The auditorium was lavishly decorated inside, as you’d expect from a school as fancy as this. Blue flame chandeliers swooped above us, bathing the interior with their pale light. The walls were adorned with stained glass murals of famous knights and mages from across the ages, all of which were said to be alumni of the academy. I recognized most of them, but I still was clueless on a few of them. Well, there was always more for me to study up on.

The two of us got more than our fair share of stares as we walked over to our seats. Haine for… obvious reasons. But I felt those eyes on me as well. And as much as I would like to delude myself, it wasn’t because of my looks. I was used to all that by now. Listening to all those voices whisper behind my back, shying away from my presence. I don’t know how people already knew, but all that attention must have been because of my family name.

The Edelweiss name was revered as geniuses, feared as warmongers, and loathed as demons. My father, like his father before him, and what my brother wished to be, was military advisor to our Emperor. Drachenheim always had a long, and bloody history of conquest. Even today, they waged battle after battle over whatever scraps of territory was left for grabs. I guess I couldn’t blame people for seeing our family as the root cause of all that.

I saw Haine approach some of the people staring at us. “Hey, didn’t your parents ever teach you it's rude to stare at a lady? ‘Sides, if you’re that interested in me, you can just say so. I don’t bite.” She grinned, and those guys stammered some weak apology and ran off.

I mouthed my thanks to her as we sat down, though I don’t think she understood me. She just patted my head and smiled. Still, it was enough to make me feel a bit better.

Then, all the lights turned off and all the curtains were lowered as we were all engulfed in darkness. There were panicked murmurs among the crowd, but I remained calm. I mean, this level of theatrics was to be expected. I never saw it myself, but there were always rumors of how… eccentric the people running the academy were.

The stage exploded in a pyrotechnical display of sparks and smoke. Shimmering spotlights turned to point towards center stage as a lone figure emerged from beneath the smoke.

“I welcome you all, new students, to the venerated halls of our great Academy! I am your humble headmaster, Professor Crowley!” As all the fancy effects cleared off the stage, all that remained was a weird looking man. He was draped in gaudy, flamboyant robes sparkling in iridescent colors, and an oversized, wide brimmed hat that desperately clung to his head. He spoke with his entire body, motioning with every word in grandiose gestures.

“You are the elite few who have been chosen by our illustrious academy. For three hundred years, Astraea has raised the finest knights the world has ever seen. And now, that honor extends to you all. Within this school, you shall become masters of both blade and magic, and become the next generation of legends! However–”

In a puff of smoke, the headmaster vanished as the lights turned off again. “That is only for those worthy of the title of ‘Knight’.” His voice continued to reverberate throughout the auditorium. Then, with an echoing snap of his fingers, the spotlights refocused above us. He walked along the ceiling, continuing his speech without missing a beat.

“Only the best and brightest of you will be able to succeed. Out of all our new admissions, only a quarter graduate successfully. The rest are either expelled, give up, or worse.” The headmaster disappeared again, as the spotlight spun wildly around to find him. I sighed. This was getting kind of silly. Honestly, I just wanted classes to start already.

Once again, he reappeared, this time walking down the aisle of students. Teleportation magic, by the looks of it. One of the most advanced forms of magic out there, and he was doing it precisely and instantaneously. Well, I suppose he wasn’t headmaster for nothing.

“So! That’s why, as my parting gift, I want to instill in you our Academy’s motto. Be brave. Be ambitious. Be curious.”

“But what do those words mean, exactly?” He paused for emphasis, walking down the aisle, to see all our reactions before continuing. “The bravery to defend others, to seek out dangers, and to never back down from a challenge. The ambition that drives all of us to greater heights, that propels us forward, even against insurmountable odds. And the curiosity that invites us into this place of learning, to unravel the secrets of the world for the gift of knowledge alone. It is those three elements that comprise a proper knight.” He… really wanted to put on a show, huh? Well, I guess considering how impressed everyone else looked, it must’ve worked.

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“Heed my words well, and carry that motto with your heart. Do that, and success shall find you.” The headmaster leapt back on stage, performing a deep bow. “Now, I must bid you all farewell.“ With another snap of his fingers, a dazzling display of sparkling fire and smoke erupted from the stage, as the headmaster disappeared for one last time.

