Blackmoor's POV
Finally, in my room, I let myself fall lazily onto the bed, exhaustion washing over me. From proving my identity as a student to unexpectedly meeting the Grandmaster herself, the day had been far more eventful than I could've ever imagined.
Still, at least I was here now. My own space—designed with bold, contrasting colors that gave it a sleek, modern edge with hints of dystopian flair. It somehow fit the mood of this academy perfectly.
The real blessing, though, was the absence of a roommate. I honestly had no idea what I would've done if someone else had to share this room—especially with all the things I brought. Looking around at the mountain of bags, I sighed.
"I was so excited to attend Valthera that I didn't even realize how much I packed," I muttered to myself.
It was more like a full shipment of cargo than a collection of belongings. Each bag was crammed with items I had deemed necessary—from essentials, to mementos, to equipment gathered over years… many from the battlefield.
By the time I finished sorting through everything, five hours had gone by. Five hours of unpacking, folding, and silently asking myself why I thought dragging half my life here was a good idea.
Somewhere between wrestling the last bag and cramming things into drawers, it hit me—I'd completely missed the First Dinner. It's held in the Meal Hall, the giant dining space where every single student, both mages and weapon masters, eats together. Not just for the First Dinner either. Every dinner. It's one of the Academy's ways of "encouraging unity."
I probably should've been panicking about skipping it, especially since the Grandmaster gives her welcome speech there. But honestly? I was too tired to care. All I managed to think was, "…Eh. Too late now".
Later, I'd find out that missing it was the luckiest thing that could've happened to me—because apparently, this year's First Dinner was… well, a mess.
But right then? I didn't know any of that. I just knew that after five straight hours of unpacking and an entire day that already felt like a lifetime, I was done. I let myself fall onto the bed, face-first, and didn't even bother to move before sleep took over.
6 hours of sleep later
After six hours of much-needed rest, I woke to the sound of a soft electronic chime coming from the intercom. The tone was calm, almost soothing, followed by a bright and cheerful voice:
"Good morning, future Weapon Masters! Today is the official start of school. Please be reminded to head to your respective homeroom classrooms by 7:30 AM. Thank you!"
My eyes opened immediately, the words cutting through the last traces of sleep. Without hesitation, I pushed myself upright, letting the fatigue fall away as I shifted into routine. Six hours or sixteen—it didn't matter. The day had begun, and so would I.
I stood, straightened my posture, and began preparing for my first class of the day.
After preparing for class, I headed toward the room assigned to my class for homeroom discussions and specialized subjects reserved for weapon masters. Not all subjects were held there, however. For general mandatory courses—such as mathematics, medicine, and the laws of war—we had to share rooms with both mages and weapon masters. The same applied to the elective general subjects, where each student was free to choose two areas of interest, such as history, culture, language, and more.
As I got closer to the room, I was suddenly interrupted by 5 students, all of whom seemed to be nobles of Astrixion.
"Good day, lowborn, I had heard you had missed the First Dinner. Considering I had not seen you in the hall, I suspect you truly did missed it, didn't you?" said the boy in the middle who, although he wore the student uniform, covered a majority of it using a luxurious red cape which seemed to have his house's insignia.
"You are correct, but I believe this is our first meeting. May I ask how you were able to recognize that I was not in the hall yesterday?"
"Ohh, yes, this is indeed our first meeting, but as part of the Stratos Family, how can I not know the famed Ghost of Ardent Field?" he said with a soft smile and genuine, and yet at that moment that smile seemed malicious.
END OF CHAPTER