Chapter 4: The Faculty Meeting

Sacred Serenity Academy was the royal academy of the Kingdom of Avaden.

Almost all noble children studied here, as the institution cultivated talent for the entire realm. It could be said to be the very foundation of the kingdom.

Before joining the Royal Capital Knights and eventually heading to the frontier, Lyr had also been a student here. In fact, he had graduated with top honors, making him one of the few worthy of being remembered by the faculty.

Returning here now, Lyr felt a wave of nostalgia.

Since it was currently the start of the school year, the Royal Academy was quite lively. Noble children bustled to and fro like proud peacocks, their necks held high as they walked. Behind them, servants carried luggage of all sizes, busy preening the metaphorical feathers of their masters.

Lyr’s days at the academy had been decent enough, but he didn’t miss them. If he were asked to enroll all over again, he would absolutely refuse. To him, the theoretical learning here was far too dry.

This was a world of magic and various unique creatures; learning about them solely from books was too limiting.

The nobles only used this method to gain a superficial, intellectual understanding of such things. Afterward, they would simply imprison and bind themselves within their own cages, using power to protect themselves while simultaneously using it as decoration.

‘Is Tif staying in a dormitory, or is she living at home?’ Lyr suddenly wondered.

As her older brother, he realized he hadn’t paid much attention to Tif’s situation. She was a student at the Royal Academy, yet she still had to manage the household. Lyr could only assume Tif’s coldness toward him was a form of silent protest regarding her workload.

Following his memory, Lyr arrived at the Headmaster’s office. After tidying his clothes at the door, he was about to knock when a voice came from the other side.

“Come in.”

Lyr hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open and stepping inside.

In the center of the room sat a middle-aged man with a sharp, chiseled face and a head of white hair. The position of Headmaster might seem prestigious, but it was also one of the most stressful roles. After all, while the academy belonged to the kingdom, it was constantly caught between the conflicting interests of various noble families.

Lulong did not immediately look up at the visitor. He remained focused on the lists of students and teachers on his desk. He was so concentrated that he didn’t even notice his glasses sliding down to the bridge of his nose.

Lyr didn’t make a sound to announce himself. He gently closed the door and stood quietly to the side. Unless someone was dedicated to education or obsessed with academic research, people like Lyr generally found it hard to enjoy the academy’s atmosphere.

Even though he had already graduated, returning here still gave him the sense of being a student called in for a private talk with a teacher. He felt both restless and uncomfortable.

After a long while, Lulong finished reviewing the lists and let out a sigh. The sound echoed through the quiet room, making Lyr feel even more stifled. It felt as if that sigh had been directed at him.

Lulong looked up and finally noticed Lyr standing there. He pushed his glasses back up, squinted as he thought for a moment, and rubbed his chin as he searched his memory. “The eldest son of House Geno… Lyr?”

“It is me. I am honored that you still remember.”

“How could I forget?” Lulong stood up, seemingly recalling something amusing. “The year you were at the academy happened to be my third year in office.”

“Back then, you spent all day talking about strange things. You said you wanted to use magic to create Steel Creations that could fly in the sky, along with all sorts of other oddities.”

“In the end, you never succeeded. Instead, you blew up the academy’s laboratory several times. One of those incidents even startled His Majesty.”

“I suppose that did happen.” Lyr turned his head away, scratching his cheek. Such things really had occurred during his time at the academy. “You can just consider it the unrealistic impulses of a teenager.”

“Hahaha.” Lulong broke into a laugh. He didn’t dislike students with wild imaginations; after all, the creation of magic circles sometimes relied on such flights of fancy. He simply assumed that Lyr’s wings hadn’t been fully grown back then. Perhaps, given enough time, he truly could create those things.

He observed Lyr, who had long since lost his youthful air. However, the man’s student-like stiffness hadn’t changed much.

“Didn’t you join the Knights? Why have you come here today?”

“That was right after I graduated. Later, I was transferred to the frontier. I’ve returned this time to make some adjustments due to a few matters.”

“I see. That’s good.” To enter the Knights proved that Lyr wasn’t just a man of fantasies and posturing; he possessed a fair amount of actual strength.

“As it happens, my father asked me to give you this letter. He insisted I hand it to you personally.”

Lulong took the envelope. When he saw the crest on the wax seal, he paused slightly. Lyr’s father was an old acquaintance and had been in the same graduating class as Lulong. However, the two had taken different paths — one to the frontier, and the other to the academy to serve as Headmaster and conduct research.

Lulong broke the seal and began reading the contents, asking Lyr, “How has your father been lately?”

“He’s fine. Busy as usual.” Being transferred to the frontier was partly because Lyr wanted to see the world, but it was also due to his father’s influence.

“Mm.” Lulong gave a brief response, his attention mostly fixed on the letter.

From across the desk, Lyr couldn’t see what was written, but the light filtering through the paper revealed dense rows of handwriting. This piqued his curiosity; he wondered what could be written there to make Lulong’s expression grow increasingly solemn.

“Is it something troublesome?” Lyr asked. He had carried the sealed letter the entire way, never knowing what was inside. He had initially thought it was about Tif, but seeing Lulong’s face, he realized that likely wasn’t the case.

“It’s not exactly troublesome… in fact, it’s actually quite helpful to me.” Lulong folded the letter, turned around to pick up a book, and tucked the paper underneath it.

Looking outside, he realized how much time had passed. “Lyr, was it?”

“Yes.” Lyr was puzzled as to why Lulong was repeating his name.

“You arrived at the perfect time today. Follow me.”

Completely unsure of what was happening, Lyr could only follow Lulong in a state of confusion.

Lulong led him to a large hall. The room was packed with people, which only deepened Lyr’s bewilderment. He hadn’t seen a scene like this since leaving the academy. Furthermore, his relatively young face looked entirely out of place among these stern-looking individuals.

“Find a seat anywhere.”

While Lyr was dazed, Lulong had already walked up to the main stage. It was only when a nearby assistant nudged him that Lyr finally snapped out of it.