Chapter 83 - 17

The next morning, the bright rays of the sun streamed through the glass window, waking Arthur at dawn. He dressed efficiently in the standard Aegis Academy uniform—a crisp white shirt, dark tailored trousers, and a deep-blue blazer bearing the institution’s silver crest. Adjusting his mana-suppression ring, he checked his reflection. With his refined features, neat dark hair, and calm, unbothered posture, he looked like a handsome, modest youth from a middle-tier provincial family.

Stepping out of his apartment building into the brisk morning air, Arthur walked toward the grand entrance gates of the Central Aegis Academy.

The main cobblestone avenue leading to the central auditorium was packed with thousands of incoming freshmen. The sheer density of young women was overwhelming—noble heiresses in fine silk cloaks, high-tier female adventurers carrying enchanted rapiers, and ambitious commoners chatting nervously.

As Arthur navigated the crowd, a loud, chaotic commotion erupted near the front fountain.

A small group of four male freshmen—spoiled aristocrats from minor northern houses—were walking down the center of the path, surrounded by a dense mob of forty giggling, aggressive female students. The boys wore ridiculous, silk-embroidered robes, fanning themselves dramatically while complaining about the morning heat.

"Oh, Lord Julian! Please allow me to carry your books!" one high-born female knight pleaded eagerly.

"Lord Julian, my family owns a private carriage! You shouldn’t have to walk on common stone!" another noble heiress called out, offering him a basket of expensive sweets.

The boys smirked arrogantly, soaking in the frantic, coddling attention like pampered royalty. To them, being a male in this world meant automatic privilege without laying a finger on a sword or reading a single spellbook.

Arthur watched the spectacle from a distance with a dry, amused smirk. Incredible. They act like fragile porcelain vases, and the girls treat them like rare museum exhibits.

Not wanting to deal with the circus, Arthur seamlessly activated a low-tier perception-blurring trick he had developed, quietly slipping past the main crowd. He drifted along the shaded outer colonnade, avoiding the chaotic main doors, and slipped into the grand auditorium just minutes before the mandatory freshman assembly was set to begin.

He took a quiet seat near the upper-middle bleachers, intentionally positioning himself away from the spotlight.

However, even with his suppressed aura, a few sharp-eyed female students sitting in his row immediately noticed him.

"Wait... who is that boy sitting over there?" a raven-haired female mage whispered to her friend, her cheeks flushing pink as her eyes locked onto Arthur’s sharp jawline and calm, stoic posture.

"He’s so... quiet," her friend murmured, leaning closer to get a better look. "He isn’t fanning himself or demanding servants like those arrogant noble boys down front. Look at his eyes... he looks completely unfazed."

Before their hushed whispers could draw a bigger crowd, a deep, resonant chime echoed through the massive auditorium. The heavy velvet curtains on the main stage parted, instantly hushing the thousands of chatter-filled seats.

A delegation of senior academy officials and instructors stepped out onto the stage.

Arthur leaned back in his chair, a faint, secret smile touching his lips as he recognized every single person taking their seats at the high table.

Leading the delegation was Celeste, the Chief Archmage and Academy Director, looking immaculate and regal in her dark blue archmage robes, though her eyes scanned the top bleachers with subtle, anxious nervousness, desperately trying to locate her silent boss in the crowd. Beside her sat Sylvia, the saintly former priestess now serving as Dean of Medicine and Potions; Greta’s top Dwarf smithing proteges representing the Engineering Department; and Kaelen, one of the sharp Halfling twin treasurers who managed the academy’s vast administrative budget.

Every single department head, professor, and high official on that stage was an executive hand-picked by Arthur himself.

Director Celeste stepped up to the enchanted podium, her voice magnified across the vast hall through crystal speakers.

"Welcome, incoming freshmen of the Aegis Academy," Celeste announced, her tone carrying clear, authoritative grace. "You stand today inside the premier institution of learning, magic, and economic theory in the known world. Here, lineage and nobility mean nothing. You will be evaluated strictly on merit, strategic intelligence, and practical execution."

As Celeste outlined the curriculum—covering advanced spell formulation, industrial mana-mechanics, global trade economics, and tactical monster harvesting—the female students listened with rapt attention. Down on the main floor, the pampered noble boys were already yawning and checking their pocket watches, completely oblivious to the real world.

High up in the quiet bleachers, Arthur crossed his arms, his dark eyes fixed on the grand stage he had designed from the shadows.

The orientation had officially begun, and his new life as a common student was under way.

Following Director Celeste’s opening address, the remaining department heads stepped forward to introduce themselves to the thousands of assembled freshmen. The stage was an extraordinary display of talent, influence, and breathtaking beauty—a lineup that left the vast majority of the incoming class staring in hushed, reverent awe.

First was Sylvia, the Dean of Medicine and Alchemy. Her saintly presence, golden hair, and soft, motherly curves radiated a comforting warmth that instantly captivated the front rows. Next came Professor Elaria, representing the Department of Environmental Botany and Resource Management; her ethereally slender, high-elf features and serene demeanor made her look like a forest spirit gracing a mortal hall. Beside them stood the senior engineering faculty—formidable Dwarf master smiths trained directly under Greta—alongside sharp Halfling bursars and veteran beastfolk combat instructors whose sheer physical presence commanded immediate respect.

To the impressionable freshmen, this was the ultimate assembly of regional legends. To Arthur, sitting quietly in the upper bleachers, it was simply his executive cabinet wearing academic robes instead of corporate titles.

