"It's still horrifying. What if he gets killed by mistake? Or seriously injured?" Myrin pressed on, clearly uneasy.
But Seila stayed calm. "Don't worry. That's never happened at this academy. The duels are always overseen by powerful teachers."
"I see... if that's the case." Myrin still didn't seem fully convinced, but her tension eased a little.
"It's fine. I'll accept his challenge and win," Colt said. "I just wasn't in the mood earlier."
"You might be top-ranked among the first years, but this is different. He's on a higher level."
That much was true—or at least, it was what they believed.
The students in each year were split into five classes: S, A, B, C, and D. The letters reflected their rank from highest to lowest.
Each class held fifty students according to their ranks, and as student ranks changed, their classrooms changed with them.
To graduate, students in every class had to reach level 99—except for those in the S-Class. For them, level 100 was the requirement.
Naturally, everyone worked hard to level up each year.
Since they couldn't sense what 21's level was, they assumed the upperclassman was much stronger.
He was, technically. A level 78 berserker, a warrior subclass. Colt could see that clearly.
But that was fine. Even as a level 66 mage, he wasn't worried.
Just then, another stir broke out.
All the first-years turned toward the door as someone entered.
The four of them followed their gaze—only to see a beautiful black-haired girl stepping into the room.
Diane.
She walked straight toward Colt, but before anyone could say a word, Seila stood up and hugged her tightly, catching Colt off guard.
"Sis, it's been so long," she said.
Sis? Colt blinked. What was going on?
"Ah, Diane is Sei's friend. More like an older sister, really," Hei explained with a smile.
What? Why didn't I know that even in the future?
"Seriously? I didn't know that, Diane," Colt said, turning to her.
"Diane? You know each other?" Hei, Myrin, and Seila said in near unison.
Diane explained, "We met just a few hours ago since we are neighbours. So, you were friends. I was here to see you since someone else took your number one spot, Sei."
"It's fine, you don't have to worry about me," Seila said, her face turning red.
It was the first time Colt had seen her embarrassed. Well, aside from that awkward moment when his tongue slipped.
"How can it be fine?" Diane said, half-laughing. "After everything you—"
"It's really fine," Seila interrupted quickly, trying to stop her before she said anything more embarrassing.
"I see. If you are okay, then great,"
Diane said cheerfully, then turned back to Colt. "Looks like my tip didn't help much."
"It did," Colt replied, "but I decided not to rely on it."
"Hmm. If you say so." Diane had done her part to help her junior. The rest was up to him. "He's not a bad guy—just bad-tempered."
"It's fine. I don't hold grudges. Especially when I plan to win."
"Hehe, then good luck." Diane gave a small wave. "Sei, I'm heading back. You should come to my room later. Myrin, you should also come."
The girls nodded, and Diane left.
Colt didn't need to ask an unnecessary question like "How do you know each other?"
Nobles knew each other through events, or if their families were close.
"Colt, can I also accept your offer today? Since I am not invited, I can only come to your room," Hei said.
With that, everyone had a plan after their meals.
---
The next day, everyone got ready for their first class.
Spring sun warmed the academy grounds, its gentle light taking the edge off the lingering chill in the breeze.
It took about ten minutes to walk to the main building.
At the academy, students stayed in their assigned classrooms for most lessons. They only moved around for specialized sessions like physical training or outdoor classes.
Today, their destination was S-1, which meant S-Class for the first-years.
The top fifty students would spend the rest of the year here for theory lessons.
By the time they arrived, most students had already taken their seats. Colt sat somewhere toward the back, not the last row, but close enough to keep a low profile.
The second prince was also in the classroom. He was sitting on the other side of the room, in the last row.
When he saw Colt, he made a "Tsch" sound and turned his face to the other side, causing Colt to chuckle.
Classes hadn't started yet, so the teacher wasn't in the room.
Which meant Colt's prediction was spot on.
A red-haired boy burst through the door.
"11! I challenge you! You're not running away this time!"
Colt didn't even flinch. "You're mistaken. Duels are allowed during academy hours and not during class periods.
It is not the academy time since the first bell didn't ring. And when it does, the class period will start."
He was half-amused now.
The academy had rules to protect the integrity of its lessons. Duels couldn't interrupt class time.
Of course, no one took the rules to heart all the time. If someone challenged you five minutes before the bell, you were expected to step up.
The red-haired boy wasn't having it.
"Seriously? You're hiding behind a technicality? How did a coward like you make it to number one?"
"Coward?" Colt raised an eyebrow. "I'm just following the rules. You should try it sometime."
With a frustrated scoff, 21 turned to leave. "Fine. I'll be back during the next break. Don't run away."
As he stomped out, every first-year turned toward Colt, thinking the same thing.
That must be terrifying…
In their minds, Colt was just afraid to accept the duel. And to be fair, it made sense.
The second-year student looked strong, and this would be the first official duel anyone had seen, so the risk felt real.
But that wasn't the truth.
Colt was simply having a bit of fun by riling the guy up.
It was better this way, anyway. Berserkers drew power from their rage, or, namely, the berserk state. The more furious he got, the stronger he'd become.
So if Colt beat him with full power, there'd be no excuse. No one would say "he wasn't using his full strength."
It would be a clean victory, and 21 would leave him alone.
It might also help deter other first-years from sending challenges his way, making his life easier.
While the students whispered and speculated, the classroom door opened again.
The teacher had arrived.
She was an older woman wearing glasses, her hair streaked with grey, but her movements were sharp—too sharp for someone her age.
That was normal here.
When someone leveled up, their outer appearance didn't necessarily change, but their body became far stronger.
Still, reaching those levels took time, so most high-level individuals looked old… even if they moved like elite warriors.
It was possible to look young through illusion magic, but most didn't bother. Vanity had little use once you'd earned power.
Another method was to ascend, but even Colt didn't know about that. All he knew was that one needed to become level 500 to ascend thanks to the Seer.
When one ascended, their body returned to the top condition.
Not that he'd ever need it. His level was already high enough that aging no longer applied.
"Everyone," the teacher said, stepping to the front of the class. "My name is Seraf. You won't need my last name in the academy."
Her voice was calm but carried weight. "We'll be starting with Mana Theory."
It was the first official class of the year. They'd be covering the basics of mana and the most recent research on it.
Even after centuries of use across Arte, many of mana's secrets remained unsolved.