“It’s not that, sis. It’s just… if we act too close in the Academy, it’ll cause trouble.”

“What kind of trouble? Say it!” Liya pressed on relentlessly, aura flaring like a tiger. She looked like she wanted to bite Lofen right then and there.

Lofen definitely didn’t dare explain the real reason. He only hinted that being that intimate inside the Academy made him a bit uncomfortable, and it might drag in a lot of trouble. Since they’d gotten into the Aster Magic Academy, they should focus on studying.

His explanation actually cooled Liya down a little. She thought of how hard it had been for her little brother to get into the Academy. It really wasn’t easy. If something happened and he got expelled, that loss would be huge.

After thinking it over again and again, Liya gave up on the idea of walking around the Academy hand in hand with Lofen, shoulder to shoulder. She’d thought that once they entered the Academy, she could finally shake off that old woman’s venomous stare and just play and study with Lo to her heart’s content.

Lofen then laid down one more condition: Liya wasn’t allowed to act too affectionate toward him in front of other people. The moment she heard that, she glared at him fiercely and demanded to know why. Lofen stuck his tongue out and shot back, “Sis, did you forget? Doing that could bring us a lot of trouble, remember?”

Liya instantly deflated like a punctured ball and slumped to the ground. Her beautiful dream of finally being able to have Lofen all to herself just vanished that easily.

Lofen had no idea what was going through Liya’s head. He just stepped forward and gently patted her on the head. Liya looked up at him, feeling a little wronged, then suddenly hugged him tightly, breathing in his scent.

Aster Magic Academy, Commoner Teaching Block.

This was the only place in the Academy where commoners could attend classes. There actually weren’t many students here. Everyone admitted was a special recruit, and each grade only had a single class. That alone showed just how pitifully low the ratio of commoners in the Academy really was.

Lofen had just turned twelve this year, a new first-year student. So he was extremely cautious in the Academy and didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary trouble.

After entering the classroom, Lofen went straight for a desk in the very front row. The room was tiered, the seats rising higher the farther back they went, while sitting up front made it easier to hear the teacher clearly. Maybe because this was the commoner class, some teachers just read straight from the textbook, and students had to ask questions on their own.

There was still some time before class started, but every new student was already here. None of them dared stroll in late like those nobles. The difference in status was right there. If they messed up and angered a teacher, got expelled on the spot, they wouldn’t even know where to cry.

To be honest, Lofen had no idea how the nobles’ side taught their classes. But over here, he felt a bit unsatisfied. The lectures were kind of dull and boring. Even so, he didn’t complain. It had taken him so much to even get into the Academy. As a commoner, he knew better than anyone how precious it was to be allowed to stay at a magic academy.

He sat down, took out his textbook, and quickly skimmed through what they’d learned in the past few days. Just then, someone patted him lightly on the shoulder.

Lofen looked up. A boy was standing in front of him. Average build, hair a messy brown like he’d just rolled out of bed. He looked a bit sloppy, but there was a hint of sunny boldness in his expression.

Facing the boy’s grin, Lofen’s lips lifted slightly as he smiled back.

“Oh, it’s you, Iven.”

“Yo, have a good weekend, Lofen?”

“It was fine.” Lofen nodded. “And you?”

“Meh, so-so. I was running errands for my dad’s shop. Luckily I made it back last night.” Iven patted his chest as he spoke. “Otherwise I might not have made it to the Academy today.”

“Sounds rough.”

“Oh, teacher’s here. I’m heading back.”

“Mm.”

Iven spun around and ran toward the seats in the back. At the door, a male teacher in a dark-blue robe was already standing there, expression stern, a thick stack of white papers tucked under his arm.

The moment he stepped onto the podium and looked out over the students, Lofen roughly guessed what he was about to do.

“Class, you all listened carefully to last week’s lessons, right?”

The students nodded. The male teacher continued.

“In that case, I’ll test how much you actually remember. Anyone who doesn’t pass will be expelled.”

“That’s not fair!”

“This is way too harsh!”

Complaints rippled through the classroom. But after the teacher said just one word—“Silence”—the room fell dead quiet again. The reason was simple: if they angered him, he really might have them expelled.

“I’ll give you a chance. If you’re not confident you can pass, leave the classroom now and stand in the hallway. If you’re confident, stay and take the test.”

Lofen scratched his cheek and muttered inwardly that he’d been right. Back home, Liya had already told him: if a teacher walked in carrying a stack of blank papers, there was an eighty percent chance it meant a written test.

“I’ll give you thirty seconds to think. If you’re still here after that and end up expelled, don’t blame anyone but yourself. I’ve already given you your chance.”

After delivering that final ultimatum, the teacher took a small magic wand from his robe. This kind of wand was standard gear issued by the Academy to its teachers. Over in the noble sector, quite a few nobles liked these light, convenient wands too. After a while, these delicate little wands basically became a symbol of nobility—everywhere except in the commoner block.

The students started whispering to each other. Lofen noticed the classmate beside him clenching his fists, grinding his teeth in silence. Then the boy suddenly shot to his feet and walked out of the classroom.

Once the first person left, the second followed. One after another, students got up and left as well. No one wanted to get expelled. At a time like this, swallowing their pride and chickening out wasn’t exactly a sin.

Thirty seconds later, Lofen glanced toward the back. The once full classroom now had only about five students left, Iven included.

The teacher’s expression didn’t change. He looked at the remaining five and said,

“Five of you, huh? Looks like you’re pretty confident in yourselves.”

“Alright then, let’s begin. You all brought your quills, right?”

The five of them pulled quills from their robes. Among them, Lofen’s quill drew the most attention. His whole quill was a clear, pure blue, like a ghostly orchid blooming in midwinter—quiet and beautiful.

Normally, a quill like that was extremely rare. Everyone else’s was all white or gray. This was the first time the teacher had seen one like Lofen’s.

Stroking his chin with interest, the teacher smiled.

“Lofen, that’s a very distinctive quill you’ve got there.”

“It was a gift from my mom.” Lofen nodded politely.