Chapter 52: Class Assigned

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Class Assigned

Down in the viewing galleries, thousands of upperclassmen stared at the ten-year-old boy on the podium in disbelief. No freshman representative in the history of the Imperial Academy had ever started their inaugural address by calling the Scholar Tower’s speech useless.

?Nonchalantly, Aegon’s speech continued,

?"Yesterday in the Ironwood Expanse, I did not see camaraderie. I saw weak examinees begging for their lives. I saw noble heirs forming hunting packs to rob their fellow applicants because they lacked the spine to face a Giant Puppet. I saw fifteen boys surround four exhausted children and brag about breaking their arms and legs for a handful of points."

?At this, several youths from the capital’s noble families turned bright red, lowering their heads in shame and anger, while up in the Third-Year gallery, Cassian Morlan clenched the stone railing until his knuckles turned white.

?"And just ten minutes ago on the Pegasus Bridge, I saw five Third-Year seniors block a freshman’s path to demand his hard-earned rewards in the name of tradition. So let us stop pretending that we are here to hold hands and sing praises to noble honor."

?Aegon’s eyes dropped back to the freshmen, locking onto Julian Von Draken, Prince Larsen, and Veera in turn.

?"Inside these walls, bloodline is an illusion, and family titles are a crutch. A Giant Puppet does not care if your grandfather is a Duke. An enemy blade on the battlefield will not stop just because royal blood flows through your veins. In this Academy, and in the world beyond it, only one thing matters."

?Without drawing his weapon, Aegon allowed a fraction of his newly expanded 95-point Mana Reserve to pulse outward.

?"Strength."

"If you are weak, you will be stepped on, robbed, and left bleeding in the mud. If you want respect, you must earn it with your own hands.

?"I am Aegon Noiré Delacroix. Right now, I hold the Triple Crown, the Prime Villa on Starlight Hill, and fifty High-Grade Mana Crystals. To anyone in this Academy, whether you are a freshman heir or a Third-Year senior, if my existence offends you, or if you think you can take what is mine, you do not need to hide behind ambushes on a bridge. Step into the combat ring and challenge me openly. Just be prepared to pay the price when you lose."

?Without waiting for a response, Aegon turned away from the runic microphone and walked calmly down the marble steps, returning to his place beside Aria.

?For five full seconds, the Central Awakening Plaza remained in dead silence.

Everyone was speechless by the open challenge.

?Then, a booming roar of laughter shattered the silence.

?Clap! Clap! Clap!

?Chief Instructor Wane stood up from his iron throne on the dais, slamming his heavy palms together with wild enthusiasm.

"Hahaha! Well said, brat! That is the exact spirit the First Emperor built this school upon! If you want the top spot, take it with your fists instead of whining to your fathers! A ten-out-of-ten speech!"

?Following Wane’s lead, the instructors of the Combat Department burst into thunderous applause, and a heartbeat later, hundreds of commoner and outer-kingdom students across the plaza began cheering at the top of their lungs.

?Beside Aegon, Aria let out a soft, breathless laugh, shaking her head as she tucked the unused silver scroll back into her sleeve.

?"I asked you to give a speech, Aegon, not declare war on three thousand students at once," Aria whispered, though her crystal-blue eyes were practically sparkling with amusement.

"Now, It seems my mornings at the Prime Villa really are going to be noisy."

Aegons replied,

?"It saves time. Now the cowardly ones will think twice, and the foolish ones will bring their academic credits straight to me."

?Ten paces to their left, Julian Von Draken’s face was as dark as storm clouds.

"Arrogant country bastard. Wait until the combat classes begin. I’ll make him eat every single word he just spoke."

?Yet Julian’s anger was nothing compared to the storm raging inside Veera.

?Standing rigid in the front row, Veera stared at Aegon’s calm profile as the cheers of the crowd washed over them. Every word Aegon had spoken on that podium resonated like thunder, painting Aegon as an unyielding, fearless ruler who looked down on the corrupt nobility.

?That was supposed to be my speech, Veera. Stepping on the noble heirs, defying the upperclassmen, winning the admiration of the instructors and Lady Aria... Why is he living my life?!

?Deep within Veera’s chest, his black-and-red Abyssal Grimoire pulsed with a sinister heat, feeding on the twisted jealousy and murderous hatred festering in its host’s heart.

?Up on the dais, Elder Vaelen cleared his throat loudly.

?"Ahem! Now that the freshman address has concluded, the class placements are officially finalized!

Students ranked from 31 to 1000, follow the assistant instructors to your respective A, B, C, and D division halls! As for the top 30 freshmen on the leaderboard, you have been assigned to the Special Elite Division, the First-Year S-Class! Report to the Star-Crown Lecture Hall under the supervision of Instructor Bella immediately!"

Across the plaza, the massive crowd began to split into different streams.

Before heading toward the B-Class halls, Zane, Clara, and Marcus waved energetically toward Aegon from the middle ranks, and Aegon gave his cousins a brief nod of acknowledgment.

?Meanwhile, Instructor Bella stood up from her seat on the dais and walked down the white marble steps, her black-and-gold capelet fluttering lightly in the breeze.

Stopping in front of the thirty elite freshmen gathered at the front of the square, she swept her alluring sapphire gaze over the group.

?Every single member of this thirty-person group was a monster among their peers.

Aside from Aegon, Aria, and Veera, it included Prince Larsen, Julian Von Draken, and the top prodigies of the Empire’s greatest bloodlines.

?"Congratulations on surviving the entrance exam and making it into the S-Class, little monsters. Now, follow me to the Star-Crown Hall. Your first lesson at the Imperial Academy starts right now."