, students be fine? I''m worried right now..." Ava asked in a soft voice. "Don''t worry about them for now. They should be fine! Besides if they died in the VR world, they would just walk it off!" The scientist guy responded. "...." And as the horde of monsters slowly advanced towards the Blue team, everyone prepared themselves to be killed by the monsters. If anything, it would only hurt them. ''Don''t tell me that I''m gonna die so soon?! I don''t wanna die!!!'' Leon''s mind was racing and comprehending what was going on, and calculating his and his teammates surviving that event. Nothing.... he came up with nothing. At least they wouldn''t die in the real world. But from how real it looks, that made them to come up with that conclusion. So now the Blue team and the herd of monsters came face to face. ''Hopefully we all can defeat these monsters!!!'' (All) Chapter 35. ".... Guys I think we''re surrounded by monsters right now, you know?" Alexis reminded her teammates about the situation that was unfolding in front of their eyes. "Yeah, please tell us something we don''t know, genius." Scott responded with a sarcastic remark. The students were being pushed out of the abandoned village by a horde of monsters. There were no place where the students could go, apart from the path where they came into to the village from. Back in the dense forest, that was dimly lit and getting darker and darker as time passes. Leon didn''t know what to say or do to save his teammates who trusted him to lead them to victory. "So, what are going to do, captain? Tell us so that we could know what to do!" Scott asked Leon while they were being pushed back. "Come on, tell us something! ''cuz I don''t wanna die!" Alexis joined in. Asking him questions on what they should do. "Feel free to start...." ''Did I really lead my teammates to their deaths.....? I don''t want to die so soon! I still want to see Sophie and Daniella reunite with each other.... this sucks! I gotta come up with something quick!'' ''I just can''t let them run carelessly into the forest without any plans. I''ve got to come up with something fast!" (Leon) As the monsters advanced closer to the students, the much more smaller and agile ones escaped from the pack and started heading towards the students with full speed. They were doglike\wolf monsters. Along with a bunch of Goblins and Orks. "Uhh... what are we going to do, captain? You don''t expect us to stand here and do nothing and let these monsters kill us!" Emma asked. "God damnit! Just say something to at least get us out of this situation you brought us in!" Scott said with frustration. "......." ''What should I do? Everything is so stressful! I shouldn''t have taken the opportunity to be the team''s captain, ugh! Maybe it''s the best for us to fight until we die.. I know that this may sound stupid right now, but if we respawn somewhere else it may be a good plan!'' (Leon) Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. So Leon raised his hands. "Umm, maybe we should try and fight against the monsters until we die and respawn somewhere else.!" Leon finally gave his answer. Everyone''s eyes opened wide in shock and jaws draped. They were all staring at him as if he''d said something out of line, which he did. "What? So your plans are for us to kill ourselves fighting against a whole pack of monsters?" Emma suddenly raised her voice and asked those questions. "Are your plans to kill us out? ''Cuz it seems that way...." "Is that your plan?" Alice remained quiet while everyone else was freaking out about Leon''s plan. She was just backing up alongside the other members of the Blue team. "I, it''s either we fight and get killed or we do nothing and still end up dead. It''s up to you to choose which way you would like to go out!" Leon said. Having no choice, everyone agreed to fight along with their captain Leon. Suddenly one of the much more smaller and agile monsters lunges at the Leon, trying to bite and scratch him. Having no choice, he used the metal rod he had to stop the wolf monster body and it''s powerful claws and jaws. "Phew! I finally did it.... I stopped the monster''s claws!" Leon said while he was struggling to hold off the wolf monster. Using one of his feet he kicked the wolf monster off of him. It''s body disintegrated into a couple of pieces, just like the ones that he''d defeated earlier. Scott also defeated some other monsters, along with Emma and Alice. While Alexis tried to use her healing magic to heal everyone.... Meanwhile at the Blaze family mansion, Brandon and his father Sylvester was sitting in Sylvester''s private study. The study was dimly lit, with the only source of light coming from a candle on sys ester''s desk filled with important looking papers. But Sylvester wasn''t working on anything. "How''s Leon and Sophie, father? I hope they''re doing alright..." "Yes, it seems so. They''re doing quite well at the academy. But that''s not why I called you here for." Sylvester said to Brandon, with his voice and face turning serious. "Huh, then what''s the reason why you Summoned me?" ''What could be the reason why father summoned me to his private study for? It''s unlikely for him to do that....'' (Brandon) "Brandon, since you''re the next Head of the House of Blaze in the future, I thought that I should have a chat with you." Sylvester said to him. "Oh~" "I want to carry you with on the next time I travel to the Imperial Capital. Is that alright with you, son?" Sylvester informed Brandon. Brandon took in a deep breath before answering his father. "Yes, of course! It would be an honor!" Brandon exclaimed excitedly. "That''s all. You may leave now." So Brandon left his father''s study and continued with his daily chores. ''Hopefully Leon, Sophie, Alexandra and James are doing well....'' (Sylvester) ''Hopefully my siblings are doing fine...'' (Brandon) Brandon thought to himself as he walked down the corridor to the garden. Chapter 36. Glitch Zones. Suddenly one of the wolf monsters lunges at the defenseless Alexis, who was at that time trying to top into her healing magic. Although, Alexis is from family who were Knights through the generations, she didn''t quite know how to defend herself in these situations. Even though she had sword training from her father and elder brothers. Alexis froze up upon seeing the wolf-like monster lunging at her. Her eyes were wide open in shock. Her body couldn''t the way she wanted it to, she just stood there watching as the wolf-like monster lunged at her. ''Uh, why won''t my body do what I want it to? Is this how I die.... but-'' (Alexis) She tried once more to move her body but it didn''t work as she wanted. She wanted to scream out and let her teammates know, but her pride didn''t let her. She didn''t want to show her vulnerable side. ''Is this the end for me....'' "Alexis, watch out!" Leon yelled out getting her attention and jumping in the way of the claws of the monster. "Uh!" "What''s going on? Did the captain just save Alexis....?" "This is kinda insane...." "Yeah..." Everyone was shocked at the fact that Leon did what he did. They didn''t expect him to do that... As the wolf-like monster got closer to them, its claws pierced the skin of Leon and it bit him. Leon grinded his teeth in pain, upon impact. Outside of the VR world.... "Sir, all of our attempts to get the students out of the VR world are not working!" One of the people typing on the computers informed the scientist guy. "Huh, and why is that...? Shouldn''t we be able to at least and teleport them to another place on the map?!" The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. (Typing) As the people typing on the computers typed, they couldn''t come up with anything to save the students. Nothing, not even a code. Actually they''ve been typing and figuring out how to get the students out of the game ever since when the scientist guy informed the students about the monster infested areas. "Sir, I think that will be impossible. The machine won''t let us access it." "So what can we do for the children trapped in the VR world?" The scientist guy asked, while rubbing his chin in confusion. "Why not try and import weapons into the game, or lead them to one of the ''Glitch Zones''?" "''Glitch Zones''.....? But they are already in one!" One of the other scientist people responded to his suggestion. "Alright then, let''s try a way to let the Blue team know what''s going on!" "Yes sir, understood!" So they began to type once more on their computers. Trying to inform the Blue team about the current situation. "A,are my students going to be alright...?" Ava asked the scientist guy, her eyes narrowing and looked like if they were about to tear up. Even though Ava was well known for not showing her emotions to people who she doesn''t know, at that moment, she couldn''t hold back her tears. "Don''t worry about it, Lady Ava. Everything will be fine! Plus we''re working on a solution to get them out of there...." The scientist guy explained to Ava, as he rubbed her back. "....Fine. Please try your best to return them back safely." "Yes. I''ll try my best..." Ava hugged him and went to sit down. Her heart was pounding heavily and her mind was racing. Back in the VR world.... While Leon was trying to hold back the wolf monster from harming him or Alexis. Everyone else was trying their best to defeat the other monsters. "Grrrr...!" As the wolf-like monster growled and tried to bite down on his arms, suddenly a Icon appeared in his field of vision. It looks exactly like a MMORPG he''d played back in his previous life. ''Huh? Is this what I think it is...? You''ve got to back kidding me! I''ve never experienced something so realistic like this.... not even in the VR games from back on Earth!'' (Leon) Everything feels so weird to Leon; the world, and everything else. As Leon opened the icon that had just appeared in his field of vision a he''d heard a voice message playing in his head. [Dear student.. To the Captain of the Blue team. Please listen to me carefully! You are in a "Glitch Zone" of this simulation; meaning that you can use your magic in these areas of the map. I hereby give your team the permission to use your magic however you wish to! End of recording] It wasn''t a long voice message Leon had received, it was quite short. And from the looks of things, it seems like everyone else has received the same message. "Well, well, well, it seems like we can use our magic, hahaha!" Scott let out a laugh after hearing that, before he goes into his fighting stance. Scott dashed towards the horde of monsters, with his fist engulfed in invisible flames. Leon somehow got loose from the wolf-like monster. "It''s time to take out some monsters!" ''Now it''s time to let the games begin!!!'' Suddenly Leon''s eyes began to glow a bright blueish color. Chapter 37. An Unexpected happening. Suddenly Leon could see everything that was happening in slow motion. He didn''t know why or how, but to him it definitely feels strange. He could see the monster that was coming up to him. He could see their attacks even before it happens... He somehow dodged all of their attacks and threw a punch at the horde of monsters coming towards him. The impact of the punch instantly took out the horde of monsters coming towards him, causing an explosion to happen. ''Whao, is this how strong I''ve become? No. I wasn''t this strong to begin with.... even though I was holding back in the duel between Karl and I. Or even the one between big brother Brandon and I....'' (Leon) Leon pondered to himself about what he''d done. He couldn''t believe how strong he had gotten, or that he started seeing in slow motion. "Hey captain, are you okay? Stop staring into space and let''s continue fighting!" Scott called out to Leon, asking him a question. "It''s nothing. I was just deep in my thoughts, don''t worry about me." Leon came back to reality and answered Scott. "Alright, if you say so!" After Scott said that, he dashed towards some monsters advancing towards them. And as he hits the monsters one after another, they all burst into flames. Although Scott''s flames are invisible, it seems that it works like an ordinary flame. Emma and Alice also joined the fight against the horde of monsters. Emma create an gauntlet out of the earth to protect her hands and pushed the ground, causing a massive shockwave, and shock the ground. Alice also used her special ability on the monsters. Some time later, the monsters were reduced by a whole much, and the only ones that were remaining was the much more bigger and stronger ones. But the one thing that was looming in the back of everyone''s mind was "how long would our magic last?" Although it was a VR world, it still works like the real one... "So, what are we going to do? These monsters looks really strong..." Scott''s face had a scared look on it. "Yeah, what are we going to do... I don''t want to die." "They looks so strong, stronger than the ones we''d defeated earlier..." "Uh, are we going to die...." Everyone asked Leon on what they should do. Everything seems so stressful to him. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Like the strange thing that happened to him, like the strange "power" he had been given. "I don''t know. Everything is stressful to me... I think I can''t do anything..." Leon responded to his teammates questions. "What the hell are you talking about? Are you leaving us to die..." "Are you saying that you''re going to give up just like that?!" Both Emma and Scott asked Leon upon hearing that he didn''t know what they should do. "You don''t expect me to sit down and watch us die? I don''t accept that!" "Yeah! We can''t die just like this. We''re still in the middle of a game!" Alexis reminded them. As the monsters got closer to the children without showing any signs of slowing down. Not just any ordinary monsters, they were much more bigger ones. Everyone began backing away into the forest, as the monsters tried to harmed them. "Everything just got a lot more worse... Why?" ''Everything just got a lot more worse than I''d expected. Even if we all uses our magic throughout the battle, we wouldn''t last that long....'' (Leon) "L, Leon what is your plans now? A, are we going to die?" Alice asked Leon as she had a sad look on her face. "Everything will be alright, Alice. Just wait until I come up with something." ''Since these remaining monsters seems to be much slower than the ones we fought earlier, I think it''s fine for us to run away and try to escape from them...'' (Leon) "Alright, I think we should run away before the monsters caught up with us." Leon gave his suggestion to his teammates. Upon him saying that, all eyes were on him. They were looking at him with wide eyes and with a confused look on their faces. "First you encouraged us to stay and fight, then when things are getting interested you want us to run away!" Scott started to complain to Leon about what he''d said. "Not cool." "This sucks...." "....." But before anything else happened, a bright light flashes in their faces and they found themselves back in the VR training room. "Uh, what happened? Where are we?" Samuel asked. Everyone was shocked upon seeing them back in the VR training room. Suddenly all of the scientist people came up to the students. "Welcome back, students. I''m sorry that we had to end your game early, the thought of you guys getting killed made you teacher feel bad..." One of the scientist people said to all the students. They didn''t say anything, but they just kept quiet. "The VR world is dangerous right now, so that why we decided to bring you out of the VR world," the scientist guy said to the students. "I know that if you guys died in the game you won''t die in real life. But it wouldn''t hurt to be cautious, hehehe!" "Please be patient with us. Wait until we get the game fixed and then we''ll put you back into the game." Another scientist person spoke up. ''Thank God! Everything worked out and we got out of there...'' When everyone tried to get up their bodies were exhausted and in pain, especially for the children who were in the Blue team. "Uhhh.... Everything feels so weird..." "I feel sick..." And thus, after waiting for them to recover, the students decided to return to their dorms and not continue with the game. It was afternoon after school was done for the day. And they returned to their dorms feeling exhausted and in lots of pain. ''I wonder what happened to Leon during school...?'' (Liam) Liam pondered to himself when Leon entered their room... "Dude, are you okay? Hold on, don''t do anything rash!" Liam went to look after his roommate who''d just entered their room looking bad... "I think the test today was a success. Even though we had some troubles." The leading scientist guy said with a smug smile on his face. "Certainly, the test for the demo stage of the VR simulation went successfully." "With that said, we can begin working on the Simulation N22, and give it to the Imperial Armed forces!" "Of course, we''ll start working on it right now!!" Thus the scientist people began working on their project simulation. Chapter 38. Magic Studying Begins! The next day, when Leon woke up he felt the stiffness in his muscles and they were in pain. But before he got the opportunity to get the chance to worry about such trivial things, he''d noticed that his eyes felt weird and heavy... They were twitching uncontrollably. ''Uhhh, my body is in a lot of pain, and my eyes feels heavy.... maybe it has a lot to do with yesterday.'' Leon pondered those thoughts to himself, while he tried to get himself out of bed. ''.... Everything was in slow motion during the fight against the horde of monsters... what was that? I''ve never felt something like that before. Are my eyes okay...? Or am I awakening my special ability?!'' (Leon) Leon couldn''t get the feeling that something was off about the feeling he felt in the VR world, whilst he was fighting the monsters. Leon let out a heavy sigh and began to painfully get himself out of bed. His roommate Liam was still laying down and sleeping peacefully. When Leon gazed through the window he noticed that it was still dark outside. ".... Liam is still sleeping peacefully, huh?" Leon mumbled under his breath. ''So I woke up earlier than Liam. Well, that''s a rare occurrence for me!'' (Leon) It was a rare occurrence for Leon to wake up earlier than his roommate Liam, a once in a lifetime opportunity for Leon to wake up earlier than his roommate. Usually Liam would be the first person who was up earlier. He would be the one that waited for Leon to wake up, not the other way around. Leon was totally confused about the happenings in his life at that point in time. Leon stumbled to the bathroom in pain and had his bath and got ready for school. When he exited the bathroom and entered the room, he saw his roommate sitting on his bed, deep in his thoughts. "Uhh, you''re up already?" Leon asked his roommate who was deep in thoughts. "Ah, yeah I just woke up. I''ll go prepare myself for school right now..." Liam answered his roommate and got up, and made his way to the bathroom. "Alright, I''ll be waiting then. Just take your time." Leon sat down on a small sofa and began to put on his shoes. Afterwards they left and began making their way to the first year building. But first, before they continued walking they stopped at the Cafeteria to grab something to eat, and after they continued their journey to the first year area. ''Uhh, my entire body is in pain.... Yesterday''s training was stressful and got my body messed up.... I don''t think I could ever do anything like that again.'' (Leon) Leon was thinking of those things while he was walking along with his roommate Liam. On their way, they ran into Samuel and his friend Keith. ''.... Samuel seems more worse than Leon.... What really happened yesterday?'' (Liam) "Hey Samuel, Keith. What''s up? Good morning! Is Samuel doing alright?" Liam asked Keith and Samuel. "Oh, morning... Everything is alright. It''s just that Samuel isn''t doing well." "Uhh." In the Class 1-F classroom, almost everyone is in class, and they were not doing well. Everyone was in pain and their muscles were stiff. Emma and Alexis had their heads on their tables. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Meanwhile, Scott and Alice didn''t made it to class yet. "Ugh, everywhere in my body but..." "I can''t feel my legs nor my hands!" And while the others who were in the Red team either they were in class or they didn''t make it to school as yet And the ones that was in class had their heads on their desks. ''Oww, why did we agreed to go there in the first place...?'' Everyone thought that in unison. After a while, everyone had made it to class and they sat down in their seats, talking amounce themselves. "Yesterday was kinda tough, right?!" "Yeah, I know what you mean. It must have been even harder for the Blue team." "I know that.... Plus we didn''t even run into any one of them.... That''s weird, wasn''t it?" Two children who were in the Red team was talking about the events that transpired yesterday. "The Blue team was missing the whole round! I honestly thought that they''ve given up..." Another student who was in the Red team chimed in. "Maybe we should ask someone from the Red team what happened to them...." "How about Scott? He might tell us what happened to them, if we do it correctly." Someone suggested. His name is Vincent Miller, a talented swordsman who grew up in the same province and town as Scott. He is around the same age as most of the students who enrolled in the Military Academy this year. He has short well kept black hair, with ruby red eyes, and he has pale white skin that matches well with his red eyes and black hair. His uniform looked neat and tidy. Vincent is from a lower ranking Noble family, who ruled a small domain. His father was a famous Adventurer who''s fame made him rise to the ranks of noblity, more specifically to the title of "Earl". Vincent''s sword skill is said to best most of the other children of his age. "Tsk.... Nah, I don''t think he would tell us that easily...." Vincent mumbled to himself. "Huh... What did you just said?" "Can you please repeat yourself?" The other two were at a last of words hearing what Vincent had said. "Nothing." "Huh?!" At that time, both Leon and Samuel entered the classroom assisted by their roommates and friends. They also entered the classroom and led them to their seats. "Thanks, Liam. I really appreciate the help." Leon thanked his roommate Liam. "Uhh.... Yeah." Liam was acting uncomfortable with the awkward situation he thinks he found himself in. Samuel also thanked his best friend for taking him to Class. Keith just responded with something generic, just like the protagonists of the shonen anime. ''Wow, that''s kinda generic....'' (Leon) And so both of them left the Class 1-F classroom and made their way back to their own classes. After that, Leon found himself looking around the classroom at the people who were in his team. The first person that he saw was Alice, and she was just sitting in her seat in pain. Scott also was sitting in his seat. He was just talking with his friends like normal, as if nothing had happened to him. And Emma and Alexis had their heads on their desks resting. ''Everyone must have been in so much pain.... I can''t imagine how bad it has been for them.'' ''But I think I''m I am going through much more than what they''re going through. But enough of me complaining.'' (Leon) While Leon was deep in his thoughts, the door of the classroom burst open and miss Ava along with a strange man wearing a black robe over his military uniform walked in the classroom. They stood there in front of the entire class, with the man who entered behind her had a serious expression. "Good morning, students. I can see that you all are here today!" Ava greeted the Class, "although you guys don''t seem to be in a good shape... Nevertheless, today is a good day for you guys!" "As you all can see, we have a guest. And he will be teaching you guys about ''the study of Magical Arts'' and other stuff about magic." All of the students were confused about what was going on with their homeroom teacher Miss Ava. In the students perspective, they thought that Ava would be teaching them in all other subjects. "B, but we thought that you would be the one who would be teaching us about everything!" One of the students raised her hands and asked that question. "Yeah, that''s unfair! We want you to teach us!" Another student chimed in the conversation. Everyone else began to ask the same question in agreement with their fellow students. Seeing that the students were not behaving themselves, the man let out a sigh of annoyance and glanced at Ava, as if saying "control your students, Ava." "Enough of that, children. Please calm yourselves down and just listen. I''m not qualified to teach you magic or how to control your magic, that''s why I asked my friend here to assist me with you guys. Besides, you guys will learn more from him than me!" Ava explained her predicament to the students. "Oh, so that''s why you handed us over to him?" "I get it now..." Now the students were all calmed down and were paying attention to the strange man. "Why are they staring at me? Did I do something wrong?" He whispered to Ava. Miss Ava chuckled and started to respond to his question. "No, not particularly. Well, they wants to know more about you. That''s why they are looking at you like that..." "Oh~" ''Alright, let me try to introduce myself in the nicest way possible...'' The man took a deep breath before he introduced himself. Everyone in the classroom was looking at the man with anticipation . "Uhh, g, good morning, students. It''s an honor meeting you guys. I''m Bradley Maxwell, your magic instructor, nice to meet you all." The man introduced himself to the entire class. Chapter 39. Magic Studies Begins, Class 1-E. After Bradley introduced himself, the entire class was staring at him. Through most of them were in shock to hear that Ava wouldn''t be teaching them magic. "Uhhh, I think I said all that I should...." "Hahaha, at least you didn''t tell the students your whole life story and goals." Ava chimed in, assuring him that he didn''t go overboard. "Ugh, well, that''s enough of us for now. Let''s brief the students on what is going to happen." Bradley said to Ava, reminding her about her students. "Oh... yeah." Ava''s face turned red as she looked at her students. "They looks really close, don''t they?" "Yeah, Miss Ava and sir Bradley looks really close.... you know." All of the students were in confusion of the fact that Ava was close to another person in the academy. But for Leon, it wasn''t a shock for him at all. Because to him, nothing was a surprise for him in this world. The students were sitting in their seats paying attention to both of the teachers standing in front of the class. Waiting for an explanation or something. ''Miss Ava and that guy is really, really close! Well, nothing will surprise me in this world, since I''m already in shock from noticing that this world also has technology and VR technologies...'' (Leon) Leon was deep in his thoughts and pondering about the situation while he sat in his seat. Nothing in this world could ever surprise him or catch him off guard.. "Listen up, children. Today sir Bradley will begin teaching you guys magic," Ava reminded her students about what she and Bradley said. "Like I said earlier, I''m not capable to teach you guys magic." "Huh? But what do you do for enjoyment when you''re bored or not teaching?" One of the students asked. "Well... I just sit there in the teachers lounge, just chilling. Ahem. Let''s get back to the main subject." Ava tapped on Brad''s shoulders and nodded signaling him to take the stage and speak. "Y,you sure...? Well, as your homeroom teacher Miss Ava just said, I would be your magic instructor." "Since you guys missed the first couple of weeks of the term, I would like to teach you and the E-Class students. I know that I''m asking more from you guys, but please I would like to teach you all together!" Bradley explained the situation to the students. "What? So we have to do a joint study with those students from class 1-E?" "....class 1-E...? But they...." "But why class 1-E? They and us are practically the same!" One of the other students spoke up. Bradley hesitate at first but he began to explain. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Well, you see I am also the magic instructor for the 1-E class as well. So why not just kill two birds with one stone and teach both classes?!" Bradley shrugged. ''.... Bradley Maxwell, huh....? You really do like to show off...'' (Ava) Ava was thinking about how Bradley loves to show off. It was a sight to look at. After the explanation the entire class was looking at the both of them. "Alright class, please listen and pay attention to what your magic instructor is saying! Make me proud okay!!!" Ava skipped out of the classroom and went on her way. Leaving the students in disbelief. "Wait~ At least brief your students first.... Ahem, ahem, let''s go to the Class 1-E classroom." Feeling like they had no choice in the matter, they decided to accompany Bradley to the 1-E classroom.... Although some of them complained on the way there. "I can''t believe this...." "I thought that miss Ava would be teaching us magic...." ".... this absolutely sucks...." ''Everyone is so on the edge about going to the Class 1-E classroom. I wonder why though...? I couldn''t understand even if I tried....'' (Leon) Leon''s Perspective.... After we left the classroom, we followed Sir Bradley Maxwell, our new Magic instructor who Miss Ava left in charge of teaching us about the basics of magic to the class 1-E classroom, which was quite a distance from our class....Not like I''ll learn anything... Everyone was walking down the corridor to the Class 1-E classroom, and Scott and the others who were in the same team as I back in the VR world looked really beaten up, even more beaten up than the other students in my class. "Uhh, everywhere in my body hurts..." ".... I can''t even move my body properly..." Everyone in my class had a defeated look on their faces, like they couldn''t take it anymore. They seems to be in pain, especially the people that was in my team back in the VR world. Samuel was glancing at me. When we arrived at the 1-E classroom, Sir Bradley opened the door and entered. "Come. Enter the classroom." Sir Bradley gestured us into the class 1-E classroom. Alright... What''s going to happen....? According to how the people in my class behaved when they heard that we''ll be having a joint class with them, it seems like the two classes are not getting along for some reason... As we all entered into the class 1-E classroom, for some reason they were all staring at us. The entire class had a confused but annoyed look on their faces. We all stand in front of the entire 1-E classroom. None of us feeling certain about what was going to happen. "Good morning, students. I''m sorry for being late.... Today we have some guests joining us for today''s class." Sir Bradley briefed the 1-E class students. They all seems really nice... My classmates were acting shy all of a sudden. The atmosphere in the classroom felt tense all of a sudden. "The students from the 1-F class will be joining us for today''s class. So please let them feel welcomed, all right?" Sir Bradley informed the other students who were sitting down in the classroom. "B, but Sir Bradley, why do we have to share classes with these losers?" Someone from the class 1-E classroom spoke up and asked Sir Bradley. It was a girl with black hair who asked that question. But her Military Academy uniform looked rather different from the rest of her classmates. It looks exactly like the uniform that one girl I met on the train to the academy.... What was her name again? .....oh, Aria.... But what''s up with that uniform? The colors are different from everyone''s else! "Yeah, shouldn''t they have their own magic instructor? Ugh, I can''t stand the students from class 1-F!" Another student chimed in the conversation. It''s like these guys don''t know how to read the room or something. Because how could they be so brave to talk their true feelings in front of everyone, including us... We all stood in front of the class speechless. Seeing how the other classes view us, the students from class 1-F was unfair. "What did you just said? Repeat yourself one more time!" Scott clenched his fists in annoyance and frustration. Samuel and my other classmates also did the same. "Repeat what you said one more time... I''m gonna-" "-Enough. Everyone please settle down and let''s get started on today''s class." A Stern voice rang through the classroom and easing the tense atmosphere of the class 1-E classroom. "Hmm...?" "What?" "... huh..?" Everyone turned their attention to Sir Bradley who was standing in front of the class next to us. It''s amazing how sir Bradley could calm down the situation in less than one minute... "Get your acts together and then we''ll begin our class." He stormed out of the classroom, leaving us alone with each other. Chapter 40. Magic studies Explanation. After a while, we all settled down and started to behave. My classmates sat down next to some of the students in the class 1-E classroom.... although some of my classmates were complaining about the unfortunate situation unfolding in front of their eyes. "Ugh, fine... but I don''t get why Miss Ava can''t teach us." "Miss Ava is the only one who can teach us!" I didn''t know if to get upset that Miss Ava wouldn''t be teaching us, or to do nothing and watch the way how Sir Bradley teaches. I was confused about what I should do. It wouldn''t be so hard if I had Sophie here with me... "Be grateful that we allowed you peasants to stay in our classroom." The same girl with black hair who wasn''t too keen on us studying together spoke up. She must have really hate us... "Yeah, don''t get angry because your homeroom teacher didn''t make any plans for you guys, Hehehe!" Another guy chimed in. All of my classmates were trying to keep quiet and mind their own business. We didn''t want to make problems with the other classes. Although we were not getting along with the students from Class 1-E, nothing really happened. We just sat there listening to them complaining about having us, 1-F students in their class. Leon''s Perspective ends... After a while, Bradley returned to the class and started to teach. He was still confused that the two classes had actually come together despite the status differences. ''I can''t believe that they are getting along well. Well time to begin today''s class.... and forget about everything!'' (Bradley) "Nice to see that you guys are getting along nicely. Now, since you guys are behaving, I think it''s time to get started." Bradley said as he tries to hide his smile and acted serious. All of the students started to pay attention and listen to what Bradley had to say. Although having much more students than the 1-F class, the Class 1-E classroom was more spacious and looked more luxurious than Leon''s class, that made him kinda jealous... Leon couldn''t get those thoughts of jealousy out of his head... ''Awww! This classroom looks a lot more nicer than my class, that looks plain and boring.... I wish if I were in this class...'' (Leon) Leon slumped and bent his head on the desk. "Today we will be learning about the basic fundamentals of magic, and how we can improve or use them. Please take out your notebooks." Bradley explained to the students and ordered them to take out their notebooks. All of the students in the classroom reached into their bags and took out their notebooks. When Leon tried to reach his hand into his bag, he noticed that he didn''t bring along his notebook with him to class. ''Uh oh, I think I forgot my book at the dorm.... what am I going to do now?!'' Leon was scrambling in his thoughts to figure out what he should do. He didn''t want to make a fuss about such a trivial thing. So he decided to pretend like he''s still looking for his notebook. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lucky the person who he was sitting down next to noticed, and decided to lend a hand. "Here. We can share my notebook." The person said, as he put his notebook in a position that Leon can see. "Thank you very much..." "No need to thank me, It''s alright. " Both Leon and the boy shared a notebook together. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I''m Edward, nice to meet you!" He introduced himself to Leon and reached out his hands to shake Leon''s. "Uhhh, I''m Leon, it''s a pleasure to meet you too!" They shocked hands. Leon had it in his mind to ask Edward the reason why the Class 1-E students hated the 1-F students.... but he didn''t bother to. ''Nah, it would be inappropriate to ask that question....'' (Leon) "You two back there. Stop talking and focus!" Bradley yelled at the two of them. "Now, let''s get back to today''s class. Magic... is the building blocks and lifeline of life in this world. Without magic, this world would not be formed." Bradley explained. "There are two types of magic: Wordless and incantation based magic. Here, I will show an example of the two!" Bradley picked up a small stick-like object on the teachers table that looked like a fancy looking wand. He aimed it to the class and began focusing on his magic. ".....alright, I''ll test out a weak level spell...." ''Hopefully no one gets hurt by my magic...'' ( Bradley) Everyone braced themselves for Bradley''s magic attacks. Without hesitating, Bradley started to chant a spell. "O'' flames, come to me and blaze through my enemies!" A small fireball started to form at the tip of Bradley''s wand. It began to grow and grow, and then it shat towards the students. All of the students were frightened to see a fireball heading towards them.... well, at least the Class 1-F students were the ones who were most frightened. Bradley just stood there looking smugly, as the fireball headed towards the students. More in particular, a girl wearing glasses from Leon''s class. When she prepared herself for the impact of the fireball, it instantly extinguished and burned out in front of her face. Leaving her shocked in the process. Her heart was pounding like a drum after the events. "What, are you trying to kill her? Just look at her, she''s frightened!" Someone asked on behalf of the girl. The entire Class 1-F students kinda froze when they saw what had happened. Bradley didn''t respond to the students concerns and just continued with the lessons. "Incantation Magic exspells a controlled amount of magical energy from your body to cast spells. It is on a rarely bases that incantation based magic malfunctions. Now, Wordless spells casting is a more raw way to use magic. To use Wordless magic, you have to have a control over your thoughts, which uses a lot of magic." Bradley explained to the students, who listened intensely. In this world magic is very valuable for many people, including for the Nobles. Magic is so commonplace that you''d even see ordinary people using it for every day chores. The people of this world are so used to using magic that they rarely do anything manually. You can even see vendors in the market using magic instead of their hands like normal people from earth to serve their customers. It''s even normalize in society, that people who can''t and don''t awake their magical potentials are discriminated against and blacklisted from society. Although most of the 1-F students can use magic effectively, they are still discriminated against in the academy. That''s because most of them are descendants of people who was originally from earth, and who wasn''t particularly gifted with magic. In this world magic is everything. Race, status and everything else is secondary, especially in the Holy Light Empire... The Star Court System was created to separate the "weak" from the "strong", and from those who have Magical potentials or not. The only generation that broke the Star Court System was Sylvester''s generation, which included Leon and Sophie''s parents, daniella''s parents, and Ava. Leon and his classmates were paying close attention to what Bradley was saying.... They didn''t do any practical stuff for the subject, that was because time had run out when Bradley had finished going over the basics of magic. Although the 1-E students had already done them in the past two weeks. So Leon and his classmates returned back to their class and went on with the day. "How come you have a one star count, Leon? Didn''t you hand over your uniform to get a new rating?" Scott asked Leon while they were heading back to class. "Hmmm...? What do you mean?" Leon''s face had a confused expression. "Didn''t anyone tell you? That you have to hand over your old uniform to the exam invigilator." "No... I did not notice." Leon responded shyly and in embarrassment. Originally, the new students have to hand over the old star count that they had on their uniforms to receive a brand new one. But since Leon didn''t hand his original star count over, a new set of problems arise for him to deal with. Scott threw his hands around Leon''s shoulders and started to comfort him. "Don''t get yourself worked up about it, I''ll help you get a new rating." Leon let out a heavy sigh... Chapter 41. The Imperial Capital. At the Blaze family house, Brandon and Sylvester are preparing for their journey to the Imperial Capital. Actually Sylvester was planning on taking Brandon to the Imperial Capital, mainly to show him the ropes on how the nobility of this world works and because he had never been there before. Brandon was nervous about going to the Imperial Capitol. The thoughts of meeting other high-ranking Nobles and some lower ranking ones was overwhelming for him. He was walking from one end to the next in hisroom, trying to calm himself down from the anxiety of suddenly being thrust into a role he was waiting for. ''Ugh, what am I going to do now? What if the other Nobles doesn''t like me? Or what if I somehow ruin the Blaze family reputation?'' (Brandon) ''I can''t simply be calm at this moment, knowing that I will eventually take over from my father. I just simply can''t afford to mess up this opportunity and the family''s reputation...'' He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn''t notice his fiance entering the room. She slowly creep up behind him and hugged him from behind. "Good morning, darling! I can see that you''re stressed out right now. What could be the reason why my darling fiance is worried about?!" She smiled warmly after she asked her question. Her body connecting to his. "Oh, morning, Lady Eloise Rosslyn. You''ve returned so fast." "Awww, why are you so sulky this morning, darling?! You never called me by my full name before..." Brandon paused for a little while before he answered her. ".....I dunno. It''s just that my father is planning on taking me with him to one of his meetings at the Imperial Capital..." Brandon answered her in a low tone. Eloise Rosslyn, a charming young lady from the Rosslyn House. She has long siky brown hair and lovely pale skin, with a lovely brown eyes. She is well-known for her brilliance and magic potential. She still had on her pajamas and hadn''t showered yet. So Eloise started to comfort her fiance and calming him down. "Everything will be alright.... you don''t have to worry about it." They shared a kiss, before Brandon got ready for his trip. Meanwhile, Sylvester sat in his office gazing intensely at a pile of papers stacked on his desk. "Hmmm..." They were scheduled to leave for the Imperial Capital in the next couple of hours by plane, mainly because going by car or any other way would take a substantial amount of time. No one would risk bandit attacks or monsters to get to the Imperial Capital. Besides, safety is important. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Some time later, and Sylvester and Brandon has already gotten ready to go to the Imperial Capital. They were lots of expensive looking cars and SUV''s parked in the yard. With some local police cars escorting them to the airport. "Be careful, honey. And please find a way to contact me once you arrive at the Imperial Capital." Sarah hugged Sylvester and wished him a safe travel. "Dad, bye-bye!" Sylvester picked up Emily, his youngest daughter and hugged her and his wife tightly. "I''ll see you guys later... and Emily, I will buy you something nice!" Seeing the scene unfolding in front of them, Brandon and his fiance hugged and she gave him a kiss on the cheeks. Brandon and Sylvester said goodbye to their family and got into one of the cars parked in the yard. Leaving Sarah, Emily and Eloise standing there. "Please come back to me safe..." "Bye-bye, daddy!" The girls waved to Brandon and Sylvester as they drove off. They were feeling a mixture of both happiness and sadness of the fact that they won''t be seeing the people who they love. Emily eventually went back to her usual cheerful self, playing in the garden with the other children from the neighborhood. And Sarah and Eloise continued with the rest of their day, occasionally thinking about their lovers. When they arrived at the airport, escorted by their bodyguards and police officers of course. The police cars escorted them to Sylvester''s private jet waiting for them to take off. A lot of news people was at the airport waiting to take out pictures of the father son duo. "Grand Duke Sylvester will be arriving soon. " "We have to take lots of pictures of Sylvester!" "But I heard that he''s also bringing along his eldest son Brandon. " "Really?! I''ve never heard that before!" The reporters from the same channel were talking among themselves about Sylvester and Brandon. "The Blaze family is impressive, aren''t they?!" When they arrived at the jet, Sylvester''s convoy were surrounded by many people with cameras. They couldn''t get out of their vehicles... The police officers and other airport staffs had to get things under control. "Please step away from the convoy!" "Make way for Grand Duke Sylvester Blaze!" So Brandon and Sylvester boarded the plane, with Brandon feeling nervous about the news people. But Sylvester acted like a natural. "Good afternoon, lords Sylvester and Brandon. Please follow us!" A flight attendant greeted them. And thus, the plane was ready to take off. With permission from the tower people, their flight took off successfully. ''I''m going to the Imperial Capital... hopefully everything works out for the best for both me and my family....'' ''Leon and Sophie must be studying hard right now. '' (Brandon) It will take about 7 hours for them to arrive at the Imperial Capital, which by any other means of transportation would take a substantial amount of time. It would do a great good if they had their rest. "Father... how long will we be staying in the Imperial Capital?" Brandon asked his father. Feeling unsure about his decision. "It depends on what kind of meeting. On a normal occasion it usually last for a whole week give or take. " Sylvester answered in the most calm way as possible. "But don''t worry, I already booked a hotel ahead of time. So we have a place to stay!" He patted his son on his back. ''....everything will be just fine, son. One day you''ll have to take up your responsibility as the next head of the Blaze family....'' (Sylvester) Sylvester thought to himself as he gazes at the beautiful sunset and clouds. ''Father is counting on me....I can''t afford to mess this up...!'' (Brandon) The Imperial Capital.... a stunning bustling city situated in the center of the Empire, with small rivers and canals connecting to the sea and other coastal cities like veins carrying blood to the heart. The reason why the Imperial Capital is at the center of the Holy Light Empire is because when it''s war time, the enemy won''t be able to easily take the city, without going through hostile enemy cities. The Imperial Capital had a medieval European city like Amsterdam or Copenhagen, to be precise, the capital city of Denmark and the Netherlands. After a while, the plane landed in the airport and they exited the plane and was escorted to their hotel by the police department in the Imperial Capital... Brandon and his father Sylvester were so exhausted from the flight, that they instantly fell asleep upon them touching their beds. Chapter 42 The next day, after getting a long night''s sleep Brandon woke up feeling somewhat optimistic about going to a meeting of Nobles. He couldn''t believe that he would be introduced to the other high-ranking Nobles, whom he will have to work with in the future... ''Everything is working out for the best for me. After father retires, I''ll take over the duties and affairs of the family...'' Brandon got out of bed and stretched out his body. Then he had his bath and got ready for the busy day ahead of him. ''I just hope that everything works out for the best... '' (Brandon) Brandon eat breakfast in his room, before meeting up with his father downstairs at the reception area. On the floor where Sylvester and Brandon stayed in were evacuated for the safety and privacy of the hotel''s esteemed and Noble guests. "Good morning, son.... are you ready to go?" Sylvester greeted his son upon him reaching him. "Morning, father... yeah, sure thing..." Brandon responded to his father. And with that, Brandon and Sylvester left the hotel in a convoy, and made their way to the meeting area. The Imperial Capital streets were deserted and looked dead. There were no one standing on the road. Only cars and a few people who couldn''t care enough to stop and watch as they passed by... that was a huge letdown for Brandon''s expectations... "Father, why is the streets not filled with people...?" Brandon asked with Curiosity. Sylvester paused for a moment, clearly caught off guard by his son''s question. "Well, let''s just say that they don''t really care for Nobles that are visiting..." Sylvester answered. "Ooh, I guess so.... it wasn''t up to my standards then." "Yeah, the same thing I and most other Nobles said when we first came here, hahaha! That''s why retired Nobles loves living here, because it''s so quiet!" Sylvester exclaimed. "Oh, I see.... so grandfather also lives in the Imperial Capital as well?" Sylvester smiled after Brandon asked him about his grandfather. "Yeah, you can say that. " He chuckled. They continued talking all the way to where Sylvester''s meeting would take place. It was at an old-fashioned building at the center of the Imperial Capital, that blended in quite nicely with the medieval aspects of the Imperial Capital. To Brandon, it looked like a castle... Also the other Nobles were arriving at the same time as Brandon and Sylvester... with some arriving earlier in regards to the importance of the meeting. The noblemen were greeting each other and making small talks about their territories and other stuff. "Whoa! Everywhere just looks so good!" Brandon explained, when their escort drove into the compound. "Yes Brandon, son. This is where all the laws are made in the Empire." Sylvester smiled and said to his son. "Don''t do or say anything. Just follow my lead.... I''ll do all the talking, right?" Sylvester gave Brandon a heads-up warning. "Alright, I''ll follow your lead since I don''t really know anything..." Brandon answered him. When their vehicle stopped at the entrance of the building, and the door was opened, they stepped out of the car. Sylvester was the one who exited the car first, followed by his son Brandon. "Good morning, Grand Duke Sylvester Blaze. I hope that you had a lovely flight to the Imperial Capital..." One of the other Nobles greeted him. "Ah, the flight was well... good morning to you as well, Duke Richard..." Sylvester returned the greetings to the stern looking man. They both started laughing hysterically and shock each other''s hands. Leaving Brandon standing there in bewilderment. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Uhhh..." Brandon didn''t know what was happening between his father and the other nobleman. "Oh, Richard, this is my eldest son Brandon. I brought him with me today to show him the ropes, you know..." Sylvester introduced Brandon to Richard. But Brandon gave him a shy smile. "Ah, it''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, sir Brandon. I am Duke Richard Alexander, I''m one of your father''s acquaintances." Richard introduced himself to Brandon. "Uhhh, thank you. It''s also my pleasure to meet you, too, sir Richard." Brandon replied to Richard''s greetings nervously. Richard, a elegant looking guy who was well dressed like a gentleman. Wearing his fancy black suit and had a lovely mustache. He was one of the many Nobles who doesn''t hold any territory in the Holy Light Empire. To many, Richard is a stern old man who always is serious, but as you get to know him, he started to be a nice old man. The reasons why he became a noble is cloudy. They shocked hands and made their way into the building, while continuing to talk with Richard. "So, how is everything back in your territory, Sylvester? Is your family doing well?" Richard asked, feeling curious about Sylvester''s family. Sylvester smirked at the question. ''What kind of question is that? Asking me all of a sudden.'' (Sylvester) "They are doing well. My other children are doing quite well back in the Military Academy, and my wife is doing well also." Sylvester gave a rundown on how his family was doing, but he didn''t give any updates on his territory, Zulania. "It''s great to hear that everything is going well with your family, Grand Duke Sylvester," Richard stated to Sylvester. "It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance once again, sir Brandon. Oh, Sylvester... give your wife Sarah my regards, thanks!" Richard explained and waved to Sylvester and Brandon, and went on his way to continue greeting the other Nobles who were there. Leaving Brandon and Sylvester standing there. Sylvester smirked and gestured Brandon to follow him. Brandon was left puzzled at what had just transpired just now. "....." When they entered the building, a receptionist looking woman approached them, upon them entering the building. "Welcome, Grand Duke Sylvester Blaze and guest. Please follow me to your seats." She greeted, before leading them to their seats. The receptionist woman escorted both Brandon and Sylvester deeper into the building. They were taken into a luxurious room, where all of the higher-ranking Nobles were seated in. Unlike the outside where the other Nobles were in, the room was luxurious. It had: comfortable sofas, Air conditioning, etc.. It has everything a luxurious room has.. Brandon hadn''t expected to be in such a luxurious room. To him, the waiting room was more spacious and luxurious than his old classroom back in the Military Academy. "Here we are. Your seats until today''s meeting begins." The receptionist woman said before leaving. "Look, that Sylvester guy is here... I wonder who he brought with him...?" "I hate that guy. He is always showing off his wealth everywhere he goes. Even his children picked up some of his ways..." "It isn''t only him... it''s his entire family throughout the generations.... as if they were better than us, Hmmm!" Some of the other high-ranking Nobles were gossiping about Sylvester and Brandon''s presence. "Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Another Nobleman chimed in. "Oh, nothing. We were just talking about that jerk Sylvester. " It was as if the other Nobles were jealous of the Blaze family, especially Sylvester... While they were continuing to talk, a man with whitish silver hair was listening to them and observing the Blaze family members.. ''Nobles, huh...? Always talking about something.'' (????) ''It''s like if father is hated by the other high-ranking Nobles around here....'' (Brandon) Meanwhile, back at the Military Academy, a young boy with blonde hair was heading to his dorm, after school all by himself. He was walking through a place where much of the students didn''t use, since it was kind of creepy. When he felt an unknown presence following him. To him, he felt weird. He immediately stopped and turned back. He stood there confidently, waiting for the person to show themselves. "Who''s there?! Show yourselves!" He ordered. "I am Karl Stuart, of the Stuart household. And I order you to show yourself!" He ordered once more. No showed themselves or answered. Feeling frustrated, he shot a gust of wind at where he suspected the person to be hiding. A shadowy figure stepped out from the shadows and just stood there. The person was wearing a black robe with the hood covering their face. "You call yourself a pure blooded Noble, you should be ashamed of yourself..." The person spoke. "Letting an ordinary peasant defeat you just like that.... it''s time for you to regain your glory. " "Haa, what are you talking about?" Karl froze up in fear. He couldn''t find the strength to conjure his magical powers.. As the person began to get closer to him, he started to get Desperate. Every step closer the hooded figure get, the more desperate he became. "O, Earth, hear me and answer my plead, and destroy my enemies= Liquid Earth!" When he chanted his spell,the concrete ground started to turn liquid, and immediately started pulling the hooded figure underneath. But it eventually stopped and only his upper torso was still above ground. Karl Stuart was left breathing heavy. "Now, let me see who the idiot was who tried to ambush me..." he said to himself... As he approached the hooded figure who was halfway buried in the ground, the person started to laugh uncontrollably. "Hahaha ha, so you think you''ve defeated me...? Uh, what small mind you have..." The hooded figure teased. "Stop talking, you fool. Let''s see who''s laughing when I uncover who you are!" He smiled smugly, as he reached his hands to uncover the individual behind the hood. His heart beat harder and heavier, as he uncover the person''s identity. As he removed the hood from the head of the person, the only thing he saw was a pair of crimson red eyes. He tried to jump back in fear, but the mysterious hooded figure held on to his arms. "Let me tell you something... the power I possess is much greater than the tranquil power you possess. Now come, and fulfill my wishes and regain your glory, hahaha!" Karl''s lovely blue eyes turned into a reddish-pink color, and now he was fully under the control of the mysterious hooded figure. "Yes..." "First, you take out that lowly peasant boy from Class 1-F...." Both of them started to laugh evilly. And the hooded figure disappeared into the shadows. Leaving Karl standing there all alone in bewilderment. Chapter 43. Karl Stuarts Rematch! Leon and his friends Samuel and Keith are currently hanging out in the upperclassmen area of the academy, more specifically the second year. It was lunch break and they had already eaten their lunch. They were just standing around, not doing anything, which caused most of the second years to complain. "Isn''t those kids from the Class 1-F...? What are they doing here?" "I don''t have any clue. And it seems like that guy who defeated Karl Stuart is also there..." "I bet Karl is planning something for him already. Only time could tell..." "Enough of talking about those two, dude. Let''s go grab our lunches!" They agreed to stop discussing about Leon and Karl and they went on their way to buy their lunches. When news of Karl Stuart''s plans to duel with Leon meet Sophie, she felt somewhat guilty that she wouldn''t get to support her twin brother in his time of need... And the same thing happened to James and Alexandra who is in their senior years... well, the reason why they can''t support their brother is because of their social standings... Sophie was disheartened and depressed when she heard about the news... so she bent her head on her desk and began to cry inwardly... ''Only if I''d somehow convinced Leon to come to the academy as himself.... then none of this wouldn''t have happened...'' Sophie thought, as she tried to keep her emotions in tact. ''Why...? Why does everything have to fail apart? I thought that Leon and I would come to the academy together until we graduated. I won''t let that Karl Stuart guy ruin my twin brother''s academy life!'' (Sophie) Sophie clenched her fist underneath her desk. She wasn''t paying attention to what''s going on around her.. which made her classmates speculate about her mood. She was deep in thoughts. "Hey Sophie! What''s wrong with you? You don''t seem to be feeling well..." Sophie heard a voice calling out to her. At first she was hoping that the person would eventually go away. "Sophie, come let''s go and get some fresh air! Maybe then you''ll recover..." "No. I don''t feel like doing anything today. So please g away...." Sophie responded to the person with a cold voice. Sophie was so deep in her thoughts that she didn''t know who was calling her name... Daniella sighed and was about to touch her, but Sophie instantly snapped and turned around to give the person who disturbed her a piece of her mind. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. But when she turned to face the person who had disturbed her, she saw her best friend Daniella attempting to reach her. "Oh, it''s you, Daniella..." Sophie answered, with somewhat of an confused look on her face. "Sorry, did I disturb you? " Daniella asked. "What''s wrong with you? You don''t seem to be feeling alright!" Sophie sighed heavily as she hesitated to reply to her best friend. "It''s nothing.... it''s just that someone who I care about is in some sort of trouble... and I don''t know what to do. " she explained to Daniella. "Oh.... speaking of ''trouble'', you know that guy who beat Karl Stuart, right...?" Daniella asked, and Sophie nodded. "Yes..." "Apparently Karl is planning on dueling with him. And from what I''ve heard, that guy is probably going to lose!" Daniella informed Sophie about the duel. "What, are you serious?!!" Sophie exclaimed, trying to hide her emotions. Daniella didn''t want to bother Sophie anymore, so she decided to leave her alone for the day, since she wasn''t apparently feeling well. She sat down in her seat, as she tried to keep herself occupied... as she glanced over at her best friend, she saw that her best friend looked sad. Daniella moved closer to Sophie and began to comfort her. Alexandra and James had also heard about the duel between their little brother and Karl Stuart. They was just sitting down in a room. There was nothing that they could do other than watch how things plays out. That''s only if they were willing to compromise and reveal the identity of Leon, their brother. Leon, Samuel and Keith continues to hang out in the Second year student area. And while being stared at by most of the second year students. "As any of you guys noticed that we are being stared at...?" Keith whispered to both Leon and Samuel. Leon gave a confused look. But Samuel just grinned smugly. "Maybe they are gazing at my awesomeness!" "Probably something isn''t right..." Leon suggested to them. "I feel weird all of a sudden..." "Oh, come on! It could be your imagination or something!" Samuel said, as he threw his arms around Leon''s shoulders. They continued to hang out at the second year students area, not knowing anything and with Leon still feeling weird. ''I can''t shake off this weird feeling... it''s like something or someone dangerous is after me. But, what could that be...?'' (Leon) Leon was thinking about his weird feelings he suddenly got. His mind was racing and he was trying to figure out how he got that strange feeling. Suddenly, they heard a commotion of some sort. It was coming from the entrance of the second year students area. "Move! Where''s that peasant boy from Class 1-F?!" All of the students who was there were shocked to see Karl Stuart there searching for Leon. They all began to move out of his way, creating a walkway for him. "I feel sorry for that guy for getting Karl Stuart so mad..." "Yeah, I had never seen him so mad before... he feels strange. " "Hmm. Something surely feels abnormal about the way how he''s behaving..." The students were discussing between themselves about the reasons why Karl Stuart was suddenly interested in fighting with Leon. To the students, it had seen as if he had forgotten about the duel stuff. "Show me where that guy is! I''m ready for my rematch!" Karl exclaimed. As he walked past the students, they could feel that the atmosphere around him felt strange and weird. No one couldn''t explain why he was acting that way to Leon... but they felt sorry for him. Leon froze up in fear and staring at him. Karl walked up to him and loomed over him, smiling evilly. "I''m back for my revenge, peasant. I want a duel." He said in a threatening way. ''I thought that he''d forgotten about me. I''m really scared right now...'' Leon thought to himself. ''In anime and manga, and light novels it''s the main girl who usually challenge the protagonist to a duel... but I don''t think it''s the best thing to refuse to duel with this guy.'' (Leon) ''Goodbye to my peaceful life...'' Chapter 44. The duel. "What...? Huh?" "You heard me, I want a rematch!" Karl demanded. "If you wanted to have a duel with me, you could have just politely asked me." Leon responded to Karl with a smug smirk on his face. The way how Leon answered him really made his blood boil. He couldn''t hold back his urges to punch him in the face. But he managed to keep them in check. The other students were watching the confrontation between Karl Stuart and the peasant boy Leon. The atmosphere around Karl was different than how it always was on any ordinary day, but today there was a dark aura around him. "Sorry, I can''t. As you can clearly see I''m hanging out with my friends here... you''re interfering." Leon said calmly to him. "If you want, we can reschedule our duel for another time when I''m free." Leon smirked, as he suggested to Karl. "No! I, Karl Stuart of the Stuart household commands you to have a duel with me right now!" He ordered. ''Whao, whao, whao. Using your Noble title to force me into a duel with you, huh...? That''s kind of cowardly of you...'' Leon thought to himself as he tries to come up with an excuse not to duel with him. Karl Stuart stared at him, waiting for him to come up with an answer... oh, and the other students also was waiting for the duel to start. "So, what''s your decision, huh peasant? Are you ready to be defeated by a Noble?!" He burst out laughing evilly. "I''m waiting but none of them aren''t making any moves..." "They are just standing there, and not doing anything! What''s going on? Fight already!" The students were getting frustrated with Leon and Karl, and by standing out in the sun, they got even angrier. "Boo! Come on, fight!" The students were getting inpatient. Leon couldn''t help but to think how he ended up in a situation like this. ''This situation is really getting out of hand. I can''t just back out of this... either way, things might end up bad for me....'' (Leon) The thoughts that was running through his head was trying to choose a decision that would end with a win-win for both him and his opponent. Imagine the thoughts that was running through his head in that moment.... he felt overwhelmed. And to make things worse, is that Karl Stuart was pressuring him to have a duel with him. The other students were getting inpatient by the second. Not hearing an answer from his opponent, Karl grabbed him by the collar and effortlessly lift him up with one hands, like a child. Everyone that was there were left in shock and disbelief when they saw what Karl had done. Leon just remained calm. ''Okay, so he''s bullying me into a duel with him....'' Leon thought to himself, and tried to comprehend why he was in such a situation. ''I''m so pathetic, I don''t have any such power to stop him from doing this to me... unless if I''m willing to blow my cover.'' (Leon) "....I have to regain my glory as a noble...." Karl was mumbling those words under his breath. Leon couldn''t hear what exactly he was saying. The only thing he heard were mumbling sounds. "Huh... what did you just said, dude?" Leon asked. ''What the hell is he saying...? Not gonna lie, it lowkey sounds like he''s being brainwashed by someone to fight me. '' Leon came to the conclusion that Karl Stuart was being manipulated to fight him. "....I have to regain my glory as a noble.... I have to regain my glory as a noble..." Karl mumbled again. As more and more other people gathered in the Second year student area to watch Leon and Karl face off each other, a chance that the teachers would come and break up everything was a possibility. As Leon tried to get out of Karl''s grip, he felt that something was strange about how Karl Stuart was acting. To Leon, it seemed like Karl was brainwashed or manipulated to fight with him. But no one could come to mind of who wanted to see a duel between him and Karl Stuart. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ''....but if my suspicions are true, who could possibly want that... What conspiracies is going beneath? I have to uncover that... for my safety and peace of mind.'' "Alright. I''ll have a duel with you," Leon said to Karl with a smug smirk. "What could go wrong with that?! It''s not like you''ll leave me alone if I refused..." Karl let go of Leon''s shirt collar and an evil grin appeared on his face. The atmosphere around Karl continued to bother some of the students who was there. Leon fixed his clothes, while he stared down his opponent. "You better agree to duel with me.... for a peasant you can think, huh?" Keith and Samuel tried to do something about the situation, but couldn''t due to the fact that Karl''s "friends" stopping them. "It would be better for you guys to stay out of this, Hehehe!" "Yeah, it''s for your own safety, peasants." they both said with a Condescending look. Oh, Sophie and Daniella was in the crowd of people gathered there to observe the duel between Leon and Karl. "Then, we shall duel right now!" Karl declared to his opponent and the other students who was there. "The whole Academy will know that I''m no longer weak, after I''ve defeated this peasant, hahaha!" "I will defeat you and prove to everyone that my family is a strong one! Just you watch..." Karl started to laugh uncontrollably, like a stereotypical villain. Which caused everyone around to feel a chill down their spine. "What''s going on here?!" A stern voice asked. "And why is everybody gathered here?!" All of the students started to make a path for the person who''d just interrupted the start of the duel. "(Gasps) is that...." "No, this can''t be. Then why is she doing here?!" Karl and Leon stopped and stared at the person who had just interrupted them. More specifically Karl Stuart. The person who interrupted them is a member of the Student Body Council. Her name is Jessica Armstrong, a talented magician in the academy. She is in her senior years, to be more on point, in her final year in the Military Academy. Jessica is well-known for her stern and uptight demeanor which gave her the nickname "The Ice Princess of the Student Council ". She has long black hair that she had flowing behind her, and has narrowed eyes. Jessica was quite tall for a girl her age. She was wearing her uniform neatly, she had on her Student Council armband on the left side shoulder. All most all of the students in the academy is afraid of her, mainly because she "looks scary." As she walked up to the two boys who, to her was about to fight right in the compound. Which she wasn''t exactly wrong about. Although her family has not been around for a long time like the other Noble families, her father holds power in the Empire. "What''s someone like her doing here? Now the duel is ruined...." "She is well-known for being mean and uptight . That''s why I''ll stay away from her!" The students were upset that the duel between Leon and Karl would be canceled because Jessica had come to check it out. So most of the students began to move away from the area and continued with their activities as usual. "You are Karl Stuart, the eldest son in the Stuart family, right?" Jessica asked, with a serious expression. "And you. Your name is Leon, a peasant boy from Zulania. So why are you guys trying to have an illegal duel with each other for, without receiving permission from the Disciplinary committee?" Both Leon and Karl was left puzzled to find out that they have to get permission from the "Disciplinary Committee". "Disciplinary Committee...? What''s that all about?" Leon asked her. ''There is a "Disciplinary Committee" at the academy...? I have never thought that this is real.. this is something that only existed in anime and manga for me!'' Leon thought to himself as he tries to comprehend the situation. This is the second time he was surprised. ''Well, this is the Military Academy... so I shouldn''t be any shock. '' (Leon) "The Disciplinary Committee....? And why must I inform them about the duel? You must be crazy!" Karl complained about the situation. "I''ll just flex my authority as the eldest son of the Stuart household...." Karl remarked, with a Grin appearing on his face. Jessica glared at Karl for not listening to her. When he saw Jessica''s stare, he kept quiet. Even though Karl Stuart was manipulated, he still was in control of his body for the most part. And knew when to stay quiet. "So why is a noble like you picking on a peasant? Shouldn''t the Nobles be protecting those who can''t defend themselves...?" Jessica asked them both. Karl just stared at her without saying anything. He just remained with his mouth shut. Some of the students who was still standing around in the area were watching what was happening between Jessica, Karl and Leon. "Fine. Then if you want to get reprimanded for having an illegal duel, then go ahead. You should listen to what I''m telling you." Jessica warned them. ''This girl seems to be a nice person... hopefully Karl will take the warning and back off from this duel situation. Phew!'' (Leon) Leon whipped the sweat off his forehead, thinking that everything would be fine now. ''Thanks a ton person.... I really appreciate you for ending this duel situation. '' (Leon) But he had think too early. To Leon''s dismay, he was taken to the "Disciplinary Committee " to notify them about the duel. Leon was shocked to find himself in an arena along with his opponent Karl Stuart, surrounded by almost all of the students who was present back then. ''Why is this happening to me... I should be living a normal life in the academy, not fighting a duel with an egotistical dude. '' (Leon) ''This is my time to prove myself to everyone that I''m no joke, that I''m a noble!" (Karl) "I can''t believe that Jessica allowed them to fight a duel? I literally thought that she would immediately reported them." "Yeah! I thought of the same thing. So who are you betting on? For me, imma go with the peasant boy." "Well, I''m betting on Karl Stuart then. Since you took the person who I was originally going to bet on." The students were placing bets on which one of them was going to win. Most of the students placed bets on Karl. "Ladies and gentlemen! Today we are here to watch a duel between Karl Stuart and Leon!" The person who was chosen to announce said to the crowd of students. "Remember, magic is prohibited from using in this duel. Anyone who is caught using magic will be automatically disqualified. And if any of you manage to hit your opponent with your swords, the duel with end!" "Ready, duelers? 3, 2, 1, fight!" Both Leon and Karl stared at each other, as they ready their wooden swords and backing away from one another. They didn''t shake hands, they just went to their corner. The arena began to light up in a pattern of some sort, like a magical circle. "Ready to be defeated, peasant?" Karl teased him. "No... I''m not losing!" Leon smirked. Chapter 45. Leon VS Karl Karl shrugged off what Leon had said earlier, and just clenched his fist and teeth. "You have lots of talk for a peasant, huh? I see..." He just mumbled to himself. Seeing that his opponent wasn''t taking the duel seriously and smirking, he couldn''t help but to think how he was going to defeat him this time. "Hey, we''re just standing here or what?" Leon asked sarcastically, as he got into his fighting stances. "If you want we can cancel the duel and have a staring competition!" "What did you just said... I will whipe that off your face." Karl growled. Karl also got into his fighting stance, with his wooden sword in front of him. They both just lunges at each other and swung their swords at the same time. But when they swords collided, it sent a shack up both of their hands. But none of them refused to back off. "I''ll admit it, you''re quite strong for being much smaller than me." Karl commented on Leon''s strength. ''Oh thanks to my old instructor who taught me how to Wield the sword.... but if I want to keep up this pretense, I must not tell him about my instructor....'' (Leon) "Ah, thanks. You see when you''re a peasant, you''ll have to be creative with your training...." Leon answered while struggling to hold up against Karl''s strength. They continued to struggle to get the upper hand over their opponents in the duel. Using all his strength, Karl overpowered Leon and pushed him away, and then went on the offensive. "Grrrrr! Now watch me show my true power as a Noble!!" Karl continues to swing his sword at his opponent. All that Leon could do is block and try to defend himself against Karl''s offensive attacks. "This isn''t like the first time we dueled, peasant! I won''t let that repeat itself!" Karl declared to Leon. "Grrrrr!" Leon was getting pushed back bit by bit, every second, every swing from Karl''s sword Leon could feel his grip loosen on his sword. ''What the heck? I can''t hold on to my sword... I have to do something or I''ll lose for sure! But if I lose this duel, I can walk away.... but that will give Karl Stuart a boost in his ego, and I can''t let that happen!'' (Leon) "That Leon guy is really under pressure from Karl Stuart. " "Yeah, you''re right. That peasant is under pressure... well, I guess this really isn''t like their first duel." "Uh, what do you mean by ''isn''t their first duel''...? Did they fought before?" "Didn''t you know? Anyway, since apparently you haven''t heard about the duel between a peasant boy and a noble. Well, in the entrance ceremony practical examination, they dueled and the peasant boy won! And now, Karl Stuart asked for a rematch." "Oh... I''ve heard about that duel before. But I didn''t believe it at first." The students were just observing the duel between Leon and Karl, and making assumptions about who is going to win. But for those who somehow didn''t know about Karl and Leon, they just sat there listening to the other students talking about it. Sophie also was in the crowd of students, worried about her twin brother.... ''Be alright, Leon... hopefully you beat that Karl Stuart guy and prive him wrong for thinking that you''re weak and a pushover!'' (Sophie) "Sophie, Sophie.... are you okay? Did you heard what I said?" Daniella tried to snap Sophie out of her thoughts. "Hey, I asked you who you are supporting?" The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Huh? I.... I don''t know... I guess the guy with the silver hair." Daniella burst out laughing when she heard who Sophie was supporting. It was amusing to know who Sophie had in mind to win. "You know, we literally had the same person in mind, hahaha!" "Sure...." "What''s the matter, Sophie? You don''t seem to be paying attention." Daniella asked her, seeing that her best friend wasn''t in a good mood. Sophie just sighed heavily, and looked down at the ground. "I really don''t know...." Sophie hesitated to reply. "I just feel strange ever since the duel started..." Daniella didn''t say anything and just started to comfort her. Leon managed to escape from Karl''s offensive attacks, and started to move farther away from his opponent Karl. He was breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath, Karl was also trying to catch his breath. "Ha, ha, ha, you''re strong for someone like you..." Karl said as he committed on Leon''s strength once again. "But don''t get carried away by my comment. You caught me off guard, that''s all!" Leon just nodded in response to Karl''s remarks about his strength. They continued to stare down each other. It seems like they were equally matched in strength to all the other students. ''This guy is not giving me the chance to attack him. It''s like he came here prepared to beat me... but I can''t complain about it now, I''ll have to deal with it.'' (Leon) ''I know it would be easier to keep Karl in check if I was Leon Blaze, but then this wouldn''t be any fun!'' Leon thought to himself as he whiped the sweat off his face. He couldn''t lose the duel to Karl. Leon dashed towards his opponent and swung his wooden sword with all of his might. Karl was shocked when he saw Leon''s speed, as he dashed towards him. He was almost hit by Leon''s sword. He managed to block Leon''s fast attack. "Grrrrr! What?" ''That was a fast one... I barely got the chance to dodge! Who really is this peasant boy?!'' (Karl) He was dumbfounded to see how fast his opponent was, that really caught him off guard. But now he was fully focused on his opponent. ''He blocked my special sword skill? This skill I have been working on and perfecting back home!'' Leon''s sword was caught by his opponent''s own sword, so he couldn''t continue with his strike. Seeing that Leon was shocked, he took the opportunity to push Leon off of him. "That was a fast strike intended to be a finishing move. And from the way how you''re breathing, I could only guess that you are out of breath!" Karl smirked, as he figures out the weakness of his opponent''s move. The skill Leon just used, [Speed Blitz] is a sword skill he had learned from his instructor back in his father''s territory, Zulania. The skill is mainly used to outpace the enemies. But the skill isn''t really usable, because it''s a inconvenience and drains magic of the user. Suddenly Leon started to stumble backwards, as Karl was standing there with a smirk on his face, knowing that he had guessed his opponent''s move correctly. But Karl suddenly dropped to his knees in pain. Although the sword didn''t touch anywhere from Karl''s body and had connected to his sword.... he still felt pain. ''What... did Leon just use the forbidden sword skill....? This isn''t good..'' (Sophie) "What just happen down there? Did that guy''s sword skills took down Karl Stuart?" "Wow, looks like another win for the peasant boy... well, Karl Stuart isn''t a true noble. " The students were discussing between themselves about the mysterious thing that had just took place in front of their eyes. Karl Stuart was on his knees in pain in his hands. He still gripped unto his wooden sword. He was in shock that he was going to be defeated once again by the same person, and to make things worse, the person who defeated him was someone who was lower ranked than him. "Why did I lose to this nobody?! Shouldn''t I be the winner? This can''t slide with me!!" Karl screamed out with frustration at the fact that he was going to lose once again. Rage begins to build within him as Leon approached him. He looked up at Leon, feeling somewhat ashamed of himself for being beaten by the same person twice. As Leon stretched out his hands to help him to get up, he gave him a angry glare and growled. "Just give up, dude... I won once again." Leon told Karl that in a quiet voice. "Grrrrr... So you just expect me to give up the victory like that?" Karl asked, looking at the boy who stood over him. "I won''t allow you to win this duel with that cheat move!" He said as he slapped away Leon''s hands. Leon was shocked that Karl refused to accept his defeat. He just felt like Karl was going way too far. ''I didn''t reincarnate for this shit to happen to me. I just wants to live a peaceful second life in another world....'' (Leon) Leon just sighed heavily as he thought about the situation. "Uh, Lady Jessica.... shouldn''t you interfere in the duel by now?" A voice asked her. "I think you should probably do something." She turned around to see the person who had talked to her. It was a boy that has Silver hair and sleepy blue eyes, who had spoken to her. He wasn''t dressed properly, his clothes was roughed up and he didn''t bother to wear his badge or Student Body Council armband.. "Oh, it''s you, Grim. What are the reasons for your visit?" Jessica asked. "I told you already, don''t call me that name. Just refer to me as my family''s name." The boy, Grim responded with a pouting look. "Tehehe, alright, Lambert." Everyone was shocked that Karl refused to accept his defeat, especially Leon he was in more surprised than everyone there. "No more games, Karl Stuart of the Stuart household... it''s time to put that peasant in his place, hahaha...." Chapter 46. Karl stood up to his feet, narrowing his eyes staring at Leon, the aura around shifting turning dark. He stood there, fighting for control of his body that refused to obey him. He clutched onto his head, his fingers gripping his skull, in a sharp pain that suddenly came over him. "Arghhh, oww! What''s wrong with me....? My head feels like it''s melting away...." Karl screamed out of pain. "Hey, are you okay? Is everything alright?" Leon asked with concerning gaze. "Maybe you should probably give up...." Leon added. Trying to finish up the duel as fast as possible. "It''s not worth it to make a fuss about this whole duel thing...." Leon tried to reason with his opponent. He didn''t respond to Leon, he was looking down, and tried to suppress the sudden urge to do something stupid. ''Karl Stuart must be in utter shock and disbelief that I manage to beat him once again.... but I wouldn''t call that a duel or anything in any way.'' Leon thought to himself as he stood there in front of his opponent. He didn''t understand why Karl was acting like that. ''Why is this happening to me? Why did that guy''s spell go off...? I thought that I was still in control of my body.... help!'' (Karl) He felt like a prisoner in his own body. He couldn''t do anything or say anything, Karl felt like he was useless once again. "Shut up, you peasant! You wouldn''t understand why I''m doing this!" Karl said as he mustered up the strength to yell at Leom before everything went dark for him. He was looking down to the ground, as he slowly faded away. No one didn''t understand what was happening between Leon and Karl. All that they could see was Karl acting weird and Leon just standing there. Leon wasn''t able to fight, due to him using his [Speed Blitz] sword skill, taught to him by his instructor. ''.... I don''t think that I can''t continue fighting anymore, my muscles are tired... but it seems like it''s not over yet for Karl Stuart...'' (Leon) Leon had had enough of Karl Stuart''s behavior to lose the loss it had been pride that caused him to not admit his defeat.... it was puzzling to ponder about it for any moment longer. The other students were watching the two as they both just stood in the arena, not doing anything. "It doesn''t seem like they''re going to do anything...." "Hmm-mm, they''re just standing there like earlier. It''s kinda getting boring!" Karl was as if he was in a trance with his head facing to the ground, not focusing on Leon, his opponent. "Something feels off about that blonde guy. He doesn''t seem to be in a conscious state of mind." Grim said to Jessica. Jessica turned to face Grim with a perplexed look on her face and said. "Huh...? I knew that something was off with him, but I didn''t know that it would get out of hand." Jessica answered him with a shocked expression. "So you knew....?" Grim was left puzzled. Jessica nodded in response to Grim''s question. He just stared at her, not knowing what to say. Karl suddenly looked up at Leon with no emotions on his face, he looked like a robot in someone else''s control. The crowd of students who were spectating the duel wasn''t sure what to do; either to cheer or to not to do anythig. No one had no idea on what to do about Karl and Leon''s duel. (Karl Growls) "What''s going on here....?" Leon couldn''t help but to ask that question. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "This is going to get ugly fast... I have to get out of this situation fast..." Leon said to himself, as he stood in front of Karl. "I have to regain my glory as a noble.... I have to regain my glory as a noble...." The atmosphere around Karl was different and had a dark aura. He had completely lost himself. Suddenly Karl charged at Leon and swung his wooden sword wildly. "Hahhhh! Die!!" Leon blocked the powerful strike Karl put into his swing and moved out of the way. Karl had actually caught him off guard, so Leon had barely got the opportunity to block his opponent''s strike and moved out of the way in time. (Leon breathing heavily) "That one was a close one, huh? I didn''t even notice that he had moved..." Leon mumbled to himself, clearly in shock from Karl''s sudden attack. ''If he pull that stunt again, I won''t be able to defend myself against him... due to the use of my trump card [Speed Blitz], I am immobile for a few hours or days... I didn''t really anything research on the skill, I only took what my instructor said at face value...'' ( Leon) Leon couldn''t think clearly about what he was going to do. It wasn''t like he could just call it quits, but it isn''t like anyone would judge him for doing that. Leon stood there with his legs shaking from using such an energy depleted skill like [Speed Blitz]. The only thing he could do was to just stand there or try to dodge Karl''s attacks. To Leon, it was very hard to do that. Karl suddenly went back on the offensive and charged once again at Leon. He tried to stab him with his sword, but Leon blocked the strike, then tried to hit the sword out of Karl''s hands. But he managed to jump back into a double back flip, and got away from Leon. The crowd of students remained in awkward silence, not knowing what to say or do. The Nobles began to exit the arena one by one. In their perspective, it doesn''t matter who wins in this duel, because they wasn''t going to watch a duel between a weak noble and a totally nobody. So the best thing to do is not support the duel. "Those bratty Nobles are leaving the arena." "Yeah, it''s seems like they don''t want to continue watching the duel." "Uh...? He''s fast!" Leon exclaimed with shock on his face. ''It''s not like I didn''t expect him to do something like that.... I was just speechless. '' (Leon) Suddenly Karl lunges at him and he aimed his sword to Leon''s face and swung with all of his might. Before Leon got the chance to react, he felt the sword connect to his face. He was thrown across the floor and ended up a few feet away from his opponent. Karl growled and glanced towards Leon with soulless eyes. The entire crowd of students was left in surprise at what had just transpired before their eyes. "No, Leon pleaseget up!" Sophie, Daniella, Keith and Samuel were more surprised than the other students. (Karl chuckled evilly) As he walked up to the helpless Leon, he couldn''t help but to grin . When he reached his opponent, he raised his sword and ready to swing at him while he was down. "Uhhh.... what happened? That hit was powerful. No ordinary person could ever have such a strength...." Leon marveled at Karl strength. Leon sat up and turned around to see Karl standing over him and looking scary. He had a smug smirk on his face. The way how Karl looked made Leon freak out. When Karl swung his wooden sword to strike Leon, his sword sword seems to hit an invisible wall. "Enough! This duel is over. You can resume your scrabble in the upcoming Tournament!" Jessica had decided to speak up and call off the duel. "You guys should save your energy and train yourselves for the Inter-Academy Tournament!" Grim chimed in after Jessica had spoken. He threw a tiny black orb at Karl and it entered into his body, and came out of his body and returned to the boy.Karl fainted afterwards. "Huh.... what just happen?" Leon asked. "Did he do something to Karl Stuart...?" "It''s nothing. I just immobilized him, be rest assured that this incident will be investigated. " Grim said to Leon. Later, Leon had found himself in the academy''s infirmary, due to muscle fatigue by using his [Speed Blitz] sword skill. He was sitting down on the bed. Trying to process the situation. ''I just can''t believe that our duel would have such an unhappy conclusion... to be honest, I would love if either one of us won...'' Leon thought to himself as he sat in bed. Alexandra, James and Sophie was present also in the infirmary. "Are you okay, little brother?" James asked. "You seems to be banged up, hahaha!" "You look really banged up... sorry for not doing anything about Karl Stuart..." Alexandra apologized to him. Leon couldn''t help but to smile because his siblings are worrying about him. But Sophie didn''t say anything, she just gave him a mean look. "Uhhh, what''s the problem with you, Sophie? Did I do something wrong?!" Leon asked, as he felt goosebumps. Sophie continued to give her twin brother the cold shoulders, not saying anything to him. "Look, Sophie, Leon had been through a lot with the duel and all, so...." James tried to tell Sophie something but didn''t. "You... you idiot!" She punched him on his shoulder. "Why didn''t you just reveal yourself as a true noble? You didn''t have to go through any of those situations. Idiot, idiot!" Tears was welling up in Sophie''s eyes, as she tried to hold back the rest of the tears. Seeing that his twin sister was crying, he patted her on the head and smiled happily. "Sorry for worrying you guys. I know that you''re worried about me, I''m sorry." Leon apologized to his siblings. Sophie hugged him, while being overwhelmed with emotions, and Alexandra kissed him on his forehead, James just smiled. ''I''m glad that I end up with such a loving and peaceful family.... I have to do my best to try and make them proud....'' (Leon) With that, a stressful day came to an end. Hopefully nothing else happens that would force Leon to do something drastic. Chapter 47. Leon was released from the infirmary and went straight to his dorm to get some more well-needed rest, and to recover from the duel he had earlier, and his forbidden sword skill. It was already late in the afternoon, so he didn''t hesitate to return to his dorm. Plus, it wasn''t like Keith and Samuel were going to collect him. So nothing was stopping him from going to his dorm. Alexandra and James had left for their after-school activities, and Sophie met up with her best friend Daniella and went to hang out with each other... Leon was alone now. The academy''s compound looked desolate and empty, no one was there apart from the students who were doing military drills and those who had their club activities. ''Everywhere looks so empty... I guess the other students went to their dorms... I am thankful that Sophie and the rest of my siblings came to see me in the infirmary... I don''t know what I would have done if they didn''t show up.'' (Leon) Leon thought to himself as he walked to his dorm, slightly limping while he made his way back to his dorm in silence. Karl Stuart had already woken up long before Leon was allowed to leave the infirmary. ''I hate to admit it, but I wish that Karl and I could settle this duel situation once and forever... and now we have to wait until the school''s tournament. Who knows how long that will take?!'' (Leon) Leon let out a heavy sigh and continued to walk back to his dorm. Meanwhile, at the Student Council meeting, all the members were gathered in their meeting room. They all sat down around a table, with their servants and assistants standing behind each of their chairs. "So what are the reasons for this sudden meeting?" One of the members of the Student Council asked. "You know most of us have important things to do, right?" "It seems like another dark magic user is in the academy," Jessica responded to the boy''s question. "What? Another dark magic user apart from Grim?!" Another person chimed in, as she slammed her head on the table. She was caught off guard by the revelation. Dark magic is the second most rarest type of magic in the world, beneath light magic. Both light and dark magic are rare because their uses have lessened in the latter generations of the first users of the two magic. The origin of dark magic is a mystery. Some say it is a corrupted version of light magic. In the Holy Light Empire, only a few dark magic users are remaining in the empire, and light magic users are even fewer... A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "Yeah, the other dark magic user was at the duel that happened earlier today. And I think that the individual is somewhat responsible for the duel." Grim chimed in after Jessica had spoken to back her up. There was a wave of silence that came over the members of the Student Council. They were completely taken aback by what Jessica and Grim had said. "Ah, I''d heard something about a duel between a noble and a peasant, both of them are first years," The Student Council President spoke to the others. "It''s really sad to see the students fighting in the first couple weeks of school." "Yeah, I also heard something about a duel between two first years." "Me too!'' Every member of the Student Council nodded in the affirmation that they had all heard about the duel between Leon and Kart Stuart. They couldn''t believe what they heard about the other dark magic user and the duel. The guy who first asked Jessica had a bored expression on his face. "This meeting is getting quite boring... Let''s end the meeting and go after that other dark magic user!" He exclaimed with a smile on his face. "Chill out, Alex. It''s not like we can just go after that guy! Plus, we have to do an investigation on the guy, and find out who this mysterious person is." Another member of the Student Council responded to Alex''s suggestion, and everyone nodded in agreement with the person who answered. "We have to solve this mystery before it gets any worse. Let''s hurry up and solve this investigation!" The Student Council President said as she ended their meeting abruptly because that was an emergency meeting called by Jessica and Grim to discuss the second mysterious dark magic user. So the Student Council meeting was over and they all went to their dorms or continued with what they were doing before the meeting. When Leon entered into his dorm, he threw himself on his bed with his face buried in his pillow. His roommate Liam was already in their room doing his chores. When he saw Leon, he was concerned about his well-being. ''What happened to him...? He must have had a bad day at school, I don''t have to find out what is the matter!'' (Liam) "Um, are you okay, Leon dude?" Liam asked his roommate , feeling concerned about him. "Ever since you returned from school you''re acting weird. " Leon lifted up his head and stared at his roommate in a tird look. "Huh? Didn''t you know?" Leon asked and gave his roommate a confused look. "Dude, seriously? I thought everyone in the academy knew about the duel I had with a stuck up Noble." ''Although I am of Noble blood.... but I''m not a stuck up person. I can''t say that I am a good person....'' (Leon) Liam stared at his tired roommate in a shocked expression. He was totally confused about what Leon was saying. "A duel....?" Liam scratched his head in confusion. "Yeah, I''m surprised that you didn''t know since literally everyone in the Academy was there in the arena!" Leon gave him an awkward laugh. "So, how did it go with the duel? Did you win or lose?" "Hahaha!" Leon laughed awkwardly once again. "Well, you see it was kind of a tie. Our duel was interrupted by some upperclassmen." "Ah... then just relax and recover soon..." "Thanks for everything, dude." With that, Leon changed off his school uniform and after he fell asleep without doing anything. Sophie sat down on her bed and gazed through the window at the evening''s skies, worrying about how her brother was going and if he had returned to his dorm. ''I just hope that he could recover from the effects of the [Speed Blitz] skill. That skill is really scary...'' (Sophie) That night, Brandon and Sylvester returned back to the Blaze family house safe. Chapter: 48. The Investigation. "I''m going to head out now, dude. See you later!" Liam said to Leon as he prepared himself to leave for school. "Yeah..." Leon gave him a blank look, as he sat in his bed. "Are you sure you want to stay at home? I know that you''re recovering, but..." "I am going to be fine. You don''t have to worry about me I''ll be alright." Leon assured his roommate that he was going to be okay. "That''s cool... I understand. I''ll be heading out now. " Liam exclaimed as he rushed out of the room. Leaving Leon lying down on his bed. Now Leon was all alone in the room he shared with his roommate. He didn''t know what to do for the rest of his day. ''Sighs... now that I''m all alone here, I feel bored and don''t know what to do throughout the rest of the day. It''s boring to be honest...'' (Leon) ''I feel bored and don''t know what to do. The academy is a boring place... I wonder how the other students go through the day without doing anything stupid.'' Leon was deep in his thoughts, thinking about what he would do next. It wasn''t like he could go on a device to pass the time. Well, you see, although this world has advanced technology in its infrastructure and way of life, it lacks the phone and other devices department. To pass the time, people usually spend their time working and doing recreational activities with their magic and other stuff. Leon tried to study to at least try and catch up with the other First year students in the other classes, but he couldn''t fight off the boredom. So he ended up giving up and got ready and went out to cool off his head for a while. ''I''ll go out for some fresh. And maybe I would do something afterward...'' (Leon) Leon didn''t know what he should do with his time recovering from using his [Speed Blitz] sword skill during the duel against Karl Stuart. He tries to do something to combat his boredom like looking out through the window at the compound and trying to sleep to pass the time, but nothing works. Was he too excited or nervous to sleep? Or he just couldn''t sleep properly. ''Ah, I guess it''s going to be hard for me to have a good rest after all. Things couldn''t get any worse now...'' I couldn''t focus on anything to do for me to pass the time. I tried everything before. But obviously, nothing worked. So I remained sitting on my bed and in the clothes I slept with. Sighs.... maybe it would be in my best interest to go out for some fresh air in the academy''s compound. But what if I get caught by the Disciplinary Committee or members of the Student Council? It won¡¯t end well for me... It was impossible for me to even think of going out of my room and hanging out somewhere, especially when I didn''t know anywhere fun in the academy. As I continued to be deep in my thoughts, thinking about what to do, I heard a knock on the door. It didn''t sound like how Liam knocked on the door. That brought me to my senses, out of my thoughts. I initially thought that it was someone coming to punish me for not attending today''s class or someone coming to check up on me. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But when I opened the door, the first thing I saw was a girl wearing the school''s uniform and pink color hair, and a guy with brown hair standing behind her. They both had red armbands just like Jessica on their left shoulders. They both look like upperclassmen. What are they doing here? "Uhhh." "Good day, you must be Leon, the boy who fought against Karl Stuart in a duel recently?" The beauty with pink hair asked. But I didn''t respond to her question. "I know that seeing us may put you somewhat on edge. But please cooperate with us." She added with a smile on her face. "Okay... I''ll cooperate with you guys." I know I can easily slam the door in their faces, but something tells me it would be a terrible idea. And also, I was curious to hear what they wanted to ask me. "Thank you for deciding to cooperate with us. We want to ask you some questions about the duel, can we?" "Yeah, sure. Go ahead, I''m ready to answer any question. " "Before we proceed with the questioning, may we discuss this privately? We don''t want anyone else to hear about it." The beauty with pink hair asked me. I nodded and followed the two to an empty room in an unfamiliar area in the academy. I guess it''s somewhere in the upperclassmen area... I sat down on some comfortable sofas across from the pink-haired beauty and the brown-haired guy. Leon was sitting in an unfamiliar room somewhere in the upperclassmen area. He was sitting across from the two people who wanted to question him about the duel between him and Karl Stuart. They were separated by a small coffee table that had a tray with cups of tea and sweets laid out neatly. "Thank you for cooperating with us. Now let''s start!" The pink-haired girl exclaimed as she tried to make Leon feel comfortable. "Ah, you don''t have to thank me. I didn''t have anything to do back in my dorm, so it''s alright." Leon responded to her with a slight smile on his face. The boy who accompanied her didn''t say or do anything. To him, he only came to support her. "Ahem. Please, let''s go on with the questions we have for you. Question one, being: how did the duel start?" ''Let''s see, let''s see... I think the duel started because Karl didn''t accept the defeat he faced during the entrance ceremony. That''s all I know...'' (Leon) "I don''t have any clue. Maybe it''s because he couldn''t accept the defeat during the entrance ceremony." Leon answered. He didn''t know why she was asking him a question like that. To him, it felt like he was under investigation from the pink-haired girl and her companion. "Is there any purpose to asking these questions?" Leon asked. "It kinda feels like you guys are trying to get something out of me." Leon could feel like he''s under investigation for a crime or something. ''There got to be a reason why they are trying to ask me these questions about the duel... well, if they are trying to get information from me about the duel, then they must be from the Student Council or the Disciplinary Committee...'' (Leon) "Ah, let''s move on with the questions," the pink-haired girl dodged Leon''s question. "Next question, did you sense anything strange during the duel about your opponent Karl Stuart?" She asked him, as her face turned serious all of a sudden. Leon didn''t know what to do or say in that situation. "Well, yeah, I noticed something strange about him when he challenged me for the second time..." "So you did know? I mean, about the dark magi--" She was about to spill everything, but the boy who accompanied her covered her mouth, preventing her from saying anything further. But Leon noticed something about the questions. "Ahem. Sorry, but there are some things that you don''t have to know, I apologize." The brown-haired guy spoke up for the first time during the questioning. "Those were all the questions we have to ask you. Thank you for cooperating with us." Both the pink-haired girl and her partner bowed to show appreciation for Leon cooperating with them. "Thanks." Leon thanked them for helping with his boredom. "Since that''s all, you can return to your dorm or... stay here and enjoy yourself with us and eat sweets!" The pink-haired girl suggested to him. It didn''t take long for him to decide. He decided to stay and hang out with the both of them to at least pass the time until school was finished for the day. He ended up spending the entire afternoon with the both of them eating sweets and drinking tea. But he mostly enjoyed eating the sweets prepared by the pink-haired girl. By the way, her name is Mirabille Adelaide, a member of the Student Council. And the brown-haired boy''s name is Alexander Kurt, another member of the Student Council. They''re kind of high-ranking members. Leon returned to his dorm later in the afternoon. ''It''s good to come out of my room once in a while... Boredom is stupid.'' (Leon) ''It''s weird that they didn''t give me any information on the questions they asked me. Maybe something is happening underground..?'' Leon thought to himself as he arrived at his room. Chapter: 49. It was the next day, and Leon was sitting in his classroom surrounded by his classmates, asking him questions about the duel that was trending around the academy. Unknowingly to him. "Are you feeling okay, Leon?" "I saw the duel the other day and you did great!" "How did you beat him? It seemed impossible to defeat him." All of his classmates were asking him questions about how he managed to beat Karl Stuart, to him that was strange. People never used to pay attention to him ever since he enrolled in the Military Academy. He didn''t expect that defeating Karl would Be such a big deal within the academy. "Yeah, I didn''t expect that I would win so easily, hahaha..." Leon gave an awkward laugh in his response to the questions that his classmates were asking him. "Besides, neither of us won. The duel was cut short by members of the Student Council, so...." Leon added. That morning was awkward for him. His classmates were acting strange and people were staring at him for no reason. He had noticed that since he got to the classroom. ''What''s this, did I make a mistake by coming to school today? If I didn''t, Liam would nag me about school.'' (Leon) "Hahaha, don''t be modest, dude! You practically won!" Scott threw his arms around him in a friendly way. "I never thought that you had a chance, but look at you!" Leon heaved a heavy sigh, knowing that things would get worse throughout the day. But some hope remained in his thoughts. "Good morning students! I hope you weren''t caught up in the duel and are prepared for today!" A familiar voice rang in the classroom, and everyone standing around Leon went to their seats. It was Ava who had interrupted them from asking Leon more questions. She looked even better than before. When she entered the classroom she glanced over at Leon, and their eyes met. She gave him a gentle smile. ''Oh, thank you, Miss Ava. You saved me from answering a lot of questions. But she looks really beautiful!'' (Leon) "Ah, I see that all of you are present in the classroom today!" She said before she started calling out her student''s names from the register. "It''s nice to have you back with us today, Leon. Hopefully, you''ve recovered and are ready to join today''s class. That''s because today, we will be doing some practical exercise!" She explained. "Oh, thank God. I thought that we would be left far behind the other classes." "I''ve been waiting long to go outside and do something new." The students were excited to do some practical training finally. Although they had lots of work to do to catch up with the other classes, to them, it was a start. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "So... what kind of exercise are we going to do? Is it physical or magic?" Alexis raised her hands and asked Ava. Ava just gave a mysterious grin, as if she was trying to hide something. "Well, let''s just say it''s a bit of both, (chuckles). I wouldn''t want to ruin the surprise!" She brushed off the student''s concerns. ''Miss Ava is still as fun-loving as always... even though she may seem lazy, she''s still a strong woman. Besides, Miss Ava was in the same class as my father. '' (Leon) Leon couldn''t help but smile at the uncertainty of the future. All of the other students in Leon''s class were also excited about the practical training. They couldn''t believe their mind that they finally got the chance to begin their training. ''I can''t believe that I get to properly start my new life in the Military Academy... this is going to be awesome!'' (Leon) Leon and his classmates were gathered in the academy''s training area, along with their teacher Miss Ava. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, scorching the skin of all the Class 1-F students. They were standing in a wide field with some obstacles scattered around, and an area for mages to practice their magic. Oh, and there was an area for shooting and to test weapons. "Alright, guys, we will test your stamina and magic recovery ability to see how fast you can rebuild your stamina and magic!" Ava explained to her students. "First, you guys have to finish your magic and stamina for me to see how good you are at conserving your energy. next, I want to see how quickly you can replenish your stamina and magic!" Ava added The students knew what she asked of them, but some who couldn''t use magic were confused and didn''t know what to do. "But Miss Ava, what about those who can''t use magic?" Vince asked her. "So, they have to watch as everyone else trains and not do anything?" Alexis chimed in. Leon nodded in agreement with Vincent and Alexis. Ava was caught off guard by the questions her students had asked, she didn''t know what to say or do to answer the questions. Everyone was staring at her waiting for an answer. "Well, those who can''t use magic will do the physical exercise instead," Ava suggested. "By the way, may I see the students who can''t use magic?" The students who couldn''t properly use magic raised their hands, they were two people; Leon and Vincent. They were both swordsmen, and some swordsmen don''t, or rather can''t use magic in small amounts or huge ones. ''So Vince and I cannot use magic, huh? It''s kind of a shocker to find out that. I never expected this...'' (Leon) Vincent glanced at Leon with a surprised look on his face, Leon was deep in his thoughts and also surprised. He didn''t expect Vince to not have magic as yet. Their other classmates were also in shock. "Vincent Miller and Leon will just participate in the physical training only," Ava said to her students. "And the rest of you will participate in both activities!" Ava gave them a thumbs-up to show her support. That day, the students of the Class 1-F classroom did some exercises, and those who could use magic did some practice with their magic, such as: firing their best spells at some test dummies, and learning how to control their magic. Before they knew it, it was time to return to their classroom. Afterwards... Some students were lying on the ground out of breath and tired. Most of them couldn''t properly conserve their magic, so they ran out quickly. And those who could control their magic were still standing, and also Leon and Vince. "You guys need to train yourselves to conserve your magic! As a student of the Imperial Military Academy, you need to improve yourselves, and strive to be the best!" Ava encouraged the students. "(Breathing heavily) Yeah... we know, I know that we will get better," Samuel said, as he tried to catch his breath. "Ouch, everywhere is in pain!" Emma exclaimed. "I can''t feel my body. Everywhere is in pain..." "Can someone please assist with heading back to class?!" The students were in pain. "Alright! Please return to the classroom and rest up, I''ll be going back to the class after lunchtime." Ava said to her students. After recovering, the students returned to the classroom to have their rest. The hours flew past and the day was over. ''Today was tough! I did my training. Father, I did something on my own.'' (Leon) Chapter: 50. Meeting Daniella Leon''s Perspective... I had never expected that my duel with Karl Stuart, a noble, would spread around the academy so fast. After the duel, all of my classmates treat me like a hero for beating a high-ranking noble such as Karl Stuart. After the duel, my quiet life in the academy disappeared instantly. After the duel, I feel like a popular character in anime who people admire or despise... But thank god for my older siblings James and Alexandra, and my younger sister Sophie for having my back in the academy. Ah, and also my classmates and friends, they''re quite cool! If it weren''t for their support I wouldn''t have made it. But luckily Brandon and Father didn''t find out about the duel... but knowing about Noble society I wouldn''t be surprised if they found out from one of the parents of the other children. The other students keep approaching me and asking me about the duel. Mostly, girls, I guess winning a duel against a noble comes with its perks... and also disadvantages. Ever since I defeated Karl I have been getting strange looks from the rich-looking students, As if they didn''t expect someone like me to beat him so easily. Luckily they don''t know my true identity as the third son of Sylvester Blaze, or else I would be dealing with a bunch of people who only care about making connections with other high-ranking Nobles to secure a "good future". I know that not all Nobles are like that, but the amount of the ones who are willing to use others to accomplish their dreams is more numerous, and that made me skeptical. Right now Samuel, Keith, and I are heading to school, with the eyes of the other students on me. It wasn''t a new thing for me, so I was keeping my cool. But I don''t know about Samuel and Keith. It feels like only I alone have received any attention after the duel... "You guys want to hang out later on?" I asked both of them "I don''t mind. But I think my class will be having special training. But I will see if we can hang out though." Keith informed Samuel and me about his plans. "Which class are you in again?" I asked Keith. "Umm, Class Class 1-S, sane one as Sophie Blaze....?" Keith replied to Samuel''s question, not knowing why he was being asked such a question. Samuel turned around to face me and Keith didn''t react to my question. Did I ask something wrong? If not, then why is Samuel looking at me like that? "I don''t know about that...I think I have to stay back in class today. But I will let you know if anything changes!" Keith tried to explain. "Ah, it''s all good, Keith. If you''re busy we can reschedule for another day when we''re all free. " I said, trying to assure him that everything was fine. "Are you sure? Because I don''t want to ruin the vibe or anything. " "Hahaha, you don''t have to worry about anything, dude! Leon and I are cool with that!" Samuel laughed and started Patting him on his back. I just nodded in agreement with Samuel. But I can''t shake off this strange feeling... "Thanks, you guys are the best! I promise I''ll make it up to you guys!" Keith said. After that, we continued to walk to school, with all of the other student''s eyes on me. Why are they staring at me alone? I mean, although I grew up with the spotlight on me, I don''t know how to handle the pressure that comes with fame. Sophie, I hope you are doing alright and have reunited with your childhood best friend Daniella.... as for me, I''m dealing with the consequences of dueling with a noble. "Isn''t that the peasant boy who defeated Karl Stuart, a noble?" "Yeah, but I heard that they didn''t complete their duel. And they were interrupted by the Student Body Council and the Disciplinary Committee." "It''s such a shame that Karl Stuart didn''t get to settle the duel..." "Yeah..." The students were talking about me, or rather about the duel between Karl and me. It didn''t make any sense that they were talking about the duel that had already happened. We continued to walk to our classes, talking and making jokes with each other. When Samuel and I made it to our classroom, we entered and sat down in our seats. My classmates were sitting in their seats and talking among themselves. I don''t know what, but today everybody seems to be quiet for some reason. Leon''s Perspective ends... The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. "Good morning, everyone." Leon greeted his classmates who were caught up in their conversations. "Morning..." Samuel greeted all so. After Leon and Samuel entered the classroom and walked to their seats and sat down. They didn''t know why their classmates were behaving in such a strange manner. usually, the class was filled with the laughter of the students and the carefreeness of their classmates, so noticing the quietness of the class made both of them feel somewhat surprised and skeptical. A pin could drop in the classroom and you''d be able to hear it, that''s how quiet the classroom was. Leon was taken aback by the quietness of the classroom. And Samuel was caught off guard by their behavior. "Hey, I think something''s wrong with the others..." Samuel leaned over and whispered to him. "Huh... what do you mean?" Leon asked, puzzled by what Samuel had said. "You know, " he paused thinking about what to say next. "I mean, everyone is acting weird. Don''t you realize? Today everybody is quiet, unlike the other days." Leon nodded in agreement with Samuel. He couldn''t understand why everybody was behaving strangely Today.... to him, everything was weird. The atmosphere of the classroom was filled with awkwardness between the entire classroom. The students were quiet and spoke between themselves. That had made them stand out among the other classes, with most of the students being in disbelief at the fact that they were quiet for once. It was a once-in-a-while opportunity to see Class 1-F be quiet for once. So in the end, no teachers were not forced to supervise them. Samuel suddenly got up and decided to approach a random person from his class and ask him about the sudden quietness. "Yo, what''s the matter?" Samuel asked. "And why are you guys so quiet this Friday?!" "W, well," He hesitated to answer Samuel''s question. "From what I''ve heard Miss Ava plans for us to have a mock duel with some Adventurers..." "Eh?" Samuel couldn''t believe that his classmates were frightened to fight with some probably weak F-rank adventurers. That had made him angry with his classmates. "Why are you afraid of some low-level Adventurers? It''s kind of pathetic." Samuel said mockingly. ''They are probably making a fuss about some low-level Adventurers... what''s so special about them that all my classmates have suddenly become scared?'' (Samuel) Leon kept staring at the commotion that was taking place in front of him. He was paying close attention to what Samuel was doing. He felt like Samuel was blowing things out of proportion and thought that he was doing too much for someone who was asking questions. "If you don''t know what you''re talking about, it''s for the best if you keep your mouth shut." Scott sternly warned him. "These Adventurers are top class and are the best in their profession. There''s no way in hell we''re going to win against them." Another student chimed in. Samuel heaved a sigh of frustration at the fact that his classmates were giving up, and went back to his seat feeling somewhat angry. He was mumbling something to himself as he sat in his seat. "I can''t believe these guys...." "Are you okay, dude? I think you need to calm down." Leon asked with concern in his voice. "Yeah, I''m just thinking about what that guy just said," Samuel replied to Leon''s question. "I think you went too far with that one. You should have asked about it alone." Leon cautioned him. "Yeah, yeah." Leon and Samuel continued to talk with each other about other stuff, while everyone else continued to sit in sorrow because of the news they''d heard. Suddenly Leon got up from his seat and Samuel and all of his classmates were staring at him with confusion. But Leon was too deep in his thoughts to notice that. ''I''m probably going to the washroom by the time Miss Ava arrives to class.... this class is too boring and too depressing. What am I going to do now...?'' (Leon) ''There is nothing to do in the academy other than waiting in class for Miss Ava...'' "What are you doing, Leon? Is everything alright?" Samuel asked. "Hey, where are you going?" Emma asked him when she saw him getting up. His other classmates follow up with their own questions. "Nowhere, I want to use the restroom. You don''t have to worry." Leon proceeded to leave the classroom. He found himself walking out down the empty corridor. He came across an instructor, but he didn''t say anything to him other than the usual greeting. ''Sighs.... today feels weird somehow. To be honest, as long it doesn''t affect me in any way I don''t care...''(Leon) Meanwhile, in the female restroom, a young girl had just finished washing her hands and was about to open the door to exit. After coming out from the female restroom, she saw a familiar face heading toward her. "Huh... he looks like Sophie...." The boy had the same features as her best friend Sophie, but their mannerisms were different. While Sophie had the elegance of a noble, that boy was just like any other commoner. Leon continued to walk confidently down the corridor, he saw her. To him, the individual looked like his twin sister''s best friend, whom she wanted to reunite with. As they passed each other, their eyes met and they greeted each other. Since that was the only reasonable thing to do for two strangers. "Hey, good morning ." Daniella greeted. "Morning..." They both stopped and turned around to face each other. Staring at each other. "Haven''t we met before?" Leon asked, trying to start up a conversation. "Probably. I usually talked with plenty of people in the academy," She responded to the boy''s question. "Ah, sorry I must have gotten you mixed up with someone else," Leon apologized to the elven girl. ''Well, I must have gotten confused her with another person... she does have the same appearance as the girl I met at the station.'' (Leon) "So, are you heading back to your class?" Leon asked. The girl with Elven features nodded in response to his question, she had a confused expression on her face. She didn''t have any clue of what he was talking about. "Ah, I''m Leon, what about you?" Leon introduced himself to the elvish girl who looked like a dark elf. "My name is Daniella, it''s a pleasure to meet you again." She also introduced herself. They shook hands. "Oh, you were the guy I met at the train station! I thought you had also forgotten about it." Daniella said. "Yes! Leon exclaimed. "I think we should go out this weekend, if you''re okay with it." ''Oh, did I just ask out a girl for the first time? I wouldn''t have dreamt of asking out a girl in my previous life!'' (Leon) Daniella didn''t expect to run into someone she met only once, she was caught off guard by their sudden interaction. "You know, if you forgot you should have said so," She said coldly. "But we can go out this weekend." Leon was happy that she had accepted to go out with him for the weekend. Meanwhile, the girl didn''t know how to handle the situation that she was facing. They eventually went their separate way, Daniella proceeded to walk to her classroom while Leon continued to the restroom. Chapter 51. Greetings from a Mysterious Leader. The classroom buzzed with anticipation as the students of students eyed the mysterious people standing before them. Five figures, cloaked in dark robes and bearing a range of weapons and magical artifacts, stood in front of the room, their expressions inscrutable. Whispers fitted through the room like restless birds. "Who are they?" A student whispered. "Adventurers, I bet. Don''t you see their swords?" Another replied. Ava, seated quietly at the teacher''s desk, observed the scene unfolding before her with a mix of disbelief and calm detachment. Her fingers drummed lightly on the wooden surface of the desk, betraying a hint of nervous energy despite her composed exterior. The room''s tension was palpable, and Ava¡¯s usually serene expression seemed almost out of place amidst the students'' chattering and the imposing presence of the mysterious group. Her eyes, however, remained fixed on the strangers, reflecting a deeper curiosity beneath her calm facade. The tallest of the group stepped forward, lowering his hood to reveal a stern face marked by a single scar running down his cheek. His eyes, a cold shade of blue, swept across the room, silencing the Whispers. "My name is Valek," he said, his voice calm yet edged with a stern authoritythat commande attention. "Today, we are here to prepare you for the real world. Beyond the protective barriers lies a place filled with danger at every turn¡ª monsters, bandits, and things far worse awaits you in the shadows." His gaze swept across the room, as if daring anyone to doubt his words, the weight of his warning settling over the students like a heavy cloak. ''I''m surprised that he had gotten the classroom quiet,'' Ava thought as he observed Valek in action. ''With one single stare he managed to calm the class.'' ''I''m shocked that the students wasn''t overwhelmed by Valek''s aura, most people would have freaked out just by his appearance.'' One of the cloaked figures thought to themselves, watching their leader talk with the students. "So, your class teacher had invited us today to train you to master in your various skills and talents." Valek explained, his eyes scanning the room, as if he was making an assessment on each individual students'' potential. No one dared to speak when the mysterious man''s voice echoed through the room¨C an unspoken tension gripped the air. Some students exchanged wide-eye glances, their surprise evident in the way their hands froze mid-gesture or the nervous way how their seats shuffled. Others, however, leaned forward, their eyes glinting with barely concealed excitement. The thought of facing an actual Adventuring party had set their hearts racing, a spark of anticipation flickering in the room. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. The clench of fists, and tightening of jawlines¡ª it was clear for some, the chance to prove to themselves against real danger was far more thrilling than any class lessons could offer. Scott who sat in his seat, clenched his fists in excitement, his eyes beaming with determination and the will to prove himself, he stood up and slowly raised his hand, his heart beating heavily in his chest. "What is it, young man?" Valek asked, ensuring about the reasons for him standing. With each word escaping his mouth weighing heavily in the air. "You stand up, so what is it you want to say?" Scott clenched his fists, wiping his damp hands on his pants. His breath hitched as his eyes darted between the mysterious cloaked figures and the desk in front of him. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, louder with each passing second. "I-I..." The words stuck in his throat, refusing to come. His eyes shifted nervously. "Uh, what exactly is our training with you?" Scott sat down after he asked Valek his question, his heart pounding heavily, and trembling. "You''ll find soon enough, " Valek replied, a malevolent smile curling at the corners of his lips. "What do you mean ''you''ll find out soon enough''?" A student asked, frustrated by the answer given to them by Valek. "You can''t show up out of the blue and not explain to us!" Another chimed in. Tension crackled in the air between the mysterious cloaked figures and the students. Although no one spoke, the heaviness of the atmosphere was palpable. Ava sat at her table, her eyes widened ad Valek''s commanding presence seemed to tame the chaos among the 1-F students. Around her, the usual noise of resistance and defiance was replaced by the uneasy silence. That was a once in a while occurrence. "Before we proceed, are there any students absenttoday?" Valek asked, his calculating eyes sweeping over the room. "If not, we''ll proceed with the introduction of the other members." "Uh, sir," Samuel raised his hand, his eyes fixed on Valek. "A boy named Leon isn''t here." ''Ah, where is Leon, though? I''ve never seen him in class when I entered with Valek and his party.'' Ava thought, as she watched on. "If he fails to show up today, he wouldn''t be getting his full marks on this term''s exam," Valek replied coldly to Samuel. "An exam? I have never heard of such!" Alexis exclaimed. "Miss Ava didn''t inform us about an exam?!" Emma also chimed in. Suddenly, all eyes¡ªboth the mysterious figures and the students¡ªshifted toward the classroom door. There stood a shabby-looking boy with silver-white hair, dressed in a navy blue blazer and a white shirt. His breathing was heavy, and his disheveled appearance did little to command attention. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± the boy said, his voice barely above a whisper. ¡°I was using the washroom!