40 The Path 040

With fewer than five minutes remaining, the final five students of Class Feabhas arrived in quick succession. The first was a girl with pink hair fastened into a long ponytail, reminding Will of Andrika, but he doubted he would cross paths with two of his companions so easily. Fortunately, after a quick look around the class, she ended up occupying one of the seats in Sylvia's row, sparing Will from being surrounded by even more girls.

Arriving less than a minute after the pink-haired girl were the only two true Zoans in the class, a lethargic-looking Sionnach with faded brown hair, pale-brown eyes, large, fox-like ears, and a tail, and a sporty-looking girl with wheat-colored hair, droopy canine ears, and a tail reminiscent of a Shiba Inu.

As only a few seats remained, the duo had little choice but to occupy the center, backmost row. This left the duo that arrived after them, a male Elf with long, pale-green hair and a petite, ashen-haired girl with two sets of wings, even fewer options. In the end, the winged girl took the remaining seat in Sylvia's row while the Elf, with furrowed brows, made his way up to join the pair of Zoans that had arrived prior.

"Good, everyone managed to arrive before the first bell," said Naitus, causing a hush to fall over the room as he spoke. "But some of you cut it pretty close. From now on, you are advised to arrive at least fifteen early to important classes or functions. Similarly, if I fail to arrive within fifteen minutes of the class's scheduled start, you are free to leave."

"With that out of the way..." said Naitus, stepping out from behind his podium and making his way to the center of the class's well to perform a slight bow as he added, "My name is Naitus Terebellum, Head Professor of Class Feabhas and 9th-Ranked of the Twenty-One Masters. The Royal Academy has great expectations for each of you. It is my duty to ensure you exceed not just their expectations but your own..."

Though many within the class were already aware of Naitus's status and identity, the revelation that he was the 9th-Ranked Master caused a brief stir. His highly adorned robes gave the impression he was more magically inclined, but those who had witnessed him wielding his famed black and gold curved longsword, the Fang of Night, in defense of his Rank and title knew better.

With his introduction out of the way, Naitus had everyone in the class come forward to perform their own, starting with the provisional Rank 1 Sylvia. 

"My name is Sylvia Proxima Pipoltr..." voiced the taciturn, ostensibly emotionless girl. At Naitus's prompting, she then added, "I harbor no will toward anyone, so if you attempt to compete with me for the top position, know that I am not to blame for your faults..."

"This bitch..." muttered Iode, clicking his tongue as he sat at his desk with crossed arms. As it was his turn next, he then got up, stepped past Sylvia, and made his way to the front of the class to bellow, "Open your ears and carve this into your heads! The name's Iode Nergle! I don't give a damn if you squabble amongst yourselves, but if you get in my way or try to drag me and my friends into your bullshit, don't blame me for crushing you and your petty ambitions!"

'Ho, he refers to his lackeys as friends? Maybe he's not so bad...' thought Will, scribbling a few lines in his journal. Demons weren't exactly known for their camaraderie, so Iode making it clear he would protect his friends was worthy of note.

Following Iode, the pink-haired girl seated next to Syliva was called to step forward, a confident smile adorning her face as she said, "Well met, fellow First Years. My name is Alessandra Sterrennacht, and I am the second eldest daughter of Countess Sterrennacht. I have come to the Royal Academy to expand my horizons, make new acquaintances, and find a suitable partner, so I look forward to getting to know each of you."

Seeing Alessandra look in his direction, albeit briefly, Will couldn't help but close his eyes and exhale faintly through his nose. The Sterrennacht Asterism was a renowned family of knights associated with the Tuaisceart Constellation. What made them noteworthy was that they were one of the few matriarchal lines that didn't originate from the South, Deisceart. They also had a nearly 4:1 ratio for producing female to male offspring, so many had taken to calling them the Amazonians of the North.

With Alessandra returning to her seat, the next to introduce himself was the green-haired Elven youth, sporting a neutral expression as he stated, "I am Laisson Elderwillow. My only interests are accumulating knowledge and broadening my understanding of Magic. Any faction hoping to recruit me must be willing to finance my studies and research..."

Finished with what he had to say, Laisson returned to his seat, followed by the red-haired leader of the six-person posse being called forward, his expression serious as he shouted, "My name is Endrew Incursius, Gamma Star of the Incursius Asterism! And this is a notice to all those who ranked higher than me in the practical exam! Don't get comfortable! Because, by the end of this semester, my allies and I will dominate all the top positions within the class!"

Though it made them look like fools, Endrew's posse clapped in response to his proclamation. What made this especially laughable was that most were legacy students, meaning they were only in the top ten of the Elite Class because their families had won the positions via auction. They were each capable in their own right, but they lacked the same 'vigor' as those who had to work and compete for their positions...

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Following Endrew's lackeys, who held the sixth through tenth rankings, the next person of note to introduce themselves was the skinny, slit-eyed youth designated a 'friend' by Iode. His too-wide smile made some within the class feel uncomfortable, but that changed when he spoke, revealing a deep yet velvety smooth voice as he said, "My name is Sebas Trillia. As you have likely surmised, I am a member of the Nagavaya, known to most as Greed Demons. I am from a family of affluent merchants, so if there is something you would like to get your hands on that isn't readily available within the Academy, feel free to stop by my dorm."

Finished with his introduction, Sebas punctuated his words with a bow before making way for his much larger friend. The latter's appearance also left people feeling a sense of incongruency, but only for a moment as he adopted a broad smile, stating, "And I am Dorne Nephyr," before giving his belly a drumming smack. "My friends call me Gut, and if you supply me with good food or rare ingredients, I'll happily teach you how to cook. My parents are both world-renowned Gastronomists, so I'm fairly confident in the skills I've inherited as their understudy."

Though Dorne's appearance left much to be desired, his words kindled the curiosity of nearly every girl in the class. Most who enrolled in the Royal Academy did so to improve their standing or prospects, so for girls, some of the most popular classes were Cooking, Accounting, Writing, and Estate Management. If Dorne's lessons could give them an edge over the competition, befriending him had its merits.

With Dorne returning to his seat, causing the wooden bench to audibly strain under his weight, the next to introduce themselves was the dog-eared girl seated in the same row as Laisson. She seemed nervous about being called to the front of the class, but she managed to steel herself by pumping her fists, her expression radiating determination as she shouted, "My name is Dakohta Gladesgard! My favorite food is handmade noodles, and my dream is to be scouted for the Pro Duelist League! Let's all do our best and give these next five years our all...!"

Seeing Dakohta's tail wag excitedly behind her, Will couldn't help smiling as he wrote down 'worth protecting' in his journal. Girls like Dakohta were prime targets for people like Endrew, who often promised resources and backing in exchange for more than just loyalty, so he should at least make contact with her to ensure she wasn't easily taken advantage of.

"Next up is Noah Warren. Please come forward..." said Naitus, prompting the fox-eared youth who had arrived alongside Dakohta to step forward, sighing as he reached the front of the class and said, "The name's Noah. I don't like talking to people, so if you 'have' to speak to me, be sure to take a shower and brush your teeth first..."

Finished with what he had to say, Noah ignored the looks of disdain he received from Endrew's group as he returned to his seat with his hands in his trouser pockets. Then, borrowing a page from Ohta's book, he crossed his arms on his desk and put his head down.

Following Noah, the ashen-haired girl with four wings made her way to the front of the class, her expression, disposition, and tone cool, almost icy, as she expressed, "I am Corow Fitheach of the Aviansie. Do not seek trouble with me, and I will not trouble you. Also..."

Extending her wings, two large and two small, Corow added, "For those unaware of Aviansie customs, it is a tremendous slight to touch our wings or pluck our feathers without permission. And if you discover any lying on the ground, do not pick them up and return them to me. It's best to simply ignore or dispose of them..."

Reinforcing Corow's words, Naitus stated, "If you are found collecting Ms. Corow's feathers or using them without her consent, you will be penalized accordingly."

Nodding as if to say 'as they should be,' Corow returned to her seat. The benches weren't designed with her unique physiology in mind, but as she was used to living among humans, she managed to sit without too much discomfort.

"William Aladfar Oirthear. Please come forward," said Naitus, prompting a hush to fall over the class, all eyes following Will as he made his way to the front for his introduction. There were numerous rumors, both positive and negative, circulating about him, but this was the first time many in the class were seeing him directly.

With the most pervasive rumors depicting him as a bad boy, Will decided to feed into them by walking with his hands in his pockets. Then, standing with his feet apart and chin raised slightly, he maintained his usual casual smile and stated, "The name's Will. By virtue of my circumstances, I'm in a position to sponsor or financially back just about any number of people. If you're interested, feel free to hit me up. I won't ensure you a free ride, but I also won't force you to promise anything in exchange for my support. My only condition is that you work hard to achieve your goals and never yield to external pressure, especially from those who would use, abuse, or toss you aside the moment you no longer serve their interests..."

Placing his right hand over his heart, Will's smile broadened as he added, "Pride is not the privilege of the nobility. It is the right of all those capable of recognizing themselves as independent entities. Our forebears fought and died to guarantee us that right, so never allow anyone to strip it from you..."

To hammer home his point, Will punctuated his words with a slight bow, causing the frowns on the faces of Endrew's group to deepen while nearly every other student conveyed surprise. He hadn't won them over outright, but his words left a much deeper and far more favorable impression than if he had boasted or used his family name to reinforce the sentiment that he was 'above' them. Instead, he was simply Will. And if they were willing to work hard, he was their ally...

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