{Rel''s POV}


    [Paris, L''Institut des Lumières Academy]


    I froze, staring at the statue.Was he alive?Probably not. Most of Garrick''s group died getting to the towers. But if they built a statue... he had to be dead. Right?


    A voice startled me away from the statue.


    "Excuse me? Are you an open Day visitor?"


    I turned, surprised someone had actually spoken to me. It was just an instructor – middle-aged, with thinning hair, a neatly trimmed beard. Typical.


    "Yeah," I said.


    He followed my gaze to the statue, a slight smile on his face.


    "Ah... Sir. Celeste, an iconic figure."


    "I see."


    My eyes drifted back to Vincent''s likeness. They said he took down an Emperor, became a legend... if that was true, the praise was justified. Still, though... his poprity here felt unexpected.


    "Enough of that statue, let''s get going."


    The instructor''s words cut through my thoughts.


    What? Was there a schedule I missed? Didn''t they say it was open exploration?


    Isn''t that what a open day meant?


    He must''ve seen my confusion because he chuckled.


    "Right! I''m the tour guide and helper for today. Apologies." A smile, then an outstretched hand. "Mr. Dubois, a pleasure to meet you."


    Still caught off guard, I shook his hand.


    "We''ve still got people arriving, so one of the first-year sses is doing a sparring session to warm up. Interested?"


    "Sure."


    Following Dubois down the courtyard, I noted the ssrooms we passed:bs hummed with the scent of chemicals, training rooms filled with shouts and the sh of practice weapons.


    Their academy uniforms shed by – red and white, sharp and formal. Nothing special.


    This Dubois guy seemed like a non-entity, so I might as well y along.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [Paris, L''Institut des Lumières Academy - Main Arena Grounds]


    Dubois led me towards the academy''s main arena grounds for the academies tournaments.


    Though I was a bit suspicious that he might''ve been misleading me somewhere else, I guess he was just doing his job as a tour guide.


    "Here''s Honour ss 1-A," he was saying, "There''s a lot of promising students here. Even the Royal Highness himself..."


    My feet nearly stopped as we passed through the gates.


    And there he was - Alessandro Reynard Valois. The royal prince of France and the soon to be king.


    That silver hair, those green eyes... unmistakable.


    [Special Ability Passive: Perceptive Mind [Grade 3] Has Been Activated!]


    Without a second thought, I activated Perceptive Mind.


    His character window flickered into existence.


    [Status Window Of Alessandro Reynard Valois]


    [Age: 19]


    [>Strength: 110, >Durability: 107, >Speed: 55, >Mana: A+, >Elemental Attribute: Gale, Life, [...]- ]


    [Current Thoughts: "I wonder what''s on the breakfast menu today..."]


    Royal blood, as expected. The stats were impressive, no doubt. I couldn''t imagine any other attribute more fitting for Gale which is just a stronger version of the wind attribute.


    But then Dubois spoke again,


    "Unfortunately, we won''t get a high vantage point for today''s spar. we''re going through arena renovations, so I hope you understand..."


    I turned to him nodding. "Standing or sitting, then?"


    His lips stretched into a smile. "Seats are on the other side of the stage. Let''s hurry quickly"


    He hurried me along. As we went, I caught the eyes of several of those Honour students.


    Their bodynguage was stiff, and I could hear a few outright sneers...


    — That person looks like our age


    — Heh... maybe he didn''t pass the entrance exam that''s why he''s here.


    — Hey you don''t think he''s gonna transfer here right?


    — He looks frail and agile...


    haha... I guess with my presence, they weren''t impressed. Not that I cared a bit.


    I barely had time to dwell on it before we reached the seating area, directly in front of the stage.


    The rest of the ss was still milling about, awaiting instruction.


    As I took my seat, a buzzing sound cut through the air. Dubois, ncing down at his watch, turned to me. "Apologies, a brief matter to attend to. Won''t be long, the crowds are starting to arrive now."


    I nodded, and with a final hurried smile, he was off. The seats around me remained conspicuously empty. Just me and the stage... odd.


    A voice, calm yetmanding, sliced through my thoughts.


    "Honour ss 1-A. Today''s sparring exercise will be a ''King of the Hill'' tournament format."


    The instructor strode onto the stage, his presence demanding attention.


    "Twobatants at a time. Victory is determined by a knockdown or if your opponent forces you to yield. One point per victory, thebatant who stays standing, or umtes the highest score, wins."


