Tomorrow had come.

I woke up bright and early as Feyt, and was woken up early by Leila as Carine. After freshening up, both of us were in our uniforms.

Carine wore a similar uniform to the one they gave us during the exam. Same dark blue blazer, same comfortable shirt underneath, but this time, there were three sets in case they ever get damaged, which, considering we were in a knights’ academy… I expected it to be common.

As for Feyt, he too got three sets of uniforms, and though they were of similar design to Carine’s… the material was a bit rough around the edges. Both figuratively and literally. There was a not-really-constant-but-very-occasional rough patch around my cuffs and collars. It wasn’t enough to make me writhe in anger, so I could live with it.

Aside from the material, there was a more noticeable difference. The colors were totally contrasting. It was mostly composed of a toned dark with red accents around the edges. The same colors as Clara wore during the exam briefing.

Once everything was in order, I headed for the assembly hall—the same one we had used during the examinations.

All new students were to gather there, and when I did get there… boy, were our numbers culled. The number of Gilded track students, or rather, aristocratic students, was more or less the same. Any absences were probably due to being late or not bothering to attend.

The standardized track was another matter entirely. Nearly half of the examinees were gone. But… given the academy’s history, this might be considered an improvement.

The Third Prince’s stunt with the public scores probably had a hand in it.

Aside from that, the morning assembly offered little of interest. One of the directors gave a generic speech about motivation that I had definitely read before, and there weren’t any surprise guests. After the speech was over, we were instructed to head to our first classes.

And thus began my Royal Knights Academy journey.

…

“Lady Carine?”

A serene voice reached my ears. I turned to find a familiar face, dressed in the academy uniform, a book held lightly in one hand.

“Ah. Lady Eveliana.”

“That uniform suits you well, my lady,” she said as she approached.

“As does yours.”

“You flatter me, my lady.” She fell into step beside me before asking, “Shall we head to class together?”

I gave a nod, and we made our way.

I had seen Kyro and the others during the assembly, but not only were they a bit far from where I was standing, but they also seemed to be heading in different directions for their classes. I could always greet them during lunch time; hopefully, I would be able to meet Mirabelle then, too.

“Lady Carine?”

“Yes?”

“I… would like to apologize for not attending your birthday.”

“Don’t worry about it, Eveliana. I wouldn’t want to bother you to visit the capital just for a small party.”

She shook her head. “It was no small party, I’m afraid. Still, circumstances made it impossible for me to attend. I truly regret missing it.” After a brief pause, she added, “Also… please feel free to call me Eve instead.”

“Eve?” I glanced at her. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” She smiled gently. “Calling me Eveliana every time must be tiresome. And I would prefer it, if you don’t mind.”

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“…Alright. Eve, then.”

Should I have her give me a nickname, too?

What would my shortened name be, though?

Carine… Carine…

…Car?

As we were walking down the academy grounds, another voice called out to me, an energetic one this time.

“Hey there, Feyt!”

A sudden slap on my back nearly made me tip over and kiss the ground. Thankfully, I held my ground. This slap was nothing compared to Fray’s “pats” or Mother’s “taps”.

I could already tell who slammed my back so casually, and I turned to confirm. Indeed, it was none other than Attila. Aside from her uniform totally changing her look, she also styled her dark red hair into a wild ponytail.

I was admittedly grateful to see her face. With the Saint being in a totally different year than me, and Ricent not coming to the academy for the time being, she was my only friend here.

“Attila! Morning!” I said with a smile.

“Morning! Wow, you look like a completely different guy in that uniform.” She grinned. “Anyway, heading to class?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “It’s in the main building, right?”

“I dunno. You tell me.”

“…Did you even read the guidebook?”

She shrugged. “If you already read it, then why did you ask me?”

“…Fair point.”

With a small chuckle, we headed toward the main building together, where our first class awaited.

“Lead the way!” Attila beamed, pointing her finger towards the sky.

“I barely know the way myself, you know?”

—

I stood before two grand doors that, apparently, led to a classroom. But really, the whole presentation made it feel like an entrance to a party venue instead. This was where the first scheduled class of the Honors was.

The elite among the examinees would be gathered inside. Those who had topped the leaderboards, as I had.

I wondered what sort of people awaited me beyond the doors.

Would they greet me with smiles? With disdain? With competitive glares?

There was no point in questioning things. All I needed to know lay just beyond those doors.

I pushed one of the grand doors open, and—

“Hmm… It’s empty.”

“We did arrive early, after all,” Eveliana said behind me. She pushed the other door open and eyed the surroundings. I followed her gaze.

The classroom shared the same design as the hall where we had taken the written examination—an auditorium layout, rows of desks rising upward, a massive blackboard dominating the front wall, and a lectern placed before it.

“Where shall we sit, my lady?”

Where else? The top, obviously.

When Eveliana and I took our seats at the center of the topmost row, the doors opened once more, their hinges creaking loudly in the quiet room.

The student who entered had poor posture, long black hair barely kept in order, and sharp, half-lidded eyes that swept the room before settling briefly on us. They narrowed, just for a moment, before he looked away.

I sense a little bit of hostility there. Did I do something to piss him off?

He took the nearest seat he could reach and promptly collapsed onto the desk, already asleep

…Or perhaps he’s just cranky?

I couldn’t quite remember his name, but I certainly remembered his face. He was one of the few examinees whom I saw rushing in headfirst during the practical exam. He definitely tried, unlike most of the others. If my eyes didn’t fail me, and they never did so far, his weapon of choice at the time was a sword, too.

The next to enter was not a single student, but a group.

“—Yeah! They were definitely joking about that, right?” an energetic, high-pitched voice echoed through the hall.

Three girls entered mid-conversation.

The one in front, her faded pink hair styled with a stylish bow, noticed me almost immediately. Her eyes lit up.

“Oh! Lady Carine is here!” she beamed, striding straight towards my desk, her companions trailing close behind. She extended a hand eagerly. “Allow me to introduce myself, Lady Carine! My name is Lionne of House Astreid! It’s such an honor to share a class with you!”

“It’s good to meet you,” I shook her hand with practiced formality.

“Would you mind if I sit next to you, Lady Carine?”

“…Suit yourself.”

“Great! I promise I won’t be a bother!” She turned to her two friends. “You two can get to your classes now, by the way.”

…Those two were just escorting her?

The two girls bowed quickly before departing, leaving me seated between Eveliana and Lorien.

“So, Lady Carine!” Lionne began at once, undeterred. “I hope we can learn a lot from each other!”

“I hope so as well.”

One by one, students began pouring in. The moment they enter the room, their eyes would scan the room, curious. Whenever their eyes would meet mine, they would either offer an awkward smile, a formal greeting, or simply look away and move on.

All things considered, things were pretty normal. No over the top reaction over my presence or anything, but I did notice I was the one who got the most attention.

Everything leading up to this day had been putting me in the spotlight, after all. The exam scores, the fight with Instructor Cornellia, the dance with the Third Prince…

Before long, an instructor entered the room, and the low murmur of conversation died away. And so began my first class ever.

However… on the other end… Things weren’t exactly smooth sailing.

…

“…Feyt?” Attila’s voice echoed in the empty hall.

“…Yeah?”

“You sure you know where we are?”

“…Yeah?”

“…We’re lost, aren’t we?”

“…Yeah.”

You know, this academy might be a bit too big for its own good.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep