As students were discussing with each other about the news.
"Silence," Cornelius commanded.
The discussion stopped instantly. Even the wind outside seemed to hold its breath.
"You have spent one year within these walls," Cornelius began, his gaze sweeping over the sea of students.
"You have learned to swing a sword. You have learned to channel mana. You have learned the history of our Kingdom."
He paused, letting the silence stretch until it was uncomfortable.
"But knowledge without application is useless. A knight who knows the anatomy of a goblin but freezes when he smells its blood is just meat. A mage who knows the theory of fire but cannot burn a target is just a matchstick."
Cornelius raised a hand. The air behind him shimmered, and a massive illusory map appeared in the air. It depicted a sprawling, dark green expanse.
"This is the Forest of Noctis," Cornelius announced. "It is a Class-B Danger Zone. It is home to Vipers the size of horses. Bears with stone skin. And plants that will eat you if you sleep too close to their roots."
A ripple of fear went through the first years. Class D students turned pale.
"For your Final Semester Exam," the Dean continued, his voice hardening, "We are instituting The Culling."
The map zoomed in, showing glowing red dots scattered throughout the forest.
"The rules are simple. Survival of the fittest."
"Rule One: You must form a pair. One Knight. One Mage. A sword to protect, a staff to strike."
"Rule Two: You will be dropped into the forest for seven days. You will be given a Score Bracelet."
The map changed, showing images of various beasts with numbers floating above their heads.
"Your objective is to hunt. The Forest is filled with Demonic Beasts. Each beast is assigned a point value based on its threat level."
"The stronger the prey, the higher the score," Cornelius explained, his eyes gleaming. "You may also acquire points by finding hidden Relics scattered by the faculty. Or..."
He smiled, and it was a terrifying expression.
"...You may acquire points by defeating other teams and taking all their score. Combat between students is permitted. You will be able to use full force against other students and not worry about lethality, the bracelet will detects the student dangerous level and teleport the student back to the infirmary safely"
The hall erupted in whispers. Student-on-student combat? Stealing points? It wasn't just a test against nature; it was a war.
"The bottom 25 teams," Cornelius's voice boomed, silencing the room, "will be expelled. They will be banished from the Academy forever."
Lucius looked. To his left was a trembling boy from Class C. To his right was an empty space because nobody wanted to stand near "The Pebble."
"One of the people standing next to you will not be here next year," Cornelius finished. "The selection begins now. Find a partner, or pack your bags. The test will officially start next month, I wish you all the best of luck."
The moment Dean Cornelius stepped down, the Grand Hall turned into a chaotic marketplace.
Dignity vanished. Desperation took over.
"I'm a Fire Mage! Class B! Looking for a knight!"
"I have a shield relic! Who needs defense?
It was a frenzy. But in the center of the storm, there was an eye of calm.
Kaelen Valiant stood near the front pillar. He didn't need to shout. He didn't need to advertise. He simply existed.
A wall of students surrounded him. It was a crush of bodies, mages from every classes, clamoring for his attention.
"Lord Valiant! Partner with me! My lightning magic perfectly complements your sword style!"
"Ignore him, Kaelen! I'm Rank 4 in Mages department! I can buff you!"
"Kaelen! I have the notes for the forest terrain!"
Although the main students who have to worry are student from class C and D, because they need to do well to be able to continue in this academy, but another thing is if you place first in the competition, you can have a free pass to S class imediately, so every mage is trying to pair up with Kaelen.
Kaelen looked overwhelmed. He was polite, trying to gently let people down, but they were relentless. He was the Golden Ticket. Pairing with Kaelen Valiant guaranteed not just safety, but a high score. Possibly even first place.
Lucius stood on the periphery of the crowd, clutching his wooden practice sword. He watched his best friend being worshipped.
I wish I could pair with him, Lucius thought, a pang of longing in his chest.
If he and Kaelen could team up, they would be unstoppable. Or at least, Kaelen would be unstoppable, and Lucius could carry the bags and not die.
But the rules were absolute. One Knight. One Mage.
Kaelen was a Knight. Lucius was a Knight (technically). They were incompatible.
Lucius sighed, turning away from the golden glow of Kaelen's popularity. He looked at his own reflection in a polished shield hanging on the wall.
Messy black hair. Tired eyes. A grey Class D uniform. And the ugly ruby necklace.
"I need a mage," Lucius muttered. "Just one mage who is desperate enough to take me."
He took a deep breath. He had to try. He couldn't let his promise to his aunt die here.
Lucius began his pilgrimage.
He decided to start at the top. Maybe, just maybe, an arrogant S-Class noble would want a meat shield they didn't have to care about.
He walked to the S-Class Sector of the hall. The air here smelled of expensive perfume and ozone.
He approached a girl with crimson hair surrounded by a group of sycophants. Solara Ignis. The Flame Princess, the second heir to the throne of Aethelgard.
"Excuse me," Lucius said, bowing slightly. "Princess Solara?"
Solara turned. Her eyes scanned him from head to toe, pausing on the grey uniform. She didn't look angry; she looked confused, as if a talking rat had addressed her.
"I... I am looking for a partner," Lucius stammered. "I know I'm Class D, but I have good stamina, and I can carry supplies, and—"
"Carry supplies?" Solara laughed. It was a bright, tinkling sound that cut deep.
"You think I need a mule? I have a Spatial Ring for supplies. I need a Knight, not a piece of luggage."
She turned her back on him.
"Who are you to dare to ask to pair up with me, cadets who dare to ask to be pair up are only from S class, you are not worth my time, get out of my eyes peasant."
Lucius swallowed his pride and walked away.
Next, Class A.
He approached a group of Wind Mages.
"Hey," Lucius tried to smile. "I'm Lucius. I'm pretty good at reading enemy movements..."
"Lucius?" One of the mages sneered. "Lucius Fable? The guy who tripped over his own sword last week?"
"That was an accident..."
"Pass," the mage waved him off. "I'm not failing because of you. Go ask the C-Class losers."
Class B.
"No."
"Get lost."
"Aren't you the guy with zero mana control? How are you even in this school?"
Class C.
This was where it hurt the most. These students were average. They were desperate too. But even the desperate looked down on him.
"I'd rather go solo and get expelled than team up with the Pebble," a skinny Earth Mage said loud enough for everyone to hear.
"At least if I fail alone, I keep my dignity."
Lucius walked. And walked. And walked.
He went from group to group, face to face. He begged. He bargained. He offered to do their homework for a year. He offered to be bait.
Rejection after rejection. Insult after insult.
"You're weak."
"You're a liability."
"You're cursed."
After a whole long day, Lucious finally came to a library near there to rest, he had spent all day from morning to noon just to ask mages to pair up with him, then he saw a girl who was reading something in the corner of the library, he quickly spotted she had a symbol of the mages department from her cloth.
'She must be from the mage department, I might give it a shot'
"Hello, Miss..." Lucious came and try to start a conversation with her.
"..."
"hello?" Lucios tried to greet her again.
"..."
After two greetings without a respond, he waves to her, right infront of her face, blocking her face from the book she is reading.
"oh, you're talking to me." the girl seems surprised, as if she thought he was talking to another person not her, but she quickly focused back on her book.
Lucius froze. Her eyes. They were a pale, translucent blue, so light they were almost white. And they were empty. It wasn't the emptiness of stupidity; it was the emptiness of a house that had burned down a long time ago.
"who else could i be talking to."
"I don't like small talk, what do you need."
"At least tell me your name first, miss?"
"Tell me what do you need first."
"I..." Lucius swallowed dryly. "I need a partner."
"me?" The girl looked up at Lucious, seemed genuinely confused.
Lucious look into her eyes again, her eyes, something about her eyes just make Lucious feels like she has been through hell before, the eye of a girl who is wanting to give up.
"yes, if not you then who am I talking to?"
"sure" The girl coldly agree and continue on reading her book.
As Lucious was about to celebrate, the girl froze Lucious heart the next sentance.
"But are you sure you want to team up with me, I will give up the moment I enter the forest."
"what? why? Why do you need to do that, judging from your clothes, you are from D class right? so you need to do well to survive here, why do you want to give up."
"If you don't want to, then find another mage, I will give up anyway, this entire thing is meaningless."
"Hey, some people are trying their best to stay in this academy, and you are just sitting here doing nothing, you are a disgrace to the academy." Lucious shouted as he stormed off the library, Lucious was furious, he couldn't understand why, he is trying all his power to stay in this academy, and she just want to simply, give up? Is it because its too hard, is it because its impossible? Lucious didn't know, but he didn't care the reason, giving up is never a reason.
"I don't need a person like you to pair up with me anyway."
"I figure..." The girl whisper in a small and sad voice, but she said it like she had gotten used to it already.
By the time he reached the Class D section—his own people—the hall was emptying. Most pairs had formed.
Even the bottom of the barrel didn't want him.
"Sorry, Lucius," a fellow Class D student muttered, avoiding eye contact. "I partnered with Jerry. He has a dagger."
"I have a sword," Lucius said weakly.
"Yeah, but a bad user. Sorry, man."
Lucius stood alone in the emptying Grand Hall. The janitors were starting to sweep up the confetti. The golden light of the afternoon sun was fading into twilight.
He had asked everyone. Every single mage in his year.
"I'm going to be expelled," Lucius whispered. The reality of it hit him like a physical blow. He would be stripped of his status. He would have to go back to the cabin. He would have failed his mother. He would have failed himself.
He slumped against a pillar, sliding down to the floor.
"There is only one person left."
Lucious came running down to the library. His lungs burned, but he forced his legs to move. He sprinted across the courtyard, past the fountain, and up the marble steps of the Great Library.
He burst through the doors, startling the ancient librarian.
"Quiet!" the librarian hissed.
"Sorry," Lucius wheezed, slowing to a walk.
Luckily, the girl was still there, he came to her and take the book out of her hand, making her looking straight at his face.
"You forgot to tell me your name, that was a part of the deal is it"
"Eira..." I don't prefer using my last name.
"Well then Eira, it's only you and me left, I'm sorry for what I said earlier, would you still be my pair." Eira was surprised about his apology.
"But I still want to give up."
"Please Miss Eira, you can just sit there and do nothing, I will do everything, just please, be my pair, and don't give up if we haven't loss yet"
"Why? Why do you trust me that much? Are you stupid, I won't do anything there except being a burden."
"Having a partner is good enough for me." Lucious smiling towards Eira while saying that
"..." Eira just took her book and leave the library, where Lucious is so happy he finally got someone to pair up with.