Crescent Academy.
As the name suggests, being directly tied to the Crescent Empire, this academy is not only run by the empire but also the only academy within its vast borders. With the entire expanse of the empire having just one academy, it was only natural for all sorts of talented individuals to naturally gravitate towards Crescent Academy.
From students of illustrious families whose names were instantly recognizable, like the “St. Claire” house, to the children of obscure families from the boondocks who had never made a name for themselves, Crescent Academy welcomed them all.
Professor Amillion, now in his tenth year of teaching at Crescent Academy, had seen it all: students from all walks of life, and situations that ranged from the ridiculous to the outrageous. With a wealth of experience, he had come to the conclusion that he’d probably faced just about anything the academy could throw at him.
Starting from a squabble between students claiming bl**d feuds and threatening to k*ll each other to accidents at contests that caused injuries, to the infiltration of the infamous Black Shadow Guild, and even a psychopath threatening a terrorist attack during the admission exams—it seemed like Crescent Academy had seen it all.
“Urrgh…”
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Professor Amillion rested his forehead on his desk, his fingers restlessly drumming away. After ten years of service, he had assumed there’d be no more hair-tearing, head-scratching problems. But alas, he was mistaken.
Like a cruel cosmic joke, marking his tenth-year anniversary, a new type of headache was handed to him in the form of one academy senior student—a commoner named Ryu.
A boy with a head of pitch-black hair and a name just as peculiar, Ryu had caused quite the stir by setting a new record in the “Golem Hit” exam, leaving students, supervisors, and professors alike flabbergasted.
“Truly an unprecedented talent,” thought Amillion, watching a video of Ryu’s performance brought to him by his colleague, Cain.
Known for his piercing insight, Amillion immediately recognized Ryu’s immense potential. While his physical prowess was extraordinary, Ryu also demonstrated a natural flair for magic, something not all top-tier students could boast.
As a professor and a wizard himself, Amillion knew that the level of magic casting displayed by Ryu—casting without incantation—was beyond anything someone of Ryu’s age could typically achieve.
“Ah…”
But despite his immense talent, the practical matter at hand weighed heavily on Amillion.
Staring at the “Chief: Ryu” label on the application form, he struggled to decide how he would handle the current conundrum. Having watched the admission video numerous times, he was certain Ryu hadn’t used any underhanded tricks to secure his place.
“Perhaps tricks could have made things simpler…” Amillion thought wryly, rubbing his temples.
Crescent Academy had a few unwritten rules that had become engrained in its culture.
One was that the top-ranked student automatically got placed in the prestigious S Class, a rule clearly outlined in the academy’s guidelines.
The other unwritten rule? That no commoner would ever enter S Class.
Though not officially recorded, this second rule had become a tradition, especially as the academy was funded and controlled by the upper echelons of society.
These two rules seemed to contradict each other, but until now, no one had ever questioned them. Why would they? After all, no one had ever imagined a commoner like Ryu would become the top-ranked student.
Even though the admission of commoners to the academy wasn’t unprecedented, such an occurrence remained rare. Often nobles would sponsor them, hoping to elevate their own status or educate individuals they planned to employ.
The thought of a commoner surpassing scions of elite families was as far-fetched a concept as dragons in the northern continent teaming up to attack the empire.
“d*mn. What am I supposed to do about this?”
Amillion mentally replayed the arguments from the recent meeting about Ryu’s class placement—some professors argued for the rules, suggesting Ryu join S Class for top performers, while others hesitated, citing his common background.
Finally, responsibility was thrown back to Amillion, as he was the one in charge of the admissions process and class assignments.
By doing so, the others neatly avoided the burden of violating one of the academy’s sacred rules.
Thus, here he sat long after working hours, mulling over what to do. Tomorrow morning, he needed to present a decision directly to the Chancellor.
“d*mn… Seriously…”
Amillion groaned, the weight of his responsibility pressing down on him. Why had this situation occurred precisely under his watch?
“Ooh, this is great!”
“This is the dormitory building. All freshmen have been assigned individual rooms. You may choose to use it or not, according to your preference.”
“Hmm? So if I don’t want to, I don’t have to?”
“Of course. Once assigned, you have the room for an entire year. You can alternate between staying here and your home if you’d like.”
“Oh, nice.”
On the first day of academy classes, instead of the expected tense first moments filled with stern lectures from instructors and awkward interactions with new students, it felt more like a casual tour.
Technically speaking, I had been to Crescent Academy once before, but back then, it was just a quick stop to “borrow” a gemstone or something similar stored in their archives. There hadn’t been time to explore the campus properly—only the impression of numerous buildings with quite upscale interiors remained fresh.
The academy was so vast that it would take hours to fully explore it.
We passed through lecture halls, research buildings, professor quarters, dining areas, and a marketplace before arriving at the dormitories.
