'Ah~ Freedom. A simple word, yet the hardest thing to touch.
People grow up craving it—freedom to choose, to move, to breathe. Even then, a man's freedom is still limited within a scope of laws.
But is it wrong to want freedom from even the rules that shape the world? I don't see any reason why—'
"Oi, Kaiser. Stop daydreaming."
A cold feminine voice, accompanied by a light pinch interrupted his thoughts.
Sighing, the blue-haired young man gave his desk neighbor a blank stare, which she coldly ignored. As if she hadn't touched him, she looked forward and refocused on the lesson being taught by the teacher.
To Kaiser, she was just an annoying figure. Although important, she was nonetheless annoying.
'Yare, yare. How did I even get enrolled into this campus-disguised-hell?'
...….
The night wind howled, blowing across the streets of the capital city.
Citizens of the Pegasus Empire wandered around, each going about their own nightly businesses.
Among the crowd, a striking young man stood out like a sore thumb. He was dressed in clothing made from thick fur unlike the others who wore light clothing. His hair was electric blue, messy strands creating bangs before his eyes.
Despite this, his neon blue eyes remained sharp and attractive, glowing with an otherworldly light. Several young and mature women looked at him, varying emotions in their gazes. One thing remained undeniable, they were all charmed by the young man.
'Yare, yare. Why didn't father warn me about my attire? Now I'm subjected to these strange looks.'
Being stared at by the hungry eyes of married women was a bit uncomfortable.
"Hoo..."
He exhaled, then pulled out his phone from his pocket. Using the map installed, he quickly found the nearest clothing store.
"Excuse me, what would you like to purchase?"
A female staff approached him and asked politely, though her tone was a bit off.
'Is she doubting my ability to buy?'
His face twitched. Sighing to himself, he let her guide him towards the available clothing and picked a few while changing into a random one he picked—a white turtleneck, a pair of black trousers and white sneakers.
When he reemerged from the changing room, the female staff had to change her assessment of him. In simple yet stylish clothes, he looked even more charming.
'Is he... a young noble in disguise?'
Unaware of her thoughts, he approached her with calm and confident steps.
"If you're done selecting, would you like to pay now, Sir...?" She asked, sounding genuinely polite.
"Kaiser."
He replied and gave his credit card to her. She quickly took the card and performed the transaction with practiced ease.
Ding! Transaction Successful!
Soon after, he left the store with a backpack which contained his remaining clothes.
Using his phone again, he booked a room at a C-Rank Hotel, then ordered for a transport vehicle to pick him up.
In less than five minutes, a sleek black car pulled up at his location.
Honk!
"Sir...?"
The driver asked as the glass slid down.
"Kaiser."
He replied, sitting alone in the back seats. It was merely a formal gesture by the driver, so he didn't put much thoughts into it.
The driver too remained professional, not saying a word as he drove the car.
Meanwhile, Kaiser busied himself with his phone, searching the internet for information about the Pegasus Royal Academy.
The articles he found read:
|Pegasus Will Awakened Academy: Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow…|
|The Academy That Decides a Nation's Future—And Its Obedience…|
|Why are Alumni Forbidden From Speaking About Their Training? This is a concerning…|
|[This article is no longer available in your region.] |
|Pegasus Will Awakened Academy—No.1 Awakened Academy in the whole planet…|
|Compared to Pegasus Will, how excellent is Azure Meteorite Awakened Academy? This question has always been a hot topic among...|
|The institution called Pegasus Will boasts of a 100% employment into the Royal Army upon graduation and 99% acceptance into any Guild of choice. These are astonishing facts because...|
He scrolled further. A discussion forum:
___
User_A: My cousin enrolled last year.
User_B: And? How was it?
User_A: ....
User_C: [Post deleted by moderator]
___
'Even knowledge about this academy is restricted…
What kind of place demands silence from the entire world?'
The more he scrolled, the more the information felt… curated.
Articles praising the academy were polished, formal, and identical—word for word. Reviews were glowing, but strangely emotionless. The few personal testimonies he found either ended abruptly, or were removed by moderators.
It wasn't secrecy. It was silence.
As if people could talk about the academy's greatness—
but not what made it great. Even then, the reputation was sky-high, and lots of young people aspired to be enrolled into the academy. Unfortunately, the enrollment chance is very low. The school only accepts 150 students per year, making the dreams of many get crushed.
Kaiser had listened to his foster father's appeal and applied at the academy. A one in ten thousand chance of being accepted.
Still having doubts about the enrollment process, he had intentionally skipped the written test and physical appraisal, arriving in the Empire late.
'Yare, yare. Father's grin when I ignored the test is making me uneasy.'
He could clearly remember how his old man's face brightened teasingly when he feigned illness to delay his journey. It felt like that man was saying, 'You'll see.'
"Young sir..."
The driver's voice pulled him out of his thoughts as he glanced outside.
"This is the Pegasus Empire's Imperial Palace. A beautiful sight, isn't it?"
The driver said with pride, slowing down a little to let Kaiser get a good look at the large palace.
Although the main building was quite far, Kaiser's eyes still saw it whole. A palace made of gold—utterly extravagant.
Towering walls of nearly indestructable metal barricaded the palace, making it look like a sacred place.
At the palace gates the statue of a winged horse—Pegasus, was placed, standing tall and proud with its wings unfolded.
'Hmm. Their taste is not bad.'
He nodded, admiring the view.
Excited by showing off his homeland's palace, the driver hummed absentmindedly, forgetting he was supposed to be professional. However, Kaiser didn't mind.
Instead, he gazed at the man with a casual look and said.
"Where are the others? I would like to finish things early."
Upon hearing that, the driver's expression changed and he suddenly sped up. With unexpected urgency, he drove into a predetermined destination—a closed alley.