Everyone in the room left the ballroom in order, thanks to the staff. They were told to find their assigned classrooms, so they headed to the academy complex under the teachers’ guidance.

The first structure they saw was a wide four-story building. Colorful flowers and trimmed bushes were planted, surrounding the ivory walls. The group proceeded to enter the building.

Inside, there were a couple of narrow staircases leading to the second floor. The teachers ignored them and kept walking straight through the narrow hallway. An alphabet and a number was written on the sign adjacent to the door. As the group passed through the hall, they entered their respective classrooms. Since the classes were arranged in alphabetical order, class E was on the furthest of the hall while also serving as the dead end.

The last teacher unlocked the door and entered the classroom, followed by the remaining people.

Kane cast his gaze all over the room. The inside was rather large, yet it was still barely enough for the remaining crowd. Rows of plain wooden benches that were connected to the table were placed neatly. Each of them was designed for two people. A wide blackboard hung on the wall, facing the student’s benches. In front of it, there was the teacher’s antique desk with a pile of books stacked on the table.

On the left side of Kane, a line of opened windows was built. Through the clear glass, he saw a grey wall from another building and some wild plants. Certainly not the best view, but he wasn’t bothered by these trivial matters.

Everyone had chosen their seats. Kane sat on the first row, near the teacher's desk. It was the last empty seat available since all the children had rushed to sit on the back, and he had been too slow to choose. Just when he was about to sit down, a boy with short blonde hair pulled a chair beside Kane and took a seat. He looked around until his curious eyes saw Kane’s horn, and he uttered, “Those horns… Are you an oni?”

“A half-oni, actually. Surprised?” asked Kane back.

“Of course I’m surprised! I’ve never seen an oni before, let alone a half-oni.” He then plopped on the chair as he spoke in a slightly higher pitch. “Wow, you even speak the common language fluently. Were you born in this city?”

“No, I came from a remote oni village called Deven. My father, who was a mercenary, taught me this language,” said Kane. He had expected another reason for his surprise, such as how an oni entered this prestigious magic academy. Perhaps the children around his age were more ignorant.

“Mercenary background, huh? Cool. So, what’s your name? I’m Brian Fynderne.” He offered his hand, but then switched it to his left hand when he saw the cast.

Kane shook Brian’s hand and replied, “You can call me Kane.”

Brian’s brows narrowed. “Kane… I think I know that name from somewhere,” he said, squinting his eyes.

“Is that so?” Kane was once again surprised that some random kid knew his name. He doubted that anyone knew the ax saint’s name nowadays after he had fulfilled his goal. So, Kane asked again to be sure, “How did you know that name?”

“I remember now. I know that name from the examination result.” At the end of the sentence, Brian's eyes bulged and he shouted, “Wait, if you are Kane, then why are you here in this class E!?”

Almost the entire class looked at Kane's seat. Chatters and whispers filled the class.

“Kane? The person who aced the exam is here?”
“That's impossible. He must at least be in class A.”
“That boy over there must be mistaken.”

Seeing the current situation, Kane knew that he must do something. He touched Brian's shoulder and said, “Calm down. I'm not that Kane you know. I happen to have the same name as him, so it seems.” When he said that, everyone was back to their own businesses.

“Ah, sorry for the misunderstanding.” Brian nodded. “Still, I wonder how you paid for the re-entry fee? It cost 5,000 gold!”

“My father amassed a large sum of wealth from his line of work,” lied Kane again. He realized that he’d been lying and hiding secrets constantly that he was tired of it. Right after Kane stopped speaking, a short man with small round glasses spoke,

“Good morning. I’m Vauren, your homeroom teacher. Now, let’s check attendance…” He then began the first lesson of the first day: Mathematics.

---

*Ding!* *Dong!*

The bell tolled at noon, signaling lunch time. Kane stretched his back and uttered a relieved sigh. He had spent most of his study time daydreaming and sleeping, unlike his bench mate, who was writing down every word the teacher said and wrote. Couldn’t be helped since the lessons were utterly boring and useless. Perhaps if they taught lessons involving magic instead, he would’ve paid more attention. The teacher who was called Vauren did not care about his behavior, so that was good for him. Brian then invited Kane to eat together in the cafeteria which he then accepted.

As they walked on the outdoor path, Kane realized something. Most of the students here were avoiding him. Not because of fear, but because they were disgusted, mocking him behind his back. The reason was obvious, but Kane didn’t heed to them. As for Brian, he was ignorant of this situation and kept walking as usual. He decided to find out whether Brian knew about this.

“Hey, Brian.”

“Yeah?” His head turned facing the half oni.

“Do you know why people keep avoiding me?” asked Kane.

Brian then looked around and pointed at Kane’s torso. “Now that you mention it, I didn’t realize that. Maybe it’s because of your clothes?”

“My clothes?”

“Yes. I’m sure that’s normal clothes in your village, but it’s very unusual here.”

“I see,” said Kane. His benchmate’s answer confirmed his thought.

*Thud*

A large male student appeared from the corner and bumped against Kane and Brian’s shoulder by passing between them. The force caused Brian to fall and slide on the cold marble floor while Kane remained unaffected despite his injured shoulder. The culprit turned around and stared down the two.

“Don’t you two have eyes!? Pay attention while you walk!” he yelled. His loud voice attracted many people around.

