Suddenly, a deep voice boomed across the coliseum. All the murmuring students instantly fell silent.
A man stood at the center podium now — a tall, silver-haired figure clad in long robes of deep crimson and white, his eyes glowing faintly gold.
"First years of Aradie Academy… welcome."
His voice, even without a microphone, carried effortlessly across the giant space.
"I am Headmaster Gildren Solan, and you stand at the threshold of legend. Many of you have dreamed of this moment. Some of you have feared it. Few of you understand it."
The headmaster paused, scanning the crowd like a general inspecting his troops.
"You have been selected — not by fate, but by potential. Your path from here is not guaranteed. You will train until your bones ache and your minds break. You will clash, fail, grow, and rise again."
He raised a hand toward the sky.
"In the halls of Aradie, only the bold survive. We are not a school for the gifted. We are a forge for greatness. So I urge you — do not waste your chance. Burn bright, and carve your name into history."
A hush followed his words for a moment.
Then, applause erupted around the hall like a tidal wave. Even Mason found himself clapping slowly, eyebrows raised.
"…Damn. That was actually kinda fire."
Ren smirked beside him. "He gives the same speech every year. Doesn't make it any less badass though."
Mason drooped.
'I think it just made it less badass.'
Before the noise had even settled, the mood flipped like a coin.
A girl was now standing at the podium.
Long blond hair tied in an elegant braid.
A sharp uniform embroidered with gold trim. A tiara glinting beneath the lights.
And eyes so cold Mason felt like they were freezing the air around her.
"Princess," Ren whispered. "That's her. The Student Council President."
Mason stared. The Student Council President was the actual princess of the kingdom?
She cleared her throat.
"Greetings," she said, her voice clear and emotionless. "I am Princess Seraphine Altrielle of House Sylfayne, your superior in rank, strength, and station."
Well, someone skipped humility class.
"You are students of Aradie Academy, but you are also representatives of the Crown. While the headmaster trains you, it is the Student Council that maintains order. Disobedience will be punished. Rebellion will be crushed. And any attempt to undermine the authority of this institution…"
Her gaze swept across the stands like a laser.
"…will be treated as an act of treason."
The coliseum was so quiet Mason could hear someone gulp three rows down.
『FEAR STATUS: TEMPORARILY APPLIED』
He felt his legs go numb. Even Ren, who looked like he had seen this before, was sweating.
"Friendly place," Mason whispered.
"Oh, it gets better," Ren whispered back. "She's rumored to have a kill count."
"…Are you serious?"
"Deadly."
Mason slouched in his seat.
First day of school and he'd already been threatened with treason.
This game was off to a hell of a start.
Just as the frozen silence settled over the students like a suffocating blanket, the princess clapped her hands — sharp, precise, and elegant like a princess should.
The tension in the air didn't vanish entirely, but it shifted, loosening just enough to breathe again.
"Furthermore," she said, voice still perfectly composed, "a new initiative will be starting this term."
Her silver eyes swept over the crowd again.
"We are establishing an elite task force to uphold and execute student law. Its name — The Order of the Scale. Those chosen will bear authority just beneath the Student Council. Violations of academy rules will be met with swift, efficient response."
She raised her right hand.
A flash of light shimmered from her finger — a storage ring glowing with runic inscriptions.
A soft hum filled the air, and a folded set of clothes emerged from the air like a conjured spell, levitating just above her palm.
Dark sleek fabric with crisp lines and reinforced seams.
The jacket bore a metallic crest over the left chest — an emblem of balanced scales crossed by a sword.
Across the back, golden thread shimmered faintly in the torchlight:
『ORDER OF THE SCALE』
The fit looked... serious. Authority incarnate. And oddly stylish.
"Damn," Mason muttered under his breath. "That goes hard."
Ren nodded. "I'd wear that to a war… or a funeral… or both."
The uniform folded itself neatly again and vanished back into her ring.
"Further details will be explained by your instructors if you want to join. I trust you will all behave accordingly."
Without waiting for applause — or expecting any — she turned and strode off the stage, silver hair trailing behind her like a royal banner.
Her departure seemed to release everyone from a spell. The coliseum buzzed back to life as students slowly began to filter out.
"That was terrifying," Mason said, still watching her go. "Also, I think I've developed a fear-kink."
"Don't tell her that," Ren replied. "She'd add your name to some secret execution list."
"Right. Note to self: shut up more."
They rose from their seats and followed the crowd toward the exits.
...
The corridors of Aradie Academy were just as vast as the coliseum.
Ornate archways, floating lamps, and banners depicting historical battles made the place feel more like a palace than a school.
After a few wrong turns and some very lazy map-reading, Mason and Ren finally reached their destination:
Class 1-A
They slid the door open and stepped in.
Too late.
The classroom was full. Every desk was taken except for two seats in the far corner where the usual anime protagonist and his friends sat.
Dozens of students looked up as they entered, curious and mildly amused.
"Oh crap," Mason muttered.
At the front of the class stood a woman.
A woman so... stunning, Mason felt his soul leave his body.
Long red hair tied in a loose ponytail.
A tailored vest that did very little to hide the curvy truth beneath.
She was tall, graceful, and carried a pointer stick that might as well have been a weapon of mass destruction.
Her eyes locked on them like heat-seeking missiles.
『SYSTEM ALERT: WARNING — HORMONAL OVERDRIVE DETECTED. PLEASE CALM DOWN, TIGER.』
Mason froze. His face flushed red from ear to ear.
Ren snorted beside him. "Already? Dude."
"Shut up."
The teacher didn't seem fazed. If anything, she looked amused.
"Well then," she said, voice like silk over a blade's edge. "Our final arrivals. Care to introduce yourselves before you take a seat?"