Chapter 1

The hallway was filled to the brim with students, particularly the first years. They are trying their best to look for the bulletin board, to know what classes they would belong to. The sounds of their murmurs collectively made the noise greater. The upperclassmen tried their best to tone down the volume, but the sheer numbers of first-year students who have hopes to enter the Balatronicum Intercontinental Academy had rendered their efforts futile. The upperclassmen can only endure the glare of the passing teachers and hoped that they won't be scolded.

Arthur Aganai sauntered past the heartbroken students who weren't accepted, and the cheering students who entered by luck. His older brother, who worked in the Academy, had sent him a letter one week before, stating that he passed the entrance exam. It was his last act of kindness, he guessed. Anyway, because of him, Arthur didn't need to force himself into the concentrated pack of juvenile bodies like others does.

Arthur looked at the letter in his hands. It was a short letter.

•You passed. Class 1-A. The second floor, right-wing.•

Arthur supposed that even these few words took a lot of effort for his brother. After all, he hates him. For that, he is thankful. Arthur hates the crowd the most.

Arthur pulled his hood lower to hide his face. He was dressed in his best dress shirt and coat. The coat was a decent coat made out of decent wool. A hood was sewn in the coat's underside by Arthur's sister for when Arthur feels anxious and wanted to hide while in public.

He walked towards the east wing. He had memorized the school's ground map beforehand so he knows the general direction of the building. But walking it on itself is a different thing altogether. Arthur was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the school's castle, and before he knew it, he was lost.

He wandered to a desolate area filled with nothing but paintings of frowning faces, and statues of golden angels, and tall vases of undeterminable value. He was in a daze, surrounded by riches and alone in the glamor, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't tempted to steal a little for himself.

**No. You are better than that,** he told himself before turning back to try to retrace his steps. Just then he heard a little scuffle from behind. Arthur looked behind warily only to see a young man wobbling from behind an angel statue.

**What. The. Hell? Where did this guy come from?**

The boy was about Arthur's age and his dark long green hair reached pats his shoulder. He was dressed in an elegant burgundy jacket, with the crest of a family that Arthur recognized. This guy is a young master with affluent origins.

Arthur, stood dumbfounded. He was unsure what to make of this person's sudden appearance. The person staggered a bit, holding his hands on the statues to steady himself. Just then, he held onto a vase instead of a statue. The little vase couldn't take the boy's weight, so it followed gravity and fell to the ground. The vase shattered.

The young boy who shattered the vase stared at the shards curiously, as though he's confused as to why a ceramic vase would break. Arthur watched this with a blank expression on his face.

The boy looked clueless about the vase. He looked around the room and his gaze landed on Arthur.

Arthur had a bad feeling about this.

"You! What are you doing here? Are you here to steal?!" the young boy screamed.

Arthur took a step back and waved his hands in defense. "I-I didn't, I didn't! I am a student here. I was trying to find my class but accidentally wandered here."

"Hmph, don't try to fool me. As if someone who had those ancient pair of shoes can become a student in BIA! Do you think I am blind?" the young boy sneered at him while looking judgementally at his pair of shoes.

Arthur stared at his shoes and couldn't help but hide his face further in his hood. It was indeed old shoe. It was passed down from his father himself. But it was still strong and the quality is good. **Oh, how embarrassing. Why do all these nobles focus on a person's clothing?**

Arthur rummaged in his coat pockets and produced his brother's letter. "I'm not lying, young master. Here's my admission letter." Arthur offered the envelope to the boy with two hands. The smell of alcohol wafted towards Arthur's nose. **Alcohol?** No, he must've been imagining it. There's no way a young boy—especially a noble—would be drinking at a young age. The young boy opened the envelope, skeptical. He read it before nonchalantly returning it to Arthur.

"Eh, so you're really a student here? Whatever." He waved his hands dismissively. "Go away."

Arthur bowed and hurriedly went back the way he came from. He couldn't help but sneak a glance at the boy behind him. The boy had produced a silver flask from nowhere and was now drinking from it. Arthur quickly turned away just in time to hear the young boy's satisfied grunt.

**What the hell? So it was really alcohol?**

• • •

Arthur roamed around and with great difficulty, managed to go back to the main hallway. He thought he should just wait for the students and go with them, but he would've to look suspicious, standing around, with a hood to his face, while meandering close to the valuable statues. He would've looked like a thief! He didn't want to create another misunderstanding.

*Nevermind, it's still early anyway. I'll just try to find the room again.* So Arthur walked, climbing winding stairs and opening unlocked doors.

Until he finally arrived at a room. The room had tall but narrow vessels with doors in them. The vessel and the doors itself were made of the shiny yellow metal. Arthur initially thought it was gold. He wanted to go and try to bite it. However, upon closer look, the vessels are Armite!