Arcanum Blades Academy

'Should I enter?'

Gazing at the door ahead, a sigh escaped my lips.

[Class A1- 1st Year]

Arcanum Blades academy, a sprawling complex divided into five sectors, labeled A to E.

'A' denoted the section housing the very building I was in.

A gem among St. Sebastin's educational institutions, renowned for its fusion of magic, science, and engineering.

Arcanum Blades was so huge that it rivaled a small city in scale.

In this vast area, there were only around four thousand students.

The first year had approximately two-thousand students, the second year had around fifteen hundred students, and the third year had about five-hundred hero cadets.

Upon reaching the third year, students earned the title of hero cadet, paving the path toward becoming official heroes upon graduation.

While last year witnessed a flurry of graduations, this academy continued to draw the cream of the crop from neighboring cities.

Despite being home to fifteen to twenty year olds, this place was harsh.

I gazed at the door in front of me and exhaled another sigh.

'Should I not enter?'

-"Move it!"

Jolted by the sudden voice, I looked behind only to see a young girl. A frown etched on her face.

She didn't mince words, "Get out of the way, slowpoke. Were you born deaf?"

Her beauty was a slap in the face.

Dark locks cascaded flawlessly.

Her face? Sculpted by the gods.

Those eyebrows? Precision-engineered.

Her medallion golds reflected mischief, glints that could charm a grizzly.

Her lips—plump and painted in a hue that made roses jealous. And her skin? Moonlit.

The blue uniform somehow gave her a classic look, but accentuated her every curve.

Emily Reed. One of the main characters of the novel.

Without hesitation, I stepped aside and allowed her to pass through.

But when she strutted by, she couldn't resist one last jab, "Humph! Can't believe Arcanum allows these types of idiots..."

That did it.

"Hey impudent wench, care to repeat that?" I dared her.

Well...atleast, I wanted to, but I was no fool.

Emily was daughter of a ranked (S+) Hero, Edward Reed. Earl of district 2.

I was wise enough to know what not to do.

"The greatest victory is that which requires no battle," once famously qouted by Sun Tzu.

Keeping the old's wisdom in mind, I forgave her and let her off the hook.

I didn't want to hit a girl after all. It's not like I was afraid or anything...

It's just sometimes you have to be the bigger man in life. Which I was.

Brushing my shoulder, I headed inside the class room.

When I stepped in, I was greeted by a breathtaking sight. Polished stone floor, natural veins and textures of the stone created patterns, gave the room a certain elegance. At the front, stood a raised platform— the teacher's desk.

The desk was surrounded by a semi-circle of seats, designed for hundreds of students.

The seats rose up in tiers.

The room felt spacious and airy.

The room was also equipped with certain state-of-the-art technology.

"Hmm, now where should I sit?"

I scanned the entire area, my attention was soon drawn to one student in particular.

The japanese sixteen-year-old stood at an average height with a lean, athletic build. He was strikingly handsome with sharp, defined features that gave him a mature look beyond his years.

From time to time I could see girls taking peeks at him as they shyly blushed and turned their heads away whenever their eyes met.

By just looking at him, one could sense an air of superiority steaming from him— it was unsurprising given that he was from the Takahasi family; owners of a platinum graded guild.

The head of the house was a duke.

His upbringing instilled in him a sense of entitlement, couple that with his bullying tendencies it becomes obvious he had young master syndrome.

"It would be best to steer clear of him." I nodded to myself.

Next to him was seated Aurora Lewis.

Her shapely legs were partially visible beneath the uniform skirt that ended just above her knees.

I could see boys glancing at her from time to time.

"Definitely not going to engage with them," I nodded once again.

Yes, they were going to be important characters in the story, just like the protagonist.

But, they will also be at the center of every dangerous event. Dying like a side character wasn't my aim here.

They were at the very top left corner of the classroom. I decided to sit as far away as possible from them, preferred for the middle row at the front.

While scanning the classroom for the main cast, I sensed a sharp gaze boring into my back with intensity.

Turning around, I was met with a girl sporting an angular face, black hair and piercing violet eyes that emitted disdain. She was looking at me with certain disgust in her eyes.

"What's her deal?" I muttered to myself, feeling uneasy about the stare.

Abruptly, foreign memories flooded my mind, causing a throbbing headache.

"Akh! What the hell?!"

The memories belonged to Noah Grey, not me—the other motherfucker.

Although they were vivid, I learned two things from them.

First, the girl staring at me with disgust was Freya Fretel, Noah's former junior high classmate.

Memories told that Noah once took pictures of Freya and her classmates in the girl's bathroom, causing a big scandal.

But closer examination of the memories made it clear that Noah was framed as the culprit in a deliberate scheme to ruin his reputation.

Unfortunately, it worked and it seemed that Freya still held a grudge against him for the incident.

"This could be a problem..," I bleat, frustrated about the situation.

While thinking on how to deal with the situation a sudden voice broke my train of thoughts, "Mind if I sit here?"

I looked up only to see, who?

"Sure, go ahead," I replied hastily, not recognizing the guy from the novel.

"By the way, what's your name?" I asked.

He reached out his hand for a handshake, "I'm James Reeves."

I returned the gesture, "Grey. Noah Grey, nice to meet you."

His grip was firm, but not overpowering, gave me the sense that he wasn't the strongest or most intimidating guy around.

His black hair was styled in a neat but relaxed manner, falling lightly over his forehead.

At first glance, he appeared a little skinny, but...in a healthy way.

Overall, he looked like a good guy.

Ghrk!! Suddenly the classroom door creaked open.