“You’re Nolan Joestar?”

Nolan glanced at him and gave a quiet “Mm,” apparently unaware that she was even more famous within the Holy Alliance than her other two sisters.

That nonchalant response only made the female warrior angrier. She snorted. “His Highness the Saint is asking you a question! Is this what Duke Joestar taught his male heir about manners—rudeness and insolence!?”

“Make her shut up, or I’ll help her stay quiet forever.”

Nolan sized up the brown-haired young man. She could indeed sense an exceptionally pure Soul Spirit from him, and neither his bearing nor his manner of speaking suggested he was a native of a lesser plane.

The young man smiled, lips pressed together, and held back his exasperated attendant. He had an exceptionally mild temper.

He removed his glove and bowed politely. “Please forgive us. My name is Lockrien, and this lovely lady is my friend, Bella.”

“You already know my name. She’s my… well, she’s my friend too. Zinora.”

Nolan glanced at the little princess, then followed her toward a door on the right.

“Your Highness, she…”

Bella was about to say something else, but Lockrien merely shook his head, unconcerned. He watched Nolan’s tall figure and smiled.

“It’s fine. I told you not to be so serious when we’re out and about. This is getting more and more interesting. I never expected to run into that… well, that peculiar second young lady here. She’s pretty cute, too. What a shame.”

The name Zinora sounded familiar to him, but he couldn’t remember where he’d heard it.

Nolan watched as one person after another entered the dim hall beyond the door and placed a hand on a huge, transparent sphere. Curiosity got the better of her.

“What’s that?”

Princess Zinora was surprised too.

“Huh? You haven’t had your soul tested? Then how did you get an admission letter?”

Nolan shook her head. How was she supposed to know where her sentimental mother had scored it?

Another apprentice entered the hall. The crystal ball changed color at their touch, several hues muddling together like paint spilled across a canvas.

At the sight, all the instructors shook their heads in disappointment. The apprentice went pale, then left the hall dejected, their attempt declared a failure.

An impure elemental soul was never going to get far on this path.

“That’s the Soul Color Trial.”

Lockrien came up behind them and offered a brief explanation.

The two unlucky newcomers had been spared the most troublesome identity check, but the real test was waiting beyond the door.

Saint Lensa’s most famous trial awaited them: the Soul Color Trial, which directly measured elemental affinity and the strength of one’s soul resonance.

The trial itself was simple: all you had to do was relax completely. Yet that single step turned away ninety percent of apprentices from the various planes, because no amount of effort could change one’s innate talent.

And talent determined how far each student could go in their future leaps between planes.

Don’t assume Lockrien was getting special treatment through the Seven Luminaries Temple. Saint Lensa had the Wings of Freedom backing it, and feared no faction, whether in terms of power or wealth.

He was allowed to take the trial directly because his astonishing talent was known to everyone. That was all.

Saint Lensa’s scholars and instructors cared only about carrying on their legacy. They hungered endlessly for knowledge and power, and had no time to waste on the untalented.

Bella nodded to Lockrien, then entered the hall first.

The hall was laid out as a five-pointed star formation. Five instructors from different campuses were acting as examiners for this year’s newcomers.

Soul Spirit apprentices filled the hall, craning their necks to watch for a potential dark horse among the new students. Plenty of upperclassmen had come along to watch, too.

Bella took off her helmet. Her short, flaxen hair curled slightly, and her lovely features were unexpectedly cute—though her expression was far too serious.

She placed her hand on the crystal ball. A faint, mournful sound came from within the transparent sphere, and then it began to glow green.

The wind element was answering the call. That was the color of Bella’s soul.

“Elemental affinity: A-minus. Her perception and resonance are pretty good, too. Very nice. Welcome to Silver Campus.”

At one point of the five-pointed star, an elderly man with white hair stood up first.

Another instructor, a woman wearing glasses, slapped the table and shouted, “Wait! Why does Silver Campus get her again?”

“Child, Black Iron Campus is where you belong.”

“Our understanding of the wind element at Gold Campus is second to none!”

“…”

All five examiners rushed to make offers on behalf of their campuses. There was no need to say it aloud: Bella had been accepted.

For a favorite of the elements, it was just that easy.

The others looked on with envy. Any newcomer the instructors competed over was sure to have a bright future.

Bella shot Nolan a challenging look from the stage. As expected, she chose the Silver Campus branch, which had been the strongest lately.

Next to step into the hall was Lockrien. His handsome face immediately caught the attention of every girl there. He calmly bowed to the five instructors, closed his eyes, and laid a hand on the sphere.

The five examiners straightened, watching the crystal ball beneath the starlight with anticipation. They all seemed to know the young man.

“Hummmmmm—”

In that instant, the crystal ball let out a hum unlike any it had made before, so loud it made everyone’s eardrums ache.

Every student stared in stunned silence. Inside the crystal ball, they saw seven elemental colors intertwining into a brilliant rainbow!

A seven-colored soul!?

“There’s no mistake. All seven elemental affinities are A-plus, and the degree of resonance is unheard of. As expected of the Saint of the Seven Luminaries.”

The old man from Silver Campus stroked his beard, looking thoroughly pleased. It meant Lockrien could achieve astonishing mastery in every discipline.

If Lockrien hadn’t disliked abusing his privileges, he could’ve skipped even these procedures.

Lockrien didn’t keep showing off. He turned and stepped down from the stage, while the other instructors sighed, a little unwilling to give up.

His Highness the Saint had personally decided to study at Silver Campus. Everyone knew it was settled, and there was no room to compete for him.

Just as Lockrien and Bella were about to cross the hall and officially enter Saint Lensa, a dazzling burst of light erupted behind them, illuminating the entire hall.

Lockrien turned back in surprise and saw the beautiful elf girl standing bewildered in the center of the hall.

Zinora herself radiated light as brilliant as the midday sun, just like the crystal ball. She seemed sacred and untouchable, dazzling everyone who looked at her.

“S-rank!?”

The instructors all sprang to their feet, too excited to speak.

How long had it been since they’d seen an S-rank student?

Shock was written across the students’ faces. A seven-colored soul with A-rank affinity in every element was impressive, but taking a pure, singular soul to its utmost limits was just as astounding.

Only a handful of Saint Lensa alumni had ever earned an S-rank result in the Soul Color Trial, but every one of them had become a renowned great spirit in the plane wars.

Sun elves were naturally highly attuned to the light element, and Zinora was one of the very best among them.

A beautiful new elf student with the rare S-rank affinity for a higher-order light element had already stolen the spotlight from the Saint of the Seven Luminaries. There was no doubt what tomorrow’s campus paper would headline.