MYSA AKITA AGUSTINE
"And with that, I wish you all good luck! From this day onwards, I hope that you can all enjoy your school life." Miss Ferreti, the newly appointed homeroom teacher of the first-year class A, spoke those words with a warm smile.
After the opening ceremony had concluded, Miss Ferreti had called upon all the class-A and then began explaining the rules of this school. It was a tediously boring affair that lasted for a few hours. After she was done explaining, she left the classroom with those parting words.
She was a beautiful and kind woman, managing to smite almost all the boys in the class merely the one or so hour she had met them in. Although, the past hour did feel like an eternity to me. Thankfully, now that all the explanation was over the students were free to leave.
But the students themselves weren't in much of a hurry. They took their time talking to their peers, introducing themselves, and excitedly discussing about the lessons that were going to start tomorrow. I didn't bother with any of that. I had more important thoughts preoccupying my mind. I was preparing myself for my first big act.
Not wanting to waste another minute, I stood up from my seat and marched straight out of the classroom. The annoying chatter and the insolent gazes cast in my direction followed me until I was out in the hall.
Seriously! I huffed without meaning to. These people were a bit too annoying. As soon as Miss Ferreti had called my name on the roll call, people seemingly couldn't stop talking about me. Being the center of attention was something I had prepared myself for. In fact, my next action would warrant just that. But being discreet when they talked about me was the least they could have done. Well, I suppose the lack of decency could be excused considering that they are commoners.
Leaving behind all that chitter-chatter, I arrived at the gate. Which was the only exit of the school campus. The school campus was a square-shaped structure with an open courtyard in the middle of it and each side of that square hosted only a particular grade of students. I had been informed about all that. Moreover, many of the paths outside the school gates were leading to various dormitories.
Rather than taking any path, I stopped just a few feet outside the school gate. I turned around to face those very gates that I had just passed through. No guards or any such security were present in the vicinity. Considering how we had been made to wait hours after the opening ceremony had ended, no student from another year should be nearby. While confirming everything with my eyes, I quietly waited.
Finally, a group of girls arrived and then stopped after seeing me standing in the middle of the path like that. Just at that moment, more students started emerging. Students came in small groups in an ununiform manner, So I shouted an order at the hesitant group of girls that were the first to arrive and were nearest to me.
"Go and call every first-year student out here!"
The girls were confused as it was and with my shout, they were left even more confused. They were even fidgeting, just staring at me looking scared. Well, it's a good thing they were mindful of my status.
"Uhm, What exactly do you mean?" One of the girls stepped forward and asked.
I looked her square in the eye as I slowly spoke,
"Go and tell all the first-year students that Mysa Agustine is ordering them to come out."
The girl blanked at my statement and stood stunned in her place. But after seeing me getting a bit irritated, she finally seemed to get some common sense in her and dutifully ran back to the school campus.
After an irritatingly long amount of time, which was spent ignoring people's various questions and standing still as a rock, the girl finally came back. The crowd standing in front of me consisted of about 40 students, and the girl came back with more than 60 people. I didn't have the time to count properly, but hopefully, this accounts for all the 119 students besides me. Now that the entirety of the first-year student body has been gathered, the students began to get more vocal about their displeasure with me blocking the way. I guess that girl did relay my message properly.
"What's going on?"
"Why is she blocking the way?!"
"Hey! What were you saying, huh?!"
Until now, they didn't have the guts to dare tell off someone from the Agustine family but, now they sure could talk!
Although the majority were just curious and seemed to be asking each other what kind of show was going on. Well, they didn't need to be worried. The spectators would get a good show, alright.
"Quite down! I dare you to raise your voice against me one more time! Do it, and you will know the consequences of messing with an Agustine." I snapped at the whole pack of them, and they surprisingly quieted down almost immediately. The Agustine Family name was truly as powerful as I thought.
