The morning glow spread across the land, casting a golden brilliance to the main building of the academy.
Students in their blue and white uniforms move excitedly along the narrow and long path toward the assembly building.
The day before the start of classes, the students undergo some tests. Such as the Academy Entrance Exam, Magic Exam, Alchemy Exam, and Mana Formation Test. This was an important process to assess the students' grades based on their results. Using it as a basis to assign them to their appropriate classes.
There were a total of 101 freshmen students enrolled this year. This odd number lit a spark of discussion among students.
Usually, the academy would only allow 100 new students every year. But how come there was an extra 1 this time?
Inside a student council room, one of the members asked the student council president.
"President, don't you find it weird? What exactly is the reason for this odd number?"
The student council president was a second-year student. She was a beautiful student with a ponytail trademark on her dark purple head, exuding a firm and intellectual demeanor.
"Yeah, I find it very strange, but what can we do about it when the headmaster couldn't be found? He is most probably out there doing his stuff somewhere."
With that, the topic was temporarily pushed to the back of their minds.
Aside from the odd number of new students, the second most popular topic that morning was about the two commoner students.
No matter what, it was strange to have commoners in such a prestigious academy.
In the test, some students showed incredibly awesome feats, especially in the Mana Formation Test.
Mana Formation Test includes Mana Control, Casting, Volume of Mana, and everything about it.
The main characters such as Abilene, who excels in Mana Control and Magic Casting, and the three princes, who each have their own excellent skills, all got the best grades.
Unexpectedly, despite coming from a commoner background, Rachel excels in the Academic Exam.
Lin, who knows everything about the novel, could easily get a perfect score in the Academic Exam if he wanted, but he chose not to.
Because of his Rank F Talent, he had poor mana volume as well. He once again received some criticism from the other students who were also doing their test at the same time as him.
According to them, "What the hell, how can a person have such a terrible talent?"
Rank F? Why did the academy officials allow him to the academy?
Oblivious to their harsh remarks, he continued the test without bothering anyone. His first goal was to finish the test without causing any trouble.
However, his Casting Speed caused some confusion among the test supervisors. They questioned whether the machine used for recording the speed of casting was broken.
It took them a while to decide, so they ended up repeating his Magic Casting Test. Noticing their troubled confusion, Lin adjusted his Casting time to make it a little bit longer.
Just then, the test supervisors finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After the test, most of the students went to find their dormitory.
The academy could easily accommodate a 1:1 room for each student. However, this year has an extra number, therefore they are short of one room.
Casting glances at the passing students, Lin found it strange. He hadn't received his dorm number yet. The other students got theirs though.
Well, let's try asking the faculty, saying that he moved towards there.
Arriving at the faculty, he took their attention.
"Excuse me, I haven't received my dorm number yet."
A lady with glasses stared at him in disbelief. "Oh, wait, what's your name again?"
"Lin Stronoff."
There was a brief pause coming from her when she heard his name. She cast another glance at him, wondering whether she heard it correctly. Noticing he didn't repeat his name, the faculty lady hastily checked the record in the file.
There she saw the name Lin Stronoff in the last column.
Not long after, a frown appeared on her face.
"Sorry, it seems we are short of one room due to an extra number of students."
Wait, extra student? Lin was taken aback. That was probably him.
"Uhm… so…"
"Don't worry, we'll arrange a temporary room for you."
"I see. Thank you then."
She nodded and said. "Please wait here for a moment." After saying that, she went outside the faculty. A few minutes later, she came back.
"Student Stronoff, come follow me. I'll lead you to your temporary shelter."
"Alright."
A moment later,
"Sorry, Student Stronoff, but this will be your temporary room for a while."
Lin looked dumbfounded.
He was led to the back of the main building, where a garden of wilted plants and flowers could be seen. However, in front of him was a broken… shack!?
"Wait, pardon?"
The faculty lady said apologetically, "Sorry, we did our best to find a better place for you to stay but so far it seems there's no available room no matter where I look. I promised that once there's a vacant one, I will immediately inform you."
It can't be helped.
"Okay, I get it," Lin replied dejectedly.
"Uhm. Right, while you're in here, take good care of the plants. The headmaster is very fond of these plants."
Isn't she forcing an assignment on him?
He sighed helplessly.
"Wait. What plants? They looked like stems only though. Has no one taken care of them?"
She nodded. "Yeah. The class has just started after all and the caretaker went on a long vacation."
"I see."
"Anyway, if you need something just go to the faculty."
"Alright. I'll do that."
After waving her hand, the faculty lady finally left.
No matter how he looked at the shack, it can't pass as a shelter.
"For starters, let's check the interior first," Lin said to himself.
As expected, morning beams were passing through the gashes on the ceiling. Not only the walls but the ceiling as well were broken. Aside from that, a strong rusty stench was in the air and some cobwebs were hanging on the ceiling and walls.
Moreover, the walls, ceiling, and floors were all covered in dark moss and dust.
He needed to fix them first before anything else. If not, he would freeze to death tonight.
"It may be late summer now, but the temperature at night is surprisingly at negative Celsius."
To start with fixing, he needed to borrow some tools first.
As instructed, he went to the faculty room once again.
Seeing a familiar face, the faculty lady immediately recognized him.
"Student Stronoff, do you need something?" Because her call was slightly louder, it caught the attention of other people inside the faculty. They turned their gazes towards the door and saw a tall student with auburn hair and a striking pair of golden eyes.