¡± A murmur of suppressed amusement rippled through the room, the tension momentarily broken by his unexpected entrance. Valek¡¯s gaze remained unreadable as he turned back to the class, a subtle smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Chapter 52: The Introduction of the Cloaked figures! Valek''s eyes narrowed as he approached the boy, his steps measured and deliberate. The room seemed to hold its breath as Valek''s face inched closer to the boy''s, his gaze piercing and unyielding. "Who are you?" He demanded, his voice low but cold. "Is this class where you belong?" ''Why is this guy acting so intense? And what¡¯s with these cloaked people in the room?'' Leon thought, doing everything to avoid looking directly at the towering figure before him. ''There¡¯s something weird about them, especially the one grilling me.'' "Uhh, my name is Leon, sir,¡± the boy stammered, his voice trembling. He avoided Valek¡¯s gaze, his fingers nervously twisting the hem of his blazer. "Where have you been all this time?" Valek asked, his eyes narrowing, and his voice stern with authority. Leon shifted uncomfortably under Valek''s gaze, feeling a mixture of confusion and frustration. He had just explained himself once before¨C but it seemed as though his words had vanished into thin air. "I already told you, " Leon said, his voice more hesitant than he intended. "I was in the washroom." Valek''s eyes narrowed further, clearly unimpressed by Leon''s answer. "Do you think that''s a good enough reason? Your excuse is pathetic." Leon opened his mouth, trying to say something but stopped. Something about Valek''s tone suggested this wasn''t just about being late. He could sense an undercurrent of something deeper¨Cexpectation, maybe even disappointment. "I''m not trying to make excuses, sir," Leon replied, trying to maintain his calm. "But I''m here now, and I''m ready to get started." Valek stared at him for a long moment before finally nodding, his expression softening just a little. "Let''s hope your actions speak louder than your words." As Valek stepped aside, Leon took the opportunity to walk toward his seat. He could feel his classmates¡¯ eyes boring into him, their curiosity and judgment palpable. Whispers crept through the room, quiet but impossible to ignore. Each step felt heavier than the last, weighed down by the speculation swirling around him. ''Why is everyone acting like this?'' Leon thought as he sat down, his back straight despite the murmurs. ''There¡¯s definitely something off about all of this...'' "Where was I before I interrupted?" Valek asked. "Ah, my party''s introduction." At that moment, all the cloaked figures stepped forward and removed their hoods. Getting the attention of the students. "Eryndor, the rogue of the party, nice to meet you." He bowed after he introduced himself. Eryndor Stormshadow ¨C A swift and agile rogue, known for his mastery of stealth and daggers. His long black hair often falls loosely over his sharp, pale features, while his violet eyes gleam with a cunning intelligence. His lithe, shadowy presence allows him to move silently through the darkest corners, making him both elusive and dangerous. Eryndor¡¯s cold demeanor and mysterious past add to his air of unpredictability. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. The students observed the mysterious figures as they introduced themselves to the class, curiosity filled the room. Ava continued to sit at her desk, allowing Valek and his party to take control of the class. "Hey there! I''m Kael Thundershield, the paladin of the party!" Kael waved after he introduced himself, with a smile on his face. Kael Thundershield ¨C As the human paladin of the group, Kael is a towering figure of strength and righteousness. His broad shoulders and muscular build speak to years of rigorous training and divine service. His armor, gleaming with intricate symbols of protection and justice, reflects his unwavering commitment to his cause. Kael¡¯s face is framed by a mane of short, golden hair, and his clear blue eyes radiate both compassion and resolve. His presence is both reassuring and formidable, and his voice carries the calm authority of someone who has dedicated his life to defending others. His warm smile and friendly demeanor are as much a part of his character as his divine powers, making him a beloved protector and a stalwart ally in any battle. And finally, the last two members of the party stepped forward. And with confident grins, they introduced themselves to the class one after the other. "Now since we''re done with the pleasantries," Valek said, a smug smirk tugging at the corners of his lips, "It''s time for us to begin your training." Murmurs filled the room after Valek''s announcement, as the students exchanged curious whispers. The once-quiet classroom buzzed with anticipation. "I wonder what kind of training he has planned for us?" One student whispered. "I''m curious too! It''s been ages since our last training session!" Another chimed in, gleaming with excitement. Emma couldn''t resist adding her thoughts to the conversation. "You don''t mean that disastrous VR training, do you?" "That''s Irrelevant!" One of the students replied to Emma, embarrassed. Ava leaned back, her shoulders relaxing as a deep sigh escaped her lips. The tense knot in her chest began to unwind, and she gazed absently at the floor, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. The corners of her mouth twitched with a mixture of anxiety and excitement as she mentally pieced together the next steps of her plan, the weight of what was yet to come settling heavily on her shoulders. The students found themselves in one of the academy¡¯s sprawling training grounds. The arena stretched out before them, a vast expanse of hard-packed earth bordered by high wooden fences. Sunlight blazed down from a cloudless sky, casting long shadows and heating the ground until it shimmered. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and dust, and the occasional clank of metal on metal echoed across the field. To one side, a series of wooden dummies stood in various states of wear, their straw-filled bodies bearing the marks of countless practice sessions. Nearby, a set of training obstacles¡ªmock walls, ropes, and balance beams¡ªchallenged the students¡¯ agility and strength. The distant sound of running water from a nearby fountain offered a brief respite from the heat, its gentle splash contrasting sharply with the intense training ahead. The sun¡¯s relentless heat seemed to amplify the tension in the air, making every movement and sound more pronounced as the students prepared themselves for the rigorous session that lay ahead. "Gather around, students!" Valek¡¯s voice rang out, echoing across the expansive training field. ¡°Today marks the beginning of your true preparation. You will push your limits and test your abilities like never before. Remember, every challenge you face here will shape your future. So, prepare yourselves, for what comes next will demand everything you have. Now, let¡¯s get started!¡± Chapter 53. Our Training Begins! Leon''s Perspective: I stood outside on one of the Academy¡¯s sprawling training grounds, the kind that stretched so far you couldn¡¯t see where it ended. The field was meant for first-years like us, but today felt different. Uneasy. The group of Adventurers who¡¯d shown up out of nowhere loomed over us, watching our every move. I could feel their gazes, sharp and assessing, like they were waiting for us to screw up. Miss Ava stood off to the side, her usual calm self, but it was the man next to her¡ªValek¡ªthat made my skin prickle. He didn¡¯t say much, just stared at us with this cold, calculating look. What was he even doing here? I don''t like this. I didn¡¯t like how quiet it was, or how Miss Ava kept throwing glances at Valek like they shared some kind of secret. Something was about to happen. I just didn¡¯t know what. My classmates¡¯ spirits were high, their eyes burning with determination. I could almost feel the energy buzzing between us, like we were all standing on the edge of something big. The air was thick with tension, heavier than usual, as both my classmates and the Adventurers readied themselves for whatever was about to come next. "To be honest, I really don''t care too much for this training," I murmured underneath my breath. "I have already been through enough with the duel with Karl Stuart." "Huh?" My classmate, Samuel, turned to face me, his hazel eyes filled with concern. "What did you just say, dude?" I hadn¡¯t meant to speak loud enough for anyone to hear, least of all Samuel. Great. Just what I needed¡ªsomeone to start worrying about me. I forced a shrug, trying to play it off, but deep down, that duel with Karl had taken more out of me than I wanted to admit. My body was still sore in places I didn¡¯t even know could hurt. But more than that, I was tired. "It''s nothing," I said, waving him off. "Just thinking out loud. This training? It''s kind of pointless after what I went through with Karl." Samuel frowned, clearly not convinced. "You sure, man? You¡¯ve been off since that duel." "Yeah," I almost whispered in response to Samuel. Samuel didn¡¯t push further, but his voice softened as he looked ahead. "Don¡¯t be shy about talking to me, alright? I¡¯m here if you need it." The murmurs and scattered conversations came to an abrupt halt when Valek stepped forward, his presence commanding attention without saying a single word. He didn¡¯t need to shout or raise his voice¡ªjust the way he carried himself made it clear he was in charge. "Listen up," Valek''s voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and cold. "I don''t care how tough you think you are or what you''ve been through until now. None of it matters here." His eyes scanned the group, lingering on each one of us as if he could see straight through our Bravado. "Today¡¯s training is not a test you can afford to fail," he continued, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "We¡¯ll be pushing you harder than anything you¡¯ve faced in the classroom. I suggest you keep up." He paused for a moment, letting the weight of his words sink in. The tension around us only grew thicker, the air practically crackling with anticipation. "You¡¯ve got five minutes to get yourselves ready," he added, stepping back. "Don¡¯t waste it." None of us dared to speak and when about preparing themselves for whatever they have in store for us. No one touched the old, wooden swords which seemed like they hadn''t been used in decades, other than me and another student named Vincent. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I glanced over at Vincent as he picked up one of the old swords without hesitation. His movements were smooth, practiced, like he¡¯d done this a hundred times before. He wasn¡¯t the kind to draw attention to himself, but there was something about the way he handled the weapon that made me take notice. Vincent didn¡¯t talk much in class, and I couldn¡¯t remember the last time we¡¯d had a real conversation. But in moments like this, it was clear¡ªhe wasn¡¯t like the others. He was deliberate. Focused. I wondered if he felt the same tension that was gnawing at the rest of us or if he was just better at hiding it. Either way, I had a feeling Vincent wasn¡¯t someone you¡¯d want to underestimate. This could be a good way to see how good he is with the sword... At least I''m not the only one who can''t properly use magic... I kept watching Vincent, who held his sword as if it were nothing special, while Valek looked at us with mild interest, not bothering to hide a smirk. My other classmates stood still, unmoved like statues standing in a grand garden or in a castle, whispers buzzing in the air around us. I caught snippets of their conversation¨C excitement about the Adventurers, awe at Vincent''s impressive sword skills, and speculation of what we were facing next. Their chatter felt distant, a stark contrast to the tension that coiled within me. The gazes from our classmates pierced through the air, fixated on Vincent and me. I heaved a heavy sigh and joined my classmates, along with Vincent. Samuel remained quiet after I joined them, his usual smirk replaced with a tense silence. He stood tall, facing the Adventurers with an unspoken challenge hanging in the air. The others shuffled nervously, the anticipation thick enough to feel like it was weighing us down. "I can see that you''re all fully prepared," Valek said, his sharp gaze cutting through the crowd. His eyes lingered over all of us, sizing us up, calculating. "But remember, this is no classroom drill. This text is designed to push you to your absolute limits!" His voice boomed across the training grounds, echoing off the walls like a warning. Suddenly, the whispers died down, leaving only the tense silence hanging in the air. We all froze, standing at attention as if time itself had stopped. My classmates exchanged nervous glances, their eyes darting between each other and Valek¡¯s imposing figure. His party stood like shadows behind him, their expressions unreadable, but their presence alone made the air feel heavier. "Listen up!" Valek stepped forward, his boots thudding against the ground like thunder. He stood before us, his gaze piercing through the group. "I want all of you who can wield magic effectively to stand in front of the women in my party." His voice boomed, like it carried the weight of the world. The earth almost seemed to tremble at his words, or maybe it was just our fear. "The rest of you, those without magic, stand in front of the paladin," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for hesitation. The class hesitated for a moment before slowly separating. My classmates, all capable of magic, moved quickly to stand in front of the women. They murmured to each other, their eyes full of anxiety, but focused on the task at hand. I watched them forming up, magic already sparking faintly in the air around them. All of them could use magic. All of them, except for me and Vincent. Vincent gave me a sidelong glance, his expression neutral but his eyes betraying a flicker of annoyance. He hated standing out for this reason. With a resigned sigh, I gave him a slight nod, and together, we stepped forward. The paladin¡ªSir Kael¡ªstood before us, smiling broadly as if we were old friends meeting on a sunny day. His armor gleamed, and despite the seriousness of the moment, there was a warmth in his eyes. He clasped his hands together in a welcoming gesture. "Ah, don''t worry, lads! We¡¯ve got this," he said, his voice rich with kindness. "Stand strong, and leave the rest to me.¡± He gave us a reassuring wink, the complete opposite of the stoic warriors you''d expect. His demeanor was calm, almost cheerful, which did help to ease some of the tension, though the nervous energy still lingered. Vincent raised an eyebrow but didn¡¯t say anything. I couldn¡¯t help but feel a small sense of relief. Being the only ones without magic was one thing, but at least the person standing behind us was as solid as they came¡ªboth in skill and spirit. "Just like old times, huh?" Vincent muttered, though there was still that touch of bitterness in his voice. I smirked, trying to match Sir Kael''s energy. "Yeah, let¡¯s hope it works out just as well. " ''I feel like this is the beginning of a brand new journey as a student... I can''t wait to see where this takes me!'' I thought, my eyes gleamed with determination. I clenched my fists, not out of anger but from excitement. Deep down in my stomach, I felt like this day will be different from the others¨C a stark contrast to days sitting in the classroom and doing nothing productive. End of Leon''s Perspective. To Be Continued Chapter 54. The students had been standing in the Academy¡¯s sprawling training grounds for 30 minutes, the sun beating down on them mercilessly. The air was thick with tension, so heavy it felt like it could cut like a blade. Nervous glances passed between some of the students, while others stood rigid, eyes forward, determined not to show any weakness. The sound of clanking weapons and armor from nearby training sessions only heightened the uneasy silence. Each student knew that whatever was about to happen would test them in ways they hadn''t imagined. Valek stood in front of the students, his sharp gaze sweeping over them with a calculating look, like a seasoned general surveying his troops before a big battle. His posture was rigid, hands clasped behind his back, exuding an air of authority that made the students stand even straighter. To them, this was no ordinary training¡ª it was war. Every shift from his eyes felt like he was sizing them up, deciding who would survive or who would falter. The silence deepened as they waited, muscles tense, for whatever challenge Valek was about to throw their way. Whispers buzzed in the air, tension thick as the students waited for Valek to address them. Leon and Vincent stood in front of the paladin, and the rest of the class stood in front of the women\mages of Valek''s party. Valek stood confidently in front of the students, his sharp gaze sweeping over the students. Each student there had something to prove, but the Adventurers made it even more difficult to prove themselves as students of the Military Academy. ''I have to prove myself to one day become the greatest magician in the Empire!'' Samuel clenched his fists, his eyes burning with the flames of determination, excited to test the magician''s power. ''I don''t want to depend on my family''s influence to move up the ranks and raise my Star Count. I''ll have to prove myself as a reliable swordsman,'' Leon''s eyes fell upon the practice sword he held in his hand, his emotions, thoughts, and feelings, and his responsibilities weighing heavily on his shoulders. "I can see that you''re all finished," Valek said, his sharp gaze counting each student. "Well done! The true reason why I had you separated into two groups is because I want to observe your ability as a team." He continued, his voice cutting through the air, his gaze set on Leon and Vincent. The students tensed up with every word Valek spoke, the heightened tension in the air was thick, and each student had a determined look on their faces. None were more excited than the students who faced the paladin. ''This is the time to prove myself against the paladin,'' Vincent thought, his face beaming with an unfounded determination. ''This will be the toughest training I''ve done.'' Each student came to the academy with their dreams and ambitions, some seeking glory, others redemption, and a few simply hoping for a stable future. Letting a group of Adventurers scare or pressure them would only betray those goals. Some student clenched their fists, standing their ground, while others shifted uncomfortably, the weight of their reasons holding them steady but uneasy. But none of them had come this far just to give up now. ¡°Each of you will duel the one in front of you,¡± Valek¡¯s voice was icy. ¡°Go one-on-one, or, if you¡¯re desperate, team up. I¡¯d like to see you try,¡± he added, a smirk creeping onto his face. Leon glanced over at Vincent, seeing the determined look on Vincent''s face assured him. No matter the odds, Leon felt like he could overcome anything with his skills with the sword. "Will anyone step forward?" Valek asked, his voice dripping with a hint of arrogance. "If you want to show your strength, now is the time," he continued, his eyes scanning the student''s every move like a hawk, waiting for its prey.