August stepped lightly through the towering gates of the academy.
The entire city shone like the night sky, and the glittering brilliance almost spread across the entire castle.
Behind him followed a group of noble lords, trailing after their leader like a pack of wolves, as if a galaxy had gathered here.
Standing before the vast and solemn academy, King August felt a sense of pride rising from deep within his heart.
He turned around and began introducing it to Aurelian and Viktor.
"This place is our Stellar Academy."
"The top institution in the Kingdom of Cant for training warriors."
Aurelian looked in the direction of August's gesture.
The academy before her looked more like a steel fortress standing in the wind.
Outlined with marble, the walls formed from steel and stone together blocked almost half of the horizon.
Magnificent towering walls surrounded a vast stretch of land, and uneven buildings were scattered within them.
Many colorful flags fluttered in the air, representing the various factions within the academy.
The huge banners moved with the wind, as if carrying out some silent competition.
On top of towers of different heights were embedded all kinds of dazzling gems, shining with their own light, their colors matching the flags of the different academies.
Reflecting the moonlight, they looked like a sea of colorful stars suspended above the cold steel walls.
And the glimmer on the public buildings looked like tiny gemstones fused into the steel itself.
Under the moonlight, it was like countless stars dancing across the night sky.
This academy truly lived up to the name "Stellar."
Along the way, countless students could be seen coming and going.
Their bodies were strong with muscle, and their eyes carried the same determination as soldiers. At a glance, it was obvious they had gone through intense training.
Their clothing was neat and straight, with gilded lines pressed along the edges of their garments. Even the sword scabbards at their waists were carved with golden patterns.
Whenever they saw the king, they stopped walking and bowed respectfully.
Only after receiving August's response would they pick up their swords again, lift their chests proudly, and stride energetically back into the academy.
August led everyone through the academy. When they passed the training grounds, the sweat being shed by the students there left the foreign ministers somewhat shocked.
They gripped rough wooden swords in their hands and relentlessly hacked at the wooden stakes in front of them.
Every strike gathered the strength of their whole bodies, muscles tightening, veins swelling.
Each slash was full of force, practiced again and again.
On the training field, hundreds of warrior apprentices were strengthening their bodies.
Their vigor and the atmosphere around them almost twisted the space itself. Waves of sword energy cut through the air as if they might slice the earth apart.
Even though it was already night, they still kept pushing themselves.
The foreign ministers present silently felt the atmosphere of the academy. For a moment, they were all stunned.
To be honest, during their previous visits to the Kingdom of Cant, they had never once visited this enormous academy.
Naturally, they had never known the charm of this academy that belonged solely to the kingdom.
Those young students were filled with powerful vitality.
That was the vitality of warriors.
It was like a raging river surging through their hearts, like an enraged beast crashing wildly inside their chests.
Looking at these energetic young people, the ministers could not help but sigh in admiration.
"What incredible student quality."
"After this batch of students graduates, they could probably go straight into the kingdom's military."
After witnessing the academy before them, the foreign ministers could not help but think about the magic academy of their own empire.
Although both academies were built in the capitals of their respective nations, the two institutions not only focused on completely different directions, even the quality of the students was something the empire's academy could not compare to.
When it came to their own academy, these imperial officials understood it very clearly.
Before Rachel established the Royal Magic Academy, becoming a mage in the empire was basically a privilege only nobles could have.
Knowledge of magic was completely monopolized by the imperial nobles, and commoners simply could not afford to buy those expensive magic books.
It was not until Rachel Azure, the imperial mage who joined the Mage Council and became a council member, decided to promote the profession of mage that the Royal Magic Academy was established in the imperial capital.
Because Rachel was not a noble. He came from a commoner background.
Originally, he intended to use the magical knowledge of the council to allow more commoner students to learn magic, so the empire could produce more mages.
But reality was cruel...
Very few commoners managed to enroll in the academy, while more and more nobles joined.
This was quite normal. After all, the Royal Magic Academy selected students based on aptitude and talent.
Very few commoners began studying magic from a young age or reading those complex and obscure magic books.
Because they simply could not afford it.
Nobles, however, could practice magical foundations from childhood.
Under such circumstances, the starting lines for the two sides were destined to be unequal.
So after layers of selection in the Royal Magic Academy, the number of commoners left was extremely small.
Without realizing it, the academy had turned into a noble academy.
And the immature young mages cultivated by the noble class had rarely experienced real combat.
Because those noble students were mostly young masters and ladies of high status. If they were asked to fight in real combat, the first ones to oppose it would be their noble parents.
But that was understandable.
Who would be willing to send their child onto a battlefield when their family lived comfortably?
