Liam’s days as a first-year student at Verlyn Academy begin. For now, he has to accept sharing a living space with Chryssa, a girl he has only just met at the academy. Despite the awkward start, the two quickly grow closer and become good friends.

  Chryssa, with her cheerful personality, loves telling stories and speaking her mind without restraint, perfectly complementing Liam, who tends to stay quiet, listening and observing his surroundings.

  Liam also doesn’t mind sharing the responsibility of keeping their living space clean. For the first time in his life, a prince tries sweeping the floor, washing dishes, doing his own laundry, and even scrubbing the bathroom.

  “Life without servants is really exhausting,” Liam mutters after finishing the bathroom, his lower back aching from the effort.

  Chryssa catches his words the moment she appears beside him.

  “I knew it. You must be a noble’s kid! Never did housework because servants spoiled you,” she says teasingly.

  Caught, Liam can’t deny it. “Yeah. This is the side effect of the equality enforced at Verlyn Academy.”

  Even now, Chryssa still has no idea that the person sharing the unit with her is the son of a king.

  “I forgot to tell you this earlier. Noble students are actually allowed to bring servants and guards, but they have to rent their own place outside the academy grounds. Every day they have to commute back and forth by carriage.”

  “That sounds troublesome,” Liam replies.

  “Even so, a lot of nobles still choose to live that way rather than doing housework themselves.”

  Liam straightens up, stretching his arms and lower back after spending a long time crouched down cleaning the bathroom.

  “My family is indeed noble in Argoust. But while I’m at the academy, I’ve made up my mind to live an ordinary life.”

  “Wow, really? Four years isn’t a short time, you know,” Chryssa teases him again. “Are you sure your soft hands won’t blister after four years of washing your own clothes?”

  Liam can’t hold back a smile. “Feel free to make my suffering your source of entertainment.”

  Chryssa giggles.

  “What’s your family’s noble title? Baron? Viscount? Count? Or Duke? Hmm, I’ve never heard of a Duke Alroy in Argoust.”

  “Baron. My father is just a Baron in Valenna.”

  A Baron is the lowest rank in the noble hierarchy.

  “Hmm, you’re still nobility either way. If any household chores start to feel too troublesome for you, just say the word—I’ll make things even more troublesome.” Chryssa walks away with a mischievous laugh.

  Liam can only smile, still unable to wrap his head around how he ends up sharing a place with a girl whose personality is the complete opposite of his.

  .

  All first-year battlemage students gather on the training field, lining up with their respective classes. Chryssa’s class stands beside Liam’s. Every student wears a training uniform.

  In front of each class stands a concrete pillar about two meters tall and roughly thirty centimeters thick. The pillar is coated with a protective shell formed of interlocking bluish-green hexagonal shields. Beside it floats a transparent display panel divided into four color-coded tiers.

  One of the instructors steps forward and addresses the battlemage students.

  “Today, we instructors will measure the elemental power level of every first-year battlemage. In front of you stands an elemental pillar capable of accurately reading your strength and displaying the result on the indicator screen—low, medium, high, or super. This data will later be used to assign you to specialized battlemage training groups.”

  From the second-floor balcony, Lutzer Swan is observing the evaluation. He is accompanied by one of the Masters.

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  “Grand Master never misses this first-year assessment,” the Master remarks. “Are you searching for promising talents again?”

  Lutzer Swan lets out a soft chuckle. “Those with potential deserve special attention—so they can grow even further.”

  But there is another reason why Lutzer is there that day—his curiosity about Liam, the prince of Argoust. Among the rows of students, Liam’s presence quietly draws Lutzer’s attention.

  The elemental power assessment begins. One by one, the students are called forward to stand before the elemental pillar.

  “All you need to do is attack the elemental pillar with as much elemental power as you can.”

  The students grow excited, curious to see their own power levels. By using their elemental abilities, they unleash attacks on the elemental pillar, and the screen beside it displays the attacker’s power level.

  Most of the new students fall within the medium range. Quite a few reach the high level, some remain at the low level, but none has reached the super level yet.

  Each student reacts differently after seeing their power level. It is an interesting sight from Liam’s view.

