A tense silence descended upon them, as the trio of boys exchanged glances akin to animals confined in separate enclosures at a zoo.
Sensing the peculiar atmosphere, Iris took the initiative to break the ice.
"Good to see you Thomas, I see you've already brought Cid."
"Oh, good to see you, Miss Iris, and yes, I brought back this rascal but… What a hassle."
Barron promptly reacted.
"Hey, watch your mouth, I'm not getting ordered around by a subordinate. And what are those beggars doing here? You're not here as cooks or something right? Even this would be too much for the likes of you."
Thomas sighed in exasperation as Iris giggled.
"I see, I heard the Avatar enlisted by Dean Candace was quite the character, You seem to live up to that name."
"Hm, Yeah, You should tell loudly to these fools that the one who enlisted me is the dean, we don't have the same value."
Hope adjusted his collar, a sly grin adorning his countenance.
"Oh? Is that really all you have? For your information, the one who enlisted us is the captain of the Royal Guards, MY sister. The strongest woman in the country saw potential in us and asked us to join the elite."
"So what? This academy is the treasure of this country, the future depends on here, so the dean is more important for the Kingdom than your... sister? And the dean chose ME! Therefore I am more important than you!"
They grappled, their foreheads pressed together, while the disinterested gaze of the other bore witness.
"How troublesome… Miss Iris, please leave them to me, I'll escort them to the area."
"Fine, thanks Thomas… Oh! I forgot to tell you about the test."
"Don't worry, I'm your right hand, I'll take care of it."
She bestowed upon him a smile and gently tapped his shoulder.
"Ah, then thank you a lot, you really help me. Do your best guys, I know it will be nothing for you, and remember my proposal."
Thomas headed inside the arena, followed by the three boys, while she walked away.
"She's so nice, isn't she? She's one of the few people who possess not only a great name but has also worked her way to the top."
"Ah? So she's really important?"
"'Really'? Ah, as you would expect from commoners, you know nothing about politics. Miss Iris is the second daughter of the Avalons, a famous family of knights who have defended the kingdom for generations. She is the most beautiful girl from the academy and although she is noble, she does not hesitate to stoop to the level of your people. You should really be careful what you say to her, Cid.
Barron grunted in response. We walked through several hallways and stairs and entered a large room.
This room looked like a sports locker room, with rows of lockers along the walls, 2 long benches in the middle and others in front of each locker as well as weight machines and Crystal balls on one side.
"This is the locker room. You will pass the test one by one, and you will wait here. Now for the test: You will face a golem created by one of the teachers and depending on your performance you will be assigned to special classes. It's that simple actually."
"What are we waiting for? I can't wait to break everything! I'm good at fighting!"
"Pff, so noisy."
"Hey, when an elder gives you instructions you're not allowed to speak until I allow you to, understand?"
Barron and Hope grumbled at the same time, what a strange alchemy between them.
"So as I said, you'll fight a golem, but as you are E-rank, the golem level will be revised, so you shouldn't encounter any difficulty. Also for the special class, as you are Avatars, you will be put in a class according to the level you will show, there are several classes ranked and where the students are trained by level, from E-rank to C-rank. For example, if you show a potential to easily be over D- rank, which means utter crushing the golem..."
"We will be in a C-rank class??"
Thomas gave a burning gaze to Hope who quickly put his hands in front of his mouth.
"You will be in a C-rank class, but your tutor will be B-rank... This is the moment you're supposed to ask me what is and why you should have a tutor."
"I-I know... Ely taught me everything. Do you allow me to explain?"
Thomas sighed heavily in annoyance, while Barron grumbled more and more loudly.
"So, we get tutors to guide us in our training, they're supposed to be stronger than us as they will always be one rank above and will guide us in our daily life."
"Wait, So we're still under surveillance?"
"Not exactly bro, They will be like our private teachers, interesting right?"
"...Really?"
It was rather inconvenient for him, as he had anticipated various scenarios and had a clear picture of his daily routine here, yet the prospect of having a tutor seemed to be a hindrance. In opposite, Hope was overjoyed.
"If we get above D-rank, we might even have Iris as a teacher. Can you imagine? I can't wait to train with her!"
"Ah? So you're already expecting to get the maximum points? How cute."
They redirected their attention towards the source of the voice.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a youthful woman had appeared in front of the entrance that led to the field.
Her lengthy, untidy emerald hair, pallid complexion resembling whiteness, attire resembling that of a nurse, and most notably, her green eyes with narrow pupils reminiscent of a serpent's.
She appeared slightly more youthful than Elizabeth.
For the first time, Thomas seemed in shock.
"M-Miss Midgard? What are you doing here?"
With a wicked grin, she opened the door behind her.
"Why are you surprised? Isn't it normal for a staff member to take a look at her future students?"
"No... Well... Anyway, I suppose that the dean and you have already had a prior talk about a few things, so I shouldn't be worried, right?"
"Ah? Is this a threat?"
The atmosphere in the room became tense all of a sudden.
Dora sensed an unusual and unseen energy emanating from the woman.
Glancing around, he observed that Barron too was sweating heavily.
"Ah, why are you always protecting yourself from me? I'm only here to bring the Avatars to the battlefield, it took forever."
"... Is that true? So all right, We're coming."
"The one named Hope can follow me, he'll go first."
She seized the opportunity to lead them to the battleground, a choice that Thomas found unsuitable.
"Huh?! Why are you..."
"Eh? Me? For real?! Already???"
A hand on the chest, her eyes pierced the young boy.
"Of course, you're the brother of everyone's heroine, right? There's a huge crowd just to see your performance so let's not waste time."
She greeted him with a smile before taking the lead, causing Hope to tremble with excitement once more.
"It's... It's going too fast... Everyone is talking about me... Iris will be my teacher... A beautiful teacher is coming to pick me up personally... Dora if it's one of your illusions, I won't forgive you."
"... Dude, leave me out of your shenanigans."
It was puzzling how he could remain so calm. To Dora, the woman exuded a disturbingly intense aura, not the most powerful he had encountered, yet undeniably unsettling.
The inexplicable feeling lingered. Hope hurried towards the door, the last stride towards triumph, and let out a piercing cry filled with unearthly vigor.
"Get ready, world, Hero Hope is coming!!!"
Thomas gazed at him with curiosity.
"Does this guy live in his own world?"
Hope joined Midgard into the tunnel, where the clamor of the spectators could already be heard.
"Oh my God... I can feel them... I can feel their energy... I'm going to destroy everything!"
"So energetic, I don't understand the meaning of showing off all your power here, there is no need to rush, everything will come in its own time."
"Don't you understand? What do you mean? This is my first step to realizing my dream, I'm going to become the strongest in the world! Do you know how much I've trained? I'm burning with desire!"
"... It's good to be young, I suppose, but if your goal is to be the strongest, you better think of a way to hide your greatest feats. Hero, Avatar, Legendary Sister, aren't You quite the protagonist?"
"Hehe... Stop that, now I feel really embarrassed... What an entrance."
"Indeed, but not everyone wants what is best for you, Some people would hate to see a stranger perform incredible acts, they will try to interfere with your growth, and you seem to be a very big talker so... Do me a favor."
Hope abruptly halted his steps, pivoting his body to face the young woman whose pupils had constricted, catching his attention.
"Don't show them the system."