The atmosphere in the Academy’s Grand Hall was less like a school exam and more like a gladiatorial festival. The spectator stands, usually empty, were packed to capacity. Nobles in house colors sat in reserved boxes, while wealthy merchants and alumni crowded the lower tiers. The air smelled of roasted nuts, perfumes, and anxiety.

Ray scanned the floor, utilizing the Gritty Detective’s ‘Observation’ Skill. He spotted them near the prep area entrance.

Eliza stood with Cassian, but they weren’t alone. A middle-aged couple stood with them, radiating an aura of wealth that was distinct from the old nobility. The man wore silks that were expensive but practical, cut for movement rather than display. His eyes were sharp, constantly assessing the value of everything he looked at. The woman beside him was elegant, her gaze warm but observant.

Ray approached, bowing respectfully.

“Eliza, senior Cassian.”

Eliza turned, looking relieved.

“Ray! You made it.”

She gestured to the couple.

“Ray, these are my parents. Vailes and Esha Vance.”

Ray turned to Vailes Vance, executing a perfect, respectful bow.

“Lord Vance. Lady Vance. It is an honor. I owe your house a debt of gratitude for your assistance in my family’s… restructuring.”

Vailes looked at Ray, his sharp eyes narrowing as he assessed the twelve-year-old boy. He didn’t see a child; he saw the entity that had navigated a contract dispute with the Argent Hand.

“The pleasure is mine, Lord Croft,”

Vailes said, his voice smooth and rich. He extended a hand, shaking Ray’s not as an adult to a child, but as one businessman to another.

“My daughter told me of the… creativity required for that transaction. Impressive work. Most lords would have tried to use a sword; you used a ledger. I respect that.”

Esha Vance stepped forward, beaming.

“And to think, you’re the one leading our Eliza into battle! We were so proud when we heard she registered. The first mage in the Vance line!”

Eliza’s face turned a brilliant shade of crimson.

“Mother, please. We’re trying to maintain a professional reputation here.”

“Nonsense!”

Esha laughed, patting Eliza’s cheek.

“Wealth we have in abundance, darling. But magic? That’s a legacy money can’t buy.”

It was a warm, human moment, a stark contrast to the cold politics of the academy. But the warmth was shattered an instant later.

CLANK. CLANK. CLANK.

The sound was heavy, rhythmic, and menacing. It cut through the chatter of the crowd like a drumbeat. The students nearby fell silent, parting like water.

A shadow fell over the Vance group.

Ray turned. Standing behind them was a giant of a man encased in steel.

It was Sergeant Svane. But he was not wearing the grey wool of an attendant. He was clad in the full, official plate armor of the Silver Aegis. The metal was polished to a mirror sheen, etched with the protective runes of the Headmaster’s personal regiment. A high-plumed helm was tucked under his arm, and a heavy, master-work greatsword hung at his hip.

He wasn’t just a guard; he was a monument to martial power.

Vailes Vance, a man who knew the cost of everything, went pale.

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“By the Founders,”

Vailes whispered.

“That’s… that’s a Silver Aegis.”

Svane ignored the gawking crowd. He ignored the wealthy merchant. He turned his stoic gaze to Ray.

He executed a sharp, crisp salute, fist to heart, followed by a deep, formal bow from the waist, the kind reserved for high-ranking officers or esteemed peers.

“Lord Croft,”

Svane rumbled, his voice carrying clearly through the sudden silence.

“The perimeter is secure.”

A shockwave of whispers rippled through the stands. Ray felt a flicker of surprise behind his mask of calm. Svane had broken the ‘plain clothes’ protocol not by accident, but by design. He was sending a message to anyone watching:

Touch this boy, and you answer to the Headmaster’s executioner.

Svane straightened, his expression grave but his eyes holding a fierce, personal loyalty.

“Regrettably, as I have already told you that I am also doing my Gold Aegis promotion and the bracket will begin shortly,”

Svane said, his tone tinged with genuine regret.

“I will not be able to witness the start of your promotion trials.”

He paused, his gaze intense.

“But know that I will finish it with haste. I intend to secure my rank quickly, so that I may return to witness your victory. Good fortune, my lord.”

Ray looked up at the towering soldier. He saw the man’s determination not just to protect him, but to prove himself worthy of the life Ray had saved.

