Knock, knock.

Emmet slowly knocked on the large wooden door in front of him. It was cold to the touch - fitting, he couldn’t help but think. Inscribed on the fine dark wooden material was a nameplate: “Conference room 01.”

In his four years here, this was the first time he had traveled to Gemini Academy’s central administrative center. Everything here was sleek, open, and grand; from the expensive gold vases to the carefully decorated carvings on the high ceiling, there was virtually nothing that could be perceived as cheap. The wealth of the school was put on full display here.

But Emmet didn’t seem to feel the grandeur of the surroundings, instead developing a subtle sense of apprehension. It was only after many months that the influential school board had agreed to meet with him. What did that mean? Would they listen to his request?

“Come in,” a faint, regal-sounding voice sounded out from inside.

Not allowing himself to hesitate, Emmet purposefully pushed open the door.

Creak…

The door swung open, and before him appeared an array of well-dressed old men and women, all sitting in grand mahogany chairs around a wide, circular table. The atmosphere was silent, and they all stared toward him with harsh, inspective eyes. It seemed almost like a courtroom, as if Emmet was on trial.

Had they all been waiting for him? Suddenly uncomfortable, Emmet couldn’t help but think it was purposefully set up this way.

“Greetings to the school board...” Emmet bowed deeply and then stated cautiously, peeking out toward the members of the board hesitantly. He suddenly felt like it was the first day of school again. This time, instead of students, he was surrounded by the members of the school board! “My name is Emmet... I believe I was invited here to join the board meeting?”

“Ah, yes, Emmet…” An old man on the corner of the table stood up and smiled. He walked over toward the side and pulled out the only open seat. “Please, take a seat.”

“Thank you...” Emmet nodded lightly, stepping forward and carefully placing himself down into the chair provided for him. He glanced around the room, meeting everyone’s curious glances. With such high profile figures examining him, how couldn’t he not feel nervous? He suddenly had a feeling that he was some sort of prey, surrounded by a pack of hungry winter wolves.

His breath quickening, his hand moved instinctively to his chest, resting over the beautifully carved blue winged pendant hanging from his neck. He unconsciously thought back to Maisy, visualizing her lecturing him, chiding - ‘You should have more confidence in yourself.’ Somehow, the effect worked. Moments later, his heartbeat had calmed, and he sat up a bit straighter, his bearing becoming calm and grounded. He silently looked out at the surrounding adults, as if ready to face the challenge.

“Hello, Emmet…” The old man sat back down and turned toward Emmet with curious yet intimidating eyes. “We've been awaiting your arrival. Your issue is very unique, it seems. You’re a squire, and wish to be granted full admission to the school, as a student?”

Emmet didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but with this statement, the gazes of the figures around the room seemed to turn disdainful, as if mocking him.

“Yes,” he calmed his heart and nodded in confirmation, no shame on his face. Maisy was right. In the end, these board members were just people, so why should he be scared? He forced himself to retain a steady bearing. “You received my letter?”

“Ah… yes, among others,” the old man slightly nodded his head. He paused a moment to stare at Emmet, a bit surprised at his calm demeanor. “I’m sorry for the delay, I have to admit that we didn’t take the matter very seriously.”

Emmet was silent, only nodding very slightly.

“We thought Maisy had lost her mind,” the man admitted, shrugging his arms. “A squire with the apparent qualifications to rival higher grade students, it just sounds completely ridiculous…” He paused, taking on a confuddled expression. “And for her to care so much about such a matter… we really didn’t understand why.”

Many board members subtly nodded, clearly demonstrating their doubt. It was obvious that at this moment, no one was convinced of Emmet’s case.

“But Maisy is really persistent,” the man continued, a small expression of wonder appearing on his face. “We’ve received so many letters from her, insistently recommending you. After one such letter, I finally caved and decided to investigate a bit further, and was shocked. For a squire… no, even for a student, you have quite the resume!”

He pulled out a slip of paper, scanning down it with a fascinated expression. “You’ve completed countless tasks in all different fields from task bulletins, confirmed by many witnesses. You’re an experienced tutor at Koriander Basics. You’re apparently a very proficient constructionist. Wards, arrays, barrier entrapment, encryption, debugging, locomotives… you’ve done them all. Most shocking of all, you’re currently the head of Maisy’s Debugging Depot and Maisytown Park, having taken over after Maisy left! - the recent expansion, presumably, was conducted by you.”

The were sharp sounds of exhalation all across the room, especially after the mention of Maisy’s businesses. Those were very high profile existences on campus! Who hadn’t heard of these incredibly popular and lucrative organizations?