I had no intentions of staying in the dorms but after hearing the staff’s explanation, I realized it wouldn’t be bad to move some things into my assigned room. Besides, the dorms’ luxurious exterior alone was enough to make me curious to step inside.
“Huh, so the empire did shell out a lot of money here. I only came in the dark before so I didn’t get a good look at the outside, but wow, impressive.”
“…Dark? The admissions exam was held during the day though.”
“Ah, yeah, I mean… when I left it was already getting dark? And when I came in, I was so tense I didn’t even look around… yeah…”
Our current tour was a one-on-one guided experience.
Considering the number of freshmen in the academy and the thought that each one had their personal tour guide made me marvel at how much wealth the Crescent Empire must have thrown into the educational system.
“This covers the main facilities. Any others can be found on the campus map provided to you. You probably won’t need to go far from what you’ve seen today.”
“Ah, got it. So, does this mean it’s over? The first day of the academy and I haven’t even met anyone in my class yet?”
“No, sir. I’m now supposed to escort you back to the lecture hall, to your designated class.”
“Nice!”
When I initially thought about attending Crescent Academy, the concept didn’t excite me much, but thanks to some relentless positive self-talk, I had now mentally prepared myself to enjoy every second of my academy life.
After all, if I have to do it, why not make it fun?
“So, what class am I in? How many classes are there?”
“Ah, that… You’ll find out once you arrive.”
“Wait… So, I have to walk all the way back there?”
“…Yes. You haven’t yet earned the privilege of using the teleportation portals.”
“Oof…”
Without realizing, I let out a long sigh.
What could be more inefficient than having to walk when you could blink your eyes and be there?
Grade 1, S Class.
The name felt lazy, like it was slapped together out of sheer exhaustion instead of carefully crafted.
When the staff informed me I was placed in S Class, naturally I wondered if that meant there were A through F classes as well—and indeed, there were.
As the staff member explained, S Class carries a special significance at Crescent Academy, and apparently I was the first commoner ever placed in it.
Unfortunately, I didn’t absorb much of what followed the staff’s enthusiastic explanation. My mind was consumed with the realization that I would likely face an endless cycle of inefficiency navigating this grand but sprawling campus.
“Thank you for your time. Please go in!”
“Phew. Alright then. Thanks.”
With a curt bow, my escort made a swift exit, leaving me at the entrance of the high-class lecture building. Carefully observing the architecture and surroundings, I proceeded inside.
This was an eight-story building exclusively for freshmen. The first floor was designated as common space, while floors two through eight housed the classes S through F respectively.
“So, S Class starts on the second floor?”
Though I had no classmates in the immediate vicinity to greet, I looked forward to making friends eventually. However, the hallway greeted me with eerie silence.
“Creeek…”
Walking up the central staircase to the second floor, my eyes scanned the many doors lining the corridors, unsure exactly which one was my classroom.
Just as I pondered this to myself, a familiar voice startled me.
“Ah, Ryu!”
“Hmm?”
Enter Elaine, the St. Claire family’s third daughter, the same girl I had incidentally helped during the entrance ceremony.
Though still dressed primly and maintaining her regal posture, she called out to me with what appeared to be, upon closer inspection, a small flicker of genuine amiability.
“Guess you’re in S Class as well.”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
Despite suggesting we converse casually, Elaine insisted on adhering to honorifics, citing her personal preference.
It dawned on me that much like her family’s history as a house of knights, Elaine possessed the same rigid, formal bearing. This reminded me somewhat of Eddi.
“Are you in S Class too?”
“Correct. Students ranked 1st to 7th in the entrance exam are automatically placed in S Class.”
“So, that’s how it works?”
“Yes, provisionally so.”
“Provisionally?”
“A promotion exam occurs every six months. If you don’t perform well, you can be moved to a lower class; students from lower classes can also rise to S Class.”
“Harsh!”
“This system embodies the empire’s desire to cultivate superior talent through competition.”
Though Elaine’s explanation was brisk, the underlying bitterness in her tone wasn’t lost on me.
Still, I felt oddly relieved to have at least one familiar face in the same class.
“Shall we head in?”
“Yes, our classmates will probably… Oh, here they are!”
As Elaine spoke, the stairwell from the first floor filled with the chatter of an approaching group of new classmates.
“Hey, how come you’re all together? Wasn’t the tour supposed to be one-on-one?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? One-on-one tours are a privilege afforded only to the top-ranked and second-ranked students.”
“Oh, I see.”
The academy seemed increasingly to operate on a results-oriented, highly competitive philosophy.
“This way, please.”
“Right, thanks.”
While some hostile stares pierced through the chaos on the first floor, there were too many people around to pinpoint who exactly was glaring at me.
That same hostility followed me all the way up to the second floor.
“Ugh… That’s irritating.”
The stage was set for what promised to be one heck of an interesting semester ahead.
