Rael sat through the day's classes, absorbing the material with ease. The concepts of warfare, strategy, and tactics were second nature to him, thanks to Yakichima's rigorous training. Despite his comfort with the subject matter, he kept a facade of moderate interest, remembering Yakichima's advice to never reveal his true strength prematurely. However, a lingering concern gnawed at him. The appearance of Karrina Roison at the academy's opening ceremony had thrown him off. She had never been seen in public before, and Rael had assumed she might be attending the academy under an alias. The discrepancy made him question the reliability of the information he had received.
Lost in thought, Rael didn't notice Miss Doyle's increasingly frustrated glances. Miss Doyle, the somewhat clumsy but well-meaning instructor, finally snapped and threw a pencil at Rael, jolting him from his reverie.
"Young man, what's bothering you?" she asked, exasperation evident in her voice.
Rael, caught off guard, stammered, "The sky today... it's pretty." The class erupted in laughter, and Rael gave a sheepish smile.
The automated magic bell rang, signaling the end of the session. Miss Doyle, regaining her composure, announced, "Before you leave, there's an important event coming up. The 'Knight-o-mare' competition for freshmen is mandatory for all in the royal knights vocation division."
A buzz of excitement and whispers spread through the room. Kwayur leaned over to Rael and whispered, "This will be a good chance to gauge everyone's skills."
Rael nodded, thinking about the potential threats and allies he might identify through the competition. Miss Doyle dismissed the class, reminding everyone to check the notice board for more details. As the students began to leave, Elara approached Rael and Kwayur, greeting them warmly.
"So, what do you think about the competition?" Elara asked.
"I'm excited to see how everyone fares," Rael replied, masking his true thoughts. He was already strategizing how this event could help him identify stronger opponents and potential threats to his mission.
In the distance, a commotion drew their attention. Marcus Valen, was loudly proclaiming, "I will defeat all of you! As a proud member of the Valen family, it would be a shame if I didn't."
Elara commented, "That's one grandiose way of saying you're strong."
Rael smirked, "We'll see about that."
Darius Flint, retorted loudly, "Big talk for someone who can't even ride a horse. I'll show you all who's the strongest in this class. No one will stop me from building my legacy."
The two exchanged intense stares, and Rael, Elara, and Kwayur watched the spectacle with a mix of amusement and disdain.
"Well, whatever," Rael muttered, and the others nodded in agreement. Elara added, "I don't get what's so special about this event."
A voice from behind them explained, "They're all hyper-zealous because it determines who is the strongest in the academy."
They turned to see Lyra Whitestone continuing, "The winner gets a special visit to the king's quarters, remuneration, and a chance to practice with actual royal knights. It's a massive opportunity. The winner is also regarded as the ace of the academy, which comes with numerous privileges."
Rael's interest piqued at the mention of serving a house of choice. "That means I can infiltrate the Roisons..." he thought, signaling to Elara with his eyes. She seemed to understand his silent message.
Lyra finished, "That's why everyone's pumped up. We have three months to prepare and give it our all."
"Thanks for the information," Rael and the others said, and Lyra nodded, wishing them well in the competition.
As they walked back to the dorms, Elara bid them farewell at the intersection between the boys' and girls' dormitories. Rael signaled her to meet later at Jacqueline's place, and she nodded in agreement. Kwayur and Rael continued to their room, and Kwayur sighed, "Phew, it's been a long day. I'll hit the showers first. You wind down too."
Rael nodded, and as Kwayur headed to the showers, Rael thought about exploring the giant city of Elytra. With a new determination, he set out to familiarize himself with the city that held both opportunities and dangers for his mission. He also didn't want to explore the city with Elara because while they both were allies , against the roisons Rael still hadn't revealed his true powers , had not told her about his true background as a mercenary, had also not told her about his expeditions which he has conducted as a teenager, and how he also had worked as an assassin with the code name "Xero" with the Brianska empire , who are currently at odds with Elyatres Kingdom. Rael has a couple of secrets but he still doesn't trust Elara much. Anyways he sats out to know more about the city....