Everyone quickly focused their gazes on the young boy sitting near them, their eyes narrowing in inspection. Suddenly, the atmosphere was much more intense.

“I have to say, I’m astonished,” the man stared at Emmet with interest. It was as if he was trying to see through him. “If all of it is true, it’s an unbelievable achievement, especially for a squire.”

Emmet slightly nodded his head, gracefully thanking him for the praise.

The man scanned his gaze all around the room. “So, fellow distinguished members of the board… what do you think? You have to admit, it’s extremely intriguing.”

The room was silent for a few moments, many of the well-dressed board members exchanging some more glances with their peers. Clearly, they were reluctant. There were also several board members who were especially flippant, like this matter was ridiculous.

“Absolutely not,” a deep voice sounded out from the other side of the room, drawing glances. It was an old man, who was wearing a long and prestigious-looking robe. “Not to be harsh, but the fact that we are even here in this room right now is - in my opinion - completely foolish. Even if the boy is as great as you say he is, of which I find I have doubts... have you forgotten the school rules? Such an action would clearly be in violation.”

With one glance, Emmet recognized the man as Varule Stinula, the headmaster of Gemini Academy, also known as ‘Stinger’ - apart from his infamous commencement speech, over the years, Emmet also recognized him from countless pictures plastered over numerous walls within administrative buildings, always portrayed with a scowl. Although he wasn’t actually a part of the school board, since he was the headmaster, the one actually in charge of running the school on a day to day basis, these matters were very relevant to him.

The other board members turned silent, glancing toward the original speaker. Many of their faces showed tacit agreement.

Another woman began to speak, glancing toward Emmet with an expression of suspicion. “I have to say, I agree with Varule here. Not only would such an action would be in clear violation of school policy, although it is impressive that he is able to run two such prominent businesses, it doesn’t prove his actual theoretical knowledge. How do I know if his resume is real? Who knows if he’s really qualified?”

There were a few murmurs of assent.

“Mm… I suppose that might be true,” the original man leaned back in his seat, stroking his chin and forming a pondering expression. His gaze turned toward Emmet. “What about you, Emmet? What do you have to say for yourself? Why are you qualified to become a student?”

“...”

The room quieted, and all eyes turned toward Emmet, who instantly felt the pressure on him increase tenfold. However, he forced himself not to panic. Remembering Maisy’s stern words, he took a deep breath, grasped the pendant across his chest, and then calmly stood up from his seat.

“Firstly, I would like to thank everyone here for their time.” He started with a polite greeting. “I know that all of the distinguished individuals present have very important things to do, and it’s an absolute honor to have the opportunity to be here and express my view.” He looked around at the room with a purposeful humble gaze.

The expressions of many of the board members slightly changed. At the very least, it appeared the boy knew how to express himself properly.

Emmet’s gaze turned resolute. “I am here because I believe I am qualified to become a full-fledged student of the Gemini Academy. I know that this may seem like a tall statement, but I can show you that not only is my theoretical knowledge of formations sound, I’m also experienced in construction, and have a mastery of nearly every classical field in formations.”

From his bag, he pulled out a thick stack of papers. “Firstly, I would like to present letters of recommendation. The sources of these letters come from many places - most are from my past employers, of which I completed tasks for. Others come from professors and other professionals I’ve worked with, including my previous employer, Ms. Harbinger. I believe that these letters serve as an initial proof that I have the skills to back up my resume.”

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He shifted the stack of papers to the person to his left, indicating that they could take a look and pass them around. The person got the hint, shuffling through the papers with a small degree of shock. A few moments later, he passed them over to the left.

“Next,” Emmet continued, his attitude unhurried. He pulled out a few different formations from his bag, each appearing complicated and professionally constructed. “I would like to provide several examples of my past constructions. As you can see, these constructs show both my breadth of knowledge in a diverse array of formations subjects, as well as a wealth of rich construction experience. I use a very methodical approach in my construction, following best conventions in theory, attempting to best mirror the procedures of experts such as yourselves. I believe that these constructions show that my skills are on par or even exceed those of many of my peers.”

He once again handed the little stack of constructions over to the person on his left. With one glance, the person’s eyes couldn’t help but go wide. These were advanced level constructions!

Emmet had picked out this small handful of formations carefully. They were all small, but complicated to build, dealing with advanced level subjects. If one didn’t fully understand the theory and were shoddy at construction, they would definitely not be able to produce something of this quality. Further, he had made sure to choose formations of varying subjects, displaying a diverse and comprehensive knowledge of different types of formations.

