At The Academy gate,
Lukas stepped out of the carriage. His eyes scanned everywhere, taking in the crowd of students before he started walking towards the majestic gates of the academy.
Winston followed suit.
After enrolling here, one cannot leave the academy until reaching the third circle, which takes about one or two years. Additionally, they are not allowed to bring their servants or wealth, as Owsdin Academy follows a credit system like the other two academies.
As they approached, Lukas saw dozens of help desks stationed at the side of the entrance. Many people were lining up at the desks for identification and verification of their identities and their qualifications.
Fortunately, Lukas didn't have to as he was a noble. This privilege was granted to him by the academy, which separates commoners and nobles.
"Tch, I don't like this kind of discrimination."
Unlike his current life, where he is born as a noble, in his past life, he was just slightly wealthier than commoners, so he doesn't feel good when such discrimination is encouraged like this.
He made his way past the bustling crowd and finally reached the grand entrance.
People were entering one by one after scanning their family crest on the small pillar. Lukas also had one.
It was the Verdons family crest. The crest symbolized defense, an Earth dragon, an existence at the pinnacle of defensive magic. It was made resembling the scales of the earth dragon in the form of a shield and at the center was its face with eyes showing determination as firm as steel and as immovable as a mountain, as if defending someone from the whole world.
Butlers and servants were not allowed to enter. From this point on, the students were on their own.
Seeing his turn about to come. Lukas turned to see Winston.
Winston smiled," Good luck young master. Make the Master proud". He muttered,before backing away and standing afar.
Lukas smiled, nodding his head. He swiped the palm-sized crest medal on the pillar. The pillar shined, turning green to confirm the crest.
Without any delay, he stepped through the small gate, which was for a single person at a time.He wondered for whom they'd open the huge front gate.
As Lukas passed through the gate, he paused to take in his new surroundings. Massive stone walls stretched high above, enclosing the perfectly manicured gardens and courtyards teeming with students.
Amidst his observations, a sudden angry shout came from behind.
"Move quickly! How much longer will you block the entrance?"
Lukas flinched and immediately realized what he was doing. He stepped aside to let the person go in.
He looked at the owner of the voice. A red-haired girl glared back at him, their eyes briefly meeting for a second before she looked ahead and walked faster. Her skirt danced as she proceeded through the crowd skillfully.
"Sigh, the academy is really full of monsters," Lukas muttered quietly under his breath and turned away, the girl had managed to sneak up behind him. Even though he was distracted, it was by no means an easy feat for people of his age.The fierceness in her eyes was enough to reveal her mindset too.
He really couldn't be careless. Sighing once more, he soon followed the crowd of students towards the right side where the ceremony for the new students would be held.
As he followed, he couldn't help but gaze at everyone, including the onlookers from some of the buildings.They were his seniors.
In his past life, he had the opportunity to visit the academy a couple of times before it fell and the dark age began.
Just thinking about the upcoming events and what was about to happen, he felt worried. He has very little information about the upcoming events. But despite that, he wanted to try stop those by any means.
They soon arrived at the ceremony field for the new students.
The ceremony field stretched out, with neatly arranged rows of seats for the new students. A stage stood at the front, adorned with the academy's emblem, a black and white Dragon.
Banners fluttered in the breeze, displaying the crests of noble families and the Empire across the entire continent.
Distinguished faculty members in robes sat on a raised platform, overseeing the proceedings.
To the side of the stage, magical projections showcased holographic images of the academy's illustrious history.
And of course, the holographic image of the leading seven heroes was also displayed among them. One specific image caught everyone's attention.
Lukas' gaze stopped at that holographic image too,
[ The Last Living Dragon, the founder of the academy ]
Owsdin, even through just a holographic image, exuded a majestic and imposing pressure. Two white horns sprouted from his forehead, pointing upwards, as if contending with the heavens. He had a mixture of long white and black hair, along with striking ocean blue eyes that conflicted with his ferociously majestic presence exuding such deep wisdom, no one could compare.
