Just before reaching The Ember Hall—
—someone crashed into him.
Aiden turned around, startled. His eyes widened.
It was none other than Calista de Wetherstone Clearwater.
"Miss Clearwater, are you okay?" he asked quickly.
Calista gave a graceful nod. "Sorry about that, I didn't notice… it was my fault."
Aiden froze for a moment. That voice...
It was the first time he had heard her speak — calm, dignified, and beautiful, nothing like the cold and ruthless tone he had imagined.
He had expected something harsh, maybe even cruel — but instead, it was warm, smooth, and composed, carrying quiet authority.
"It's okay," Aiden replied, a bit awkwardly. "It happens sometimes."
They continued toward the opening ceremony.
---
The Ember Hall
The Ember Hall was vast and majestic, large enough to fit two or three thousand people. Yet only about seven hundred students were present.
Aiden instantly sensed the message behind that — only a chosen few had made it here.
He took a seat near the corner. To his mild surprise, Calista did the same, sitting quietly not far from him.
Five minutes later, the seats filled. Then, about thirty professors entered, including one familiar face: Evander Ashgale Hollowcrest.
But what caught Aiden's eye wasn't the professors — it was two figures sitting side by side.
This academy had not one, but two principals. And they were legendary.
Yes, you heard it right — two. A married couple. And among the strongest beings in the world.
They looked as if they were in their early thirties: the man had green hair and green eyes, while the woman had black hair and black eyes — both radiating grace and overwhelming presence.
But Aiden knew better. These two were well over a hundred years old.
The man's name was Bastian Thornfield Ashbourne, also known as the Infinite Knight, an Eleventh-Circle Knight.
The woman was Faelina Montclair Nightwell, the Infinite Sage, and also an Eleventh-Circle Mage.
In this world, knights and mages shared the same magic circle system. The only difference was that knights channeled magic through their swords, while mages used wands or cast directly.
Bastian and Faelina sat side by side on ornate green chairs. Then Bastian stood and stepped forward.
"Welcome," he began, "to our prestigious knight academy, Solstice Knight Hall."
He spoke at length about the academy, the rules, and its legacy… but Aiden quickly tuned it out, thinking:
When is this going to end?
Almost as if Bastian had read his mind, the principal finally said,
"Let's end it here."
Then, after a pause,
"Proceed to your respective classes."
---
Class S
The students began to leave The Ember Hall in groups. Aiden overheard several whispering things like:
> "How are all the professors and both principals so beautiful and handsome?"
He silently agreed.
Even I don't get it. Is good looks part of the academy requirement or something?
There were seven first-year sections:
Class A, B, C, D, E, F… and Class S.
Aiden was assigned to Class S — the elite section.
When he entered the classroom, he noticed the seating was divided into three-student benches, layered in a stair-like formation so that everyone could clearly see the front.
He chose a seat in the second row, where two other students were already sitting — one with blonde hair, the other with grey hair.
To his surprise, despite one looking like a noble and the other a commoner, they were getting along just fine.
The blonde boy smiled. "Hello!"
Aiden nodded. "Hello."
"I'm Alaric Alderwyn Familia," the blonde introduced.
"Hello! I'm Elric Fevale," the grey-haired one said.
Aiden blinked. They're… too friendly.
"I'm Aiden de Ravenspire Winrose," he said.
Their eyes lit up instantly.
Elric gasped. "Wait — you're from the Winrose family? One of the Seven Great Houses of the Empire?"
Aiden nodded. "Yes."
"Nice to meet you!" Alaric beamed. "Can we call you by your first name? As friends?"
'We'? Aiden thought, but seeing their sparkling eyes, he simply nodded.
They're not just friendly. They're too friendly, he mused.
Looking ahead, he spotted Calista sitting quietly in the front row, ignoring everyone around her. As expected, she instantly became the center of attention — yet no one dared approach.
Aiden, despite being exceptionally handsome himself, wasn't drawing as much attention.
He understood why. His sky-blue hair, though rare, was still a color shared by noble houses. Though it also appeared in the Frostmere family through his mother, it was considered too common among nobles to attract special notice.
Calista's snow-white hair and blood-red eyes, however, were striking and unmistakably rare.
And Aiden was fine with that. He preferred less attention.
---
Soon, the professor entered.
To Aiden's surprise, it was none other than Evander Ashgale Hollowcrest — the same man who had given him his dorm assignment.
The entire class stood, but Evander simply gestured for them to sit.
He spoke with calm precision — but his words struck deep.
> "All fifty students in this class were chosen as elites among the first-years.
But don't let that go to your head.
When midterms come, anyone whose scores fall below those in other classes will be demoted.
Top performers from other classes will be promoted here."