A female student upon hearing it, asked in mind. 'Stronoff? Does Count Stronoff have a son? Isn't it a daughter?' She also didn't hear the Count having a relative beside his family.
Lin unintentionally glanced in her direction as well. He was momentarily stunned when their eyes met. What a stunning beauty, is she a human or a fairy?
Suddenly,
"Uhm, Princess Scarlet? Please sign here." The faculty staff in front of her suddenly pushed a piece of white paper toward her.
She took it and briefly looked at it before she signed.
Lin gasped upon hearing the faculty staff call her name though.
'Silver hair and scarlet eyes… there's no doubt. That's Princess Scarlet! One of the major characters in the novel, and the villainess!'
She was the most he needed to look out for because most of the major events in the future were connected to her.
Well then, he also needed to finish his matter there. He then walked to the faculty lady's desk.
"The shack is broken beyond belief, Miss Jane. I want to fix it but I don't know where to borrow the tools."
"Is that so? You can get the tools in the storeroom. It's located behind the sports department. If you don't know where the sports department is, you can check the map on the information board."
After thanking her, he left immediately.
Inside her dorm, Princess Scarlet took a sip of fruit juice. She saw a young man with the Stronoff name just a while ago, but she had no information about him.
As a member of the aristocratic family on the highest pedestal, it could be said that information was the most important matter to them.
"Miss Eve, please arrange for someone to investigate these people. I want to know their backgrounds as soon as possible."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The next day, the class was officially opened. All freshmen students gathered inside a huge auditorium.
It was the welcome ceremony and the person who was assigned for the welcoming speech was none other than the best student who took first place on the leaderboard.
When her figure appeared on the stage, everyone seemed captivated by her beauty. Her cold demeanor didn't diminish her beauty, only added to her charm. This is why she has a huge number of fans among the students.
"It's Princess Scarlet."
"She's so beautiful."
"Look at her skin. It's so smooth."
While most of the students were captivated by the princess' beauty, a yawn escaped from Lin's mouth.
This caused a startled reaction to the person beside him. If he only glanced to his side, he would probably be surprised who he saw there. Because the person standing beside him at that moment was no other than Rachel, the first protagonist.
Rachel was casting curious glances at him, but the current Lin had no appetite to care about his surroundings. His eyes were tired and his physical strength was exhausted. He ended up almost building a whole new shack yesterday.
He needed to replace some of the walls, ceiling, and floors. Even after all the work he did, there was still more unfinished work. It wasn't something he could finish in just a day after all.
After the welcome ceremony, everyone gathered in front of the Information Board to check their classes.
Suddenly, there was a commotion among the crowd when three tall freshman students walked in. Both were peerlessly handsome in their own way.
It's Prince Harold of the royal family. With him was Zack Kelen, the Marquess' eldest son. The third person was Droy Adulitt, the Royal Knight Captain's youngest son.
They were the three princes, the target for conquest, and every female student's dream partner.
In the presence of these three, most female students raised their voices in excitement.
Brushing his blond hair with his fingers, Prince Harold caused the female students to shrill excitedly.
"Kyaaaahh!"
"Prince Harold is the embodiment of a handsome face and gentle demeanor, like the brightest star!"
Pressing the frame of his glasses, Zach cast a glance at the other students.
"Kyaaah! He looked at me!"
"No, it's me!"
"Zach was beaming with intelligence and calmness. I wish I could join his study group later on."
Smiling, Droy's white teeth were peeking.
Kyaaah!
"Look at that manly smile!"
"I want to jump into his embrace!"
"Droy Adulitt is beaming with confidence and strength. I heard he was trained from childhood by the Royal Knight Captain himself. Look at his well-defined body. He seems like a well-crafted sculpture."
Without minding the gazes of students around them, the charismatic trio approached the Information Board.
Aside from being inhumanly handsome, these three all have high-rank talents and skills.
The trio all have their names listed in Class A. It's a class that most talented individuals are put into. Along with them, Princess Scarlet's name was in there too.
If Lin was not mistaken, Abilene would be in that class too.
"As expected, we are all in the same class!" Droy Adulitt exclaimed with a bright smile, captivating the girls around once again.
Prince Harold smiled slightly. Just by doing that, the female students turned their eyes into a heart shape.
Zach Kelen pressed the frame of his glasses once more. Even with such a minimal gesture, the female students looked in awe.
At that moment, a sudden commotion erupted from the back. This time, the louder voice came from the male students. From there, Princess Scarlet walked into the center.
"You three, stop causing trouble to the other students." Her words might appear she was reprimanding them, but the tone of her voice was far from angry.
"Princess Scarlet, we're not causing any trouble, but if we did without knowing it, then we'll apologize," Zach replied gently.
His words and actions were enough to win most of the female students' favor.
Wearing a smile, she nodded. "Alright." After saying that, Scarlet turned her gaze to Prince Harold.
"Prince Harold, I'm happy to be in the same class as you."
Prince Harold slightly narrowed his eyes. Although the Royal and the Duke Family appeared friendly with each other, in reality, there was a silent political war going on between these two highest families.
Prince Harold was actually wary of Scarlet, the princess of the duke family. He knew what was running in her mind. She may appear friendly but in reality she was a cunning person.
At that moment,
Kyahh!
An ear-piercing shrill echoed. It was a different shrill from before.
Glancing there, they saw a meek-looking girl stumbled forward and bumped into someone. A tall handsome young man with auburn hair and a pair of striking golden eyes stood between Princess Scarlet and the meek-looking girl, who turned out to be Rachel, the protagonist.