Brian simply sat there. He opened his mouth to speak yet nothing but a stutter came out. Seeing how pitiful his bench mate was, Kane reached his hand toward Brian. “Are you alright?”

Brian looked at Kane and grabbed his hand, standing up. “Err, Kane, I don't think it's a good idea to ignore him,” he whispered.

“Why is that?”

Brian gulped and said, “I mean, look at him. He already wore this school’s uniform, which means he’s our senior. So…”

“We shouldn’t disrespect him. Is that what you’re saying?”

Brian nodded. “Exactly, and those guys coming towards us are probably his friends.” He glanced at three people who were as fit as the large guy. They even shared the same expression. “We should run quickly!”

While the two were discussing in whispers, the large guy stomped the ground. “You dare ignore me? Looks like these two need to be taught a lesson, guys.” He then made a hand gesture toward the three people. They encircled Kane and Brian and blocked their possible exit paths.

“We’re surrounded!” Brian shouted, walking backward until his back met Kane's.

Meanwhile, Kane was silent, assessing the situation. He glanced over the crowd. In just a short time, many people had gathered to watch them. As for the seniors, they were rather muscular, which was rare among magic practitioners. Why was that? He figured the answer when he saw a sheathed sword hanging on their hip.

Magic swordsman… so this school taught that specialization. No wonder they intimidate other people since they’re confident in their raw strength. The victim also can’t use magic in the school ground due to the rules. Kane knew some of the school rules from when he had heard the speech. Even if the victim used magic, they would be punished. It was weird for a magic academy to not allow the students to use magic in public spaces. Apparently, the reason was to prevent chaos and misconduct.

After pondering for a moment, he then said in a calm tone, “Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves? Picking on freshmen like this is embarrassing, you know. Especially to an injured person like me.” Kane wanted to beat them up so badly, but at the same time, he wanted to know the reason why they were doing this—other than the classic asserting dominance, of course.

“Oh? You sure have the guts to talk back, half-blood bumpkin. For the last time, I just want you to apologize, do you understand? Then I’ll let you go if your apology is good enough. Heheheh...” he and his friends laughed.

Brian then looked at Kane anxiously and whispered, “Let’s just apologize, Kane. I don’t think it is wise to anger them.”

However, Kane dismissed the suggestion and instead said, “Yeah, sure. And then you’ll say an apology isn’t enough and want us to grovel or lick your shoe, right? I know how your kind operates and I must decline.”

The large guy’s face contorted until his veins became more visible. “Ha! Looks like we can skip to the beating part then.”

“Stop right there!”

A female voice was heard out of nowhere just as his hand reached Kane’s neck. It came from a tall, slender girl. She wore an azure capelet that had a Niflenia school emblem on her left bosom. It covered her neck while leaving her school uniform uncovered. Her tied black hair jiggled as she approached the large guy while the crowd gave her way. Behind her were two guys dressed neatly. They were following her and made themselves small. Judging from the crowd’s reaction, the girl was somewhat famous as they kept mentioning her name.

“Look, Sharon is here. As beautiful as usual.”
“Damn, I wanted to see that oni get beaten. Oh well, at least I can see one of the class S elites.”
“Ah, I can finally see her directly.”

As soon as she shouted, the large guy immediately halted his action. His friends also did the same. Sharon then said, “What are you doing?”

“Crap, it’s the president,” said the large guy under his breath. With a forced smile, he replied, “Nothing, Sharon. We’re just getting to know each other.”

She then looked over Kane and Brian. “Is that true?”

“No!” they both answered at the same time.

She looked back at the large guy group and said, “This is the last time I’ve warned you, Will. If I see you’re bullying freshmen again, I’ll report you and your friends to the Vice Headmaster.”

Their faces immediately turned sour, and they ran away in silence.

“Show’s over everyone! Now, please disperse!” Sharon clapped her hands. The crowd slowly returned to their usual activity. They were praising her in whispers.

Brian approached her and bowed. “T-thank you for saving us, senior!”

“You’re most welcome,” she replied with a beaming smile. “Be more careful and avoid every delinquent. They usually like to bully freshmen and make them do errands. Do you understand?”

“Yes!” he shouted.

“Good.” Sharon nodded. “Ah, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sharon Cidermont. What’s yours?”

“Brian Fynderne. Pleased to meet a beautiful lady such as yourself.” He bowed.

“My, a sweet talker, aren’t you?” She giggled and switched her gaze to Kane. “And what is yours?”

“It’s Kane,” he blandly replied. His eyes were darting around the surroundings while standing still.

“Kane and Brian, hm? I will remember both of you. Anyways, first-years like you two should avoid passing through here since it’s the senior’s building. Please be more careful.” She then turned facing Kane. “Especially you, Kane. I look forward to seeing how you fare in this school. Don’t attract more attention than you have now.”

“Got it.” Kane nodded.

“Now excuse me, I have an important matter to attend. Please enjoy this wonderful school.” She bid goodbye and left.

“Wow, what a beautiful and cool senior!” praised Brian. “Don’t you agree, Kane?”

“She’s sure pretty…” Kane dragged his voice.

“What’s the matter? You didn’t sound very happy.”

“That’s because we were being used by her,” said Kane, finally looking into Brian’s eyes.

“What?”