Slowly, time drifted between them as the weekend faded, leaving only the sweet scent of sex and sweat hanging faintly in memory. Then came the dawn of a new week... bright, alive, and full of expectation.

DAWN...

The academy buzzed with energy. Students gathered in clusters, chatter spilling in hushed whispers. Some swelled with pride, still clinging to the memories of past events; others spoke eagerly of the future, imagining what they would become once they finally ascended to Grade C noble.

By the time the classroom filled, the tension was palpable. Every seat was taken, the low hum of conversation rippling like static in the air. All eyes, though, occasionally flicked toward the door, awaiting Professor Girzar and the speech that would decide the tone of the upcoming final duels.

Yet even before the professor arrived, whispers spread like wildfire... centered on Miyu. Her name lingered on their tongues with awe. Her grace, her strength, her potential... all became fuel for envy, reverence, and speculation.

Behind, Eran silence clung to him.. he sat still with arms folded, his expression unreadable as always.

Then a noble boy stepped forward, striding directly to where Eran sat. His voice rang through the class, sharp with mockery.

"Hey, commoner. Why not give up before the duel even starts?"

Laughter broke out at once. A few nobles turned their gaze toward Eran with cruel grins.

"Raina, you sound pitiful wasting words on that boy."

"I guess he still hasn't learned his place."

"Yeah... he thinks this is a joke."

"Hah! Worse, his opponent is Miyu. What do you think will happen?"

The room filled with low laughter and whispers, venom passed from mouth to mouth.

"I can't wait to see him crushed."

"He won't last a moment against her."

But then, amid the noise, Miyu shifted in her seat. Her gaze turned... directly, deliberately—locking onto Eran.

The class fell away in that moment. Their eyes met, violet to steady calm, and a silent understanding pulsed between them, one no one else in the room could see.

Eran's lips curved into a faint smirk, his arms still folded, posture unchanged. Unbothered.

It was enough to leave the whispering nobles unsettled.

The tall boy standing in front of Eran stiffened in annoyance. His voice rose, sharp with anger.

"Hey... you! You're smiling while I talk?"

He reached down without hesitation, fisting Eran by the front of his robe, yanking him forward from where he sat. Their gazes locked—Eran's calm and unreadable against the boy's burning frustration.

"You think this is a joke, don't you?"

But then...

VROOOOOOOOMM!!

The sound cracked like thunder, sweeping through the hall. In the next instant, the tall noble boy who had gripped Eran was flung back violently, his body slamming against the wall with a bone-shaking impact. Gasps tore through the classroom, the whispers silenced in an instant.

"Miyu?!"

"Huh… it's Miyu..."

"L-look!!"

Eyes widened everywhere, some in confusion, others in awe. A current of violet light flickered across the room, blazing with a force none of them dared challenge.

It was unmistakable. The Violet Circuit. The very same that had once sent bones snapping back during the Grade C trials.

Miyu's steps echoed sharply as she moved forward, each deliberate stride making the air grow heavier. Her robe swept across the floor, carrying the commanding presence of true nobility. The nobles stiffened in their seats, breath caught, for never had they seen Miyu unleash herself so openly..

especially not against her own peers.

She stopped in front of the boy who now sat slumped in exhaustion against the wall, his eyes wide with fear, the sting of her power still pressing against his chest.

Leaning down slightly, her violet gaze turned ice-cold as her voice rang clear through the silence.

"Hey… you. Did I ever give you permission to touch my opponent?"

Her words cut like a blade. The boy trembled, his head shaking furiously.

"N-no… n-nooo!"

"Good." Miyu's tone lowered, dangerous yet calm. "Now that you understand… my opponent is mine. Mine alone. He is my prey." Her gaze sharpened, burning into him as every noble in the room froze. "And no one dares lay a hand on him."

The boy nodded again, with a breaking voice.

"Y-yes… yes…"

Then Miyu finally leaned back, the faint curve of a smirk traced her lips. As she brushed off her shoulder as if dusting away the moment.

"Well… I guess that makes sense now," she murmured.

The room was still. The nobles who had stood beside their peers moments ago now stared, eyes wide, the air thick with disbelief. The faint hum of her violet circuit still lingered in the air, glowing faintly.

Every step she took back carried that same commanding grace, the kind that made even the arrogant nobles flinch away from her path. Her robe swayed lightly as she walked, the air around her crackling faintly with the residue of power.

For a heartbeat, she stopped before Eran.

Their gazes locked... too long, too sharp. until the whispers began to rise again breaking the silence around them.

"Did you see that…?"

"She's definitely going to crush him on duel day."

"That commoner's done for."

"Wait… that aura… it's the same circuit from the trials!"

The murmurs rippled through the room like an undercurrent, but neither Eran nor Miyu moved.

Something unspoken passed between them, a silent, burning understanding that none of the others could see.

Then, without a word, Miyu walked past him.

Her violet circuit faded slowly behind her, leaving faint traces of light that dissolved into the air as she took her seat once more.. composed, calm, and unreadable.

Suddenly, the hall erupted in noise and awe. Cheers, gasps, and excited murmurs filled every corner after what just happened.

Eran leaned back in his seat, calm and unreadable, arms still folded. His gaze drifted toward Miyu once more, and a faint smirk curved his lips... so brief and subtle no one else could catch it.

The whispers continued to ripple through the nobles like restless wind.

SNAP!

A flick of a finger echoed sharply through the air.

A rush of mana swept across the hall, silencing every voice at once. The energy pressed against their chests, commanding obedience.

Every gaze turned to the front.

And there he stood, the man they had been waiting for.

Professor Girzar.

His grey hair shimmered faintly under the light, and his hawk-like nose and sharp gaze cut through the lingering tension. His mere presence carried weight.. an authority that silenced even arrogance itself.

The hall remained perfectly still.

No one dared to move

His gaze swept across the hall, sharp and unyielding, touching each student in turn. No one dared to move, no rustle, no whisper broke the silence. The weight of his presence alone held them still.

For a moment, the hall felt frozen in time. Then, with a voice that carried both command and restraint, he began his speech.

"Within these walls," Professor Girzar began, his tone steady as stone, "power is not just measured by birthright or crest.. it is proven by discipline. The academy's hierarchy exists to maintain balance. To remind every noble, and every aspiring one, that strength without control… is chaos."

The air thickened with his words. His grey eyes flickered between the rows of seated students, lingering on those who fidgeted, who hid their nerves behind false pride.

"In a week from now," he continued, "the Final Duel for your test will determine your standings. Your power, your mind, your will.. all laid bare before the jurisdiction. There will be no concealment, no excuses. You will either rise... or be crushed beneath the weight of your own failure."

Whispers rippled again through the hall, quickly stifled when Girzar's mana flared faintly.. a cold surge that made the walls hum.

"Those who disgrace their pride they carry will lose their mark. And those who show potential, regardless of their birth, may find themselves elevated among ranks they once thought unreachable."

Eran's gaze remained calm, unreadable beneath the professor's heavy tone. He could feel every noble eye twitch, every ego tremble at that line, regardless of birth.

Girzar's attention finally swept to the back, pausing on him for a heartbeat longer than the rest. The silence that followed spoke louder than any words.

"…and also," Girzar's tone sharpened as he lifted his gaze across the hall, "the reminder of the final test.. the duel that will hold just a few weeks from now, just as i've said."

"The hierarchy itself," he continued, "prohibits failure. Anyone who does not stand out as a promising potential during the final test is unfit to remain here. Even Grade D, as low as it stands, demands effort. It demands hunger. Those who cannot climb... will be swallowed by those who can."

His words lingered in the air for moment.. cold and deliberate..

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