Chapter 179

The trio arrived back at the academy just as the morning sun broke through the pale winter clouds. Students poured through the main gates in a great, shuffling river—many dragging enormous luggage, chattering about their trips home. Carriages lined the entrance like a procession of beasts, most of them polished and bearing noble crests. Among that crowd, those walking in the cold with worn bags slung across their backs were unmistakably commoners.

Kana, Suri, and Boris blended in with the latter.

Their breath turned white in the air as they hurried toward the main hall—the place where all announcements, rankings, and pass or fail notices were posted. A sea of students already swarmed the boards, some standing on their toes to see, others pushing forward, and a few sinking to the ground with groans after failing to find their name.

Boris swallowed hard. Even with the icy wind brushing their faces, a bead of sweat trickled down his temple.

Suri eyed him like she was watching a chicken about to be butchered. “If I were you,” she said dryly, “I’d just accept my fate.”

Kana scanned the board, pulse fluttering for a moment. Then her eyes widened.

Second place.

Second place.

She reread it slowly, almost suspicious the letters might rearrange at any moment.

First Year Students — History I

Yuri of the Mino Village — First Place

Kana of the Saltrain Village — Second Place

Leo Stark — Third Place

Valdis Brack — Fourth Place

“She must have studied very hard,” Kana murmured. Though she wasn’t sure if she meant Yuri… or herself.

“Oh,” Suri said suddenly, blinking. “My name is up there too.”

Kana looked at her, impressed despite everything. Nearly a hundred students per class, and Suri—who Kana had never once seen seriously studying—managed to slip into the top results. Top ten or twenty at least.

Meanwhile, Boris was whispering frantically, “My name… my name… where is my name…” His finger trembled as he traced every line.

“I see my name!” he yelled, triumphant.

Suri clicked her tongue. “Tsk. You barely passed.”

Boris puffed out his chest, inhaling victory like it was warm soup. “A pass is a pass.”

“Looks like you survived this time,” Kana teased.

On the boards next to the academic scores were the physical class results. The tone there was entirely different. 

Their names were right at the top—Kana, Suri, Boris—written boldly in fresh ink from Dagger Mastery I, Spear Mastery I and Mana Class I.

Physical Enhancement had no ranks at all. Just two columns: Passed or Failed. Brutal. Direct. The kind of evaluation that didn’t care about nuance—only results.

Kana exhaled softly.

They had survived their first term.

They had grown stronger.

And the academy… was only getting started.

“Next stop,” Suri said, cracking her knuckles, “the tournament board when it comes out.”

Kana smiled. Something inside her—something warm, eager—thrummed with anticipation.

…

Most of the students kept to their usual subjects, though the third- and fourth-year classes bore the weight of additional curriculum—extra lectures, advanced formations, and the relentless pressure of being almost adults in a world that expected greatness far too soon.

“Rin!” Suri waved both arms the moment they entered the copper classroom. Her grin was bright enough to compete with the sunlight spilling through the tall windows. With the northern subjects finally concluded, the mornings were theirs again—precious hours of freedom before the academy swallowed them whole.

“Kana!” Roy barreled toward her, nearly tripping over a backpack someone had left on the floor. “I practiced a lot! And—and I worked with those beast bones we got from egg hunting. You need to see what I can do now.”

Behind him, Adam clapped a heavy hand on Boris’s shoulder. “Boris! We discovered something wild yesterday. You’re going to love it.”

The copper class buzzed—students trading stories of progress for the annual tournament, laughing about mishaps, sharing small victories. For a moment, the room felt like a forge—heat, noise, the raw clang of young ambition.

Then Wor-en stepped in.

The room fell silent for exactly one heartbeat. Then half of them resumed whispering. It was a familiar scene.

Wor-en cleared his throat, a sound sharp enough to slice the chatter. “Surprisingly… no one failed this time in the copper class.”

A few students exhaled in visible relief.

“Since the annual tournament festival begins next week, all classes will be suspended. You’ll have one full week to prepare—and the academy needs the time to prepare itself as the every year host.”

A ripple of excitement passed through the room.

Wor-en adjusted his sleeves, his gaze drifting—pointedly—to Kana, Boris, and Suri. “I can assist you with your preparations as your advisor…” He paused. “…but you have quite capable individuals here. So I’ll relax this time. If you need me, I’ll be in the faculty room.”