Down in the VIP front rows, however, the four pampered noble boys completely misread the atmosphere. Used to a society that coddled males and treated their every whim as an aristocratic command, they mistook the faculty’s welcoming presence for an opportunity to assert their usual influence.

Lord Julian, the most arrogant of the four, stood up right in the middle of Professor Elaria’s presentation. He smoothed his silk vest, flashed a practiced, theatrical smile, and called out across the quiet auditorium.

"Dean Sylvia! Professor Elaria!" Julian announced, his voice echoing loudly off the marble walls. "It is truly a tragedy that women of such legendary beauty and intellect are confined to lecturing in a classroom! Why waste your youth managing commoners? If either of you accept my hand in courtship, my family’s house will shower your departments with endless donations, and you shall never have to work another day in your lives!"

A wave of shocked gasps rippled through the female students. Some noble heiresses whispered in jealous frustration, while others looked on with nervous anticipation, wondering how the staff would react to such a bold, public proposal from an aristocrat’s son.

Sylvia didn’t even blink. Her gentle, motherly expression remained entirely unchanged, though a cool, sharp aura settled over her features. She adjusted the medical parchment in her hands, looking down at Julian as if he were a microscopic specimen under a glass lens.

"Lord Julian," Sylvia replied, her voice soft yet carrying a cutting clarity through the podium’s crystal speakers. "Your family’s entire annual household budget barely covers the quarterly budget of my third-tier potion synthesis lab. Furthermore, romance is not a currency accepted within these walls. Sit down, or your first assignment in medical alchemy will be sweeping the dissection clinic floor."

The auditorium fell into a stunned silence. Julian’s face flushed a violent, embarrassed crimson as he froze mid-pose.

Before he could process the rejection, another noble boy jumped up, pointing an indignant finger at the stage. "How dare you speak to a nobleman like that! In our home province, males are treated with absolute reverence! We deserve special accommodations and direct private tutoring from the department heads!"

Director Celeste stepped up to the crystal podium, her silver-framed spectacles catching the ambient mana lights. Her eyes were colder than absolute zero as she swept a sharp gaze across the four flustered boys.

"Let me make the fundamental laws of the Central Aegis Academy unequivocally clear to every single person in this room," Celeste announced, her authoritative voice commanding absolute submission. "Outside these gates, your titles, your lineage, and your gender may grant you unearned privilege. Inside these gates, those things are entirely worthless. Here, you are not nobles, heiresses, or precious treasures. You are simply students."

She rested her hands on the podium, her gaze intensifying.

"Every student in this academy will receive the exact same rigorous curriculum, the exact same evaluations, and the exact same discipline. Your rank will be determined solely by your academic performance, your tactical efficiency, and your practical contributions to our research. If you fail to meet our standards, you will be expelled—regardless of how much gold your family possesses or how rare you believe you are."

A powerful, collective cheer erupted from the thousands of female students across the bleachers. Commoners, adventurers, and hard-working mages alike clapped enthusiastically, thrilled by the uncompromising fairness of the academy’s core policy. Julian and his three companions slumped back into their plush seats, utterly humiliated, their bloated egos completely crushed within the first hour of orientation.

Meanwhile, up on the high stage, the department heads were engaged in a subtle, highly classified game of their own.

While maintaining their stern, professional expressions for the crowd, their eyes were constantly, covertly scanning the top bleachers. Sylvia’s gaze flickered subtly toward the upper-right row; Elaria’s long elf ears twitched as she tracked a familiar, calm heartbeat; and Celeste adjusted her spectacles three times in rapid succession—a private nervous tick she only displayed around one specific person.

Finally, Celeste’s eyes locked onto Arthur, who was sitting casually near the back pillar, leaning his jaw on his hand with a faint, amused smirk.

Seeing him sitting there in a commoner uniform—looking completely relaxed, unbothered, and strikingly handsome—a sudden, violent wave of affection and secret delight surged through Celeste’s heart. Her breath hitched slightly, and a soft, rosy flush tried to creep up her neck, forcing her to clear her throat loudly into the crystal microphone to regain her composure.

Sylvia hid a soft, breathless smile behind her medical clipboard, her heart doing a frantic, fluttering flip at the sight of her master playing a simple student. Elaria gripped her wooden staff a little tighter, her golden eyes sparkling with pure, unadulterated adoration as she silently marveled at how effortlessly he blended into the crowd while remaining the absolute ruler of them all.

They desperately wanted to leap off the stage, run up the bleachers, and throw their arms around him, but they held their discipline with iron willpower, hiding their overwhelming reactions behind strict, authoritative postures.

Arthur watched his executive team handle the crowd with absolute pride. The policy they had just announced—evaluating students strictly on performance, intellect, and hard work—was the very foundation he had drafted in his private study three years ago. Seeing it executed so flawlessly filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction.

Celeste tapped the podium one last time, bringing the assembly to an official close.

"Class assignments and practical orientation schedules have been dispatched to your personal student tokens," Celeste concluded smoothly. "Your first lectures begin immediately in your respective halls. Welcome to the Aegis Academy. Prove your worth."

As the massive auditorium began to clear, the female students around Arthur stood up, chatting excitedly about the rigorous, equal-opportunity system while casting curious, admiring glances toward the quiet, remarkably handsome boy sitting at the end of their row.

Arthur stood up, slung his lightweight leather bag over his shoulder, and walked down the stone stairs toward his very first lecture hall, ready to experience the world he built from the ground floor.