Entrance Ceremony (1)
As I regained consciousness, my eyes fell on an unfamiliar ceiling. Stark white ceiling, white walls, white floor. Not somewhere familiar, but I had a rough idea of the place. My gaze drifted to the clock on one wall.
"1:40... Running a bit late?"
The surrounding beds were empty. The other students who'd been stuck in the infirmary had already headed off to the entrance ceremony. But the priest who was supposed to be minding the place was nowhere in sight. Where the hell did he wander off to, leaving patients behind? Must've pawned off that professional sense of mercy somewhere. At least he'd patched me up before bailing. My mana wasn't fully restored, but it was decently topped off. I circulated it to shake off the lingering fatigue and rose from the bed.
"Gonna make it in time?"
It felt tight, so I quickened my pace.
Major events like the entrance ceremony were usually held in the auditorium. But Tianis Academy, the continent's top school, did things a little differently.
"Damn, it is huge."
The building I'd glimpsed a few times on my way to class. If I had to describe its shape, it'd be like a modern soccer stadium reimagined in fantasy style. Obviously, the design wasn't identical to anything from my world, and it was massive enough to seat tens of thousands.
The area around it buzzed with noise. Only the hardworking freshmen, second-years, professors, and invited guests could enter. That meant crowds had flocked to catch a glimpse of today's stars any way they could.
As an entrance exam participant, I breezed through the check and slipped inside.
Woooah!!
I'd woken up late, so the ceremony was already halfway done. Fortunately, the tedious dean's speech was over, and they were just wrapping up introductions for the top two from each department.
I headed for a spot in the corner. Even in the excited atmosphere, eyes followed me as I moved. At least I wanted to watch the entrance ceremony in peace.
As I scanned for a seat—
Chirp!
A bird cut across my path. Nene, that was her name.
"Go back to your owner."
Chirp!
"Don't play dumb. Just go."
I said that, but she gestured like she wanted me to follow.
"I'm not going."
I ignored her. Spotting an empty seat just then, I plopped down. Nene immediately started pecking at my head with her beak.
"Ow! You damn bird!"
I yanked her off my head. The feathered pest pecked at my hand even after I grabbed her.
"I said I'm not going! So buzz off to your owner. Got it?"
I infused a bit of killing intent to scare her. She had some tricks up her sleeve, so she didn't faint, but I chucked her into the air.
"Scram!"
She circled overhead with a troubled look, but realizing she couldn't break my stubbornness, she finally flew back to her owner.
"About time."
I brushed the feathers off my hand and focused on the ceremony.
"Now, we'll announce the entrance exam results!"
The professor in charge of the exam bellowed. He was on in years but yelled like he'd forgotten all dignity, amplifying his voice with magic until it shook the heavens.
"Ooooh!!"
"Finally!"
"This is what I've been waiting for!!"
Cheers erupted everywhere. The vibe was way more electric than during the speeches and introductions. And why not? This was one of the main draws of the entrance ceremony.
"Third place in the academy's famous token hunt...!"
A white orb floated up into the sky. It glowed and danced in sync with the professor's voice. And then—
"First-year Magic Department top scorer, Cloi! With a whopping 8 tokens!!"
A beam of light spotlighted her, standing at the front as the Magic Department's freshman rep. A scene proclaiming her the star of the show.
"8? Is that even possible?"
"Last year, 6 was first place..."
"Hang on, if third is 8, how many did first and second get?"
Murmurs swelled. An impossible count like 8 had everyone buzzing. And she was only third. The anticipation built—what had the top two racked up?
The called Cloi walked slowly to the stage. The light followed her, making her shine even brighter. A magic screen magnified her face.
Fiery red hair like sculpted flames, ruby-red eyes like embedded gems. The rare colors alone drew every eye.
Another screen popped up beside it—clips of how she'd fought and won in the exam. Nothing particularly highlight-reel worthy, so I had zero interest. But still, I couldn't tear my gaze away.
Not because her abilities resembled Rana's. No, it was because she was...
"Hm?"
Suddenly, darkness fell. Literally—my vision went black. Soft sensation enveloped my face. I knew right away who was behind the prank.
"Haa... Cut it out."
"Not fun...?"
"No, so sit next to me and watch the ceremony."
"Okay!"
Her hands pulled away, and Rana plopped into the empty seat beside me. She looked bursting with energy, like the exam hadn't worn her out at all.
"How'd the exam go?"
"Great! Lots of fun kids. Worked hard to keep 'em from getting hurt."
"I see."
"You okay, Kyle? You were laid up in the infirmary till just now."
"Mana exhaustion. Fine now."
"Good!"
By then, Cloi's turn had wrapped up.
"Next, second place! Knight Department top scorer, Veil Arden! With 11 tokens!!! Matches the academy record!"
The professor roared, and the cheers exploded even louder. The noise was ear-splitting.
"Ugh, my ears..."
Rana winced too and swung her staff. Magic muffled the sounds around us.
