"I can see you all are pretty excited." Stewart smiled at the gathering of First Year Caster Students that had assembled before him. He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose while going over the students again.
Thirty young mages who were preparing to head into the Sanctum for the first time.
"Alright, listen up." He raised his voice, silencing the words of the students. "We will head to the assembly hall to meet up with the Combiner Class of your year, and the principal of the school will also give a speech before you will be led through the Gateway, and into the Sanctum." He explained the rundown that the students were all waiting to hear.
Excited murmurs broke out once again, and he could only sigh. The students in front of him were still kids, so most of them lacked the maturity of older and more experienced adults.
A couple of minutes passed before Stewart led the group of thirty students out of their classroom and to the assembly hall that was in a different wing of the building that held the classes.
This was not the first time that the students had come to this hall. After their classes on the first day of classes, they had been summoned to the assembly hall, where the principal had held a speech to welcome them. This would be their second time coming here since being enrolled in the Imperial Academy.
When they got there, Stewart noted that Avery had yet to arrive with her Combiner students. He sighed, remembering the brutish female who always sought a satisfying battle. If he tried counting how many times she had challenged him, and how many times they had fought, he would run out of fingers to count them with.
The principal was already present, and waved Steward over.
"Wait here." He told the students and went over to the stage where they principal and some other staff were seated.
"Stewart." The well-aged man nodded in greeting. He nodded his head of white hair, his stern face looking as stern as ever. The principal that oversaw the affairs of the Imperial Magic Academy was a man who was well into his age, but thanks to the wonders of mana, he was able to live like he was in his thirties, even when he was in his mid-eighties. The man possessed a neat, long beard, and white hair framed his head in a full crown that gave him a dignified look. That, together with the confident air around him made people feel like he was way above them.
"Good morning, sir." Stewart greeted the principal. His name was Eric, but most people referred to him more formally. A person who acted as the principal of the foundation of humanity's forces in the Sanctum was not someone who was casually referred to.
"Mm, these are your students?" Eric turned his sharp, eagle-like eyes to look at the students who were speaking with each other with excitement.
"Yes, sir." Stewart nodded his head in affirmation.
"Interesting. I heard there are a few gems in this set. Four Versatile Mages, yes?" Eric asked.
"Yes, two of them are more focused on Casting than Combining, so they are under my care, while the other two are under Avery's care." Stewart responded dutifully.
"Ha... That girl. Always late." The principal's dignified look suddenly crumbled and he cradled his head in his right palm. He looked like a tired father when he thought of Avery.
Just then, the sound of voices reached their ears, and they turned to the doors of the hall, which swung open a moment later. With Avery at the lead, a group of thirty students marched into the assembly hall, their voices loud and excited. Avery herself wore a wide grin on her face as she swaggered into the hall and up onto the stage. Her students knew what to do even without her telling them so.
"Avery, you are late." Eric sighed while fixing the woman with a stern look.
"Oh, come on, pops. I'm not that late!" Avery responded so casually that Stewart had to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from laughing. Ever since he began working in the Imperial Academy, he had always known the two to be like this. Avery treated Eric as casually as she would her friendly father, while Eric always acted like a tired father around her and whenever any topic concerning her came up.
Eric's face crumpled as Avery disregarded his position right in front of the students. Could she not have waited until it was just the staff?! His image was already bad enough!
"Ahem!" Stewart coughed, interrupting Avery, and saving Eric from any further embarrassment. Eric shot a grateful look at Stewart before clearing his throat and getting up. He gave Avery one last stern look before turning and walking over to the podium so he could address the students.
Upon seeing the principal rise and approach the podium, the rowdy students quickly calmed down and waited to hear what their esteemed principal had to say to them.
"Ahem, welcome, students of the Imperial Magic Academy!" Eric cleared his throat and began speaking. "I have been closely following your progress over these past weeks, and I have to say, I am satisfied so far with what I have seen. Indeed, you are the geniuses of this generation. After careful consideration, I have urged your teachers to speed up your curriculum, and push up a certain event. Ordinarily, you should not have been able to travel into the Sanctum until a month from now, at the very least, but your progress has left me satisfied enough to move this grand event forward." Eric's voice was projected throughout the assembly hall loudly through the use of hidden speakers.
"Now, I want to just remind you all that this is no ordinary excursion into a wild life park. You are going to set foot in a whole new world. One with very different paradigms from what you have grown up with. Even with the world's exposure to mana over the past thirty years, we have yet to even reach an acceptable threshold of power when compared to the mighty existences in God's Sanctum, and because of that, let me caution you all... Follow every instruction given to you by your teachers. If any 'senior' wants you to do something that goes against what you have already been instructed to do by your teachers, then they can go and settle it with your teachers." He stressed his last sentence greatly, showing how important this point was.
"And lastly, I hope you enjoy your time in God's Sanctum!"