“Finally, I understand that many of you still have doubts of my theoretical knowledge and ability. In response, I would like to point out that with my body of experience, it’s a basic prerequisite to be well-versed in theory. I am not only a tutor at Koriander Basics, but am also a mentor for tens of young students at Maisy’s Debugging Depot. Only through superior experience and knowledge would I be able to provide sufficient guidance to underclassmen.”

He glanced around the room, seeing that people’s faces were gradually starting to change. “However, if any of you are still not convinced, as a final display of proof, I’m willing to be tested. Any kind of assessment, I’m willing to do. I’m confident in my ability, and I just need one chance to prove myself.”

He crossed his hands together and slightly bowed his head. “That’s all I have to say. Thank you so much for your time.”

“...” Once again, silence.

Many of those large figureheads looked toward each other, surprised looks on their faces. Clearly, they weren’t expecting such articulate yet bold words from a little boy who was just a squire. Of course, many had also taken a look at the letters and formations that had been passed around, and were shaken by their quality. Was this really something a squire could produce?

Sitting back down, Emmet once again clutched the pendant around his neck, his heart beating out of his chest. He had managed to calmly get through his whole spiel… but would it be enough?

After some time, a familiar harsh voice broke the silence.

“It’s all a bunch of bollocks,” Stinger stood up and faced Emmet. “I’ve known about this issue for more than a year, but never took it seriously, and so I don’t understand why we should take it seriously now. Why does this boy deserve a chance to become a Gemini Academy student? Look at him - he’s a squire, for heaven’s sake!”

There was yet another bout of silence. Even a dunce could spot the disdain in Stinger’s eyes - it seethed outward like a toxic gas. Although the emotion was a bit extreme, most of the board members could relate with it. Although they didn’t speak, it could be seen from many of their faces that they mostly agreed with the sentiment.

It seemed like an absurd thing, but in this world, this train of thought was perfectly normal. Societal class lines were extremely distinct - it didn’t matter how good the boy said he was, this one word, “squire,” had already completely defined his existence. These two castes were like two different worlds - naturally, one could not cross between worlds, so it was a given that only talented nobles could become formations experts. A squire from the countryside? How could he have the mental capacity, the mana talent required?

But beyond that, and more importantly, most felt that there was something more that defined this boundary, something innate. Really, they could come up with as many excuses for the separation as they wanted, but for many, this wasn’t an explicit feeling, but a perception that was always there - silent, untraceable. There was something intrinsically noble to the study of formations that naturally required someone noble to master it. This feeling was hard to describe, but in the simplest terms, it was a culturally conditioned norm, something that was so natural and intrinsic for them that it couldn’t be doubted. Formations were a noble practice, practiced by noble people.

Of course, there was an exception - although they didn’t explicitly think about it, many of them were acutely aware that Gemini, the ancient formations genius, was originally not a noble. However, could everyone be Gemini? Gemini was the namesake of the school, a personage of the like that had only been seen a few times in the history of the study of formations. Maybe they didn’t even realize it themselves, but they had long stopped thinking of him as an actual person, instead as an extraordinary, larger-than-life figure that surpassed class bounds. It was natural for them to not think of Gemini as a common-folk, but instead as someone so legendary and innately noble that it didn’t matter where they were born. In this way, they had managed to fit Gemini neatly into the boxed separations that existed in their mind, simply because he was not within the boxes - he was outside of it. Of course, the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia also played a part. The world had long forgotten just how much abuse and ridicule he had received so long ago.

“Hey, wait now -” the first speaker interjected once again, looking toward the headmaster with a bit of disappointment. The room’s attention instantly turned toward him, many gazes a bit surprised. “Isn’t that a little unfair? With what we’ve been told… if he’s not deceiving us, isn’t he an exceptionally talented young boy?”

Looking around, the man saw that many were still stone-faced, and let out a little chuckle. “You have to admit, he doesn’t give out the aura of a boy who’s just a squire. And he seems to have the talent. Isn’t that what the Gemini Academy is about, nurturing true talent? In the end, why should it matter that he’s not of noble blood? And if you’re still in doubt of his credentials, why don’t we go with his suggestion, to test him? Naturally, if he passes the test, he’s qualified. If he’s qualified, then no matter who he is, he deserves to be given a chance.”

There was once again silence in the room, no one finding a way to refute his words. It was true, if they plainly refused him merely because of his status, that did seem kind of improper… This was the Gemini Academy, after all. It was known as a bastion of fairness, a great equalizer - it had filtered many diamonds out of the rough. In reality, however, most people had viewed this ‘fair’ reputation in relation to the competition between nobles, never taking those of common blood into account.

“In fact,” the first speaker suddenly thought of something, the corner of his eyes creasing up into a smile. “Why don’t we have him take the end of year assessment? This is his fourth year here, so it follows that he should take the fourth year assessment. Naturally, if he fails, he must leave the school. But if he passes… then hasn’t he earned the right to become a real fifth grade student?”

An old woman across the speaker spoke up: “Letting a squire take an end of year assessment… isn’t that kind of excessive?”

“Why is it excessive?” The first speaker responded. “Is there something about the end of year assessment that makes it exclusively for nobility? The more I think about it, the more I think that this solution is especially fair. It’s the Gemini Academy end of year assessment, after all. Naturally, if he ranks in the top half of the grade, then he has a superior ability to the other half of the students. There’s no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’ about it.”

The woman opened her mouth to retort, but the words seemed to stop in her throat, and she lowered her head. It was true that this solution was very fair - no matter how you looked at it, there was no way the squire could cheat their way out of this. Whether he passed or not was entirely up to his actual abilities. However, she still found that she couldn’t help but feel discontented.

Around the room, there were a few nods. It seemed that they had been somewhat convinced by the first speaker’s reasoning. If the boy could really pass the end of year assessment, then he truly did have the credentials to become a fifth year student. There could be no excuse, as the tests were the famous Gemini Academy assessments, and were perfectly impartial. There was absolutely no way for an unqualified person to cheat or weasel their way through.

“Are we settled, then?” The first speaker looked around the room. “Let us allow this boy to take the end of year assessment. If he passes, he can become a student. If he doesn’t, he leaves.” He paused. “All in favor… please raise your hand.”

Saying so, he raised his hand. Another silence pervaded the room, this one quieter and colder than any of the last.

After what seemed like an eternity, an elderly man to the opposite of the first speaker shrugged and raised his hand. After that, it was like the flow of a tide, and one by one, others followed suit. It seemed that this speaker was very influential, able to have a big impact on their decisions.

Eventually, after a good two or three reluctant minutes, two-thirds of the people had raised their hands.

“Great, we have a two-thirds majority,” the first speaker declared, putting down his hand and standing up to gather his things. “This matter is settled, then.” He glanced toward the headmaster. “Headmaster, I trust you’ll be able to arrange this? And discreetly, please?”

Stinger sat still for a little while before finally giving a little nod. He had been one of the few who had not raised their hands. His silence clearly indicated his position on the matter, but he didn’t dare go against a board majority decision.

“This meeting is concluded, then,” the first speaker turned to give a glance at Emmet, smiling slightly, and then opened the door behind him and strode out of the room. It seemed that he was a busy person, and wouldn’t spend any more time than what was necessary engaging with matters like these.

The rest of the board members also got up and began to funnel out of the room. They all glanced toward Emmet, their looks slightly annoyed. But soon after, their gazes cleared up, and they also quickly left, clearly having other pressing things to attend to. The last one to leave was the headmaster, who gave a slightly derisive look toward Emmet before indifferently looking away and also striding out of the room.

Emmet was the last person in the now-empty room, sitting alone at his chair. If one looked closely, they could see that his eyes were wide in shock, but at the same time, also bright. The events of the past few minutes had really thrown him for a loop - in reality, he had never expected to be given a chance. These board members had ignored him for many months - how could he have expected, at the last moment, he would receive such an amazing shot?

He glanced down at the blue wing pendant lying across his chest and let out a low rueful sigh. The pendant was truly incredible. Whenever he felt pressure, he would just feel its presence, and it would suddenly seem to give him strength, as if Maisy was really here with him. Once again, without even being here, she had allowed him to pass through this tough situation. Although for a few moments, thinking about Maisy, Emmet was slightly saddened by her departure, his mood quickly cleared up.

Maisy was the one who had granted him these wings. With them, he would fly!

He glanced over toward his left, recalling the speaker who had welcomed him in. Thinking back, he realized that, even with Maisy, receiving this chance could only have happened because of that first speaker. It was pretty obvious that the entire rest of the board was not so keen on the proposal, and only he was willing to give Emmet the time of day. He had been the one to invite him to the meeting, the one to give him the opportunity to speak, the one to defend him at the last moment. Emmet would have to thank that man at some point. Who was he, and why was he willing to support him?

Getting up and walking around the table to gather his things, Emmet happened to spot that there was a piece of parchment left in front of the spot of the first speaker - a formal-looking piece of documentation that it appeared, in his haste, he had forgotten. Glancing over it, he spotted the signature on the bottom - Best, Sir Yano Gemini.

His eyebrows raised.