The lights went back to normal, as a familiar woman stepped onto the stage. “Uhh… well, let's all give a round of applause to our brilliant headmaster here.” She waited for the commotion to die down before continuing. “Now then, I am Sylvia Berrati, current Knight Captain of the 7th Knight Brigade here in this city, and proud alum from this academy. It’s my, um, honor to be speaking here in front of you all.”

She looked way less scarier than when she was interrogating me. She was actually dressed for the occasion, in a suit that she looked kind of uncomfortable in, and was clearly just reading off of notes on her podium. Public speaking wasn’t really a skill knights learned, I guess.

“Now, keeping what he said to heart is good and all, but it is my duty as a knight to remind you all that safety should be your number one concern. After all, the last thing we want is for any of you to explode in a failed experiment or something.” She paused, as if expecting a reaction, before clearing her throat awkwardly and continuing. I would almost feel bad for her if watching her squirm wasn’t so entertaining. That was what she deserved after she treated me, anyways.

The rest of the speeches went by and I started to tune everything out. Just a rotating array of school staff and random alumni parroting info people should’ve already known with a little bit of research, and giving saccharine advice that didn’t really mean anything. Was this really gonna last all day?

“...Now, with some closing words, please welcome your student council president, Vernon Edelweiss!”

Oh. Right. I forgot about that. Or, I guess more accurately, I tried to pretend like this wouldn’t happen. But that was just wishful thinking. Of course he would show up.

An uneasy silence filled the room, as my brother’s footsteps echoed throughout the stage. As he walked to the podium, I swore I could feel eyes peering from all around me. This whole orientation thing was really taking way too long. Why couldn’t they just cut it short instead of wasting our time like this?

“My fellow students,” my brother began. His voice commanded attention, and the entire room listened. “As you continue your journey at this academy, you must keep one thing in mind at all times. We are the elite. The strong. The powerful. Within these walls, it is not enough to merely ‘try your best’. Only the exceptional are allowed to graduate. If you do not strive for perfection at all times, then you are doomed to fail.”

His words tore right through me. He… He was talking about me, wasn’t he? Calling me out as a failure, like the scum he was. Sorry I wasn’t born with all that innate talent and magic, and had to actually put in my blood and tears into getting in. He was just a privileged asshole looking down on us all, mocking us for not having been born with every advantage in the world. But what made it worse was that everyone around me was eating up his words, like there was actually any wisdom to be found there.

“Our commitment to excellence is what defines us as knights. A true knight strives to bring justice wherever their path may take them. But true justice cannot exist without the power to enforce it.”

Damn hypocrite. Who did he think he was, talking about justice? I just knew he had to be the one who tried to sabotage my exam. Was that part of his justice too? Or were those words only meant for us, while he got to do whatever he pleased?

I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. “You alright?” Haine whispered.

I knew my brother was going to tick me off, but I didn’t think it would be that obvious. Still, I took a deep breath, and nodded in response. I couldn’t let that shit get to my head, or I would worry Haine. All I had to do was to focus on graduating. That was all I needed to prove him wrong.

“So once again, my fellow students. I congratulate you on being chosen to uphold the legacy of our Academy. But your true trial has yet to begin. In the coming years, you will be faced with many hardships that will test the limits of your resolve. Not everyone here is deserving of knighthood. But to the exceptional few who are, always carry a knight’s justice with you at all times.”

He bowed and left the stage, as the room went silent. Then, one person stood up and clapped. Then another, and another, until the entire auditorium erupted in a standing ovation. I couldn’t believe it. Was no one listening to what he was saying, or were they all too up their own asses to even care? It felt like I was back at home, attending one of the Emperor’s galas. Just a bunch of nobles standing around, patting themselves on the back at how noble they were. Some people had the good sense not to clap, but they were in the clear minority. If this was how my fellow students were going to be like, then…

“Let’s get out of here,” I muttered. I couldn’t take it any longer. Grabbing Haine by the hand, we pushed through the crowd and walked back to our dorms.