Charles's residence was a cozy manor with all necessary amenities, a setup that left him quite satisfied. It provided him with a degree of privacy that he knew would be hard to come by in the academy.

He and Leo spent the afternoon cleaning each room. Although it couldn’t compare to the grandeur of West Manor, it was certainly a hundred times better than the dormitories.

Just a moment ago, an academy assistant had brought Charles an invitation to the evening's freshman ceremony. During this event, the ceremony for class division would also be held, and attendance was mandatory.

To Charles's surprise, his academy assistant was a forest elf, small and round-faced, no bigger than the size of his palm.

“Master Charles, my name is Rebecca. I’ll be your dedicated academy assistant from now on. Please take care of me.”

“Looking forward to it, Miss Rebecca!”

Time flew, and soon it was evening. The freshman ceremony was set to take place in the central square of Violet Academy.

By dusk, the central square was already packed with people. Students gathered around the large central arena, forming clusters of lively conversations.

Though Charles wasn’t the first blue-blooded noble to arrive, his appearance nonetheless commanded attention. Everyone made way for him—they all recognized the unique black hair and blue eyes of the genius from the West family.

Already standing at the forefront of the crowd were a man and two women.

One girl, with long silver hair, stood serenely with her eyes closed. She wore a slim silver dress that accentuated her slender waist, and a mysterious cross rested on her chest, giving her an ethereal, almost elfin quality.

The other girl, shorter with a round face and endearing baby fat, looked nervously out at the crowd like a small, startled creature.

The man caught Charles’s attention more. A tattoo resembling a lightning bolt crossed his face—likely the lightning totem unique to the Wilton family’s enlightenment process. Charles knew that if a member of the Wilton family’s mage lineage awakened the lightning attribute during the ceremony, a lightning totem would appear, marking their power.

Hesitating briefly, Charles pulled a photo from his pocket and, after several comparisons, confidently approached the girl with baby fat.

“Hello, Miller Chris. I am your mother—no, I mean, the teammate that my sister chose for you!”

“Huh?”

The girl blinked in shock, her big eyes widening as her mouth formed an “o” shape, making her look utterly adorable.

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“Oh! H-hello, Mr. Charles, I… I…”

Her face turned pink as she stammered, clearly flustered. Charles suppressed a smile and leaned in close to whisper to her.

“We’ll discuss the team after the freshman ceremony!”

“Y-yes… alright!”

Having teased the shy girl, Charles took a few steps left to stand alone.

Time ticked by, and more freshmen filled the central square, with an increasing number gathering near the front.

Charles surveyed the crowd: two members from the Wilton family, three from the Chris family, three from the Gilensel family, one from the West family—himself—two from the Turing family, and four from the Shinpot family. Then his eyes caught on a silver-haired girl who looked strangely familiar.

After a moment of realization, he chuckled to himself. So, he was the only “commander” here without a “troop.”

But then again, Charles thought, there was an advantage to being the sole representative of the West family—he could wield the family’s authority entirely on his own.

Suddenly, the lights in the central square dimmed entirely, and startled gasps echoed across the square.

“Look there!” someone shouted.

A figure had appeared on the stage, too obscured in darkness for most people to make out, though Charles’s sharp vision caught a hint of their form. A golden light flashed in his eyes as he attempted to see more clearly, but he winced, stumbling back slightly from the strain. He was grateful for the darkness concealing his moment of weakness—he could only imagine his uncle’s fury if he embarrassed the West family.

“Huh?”

The figure on the stage let out a soft “hmm?” and glanced in Charles’s direction before addressing the crowd.

“Ahem, welcome, freshmen!”

The sudden sound jolted the attentive crowd, and all eyes turned toward the center of the ring.

“I am Sean Turing, the dean of Violet. I am genuinely delighted to see so many young souls gathered here in the Central Square once again.”

“They say Violet College is the most powerful academy in the Imperial City. While I’ve never denied this, I have also never claimed it to be true.”

“Do you know why?”

The students looked at each other, uncertain of how to respond.

“Because it depends on you!”

“If you are all exceptional, we are the most powerful academy. If you are all failures, then Violet becomes the worst trash heap!”

“For 327 years, each class of Violet students has proven to the world that this academy is unparalleled in the imperial capital, and even in the kingdom!”

“I hope each of you will carry Violet’s legacy forward. As nobles of this academy, you should allow no one to surpass you.”

“First place should always be your goal!”

“So, fight with all you have, children!”

“Show your talents to the world—whether you are nobles or commoners, all of you, raise your heads high!”

The dean paused, then snapped his fingers, igniting a bright flame that illuminated the entire square, encircling the freshmen in a warm glow.

Anyone who looked to the sky would see that the flames had formed a colossal violet flower, with the central square representing the flower’s stamen.

In the fire’s glow, the students looked up at the man standing tall at the center of the stage.

His hair was gray, his face lined with deep wrinkles, but he stood with unbowed pride. His white coat flowed gracefully in the light of the flames, and his eyes sparkled brighter than the fire.

“As I said, it truly makes me happy to see you all. I hope the next time I meet you, you’ll bring me even more joy!”

“And how can you do that? The answer is simple. When the next group of freshmen arrives, I want to be able to say once again…”

“Our Violet Academy is the strongest, yet I will neither confirm nor deny it!”

With another snap of his fingers, the flames extinguished instantly, transforming into a flurry of butterflies that danced through the air.

“Welcome to Violet Academy!”