The Dean stands in front of the class as he waits for them to give his full attention.
"You guys are the brightest apples of our empire, the next generation who would define how our society operates. Because of that, It is important to understand the actions of your ancestors and how they all led to the current situation.
The class silently listens to the lesson. With Graduation coming up, many of them will begin the process of inheriting the prestige of their families or starting their careers. This is a key lesson for their futures.
"The history you've learned before was only loosely explained but now that you are going to graduate, it's time for you to understand just how important your role is for the future of our empire. If you have any questions, feel free to ask".
"Okay Dean", the class says obediently.
The Dean then begins his lecture.
"A long, long, time ago, before mages existed, there was only the Voraine empire to our west and the Thorkell empire to our north. The Thorkell empire specialized in war and the Voraine empire had vast resources among its lands.
The continent was stable with these two superpowers in a statement but then, mages started to be born all within the same generation.
What made mages appear? Selena asked with curiosity.
"The reason is unknown. Maybe it was just a natural occurrence or a part of some natural evolution but the magic power produced by mages was strong and enviable. Fear and Greed naturally follow after those with great power and the leaders of both empires were no different. Mages were faced with two options, destruction or slavery.
"If the mages had magic and everyone else didn't, why couldn't they repel everyone forcefully?" asked Fiona
"Magic was far too new and the mages were also scattered everywhere so they had no effective means to combat the pursuit of their enemies," the dean says with a slight sigh.
"But Dean, in such dire circumstances, how did the mages happen to escape", Ivory asked.
The Dean smiled, "It was quite simple, they just relied on the Emperor's eye"
"Emperor's Eye?" The class asked in confusion.
The Emperor's eye is the innate ability of the first emperor and it's passed down through his bloodline. It is the most mysterious ability in this world and the treasure of our empire. There is very little information released to the public for safety reasons but what I can say is that the Emperor's eye can see the future and even the truth of all things.
"The future?" The class asked in shock.
"Yes, the first emperor used the empire's eye and saw the extinction of the mages. Being blessed as a mage himself, He took it upon himself to rescue those in danger. With the Emperor's eye, he embarks on a path of saving all the mages of his generation and seeking to establish a haven for everyone to live in peace.
The power of the Emperor's Eye was able to guide the First Emperor to safety many times and allowed him to protect all the mages under his protection. Now with the ability to defend themselves, Against all odds, the small group of mages, united under the emperor, were able to avoid the pursuit of two empires. Finally, They established their own country which later became the Kadence Empire we know today.
The class almost bursts out with excitement with excited comments flying throughout the classroom.
"Nothing we have today would be possible without the Emperor's Eye!"
"To think our imperial family will be so devoted to our empire!"
"I wonder if I can ever see the Emperor's Eye in action!"
The Dean smiles at the bustling classroom. "It's good for the younger generation to have such loyalty to the crown," he thinks to himself.
"Don't forget that the emperor is still just one person, he still needs support from the people to achieve glory for the Kadence Empire. I hope you remember this well and proudly do your part in contributing to our empire!" The Deans says.
"Yes, Dean!" The Class says in unison.
"Are there any more questions before I continue?" The Dean asks.
"Since we can all use magic, Does that mean everyone here are descendant of the mages who were saved by the first emperor?" Selena asks curiously.
"Yes, all nobility in this empire gained their status due to being descendants of those mages and inheriting their magic bloodline"., The dean answers.
"Of course, magic isn't everything, the Thorkell and Voraine empires are still very powerful despite not having magic. We're unique in the sense that the birth and purpose of our nation revolve around the existence of Magic".
"With the use of Magic and the Emperor's eye, why is our empire struggling so much with constant warfare?" Ivory asked curiously.
The Dean sighs, "That's a good question but there are two main reasons. Greed and Kortz".
"The Kadence empire was far larger than it currently is. The world was fearful of these powerful magicians led by the first Emperor and it led to the Kadence empire expanding very quickly. It almost seemed like the Kadence Empire would unite the entire continent but unfortunately, the existence of the metal, Kortz, was discovered which then started a dark age for the Kadence Empire.
"Does anyone know what Kortz is?" The Dean asked curiously.
The class was silent and right when the Dean was about to answer his question, A voice interrupted him.
"I believe it is that metal that is resistant to magic right?"
The class turns towards Fiona and then the Dean as if asking if she is correct.
The Dean smiles, "As expected of the daughter of that Flamor. Yes, Fiona, you are correct. It's normal for people to be unfamiliar with Kortz since it's pretty much useless to our empire but Kortz is a metal that is very resistant towards magic".
"To make matters worse, Kortz is not even that rare. With the help of Kortz, The Thorkell empire of the north and the Voraine empire of the west quickly regained their footing and fought back against our empire's mages. The mages were caught off guard by the alliance of the two empires and were forced into a defensive war of two fronts. Then to make matters worse, the lands to the south, which are yet to be unified, also caused constant problems along our southern border. The Kadence empire was attacked on three fronts which caused drastic losses and shrunk our territory to its current size".
The class was silent, they were all thinking the same thing. If Kortz did not exist, maybe the world would already be under the control of their empire.
Selena was thinking to herself, "Looking at it from another angle, Just like how the original mages appeared out of nowhere, maybe Kortz also appeared out of nowhere as a way to equalize the world".
Fiona then speaks up to interrupt the silence. "But the situation on the southern border is improving right Dean?"
The Dean looked at Fiona with surprise, "I know your father wants you to be one of the pillars of our magic military in the future but does he really need to tell you so much about our military secrets?"
Fiona just smiles respectfully with a hint of pride on her face.
The Dean continues and says "But yes, You are correct. There is no need for you guys to worry too much because we have slowly been regaining our advantage all these decades through consistent effort."
"By evolving our magic and studying the weaknesses of Kortz, we realized that our emphasis on offensive magic has led the current mages of today to be stronger than the mages of the past. Kortz was also found to just resist magic, not nullify it. As long as your magic is strong enough, you can still damage someone even in a full Kortz armor. Lastly, It turns out Kortz is not as strong as other metals like Steel so we have been investing more in our army and leading those normal soldiers in steel to attack enemy soldiers in Kortz".
"Due to the efforts of Duke Zonet and Marquis Flamor, we have almost completely unified the land of the Southern Territory"
Some classmates took a glance at Fiona after hearing the Dean's words. They knew she had a good status but they never expected her family to contribute so much.
The Dean continues, "And this leads us to the next important announcement. Since the timing lines up nicely and we, the Kadence Empire, are also aiming for higher heights, we decided that your final exam should now include practical experience.
The class slowly got a bad premonition after hearing the Dean's words.
"So for your final exam, You will all be sent to a real battlefield to assist the Military in their conquest mission of the Southern Territory!" The Dean says with a beam on his face which completely ignores the now fearful and complicated expressions on his students' faces.