"It is indeed not that simple," Wiz remarked casually, intertwining his fingers behind his head. "However, they are completely oblivious about my family."
Fedrel and Fedora shifted their gazes toward him simultaneously.
"I no longer have any living family anyway," Wiz continued without a shred of hesitation. "So, I might as well just announce my new family surname. It's an acronym of Argan – Alise – Rue – Getno – At – Nuze. What do you think?"
Fedrel let out a small, amused chuckle. "That is actually quite a clever idea."
Fedora knit his brows in deep skepticism. "So that is the true, ancestral name of your lineage, Wiz?"
"Nope," Wiz replied cheerfully. "I completely made it up just now."
A dead, awkward silence descended upon the room. And then—
SLAM!
The heavy oak doors of the throne room burst open with tremendous force. A royal scout rushed inside frantically, dropping to his knees while gasping for air.
"Reporting, Your Majesty! Lord Duke!" the scout yelled. "An aggressive horde of deer monsters has emerged from the eastern forest! They are marching directly toward the eastern city borders!"
Wiz stood up straight instantly, his lazy demeanor vanishing. "Allow me to handle this, Your Majesty."
Fedrel gave a firm nod. "Very well. I leave it in your hands."
A thin smile played on Wiz's lips. "In that case... I shall take my leave. I'm coming."
Within moments, Wiz and the scout vanished into the corridor, rushing toward the eastern sector.
Fedrel turned back to look at Fedora. "What is on your mind, Rufen? Do you not trust Wiz?"
"It is not that," Fedora answered quietly. "The true issue... lies within Reika's actual family lineage."
Fedrel patted his old friend firmly on the shoulder. "It matters not. We will follow his plan for now. The critical thing is to ensure that the other kingdoms remain entirely in the dark. The political controversy would be far too dangerous."
Fedora gave a slow, reluctant nod. "Perhaps... I should place a bit of faith in him."
— The Following Morning: The Heero Academy Dormitories —
The crisp morning light filtered through the large window of the dormitory room. Reika stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the collar of his Heero Academy uniform for the very first time.
He stared at his own reflection. "…Whoa." A wide grin spread across his face. "Not bad at all."
He pumped his fist with determination. "Alright! Time to head out!"
The Faculty Office — Heero Academy
A stern-faced woman with sharp brown hair stood rigid in front of Reika and Zian.
"I am Nia Zenit," she announced authoritatively. "I will be the homeroom teacher for the two of you. Zian Juko, and Reika Argan."
She turned on her heel, her cape fluttering behind her. "Follow me to Class 1-B."
Zenit spared them a brief, calculating sidelong glance. "You two come from the lower class. The upper-class students have already integrated into the classroom earlier; because while you were taking your practical evaluations, they were granted direct admission."
Reika and Zian exchanged a quick look before following closely behind Zenit's brisk steps.
"One more thing," Zenit added without looking back. "Do not expect a warm welcome from the upper class. Steel your minds."
Class 1-B
The classroom door slid open with a sharp click.
"Attention," Zenit's voice boomed across the room. "We have new transfers arriving today."
"WAAAHHH—REIKA?!"
A red-haired girl practically exploded from her seat, jumping up while pointing in absolute shock.
"BARLEY!"
SLAM!
Zenit slammed her palm hard against the podium. "Sit down. And lock your mouth."
"…Yes, Sensei," Alisa muttered, slumping back into her chair with a heavy pout.
"Zian," Zenit continued. "Introduce yourself."
Zian stepped forward, audibly swallowing the lump in his throat. "R-Right. My name is Zian Juko. I hail from Ikom Village in the eastern region of Everts. My parents... are just ordinary farmers."
Instantly, hushed whispers erupted across the classroom.
"Ugh, so both of them are from the lower class."
"No wonder they arrived so late."
"Tch... what trash."
"SILENCE!!"
Zenit slammed the podium once more, the sheer force of her voice causing the entire class to flinch. "Reika. Your turn."
