Chapter 5

### Chapter 5: The Day of Enrollment (1)

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#1

A golden train was speeding along the railway.

The sun's scorching rays reflected off it, sending shimmering light in all directions.

While the entire body of the train was not made of pure gold, it was undoubtedly lavishly gilded, costing astronomical sums of money.

The magical train, conceived by the great figures of a century ago, was a means of transportation for the common people who could not afford the gate usage fees equivalent to a month's living expenses for a family of four.

Considering the ever-increasing population mobility in the imperial capital, it was an ingenious invention.

However, it had not yet reached the level of spanning the entire continent. Other countries, apart from the empire, could not bear the construction and operational costs that would shake their national treasuries.

Thus, only the most powerful and wealthy empire on the continent could own a magical train.

Among them, the golden train, which stood out for its meticulous craftsmanship, was heading straight to its destination without stopping at any stations.

Below the closed windows, a forest of ancient buildings could be seen.

In between them, countless figures were moving about.

If one looked up,

a central clock tower that reached the clouds and a building that hid its upper half above the clouds could be seen.

The Star of Akasha, said to contain all the wisdom and knowledge of the world.

A massive magic tower that was born by absorbing the three divided schools of magic.

Since its establishment, it has consistently reigned at the pinnacle of magic, maintaining its prestige and influence for a century.

To the left, the view of the imperial palace was so grand that it defied description.

In the midst of the layered walls stood the emperor's palace. Within that palace, not far away, the emperor who ruled the great empire must be present.

A city with a population of several million,

the city of the sun and gold.

This was the imperial capital of the Solar Empire.

Helios.

The train continued to race along the railway.

Then, at some point,

the scenery outside the window changed dramatically, as if entering an alternate world.

The final destination of the express train was right here.

After passing through a tunnel, what could be seen was...

a city.

The streets were vibrant and full of life, dyed in the fresh colors of spring. The young and energetic aura of students passing under cherry trees was palpable.

In this vast city of students, where the mere act of breathing the air made one's heart race, tens of thousands of young men and women were living and breathing.

The number of buildings of varying heights was incalculable. First-time visitors were usually awestruck, gazing at the empire's masterpiece without a moment's rest.

Education, convenience, entertainment, and housing... the best and most luxurious facilities for the city's students were densely packed on every street.

The name of this resplendent city was,

the birthplace of heroes who ruled the centuries and the cradle of new stars. An empire above the empire, a city of golden dreams where stepping in as a student guaranteed a brilliant success...

the Imperial Frontier Academy.

Squeak—

The train gradually slowed down. The train, which had been slowly moving along the tracks, soon came to a stop in the middle of the platform.

Outside the window, the entrance to Frontier could be seen.

In front of it, a sea of people had gathered, including not only students in Frontier uniforms but also noble dignitaries who were so numerous that they almost tripped over each other.

There were a few of the empire's great nobles, who were rarely seen even once in a lifetime, and a few high-ranking nobles, such as the dukes of the duchies.

A gate not far away was spewing out countless people. From the rippling boundary, students with tense expressions and their parents, who seemed to be their guardians, gradually emerged.

Imperial knights, deployed for security, were busily controlling the chaos and ensuring that people formed orderly lines.

With so many important figures from various countries gathered, stricter surveillance and control were necessary.

There was a VIP-only passage, but since the number was limited, the waiting line stretched endlessly.

This was not the norm. While the population was usually high, it was rare for it to be this bustling.

So, why were so many people gathered here?

It was because today was mid-March, the season when early spring was approaching.

The day of the enrollment ceremony for the new students of the Imperial Frontier Academy.

The train had been stopped for quite some time.

Squeak—!

People began to disembark one by one from the open doors.

The train interior rumbled. Various pairs of feet passed under the partitions.

Most of them were Frontier students.

More precisely, the new students who were about to enroll.

He stood up.

He rubbed his slightly stiff neck and stretched his head back, hearing a satisfying crack as a refreshing sensation spread through his joints.

He had been on the train for quite a while, but thanks to the extremely soft and comfortable sofa, he arrived without any discomfort.

He carefully stored his student ID in his pocket. It had a location tracking spell engraved on it, so if he lost it, he could find it quickly, but he didn't want to risk it.

When he received the sealed letter, it also contained a gate pass, but he chose the train for a more leisurely journey.

The result was a great success.

He was glad he had taken the train.

After straightening his clothes without any wrinkles,

he grabbed the handle of his carry-on luggage.

Rattle...

As he pulled it out of the compartment, he happened to meet a female student in a Frontier uniform.

"Uh..."

Her face was slightly stiff, her posture so rigid that it seemed almost unnatural. Clearly, she was very nervous, a clear sign that she was a new student.

He glanced at the emblem on the upper right corner of her maroon uniform. It was not the same class as his. She seemed to be a regular Frontier student.

He couldn't tell exactly which class she was from. The number of classes within Frontier exceeded several dozen.

He wasn't familiar enough with Frontier to identify the class from a quick glance, so he didn't pay much attention.

"Ah, uh..."

Her face, from her ears to her cheeks, was flushed red.

If you shaped a radish into a human, it might look like that. Her eyes, which had been looking up at him, were darting around, unable to focus.

I wonder if she can make friends like this.

She didn't seem to be moving from her spot until he passed, so he retracted his gaze and pulled his luggage toward the exit.

A moment later.

"...There are so many people."

As he stepped out of the exit, his field of vision opened up.

— Hey, form a line! A line!

— Beep! Stop right there!

— Hey, don't you know who I am? Huh? I don't get this kind of treatment anywhere...

— Damn, who keeps pushing?!

The commotion, which was already loud from a distance, gradually intensified.

What is this...

It's not like it's a large-scale rally.

The bustling crowds filling every corner made him feel that it would take considerable effort to get through.

He was already feeling drained.

Just standing here wouldn't get him inside automatically.

If he didn't join the line now, he would be pushed back by the constantly replenishing queue and might not get in for a long time.

With no choice, he dragged his luggage down the stairs.

...But.

As he walked from the station to the entrance, voices from unknown people reached his ears.

— Oh... Is that the future of the empire?

— They are definitely different, aren't they?

— I heard that two commoners are included in this year's batch. I envy them. To look down on the world with just one innate talent...

Non-Frontier personnel, such as VIPs and students attending official events, were not allowed to set foot inside Frontier.

Thus, he saw the gazes of parents seeing off their children and professors who had recommended their students, lingering on him for a moment as they headed toward the gate.

Whispers mixed with the noisy sounds.

— Is that him? The emblem looks right...

— Wow, wow, he's my type... *smack*.

— They always seem to lack substance. You'll see, it's just a facade.

— What do you mean? He looks stronger than you at least.

Despite the many new students around him, curious and admiring gazes poured in from all sides.

Those who knew him seemed to be admiring or envious, while those who didn't were looking at him and then whispering after realizing something.

He made a slightly annoyed expression. He wasn't used to being the center of attention.

He casually brushed off the prying gazes and reached the end of the waiting line.

...If he glanced ahead, it looked like he would have to wait at least thirty minutes.

He understood. Thousands of new students were flooding in at once. If you added everyone else, it was normal for the entrance to be overwhelmed.

Of course, there were other entrances to the city, but the situation there was likely not much different.

Each class might have slightly different times for the enrollment ceremony, but most were set for 10:00 AM.

The current time was just past 9:00 AM.

It might be a bit tight.

While there were transportation options within Frontier, it was questionable whether he could arrive within an hour from now.

Tap, tap.

As he was holding the luggage handle in one hand and checking his wristwatch with the other, planning his next steps,

"Student."

"..."

Someone tapped his shoulder and asked.

"Are you a new student of the Epic Class?"

It was a knight in uniform. He must have been dispatched for security during the enrollment ceremony. He was sweating profusely, having been busy running around.

He asked back.

"...Yes, why?"

"Ah, there is a VIP-only passage for Epic Class students. If you go that way, you can enter immediately without waiting. I'll guide you, so please follow me."

