The Draconic Imperial Academy.

It was a haven of greatness, sponsored directly by the Emperor, and supervised by a Dragon Lord. No other institute, besides the military, boasted of such prestige in the entire Empire, which spoke volumes of its importance.

Most Dragons either went to Centers or were homeschooled for their primary education, but the Academy was only attended by those who had the potential to be of proper use to the Empire through official means.

Those who attended this place were the ones who had the most respectable jobs in the Empire, and the ones who excelled were the ones who had access to the most prestigious occupation a Dragon could ever have.

—A Military Officer.

It was the dream of every Dragon to serve the Emperor on the battlefield, so it was the highest standard.

Not just anyone could go to the battlefield.

It was only the best of the best.

To reach such heights, however, the bare minimum would be to graduate with sufficient merits accrued within the Academy.

This meant graduating in as little time as possible, and also in the highest possible Class.

In the Academy system, each Class was divided into Rank A to F, and depending on the results of the Entrance Test, students were placed in their respectively ranked Class. Points were allocated per week based on results and challenges, and if the students in a particular Rank Class fell short, they would be demoted to a lower ranked class. Those who failed to meet up at Rank F were naturally expelled from the Academy. In essence, the Entrance Exams were merely the beginning. There were 3 Basic Stages in the Academy, and once one passed all 3, they became a fully fledged Soldier. One could also take the Advanced Stages—also 3 in number—and be promoted to a Commander.

Then, only the exceptional ones could climb the ranks once more and take the Final 3 Stages to become a General.

This meant the Imperial Academy offered a total of 9 Stages.

Some could clear these 9 in a decade or two—signifying great talent and potential—while others could never hope to accomplish it in a century.

Even among Dragons, the strongest race in the world, there existed unfairness in status and power.

***************

"Hey, are you excited for this batch of newbies?"

Within the grand central building of the Basic Stage's Classrooms, on the first floor of the massive structure, was Class 1-A.

It was a considerably large room, especially when considering the number of students that were inside—a total of thirteen—and just how neatly arranged and properly spaced their seats were from one another.

The white and black walls shone like marbles, and the seats—both empty and occupied—were arranged in a neat format of five rows and four columns.

A total of twenty seats.

With most of the students standing and gathered together in a group, talking constantly about the new students they would be getting that very day, the classroom seemed even more spacious than normal.

It was also noisier as a result.

"Am I excited? Is that even a valid question? It's crazy, right? It's been a while since we've had someone pass the Entrance Exam and straight up advance to Class A, yet we're getting two of them."

"W-well, when you put it that way…"

"Of course, I'm excited!"

"Hahaha! Right?"

"How long do you think they'll last, though?"

"Well, we'll see whether or not they're worth their salt once we see them, right?"

"True… true…"

"But, I really can't wait. It's been so long since we've had fresh blood here—ah, well, not so long, but that one doesn't count."

"Shhh! You're too loud."

"Ah, yeah… well, I can't wait! I think I hear footsteps."

The students instantly scurried to their seats, not waiting before their instructor got too close before they did the needful.

"LET THERE BE DECORUM, EVERYONE! THE INSTRUCTOR IS—!" "You're the only one raising your voice now, Class Rep!" A few students whispered to the girl who stood on her feet to organize the class in response to the Instructor's arrival.

She cutely looked around her and realized the whispers were right.

She was the only one who was standing, and only her voice echoed loudly in the classroom, causing a pink hue to appear all over her cheeks.

"A-ah… sorry…"

Before she could sit, though, the Instructor entered the classroom—and with him, the two transfer students.

She couldn't even properly process this information before a certain voice echoed forth.

"Mi'ja… why are you on your feet?"

It came from the Instructor, whose stern demeanor and somewhat scary face caused the girl to shriek internally and tremble.

"Eeep! Well… I just… you see… erm… n-nevermind… I'm sorry, sir…"

Like jelly, she seemed to melt as she collapsed on her seat.

All students in the Base Stage were regarded as Newts, which was essentially the bottom of the food chain. Class 1—A or not—were the lowest of the 3 Stages, so this fact applied to them the most.

With an Instructor that was already a Commander, they had no choice but to show respect.

Hierarchy was everything in Draconic Culture.

Usually, the presence of their Instructor would demand utter silence, but the students couldn't help but gasp as he walked in, and that was due to the two who trailed behind him.

Even the flustered Class Rep was affected.

The jet black of the boy contrasted heavily with the pure white of the girl, creating a cathartic harmony that made them all shiver in silence as they watched the two face the class.

Gaping mouths and wide eyes instantly presented themselves to the newcomers.

"These are the only two who passed the Entrance Exams this time, and they have been deemed to be Class 1-A Material. Introduce yourselves, you two."

The two students stepped forward, and as they took turns speaking, hues of pink filled the faces of most students present.

"Hello, everyone. My name is R'ai… and it's a pleasure to be here."

"I'm Luc'ia! Nice to meet you all."

It wasn't merely the voice of the students that made them stand out, but their overall ambiance that was on full display.

—Especially their beauty.

Most of the Dragon Newts had to agree that these were exceptionally attractive students that had graced them on this very day.

R'ai was beyond handsome, and Luc'ia was the epitome of beauty.

Plus, since they were the only ones who passed—and were instantly placed in Class 1-A, they had to be very strong.

All of this was enough to make everyone frozen as they stared.

But… they weren't the only ones who were surprised.

************

'W-what… in the world?'

Rey's eyes were wide open as he faced the class in absolute shock.

He wasn't stunned by the adoring eyes of the Class, nor was he bothered by Adrien's absence in the Class he was brought to.

What took him by storm was the presence of a familiar individual—made all the more clear by the Status Window he was now staring at intensely.

'So this is where you were…' He controlled his expression, but that did very little to quell the feelings that swirled within him as he looked at the boy with golden locks.

There was no mistake about his identity.

'... Adonis.'