54 Seven Houses
As soon as Leon stepped through the academy’s towering gates, he noticed the shift in atmosphere. 1Students stood in small groups, chatting quietly-until their attention turned to him. Conversationspaused. Heads turned. Dozens of eyes watched him, their expressions a mix of confusion, curiosity, andsilent judgment.
Leon walked forward calmly, though he could feel the weight of their stares. Not one of them lookedfriendly.
Why are they staring at me like that ?’ Leon thought.
Meowww…
A soft meow broke the tension.
Leon looked down and saw a small black cat padding toward him, her tail raised confidently. She rubbedher head against his pants, purring.
“Well, hello there,” Leon said with a faint smile as he crouched down and gently scratched behind her ears.
Meowww~ she purred again, pushinginto his hand.
“Excuse me, gentleman?” a voice called out
Leon looked up.
A man in a spotless white robe was walking toward him. Embroidered on the upper corner of his robe wasa symbol-two cupped hands with a golden liquid flowing between them, and a rising sun behind
Yes?” Leon replied, standing straight.
The man studied him for a moment, his expression unreadable. “You’re a commoner, aren’t you ?
Leon blinked.”Yeah…
The man’s brows furrowed slightly. “Have you lost your way ?”1
‘No.” Leon pulled out a small sigil that he got from Derisa’s letter from his coat and held it out. “Here”
The man’s eyes narrowed as he took it. He examined the crimson jewel and the crest around it
“A Knight’s sigil… and not a low-grade one,” he muttered, then gave a tired sigh.”l don’t know what’s goingon with this academy-more and more commoners every year.
He handed the sigil back and pointed ahead. “Go inside the hall and wait. The headmaster will address youguys.
Leon pocketed the sigil and nodded silently. As he turned, he muttered to himself, “Wel.. that was sometop-tier discrimination.
He glanced down, but the black cat was gone.
He sighed and walked toward the massive hall at the heart of the courtyard. The doorway was arched andlined with paintings of magical beasts-dragons, phoenixes, and other creatures he couldn’t name.
As he stepped through, he felt itimmediately-magic.
The painted creatures’ eyes followed him as he passed under the arch
What the fuck is this place?’ Leon thought as he looked at the hall’s size in awe.
The hall was far larger than it had appeared from outside. Towering ceilings stretched a hundred feetabove, and strange, glowing beings floated far overhead, just beyond clear sight. z
‘This is space magic,’ he thought with a neutral expression.
The floor beneath his boots gleamed like polished obsidian, and one entire wall was covered in portraitsFaces of former graduates over the last three years-most of them noble, judging by their attire
Only two portraits belonged to commoners.
There’s no way only two commoners got in over last three years… that means for some reason, they didn’make it out of here, Leon thought, his jaw tightening,'”‘m not dying in this place just because someonethought giving me a scholarship was a fucking award. l should’ve asked that bitch for some moneyinstead.
Swish
Suddenly, a stage shimmered into existence in the center of the hall. An old woman appeared atop it.
wearing a long, black ceremonial gown.
“Attention, new students,” she said, her voice magically echoing across the hall-and far beyond. “pleasegather here.The Headmaster will address you shortly.”
<Inspect>Leon activated his skill, but no information appeared.
<Inspect>He tried again.Still nothing.
‘She’s strong. No doubt about it,’ he thought, narrowing his eyes
Within minutes, the hall filled with new students, rushing in and forming groups based on their uniforms.
Leon remained on the side,observing.
A sudden breeze swept through the room, and then-an old man appeared on the stage.
He looked ancient. His long white beard nearly touched the ground, and his robes shimmered faintly withmagical runes. magic rings adorned every tinger, and strange artifacts hung from his wrists and neck. 2″Hohoho.. Hello, children, *cough-Cough*” the man chuckled, then coughed. “l am your Headmaster. i’d tellyou my name, but you’ll have to earn the right to know it.”
He paused, letting the silence settle.
“l see many bright faces here today. But let me make one thing clear-your noble blood does not guaranteeyour place in this academy.”
His tone sharpened.
There are ten thousand of you here right now. By noon, only five thousand will remain. That is the reality ofthis world, Survival of the Fittest. We do not care who you were-only what you can do.”
The room grew tense.
“And if anyone dares to bribe a teacher into passing you… l promise you, neither you nor your siblings willgraduate from any academy in the Human Kingdom. Ever.”
Leon raised an eyebrow.
“Wel, Looks like old man believes in equality huh ?’ Leon thought as a smirk spread across his face. “Now,” the Headmaster continued,”let me introduce you to the Seven Houses of this academy.He pointed to different sections of the hall.”Those in green robes are The Alchemists of House Virellis.”In sapphire blue-Mages of House Aetherwyn.””In red and black, the Swordbearers of House Drakemor.’Deep purple marks the Summoners of House Zevrath.”1″Golden robes belong to the Enchanters of House Aurinox.”‘White-robed Healers stand with House Solvayne.””And finally, those in black robes with eerie auras-Magis of House Umbraeth.”Leon’s gaze drifted over each group. Every house had its pride, its hierarchy, its power.”These seven Houses will compete for points across five years and whichever house wins at last, shall beawarded with magic items, Jobs, Riches and much more” the Headmaster finished.”Now, your trialinstructors will guide you from here on.”
He smiled faintly as he noticed, A single student standing away from all the groups, Leon, “May the gods bewith you and Demons be against you. HoHoHo *Cough-Cough*.” .And with a flicker of light, he vanished once again into thin air.