Situated in the heart of the Inner Circle, SilverWing Academy was the most extravagant building Nico had ever seen. His mind lost all capacity for thought as his eyes silently took in the regality of it all.
The Academy was tall, doubtlessly so. Its proud edifice almost seemed to reach the skies; tall, wing-like spires at the top basking in Twilight's orange glow.
Half of the building burned with a fiery glow, while the other half was suffused in a lightless shade.
To Nico, this was a stunning sight.
From the smooth, pale stone walls… the elegant curves of the quad towers placed in every cardinal direction, and the countless silver lines snaking across the walls resembling one massive silver wing… this fortress screamed eminence.
"Blazing Fates…" he unconsciously murmured.
Beside him, Leon, Isaac, and Oliver each muttered their own idiosyncrasies, awed at the spectacle on display.
One further bolstered by the setting sun.
After a few more moments of being dazed, the quartet shrugged off their wonder and continued down the street until they reached the imposing gates of the Academy. There, security was even more numerous than the Local Guards.
Warriors holding various weapons stood at different checkpoints, their faces solemn and severe. The brown-haired boy suppressed a shiver.
The mana fluctuations they were exuding were no joke.
It was like numerous ravenous beasts were waiting for him to make even the slightest mistake so that they could pounce.
Out of the corner of his eye, Nico thought he saw movement from near the spires.
For a second, he wondered if he was imagining things. Then, after some deeper thought, he concluded:
'...Hidden guards.'
The brown-haired boy suppressed another shiver.
They were currently in the middle of a sizable queue. From the number of people ahead, Nico estimated it would still be a few minutes until they could enter.
Checking his core quickly for any sign of the spell coming undone, the young boy lifted his head at the sound of a set of wings flapping through the air.
His eyes slowly widened.
A domineering pressure then swept over him and the people waiting in line. A collective gasp echoed as everyone attempted to investigate the source of the harrowing pressure.
There, descending from the skies like the ruler of all noble beasts under the heavens, a huge scaly form swiftly headed towards the Academy. Wisps of smoke danced between its jagged maw.
A set of intelligent and reptilian eyes peered at the humans below, disdain and indifference all too apparent in its bestial gaze.
Nico reluctantly shifted his gaze from the dragon.
…Because he realised that wasn't all there was to the scene.
The dragon pulled along a decadent carriage furnished with an extreme opulence that was signified by the blend of extravagant metals on display. Among them, there were platinum, iridium, and even rhenium - rare metals that were hoarded by the dwarves.
Engraved on the side, a large chimaera roared at them menacingly.
Nico's eyes narrowed.
Who could be so important as to have a dragon as their mount?
It was well known that such creatures were extremely proud. To have a member of one of the most powerful races pull your carriage was no trivial thing.
Nico's earlier musing about royalty appeared in his mind.
'Could it be…'
Had royalty from another Major race truly decided to attend SilverWing Academy?
He sucked in a cold breath.
Once the carriage had entered the airspace of the Academy, someone from the crowd shouted, "That's the seal of the Mercer Empire! Someone from the Royal Family of the Dragons is attending this Academy!"
Murmurs exploded to life after that revelation. The large throng theorised about who it could be.
Nico wasn't too interested in the smaller details regarding the names of all Royal Families, but even he was quick to connect the dots.
There was only one member of the Dragons who was of similar age to him and part of their race's Royal Family.
Her name was known far and wide.
…Princess Ana, heir to the Dragons, had just arrived.
A bead of cold sweat slid down his back.
***
When one ponders over the next generation, inevitably a few geniuses always come to the forefront of their mind. Then, above that, there would be the elite group of Heaven's Chosen, youths who would go on to grow up and become amongst the most influential in Crelerath.
And then above even those people blessed with God-like talent… stood the heirs to the throne. Specifically, heirs of the Major Races.
…Especially the Dragons.
Princess Ana was deemed to be in a league of her own.
Her natural affinity for mana and the princess's inheriting of her father's frightening control over the Elements made her truly rise above the rest of her peers. That was not to say that the youths from the same generation as her were weak, far from it.
But it did show just how much of a gulf existed between them.
A chasm that Nico was all too aware of.
'What is such a person doing here in SilverWing Academy? Couldn't she just get a retired Descender or the head of the Association to train her?'
The brown-haired boy felt like crying.
His dreams of a peaceful school life seemed to shatter right before his eyes without even having a chance to come to fruition.
Sighing, Nico tried not to let the arrival of the Dragon Princess affect his mood.
After all, there was no guarantee he would even be acquainted with her.
'That's right! She and I live in completely different worlds.'
Perking up, Nico nodded sagely, satisfied with the conclusion he had just made.
Nico and his companions did not have to wait too long after that to have their turn at the front of the line. The guards at the gate were menacing, but so as long as no one displayed any nefarious intent, the sentries were content to let people pass.
Nico apprised the guard of his name, who promptly cross-checked it with their database.
That done, the brown-haired boy allowed the sentry a brief rummage through his storage ring after a split-second of hesitation. Luckily, his habit of placing the Legendary Grade spell at the bottom underneath all his other belongings came to the rescue.
After a few long and agonising seconds, the guard seemed to find nothing amiss.
Nico inwardly sighed with relief, receiving his ring back.
Moments later, he, Leon, Isaac, and Oliver were allowed to enter the Academy.