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The tension ran high, the students and Adventurers standing in the scorching sun that felt like the summertime. Ava stood behind Valek, her expression unreadable, but the students could tell that she was having fun in their despair. But they know that they''ll have to fight either way. "All right, then." Alexis stepped forward, her back straight and chin slightly raised, exuding the confidence expected of her lineage. Yet, her hands betrayed a faint tremor, quickly clenched into fists as she steadied herself. Each step was deliberate, her polished boots striking the floor with a rhythmic cadence that echoed her determination. The weight of her family''s legacy pressed down on her shoulders, but she squared them, refusing to let it show. ''Though my magic is meant for healing, I can still try something. I have to put up a fight!'' (Alexis) "Alexis Bloomberg, huh..." Valek pondered, his sharp gaze focused on Alexis. ''I''ve received a list from Ava, which contains the names of all of her students and their abilities. And this girl is a healer....why is she fighting?'' (Valek) "I''ll challenge you to prove myself!" Alexis proclaimed, her eyes gleaming with determination, as she pointed her fingers toward the Adventurers, confidence exuding from her body. "Hmph, I''ll defeat you, even without offensive magic!" Silence filled the air after Alexis spoke, all eyes were set on her. Some of her classmates shifted uncomfortably, while others had determined looks on their faces, ready to prove themselves. The Adventurers were left speeches after Alexis spoke. "All right, since Alexis is ready to fight," Scott, her classmate stepped up beside her, punching his fists together, a grin creeping onto his face. "Then I''ll also fight to prove myself. It wouldn''t be fair to leave all of the fun for one person, hehe!" The rest of her classmates also stepped forward with a newfound confidence, to show support for their classmates, who gave them the motivation to stand up to the Adventurers. Leon and Vincent still remained in front of the paladin, who had a welcoming smile on his face. "Don¡¯t worry, young ones, our fight will be soon!" The paladin said to Leon and Vincent, his smile as an assurance. Leon laughed nervously, his posture betrayed the confidence he once had. Vincent shrugged, his posture rigid, still filled with confidence. The two mages who were still hooded stepped forward, facing off with the students. The heightened tension only grew thicker as they faced each other off. "Before you begin, I would like to make some things clear, " Valek said, his voice making the students calm down. "Since there are eight of you to fight the mages, you''ll split up, four each!" Valek''s voice echoed throughout the training grounds. "Since they are two mages, you can fight them four on two each," he continued. "They can handle whatever you throw their way!" Valek added. The students started separating themselves, standing in front of the two cloaked individuals, the tension almost boiling over. Leon and Vincent remained standing in front of Kael, the paladin. With every shift and movement from the students only heightened the tension. "Are you serious?" A student asked, breaking the silence. "That will be an easy task!" He continued, a smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Don¡¯t you dare underestimate the strength of the students of Class 1-F!" Alexis proclaimed, her posture straight, carrying the authority of her lineage. The Group Selection: First Team: Emma, Alice, Scott, and Alexis. Second Team: Samuel, Levi, Ken, and Claire. The two teams were ready for the upcoming fight, facing the two cloaked individuals¨C some confident while others shifted nervously. The atmosphere was thick with tension and the training sessions and clanking weapons and armor from the other training grounds only heightened the tension. "Now, since you all are fully prepared," Valek said, his voice a little softened. "You may begin." One of the cloaked figures stepped forward, her movements deliberate and steady. Her face was shadowed beneath the hood, but her presence radiated an undeniable confidence. Slowly, she reached up, her fingers brushing the edge of the fabric, and pulled it back. The hood slipped away, revealing her face¡ªa mask of calm determination that made it impossible to read her thoughts. Yet, there was no mistaking the quiet power she exuded. The hood slipped away, revealing her striking teal-colored hair, cascading like shimmering waves over her shoulders. Her eyes, sharp and observant, held an almost ethereal glow that hinted at her mastery of magic. Intricate markings trailed faintly along her temples, barely visible but brimming with arcane energy. Though her expression remained calm, there was no mistaking the quiet power she carried¡ªit was the presence of a mage who had walked the fine line between wisdom and destruction. "What the..." "She did it," Valek murmured to himself. "What''s happening?" Chapter 55. Whispers buzzed in the air, the students and Adventurers whispering about what happened. An awkward silence filled the air on the training grounds. Her party members were in disbelief. She was never the type of person who would open up to strangers; she was a reclusive person¡ªher hood was a barrier from the world. "I never thought she''d show her face," Valek said, still in confusion. "Especially to students. That''s unlike her..." "I know, she''s usually reserved and keeps to herself," Eryndor, the party''s rogue said, also in disbelief. "That''s strange of her... maybe she found potential in this class?" He added, chuckling. The sudden events took aback the students. It was a surprise, of course, but they didn''t know what to do in response. All they know, they''ll have to fight the two mages either way. Their chances of winning are slim, but there is still a small chance. "I''m Zena, nice to meet you," she introduced herself to the students. "I''ll be the one to fight first, please don''t hold back!" She added, bowing afterwards. Zena reached her hand into her cloak, and took out a small wand, with a small crystal on the top. The student''s eyes followed her every move. Emma, Alice, and Alexis stepped forward, forming a line in front of Zena, their eyes burning with determination. The air around them seemed to crackle with an unspoken challenge, thick with tension that even the onlookers could feel. Scott stood back, not wanting to get involved with anything, though he''d have to fight alongside the girls. Leon and Vincent stood off to the side, observing their classmates and the Adventurers gathered there. The paladin, ever watchful, stood silently, a faint smile playing on his lips as though he already knew how the scene would unfold. "They all seem tense for some reason," Kael murmured, his sharp gaze darting between the students and Adventurers. "Yeah, it looks like a fight''s about to break out," Leon added, leaning slightly forward in anticipation. Vincent rolled his eyes, muttering loud enough for them to hear, "You two are so clueless sometimes." Leon and Kael turned to face him, their faces filled with confusion. "Huh?" "Hey there, you don''t have to be so mean," Kael said, his face pouting. "Besides, it''s natural to get excited for a fight!" He added, smirking at him. Zena had a smile on her face, a smile her party members hadn''t seen in a while. It wasn¡¯t a forced smile, but a genuine one. It was as if she''d open up to the students, a rare occurrence to witness. "Are you ready?" Alexis asked, eying Zena the Adventurer, the air thick with tension. "These aren''t the monsters we fought in the VR world; this is a real professional," Alexis warned. Emma and Alice nodded, their resolves strong. Scott also gave an affirmative. "If there''s an opportunity to prove myself, then I won''t hold back!" Scott exclaimed, his eyes burning with determination, as he tried to control his heartbeat. They stood in front of the Adventurer Zena, filled with confidence, their postures rigid and straight. Zena had an unreadable expression on her face; no one couldn''t read her expression, not even her party members. The other students stood back, waiting in anticipation for the fight to start. Silence filled the air, as the tension grew thicker between them. "A reminder before you begin," Valek said, his voice cutting through the tension. "You''re not allowed to use any dangerous spells in the duel. Only low-level attack spells," he added, stepping back to join Ava. "Are you sure of what you''re doing?" Ava asked. "Please don''t underestimate the students; it''s not going to end well for you." Valek turned to face her, a smile on his face. "I''m not underestimating them. I''m giving them a handicap."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She sighed, holding back what she wanted to say. "Alright, if you say so... I''m just saying..." "Just relax and enjoy the fight, Ava!" "Alright," Ava finally agreed, her tone heavy with resignation. She cast a glance at the girls and Scott, their determined expressions leaving no room for doubt¡ªthey were serious about facing Zena. Reluctantly, she yielded. It was a tough decision. On one hand, she prided herself on giving her students the freedom to choose their paths, unlike the other instructors at the academy. Yet, deep down, a nagging doubt gnawed at her¡ªwas she failing them as a teacher by letting them take such risks? The other students watched with bated breath, their cheers echoing across the training grounds, cutting through the tense air. Excitement rippled through the crowd as they rooted for their classmates. Zena¡¯s eyes narrowed, her irritation unmistakable. She crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against her elbow impatiently. "Can we start already, Captain Valek?" she snapped, her voice sharp with annoyance. "I''m getting bored just standing here!" With a huff, she stretched lazily, her movements exaggerated as if to make her point. The students shared Zena''s sentiment. They had been waiting under the scorching sun for what felt like an eternity. It made no sense to stand around any longer. Valek let out a reluctant sigh, raising his hands in the air. "Alright, ready?" He asked, pausing for a moment before bringing his hands down. "Fight!" He signalled the start of the battle with a sharp hand motion. ''The fight has begun. It''ll be exciting to see everyone''s abilities,'' Leon thought, leaning forward in anticipation. His gaze narrowed on one participant. ''But that mage... she looks pretty strong.'' Zena began to chant a spell, her voice low and deliberate yet quick, each word flowing seamlessly into the next. The crystal atop her wand responded, emitting a brilliant glow that pulsed with a white-blue hue, illuminating her determined expression. The air around her changed, and her aura had become strong. The girls and Scott backed away, preparing for Zena¡¯s attack. Zena remained observed in her spell. "Is she serious?" Valek asked, his eyes narrowed on Zena. "She''s putting way too much energy into that spell!" A small water sphere materialized in the air, its surface shimmering and nearly formless as it hovered. It expanded steadily, growing larger with each surge of magic Zena poured into her wand. The orb quivered slightly before stabilizing, its size now fixed, radiating a faint, watery glow. "This can''t be good," Emma murmured, her gaze remained focused on the watery sphere, surging with magical energy. The students and Zena''s party members gazed at her magic, in amazement and anticipation of the upcoming fight. Small fragments splintered off from the glowing sphere, their edges shimmering with an ethereal light. The pieces orbited Zena in a graceful dance, forming a barrier that pulsed gently, as though alive. The sphere quickly regenerated itself, its fragments spreading out in the air like an extension of her will. Zena smirked, folding her arms. ¡°Come at me if you want. I bet you can''t touch me.¡± Her voice carried an air of both challenge and certainty, and the students hesitated, unsure if they were dealing with a mere girl or something far beyond their understanding. "I''ve never seen her this excited yet," Valek said, his focus remaining on Zena. "Ever since she joined this party, she''d been a total mystery." "I thought she was shy," Kael, the Paladin, said with a laugh as he approached Valek and Ava, Leon and Vincent following close behind. "She surprised me with her bravery!" "Hey, what are you doing here, Kael?" Valek asked, turning to face Kael. "You should be preparing. Soon it will be your turn." Kael assured Valek with a confident smile, his voice steady but carrying a faint edge of determination. "Don¡¯t worry, I''ve got this under control, Captain." Leon exchanged a glance with Vincent, their shared silence speaking louder than words. Both watched their classmates preparing for the upcoming fight, their movements precise but tinged with nervous energy. The training ground buzzed with muted tension, the clink of weapons and faint murmurs filling the air. Vincent¡¯s sharp eyes scanned the arena, assessing each fighter with practised ease. Leon, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought, his gaze distant as if contemplating the weight of the challenge ahead. Meanwhile, Scott, Emma, Alice, and Alexis stood in front of Zena, the fragmented pieces of the water sphere hovering around them, as if ready to attack. "What are we going to do?" Scott asked, panic faltering his determination. "I don''t know, but we''ll make it count," Alexis said, a little taken aback. "I- I think we can beat her if we work together," Alice said, trying to motivate her classmates. Everyone nodded, with a newfound determination. Though it will be tough to defeat the Adventurer Zena, they know they''ll have to give it their all.
Zena raised her hand, pointing her wand toward the students. Her face was unreadable, like a mask. The fragments, shattered pieces of something unknown, slowly floated toward Alexis and her team. Scott acted quickly. "Get back!" he shouted, launching a fireball at the approaching shards. The fireball hit the water spheres with a loud explosion. A thick mist spread across the training ground, cutting visibility to almost nothing. Alexis struggled to see through the fog, her heart racing. "What now?" she muttered under her breath. Scott gritted his teeth. "I can''t stop them all. They just keep coming." The fragments were relentless, their edges gleaming in the dim light. Alexis could feel the danger closing in. ''We need to stop Zena. Now.'' Chapter 56. Danger. "Watch out, everyone!" Emma stepped forward, her posture straight, her eyes burning with determination. Her fingers twitched as she summoned the power within her. With a sharp motion, she thrust her hands toward the advancing fragments of water spheres. The earth beneath her seemed to pulse in response. Small pebbles shot from the ground, crashing into the water with an explosion that sent droplets scattering in every direction. Emma¡¯s breath quickened as she watched the result unfold. A grin tugged at the corners of her lips. "Yes!" she yelled, pumping her fist into the air, the adrenaline coursing through her like wildfire. "What?" "Impossible." "It can''t be..." Valek''s eyes widened, and his jaw nearly hit the ground. His once impenetrable fa?ade cracked, exposing the disbelief and panic beneath. The raw strength of the students defied everything he thought possible. A group of first-years had countered Zena''s spells with precision and force, leaving him reeling. His breath hitched as the air around him seemed heavier, charged with residual magic. The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly as if mocking his faltering composure. Valek clenched his fists, the cool sweat on his palms betraying his rising fear. "But..." He tried to speak, but the words clung to his throat, refusing to form. His mind raced, searching for an explanation, for control, but all he could do was stand there, frozen, as the impossible unfolded before his eyes. "Zena is a strong mage," Ava said, her voice steady, like a blade honed to perfection. She turned to Valek, her piercing gaze locking onto him, and for a moment, it felt as though she could see through him, past his bravado, and into the cracks forming beneath. The air between them was heavy with tension and the weight of unspoken truths. "But she underestimated my students'' abilities," Ava continued, her tone sharp enough to cut through the thick silence. "Simple." A faint, knowing smile curved her lips, one that spoke of both pride and certainty. She turned back toward the fight, her movements graceful yet deliberate, as if she were orchestrating the scene herself. Her confidence wasn¡¯t loud or overbearing¡ªit was rooted in a deep understanding of her students and their potential. She stood tall, unshaken, her presence commanding even as chaos unfolded around them. "You see, Valek," she added, almost as an afterthought, her eyes narrowing as she watched the battle, "strength isn¡¯t just about power. It¡¯s about knowing how to wield." With a deep sigh, Valek''s shoulders dropped, the sound heavy with resignation. "I guess you''re right, Ava." Zena¡¯s eyes narrowed, and her hand gripped her wand. Her shoulders slumped, defeated. ''How could this happen? I thought they wouldn''t be able to stop all of them.'' She gritted her teeth, frustration building up with every passing second. She clenched her fists, almost breaking her wand. "This is the first time I''ve seen Zena caught off guard by an opponent''s strength," Kael murmured, his voice tinged with awe as he watched the students deflect Zena''s magic with unexpected finesse. His gaze lingered on the spell''s aftermath¡ªthe faint shimmer of residual energy dissipating into the air. "Or maybe she underestimated them," he mused, a hint of a smile on his lips. The air around him seemed lighter as he clenched his fists, determination sparking in his eyes. "Either way, I¡¯ll make sure not to repeat her mistake." Leon and Vincent stood there, their eyes locked on the arena ahead, the tension between them palpable. The air seemed heavier, charged with anticipation as their gazes flickered toward the towering figure of Kael, the paladin. His radiant armor shimmered in the light, and his ever-present smile betrayed a confidence that sent a shiver down their spines. "Are you ready?" Vincent asked, his voice steady but edged with a hint of nervous energy. Leon nodded, clenching his fists, his jaw tightening. "Ready or not, we don''t have a choice... but I won''t lose to anyone." Kael had a smile on his face, his posture relaxed and unbothered. The air was tinged with a thick tension, so heavy it felt like it could suffocate everyone present. The training ground seemed to hold its breath, the faint hum of magic crackling in the atmosphere as the dust settled. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Zena stood firm amidst the chaos, her sharp eyes focused and unyielding. She began chanting in a low, resonant tone, each word dripping with power and intent. The crystal atop her ornate wand began to glow, a fiery red light that pulsed in rhythm with her incantation. Heat radiated from the gem, distorting the air around it as if a blaze was about to erupt from within. Her voice grew louder, commanding the energy to bend to her will. Sparks flickered and danced along the edges of her wand, illuminating her determined expression. Everyone around her could feel the impending eruption of power; their breath caught in anticipation of what would come next. "What the... is she using a spell like that?" Eryndor whispered, a panicked look on his face. "Kael, put up a barrier to protect the students!" Valek ordered, his voice steady. Kael gently rested his giant sword on the floor, raising his hands in the air, his tone controlled. "Shield." As Kael¡¯s hands lifted, a soft golden light began to radiate from his palms, expanding outward like ripples on a still pond. The glow coalesced into a shimmering barrier, translucent yet solid, humming with divine energy. Intricate patterns of runes and symbols danced across its surface, glowing faintly as if alive with purpose. The shield emitted a warm, calming aura, its edges gleaming with a sharp, ethereal brilliance, forming a protective dome around him. Each flicker of light seemed to resonate with Kael''s controlled breathing, a testament to his unwavering focus and mastery. A small flame sparked at the top of the crystal, growing brighter and hotter with every little magic Zena poured into her wand. The air around her seemed to burst with magical energy. "Let''s see if you can stop my fire spell," Zena said, her face edged with calmness. "Zena, wait..." The other female mage, who hadn''t revealed herself, hopelessly reached out her hand as if trying to stop Zena. ''Is she going to harm the students? She''s taking the duel seriously.'' Valek thought, his mind racing to figure out what could have happened to Zena. "Zena... what are you doing?" Valek muttered under his breath. The small gathering crowd around them was silent, watching the duel unfold. The Class 1-F students, once excited by the prospect of fighting S-rank Adventurers, now sat frozen in a mix of awe and fear. Zena¡¯s aura was different today¡ªintense and unrelenting. Valek¡¯s memories of their countless adventures together surfaced, each one showcasing her unwavering kindness, her loyalty to the team, and her fiery yet controlled spirit. This wasn¡¯t the Zena he knew. She had always been fierce in combat, but this was something else. It was like witnessing someone different speaking with the students. ''What''s happening to you, Zena?'' The other magician thought, stepping forward defensively to protect the students. ''It''s unlikely that you''d be so reckless, Zena.'' The fireball hovered over her wand, the air around her practically radiating with magical energy. The flames expanded, growing larger into a huge fireball that seemed to engulf Zena in its intense flames. The other students stood behind Kael''s barrier, their faces painted with panic as Zena''s fire spell expanded slowly and steadily. The barrier kept most of the heat at bay as the flames intensified. Without any hesitation, Zena released the fire magic, her expression unreadable. The students froze up as the fire spell crept closer. Ava and the other Adventurers defensively stood before the students, their faces tinged with concern and fear. ''What is Zena doing?'' Valek thought, his sharp gaze darting between the students and the dangers of the fire spell released by Zena. ''Doesn''t she know how dangerous such a massive spell could be?'' The fireball crashed into the barrier, sending spiderweb-like cracks racing across its surface, threatening to shatter it at any moment. The students exchanged uneasy glances, tension thick in the air. Some shifted uncomfortably, their hearts pounding like war drums, while others forced themselves to stand tall¡ªyet fear flickered in their eyes, betraying their facade of bravery. With a crackling noise, the barrier shattered, sending fragments flying through the air. The students screamed and scrambled backward, shielding their faces as shimmering shards whizzed past them. Some fell to the ground in panic, while others stood frozen, their eyes wide with fear. In front of them, the adventurers braced themselves, gripping their weapons tightly, their expressions shifting from shock to steely determination as they prepared for whatever came next. Kael wiped a bead of sweat from his face, his breathing steady. ''Phew, done,'' he thought as he said his sword back into his sheathe. ''I did not expect stopping Zena would be on the agenda.'' ''I did not sign up to die again,'' Leon thought, a sigh of relief escaped his mouth. ''I''m glad that it''s over.'' Leon glanced over at Vincent, who seems not to be frightened. He stood near Leon his posture relaxed and unmoved. Zena stood amidst the chaos, her figure slowly emerging as the dust settled. She gripped her wand tightly, her expression unreadable. Her cloak was wrinkled and scorched, the thick fabric bearing the marks of battle. Her breathing was heavy and fast, as if she had been pushed to the brink of exhaustion from using her magic. "What''s wrong with you, Zena?" Valek asked, his voice rising slightly. "Are you trying to kill us?" He added, gesturing to the students and Mrs. Ava. "You know you could have killed everyone here and cause significant damage to the academy?" Eryndor spoke up, his voice a stark contrast to Valek''s. Zena remained standing amidst the settling dust, her expression still unreadable. "I''m sorry... I''m really sorry," She said, her voice barely above a whisper, almost teary.