The gates of Aurealis Academy loomed like the entrance to a temple—massive, ornate, and enchanted to shimmer faintly beneath the sunlight. Students filtered in through its pristine marble archways, dressed in crisp uniforms lined with house sigils, the chatter of a hundred noble scions echoing through the open courtyards.
Above them, the tallest tower—the Spire of Insight—pierced the clouds, home to the Grand Archives and magical observatories. To study here was a privilege afforded only to the best: heirs to noble lines, prodigies, and future heroes.
And today, that buzz of youthful ambition had been electrified by a single rumor.
"Hey, did you hear?" a tall young woman with flame-red hair asked as she stepped into the shade of a pillar-lined corridor. "They say Rimuru Tempest is transferring to the academy."
The group walking beside her froze as if the world had paused.
"Wait. The Rimuru Tempest?" a boy with silver eyes and a fencing sword strapped to his back asked.
"No way. That's gotta be a rumor."
"I heard it from a fourth-year directly," the redhead insisted, her voice dropping slightly as if afraid the walls might be listening. "From the faculty wing. Apparently, it's official."
There was a moment of silence… then a quiet whistle.
"Shit," one of the boys muttered, then grinned. "I wouldn't mind getting up close and personal with that goddess. Sinfully close."
"Keep dreaming," one of the girls scoffed, though even she had a distant look in her eyes. "They say she's got the most exotic hair in the entire kingdom… and those golden eyes that make even nobles lower their gaze."
"She threatened to flatten the Vallis Kingdom when she was twelve, didn't she?" another boy murmured. "And they believed her."
"And backed down immediately," the redhead added. "She didn't even draw her sword."
At the back of the group walked a girl with long black hair, tied in a modest ribbon. Her uniform was perfectly tailored, her posture flawless. She said nothing… but her calm exterior hid a wildly different truth beneath.
Inside, Lyria was screaming.
'YESSSS! YESSSSSS!! THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING!!'
'First I get reincarnated into my favorite fantasy novel—then I land in Aurealis Academy, of all places—and now… now I'm going to breathe the same AIR as Rimuru freaking Tempest?! The actual divine bombshell herself?! THE woman?!'
Outwardly, she blinked slowly, allowing herself a tiny nod of interest.
'Stay calm. Breathe. Be cool.'
'No! I want to throw my shoes into the air and dance!'
Lyria was… composed. On the outside. She gave off an aura of quiet nobility, her calm gray eyes watching her peers like a distant scholar. But inside, she was bouncing on every metaphorical wall she could find.
'This is the girl who wiped out an entire battlefield with one slash.The one who tanked a dragon's breath naked and came out looking annoyed.The one who made THREE crowned princes fight to the death over her smile and then LEFT BEFORE IT ENDED.'
Her fingers twitched at her side.
And she's coming HERE. TO. THIS. ACADEMY. TODAY.
Please let me see her. Please let me sit next to her. Please let me—
"Lyria?" someone called, snapping her from her storm of thoughts.
She turned, face perfectly calm. "Yes?"
"You okay? You looked a little… dazed."
"Just… processing," she replied smoothly. "It's not every day a Tempest joins us."
That earned a few agreeing nods. But no one could have guessed that Lyria, while acting composed, was fighting the urge to squeal and explode with joy.
Far to the west, across the expansive wilderness of Stormvale, where storm clouds whispered and the wind howled secrets through mountains and ancient forests, a carriage rolled steadily through the land.
Inside, seated elegantly, was a girl draped in velvet, her azure-blue hair flowing freely down her back, brighter than the sky itself. Her golden eyes, thoughtful and unreadable, gazed out the window as the academy grew nearer with each passing mile.
Her beauty was mesmerizing—mature beyond her years, with curves and a silhouette that would draw scandalized gasps in noble courts and sinful prayers from lesser men. She radiated confidence, composure… and something deeper.
Something divine.
Her fingers ran over the hilt of a sword strapped at her side, older than most countries.
"So this is Aurealis," she said softly. Her voice carried the soft rumble of a distant storm.
She smiled faintly, a glint in her eye.
'Let's see what all the fuss is about.'