Reika took a deep breath, stepping into the spotlight. "Nice to meet you all. My name is Reika Argan. I am from Kiel Village. My parents used to work as servants for the noble Barley family... and I continued that line of work after they passed away."
The classroom fell completely silent for a beat—before a mocking, arrogant sneer cut through the quiet.
"Hey, Reika."
A boy with strikingly dual-colored red and yellow hair stood up, a condescending smirk plastered on his face. "Tell me, do you get ordered around like Alisa Barley's personal dog every single day?"
The entire classroom erupted into a roar of mocking laughter.
The boy was Thoe Alastrina, the First Prince of the Blizar Kingdom from the Alzuria Continent, situated directly south of the Everts Kingdom.
"YOU!" Alisa bolted upright from her chair, her eyes blazing with fury. "Take those words back right now, you bastard!"
"Oh? And what are you going to do about it?" Thoe smirked, leaning back. "My Lady Gorilla?"
"Don't you dare push your luck with me!"
"Ha?" Thoe laughed dismissively, playing with a strand of his hair. "You literally lost to me yesterday. I am the undisputed strongest fire mage in this classroom!" Alisa stated, refusing to back down.
"Yet to me, you are utterly insignificant. Am I wrong?" Thoe provoked her further, intentionally drawing cheers and supportive jeers from the other noble students.
"He's right!"
"Totally true!"
"Let's have a rematch right now!" Alisa shouted, her face turning crimson with rage.
"Fine by me," Thoe replied casually. "Just don't cry to your servants when you lose again."
"YOU—!"
BOOM!
Zenit slammed her fist down with enough force to rattle the windows, instantly shutting up every single student in the room.
"ENOUGH!" Zenit barked. "There will be absolutely no unauthorized fighting in my classroom!"
The room was dead silent.
"If you are so desperate to slaughter each other," Zenit continued, her eyes narrowing dangerously, "you can do so during the upcoming School Festival."
"The School Festival?!" the class gasped in unison.
"I will explain the details shortly," Zenit said, calming the uproar. "For now, Reika, Zian, take your seats."
"Reika, over here," Alisa whispered frantically, tapping the vacant desk right next to her.
Reika complied, walking over and sliding into the seat beside her.
"Heh," Thoe muttered under his breath, loud enough for the surrounding rows to hear. "The stray dog runs straight to his master."
"THOE!"
Zenit fixed the prince with a piercing, murderous glare that made the air freeze. "Do you wish to be expelled from my classroom?"
Thoe immediately closed his mouth, his noble pride deeply stung. "...No, Sensei."
"Good."
Seeing his defeat, Alisa flashed a smug, victorious grin. "Drop dead," she mouthed silently without making a sound.
Zenit turned back to the blackboard. "The School Festival is a grand celebration marking the founding of the Heero Academy. It traditionally takes place exactly one month after the admission of the new freshmen."
She turned around to face the students. "The highlight of this festival will be a team-based tournament. Each group will consist of three to four individuals. You are free to form cross-class alliances, as long as everyone belongs to the same academic year."
She paused, crossing her arms. "For instance, in the previous year's tournament, Tony Bortos was crowned the MVP. His squad utterly dominated every single opponent."
She scanned the room. "Do you understand up to this point?"
Alisa raised her hand. "Is the format identical for every generation, Sensei?"
"Oh, absolutely not," Zenit answered. "Past festivals have featured aerial dogfights and tactical flag-hunting. However, for your specific generation..." A thin, sharp smile spread across her face. "...It will be pure, unadulterated dueling."
"Inside the Academy Colosseum."
"Witnessed by the entire world."
"Including the sovereign Kings of the various allied nations."
The classroom went completely still. The sheer scale of the event weighed heavily on everyone.
"And for those who emerge victorious..." Zenit concluded, "They will be awarded the Star of Prestige."
Beneath the desk, Reika slowly clenched his fist, a fierce excitement sparking in his eyes.
(A duel... witnessed by the entire world...)