He turned toward the door just as Yuri and Leo entered.

“Oh—before I forget,” Wor-en added. “The training field will be under renovation. You’ll be practicing at Leo’s estate. The duke has agreed.”

Murmurs broke out instantly. Some students had never even seen a noble’s home, let alone trained in one.

Wor-en only smiled as he left the copper classroom—as if he enjoyed dropping that little spark and watching it ignite.

Leo stepped forward. “What’s our plan, Kana?”

She explained the strategy—efficient, clean, sharp as a blade designed to end fights before they began. Only Leo, Yuri, and Rin seemed to listen fully. Everyone else drifted into side conversations again with different topics.

When Kana finished, Yuri’s face twisted. “That… Kana, that’s a nasty strategy. Effective, yes. But the crowd might not like it.”

Leo nodded slowly. “You know why the student bouts are the main event of the tournament, right?”

Kana folded her arms. “To show the capability of the next generation.”

“Right,” Leo said. “But what you’re suggesting… it’s one-sided. Like an assassin picking targets. No spectacle.”

Rin chimed in, raising a hand. “If I were a spectator… I’d find it boring. You end the match before anything happens.”

Right. This tournament is nothing but entertainment.

Kana exhaled, defeated. “Fine. We’ll only use that strategy if we absolutely have to.”

….

A thunderous knock slammed into the classroom door—hard enough that several students flinched. Quills froze mid-stroke. Laughter strangled itself silent. 

The door creaked open, slow and deliberate, as if whoever stood outside wanted the moment to stretch. A fully armored knight stepped through—his plate polished to a mirror sheen, his helmet etched with the crest of the Royal Order. Behind him, two more knights filled the doorway, shadows looming like giants.

The first knight scanned the room with eyes that weighed people, not observed them.

When he spoke, his voice shook dust from the rafters.

“Is Kana of the Saltrain Village present?”

The words hit Kana like a thrown stone.

Dozens of heads snapped toward her.

Suri leaned in, whispering with a tremor she couldn’t quite hide, “Kana… those are the same men who came for you at the orphanage. Same insignia. Same armor.”

Kana swallowed. Her throat felt tight. Heavy.

But she raised her hand, “I’m… Kana.”

The knight unfurled his scroll. The wax seal—deep red and shaped like a lion’s maw—was already broken. A faint metallic scent drifted from it, something that made Kana’s marble energy stir on instinct. The knight’s voice took on a ceremonial tone, as if reciting something ancient.

“I am Frank Solis, Knight of the Order—silver rank—under command of His Majesty, King J. By royal decree, you are to be escorted immediately to the castle. The reason is classified under highest confidentiality.”

A chill rippled through her.

She didn’t miss the smallest detail: he said classified, not simply unspoken. Highest-level secrecy.

This has to be about the bandits… right? I shouldn’t kill any of them.. Did something go wrong? Did someone report me? Or did I kill someone important there..

Her heart beating loudly as if hammered.

“Am I… being arrested?” Kana asked, her voice taut, more ready for combat than conversation.

Frank’s visor tilted, as if raising a brow beneath it.

Confusion flickered across his stance.

“No,” he said, slower this time. “This is not a warrant. It is a... summons. The king’s request personally bears your name. Rather. It’s an honour to be summoned in the royal castle by the king himself.”

One of the knights leaned forward, gauntleted fingers tapping the pommel of his sword.

“Unless,” he added, voice casual in the unsettling way only trained killers could manage, “you did something worth arresting…?”

Kana forced a smile that felt brittle and hollow. “Of course not. I’m just… confused.”

Frank rolled the parchment with practiced precision.

“You will understand everything once you arrive.”

But Kana caught something—so subtle most wouldn’t notice.

Frank’s gauntlet trembled.

Just slightly.

And when his eyes met hers through the visor slit…

there was recognition.

Not of her face. Not of her village.

But of something else.

Something he expected.

A quiet current of fear spread through the classroom.

The knights shifted, metal ringing like distant thunder.

“We leave now,” Frank said.

Kana hesitated only for a breath.

Am I just overthinking things? Is it simply a recruitment? Like Leo told me. Royal Knights?

Post note:

Have a great week!
Hope you enjoy our first chap of the week 🙂