If it were any other new student, they would have been shocked, but for Nellis, who had already experienced life and death, it was just annoying. At least, she didn't sense any hostility.
She looked up at Cledwin with her emotionless purple eyes. Cledwin's eyes sparkled with interest for a moment.
"A Purple Eye, huh? Are you an illegitimate child of the Elantria family?"
As the Grand Duke of Maindland, Cledwin would have known about the Elantria family's Purple Eye. Nellis smiled coldly.
"Am I supposed to be Nellusion's sister or something?"
"Are you going to deny it?"
Just like back then, Nellis wanted to avoid this misunderstanding. She never wanted to be Nellusion's sister again.
"Absolutely not."
It seemed that Cledwin didn't know about the news of her being the child of a banished daughter of the Elantria family. After all, the Elantria family had only recently found out about her existence.
Suddenly, Nellis thought that this conversation was meaningless. She stared at Cledwin and spoke in a commanding tone.
"Put that away, Cledwin Maindland."
Initially, students were forbidden from attacking each other. Since students from rival families could be in the same class, if there were no such rules, many parents would refuse to send their children to the Academy.
But to simply draw a sword to ask for someone's name? Nellis wasn't surprised, but other new students might have been traumatized.
The next moment, the sword returned to its scabbard at Cledwin's waist. Nellis slowly stood up.
Standing stiffly in front of the boy, who was a few years older than her, Nellis adjusted her skirt. Cledwin smiled as he watched her nimble movements.
It was the same smile, where only the corners of his mouth rose, as if teasing the person looking at him.
"You knew who I was, didn't you? Now, tell me your name. That's only fair."
"No, I didn't know because I'm just that great. You should figure out my name yourself, senior."
Nellis's provocative response made Cledwin's eyes narrow slightly. He thought for a moment and then gestured to her.
"Go."
"Why? I don't know."
"I'll call you by your name next time we meet."
His voice contained a confidence and composure that Nellis couldn't quite understand. She left without hurrying.
It was a pointless provocation. She knew it too.
It wouldn't be wise to offend someone in power right now, but for some reason, looking into his eyes made her feel like a child.
The cold face that had filled her vision under the clear summer sky lingered in her mind for a long time.
***
On one side of the vast campus of Kartak Hall, near the stone wall that separated Aine Hall and Kartak Hall, stood the ancient and worn-out Caesar Hall, which gave a glimpse into the Academy's original size.
Caesar Hall, built in the simple style of Princess Katerina's time, had undergone several renovations and expansions over the years, but still held great historical value.
Nellis ignored the artifacts and tapestries in the lobby, as well as the speeches left by high-ranking graduates, and headed to the second floor, also known as the C-level in the Academy's system.
Among the tall male students filling the hallway, the small and slender Nellis stood out.
"Is the 1st-grade basic magic class here? I've never heard of that."
"Hey, little one, this is Kartak Hall. Do you want me to show you the way?"
The surrounding upperclassmen's voices were filled with confusion, but Nellis pretended not to hear them.
"Which family is she from?"
The boys exchanged glances and whispered to each other.
Even before their formal debut in the social circle, children from good families usually interacted with each other from a young age. However, no one present had ever seen this blonde girl before.
It was a strange thing. With her platinum blonde hair and rare Purple Eye, she walked with a straight posture and a confident gaze.
Although her clothes were plain, it was clear that she was a descendant of a great noble family. If so, shouldn't someone here be related to her?
Just then, someone recognized her.
The surrounding boys were taken aback by his unusual pink hair. Ren Payel, a student of the theology department, was originally a popular person as the brother of the previous Pope, but now he was a has-been.
Theology department? Ren's acquaintance? The upperclassmen's minds were filled with quick calculations and speculations.
However, Ren approached Nellis without being affected by their movements and spoke to her.
"What are you doing here?"
Nellis turned around at the sound of Ren's voice. He raised an eyebrow as he saw her quietly sunken eyes.
"Lost again?"
Nellis, who hadn't expected to meet him again, looked annoyed.
"I wasn't lost."
"You said you were lost before."
"I didn't say I was lost. I said I entered by chance."
"That's the same thing."
"It's completely different. If I were lost, I wouldn't be able to reach my destination and would be wandering around, but that was a shortcut to my destination."
Ren looked incredulous.
"Is this a shortcut too?"
"I'm taking a class here. Berlene 3."
"Already?"
Berlene was an elective foreign language, not a required one, so it was rare for students to take high-level classes. That's why students from various grades and majors gathered to take the class together.
Ren, having grown up in the Papal States and knowing various ambassadors, was interested in unusual languages. However, it was unusual for a new student to take such a class.
"What class are you taking, senior?"
"Berlene 3."
Nellis didn't know whether Ren was joking or telling the truth, so she raised an eyebrow.
However, Ren seemed genuinely pleased, so it was likely that he was telling the truth. If he were joking, he would have just laughed it off.
No one had ever been happy to be in the same class as her before. Everyone else had grumbled about how unlucky they were.
Nellis felt a strange sensation and walked stiffly. Ren walked beside her, asking casually.
"Have the new students taken the test? How were the results?"
"They came out as expected."
"You must have done quite well. That's why you're taking an elective foreign language course."
