"So, regarding the Talent Advancement Program."
Ignatia's voice cut through the room like a blade through silk—sharp, precise, impossible to ignore. She stood at her end of the table, one hand resting on a thick stack of documents, the other adjusting her silver glasses with practiced elegance.
"A program initiated by the Sun Empire after the end of the Great War between all Nine Realms and the Demonic Invasions," she continued, her tone taking on the cadence of a formal briefing. "Its purpose: to gather talented and powerful individuals into our fold by scouting them early—ideally before other factions can claim them."
She paused, letting the weight of those words settle over the room.
"Our agents have been aggressively scouting talent across the human realms. However…" Her expression tightened slightly. "Restrictions are tightening in other realms. Some are actively avoiding our recruitment efforts."
Ignatia placed her hand on the stack of papers. With a flick of mana, three documents lifted into the air, glowing faintly before expanding into full three-dimensional holographic displays. Names, stats, and images rotated slowly above the table, casting faint blue light across everyone's faces.
Serina Frostwind
S-Class (Combat) – Estimated S-Class (Written)
Orange
S-Class (Combat) – Estimated S-Class (Written)
Dhaga
S-Class (Combat) – Estimated S-Class (Written)
Lyralei leaned forward slightly, her black eyes scanning the displays. She recognized the first name immediately—the shy blue-haired girl from the exam hall. So that's her full profile.
"Let's start with Serina Frostwind," Ignatia began, her voice warming just a fraction.
"She has been one of our greatest successes in the Talent Advancement Program's entire history—spanning over three hundred years."
Ignatia tapped the display, and Serina's stats expanded.
"She is eighteen years old. During the Class Selection Exam, she broke through to Level 4 in mana circuit control—a milestone we estimated wouldn't occur until the end of the academic year."
The hologram shifted, showing a recording of Serina's fight. Her blue hair whipped around her as she moved, flames spiraling in controlled bursts, heat distorting the air around her strikes.
"She managed to accumulate eight hundred points before encountering Senior Raul," Ignatia continued. Her voice dipped slightly, acknowledging the near-disaster. "Before she could be eliminated, Prince Agni intervened."
Lyralei's gaze flicked toward the empty chair at the head of the table.
"The encounter with Senior Raul—and its outcome—benefited her significantly. She gained bonus points, allowing her entry into S-Class."
Ignatia's tone sharpened, regaining its edge. "But that isn't the end of it. As you all know, she introduced the magical world to Thermal Acceleration Dynamics in theoretical form. Combined with her practical application during the exam…"
"She has started amassing sponsors from guilds and magic towers across multiple realms."
Michael whistled low under his breath. "How many offers?"
"Within hours of the exam ending?"
Ignatia said flatly
"Nine confirmed offers. Notably from the Fairy Realm and Beast Realm."
Darius frowned. "Are they going through proper channels?"
"All have been operating through back-end channels," Ignatia admitted, her voice cooling. "Attempting to bypass us and approach her directly. Predictably, negative press has begun circulating from rival magic towers—attempts to discredit her work before it gains more traction."
Lyralei's fingers drummed once on the table. "And our response?"
"Our PR team is working diligently," Ignatia said smoothly. "Countering the narrative in our favor. We've also directed additional funding toward her future research projects to ensure we gain the most from Serina's talent."
She swiped the display, and Serina's profile minimized. The second candidate expanded.
Orange
Unique Blessing Magic – Multi-Aspect Caster
"Moving to our next candidate: Orange."
Suzzy tilted her head. "That's his actual name?"
Ignatia paused, then nodded slowly. "Indeed. It appears he is an orphan. We recruited him from the lower military ranks after noticing his strange and unique blessing magic."
The hologram displayed a young man with orange hair and dark blue eyes. His magic manifested as glowing +, - and 0 that hovered around his hands—gold for healing, red for offense, blue for defense.
"While Orange largely remained in Serina's shadow during the exam, his ability to cast three varieties of blessings is extraordinary. Most blessed mages can manage one, perhaps two at most."
Michael's eyes lit up. "That's interesting. Is that why they were trying to kill an A-Grade monster together?"
Ignatia's expression remained neutral. "Possibly."
Darius noted.
"Blessing magic itself is rare.. Three at once … that's exceptional".
"Exceptionally rare," Ignatia agreed. "We're considering enrolling him in the Expenditure Club so he can use his magic in live scenarios and gain more combat experience."
She minimized Orange's profile with a flick. The third candidate appeared.
