The Central Grounds remained crowded long after the Headmaster's speech ended.
Thousands of newly admitted students surrounded floating crystal boards.
Voices echoed from every direction.
Excitement.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
Panic.
All emotions mixed together into a single chaotic scene.
For many students, this was their first glimpse into what academy life truly looked like.
Schedules.
Classrooms.
Credits.
Research requirements.
Combat rankings.
Specializations.
Academic responsibilities.
The reality of becoming a student had finally arrived.
Meanwhile—
Kel stood quietly among the crowd.
A crystal schedule floated before him.
Its contents reflected within his silver eyes.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
He read it repeatedly.
And every time—
His expression became slightly more complicated.
Inside his mind—
Seiren noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Kel remained silent.
The Guardian became suspicious.
"Kel?"
A pause.
Then—
"My schedule is strange."
Seiren immediately laughed.
"Compared to your life?"
"Compared to a normal student's schedule."
The laughter stopped.
Now she became interested.
The silver-haired young man examined the schedule once again.
Most first-year students had a similar structure.
Foundational classes.
Mana Theory.
History.
Basic Combat Studies.
Mathematics.
Research Methodology.
Several electives.
Everything looked organized.
Predictable.
Reasonable.
His schedule—
Was none of those things.
Half the classes looked ordinary.
The other half looked suspicious.
Very suspicious.
Especially the parts labeled:
Special Observation Program
Independent Combat Evaluation
Adaptive Talent Assessment
Personal Research Review
Instructor Consultation Required
Kel stared at those words.
Then stared again.
A deep sigh escaped his lips.
Nearby.
A passing student looked toward him.
The boy appeared roughly sixteen.
Ordinary academy uniform.
Nervous expression.
The kind of student trying desperately not to get lost.
Kel stopped him.
"Excuse me."
The student turned.
"Yes?"
"Can I see your schedule?"
The boy blinked.
Then blinked again.
The request sounded strange.
But harmless.
So he handed over the crystal.
Kel examined it.
Then immediately understood.
His schedule was indeed abnormal.
Very abnormal.
The student's schedule looked simple.
Neat.
Organized.
A normal first-year curriculum.
Nothing strange.
Nothing concerning.
No mysterious evaluations.
No observation programs.
No suspicious instructor meetings.
Just classes.
The kind of schedule Kel originally wanted.
Inside his mind—
Seiren immediately began laughing.
"They absolutely noticed you."
Kel sighed again.
"Apparently."
The Guardian sounded delighted.
"You wanted a peaceful academy life."
"Yes."
"The academy disagreed."
Unfortunately.
That appeared to be true.
Meanwhile—
The student looked curious.
"Is something wrong?"
Kel returned the crystal.
"No."
The answer came automatically.
The student clearly didn't believe him.
Then he glanced toward Kel's schedule.
His eyes widened.
Then widened further.
The boy froze.
Completely froze.
Inside the crowd.
Several nearby students noticed.
Naturally.
Curiosity spread.
The student pointed.
"Wait."
Kel already knew where this was going.
Too late.
The student looked shocked.
"You're in Special Observation?"
Several heads immediately turned.
The surrounding students became interested.
Very interested.
The boy continued.
"My cousin is a third-year."
That never led anywhere good.
"He said only unusual students get placed there."
More students gathered.
Wonderful.
Absolutely wonderful.
Kel silently regretted speaking.
The student continued.
"Usually geniuses."
The crowd became excited.
"Or monsters."
The crowd became more excited.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed.
"Monster."
Kel ignored her.
Again.
The student finally realized what he was doing.
Then awkwardly stepped back.
"Sorry."
Kel nodded.
The boy escaped immediately.
A wise decision.
After several more minutes.
The crowds gradually began dispersing.
Students headed toward dormitories.
Training fields.
Libraries.
Dining halls.
And classrooms.
The academy's first official lectures would begin shortly.
Meanwhile—
Kel studied the map attached to his schedule.
The first class awaited.
Mana Theory.
Classroom Seven.
Eastern Academic District.
He stared at the map.
Then stared at the academy.
Then stared at the map again.
The academy was enormous.
Absurdly enormous.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke.
"Lost?"
"No."
"Good."
A pause.
Then—
"I have absolutely no idea where this classroom is."
The Guardian immediately burst into laughter.
Far away.
Several fish at Scarder Lake experienced emotional distress.
Eventually.
Kel surrendered.
Reason prevailed.
He approached a nearby student.
A girl carrying several books.
She appeared knowledgeable.
Which usually meant she knew directions.
"Excuse me."
The girl turned.
"Yes?"
"Where is Classroom Seven?"
The student looked surprised.
Then amused.
Then sympathetic.
The sequence occurred remarkably quickly.
"First day?"
Kel nodded.
The girl smiled.
"Everyone gets lost."
Reasonable.
Then she pointed toward a distant section of the academy.
Several buildings stood there.
Ancient.
Tall.
Covered in ivy.
Connected by floating bridges.
"The Eastern Academic District."
Kel followed her finger.
The distance appeared significant.
Very significant.
The girl continued.
"Walk straight."
Reasonable.
"Cross the Crystal Bridge."
Reasonable.
"Pass the Library Tower."
Still reasonable.
"Then turn left at the floating statue."
Kel paused.
"A floating statue?"
The girl nodded.
Completely serious.
"Yes."
The answer somehow created more questions.
Then she added:
"If you reach the waterfall, you've gone too far."
Naturally.
Every academy required a landmark waterfall.
Kel thanked her.
Then began walking.
The academy gradually revealed more of itself.
Students filled every pathway.
Groups formed naturally.
Common interests.
Shared classes.
Similar backgrounds.
Friendships had already begun forming.
Meanwhile—
Kel walked alone.
Not because he disliked company.
Because he enjoyed observing.
The pathways curved between ancient buildings.
Magical fountains decorated courtyards.
Training grounds occupied entire districts.
The library tower alone exceeded the size of many noble estates.
Everything reflected centuries of development.
Centuries of accumulated knowledge.
Inside his mind—
Seiren spoke softly.
"You like this place."
Kel thought about it.
Then nodded.
"I do."
The answer surprised even him slightly.
The academy felt different from Frostbound.
Different from noble society.
Different from exploration.
There was a certain purity here.
A focus on growth.
Learning.
Discovery.
It reminded him of something.
His younger self.
The cursed boy trapped inside a room.
The child who spent years reading because he couldn't do anything else.
The child who learned to understand the world through books.
Perhaps that was why he liked the academy.
Eventually.
He crossed the Crystal Bridge.
The structure floated above a deep valley.
Transparent crystal formed its surface.
Clouds drifted beneath.
Students continuously crossed from both directions.
The view was breathtaking.
Many stopped simply to admire it.
Kel did not.
Because someone immediately crashed into him.
A boy carrying twelve books.
The collision occurred with surprising precision.
The books exploded everywhere.
The boy froze.
Kel froze.
The books suffered.
Inside his mind—
Seiren laughed.
"Academy life has begun."
The boy immediately apologized.
Repeatedly.
Rapidly.
Kel helped gather the books.
Then continued walking.
The entire encounter lasted less than a minute.
Yet somehow felt inevitable.
Finally.
The Library Tower appeared.
Then the floating statue.
Which was indeed floating.
Kel had hoped it was a nickname.
It was not.
The statue genuinely floated.
A giant stone scholar suspended in midair while reading an enormous book.
Nobody seemed concerned.
Academy standards differed from ordinary standards.
After passing the statue.
A large academic building finally appeared.
White stone.
Tall windows.
Ancient architecture.
And above the entrance—
Classroom Complex Seven
Kel stopped.
Success.
He had found it.
Inside his mind—
Seiren sounded impressed.
"You survived."
"Barely."
"Without getting lost?"
"Barely."
The Guardian laughed.
Students continuously entered the building.
New faces.
New classmates.
New possibilities.
The beginning of a semester.
The beginning of friendships.
Rivalries.
Opportunities.
And trouble.
Probably a great deal of trouble.
Kel climbed the stone steps.
The classroom awaited.
His first lecture.
His first official academy class.
The first step into the life he had traveled so far to experience.
For once.
Not as Count Kel von Rosenfeld.
Not as Nameless.
Not as Dragon Emperor.
Simply—
Aedon Flinth.
A first-year student of Aetherial Institute.
And as he pushed open the classroom doors—
The next chapter of his academy life quietly began.