As soon as the final battle ended, Celesia Joul lost control, and the body of the Second Princess, Jina Joul, began to fall — but Shion Lan swiftly moved forward, catching her in his arms and calling for assistance. After the ceremony ended, everyone returned to their rooms. Shion sat with Baro Ferrer and Fiore Tai, explaining many details about their techniques.
"Baro, I think your mastery of the first movement of the technique (Spear of Light) has reached an incredible level. You can now begin learning the second movement, (Spear Acceleration). It's not similar to the first movement, (Line of Light), as there is a few key differences — its range is shorter, but the speed can be greatly increased and maintained depending on your ability. You also have the freedom to move around, not just throw the spear in a straight line."
Then he turned to Fiore and said,
"And you, you genius rascal, you already know what your next step is, don't you?"
"Of course! I'll combine the two movements of the (Whirlwind of Destruction) technique to create a devastating strike!"
"Good. Now that you both know your next steps, all you need to do is meditate and train. You must increase the number of stars within you — so make sure to attend the theoretical classes that deal with your elemental affinities, alright?"
"Alright!"
Meanwhile, in one of the royal wings where the royals resided, the Second Princess Jina Joul sat on her bed, burying her face in her arms, her cheeks red.
"I woke up an hour ago, and the maid told me that I fought Shion and lost to him! When she brought me the recording crystal to show me the match, I noticed we were in perfect sync — embarrassingly so! What in the world did Celesia do?! And couldn't she just release her control sooner?! I even fell into his arms! That's so humiliating!"
When she recalled landing on Shion's arm and how close she was to him, her face flushed even more. But then Celesia appeared and said sharply,
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing!"
"If you're thinking about that brat, you'd better forget him!"
"Why?"
"He's arrogant and disrespectful! When I was fighting him, he spoke in such a rude tone and even ordered me to leave your body! Can you believe that? He dared to command one of the queens as if he were some great figure who'd already reached the ninth level!"
While Celesia was venting her anger, Jina's thoughts drifted elsewhere.
'He realized that it wasn't me… and he told her to leave me without fear? Was he… worried about me?'
Her hand unconsciously touched her cheek — remembering Shion's touch, which still lingered vividly in her memory. She began to drift into her thoughts again, only to be snapped out of it by Celesia 's angry shout.
"You foolish girl! Don't let that boy seduce you!"
"This is your fault! You're the one who told me to fight him to show off my power and make him take my side! But he didn't even consider your abilities worth acknowledging — you had to exert yourself just to keep up with him! And before the match even started, I was already embarrassed, so you knocked me out! Instead of earning his admiration, I ended up lying in his arms! What do you have to say for that?!"
The two continued arguing over what had happened, though things eventually calmed down.
The next day came — the first official day at the academy. Shion and the two boys went to their respective lecture halls. Shion entered the large classroom reserved for the second-year students, where all divisions were gathered.
'This is a general class, so there's no need to separate divisions. Still, there are nearly eighty students here — nobles, royals, merchants, officials, and commoners. The discrimination will definitely show here. Well, I'm not here to start trouble. I'll just wait for Director Tim's punishment to be announced and then focus on awakening my Fire Element.'
He sat far from everyone — nobles, royals, merchants, officials, and even commoners. Since the lecture hadn't started yet, Shion decided to check on Shi Yun Lan. He closed his eyes, rested his head on the desk, and sank into that dark mental space. There stood the black-haired boy with deep, dark eyes, smiling calmly.
"How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. How are things here?"
"All good. You can enter the second vein now, as long as you've understood which skills you shouldn't engage in."
"You are now fifteen-year old ,so it'll take two years in your memories, right?"
"Yes, but remember — time flow might be different this time."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, in the first vein, thirteen years passed in a single night — like a dream. This time, it could be different. I'm not entirely sure, but I have a suggestion for you."
Shion listened attentively as Shi Yun Lan continued,
"I'll make a few adjustments. Time in your world will pass as just one night — but how much time passes here depends entirely on you."
Shion wanted to ask about the veins.
"From what I've seen, there are only five veins, right? I think your level in this one has reached the rank of Noble, which corresponds to the sixth level here. But that man we fought before — I think he had field control abilities like Director Tim Ayr, so he could've reached seven stars. Yet you managed to stop him — how?"
Shi Yun Lan answered,
"Do you remember when your eyes met the princess's?"
Shion nodded.
"Yes, and she was struck by… what, a curse? Or rather, the Death Aura?"