But they didn't just back down because of that. There were still mutterings here and there, and I could even see some scornful expression directed straight at me. And that was to be expected, not just anyone with a strong background can order people around, especially not one with an illegitimate background. Agustine Family was a hot topic for gossip. The circumstances of its inheritance were known far and wide. Anyone could easily put it together and figure out what I was. And that's why I had to make myself known as more than just that.
"Zake Barnardy, Juan Feek, and Kenny Short, Come forward!" I said in a loud and clear voice as I called forward the second, third, and fourth-ranked students in the entrance exam. They were all in class-A, of course. From the roll call, I had memorized their faces and looked at each one in turn. Naturally, being ranked that high made them the de facto leading force. Especially since the First Ranked was a girl.
Too bad for them, regardless of my gender, I wasn't willing to share any power.
"I don't need to follow some spoilt missy's commands." Zake snaped as I looked over at him. The buky Juan gave a derisive snort as he crossed his arms and looked dismissively at me. Short, on the other hand, stepped forward. Looking uncertain but a bit curious too.
"You lot should celebrate your good luck. I, Mysa Agustine, grace you with a chance to duel me." I proclaimed, ignoring the comments and the muttering of others.
"What are you even talking-" Short started but was cut short by a small bead, traveling at high speed, hitting him square at his forehead.
The result wasn't satisfactory. Rather than knocking him out, Short just doubled over, cradling his head, but at least he wasn't standing anymore. The bead I had used was made up of Marintine Alloy, a very good conductor of mana. I had used it with the hopes of creating a destructive first move. In that regard I had both failed and succeeded. Cause it certainly had the desired effect.
A collective gasp of a hundred students was heard, and the many stepped backward. While Short cursed in pain and held his bleeding head, tension began to rise in the air. Without caring about the commotion among the spectators, I ran straight towards my next target Juan. Despite his huge figure, he was fast on his feet and was quick to respond.
I had just used the most basic application of mana, by embedding it in the alloy. But I was certainly not a master in controlling it, So without taking any risk I engaged him in direct hand-to-hand combat. Juan was way taller than me and more muscular, and so he defended against my punch rather than dodging it.
Too bad for him, even before joining the Agustine Family, I was still part of a Royal Family, So I had been brought up consuming elixirs to strengthen my bones and muscles.
The punch landed right in the middle of the X-shaped arm guard, instantly pushing him back. With swift moments, I finished him off with a roundhouse kick to his chin.
As for Zake, he was at least smarter than the bunch. Rather than wait for his turn, he began charging toward me. But he had moved a bit too prematurely. Doubtlessly he was waiting for an opening created while I was fighting Juan, but he didn't expect that the fight would end so quickly. So all I had to do was turn back and throw a punch at Zake's flabergasted face.
Leaving Zake crouching on the ground near my feet, I slowly turned around scanning all the terrified, awed, and shocked expressions directed at me.
"I want to make one thing clear to every person here. I am the strongest here. You will listen to me. In the future, those among you that are competent enough can follow me. And those among you who dare oppose me will meet a fate far grimmer than these three here."
After being told that from now on they were going to be the underlings of a girl they had never met, the students weren't all that displeased. Some of them even had greedy and expectant gazes.
As expected.
I had to do my best to hold back my sigh. That's what the commoners were like. They would gladly grab onto the legs of a person of a higher status to rise. That was the most promising future for them. In fact, if I had straight up asked students to join my faction that would've worked too. But I wouldn't have earned their respect then. Then they would've thought of me as nothing more than a ladder, as someone to please but not to obey. People were more likely to follow you after you showed them your strength, that was only common sense.
Because of that, I had to be cautious as to who I was going to let into my faction. Thankfully, I didn't have to ponder too much upon that, but still, I had to work fast. There was just a month left until the New Year's Competition and when the fight for the position of the successor begins in earnest.
But first things first....
"You!" I pointed to the girl who had obediently followed my orders before and got all the students out. She trembled before me right now,
"Come with me, I need someone to arrange my room."