The First Day of Class and an Unexpected Encounter
The students of Class A in the swordsmanship track sat in their seats, a mix of tension and excitement swirling in their hearts. They weren’t exactly close, but they knew one another at least by sight—whether from the social scene or through family connections. They gathered in small groups with people they recognized, chatting while subtly sizing each other up. Which family is he from? Isn’t that guy the son of a trading company head? Even as they laughed and talked, their eyes darted around, scanning the room. The door creaked open again. Who is it this time?
All eyes in the classroom turned toward the slowly opening door. They had already made their guesses. I heard the princess is in this year’s class. Could it be her? Or maybe the second son of House Gray, since he’s supposed to be in swordsmanship too.
But when the door finally swung wide, a man with shining golden hair stepped inside. Golden hair and eyes as deep as the sea. If he were a noble they already knew, someone would have approached him right away. In this wild place called the academy, allies were important. The moment he entered the classroom, everything seemed to stop.
Who is he?
No one spoke to him. Is he not a noble? But that didn’t seem right—his appearance and aura screamed aristocracy. No matter how refined or glamorous someone looked, commoners carried a distinct air about them. Their stride, their gaze, that subtle lack of ease. The man swept a quick glance across the room, then headed straight for the seat by the window at the very back—the one everyone had been avoiding out of caution. As if he had no interest in any of them, he simply stared out the window.
He looked a little more mature than the rest of them. Sitting there, he felt less like a fellow student and more like an older brother or cousin from their own families. The students resumed their conversations, but their eyes kept drifting back to him.
The door creaked open again. Who could it be this time? Once more, everyone’s gaze snapped toward the entrance. A nervous gulp echoed.
“Hello…!”
The moment the voice rang out, the students relaxed and looked away. Right. This is what a commoner looks like. Visually, she could have passed for a noble. Soft pink hair. A beautiful face. But the instant they saw her hesitant tone and expression, every single person in the room knew. She was like a small, skittish animal, constantly glancing around in alarm.
The moment everyone’s attention shifted away from her, she walked straight toward the window seat.
“Um… would it be alright if I sit here…?”
“Of course.”
“Thank you!”
The cold eyes that had seemed permanently expressionless melted like ice the moment they landed on her. When Eloa opened the door and saw Lumian, the tension she’d been carrying since she arrived on campus simply melted away.
It’s the fairy prince!
She had thought she probably wouldn’t see him again. At least not until third year, maybe. But when she opened the door, there he was. The moment Eloa saw him, the world around her seemed to blur. He looked exactly as he had in the park. Sunlight poured over Lumian, and just like that day, a breeze passed by him and brushed against her. Looking at him made her feel at ease.
Without thinking, Eloa walked over and sat down beside him. He was the first person here who had smiled at her. Even though she had suddenly spoken to him, he could have found her annoying, but he had answered with a gentle smile. Eloa sat back down and kept stealing glances at Lumian. He was still staring out the window. She wanted to say something to him, anything, but the words kept getting stuck in her throat.
The weather’s nice today, isn’t it…? That’s way too cliché. Did you sleep well last night? That sounds like I’m pretending we’re already close.
While she agonized over what to say, the front door of the classroom opened. Professor Aurora introduced herself and began explaining the upcoming lessons, but none of it registered in Eloa’s ears. Every ounce of her attention was fixed on the man sitting beside her.
“Lumian.”
“….”
“Lumian!”
“Me?”
A voice like tinkling jade bells echoed through the classroom. Lumian, who had been staring out the window all day, finally turned his head forward. Worried that the eyes watching him might notice, Eloa quickly fixed her gaze in the opposite direction.
“Yes, you. It’s the first day, so why don’t you introduce yourself? Come on out first.”
“Pardon?”
His face showed clear bewilderment, but he let out a small sigh and walked toward the lectern. The classroom was dead silent. In that quiet, only the sound of his footsteps rang clearly. He stopped in front of the lectern and looked out at the students. His expression was blank, yet there was an indescribable warmth in his eyes.
“My name is Lumian Cardion. I’m twenty-two years old. I look forward to getting to know all of you.”
The moment his name was revealed, the students didn’t show it outwardly, but inside they were shocked. Lumian Cardion. The man known as the older brother of Serian Cardion from the magic department. And even more famous was his nickname: Talentless Lumian. He hadn’t appeared in public much, so his face wasn’t widely known, but it was a name people had heard at least once.
“You’ve come to the academy at a rather late age.”
When his previously expressionless face softened into a smile, the students felt a strange, familiar sense of comfort. It was an emotion they had never felt from someone their own age.
“There will be days when you laugh here, and days when you want to cry. But all of those moments will help you grow.”
What was this? It was less a self-introduction and more like gentle advice, but his careful, quiet voice melted the students’ hearts. “It’s okay to stop for a moment when things get hard.”
He glanced out the window once, then looked back at the students.
“So I hope you’ll hold onto today’s excitement for a long time. That feeling will help you endure the journey ahead.”
“That’s all.”
