[---]
The Thorfen Academy was located in the eastern territories of the Empire. It was a massive island that was an hour away from the mainland.
To get there, one usually had to go through a ship... but nowadays, with the advancement of magic over the past couple of centuries, some would opt to just fly in using a highly advanced magical spacecraft known as an airship.
The latter was the method that Damian chose right now...
"Hmm..."
Despite it being a craze for a couple of years now, he hadn't had the chance to try it, and this was owing to the fact that a single ride on one of these things would cost a fortune—enough to feed a family of commoners for months.
He might've been a hero during the war, but spending his money lavishly was not to his taste.
But since the Empire was covering all of his expenses for this mission, Damian figured that it was alright to cut loose for a bit.
He was currently sitting in a first-class seat, wearing a black suit that doubled as his uniform for his new job as an academy professor. In front of him was the magnificent view of the blue ocean, which he rarely saw at such a height.
"Would you like a refill on your wine, sir?" a waiter asked him from the side.
"Yes, please."
She smiled as she poured a twenty-year-old bottle of Eastern scotch wine that would have wine connoisseurs around the world in tears. After swirling it for a bit, he savored the rich taste while continuing to look at the view by the window...
Back when he was still a child in the village, the very idea of a machine allowing humans to travel in the air seemed preposterous.
Yet here he was now, flying among the very birds he used to wish he could be, back when he was suffering on the battlefield...
"Oh, how times change..."
Though he had only roamed this world for twenty-five years, it felt like everything around him continued to advance at a rapid pace.
The cause of this rapid change was driven by two parties...
The Tower of Babylon, the home of genius magicians from across the globe...
And...
--[Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are now ten minutes from Thorfen Island, which should come into view shortly. All passengers, please fasten your seatbelts as we—]--
"Thorfen Academy..." Damian muttered as he took a sip from his scotch once more.
As the captain had said over the intercom, he was able to see the island a couple of minutes later.
If Damian had to describe the Imperial capital, it would be a place where the difference between the nobles and the commoners was laid bare for all to see, with the central sections looking much more luxurious, and the outer sections almost resembling a slum.
Thorfen Island, however, seemed to have already been influenced by the rapidly advancing technology brought about by magic. The city looked more like a metropolis than the capital itself, which gave him secondhand embarrassment.
"I guess this is what happens when taxpayer money isn't under the hands of some greedy little shit..."
While technically remaining under Imperial territory, the royal family recognized Thorfen Island as an autonomous region governed by the head dean. As such, it was almost free from the clutches of the Imperial nobility.
The entire island was an academy city, built for the sole purpose of cultivating talent.
"Every person is equal in the eyes of education."
This was the little slogan they abided by, and while he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he could already tell a couple of things wrong with that statement.
Nonetheless, it didn't matter to him.
His mission was to find the so-called "great evil" mentioned by the oracle and eliminate them.
What happened to the place afterward was none of his concern.
"Though that's easier said than done..." Damian muttered as he glanced at the paperwork given to him by the Emperor. The island had an estimated population of over twenty thousand residents, not including the tourists that came in and out.
He prided himself on the art of killing, but with such a broad clue to work with, even he was wondering if accomplishing this mission was possible.
A strategy would be to wait things out for two years and take care of the problem once it emerged.
But it wasn't his style to fight an enemy in its prime. It would be far better for him to nip things in the bud...
"That damn oracle... always making things hard for us..."
Damian finished his scotch as the airship successfully landed on the island.
He quickly grabbed his suitcase and adjusted his tie before blending in with the crowd.
"Guess it's time for work..."
He muttered as his figure soon disappeared in the distance.
.
.
.
[---]
Regis Albion had always considered himself quite the lucky man.
At the age of eighteen, he had secured a spot as an apprentice professor at Thorfen Academy, and it was at a time when such a feat was impressive, considering the absurdly high standards the school imposed back then.
Other opportunities quickly arose, and things led to another, and he rapidly rose through the ranks—first becoming a professor, then a lead professor, and not long after, the head dean of the academy at the age of forty, arguably the youngest dean since its foundation.
Being the head dean was essentially equivalent to being a monarch in a normal country, considering the authority and prestige that came with the position.
He had felt a bit overwhelmed at first, but being the talented man that he was, he quickly grasped how things worked and was able to easily tackle most of the problems that came his way...
But right now, it seemed his luck had all but run out.
His hands quivered as he held the list presented to him by his secretary.
To put it simply, it was the roster for the freshman class of 1-Diamond.
The founding fathers of Thorfen Academy firmly believed that, be it commoner or nobility, all should receive education on an equal scale. To this day, the academy still greatly valued that tradition.
Nonetheless, it was still an educational institution, and as such, rankings were imposed to maintain academic excellence and enforce a sense of order among the students.
All programs had a three-year length, and each student was ranked and placed by the academy into one of five groups.
Copper was the lowest, where the dullest tools in the shed gathered.
Silver was the second-lowest; most of the people in this class were still dumb, but not copper-level dumb.
Emerald was the middle ground, where the average folks mostly went.
Gold was where the bright minds under the academy's standards gathered.
And Diamond was where the academy's geniuses of another level were placed.
Many people had heard stories that graduating from the academy set you up for an easy sailing life, with a guaranteed job no matter where you applied and a high chance of business success.
But the truth was that such prestige was only reserved for the students in the Diamond ranks. The rankings were completely unbiased, and most of the time, only talented commoners who hadn't had the opportunity to showcase their abilities were assigned to this rank.
This was due to the fact that most members of the nobility chose to lavishly spend their days without a care for the world. Of course, there were some exceptions, and Regis was used to seeing a celebrity or two in the Diamond rank...
But this year was different.
[Princess Luna Malakith Ironblood, the sole daughter of the current Ironblood Emperor.]
[Richard Hendrickson, the son of the current leader of the Imperial Royal Guards.]
[Saika Fujimoto, apprentice under the guidance of the Shogun of the Eastern Island Alliance.]
[Sayaka Kurosawa, the next family head of one of the deadliest clans of assassins in the Eastern Island Alliance.]
[Renly Obarion, son of an Imperial duke, a prodigy of magic scouted by the Tower of Babylon itself.]
[Emy Relshion, a princess from the western tribes said to be blessed with the ability to communicate with all manner of life.]
[Castilla Moonstone, the next saint candidate of the Holy Theocracy.]
[Sigrid, one of the descendants of the great Beastkin chief of the North.]
[Mellaina, the Elven maiden blessed by the Yggdrasil tree itself.]
[Cathy Irisfield, a dwarven genius whose intellect was said to rival that of the founding father of magical technology.]
These ten were far bigger fish than any prodigies or geniuses he'd ever encountered throughout his teaching career.
While they might value equality and impose the idea that no one is a big shot around these parts, the fact remained that if something happened to one of them, the pressure placed on the academy would be unbearable...
"...Has anyone volunteered to be their advisor yet?"
Despite already knowing the answer, he held onto the vain hope that his secretary would nod her head... but unfortunately...
"As of right now, there still isn't anyone... and classes are going to start soon, too..."
Regis let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his temples. It felt like this situation was aging him more than he already was...
The others were most definitely aware that taking the role of advisor to such a class would be like holding a ticking time bomb. Ordinarily, he could just use his authority to force someone to take on the role... as a matter of fact, he had already tried five times...
And each time, the professors either threatened to quit or actually followed through.
Each professor was an incredibly important asset in their own right, so Regis had immediately stopped forcing them. If he were still a lead professor, he would have had no problem taking on the burden...
But now that he was the head dean, should he take that position, rumors of him being biased among the classes would arise, and he'd very much rather not deal with that.
Which only meant one thing...
"I hate to spring this on our newbie, but at this rate, we have no choice..."
"So we're doing that, huh?..." The expression on the secretary's face darkened as he realized Regis' plan.
All of the new professors admitted to the academy had signed a legally binding contract stating that they must commit at least three years to the school before they could quit.
Back then, Regis had thought it was pointless, considering almost all the staff at Thorfen Academy would rather die than quit their jobs.
Only when he encountered this situation did he realize the true intentions of the founding fathers...
"Are you sure he'll be alright?"
"Damian Russleborne... He graduated from a prestigious academy in the Empire, and he has a good track record, too. I'd like to say he'll be fine, but that would be a blatant lie... With the contract imposed, we can at least keep him in check for a while until we come up with another plan..."
It was a tough decision on his part, but sometimes the few had to suffer so the majority could live in peace...
This was what he thought as he assigned Damian's name as the class advisor.