Inside the special ssroom, an instructor stood at the front, addressing the students with a rather disinterested expression. His monotone voice filled the room as he scribbledplicated diagrams of mana flow on the board.


    It was a theory ss—a very boring one at that. In fact, none of the academy''s theory sses were particrly engaging. Most of the students believed their time would be better spent swinging swords or practicing magic spells rather than sitting idly for an hour listening to lectures about topics they already knew—or at least thought they did.


    Today''s topic was no different. The instructor droned on about the principles of mana, a subject everyone had heard a hundred times before. "Mana," he began, pushing his sses up the bridge of his nose, "is the fundamental energy that fuels our abilities. It is drawn from the atmosphere, the body, and the spirit. Without proper understanding, one risks severe consequences—mana burn, bacsh, or worse, permanent damage."


    A few students yawned, and others stared nkly at the ceiling. Only one or two appeared to take notes, though it was debatable whether they were truly paying attention or simply doodling in their notebooks.


    Nyx sat near the back, arms crossed and head tilted to the side. Her calcting eyes didn''t miss a single detail, even if she didn''t care much for the lesson. To her, these sses were a necessary evil—a means to an end. But that didn''t mean she had to enjoy them.


    Next to her was ke, the masked figure with an annoying and clingy personality.


    Nyx really wanted to create some distance from this guy. However, for some reason, he kept trying to infiltrate her group—Nox, Seran, and, surprisingly, Jared.


    Yes, in recent days, Jared had gotten close to the group.


    The reason for this was rather simple: they came from the same region, and Jared''s father was also a friend of their grandfather Nathan.


    And... most importantly, Nyx still remembered how he had saved her from elimination during the flight summit.


    All this was more than enough to ept him into their circle. But this masked boy...


    There was just something strange about him.


    ke leaned over and whispered, "Does this guy ever say anything new? I could''ve taught this ss myself."


    Nyx didn''t respond, her focus seemingly elsewhere. Her thoughts were already drifting.


    "Where did he go now?" She thought about her silly brother before eventually shaking the thoughts off.


    The instructor, oblivious to theck of enthusiasm, continued his lecture. "Now, let''s discuss the importance of mana circuits and how their structure influences spell efficiency..."


    "Great," someone muttered under their breath. "Just what we needed—another lecture on how we''re all doing it wrong."


    As the instructorunched into an overlyplex exnation, the ssroom door creaked open. Everyone turned to look, hoping for a distraction, only to see the headmistress standing in the doorway.


    "Sorry for the interruption," she smiled kindly at the students, "but I need to borrow one of your students. Nyx Aegis Cromwell,e with me."


    ''Me?'' Nyx was a bit confused but still got up and went outside nevertheless.


    Nyx followed Bridget quietly through the door, her mind filled with several thoughts, wondering the reason for her being called out like this.


    It didn''t take too long for her to step out of the building and onto a corridor.


    As soon as she arrived, Nyx''s eyes lit up when she saw the familiar bony figure of her grandfather standing there with a wide smile on his face.


    "Grandpa!" Nyx shouted. Her voice was so loud that even the students back in the ss heard her. She rushed into her grandfather''s arms and hugged him.


    "Oi, brat, don''t make this old man trip!" Nathanughed heartily as he patted his granddaughter''s back.


    "Sorry." Nyx hurriedly apologized as she pulled back. "How have you been, old man?" She smiled, looking at him.


    "I''m fine. I was in the capital and thought I should check on you kids before I return to the west."


    "How is Mom, Aunt Eve, Celine, Cam, that baldy Rab, Cole—all of them?"


    "They''re all fine." Nathanughed as he ruffled Nyx''s hair. One thing he loved most about his grandkids was that they all loved and cherished the barony.


    "Come, let''s go meet Serena!" Nyx said as she dragged her grandfather to the alpha ss building.


    Continue reading on empire


    Serena spotted them from several miles away and hurriedly excused herself from her ss, rushing out to hug Nathan.


    The two discussed animatedly about their time in the academy and even the entrance exam.


    Nathan listened with a smile on his face.@@novelbin@@


    Just as they were discussing among themselves, the trio soon sensed another presence from behind. Quickly turning around, their eyes fell on someone.


    A fellow student.


    Theo Fanum.


    Serena and Nyx raised an eyebrow as they exchanged nces. They were all thinking the same thing: what was he doing here?


    "Level 55 at such a young age, impressive." Nathan nodded in admiration. "The Vermilion Royal Academy is indeed no joke!"


    When he was only a few steps away, Theo came to a stop and did something surprising that made Nyx and Serena''s eyes widen.


    "Good day, sir. My name is Theo Fanum. I''m a big fan of you."


    Nyx''s eyes twinkled with understanding when she heard this. Even Nathan was slightly taken aback—he hadn''t expected one of the students to know about him.


    "My father told me a lot about you. It''s an honor to finally meet you."


    "Raise your head, kiddo," Nathan said. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he extended a hand toward Theo. "No need to bow. It''s always good to meet young talents like yourself."


    Theo straightened, a mix of nervousness and excitement flickering in his eyes as he shook Nathan''s hand firmly. "Thank you, sir. Your exploits in the Great War are legendary. My father often spoke of how you and your son contributed greatly to the war. He said it was thanks to your son that so many lives were spared."


    Nathan chuckled, waving his free hand dismissively. "Ah, those were different times. But I appreciate the sentiment. Tell me, who''s your father? He must be someone remarkable if he''s passing down tales of an old man like me."


    "Boris Fanum."


    "Ah, that old bastard!" Nathan eximed. "He''s your father?"


    "Yes." Theo smiled. From Nathan''s tone, he could already tell that Nathan and his father knew each other.


    Suddenly, as everyone was discussing among themselves, a thunderous boom rocked the entire royal capital, and everyone''s head snapped toward the eastern direction.


    "That aura... a battle is currently going on over there," Nathan thought with a frown on his face.


    Bridget appeared beside him like a ghost. "Not just any battle—it''s between two experts!"


    "You kids wait right here," Nathan said to the children as he and Bridget dashed toward the eastern direction of the city.