Ray offered a respectful bow in return, acknowledging the warrior, not the servant.

“And good fortune to you, Sergeant Svane,”

Ray said, his voice steady.

“Secure your promotion. We will see you on the other side.”

Svane nodded once, sharp and final. He turned and marched toward the marshaling area for the senior ranks, the crowd parting before him like the sea.

Ray watched him go for a moment before turning back to his team. Eliza was staring at him, wide-eyed. Cassian looked like he might faint. Even Vailes Vance looked suddenly unsure of his own standing.

“Well…”

Ray said, his voice calm amidst the storm he had just caused.

“The stage is set. Shall we go inside?”

The Grand Lecture Hall of Solhaven Academy was a cathedral of silence and stone, designed to amplify the voice of the speaker and crush the resolve of the unprepared. The tiered seating rose high into the shadows, packed to capacity with a sea of robes, students from all three colleges, alumni returned to judge the new generation, and the colorful silks of wealthy parents, merchants, and minor nobles who had come to see what their gold had bought.

High above the main floor, in the velvet-draped confines of the Headmaster’s Box, the true power of the academy watched.

Headmaster Salome Andrade sat in a high-backed chair, her emerald eyes scanning the nervous initiates below. To her right sat Master Osmin Nobeos, his posture rigid, his hawkish face critical. To her left, slumped in a chair that looked far too comfortable for a formal event, was Master Caleb Zipkin.

Caleb had his straw hat pulled low, his arms crossed over his stained tunic. He looked for all the world like he was asleep.

“Master Zipkin,”

Andrade said, her voice a low murmur that didn’t carry beyond the box.

“I see you have… exerted yourself. Sponsoring a student for the promotion trials? That requires paperwork. I was under the impression you were allergic to ink.”

Caleb shifted, lifting the brim of his hat with one finger.

“The kid has delusions of adequacy, Headmaster. He thinks because he can light a candle without setting his hair on fire, he’s ready for the big leagues.”

“And you encouraged this?”

Osmin scoffed, smoothing his immaculate robes.

“The boy is an anomaly, yes, but he is untrained. The Scenario will break him.”

“Exactly,”

Caleb drawled, letting the hat fall back over his eyes.

“Better he learns his limits now, in a controlled environment, than gets himself killed trying to be a hero later. I’m doing him a kindness. Failure is the best teacher. And it requires the least amount of effort from me.”

Andrade watched him for a moment, her expression unreadable. She knew Caleb’s history, the shattered genius who had flown too close to the sun. His cruelty was a shield, a twisted form of protection.

“Let us hope,”

Andrade said coolly,

“that he survives the lesson.”

Down on the stage, an Initiate candidate was called.

“Initiate Eliza Vance. College of Statecraft.”

Eliza walked to the heavy wooden podium. She didn’t look nervous. She looked dangerous. Her dark hair was pulled back sharply, revealing the fierce intelligence in her eyes. In the front row of the audience, Vailes and Esha Vance leaned forward, their faces glowing with the pride of parents who knew exactly what their daughter was capable of.

“The topic is ‘The Weaponization of Trade Routes: Economic Embargo as a Siege Tactic,’”

Eliza announced, her voice clear and ringing.

For the next twenty minutes, she didn’t just present a thesis; she waged a war. She dismantled the traditional Valor strategy of direct confrontation, arguing that a starving army was useless regardless of its training. She used maps, ledgers, and historical precedents to prove that a quill could cut deeper than a sword.

When she finished, Master Lorian, the Head Judge for Statecraft, leaned forward, his spectacles glinting.

“A ruthless philosophy, Initiate. You speak of starving civilians to force a surrender. Where is the honor in that?”

Eliza didn’t flinch.

“There is no honor in a ten-year siege that bleeds a kingdom dry, Master Lorian. My method ends the conflict in months, with zero casualties on our side. Honor is a luxury. Efficiency is a necessity.”

Ray, watching from the wings, felt the Scheming Courtier slow-clap in his mind.

Courtier: “Magnificent. She didn’t apologize; she doubled down. She isn’t just passing a test; she is auditioning for the future political arena. Look at her parents, they know she just validated their entire way of life.”

Lorian stared at her, then allowed a small, dry smile to crack his face.

“Full marks, Initiate Vance. You may step down.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep