“This is the place… right?” Ethan muttered as he looked at the Manor in front of him.

The dilapidated gate he had just entered had the words “Dud Manor” written in it, but after looking at the wooden cottage in front of him, he wondered if he was really in the right place or not.

‘I guess I should check it out first since I’m already here,” Ethan thought as he held the door knob.

The first thing he saw when he opened the door was darkness.

Complete and utter darkness, that was darker than even the darkest nights.

“H-Hello?” Ethan gathered his courage as he asked out loud. “Is there anyone here?”

No reply came to him, which made him feel as if he was staring at the void. It was a very unnerving feeling, and he didn't like it.

‘I guess I came to the wrong place.’ Ethan sighed.

However, just before he could close the door and leave, several hands came out of the darkness and grabbed onto him, pulling him inside.

“Noooooooooooo!”

Ethan screamed out loud as he was dragged by someone, or something, into the darkness. A moment later, he heard the loud banging of the door, which made the teenage boy’s face turn pale.

Just as he was about to faint from fright, the lights turned on, and he found himself being showered by colorful confetti.

“““Welcome to Dud Manor!”””

Several teenage boys and girls clapped their hands to welcome the newest member of their Manor, who had shown great courage in the Initiation Ceremony.

The bewildered the young man could only look at this unexpected scene with his mouth hanging open. Clearly, this welcome that had come out of nowhere almost gave him a heart attack.

“Sorry if we went too far, but we just wanted to give you a proper welcome,” a young man who seemed to be in his late teens approached Ethan and helped him stand up.

“Does a proper welcome mean giving me a heart attack?” Ethan patted his chest as he tried to calm his wildly beating heart.

“Hahaha!” The young man with brown-hair and gray eyes chuckled as he patted the newest member of their Manoron the shoulder. “We’re just excited because you’re the only Dud that applied at the Academy this year.

“Also, you have been chosen by Professor Ophelia as one of the Pillars of the First Years. We saw your performance in the Initiation Ceremony, and I got to say, you made us all proud. Well done, mate!”

Ethan gave an awkward chuckle because he wasn’t really the candidate that Professor Ophelia chose. It was all an accident, but before he left the Headmaster’s Office, Professor Ophelia talked to him in private and requested that he not divulge anything that happened in the Train Station.

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The Professor promised that she would talk to him tomorrow after tying up some loose ends, which made Ethan feel as if the date of his execution had finally been decided.

As Ethan regained his composure, he gazed at the residents of the Dud Manor and noticed that they numbered less than thirty.

He didn’t know if this was a small number or not, but if he remembered correctly, there were thousands of students in the Plaza of Beginnings to welcome the First Years.

The First Years alone numbered around five hundred, which meant that the number of people inside the Dud Manor was pitifully low. He wondered if the others were not around, and only a small group decided to welcome them in their home.

As if sensing his confusion, a handsome young man, who seemed to be the Head of the Manor, patted Ethan’s shoulder to give him some kind of assurance.

“Relax, I’m sure you’ll fit right in,” the young man stated. “By the way, my name is Henry Weiss, and I am the Prefect of Dud Manor. Pleased to meet your acquaintance!”

“Ethan,” Ethan replied. “Ethan Gremory. Just call me Ethan.”

Henry shook Ethan’s hand before presenting him to the other students that called the Manor their home.

“Everyone, please, guide Ethan and tell him everything about the Academy,” Henry stated. “Since there are very few of us, we must show the other Manors how united we are.”

As if wishing for Ethan to easily be part of the group, he introduced the members of the Dud Manor one by one.

“This guy’s name is Noah,” Henry said as he pointed at a handsome guy with short silver hair. “He doesn’t speak much, but he’s pretty chill. The guy beside him is Oliver then George. This guy here is…”

Henry introduced all the boys before introducing all the girls.

All in all, there were fifteen guys and seven girls inside the Dud Manor.

If he added himself in the group, the total number of residents in the Manor was only twenty-three, which was still a pitifully low number compared to the other Manors.

“The Dud Manor follows the will of the Founder of the Academy,” Henry said as he pointed at the Portrait of Fortis Dud that hung on the wall of the common area where they were currently sitting.

Fortis Dud was a devilish looking man with light-brown hair, and green eyes that seemed to be filled with wisdom. A mischievous smile hung on his face as if he was in the midst of pranking someone.

Although this was the first time Ethan had seen the Founder of the Academy, he had a feeling that if had met Fortis long ago, he would definitely get along with him just fine.

Under the Founder’s Portrait was a quote that was written in bold silver strokes. The handwriting was almost unreadable due to the way the words were written, but one could feel the passion behind the brush strokes that were used for each word.

“Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary.”

Ethan muttered these words and felt something resonate inside his heart. It made him feel as if a small flame was ignited in his heart.

A flame that would help him cope with the challenges that were waiting for him in the future.

Soon, everyone in the Common Room was chugging mugs of fruit juice, and eating the snacks that they had snuck out from the Academy’s kitchen.

Although Ethan still didn’t know if he would be staying at the Academy or not when morning came, he was very happy to share this moment in the company of those that the Magic World had deemed unfit to be called Wizards and Witches.

While the residents of the Dud Manor were happily celebrating the arrival of their newest member, the same was happening in the other Manors as well.

—----

Eques Manor…

“You were amazing, Nicole!” the Head Prefect of Eques Manor said with a smile. “As expected of the youngest daughter of the famed Asta Family.”

“You praise me too much, Arthur,” Nicole replied. “Compared to me, I think the blue-haired boy did better. Although he doesn’t have Magic Powers, he was very brave.”

“True.” Arthur nodded. “It’s a pity that he is a Dud. If he only had stronger Magical Powers, he might be here in Eques Manor as well.”

Arthur didn’t really look down on those who didn’t have any magical powers in their bodies. The Eques Manor was a place for fighters and knights.

For him, as long as someone did his best to uphold the Code of Chivalry, despite the overwhelming odds stacked up against him, that person was worthy of Arthur’s recognition.

“Thank you for the welcoming party, as well as the hospitality, but I will be taking an early rest.” Nicole gave Arthur an apologetic smile. “I didn’t sleep a wink last night due to excitement. Now that the Initiation Ceremony is over, the exhaustion has finally caught up to me.”

“Take better care of yourself,” Arthur stated. “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask me or any of your dorm mates. All of us here can be considered your second family.”

Nicole nodded before taking her leave.

As she made her way towards the second floor where the individual rooms were located, several members of Eques Manor greeted her and tried to form connections with her.

However, she just apologized to them and said that she was tired, and wanted to rest. Because of this, everyone backed down and allowed her to get some rest.

They weren’t in a hurry to form connections.

After all, Nicole would be staying in the Manor till she graduated from the Academy.

A few minutes later, Nicole finally arrived at her room.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

“I expected the Initiation Ceremony to be more challenging, but it seems that the Dark Arts Professors still held back in the end,” Nicole muttered as she took off her robe.

The sound of rustling clothes permeated the room as the beautiful lady took off all of her clothes before standing in front of the full body mirror, which reflected her naked beauty.

“I hope this year will be entertaining,” Nicole said softly as she ran her finger over the surface of the mirror.

The images of the four other pillars briefly appeared on its surface before stopping on the blue-haired boy, who had an awkward smile on his face.

A giggle escaped Nicole’s lips as she poked Ethan’s nose in the mirror.

Out of all the Pillars of the First Years, she found the powerless, yet brave teenager, very pleasing to her eyes.