A Few Hours Later
The sun was high by the time the announcement rang through the enchanted bells of the academy.
"All students and faculty are to gather at the Grand Courtyard. The Tempest House envoy will arrive within the hour."
Classes were halted. Training fields emptied. Library wings went still.
Even professors whispered among themselves.
Now, hundreds of students stood on polished marble steps and grassy walkways, surrounding the massive circular courtyard at the academy's front gates. Decorative banners fluttered gently in the breeze. Magical camera orbs floated silently overhead, ready to record the moment for historical records.
All eyes were fixed on the distant road.
And then—they saw it.
The carriage.
It was unlike anything they had seen before.
Pulled by four massive storm-bred wyrm horses, with coats of white lightning and glowing manes, the carriage itself was forged from tempered crystal and woven tempeststeel, carved with ancient runes and gilded edges. It moved with supernatural grace, hovering an inch above the ground.
It slowed before the gates—and the world held its breath.
A woman stepped down from the driver's platform. She was tall, with flawless porcelain skin, blood-red eyes, and silver hair bound tightly in a bun. She wore a black maid uniform trimmed in blue, and every inch of her exuded deadly elegance. Her beauty was sharp—icy—and without warmth.
The students felt a chill ripple down their spines.
But then, the maid turned, reached out… and opened the carriage door.
And out stepped Rimuru Tempest.
Gasps swept through the crowd like a wave.
Her azure-blue hair spilled from the carriage like a living waterfall, the strands catching sunlight and casting an otherworldly glow. It framed her face with casual grace—soft cheeks, flawless skin, and those piercing golden eyes that looked as if they could see through a soul rather than at it.
She wore a sleeveless black-and-gold noble uniform, tailored to perfection, hugging a figure that should have been outlawed.
Long legs, an elegant neckline, and a body that curved just the right amount in all the wrong places.
Silence fell.
Even the wind dared not speak.
Somewhere near the front of the crowd, Crown Prince Kael Aurelis narrowed his eyes, a confident smirk curling across his face. He stood tall, hands folded behind his back, his golden-blonde hair tousled in the way only someone with status and servants could afford.
'Hah... so this is the infamous Rimuru Tempest…''They weren't exaggerating. That chest… gods, her uniform barely contains it. And that ass—do noblewomen train their bodies to be that sinful, or was she just born for temptation?''I could make her my concubine. No, my mistress. She's too proud to be tamed… but I do love a challenge.'
Unaware of—or more likely, indifferent to—the hungry stares, Rimuru stepped down gracefully, her golden gaze scanning the crowd with the quiet confidence of a queen, her presence overwhelming yet poised.
Near the center of the crowd, Lyria stood still as stone.
Outwardly, she maintained her usual calm expression, hands folded, eyes attentive.
Inwardly?
'OH MY GODS, SHE'S EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL THAN I IMAGINED!''Her HAIR is glowing! Her EYES are glowing! I think my soul is glowing!''How does she look both like a goddess and like she'd step on you for fun?!''Her boobs are bigger in real life! I'm not imagining that, right?! Is that blasphemy?! I don't care!'
Rimuru's gaze drifted across the students, pausing here and there. Calm. Observant.
'She's scanning the crowd. She's so cool. She's so composed. She's so unfair. She's perfect.'
As their eyes briefly met, Lyria's heart skipped a full beat.
'She looked at me. SHE LOOKED AT ME. I CAN DIE NOW. WAIT NO—I WANT TO LIVE! I NEED MORE!'
Meanwhile, students whispered, enchanted and disarmed.
"Is she even real…?""She hasn't said a word and I already want to follow her into war.""I want her to call me trash. Respectfully.""She's like a noble weapon. Beautiful. Deadly. And sharp."
Rimuru, unfazed, turned to the maid at her side and gave a small nod.
The silver-haired maid stepped forward, voice sharp and cool.
"Presenting the Heiress of House Tempest—Lady Rimuru Tempest. She is here to study, not to entertain. Let none forget that."
Even that short declaration echoed like thunder.
Rimuru finally smiled—just slightly.
And every heart in the courtyard missed a beat.