"Why are you taking Berlene, senior? It's not a popular course among theology students."
"What don't you know?"
Ren blinked his round eyes. Nellis didn't respond.
As they approached the classroom for their Berlene 3 class, Ren muttered.
"My uncle is in Berlene. So, I already know a bit, and I want to learn more properly. It would be nice to be able to communicate well when I visit him."
Ren's uncle, the previous Pope's brother, was someone Nellis remembered from her previous life. He was a person who had been involved in a scandal with Pope Omnitus III and had died in a cover-up.
However, Nellis didn't think he was particularly innocent. He was a villain who had deserved to die. As someone who had been involved in the same scandal that had brought down Omnitus III, Nellis remembered his true nature well.
In any case, he wouldn't have been of any help to Ren. It was fortunate that he hadn't killed Ren, the last surviving member of the Payel family, immediately.
Nellis sighed inwardly. Whatever happened to Ren was none of her business, but she didn't want to see him rely on someone like Omnitus III.
"Are you close to your uncle?"
"Not really."
"I thought so."
"Are you trying to provoke me?"
Ren's pretty face turned ugly.
Nellis looked at him with sharp eyes. Ren, who had been about to lash out, closed his mouth and was taken aback by his own behavior. He felt embarrassed that he had been shaken by a child's gaze.
"If your uncle had cared about you, you wouldn't be in this situation now. I don't know much about the situation when your brother, Pope Tacticus VI, passed away, but I know it was chaotic. If you were a friend, I would have sent you to a safe place a long time ago."
Ren's face turned pale, and he was about to retort, but Nellis's words struck a chord.
Her point was valid. If Ren's uncle had cared about him even a little, he would have protected him more. At the very least, he would have been more mindful of public criticism.
But the reason Ren's uncle was leaving him like this was probably because he wanted to curry favor with Omnitus III.
Ren had never thought that he would be welcomed by his uncle just because he was going to Berlene. He was just young, struggling, and wanted to believe that he had a place to rely on.
Ren fell into thought and became quiet, while Nellis casually entered the classroom.
There were about eight students already in the classroom, and at first glance, they all seemed to be upperclassmen, but one of them was around Nellis's age.
A few upperclassmen and Megara were chatting amicably, and she seemed natural, like a youngest daughter among a family that loved her.
Her carefree charm, her guileless smile, and the fact that she was already taking the same class as upperclassmen at a young age had already made a good impression on her classmates. She turned to Nellis and smiled like an angel.
"Nellis, you're taking this class too? I didn't know."
Of course not. Nellis knew that Megara wasn't skilled enough to take this class yet.
Initially, the other new students were supposed to be taking required foreign language classes. They had chosen either the common Rundian language or the Diamesh language, which was widely used on the continent, excluding the Imperial language.
Nellis had received perfect scores in both required foreign language exams and had even written a letter in Berlene at the end of the exam, stating that she wanted to take advanced classes and was willing to take additional exams if necessary. That's why she was able to join the advanced class despite being a new student.
And in the recent math ability assessment, Nellis was the only one who received perfect scores in both required foreign language exams.
It was obvious. Megara must have used the power of the Rikeandros family to force her way into the advanced class, trying to prove that she was not inferior to Nellis.
"Magi, friend?" one of the upperclassmen asked, sensing the awkward atmosphere between the two girls.
Nellis recognized that he was a member of the Ennim family, a distant relative of the Rikeandros family, and also one of Megara's lifelong admirers.
"She's a fellow new student, brother. Nellis is smart, and everyone knows her name."
The expression on Megara's face when she said "smart" conveyed her true intentions to the people in the classroom.
It meant that Nellis was arrogant and showy.
As the atmosphere in the classroom turned somewhat cold, Ren raised an eyebrow, but Nellis's expression didn't change. She spoke softly to Megara.
"Thanks for saying that, Megara. I was worried that I'd be the only new student in the class, but since you're here, I feel more at ease. But isn't this time for required foreign language classes?"
Megara's smile faltered for a moment, and she looked away, avoiding Nellis's gaze.
Megara's expression turned slightly sour.
"Hoffman said I don't need to take it."
It sounded like she was implying "unlike you."
Nellis had been provoking her, and now she smiled genuinely.
You could force your way into a higher-level class, but the classes at the Noble Academy weren't that easy.
There was a system in place where students who couldn't keep up with the class would be sent to a lower-level class.
"Really? I'm looking forward to it. Thanks, Megara. I'd like to sit together, but..."
"I already promised to sit with Mahradi Onim."
Mahradi Onim's expression suggested that this was a lie, but Nellis smiled.
Megara seemed to think she had answered calmly, but her face had shown a defensive expression for a moment, revealing her discomfort.
Nellis spoke generously, but she had never intended to sit with Megara anyway.
"Well, if you already promised, then that's that."
Language classes usually had students sit in pairs. Megara, who had thought Nellis would sit alone, frowned when Ren Payel sat down next to Nellis.
"Hmph, you're getting along well with those who are being bullied."
"Sir Siph is someone I've clearly rejected, so he has nothing to do with me. So, you don't have to worry, and if you want to meet Sir Siph, you can, Reina."