<h4>Chapter 245 [Event] [First Day] [1] Quartet Of Great Nobles</h4>
"Okay, Annabelle, time''s up. Let''s get you cleaned up. ire, you''ll help her," Mom announced, gently lifting Annabelle from her seat.
"Yep!" Annabelle grinned and nodded, before waving at me. "Bye, Papa!"
Returning the wave, I watched as ire took over, guiding Annabelle away. With a new white bag slung over my shoulder, I turned to the mirror, adjusting my appearance. I gathered my shoulder-length ck hair and tied it back with a ck stic band. "I''ll probably stand out again," I murmured, admiring myself.
"So sad." Christina smacked the back of my head yfully before heading out. "Bye, Mael! Bye, Mom!"
"Your skirt!" Mom''s voice carried from the kitchen, but Christina was already gone. "If I see her at the Academy, she''s in for it…"
Grabbing a te of pancakes that my mom handed me, I thanked her and took two, savoring a bite of one. As I turned to leave, Mom''s hand patted my hair.
"Mother?" I looked back at her.
Mom gazed at me with warmth in her eyes. "Amael, you''ve grown into such a fine young man. I''m proud of you, and your father would be too."
A smile tugged at my lips as I waved. "Bye, Mom."
"Don''t ck off in ss!"
"Got it!" I nodded, then headed for the new car she had purchased for me, recing the old limousine. The sleek blue car was waiting, Francis already in the driver''s seat. "Did you tell Mom about yesterday?"
"No, Milord. She witnessed it herself," Francis replied.
"Fair enough."
As the car started, we drove toward a massive mana circle on the ground. The car shimmered, and suddenly we were transported to Central Vedelia''s main road, several dozen kilometers away.
The teleportation circles were bing amon sight, initially appearing as mere protective measures. However, Iter discovered their true function – intricate mana circles drawn for us to transport to Central Vedelia, where the Academy was located. Such luxuries were beyond the reach of most Great Nobles, given theplexity and danger they posed. Moreover, these circles were under the control of Central Vedelia, emphasizing their authority.
…
After about an hour, the car came to a stop on the familiar paved road. Stepping out of the car, I murmured to myself, "Let''s start this new year off right." I checked my ss schedule on my phone, confirming that it was time for History ss with Professor Harvey Indi Zeste.
Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I strolled towards the entrance of the academy. The building stood five stories tall, with numerous hallways branching out within. It might seemplex, but I had started to get the hang of navigating through it. The corridors were pristine white, adorned with beautiful paintings depicting scenes from Sancta Vedelia''s history and the academy''s own story.
As expected, my distinctive appearance and the pendant hanging around my neck attracted more than a few curious nces, but I paid them no mind, my hands casually tucked in my pockets. Before long, I arrived at the door of the ssroom designated for our morning session. The doors were open, students filtering in and chatting amongst themselves.
Entering the room, I found myself in a rtively spacious ssroom, not quite an auditorium, but sizable enough for around fifty students. Rows of desks filled the space, forming aisles for the teacher to navigate. Oddly enough, most of the seats at the front were empty, while the ones at the back were already upied. Seems like the aversion to sitting at the front was a universal student trait. But I was here to learn, so I confidently selected a seat on the second row near the window, on the left side. I enjoyed the solitude here, even though I could feel the weight of curious gazes on my back. Ignoring them, I nced out the window, appreciating the view of the lush gardens below. It was a far cry from the atmosphere at the Royal Eden Academy.
"Oh, it''s over here, I think."
"I told you, Victor."
"Are wete?"
Familiar voices reached my ears from behind, and I didn''t need to turn around to identify them. Victor, Celeste, and Cylien – and, I assumed, Selene trailing along. Their entrance stole the attention away, and suddenly the collective gaze of the ss shifted from me to them. Victor, the dashing guy, and three stunning girls of different races naturally drew everyone''s eyes. N?v(el)B\\jnn
"All the seats at the back are taken…" Victor muttered.
"We''re here to study, Mr. Victor," Cylien replied with a giggle, her hand covering her mouth.