"Exactly. At that time, you already possessed the power of the second vein. The reason you fainted was simply that you didn't have enough strength to sustain it. As for the seventh level, it's beyond your reach for now. But thanks to the veins, you could withstand it momentarily — though the price would've been your soul."
Shion remembered his sudden emotional shift back then and asked,
"And since inheritance depends on the soul, that means the veins were affected at that time, right?"
"Yes."
"Then tonight… I'll enter the second vein!"
He left that inner world and returned to reality — the class still hadn't started. Then he noticed someone approaching: a boy with white hair and cold blue eyes — Glass Sano. The two stared at each other in silence, and the classroom gradually grew quiet, everyone waiting to see what would happen between the two prodigies — one, the heir of a great family, and the other, a mysterious powerful with strange abilities.
But the silence was broken by a third voice — Kin Light.
"Shion, would you mind if I sit next to you?"
"I don't own this spot. Sit wherever you like."
"Thanks. Then I'll sit here too."
Thus, the trio sat together — and Shion felt uneasy.
'Tim Air! When will you get me out of here?!'
Then their instructor entered — a woman whose face made Shion's expression immediately sour.
'Great… I don't expect anything good from this woman.'
As the students noticed her, she began speaking.
"Welcome to the new academic year. I'm your instructor, Blaze Razor. Last year, you studied the history of heroes — their ambitions, battles, and achievements. This year, we'll focus on the most despicable and vile people in the kingdom's history — traitors, corrupt officials, and how they were caught. But today, we'll briefly touch on that subject and prepare for what's ahead…"
She began engaging with the students, answering questions and leading discussions — but, of course, her "engagement" was limited to nobles and highborns only. The commoners were ignored entirely. Shion didn't care, though.
'That woman's a relative of my clan leader's wife. Naturally, she hated me even before I left. She'd probably praise a dog for biting me… what a #####.'
"And now," Blaze said with a smirk, "let's test the theory of suspicion we just discussed. Some events may seem odd or unsettling, and that sense of suspicion is something you must learn to cultivate. Let's take a small example…"
She gestured toward Shion's seat.
"When two brilliant young nobles suddenly befriend a commoner without prior connection, isn't that suspicious behavior?"
Shion immediately understood she wasn't going to leave him alone.
'Looks like she knows what happened before I left the clan — and she's here for payback. How troublesome.'
He spoke calmly,
"Yes, indeed. That is quite suspicious."
Everyone turned to him — even Glass seemed surprised. Shion glanced at Kin, who looked frozen, and continued,
"Two prodigies like these sitting beside a commoner like me, giving you the perfect excuse for a 'theatrical display' like this — yes, it's quite strange."
Both Glass and Kin looked embarrassed, but Blaze only smiled wider.
"Well said. But you've overlooked something — they didn't approach you for no reason. They saw your impressive performance yesterday, and with the rumors spreading that you're on par with fourth-level heroes, of course they'd be interested."
"As I said, that's just a rumor. And I doubt either of them would act based on a mere rumor. A more reasonable move would be to have their subordinates investigate such claims first. As for meeting me personally — that would only happen by chance, or if I had something they needed."
Shion spoke with absolute calmness, dismantling her argument piece by piece. But Blaze kept her smile.
"You're talking as if they were calculating adults — but they're just two young men, seeking to befriend someone their age with remarkable talent. Still, tell me this: not long ago, you were nothing special — weak, barely first level. Now, you're challenging fourth-level fighters. Isn't that strange? Unnatural, even?"
Shion suddenly burst out laughing, startling Glass, Kin, and nearly everyone else — irritating Blaze deeply.
"Do you find that funny?" she snapped.
"Of course I do. It's hilarious. Someone advancing from level one to level three—and please, focus on level three, because I haven't reached level four yet—sure, that's unusual enough to attract attention. I mean, wouldn't the guilds or the army take interest in such talent? Naturally, they'd look into my humble background. One of the Shadow Forces leaders even came to see me personally. After a brief conversation, he left without another word. Do you know what that means?"
Shion's tone was dripping with sarcasm as he went on, refusing to even look at her.
"It means you're not the only one who thinks that way. But by talking so proudly, as if you've made some grand discovery, you're just making others look foolish. Are you saying that the heir to the Moon Master, the wielder of the Sano Technique with guardian spirits, along with guild leaders, military commanders, and noble heads whose children sit in this very class — are all of them idiots in your eyes?"
Then Shion looked with a starry silver eyes and said coldly,
"Answer me… Instructor."