The kingdom's academy, however, was different.
According to King August's introduction, this "Stellar" Academy already had a very long history within the kingdom.
In comparison, how long had the empire's Royal Magic Academy even existed?
Councilor Rachel was still its very first principal.
Of course, the Kingdom of Cant valued the training of warriors, so naturally it invested far more effort into that profession.
Stellar Academy had one condition that could move countless commoners.
If someone performed excellently in the academy, they could receive an Honorary Star Rank and become a noble.
Although the probability was extremely low, every year a very small number of people still stood out from among thousands or even tens of thousands of students and obtained the title of baron.
For commoners, this was indeed the easiest path for promotion.
Because the kingdom's warrior academy set very clear goals and hope for the students, these students competed endlessly with one another.
At this moment, the king continued introducing things as he walked.
"The students begin training when the sun rises. They can choose to rest or continue working hard."
"Many students keep training until the sun sets without stopping, until their bodies completely run out of strength."
"Of course, if their bodies develop problems, we also have specialized treatment facilities."
Even so, several nobles of the Kingdom of Cant seemed thoughtful.
Among them were a few who had risen from this very place.
Before that, they had also been commoners.
What August said was indeed true.
But the situation the students faced was far more complicated than what he described.
Almost every student trained like this.
Unless someone had extraordinary talent, the only way to make up the difference was through long and relentless effort.
This was a competition that required effort thousands of times greater.
No one truly wanted to train like this. But once they stopped, they would be swept away by the current of this training and selection.
And the dream of crossing class boundaries would become completely impossible.
Yes, once someone became sick, they would indeed receive treatment. But what happened after they recovered?
Compared to students who only slacked off for a short time, their situation was even worse.
They might not even be able to force themselves into higher intensity training anymore, which was equivalent to being sentenced to death in this competition by the kingdom.
Because becoming a warrior was their easiest path for advancement, and also the most fair path offered by the kingdom.
So the students could only rely on this extreme, almost twisted level of effort to keep pursuing their wishes.
On top of that, being a warrior was a profession that relied on youth.
Just by attending school they had the chance to become nobles. Why would they not work hard?
Listening to the king's explanation, the foreign ministers felt even greater respect for the students here.
No wonder the Kingdom of Cant had become a nation famous for battle, capable of turning its entire population into warriors.
Even if they could not become nobles after graduating, these students who finished as warriors would still have many things they could do in the future.
They could join the army and become officers, become mercenaries, or if nothing else, become the fastest farmer within a hundred miles at plowing fields…
At this moment, the king stood beside Viktor and spoke leisurely.
"Councilor, what do you think?"
"If I want to build a magic academy in the royal city, should I directly establish a 'Stellar' branch, or find another location and build a new academy?"
Viktor's gaze slowly turned toward the young king.
Before he could speak, a young female instructor suddenly approached the king.
She wore a lead-gray instructor's uniform. On the collar of her clothes were two star badges.
This meant that she was also a viscount within the Kingdom of Cant.
"Your Majesty, your visit was somewhat unexpected. The academy has not yet prepared to receive you properly."
August waved his hand.
"It doesn't matter."
"Only like this can we see the most real side of the academy."
Then he introduced the female instructor to Viktor and the others.
"This is one of the newly promoted instructors of our Stellar Academy. She used to be my classmate."
"Hilda Fantney."
August smiled slightly and continued, "Although she is a woman, she is currently the youngest and most outstanding instructor in the academy."
While the king was introducing her, the female instructor named Hilda bowed deeply to the guests from the empire, extremely respectful.
"Welcome, honored guests who have traveled from afar."
"I am an instructor of the Stellar Academy, Hilda Fantney."
She raised her head and looked over the visitors from the empire.
When Hilda saw Viktor, a trace of confusion flashed in her eyes.
The man in front of her looked somewhat familiar.
But she was usually busy with all kinds of matters at the academy, and for a moment she could not remember who Viktor actually was.
Perhaps he was just some well-known figure seen everywhere.
The king also began introducing him to her.
"This is Count Viktor Clavenna of the Calencia Empire. At the same time, he is also the chief professor of the Imperial Magic Academy."
"Just like you, he is young and exceptionally capable."
Viktor stood calmly with both hands in his pockets, his face expressionless. He simply nodded in response.
Hearing the king's praise, Hilda's face turned slightly red, but she still tried her best to remain composed.
However, when she heard Viktor's name, she paused slightly.
The name sounded somewhat familiar to her, but she had not completely remembered it yet.
The king did not forget and continued introducing the imperial princess beside them.
"This is Princess Aurelian from the empire."