It wasn’t anything particularly profound. If anything, it was obvious advice. But the students sitting before him had lived their lives surrounded by schemes and political maneuvering. Some had been thrust into successor rivalries from a young age. Others had been crushed under the weight of their family’s expectations. This was the first time they had ever heard genuine encouragement and comfort. The students listened to his words with surprisingly serious expressions, as if they had been waiting for someone to say exactly that.
Did I sound too much like a nagging old man?
When Aurora called on me, I ended up giving something closer to a sermon than a simple self-introduction. I had originally planned to just say my name, family, and age before sitting back down. But after looking at their faces one by one, I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for them. These kids are going to have a rough time ahead.
While Eloa is off having her romance with the male leads, these students are going to suffer quite a bit. Of course, Eloa and the male protagonists will be the ones solving most of the world’s problems, but this is still a romance fantasy novel. There’s no way romance won’t happen. And while they’re busy with their love stories, these kids will be the ones struggling in the background. They’re the friends who will save the world in my place. Feeling a pang of sympathy, I ended up giving them advice like I would my little sister. You’ll have to work hard from now on, but do your best. Fighting!
I guess my old-man speech left too strong an impression. The moment I sat back down, the classroom fell completely silent. Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut. It probably sounded like a returning student giving unsolicited life advice. If I were in their shoes and a guy five years older stood in front acting like a life mentor, I wouldn’t have listened no matter what he said. There had been someone like that in my previous life too, and I really didn’t listen to him.
“Hmm… It seems you said what I was supposed to say.”
What? Is this some kind of official “old man” certification? Was she saying I had given a teacher’s lecture? Somehow her words sounded like “Congratulations, you’ve passed the geezer test!”
“Alright, everyone come out one by one and introduce yourselves.”
After that, things moved along smoothly. Each student stepped forward and gave a brief introduction. Naturally, no one rambled on like I had. Name, family, a light hobby. Most stopped there. At least they’re not talking about MBTI.
Listening to them, I realized just how stupid my own introduction had been. I really needed to stop standing out from now on. They were probably all thinking, I should never talk to that guy.
“I’ve memorized all your names. That’s it for today’s class. Tomorrow is course registration day, so don’t be late.”
With those words, Aurora kicked open the front door and left. As soon as she was gone, the students began gathering their things to leave. I should get going too. Even though it was the first day, class had ended in less than an hour. What incredible luck. In my previous life, plenty of professors assigned homework right from day one. At least Aurora seemed to have some flexibility.
I quickly stood up, planning to head back to the dormitory. I also needed to look into Anemoi’s power a bit more. Just how long does that woman plan on sleeping? At this point, I was starting to suspect she wasn’t sleeping at all but hiding somewhere in the spirit realm.
“Lord Lumian…!”
I had definitely been about to leave.
“What can I do for you, Lady Eloa?”
“H-how do you know my name…!”
“I heard it last time.”
“Ah… you remembered…”
“You introduced yourself earlier too.”
Her ears turned bright red in an instant. She must have realized what she had just said. She really is a bit dense, huh. Still, it was probably that side of her that made the male leads in the novel fall for her. Yeah. Just keep being like this. Stay dense.
“So, what is it?”
Let’s hear what she wants.
“Do you… have any plans after class…?”
Is she trying to make friends here? In the novel, she had never shown this kind of behavior. She just trained silently. Or maybe it was because she had met someone she already knew, unlike in the story. Are you really that lonely that you’d approach me even after hearing that old-man speech? Still, there was no need to get any closer than this. You need to hang out with the male leads. Go train instead. I was about to make up an excuse about having other plans.
“Well…”
“Oppa!”
Right before I could speak, the back door of the classroom burst open.
“Let’s eat together!”
Come to think of it, I did have something to do—bus driver duty. The students still in the classroom turned their eyes toward Serian, but she paid them no mind and rubbed her face against my chest.
“Serian, how was class?”
“It was nothing special!”
“That’s good.”
“Hehe.”
When I stroked Serian’s head, she let out a happy little laugh.
“Hello.”
I hadn’t noticed because I was focused on Serian, but a small voice came from behind her.
“Oh right. This is my friend. Her name is Monica! Monica Brown!”
“I’m Serian’s friend, Monica…”
She finally made a friend! I had been a little worried. I wondered if her personality changing from the novel would drastically alter the plot. In the original story, Monica had been Serian’s only friend. The one who kept talking to the silent Serian no matter what. Even though she acted like a little tyrant at home, she had still managed to make a friend.
“I’m Lumian. Please take good care of my little sister.”
“Not at all! I’m the one who’s grateful that Serian became friends with me…”
“Still, my sister can be quite prickly sometimes…”
“Prickly?!”
Hearing my words, Serian squirmed wildly in my arms.
Right. Since things had come to this, I should introduce Eloa to Serian. In the novel, Serian and Eloa had gotten along well. Eloa’s positive personality had been a good influence on her. Of course, the current Serian wasn’t the gloomy girl from the story.
“Lady Eloa, this is my younger sister, Serian Cardion.”
“Ah! Hello! I’m Eloa!”
Eloa gave a deep bow to both Serian and Monica. That was practically a ninety-degree bow.
“….”
Serian looked Eloa up and down, then turned to me with a frown.
“What is this idiot?”
What kind of thing is that to say? You should be saying something nice.