Dhaga
"Lastly, Dhaga is our last-minute entrance into the program," Ignatia said carefully, her voice dropping slightly. "Scouted by His Majesty himself."
Every head in the room turned sharply.
Lyralei's attention sharpened. Scouted by the Majesty personally? That's… unusual.
Suzzy sat up straighter. Michael's grin vanished, replaced by genuine surprise.
"Further details will be briefed by Darius when his turn arrives," Ignatia finished.
All eyes shifted to Darius, who gave a single, measured nod but said nothing.
She dismissed the holograms with a wave. The glowing displays faded, leaving only natural light from the windows.
"This concludes our combat-focused students. The remaining seven are non-combat specialists—fields including medicine, strategic planning, economics, technology development, and historical research."
She flipped through a few more documents. "Largely, nothing has changed from the pre-briefing information we provided before admission to the academy. Current data remains valid.""
Ignatia folded her hands neatly on the table. "That concludes the Talent Advancement segment. Ten students total."
Her heterochromia eyes swept across the room. "Any questions?"
Silence hung for a beat.
Then Darius raised his hand.
Ignatia nodded. "Darius."
He leaned forward, elbows on the table, fingers interlaced. His voice was calm but carried an undercurrent of concern. "Will the nature of the Talent Advancement Program be changed again?"
Ignatia's expression didn't shift, but something cold flickered behind her glasses.
"Due to the shift from non-exclusive to exclusive recruitment," Darius continued, "many of our agents are raising concerns about rejection rates. Particularly…"
He paused, jaw tightening. "I am personally concerned about the loss of a student named Roka."
Lyralei's gaze sharpened. Roka?
"He possesses a special element magic," Darius said. "While we can't confirm exactly what it is, based on what we observed, it appears to involve control. Since he's beastkin, we expect it to be predatory in nature."
"As you all know, such abilities are exclusive and unique. He not only rejected our contract but actively pursued enmity against us during the Class Selection Exam."
His black eyes shifted toward Vera.
Vera flinched but nodded quickly, her voice coming out nervous and rushed. "Y-yes. During our exam, Roka actively sabotaged us. He controlled Lilly's spirits—shared their vision to hunt monsters before we could reach them. When we confronted him, he attacked aggressively."
Her hands trembled. "If it wasn't for Sir Darius, Lilly would have suffered a serious injury. She nearly had her face torn off."
She gulped, falling silent. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears. Where is Lilly when I need her?
Lyralei's expression darkened. Roka huh.
Ignatia's voice cut through the tension like a knife through fog.
"Regarding the conflict between Roka and Lilly, the matter has been raised with the academy administration."
Her tone remained even, controlled. "As for the nature of the Talent Advancement Program… I believe the Vermillion family, which handles the majority of recruitment operations, has proven their methods effective. Their approach has never disappointed the Empire or His Majesty."
She paused, letting that sink in.
"I see no need for changes."
Darius's jaw tightened, but he didn't interrupt.
"My personal opinion," Ignatia continued, her voice taking on a sharper edge, "is that the exclusive contract system offers significant benefits—not only funding but also image management, family support networks, and long-term career stability."
She adjusted her glasses. "The only issue arises with non-human races attempting to use the program as a stepping stone—which is not what it was designed for."
The room fell silent.
Heavy. Thick.
Lyralei's fingers stopped drumming.
"You are making a narrow interpretation of the policy."
Her voice was quiet but cut through the silence like a blade.
Ignatia's heterochromia eyes locked onto hers.
Lyralei tapped the desk once, deliberately. "The benefit to the Empire was always a byproduct of the policy."
She leaned forward slightly, her black eyes steady. "The Talent Advancement Program was—is—designed as a beneficial policy for commoners in the aftermath of the Great War and Demonic Invasions. To help them recover. It doesn't limit itself to talent alone—it's an upliftment policy meant to represent all members of society across all realms."
Her voice dropped, quiet but firm. "To build trust among common people after the Life Law Reforms."
The air in the room shifted again—not explosive like before, but tense. Everyone felt it.
Ignatia remained silent for a long moment, her expression unreadable.
Then she tilted her head slightly to right. "I believe this is not the appropriate topic for today's discussion."
Lyralei held her gaze for one more second, then nodded.
"Yes," Ignatia said smoothly, redirecting. "Let's move on to Prince Agni's health status."
Everyone's gaze fell upon the empty seat at the head of the table.
The chair sat there, untouched, as if waiting for someone who wasn't coming.