Although quite dwarfed by Oswdins presence, everyone still gazed at the holograms of the seven heroes with pride and awe. These were the leading figures who saved humanity from extinction when the demons arose from the northern side of the world.
They destroyed the renowned Holy Empire along with the continent of the Spirit Race. It was only because of these leading heroes that the living could preserve this fertile land. Although the heroes were strong due to Owsdin's great sacrifice,they still couldn't hold the land against such forces alone. Only with the Protection of the 10th circle Forcefield, a last gift bestowed by the last living Dragon Owsdin , which covered the entire continent were they barely able to contend against the invaders.
But
" Heh, last living dragon?" Lukas didn't completely agree.
As for the reason?
When the dark age began with the collapse of the Five Crest and the Star Association, numerous ancient powers emerged as protectors of the continent. Among them, one arose from the forest of the Elves and the last surviving tribe of the Spirit Race. It was Gresssia, a living Dragon of nature, who emerged to save the last remaining continent.
"Heh, in fact, this wasn't the last remaining continent either," Lukas chuckled.
"We are like frogs at the bottom of a well," Lukas shook his head, looking at that imposing stage.
"I have to be prepared. But for now, let's focus."
Surveying the available seats, he found a good spot to sit down. Observing how people were taking their seats, he quickened his pace towards it.
Securing the spot, he nodded in satisfaction and looked down at the crystal on the arm rest.
Every seat was equipped with a third-tier translating spell. It did exactly what it said, it changed the frequency of words into the language chosen by the user from its index, combining major languages available.
Lukas didn't choose any language as he was already well-versed in the most common language," Jilish" The same applied to others.
However, there were always exceptions. He could already notice a couple of people changing the language.
As Lukas looked at the crystal in boredom, he felt someone sit beside him.
"How cool is Sir Beny!" A student exclaimed, speaking excitedly about one of the renowned professors at the academy.
"I heard he single-handedly took down a pack of wyverns last year," another student chimed in from behind.
"Ah, he's handsome too now that I take a closer look" another student added.
.....
Lukas remained silent and focused his gaze on the stage, surveying all of the professors present. He didn't recognize a single one of them or know who had become famous.
"Most of them should've died when the academy collapsed" Lukas thought to himself, activating his aura to enhance his vision and assess their potential.
With his soul power and control, he quickly became proficient in using this ability.
Still as it wasn't his own body. He couldn't achieve full power of its peak life. Which can only be achieved if he continued to train himself.
"They're annoying, aren't they?",An irritated voice came from the side.
Lukas looked at the owner of the voice.
The source of the voice was a girl with silver hair and piercing blue eyes, her expression marked by a mixture of annoyance and disdain. Lukas met her gaze, recognizing her as another new student.
"They act as if these professors are some kind of idols" she continued, her tone cutting through the excited chatter around them. Lukas raised an eyebrow, curious about her perspective.
"Idols or not, we're all here for our own reasons," Lukas replied, keeping his voice low. The girl glanced at him, acknowledging his point.
"True," she muttered, and for a moment, they shared a silent understanding amidst the buzz of the incoming ceremony.
"What's your name?" Lukas asked.
The girl looked at him. And measured him from head to toe, wondering whether she should tell her name or not.
"Stella Kester," she spoke after some delibration .
Lukas nodded,"Lukas Verdon."
The girl wasn't expecting him to be from Owsdin's. Despite being from a duke family of a kingdom, compared to his background, hers paled in comparison.
However, her pride didn't allow her to feel inferior. She chose to remain silent and decided to choose her words carefully Infront of him from now on.
Meanwhile, Lukas, who was sensing the surroundings with his aura, noticed the reaction. He didn't think too much of it, as it was to be expected. After all, people really didn't want to offend the Owsdins as that never had a good end. Even if Oswdins themselves didn't take action, there'll still be many who'd do it on their behalf to get in their good graces.
The ceremony was about to begin with the arrival of dozens of people floating onto the main stage.
Lukas's eyes sparkled as he finally saw someone he could recognize.
[ To be continued...]