  Yet when he looks toward the elemental pillar, there is no spark of excitement in his eyes about discovering his own level—especially since there is something about his elemental power that Liam deliberately keeps hidden.

  He turns to the side, toward Chryssa’s class line. The girl is also waiting for her turn to be called forward.

  “William Alroy.” The instructor calls the name, and Liam steps forward toward the elemental pillar.

  The instructor glances back at the notes in his hand. “Elemental affinity… wind.”

  Not only his name—Liam has also altered the recorded information about his elemental type. After all, there has never been a mage known to possess the element of light.

  Chryssa watches Liam from her class line, curiosity in her eyes. “I wonder how strong he is.”

  “You may begin,” the instructor says.

  From the second-floor balcony, Lutzer Swan sharpens his focus, watching closely.

  Liam takes his stance, raises his right palm, then releases a fast, glowing strike that shoots forward and slams into the elemental pillar, sending a shock through it.

  An unusual sound rings out from the indicator screen, showing Liam’s power level surpassing high and entering the super range.

  “Woooow!! Super level!!”

  The other students erupt into spontaneous cheers—it’s the first time they’ve seen someone reach the super level. Chryssa is just as shocked, completely taken by surprise.

  Lutzer Swan stands frozen, his attention caught by something else within Liam’s power.

  The instructor assigned to Liam’s class is also stunned, hardly able to believe that someone has reached the super level—yet confusion quickly follows.

  “Was that really wind elemental power?” he mutters. “Why did it glow?”

  Liam struggles to answer. “I don’t know either.”

  “The glow was different from an electro discharge,” the instructor muses, still deep in thought. “But regardless, reaching the super level is impressive. It’s extremely rare for a first-year student.”

  The instructor from Chryssa’s class steps closer, with a displeasure look at Liam.

  “William Alroy, I saw it. You deliberately didn’t release your attack at full power.”

  Liam stiffens. He did intentionally restrain his strength—and apparently, an instructor noticed.

  But Liam’s class instructor quickly cuts in. “What more could be lacking? His output already reached the super level.”

  “No,” the instructor from Chryssa’s class replies, “I know exactly what it looks like when someone attacks at their limit—stance, body movement, the flow of power, even the speed of the swing.”

  The instructor’s gaze hardens as he fixes his eyes on Liam.

  “William Alroy! We, the instructors, need accurate results from this assessment. We must see the true foundation of every student we are going to train. If you don’t give it your all, you’re showing disrespect to Verlyn Academy!”

  Those words corner Liam, leaving him with no room to refuse. The attention of every student and instructor shifts toward him, disbelief spreading as they realize that even a super-level result might not be his full strength.

  “Can he really go even stronger?”

  “Is there a level above super?”

  The instructor from Chryssa’s class crosses his arms over his chest, waiting for Liam to make his decision.

  Liam lets out a slow breath, finally understanding the instructor’s intent. Holding back and hiding his true ability is the same as showing a lack of trust in the academy to train him properly.

  “Forgive my attitude, Instructor,” Liam says, acknowledging his mistake.

  Liam takes his stance again, this time with a posture different from before—more stable and firmly grounded.

  Only now does the instructor from Chryssa’s class smile, satisfied by the stance Liam has taken. Meanwhile, the instructor from Liam’s class feels his heart race.

  “Is he really about to unleash something even stronger than before?”

  Curiosity grips everyone watching. All eyes are fixed on Liam—students, instructors, and even the Grand Master on the second-floor balcony.

  With a calm, steady breath, Liam focuses a massive flow of power into the palm of his hand. Then, in a burst of speed, he unleashes the attack straight ahead.

  BRAAAK!

  In the blink of an eye, the elemental pillar splits cleanly in two. The indicator screen beside it glitches and goes dead, unable to process the result.

  Every student and instructor who witnesses it stares in shock, mouths hanging open—including the instructor from Chryssa’s class who had just pressured Liam.

  “I knew he was holding back, but I never imagined his power could split an elemental pillar—something even instructors can’t do! Just who is this kid?!”

  A wide smile spreads across Lutzer Swan’s face, his eyes gleaming. It’s the first time he has encountered a student with elemental power that defies all reason.

  “The third prince of Argoust… he’s going to bring a great change.”

  .