Instructor Adriel Vance walked into the classroom carrying a pair of books in his arms. He placed them neatly on the table at the front.
The moment he entered, the chatter in the room died down. The students immediately went silent.
"Good morning, everyone," he said calmly. "I am Adriel Vance, and I will once again be your main instructor for the second year."
He opened one of the books and flipped through a few pages. "Just like last year, I'll be teaching magic theory and aura theory." He looked up at the class.
"So let's begin the—"
BANG!
The classroom door suddenly flew open.
Osias rushed inside, breathing heavily. His uniform was slightly torn, and he looked like he had just come from a fight.
"S-sorry for being late, instructor!" he said between breaths.
Adriel raised an eyebrow.
"It's only the first class, and you're already late," he said. "That's unusual for you. Did something happen?"
"W-well…"
Osias hesitated. He lowered his head, feeling embarrassed. There was no way he could admit that Edsel had beaten him so badly he passed out.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly instead.
Adriel watched him for a moment before sighing.
"Go back to your seat. Let this be your last warning."
"Yes, sir."
Osias walked toward his desk beside Edwin.
Edwin, Penelope, and Cecilia all looked at him with confusion.
Osias had several small cuts on his face, and his uniform looked messy, as if he had been in a fight.
"Did something happen?" Edwin whispered.
Osias turned toward him and suddenly laughed awkwardly. "Nothing at all," he said. "I just saw a cat and tried to chase it."
Penelope burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! A cat? Osias really does love animals. But that doesn't mean you should go chasing them around the academy."
"Haha… yeah…" Osias replied weakly.
It was better this way, he thought. If everyone believed that it was just a cat that had made him late, then he could avoid explaining the truth. He sighed in relief and then glanced back across the room.
Edsel was staring directly at him with a smile on his face. The sight made Osias instantly angry, but the injuries visible on his face reminded him immediately not to mess with Edsel ever again.
"Now, class, let us begin with an important matter. Who will be the class representative for this year? Last year, it was Cecilia and Azai who shared the position together," Instructor Andriel announced while looking around the room.
Edsel glanced at Azai, who was sitting at the center of the class with an indifferent expression on his face. He had melanin skin, dark hair, and sharp Ezell eyes that seemed to observe everything without revealing any emotion. He was the second prince of the Red Desert Kingdom, and despite his quiet nature now, he would eventually become a king in the future with Edwin's help.
"So who is willing to volunteer for the position this time?" Andriel asked while scanning the room.
Penelope raised her arm immediately without hesitation. Aside from Azai, who remained still, several other male and female students also raised their hands eagerly.
But there were only a few of them in total. Being class representative was something that most students wanted to avoid. It meant dealing with constant contacts from the instructor, handling complaints from other students, and getting no rest at all throughout the semester. That was why most people stayed away from volunteering.
Andriel looked at the raised hands and counted them quickly. "Hmm, only six people have raised their hands so far. That is a rather small number." He paused for effect before continuing. "Well then, I suppose that no one here is interested in earning some points for themselves."
Everyone stared at him with confusion written on their faces.
"Now, now, let me explain what I mean by points. I am talking about student points, which you can gather by doing good deeds and completing tasks throughout the semester. The more points you have, the more privileges you can unlock. For example, you can get a permission card that allows you to leave the academy for up to seven days at a time. Of course, class representatives are not the only ones who can earn these points. Regular students can also collect them through their own efforts."
"But instructor, why is it so important to become a representative if regular students can earn the same points anyway?" one student asked with confusion.
"Because as a representative, you can steal points from other students if you defeat them in combat," Andriel explained with a sly smile.
Everybody in the class stared at each other with surprise and realization.
Edsel smiled knowingly while watching the reactions around him. He understood exactly where this was going. The instructor was trying to start a competition and see the level of power in combat among the students. This way, people would stand up and fight for the position, and he was certainly looking for a strong representative who could overwhelm the rest of the class. It was such an absurd but effective method.
But of course, something that seemed stupid to others was exactly the kind of opportunity that Edsel would take for himself. He could not simply let anyone else take the position away from him without a fight.
"So who among you is willing to—" Andriel started to say.
Everyone in the class raised their hands this time, except for Azai, Cecilia, Osias, and Edwin who remained still in their seats.
Edsel could see why they had not raised their arms. They had already understood the instructor's intention from the beginning and chose not to participate. But that did not matter to Edsel at all. He raised his own arm high, and Andriel noticed him immediately.
"Edsel? You want to join the competition as well?" Andriel asked with surprise in his voice.
Edwin and everyone else in the class turned to stare at him with shocked expressions.
"Yes, I want to participate," Edsel responded calmly.
That simple answer alone fueled multiple other students to join the competition. They smirked while glancing back at Edsel, already imagining how easy it would be to defeat him.
Andriel stared at Edsel with confusion and concern in his eyes. "Are you absolutely sure about this? It involves real combat, and you being there..." He did not want to admit it openly, but he was worried that Edsel would be beaten so badly by the other students.
But Edsel simply maintained a calm expression on his face. Andriel facepalmed and sighed deeply at the sight.
"Never mind. If you wish to join and face the consequences, then go ahead and do it."
"Let us teach that guy a proper lesson for thinking he can compete with us," one student whispered to his friend.
"It will be an easy victory for sure," another responded while grinning.