Not long after entering the campus, Eve noticed a crowd of students around her age gathered by a bulletin board.

“Xing, you’re tall. Can you see what the notice says?” Eve gave Xing Hai’s hand a gentle tug.

“It lists the class assignments and dorm assignments,” Xing Hai said. “Eve’s been placed in Class H. Her dorm room is on the fifth floor, Room 20.”

“How many classes are there in total?”

“Eight. And, by the way, Class H is the last one.” By then, Xing Hai already knew everything there was to know about Eve’s classmates—their ranks, familiars, families, and family histories.

“In my opinion, my master should’ve been placed in Class A.”

“It’s okay. Being able to study at the academy is already wonderful.” Eve knew Class H had to be the worst of the eight classes. She’d only passed the assessment by sheer luck, after signing a contract with Xing Hai. Otherwise, she’d already be on her way home. She was quite happy with the result.

“I’m only giving my opinion. It makes no difference to me which class you’re in, Eve,” Xing Hai replied. “Let’s go to the classroom first. The first lesson should be starting soon.”

No matter how good the school’s facilities or how excellent its teachers were, could they really beat him?

“Okay. Lead the way, Xing.” Eve obediently followed Xing Hai into a castle. To her mild surprise, Class H’s classroom was the same one she’d attended before taking the assessment.

About twenty students had already gathered in the classroom. Most were dressed in quite luxurious clothes, while only a few wore simpler outfits.

That was only to be expected. Children from noble and wealthy families were born with far better opportunities than those from common households, so they naturally had a better chance of passing.

The moment the two of them entered, the classroom fell silent. Every eye turned toward them.

Eve had never had so many people staring at her before. Shy around strangers, she lowered her head, even though she knew everyone was looking at Xing Hai, whose hand she was holding.

It was simply because Xing Hai stood out even among a crowd of handsome young men—not to mention his noble, otherworldly air. The gazes of many noble girls seemed glued to him; they just couldn’t look away.

Beside him, plain-looking Eve seemed like an ugly duckling.

“Don’t be afraid. Just stay with me,” Xing Hai said softly, lowering his head toward Eve.

“Mm.” The warmth of Xing Hai’s hand made Eve feel much safer.

The two found seats with no one nearby. Xing Hai ignored the flirtatious glances and coy looks from the young ladies, chatting with Eve about one thing after another until the little girl gradually relaxed.

About twenty minutes later, a woman in a red mage’s robe and a pointed hat entered the classroom. She carried a brown wand under one arm, along with a thick, ancient-looking tome.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Rose—Rose Daphnet.” The woman stood at the lectern, smiling as she introduced herself. “Over the next few years, I’ll be teaching you the fundamentals of magic.”

Her surname prompted a quiet stir among the students. The Daphnet Family was one of the few great families in the Nancy Kingdom. Its founder had been a Ninth Tier powerhouse. Though several hundred years had passed and the founder was long gone, the family still had many Seventh Rank mages and even a few Eighth Rank ones. That put it near the top even among the great families.

The fact that a member of such a great family had come to teach at Camille Magic Academy showed just how powerful and well-established the academy was.

“There isn’t much to say in the first lesson. Let’s start with introductions…” Before Rose could finish, the ground began to shake violently, and loud booms rang out across the sky.

“Don’t panic!” Rose called, calming the students as they fell into chaos. She quickly chanted a spell and swung her wand. Balls of flame appeared out of nowhere, enveloping each student. By the time they realized what had happened, they were all outside the castle, on a wide lawn. Students and teachers from other classes were appearing around them one after another.

“Everyone, stay here and rest for a while. This place is completely safe.” After giving them her instructions, Rose joined several teachers from other classes. They huddled together, discussing the state of the sky. By then, the ground had stopped shaking.

Yesterday’s thunder had already caused widespread panic, but today was even worse. Rare elements seldom seen in the world appeared one after another in the sky: the pitch-black flames, the frost of eternal ice, the spirits of the free wind. They took all sorts of forms—a phoenix, king of birds; a sharp sword, chief among weapons. Some even took on human shapes. They roared and attacked, and all that furious power gathered into a vast storm in the sky. The storm clashed with something, trading blows. After each attack, some things were blasted out of it, then shattered and vanished.

“Damn it! I refuse to accept this!” Suddenly, a despairing roar rang down from the heavens, echoing across the entire continent.

Many ordinary people were knocked unconscious by that single roar. They collapsed to the ground and didn’t move. The mages with a little more strength summoned the magic within them, barely managing to hold out against it.

At that moment, Camille Magic Academy’s defensive array activated. A translucent white barrier, like an eggshell, enclosed the academy. High-level magic runes densely covered its surface.

Protected by the barrier, Eve and the others were unaffected. But the terrifying spectacle had still frightened everyone badly. Some of the more timid students even lost control of their bowels and bladders, leaving the lawn reeking.

No one laughed at anyone else. They were all in much the same state.

Eve huddled in Xing Hai’s arms, trembling softly. Her face was deathly pale, and two sparkling tears clung to the corners of her eyes, but she fought with all her might to keep them from falling.

“I’m sorry, Eve. You shouldn’t have had to go through this.” Xing Hai gently stroked the top of her head. His expression was calm, his deep eyes fixed on the heavens.

The battle was almost over.