[Point of View: Kaori Minazuki – 1st Year Hero Academy Cadet]
The golden banners of Valeria Kingdom's Hero Academy fluttered in the wind, towering over an enormous white marble campus built at the foot of the royal capital's mountains.
Lush training grounds stretched as far as the eye could see, packed with dozens of young heroes-in-training—each holding weapons glowing with mana, armor freshly issued by the royal armory.
In the middle of a sparring arena, a fireball exploded into the air.
BOOM!!
Kaori Minazuki, dressed in red-stitched battle gear, landed with a light spin, her sword glowing with heat. Across from her, a fellow student stumbled backward, breathing heavily.
"You've improved, Kaori,"
said the instructor.
"Excellent control over elemental magic."
She gave a small bow, though her expression didn't brighten.
Behind her, several classmates murmured among themselves.
"She's amazing… as expected of one of the summoned."
"She already unlocked a B-rank spell last week."
Kaori barely registered the praise.
Her eyes drifted toward the edge of the training field—where her classmates from Earth, including her childhood friend Takuya, were gathered.
Takuya was sparring with two knights at once, wielding a silver greatsword.
He knocked both opponents back with a sweeping strike powered by his S-rank skill
"Titan Strength."
"Damn, Takuya's a monster."
"With him around, we might actually beat the Demon King."
But even as they celebrated, there was a strange tension among the summoned students.
An empty place at the table. An unspoken name.
A certain boy none of them had seen since that day in the throne room.
Kaori finally broke the silence.
"…Has anyone heard anything about Renji?"
The question made a few heads turn.
Takuya's face tightened. He lowered his sword and glanced away.
"No."
Another girl, Rika, folded her arms.
"Why do you even care? He got the worst skill out of all of us. Chanting Mastery or something, right? The king said he'd only be a burden."
Kaori frowned.
"Still… he was one of us. We were all brought here together."
"Tch. If he wanted to be part of this, he wouldn't have walked out,"
Rika added.
Takuya was quiet for a long moment, then finally said:
"…He didn't walk out. He was forced out. And we just stood there."
That silenced them all.
Even the instructor glanced over, saying nothing.
Kaori looked up at the sky. Clouds drifted lazily across the blue, but her heart felt heavy.
"Renji… Where are you now?"
Meanwhile…
In a guild several regions away, a boy with a dark coat stood calmly before a desk.
"Congratulations, Renji Akatsuki,"
said the Guild Master, sliding forward a new emblem.
"Welcome to D-Rank. With what you accomplished, I doubt you'll stay there long."
Renji took the emblem and nodded.
His path was far from over—but he didn't need a kingdom or academy.
He'd carve his own legend, one fight at a time.