"Then let''s take the front seats," Celeste suggested, and I heard their footsteps approaching.
No, please.
Just let me be.
I had dealt with enough of Jayden and Milleia''s antics.
Luckily, my plea seemed to work as they upied seats on the second row as well, but on the right side. Victor took the end seat near the wall, Celeste sat beside him, and Cylien settled in next to Celeste. As for Selene, she opted for a spot on the third row, right behind Victor...
As I sat there, I was in prime position to eavesdrop on their conversation, trying to gauge if either Celeste or Cylien might be the mysterious Prophetess.
The quartet busied themselves, pulling out notebooks and waiting. Selene observed quietly while Victor and Celeste engaged in chatter, reminiscing about the previous year. Cylien asionally added ament here and there, maintaining a measured distance from them. Unlike the openly expressive Selene and Celeste, Cylien exuded a certain cautiousness, perhaps stemming from her elven noble upbringing.
As I observed their interaction, I couldn''t help but feel a pang of nostalgia, my thoughts drifting to my days at school back on Earth with Ephera and the others. It was almostforting how normal everything seemed. Too normal indeed.
"Good morning, everyone." My reverie was interrupted by a vibrant voice that drew our attention to the entrance. Professor Harvey Indi Zeste, with his white hair and blue eyes, strode into the ssroom, a friendly smile on his lips and a bag in hand. "Naturally, the front rows are empty," he remarked, shaking his head in mock disappointment. cing his books on the desk before him, he began writing his name on the whiteboard. "Harvey Indi Zeste."
The collective gaze of the ss shifted from Harvey to Celeste, who seemed to be under scrutiny.
"I''ll address this promptly, though most of you are probably already aware," Harvey said, his smile unwavering as he moved towards Celeste''s desk. "This lovely youngdy here is none other than my precious daughter, Celeste."
"D-Dad!" Celeste''s cheeks flushed in embarrassment, eliciting giggles from her ssmates.
"But don''t worry. I won''t be spoiling her or ying favorites here at the Academy. Here, I''m your teacher, Celeste''s teacher too. Feel free to ask me any questions, and I''ll be happy to answer. If you have concerns, voice them to me as well. Understood?"
"Yes!" A chorus of nods echoed from around the ssroom.
"Excellent. Before we begin the lesson, I need to address something that you might already be aware of." After yfully embarrassing his daughter, Harvey returned to his desk and retrieved a stack of pamphlets from his bag. Dividing them into two, he handed one to Cylien and another to me, the nearest student. "Please take one for yourself and pass the rest to your ssmates."
With a nod, I grabbed a pamphlet for myself, ready to pass the rest to my fellow ssmates. However, as I turned around, I realized that the two rows behind me were practically empty. It seemed that most students had chosen to stay away from the front.
Feeling a bit perplexed, I decided to take the initiative. I stood up and walked towards the more distant students, holding the stack of pamphlets. As I approached the nearest student, an elf, I offered him the pamphlets, expecting a normal exchange.
But his response caught me off guard. He frowned at me and asked, "What are you waiting for?"
I blinked in surprise. "What?"
He continued with a smirk, "Distribute them to each one of us. It''s your job after all… Half."
Laughter erupted from hispanions, clearly amused by his confident and somewhat condescending attitude. His demeanor made it clear that he held some kind of authority, and his words indicated he was addressing me as if I was his subordinate. From the way he spoke, it was apparent that he was either from the ryon Branches Family or the Teraquin line, two influential elf noble houses. Given his arrogance and the contempt he disyed toward me, I''d wager he was from the Teraquin lineage.
"Hey, he''s talking to you," one of his friends chimed in, casting a re my way.
I found myself locking eyes with them, my expression neutral and devoid of any reaction. The more I held their gaze, the more my neutral expression seemed to unnerve them, causing their bravado to falter.
"Mr. Amael, what are you doing?" Professor Harvey''s voice cut through, and I seized the opportunity to ce the stack of pamphlets on the elf''s desk. Without another word, I turned and walked back to my seat. Cylien, who was returning to her own seat, nced at me with a hint of curiosity, but I simply ignored her and settled back into my spot by the window.