Complete silence filled the ballroom.
"Accomplished…"
"By a first-year student of Nexus Academy."
Soon—
King Altheris' voice echoed throughout the ballroom once more.
"Noctis."
"Step forward."
For a brief second—
I hesitated.
Then—
a small push came from behind.
Elena.
I glanced back toward her before smiling faintly.
Without that push—
I honestly might've stood there awkwardly for another few seconds.
As I stepped down toward the royal podium, my eyes briefly wandered across the ballroom.
And immediately—
I noticed several familiar faces.
Darius Whitemere stood near the center of the hall quietly.
Beside him sat a young girl in a wheelchair.
My gaze slowly lowered toward the empty space beneath the blanket covering her legs.
"..."
That must be his little sister.
I remembered hearing rumors about her condition before.
Darius noticed me looking briefly before giving a small nod.
I returned it quietly.
Then—
my gaze shifted elsewhere.
Several Nexus Academy students had apparently also been invited to represent the academy.
Standing near Aurelia was Seraphina Ravenshade.
The Student Council President.
Even here—
she somehow still carried the same suffocating presence she always had back at the academy.
A few other upperclassmen stood nearby as well.
Most of them stared at me with obvious curiosity.
Honestly—
I couldn't even blame them.
Even now—
the entire situation still felt surreal to me.
"You have achieved a feat never before accomplished within this era."
"The slaying of a Demon that had reached S-Rank."
The King's voice echoed throughout the silent ballroom.
His sharp golden eyes slowly scanned my body afterward.
Then—
for the first time—
I noticed a small flicker of surprise appear within his gaze.
"…Interesting."
Murmurs spread quietly throughout the hall.
King Altheris continued slowly.
"To think a seventeen-year-old has already reached A-Rank."
The moment those words fell—
the ballroom erupted.
"What?!"
"A-Rank?!"
"At seventeen?!"
"That's impossible!"
Countless nobles stared at me in complete disbelief.
Because everyone present understood exactly what that meant.
A seventeen-year-old A-Ranker.
Such a thing had never existed within the current era.
Even the legendary heroes recorded within history had only reached that level later in life.
Yet now—
someone standing before them had shattered that record completely.
The King's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Your talent…"
"…may rival the heroes of the past themselves."
"Perhaps even surpass them."
The shock within the ballroom only deepened further.
And what terrified them most—
was the fact that an A-Ranker had defeated an existence one entire rank above himself.
An S-Rank Demon.
The King eventually spoke once more.
"Kneel."
I slowly lowered myself onto one knee before the royal podium.
Then—
SHING.
King Altheris unsheathed his sword.
Kingsbane.
The legendary royal blade shimmered beneath the palace lights while ancient golden runes faintly glowed along the silver steel.
A weapon feared throughout the continent itself.
Slowly—
the King placed the flat side of the blade against my shoulder.
Then spoke clearly.
"Noctis of the Saviant Guild."
"We, the Royal Family and the people of the Virelian Empire, thank you for your service."
The ballroom remained completely silent.
"Noctis of the Saviant Guild shall be granted the right to choose a single item from the Royal Treasury as reward for his achievements."
Several nobles visibly stiffened at that announcement.
Then—
the King's voice echoed once more.
"Noctis of the Saviant Guild shall henceforth be recognized with the title—"
'The Dark Blade.'
A strange silence followed those words.
Then—
King Altheris lifted Kingsbane away from my shoulder.
"Rise."
I slowly stood back up.
Yet the King's gaze remained fixed on me.
Then suddenly—
he asked something completely unexpected.
"Noctis."
"Once you finish your studies at Nexus Academy…"
"…would you be interested in joining the Phantom Knights?"
The atmosphere immediately shifted again.
Even several nobles looked visibly shocked.
Because the Phantom Knights were no ordinary military force.
They were the elite sword division serving directly beneath the King himself.
Monsters chosen personally by the royal family.
The strongest blades of the Empire.
At the side—
I noticed Elena's eyes narrow slightly.
The King was openly trying to recruit me.
From the Saviant Guild.
I smiled faintly afterward.
"…I refuse, Your Majesty."
Several nobles froze instantly.
Rejecting the King's personal invitation so directly—
was nearly unthinkable.
Yet I continued calmly.
"I believe…"
"…I've already found the place where I wish to remain."
As I spoke—
my gaze briefly shifted toward Elena.
The King stared at me quietly before sighing softly.
"…A pity."
"But I cannot force you."
Then—
King Altheris turned back toward the ballroom.
His voice echoed throughout the royal hall once more.
"Let the ball continue."
Soon—
I found myself resting quietly near one of the massive marble pillars while watching the ballroom from afar.
Nobles danced beneath the crystal chandeliers happily while music echoed softly throughout the palace.
For the first time in a long while—
the Empire genuinely seemed at peace.
I suppose the liberation of Ashgrave had given people hope again.
And the fact that Alaric Ryker still remained on the battlefield said enough on its own.
As long as the strongest human alive stood at the Empire's borders—
few dared to provoke Virelian openly.
I quietly exhaled before taking another sip from the glass in my hand.