What, there was such a privilege?

If he could escape this hellish heat, anything was fine. He nodded, and the knight led him to the VIP passage.

The gazes of the people gathered there followed them, and soon murmurs of complaint and grumbling could be heard, but he ignored them and followed the knight.

The city was not surrounded by a high wall but by an intangible barrier, designed to allow the vast expanse of Frontier to be visible from anywhere.

The robustness and security of the barrier were already proven by the fact that there had been only one incident of external intrusion in its hundred-year history.

"There it is."

Following the city's perimeter, they soon arrived at a structure that looked like a gate, where a significantly smaller number of people could be seen.

...The world is so unfair.

With that few people, it seemed he could enter immediately, as the knight had said.

Suddenly, the knight extended his hand.

"Could you show me your student ID before entering?"

"Ah, sure."

Swish.

He took out his student ID, with its golden border, from his uniform pocket and showed it to the knight.

"Hmm..."

The knight carefully examined it to ensure it wasn't a forgery, then compared the photo inside the ID with his face, nodding.

"Edgio Crani, confirmed. You can enter now. If you go that way, you can go through a simple verification process and enter."

"Thank you for your help."

The knight quickly left, looking busy.

Left alone, he looked down at the Frontier student ID he had received back from the knight.

"..."

He felt a strange sensation.

He had set entering Frontier as his lifelong goal and had worked hard with the resolve to die, but he never thought it would actually come true.

It's something anyone can aspire to, like a star in the night sky, but how many people actually reach out and touch it...

The Edgio Crani from a year ago and

the current Edgio Crani...

It might be better to consider them as namesakes.

It's quite amusing to say this about myself,

but it's hard to see them as the same person.

His height had grown so much that he could look down on the knight from earlier. His bones had become much stronger and thicker compared to before. There was no trace of the scrawny kid he used to be.

In addition, his body, reconstructed to be the optimal environment for handling high-purity mana and wild magic circuits, and his hair, which had changed color after a near-death experience...

There were many other changes as well.

"..."

He absentmindedly stroked his sharp jawline and suddenly snapped back to reality. He didn't have the luxury to stand there and daydream.

He had a lot to do.

He could reminisce about his weak past after settling in, but he didn't particularly want to.

After putting the precious student ID back in his pocket, he was about to move with his luggage when

"..."

He saw a uniform similar to his own among the invited VIPs.

An Epic Class student.

He couldn't tell if it was a new student or a senior returning from an outing. They would meet eventually since they were in the same Epic Class.

That was all he thought.

...That's what he should have thought.

He couldn't take his eyes off the side profile.

She stood out even among the noble and splendidly dressed VIPs.

The uniform, a blend of white and gold, complemented her skin, as white and pure as snow.

A sword sheath at her waist. It was a rather long sword.

Her black hair, tinged with a faint blue, flowed softly with her measured steps.

She was like a flower in the snow.

Her beauty could be gauged by the gazes of the nobles. Some were admiring or interested, while others had lecherous desires in their eyes.

However, her tightly closed lips exuded a strong and resolute will.

Everyone present seemed to instinctively know that crossing her boundaries would not end well, as evidenced by her cold, stern eyes.

She soon disappeared beyond the passage.

Even though he only saw her for a moment, she left a strong impression.

Was this the future of the empire, the Epic Class? She seemed to be on a much higher level compared to someone like him, who barely made it in...

Well.

If it's impressive, it's impressive.

...Why does she seem familiar?

A figure hidden in his memory surfaced and then submerged again due to his intense denial.

"..."

Nah.

No way.

It couldn't be.

The atmosphere was completely different, and Mu was his junior. It was impossible for her to be a new student in the same batch as him.

"..."

Yeah, it couldn't be.

But.

Why was his palm sweating?

Why was he needlessly clenching and unclenching his hand, trying to calm the creeping unease?

It must be because Frontier was right in front of him. The moment he crossed that passage, the new life he had so desperately wished for would begin, so it was natural to be this tense.

Hmm. Good.

He nodded, as if convincing himself, and moved forward.

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