The setting sun, like molten red gold, flowed along the uniformly aligned rooftops of Eisenburg, dyeing the main gate of the Royal Knights Academy—blown down to only half an archway—a blood red.
This year's 'Opening Exercise' ended earlier and more disastrously than any previous year.
Of course, this was true for the self-esteem of both participating factions.
At this ti in previous years, the Iron Cross and the Dawn Brigade should still have been setting up booby traps in so dark corner, or locked in a stalemate during a simulated urban warfare drill, only stopping when the instructors forcibly intervened late into the night.
But today, the fighting abruptly ceased before the sun had even set.
It wasn't because both sides shook hands and made peace, but because they were all physically and forcefully brought back to their senses by a 'third-party force'.
The central plaza, originally a sacred place for holding the opening ceremony, now resembled a temporary triage area for a large field hospital.
However, the wounded lying on the ground were not missing limbs; most were clutching their stomachs, rubbing their wrists, or simply staring blankly with expressions of existential doubt.
"This... did Sister and Little Pa really do this?"
Elin stood on the steps at the edge of the plaza, her amber eyes wide open, her mouth slightly agape, still clutching half a piece of uneaten chocolate.
Within her line of sight:
To the left was a dejected group of Iron Cross club mbers.
Those noble young masters, usually so arrogant, were now disheveled, so even having to support each other.
To the right were the commoner scholarship students of the Dawn Brigade.
Those fellows, usually fierce as wild wolves, now looked like stray dogs whose spines had been broken, all silent.
And in the middle of the two groups was an eerie patch of empty space.
"To be precise, your sister handled the outer sweep, while Pavela was responsible for the 'decapitation' in the core area."
A languid voice drifted from behind Elin.
Margaret had appeared there at so unknown ti. She was still wearing her dark blue uniform, a black windbreaker draped over her shoulders.
Although her left shoulder was injured, it did not in the least affect her enjoynt of the spectacle.
"General!"
Elin instinctively snapped to attention, nearly crushing the chocolate in her hand.
Margaret waved a hand, signaling her to relax, but her gaze was fixed on the administration building at the far end of the plaza.
There, Eleanor stood with a dark expression, holding a tal pipe of unknown origin, pointing and directing several students who hadn't been knocked unconscious to clear the debris at the gate like a furious foreman.
Her military boots crunched on the gravel, and with every step, the surrounding students flinched.
Not far from Eleanor, by the fountain, Pavela sat quietly.
Her deep red velvet dress was dusted with gri, but this did not detract from her presence; instead, it made her look more like a thorny rose blooming amidst the ruins.
She held a handkerchief, ticulously wiping her fingers with an elegance suggesting she had just attended an afternoon tea rather than single-handedly dismantling the command structures of two clubs.
"Sister has... always been very strong, I know."
Elin swallowed, her gaze shifting to Pavela, "But Little Pa... how could she also..."
"Be like a monster?"
Margaret finished the sentence for her, a playful smile touching the corner of her mouth. "Your Schwartz Family truly is a prolific source of monsters, aren't they? Little Elin, it seems your days at the academy are about to beco much more exciting."
Just then, a sharp whistle shattered the low pressure hanging over the plaza.
The instructors and teachers had finally 'arrived late'.
Leading them was a middle-aged man with an exaggerated handlebar mustache: Colonel Bergman, the Dean of Discipline.
He looked at the ss on the ground and the half-blown-away school gate, his facial muscles twitching violently.
"This is sheer chaos! Anarchy! This is the Royal Knights Academy, not the Colosseum!"
Colonel Bergman ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) roared, spittle flying in the setting sun. "Who did this? Which of the freshn led this? Where is the person in charge of the Iron Cross? Where is the captain of the Dawn Brigade? All of you, get out here!"
Dead silence.
No one stepped forward.
Putting aside the club leaders who were completely unconscious:
Julian was still in the infirmary applying ice packs; his knee was swollen like a stead bun.
Igor, the assault team leader of the Dawn Brigade, was awake, but he was lying on a stretcher pretending to be dead, clearly unwilling to court disaster at this mont.
"No one is claiming responsibility, is that it?"
Colonel Bergman's beard trembled with rage. "Fine! Very good! Everyone gets a deduction! All of this year's academic credits—"
"Just count it as ."
A cool, clear voice interrupted Bergman's tirade.
Eleanor threw down the tal pipe she was holding; it hit the ground with a loud 'clang'.
She dusted off her hands and stepped out of the shadows, her ice-blue eyes sweeping over the students lying haphazardly on the ground.
"These fools, if I had arrived any later, they probably would have blown up the administration building too."
"As the forr Student Council President and a... concerned bystander in this exercise, I offered a little assistance in maintaining order."
Colonel Bergman froze for a mont. Upon recognizing Eleanor, the fury that was about to erupt was forcibly stuck in his throat.
"El... Eleanor?"
His expression instantly beca wonderfully complex, shifting from anger to astonishnt, finally settling into a wry smile mixed with a headache and helplessness. "Why are you back? No, it's fine that you're back, but why did you get involved in the freshn's exercise?"
"Bringing my sister to school."
Eleanor pointed to Pavela by the fountain. "And incidentally, teaching these rookies what a real battlefield is like."
All eyes instantly focused on Pavela.
The girl who had been sitting quietly seed to sense the attention. She stopped wiping her hands and slowly raised her head.
Her light gray-blue eyes looked exceptionally clear in the sunset.
She did not stand up, rely tilted her head slightly and waved a hand at Colonel Bergman, displaying a flawless, obedient smile befitting a noble miss.
"Hello, Instructor."
Her voice was soft and sweet. "I am Pavela von Schwartz. It is a pleasure to et you, and I apologize for causing trouble."
Colonel Bergman felt a chill run down his spine.
He had specifically inquired about the day's events before arriving.
This girl, who smiled like a doll, had recently single-handedly neutralized the aces of two clubs.
"The Schwartz Family's... adopted daughter?"
Bergman wiped the sweat from his forehead and gave a dry laugh. "Good, very good. It seems our academy has welcod a... very promising new student this year."
"More than just promising."
Margaret also walked over, her high heels tapping a crisp rhythm on the stone pavent. "Mr. Bergman, this child's registration will be directly under my special project. I have already arranged for the paperwork."
Bergman's expression changed: "General, your project... that is..."
"She won't die."
Margaret cut him off, her gaze sweeping over Pavela, a certain depth flickering in her eyes. "Or rather, instead of worrying about her, you should worry about the other students."
As night fell, the streetlights on the plaza lit up one by one.
The steam-driven lamps hissed softly, casting a dim, yellow halo on everyone's face.
Pavela stood up and tidied the hem of her dress.
Elin finally couldn't hold back and rushed forward, grabbing Pavela's arm, speaking excitedly and incoherently: "Little Pa! I heard everything! How did you do it? Pinning a sword with two fingers—can you teach ? And, and..."
Pavela's body stiffened the mont she was held.
It was an instinctive defensive reaction, like a wild cat suddenly touched.
But upon feeling Elin's warm body temperature, that tension lted away bit by bit, like ice eting a spring breeze.
She lowered her head and looked into Elin's bright eyes.
Those amber eyes held no fear, no wariness, only pure excitent and adoration.
The standard smile on Pavela's lips finally gained a touch of genuine warmth, like water finally flowing beneath a frozen lake.
"It was just good luck."
She said softly, a hint of softness entering her voice. "Besides, they were too slow."
Elin was about to say more, but at that mont, the clock tower of the Royal Knights Academy chid.
One chi, two chis, three chis...
The dull bell echoed in the night sky, seeming to co from a great distance, yet also right beside their ears.
It passed through the clamor on the plaza, through the glow of the streetlights, through everyone's heart, finally dissipating among the uniformly aligned rooftops of Eisenburg.
Six chis.
The ringing stopped.
Supported by their respective friends and classmates, the crowd on the plaza gradually dispersed, leaving only sporadic footsteps and murmurs.
Pavela stood under the light, Elin still clinging to her arm. Their two shadows stretched long upon the ground, eventually rging into the night.
This chaotic opening exercise was thoroughly over.
And Pavela von Schwartz's academy life,
Amidst these ruins and legends, in the lingering echoes of the bell, and in Elin's warm embrace, officially began.
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