"This year's way too rowdy. Wasn't like this last year."
"Yeah."
I had no memory of last year, but this ceremony was definitely abnormal. Anything involving the protagonist scaled up big time.
Veil took the stage. He looked composed, but I could tell his mind was a mess. Probably fallout from what I'd said earlier.
To be honest, there were no massive family secrets or darkness at this point. He wasn't heir yet, so he didn't know the family affairs, and I'd just poked at his insecurities effectively. Had to stop my info from leaking, so a little white lie.
"That's Kyle's little brother?"
Rana peered over, eyes full of curiosity. Not the usual flirty kind toward me—this was pure interest in the "little brother" relation.
"Yeah."
"Kinda looks like you... but not really."
"Brothers, after all."
"Is your brother as nice as you?"
"I keep telling you, I'm not nice. And yeah, he's different from me."
"So he's a bad kid?"
"Haa..."
She was doing this on purpose. One hundred percent teasing me.
"Come see for yourself later. See if he's bad or not."
"Then introduce us when you've got time!"
"......"
Idiot me for bringing it up. I ignored her chatter and refocused on the ceremony.
Hm?
Then I noticed something odd. I'd been watching my brother, but felt nothing. Distance wasn't the issue—I'd gotten nauseous just glimpsing Princess Ariel from afar.
Only one explanation.
That deep grudge faded just from me beating him once?
Those dark emotions vanishing after a few punches? Pathetic? Cheap? I could only scoff.
Old grudges like that don't dissolve easily, from what I knew.
No, maybe because he's my brother.
Inferiority was just feeling lesser than someone. Resolve that, and it was worthless.
Looking back, my body had only raged—no other emotions.
So that's one issue down?
Controlling the body separately had been a hassle. Now I wouldn't need to tense up around him.
Veil's footage played. Eleven clips total. The last was blurred like a mosaic. They'd emphasized his opponent's face less, making his stand out more. And since the magic stopped right when the exam ended, my face didn't appear.
Some second-years grumbled a bit.
"Who the hell was the guy who fought the top scorer?"
"Someone that skilled? Fought better than the princess."
"Whoa... Wanna spar him myself. Ask around the freshmen—who was it?"
Next up.
"First place, Knight Department runner-up, Evan Felix! 12 tokens! A new academy record!!"
I clapped my hands over my ears quick. Rana anticipated it and did the same.
"Woooaaahhhh!!!!"
"New record...!"
"12...!!"
The roar was so loud, words fragmented. By the end, I couldn't make out a thing.
Protagonist involvement always amps reactions to absurd levels.
Just like in the novel—no different in reality. Should've skipped if I'd known.
Anyway, his footage rolled. Last clip blurred again, no matchup with me shown.
Even a rich, capable academy couldn't broadcast every one of thousands of students. The transmission magic only captured fight zones. Made by the founding emperor, passed down generations.
"So who was the guy?!"
"Freshman! Tell us who you fought!"
"Argh! Spill it!"
The Knight Department—full of battle-hungry types—went nuts. They wanted a shot at whoever beat the top two.
Not happening.
Professors droned on, but conclusion: no ID on me. The magic had restrictions; academy couldn't tweak it. And neither Veil nor Evan seemed keen to spill.
Veil made sense, but Evan? Looked like he wanted me solo. Creepy grin from that guy.
"Kyle."
"What."
Rana whispered in my ear.
"That was you, right?"
Nailed it in one. I flinched inwardly. Blondes everywhere, similar builds—no standout traits. But her mage observation skills shone. Maybe from hanging around lately?
Still, I kept my usual tone.
"What nonsense."
"Hehe~ Got it. I'll keep your secret, Kyle."
Rana beamed. Thrilled at our little shared mystery. Made me wanna smack her.
Finally, top three introduced. Time for prizes.
Tianis Academy lived up to its top billing—prizes weren't basic. Other schools might toss mid-tier magic tools, rare herbs, or elixirs. Here? They assessed freshmen needs and gave growth boosters.
Legendary gear, priceless elixirs, spellbooks from archmages. For first place, anyway. Second and third got a tier down.
Cloi got a famed mage's spellbook. Veil, a necklace with ten spells.
And first-place Evan...
"White Return Pill?"
"No way, the Arden family gave that up?!"
"Whoa... That rare thing as a prize."
White Return Pill: Family heirloom elixir. Never hit the market, priceless legend. Boosted mana, aided physical growth. Special part? Pop it and forget—adapts to user automatically.
Lucky bastard.
Game stats said 1.5x to 2x boosts. Tempting, even if not mine.
The big event wrapped. Top three stepped down. At the dean's cue, someone rose from the VIP seats.
"Greetings. I'm Decal Arden."
Deep, resonant voice. Arden family head—my father, Decal Arden. He'd shown up to the ceremony.
"Your family's all so mysterious, Kyle."
"Yeah?"
Our house had its enigmas. Anyway.
Now, let's see the continent's strongest swordsman's skills.