The carriage door opened with a smooth click.
And from within, Orion stepped out.
A hush fell over the immediate area.
The sunlight descended on the fine noble blue robes, making the silver embroidery glisten like living lightning. His posture was upright, graceful yet relaxed.
Long black hair tied neatly behind, his expression remained calm. Neither arrogant nor submissive, but approachable in a way that made even the commoners gather their courage to stare at him. Neither nobles nor royals could exude such charm so effortlessly.
Even those who didn’t know him stopped and stared.
"Who... who is that?" one girl whispered, her voice trembling.
"Which noble house does he belong to?"
"Is that a visiting prince?"
The murmurs spread like wildfire.
But Orion paid them no mind.
He descended the carriage steps leisurely, walking past nobles and commoners alike without sparing a single glance. His black eyes were fixed on the academy gates alone. The crowd instinctively parted for him, students stepping aside as if compelled by their instincts.
Orion suppressed a smile as he thought to himself, ’Long hair really is the best for aura farming. I’m definitely keeping this style. Haha, their faces were priceless!’
A few nobles narrowed their eyes, some out of irritation, others in recognition.
"That’s him... the elemental freak," one muttered.
But they didn’t dare say it aloud.
Orion approached the gates, reached into his robe, and pulled out the same metallic badge he’d used during the entry test. He held it out calmly toward the guards.
The lead guard stiffened slightly but quickly nodded. "Entry verified."
Orion passed through the threshold.
The moment he did, the golden runes above shimmered again, casting a pillar of light down upon him for a brief second. The scanning sequence from before, but this time he knew its workings and significance.
He didn’t flinch. He didn’t stop.
’So this gate was meant to detect demons... makes sense now,’ he thought as the sensation passed through his body again. A tickle in his soul. But no discomfort.
The light soon faded as Orion stepped beyond the glowing barrier of the Thunderpeak Royal Academy’s gates, the bustle and murmur of the crowd behind him fading into silence.
The interior of the academy grounds was a world apart from the outside world, a vast self-contained domain layered in magic formations.
A wide open path greeted him, with grass growing at the corners and stone walkways leading up towards the main academy building in the distance.
Towering marble statues of past heroes and legendary alumni stood along the sides, their stone eyes forever fixed on the horizon. Birds sang soft songs sitting atop trees, and a gentle breeze rustled through the growing greenery surrounding the path.
Orion took a moment to appreciate it all, his black eyes glancing over every detail. The central building loomed ahead, a majestic structure of white and black marble, its towers reaching proudly into the sky.
Sunlight reflected off crystalline window panes. Even comparing it to the Duke and Marquess Houses in the Second Ring, the academy had its own kind of sacredness.
’Looks like a damn palace,’ Orion muttered under his breath.
[Hehe~ It was built with royal funding after all, Master! (^^)v]
Lumi replied cheerfully.
’Let’s head to the administrative office first,’ Orion inwardly said, adjusting his collar and stepping onto the main path, not knowing eyes were already upon his every move.
The administrative office was situated to the side of the main building, a smaller structure with tall columns and a golden plaque that read: Student Affairs & Admissions. The interior was clean, quiet, and carried the faint scent of old paper and mana ink.
As Orion entered, the receptionist who looked like a stern-looking woman with square glasses and silver hair tied back in a tight bun looked up from her crystal console.
"Name and identification badge, please," she said crisply. However, she soon paused, looking at him again. But she didn’t react like the crowd outside and quickly calmed herself down.
"Orion Helstrom," he replied, handing over the metallic token.
The woman placed the token on the console, and a soft humming filled the room as arcane runes scanned it. A moment later, she gave a small nod.
"Confirmed. Affinity result: Tier 5 Light and Fire and Tier 4 Wood and Wind. Mana Channel: Eight. Mana Capacity: Supreme. Classification: Special Entry." She looked up at him now with eyes filled with shock and realization. "Ah... I see. Please wait a moment."
She walked to the back, and a few seconds later, a younger staff member arrived—a young boy with nervousness written all over his face and a leather satchel.
"S-Sir Orion! I’ll be handing you your academy essentials today," he stammered.
Orion raised a brow. "...Sure."
The boy handed him a sealed scroll and a folded bundle wrapped in spirit silk.
"Here is your campus map, uniform, and your student badge with your name and identification number." He handed over a second metallic token, sleeker than the first.
Orion flicked it open and etched in silver was his name: Orion Helstrom – Year 1, Special Grade.
"Now," the boy hesitated, glancing nervously at his tablet, "do you intend to live in the Academy dormitories? You have been assigned to the Elite Wing in the Noble Dormitory Hall. However, staying off-campus is also permitted."
Orion shook his head. "No need. I’ll be staying at my estate."
"U-Understood. I’ll register you as an external resident," the boy said, tapping on the crystal screen.
"Thanks," Orion nodded and turned to leave.
The boy heaved a sigh as if some burden had been lifted off his shoulder. Turning around, he saw the silver-haired woman coming out of the back, "Teacher, why did you throw me at him? You know how dangerous interacting with unknown nobles can be, and one as strong and influential as him," he asked with an accusing tone.
The silver-haired woman chuckled, "I just wanted to see how he would treat a commoner. Looks like he is one of the better nobles who don’t treat commoners as trash."
The young man’s eyes flashed with admiration as he remembered Orion’s demeanor, "He really looks like what a noble should be. Especially his approachable aura."
The silver-haired woman lightly hit the young man with a stack of papers and sat down again, "We have a lot more work than just thinking about a noble. Get back to work now."
The young man rubbed his head and went back to doing his work.
’Hmm, Orion Helstrom...’ the woman thought to herself with a smile, ’Let’s see if you get drunk off your potential and become another disappointment... or become someone worth remembering for the ages.’
Once outside, he unfolded the map.
The layout was far more massive than he had expected. The Testing Area, Arena, Lecture Halls, Library, Dormitories—each was its own ecosystem. The sheer scale made the entire structure feel like a miniature kingdom.
[This is one huge place, Master. You might not even be able to explore it in an entire day. (°ロ°) !]
Orion folded the map again and placed it inside his storage ring. ’Then I’ll just not explore. Ceremony should be about to start. I should head there and check it out.’