    And then he added one final instruction, "For this practical exercise, wooden weapons will be permitted. The use of elemental attributes is also encouraged."


    My brows furrowed. How convenient for Alessandro. Given his Life attribute and those ridiculous stats, this wasn''t a fight at all – this was a cakewalk for him regardless.


    Still, even as background characters, these students were likely a cut above average, perhaps a smidge better than Pinnacle fodder.


    ***


    [Paris, L''Institut des Lumières Academy - Main Arena Grounds, Front Stage]


    The instructor swept his gaze across the ss. "Do we have any volunteers to start us off?"


    A hand shot up before the words had barely left his mouth.


    "I do."


    Alessandro yawned as he strolled towards the weapons rack, a hint of boredom in his posture.


    His ssmates moved aside, leaving a clear path as he selected a wooden sword.


    The instructor''s gaze settled on the rest of the students.


    "Anyone else wish to challenge Alessandro?"


    A moment of hesitation, and then another hand rose.


    "I''ll Go."


    A stocky student, expression a mix of determination and nervousness, stepped forward.


    Rel''s attention narrowed. "Alessandro was among the first to fight...? Interesting."


    He shrugged, watching the two-step onto the stage. Their presence was unmistakable, even in the simple training uniforms.


    The instructor cleared the rest of the students from the pristine white stage floor.


    Alessandro and his opponent, Ben, faced each other.


    "Let''s have a good fight, Ben."


    "Right back at you, Alessandro." Ben nodded, gripping his gloved hands tightly.


    The instructor approached, standing between them. "Nothing too hard, but try your best." A brief pause, and then his voice boomed. "Now... Fight!"


    Ben lunged first, a burst of speed meant to catch Alessandro off guard. But the royal was braced, his wooden sword held in a ssic fencing stance.


    With a flicker of movement, a punch aimed for Alessandro''s face met empty air.


    Emotionless, Alessandro reacted, mana channelling into his left hand.


    A gust of wind exploded from his palm, pushing Ben back with unexpected force.


    "Woah!" Ben stumbled, struggling to regain his bnce.


    Before he could, Alessandro was in motion. One-handed, his wooden sword arced with immense force, mming into Ben''s stomach.


    BANG!!!


    "Argh!" Ben was sent flying across the stage, his breath knocked from his lungs.


    And with that The fight abruptly ended, the impact leaving him gasping on the white stage floor.


    A ripple of surprise washed over the ss.


    Rel, however, remained unimpressed. He expected this as a result.


    One-shotting an extra was hardly a testament to true power.


    He still had no reason to alter his initial assessment of Alessandro...


    "One point for Alessandro," the instructor''s voice cut through the murmurs.


    Fights blurred together. Alessandro, a whirlwind of motion and windced strikes, easily dispatched challenger after challenger.


    Each victory was more decisive than thest.


    Murmurs rippled through the Honor ss, surprise shifting into reluctant admiration of the royal prince.


    tap...tap...tap...


    Throughout the recent matches, there were breaks between that brought a steady stream of Open Day visitors.


    tap...tap...


    The usual crowd and scouts were only here to see one person... and that was Alessandro, the current undisputed ranked 1 student.


    tap...


    Then, a feeling... a strange feeling passed by him... in the blink of an eye.


    For a moment his senses were confused on who had just passed him.


    He turned, scanning the crowd, until his gazended on her.


    A young woman, moving gracefully through the crowd. Long ck hair, free of bangs, parted effortlessly in the middle.


    Her wispyyers added volume and movement, framing her face -- and those eyes. Striking violet, entuated by sses.


    His eyes widened at the sight, but there was something that made him truly confused.


    "Why is she here?"


    __________


    To Be Continued...


    __________


    Authors Notes:


    - While writing this the song that helped me craft the second half is - Fallin'' Twice by Chevy ????（? ? ?マ.?


    - Rel ispletely bewildered... there''s no other meaningO_o


    - Alessandro''s main ability is called: Fleur-de-Force (Flower of Power)


    This talent allows the user to manipte kic energy through a touch infused with mana. The user can then "redirect" or "amplify" that kic energy.


    Touch-based: Requires physical contact to activate, making close-quartersbat or strategic positioning crucial.


    Mana Cost: Stronger effects require more mana, leading to potential exhaustion or strategic use during battles.


    Specificity: Fleur-de-Force only affects kic energy, not other forms of energy (fire, electricity)


    - When Alessandro used his Gale attribute he wasn''t using his main ability.