The board stabilized.
For a split second, there was silence, but it didn't last long.
The hall erupted.
"Where am I? Where am I?!"
"B Class?! I got top 50 in the combat exam, how is that possible!?"
"Who got S class–?"
"Move! Move–!"
Students leaned forward in their seats, and some were outright standing, trying to get a closer look at the board.
Ronan didn't move, and his gaze went towards the S class.
Iris Lockhart.
Freya Lockhart.
Irene Ashbourne.
Grace Light.
His eyes kept scanning.
Aura Acheron.
That's what he was looking for. Everyone else he already knew, but Aura was someone who never attended the Academy, so he wanted that information as soon as possible.
Only after he confirmed Aura's position did his eyes move down the list.
A class.
B class.
He didn't have to move down far before he found his name.
B class – Ronan Ashbourne.
That was interesting to say the least.
But he didn't think it through.
Ronan knew that the Academy ranked based on numerous factors, and Ronan had probably shown enough merit to be placed in a comfortable B class.
Even though he was far, Ronan could hear the students around him.
"A class! That's a start!"
"You're lucky, I got a C class! It's definitely because I am a commoner! They don't want us to reach the high ranks!"
"I should have easily been in A class at least, this system–"
Ronan tuned them out and turned his attention back to the board.
➜➜➜➜➜
Iris lowered her head from the board, satisfied but not surprised with her result.
"S class," she muttered quietly.
It was expected of her. If she had gotten a different result, it would have been a malfunction of some sort in the Academy's grading system.
Her mind instantly started moving forward.
Opportunities. Strength. Advancement.
Those were the only things on her mind.
"Congratulations, Iris!" A cheerful voice came from her left, and even the snow-cold Iris managed a small smile on her face.
"Thank you, Freya. I see that you made it into the S class as well. As expected of you."
"Haha, you flatter me, cousin. But as expected, I can't outmatch you. My ranking is rank 5, while your ranking is 2."
Iris frowned at that.
"There is no need for comparison. While I did rank higher than you, that does not make me better than you. There are many fields where I cannot hope to compete with you. I only ranked higher than you because I specialize in combat."
Iris spoke methodically, and Freya nodded in understanding.
"You're right, Iris, I shouldn't compare," Freya replied. She then turned to the student to her left.
Iris recognized her, of course.
"Hey, you're Irene Ashbourne, aren't you? Congratulations on S class."
"You're Freya Lockhart," Irene said with a short nod. "And likewise. I've heard a lot about you."
"I've heard so much about you as well from Iris. I have to say, you're even more beautiful in person," Freya complimented with a cheerful smile, a hint of admiration in her gaze.
"Thank you," Irene said with a nod, a small smile appearing on her face. That was the effect Freya had on people. "You're beautiful as well."
"Hehehe," Freya giggled. "You're making me blush."
After a pause, Irene turned to Iris.
"You too, Iris. I'm glad we got to see each other during orientation."
Iris nodded.
"Likewise."
Unlike Freya, Irene wasn't someone she was overly comfortable with. She was the sister of Ronan Ashbourne.
Of course, Iris wasn't foolish enough to hate her because of who her brother was. She actually thought the third-born of the Ashbourne family was quite intelligent and competent, and enjoyed the brief conversations they had exchanged in the past.
Freya instantly engaged in conversation with Irene again, and Iris turned her attention away from the two girls and back to the board.
Then she saw a name.
Ronan Ashbourne.
Subverting all expectations and doing what Iris had considered impossible, he'd passed the exam.
However, she didn't dwell on it too much. There were many ways he could have passed, especially if he had convinced the Ashbourne head, Vulcan Ashbourne, to intervene.
She had already achieved her goal with Ronan and nullified their engagement, which he had agreed to and signed.
After the orientation, she would have her family send the papers directly to the Ashbourne Family with Ronan's signature.
So why did she have such a complicated feeling in her stomach?
Iris decided to ignore it.
It was just Ronan, not worth thinking about.
➜➜➜➜➜
It took a while for the crowd to settle, but once the students got quieter, Arthur Valon took the opportunity to speak again.
"Now that your placements have been decided," Arthur said. "You will begin your classes next week on Monday."
His gaze swept across the hall.
"Your schedules will be distributed shortly. For the next two days, you may go home or stay in the temporary accommodations provided by the Academy. However, after that, every student will be required to live within the Academy premises."
Arthur took a step back from the podium and spoke.
"That is all."
The curtains closed.
Instantly, the halls exploded into motion.
Students stood, and groups formed almost instantly.
Nobles naturally gravitated together while commoners formed their own, larger groups.
People of similar classes sought each other out, and people were already discussing alliances, expectations, and their future at the Academy.
Ronan stood alone as he watched them.
No one approached him or called out his name.
It wasn't that they didn't notice him – they did – it was just that they avoided him.
He didn't belong with the nobles because they knew of his reputation and didn't want to be seen with him, and he didn't belong with the commoner groups because of his status as an Ashbourne family noble.
However, Ronan didn't mind, his thoughts were toward his placement.
He knew the original Ronan had been placed into class B, but he didn't think he'd be placed here as well.
He thought about how perfect it was.
It offered him the perfect balance.
Class B was painfully average, and while his status was well known, that would soon go away. That was how the academy was structured, it forced students to value merit over all else.
He would soon just be an average class B student.
Fewer expectations, fewer eyes, more room to move.
Ronan's lips curved slightly as he observed the socializing students.
This life was finally going to get interesting.