Then—
I noticed several familiar figures approaching.
My eyes immediately landed on the red-haired youth at the front.
Samuel Crimson.
I smiled faintly.
Samuel stopped before me before grinning naturally.
"Noctis."
"Killing an S-Ranked Demon is an insane feat."
"I seriously wish I was there to witness it."
I nearly laughed hearing that.
This guy truly was battle obsessed.
And despite my own achievements—
Samuel himself hadn't exactly been idle either.
During the outside missions, he had apparently been sent toward one of the border towns near the edge of the Virelian Empire.
There—
an assassination squad targeting the local Vice Count had appeared.
Samuel had wiped them all out alone.
Selena Thorne stood beside him quietly.
Our eyes met briefly.
Honestly—
I had barely spoken to her outside that single encounter at the café.
Still—
she gave a small nod.
"Impressive."
I returned it calmly.
"Thank you."
Then—
my gaze shifted slightly toward another figure standing near Aurelia.
A timid-looking girl with soft brown hair.
Clara Taylor.
The moment our eyes met—
she immediately looked away awkwardly.
I blinked slightly.
...Is she avoiding me?
Honestly—
I had no idea why.
I gave her a small wave anyway.
After hesitating briefly—
Clara smiled faintly before waving back.
Then—
two more familiar figures approached.
Silver and Tristan.
The two sat nearby afterward while the ballroom continued buzzing around us.
I glanced toward Silver first.
"I honestly didn't expect your father to personally attend the ball."
Silver sighed quietly.
"...Even I was surprised."
He glanced briefly across the ballroom toward Alaric.
"I still don't know why he decided to accompany me tonight."
Honestly—
neither did anyone else.
Tristan suddenly spoke from beside us.
"The academy starts again the day after tomorrow."
"What are your plans until then?"
"Hm?"
I thought about it briefly before answering honestly.
"I suppose… I'll just continue getting stronger."
And that was the truth.
No matter how much happened—
strength still remained the only thing keeping me alive in this world.
The first year was already nearing its end.
Time had passed faster than I expected.
Then—
Tristan suddenly asked something else.
"Are you participating in the Nexus Festival?"
My eyes narrowed slightly.
The Nexus Festival.
An event held every year near the end of the academy term.
A festival where students directly challenged those above their year level.
First years could challenge second years.
Second years could challenge third years.
And so on.
It was one of the biggest events within Nexus Academy.
A stage where monsters revealed themselves openly.
Silver spoke calmly afterward.
"The fourth years are also returning soon for the graduation ceremony."
I nodded slightly.
The fourth year students of Nexus Academy were fundamentally different from the rest.
Rather than attending classes—
they were sent across kingdoms, battlefields, and even continents for an entire year-long mission.
True survival.
True combat.
A final test before graduation.
Many never returned.
Then—
my thoughts drifted toward another existence entirely.
Seraphina Ravenshade was currently the Student Council President.
A third-year monster feared throughout the academy.
Yet even she wasn't considered the strongest student within Nexus.
No—
that title belonged to someone else.
Sylas.
A commoner.
And the single strongest student currently within Nexus Academy.
What made him truly terrifying—
was the fact that even the Crown Princess herself ranked below him.
Second place.
While Sylas stood alone at the top.
Soon—
another familiar figure approached me.
Darius Whitemere.
The white-haired noble walked calmly across the ballroom while pushing a wheelchair gently beside him.
Sitting there was a small white-haired girl quietly observing the surroundings with curious eyes.
Lysara.
Honestly—
I was fairly certain Darius considered me his rival at this point.
The guy constantly looked at me as though he was trying to surpass me someday.
Still—
compared to before—
his expression had softened slightly.
Darius stopped beside me before speaking calmly.
"It's good to see you survived against that monster."
"Killing an S-Rank Demon is insane."
I smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
Then—
my eyes shifted toward the girl sitting quietly beside him.
She immediately smiled warmly toward me.
A gentle smile.
One completely different from the tense atmosphere filling the ballroom.
Darius noticed my gaze before speaking quietly.
"This is Lysara."
"My little sister."
His voice softened slightly afterward.
"Unfortunately…"
"She was born unable to speak."
A faint trace of pity appeared within my eyes.
The Whitemere Family had once been considered one of the Empire's most influential noble houses.
Power.
Wealth.
Status.
They had possessed everything.
Until the night a demon attacked their estate.
Both the Patriarch and his wife disappeared during the incident.
And little Lysara—
had lost both her legs.
Since then—
the Whitemere Family had slowly fallen apart.
Yet despite everything—
Darius never gave up.
I already knew he had been desperately searching for ways to heal his sister for years now.
Magic.
Artifacts.
Ancient relics.
Anything.
Lysara suddenly raised her hand slightly toward me before giving a tiny wave.
I blinked briefly before returning one.
A small happy expression immediately appeared on her face.
…Cute.
Soon afterward—
Darius gave a small nod before beginning to walk away once more.
As the two disappeared deeper into the ballroom—
my eyes lingered on them quietly.
Then—
I slowly exhaled.
"…I suppose I'll help him out then."