Hearing the title "Royal Wizard" proclaimed with such confidence, the atmosphere in Class D shifted instantly from silence to a low hum of excitement. Whispers of admiration filled the room.
The other students, including Allen, became incredibly enthusiastic. Allen leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with awe as he looked at the great figure standing before him. For him, being taught directly by an elite royal wizard was an unimaginable honor.
However, amidst this sea of enthusiasm, a starkly different reaction was displayed by the two people sitting at the center table.
Kazien and Alvin remained indifferent; their faces were flat without the slightest expression of admiration. Alvin was even seen propping up his chin, while Kazien tapped his fingers on the table, looking rather bored.
Orlando, accustomed to being worshipped and being the center of attention wherever he went, possessed keen eyes. Behind his confident smile, his gaze swept across the entire room.
His smile faded slightly when his sight landed on the two students in the middle row. The silver-haired young man and the golden-haired Elf seemed completely unenthusiastic after hearing his name. No applause, no sparkling eyes.
It irked his high ego slightly.
Do that High Elf and the silvery-white haired brat really not know who I am? Orlando wondered in astonishment, his brow furrowing faintly. My name is quite famous in the capital. Or... are they underestimating me?
Feeling challenged, Orlando decided to test the class's ability, while simultaneously drawing the attention of those two apathetic students to acknowledge his greatness.
He turned to face the blackboard. With chalk in hand, he drew an incredibly intricate magic circle. Geometric lines crisscrossed, forming a complex pattern that was dizzying to look at. However, he deliberately left several crucial parts of the formula blank.
Orlando turned back to face his students, smirking.
"Who can perfect this magic circle formula?" challenged Orlando, his voice echoing. "This is second-year material, far above your current curriculum. But I want to see your potential. Is there anyone brave enough to try?"
Silence...
The class went dead silent instantly. Other students looked confused seeing those complicated symbols. To those who had just graduated primary education, it looked like irregular crawling worms. Allen frowned, trying to understand, but his mind hit a dead end.
However, that silence was broken by the sound of a chair being pushed back.
Without hesitation, Kazien stood up. His face remained calm, as if the challenge was merely a question of "what is one plus one."
"I will!" he said briefly.
Without waiting for further permission, Kazien walked to the front of the class with a casual stride. He stood in front of the giant blackboard, took the chalk from Orlando's hand, and immediately faced the board.
Scritch! Scritch! Scritch!
The sound of chalk friction created a rhythm. Kazien's hand moved fast and with precision, like a maestro conducting an orchestra. He wrote and began perfecting the magic circle formula without stopping to think for even a second.
Symbol after symbol was filled in accurately. Line after line connected perfectly.
It didn't take long; in less than 30 seconds, Kazien placed the chalk back down. He had solved the difficult problem given by his teacher perfectly.
Orlando gaped. His mouth hung slightly open. He was astounded by the solution Kazien produced in such a short time and with a very efficient ancient method, a method rarely known to the general public.
Orlando stared at the blackboard, then looked at Kazien. "Truly a perfect result!" praised Orlando in amazement, forgetting his earlier annoyance. His ego crumbled, replaced by admiration. "You are truly great! This formula often troubles even your seniors in the second year. What is your name?"
Kazien clapped his hands to remove the chalk dust, then looked at Orlando flatly.
"Kazien!" he answered briefly.
Then, before Orlando could praise him again, Kazien added in a polite yet sharp sarcastic tone.
"And Mr. Teacher... if you are a professional teacher, shouldn't you take attendance one by one first so you can know the names of all the students in this class before starting the lesson?"
Gasp!
The atmosphere in the class tensed instantly. A suffocating silence blanketed the room again. The students held their breath, unable to believe there was a new student brave enough to reprimand a Royal Wizard on the first day.
Orlando fell silent, frozen upon hearing the sharp criticism from his new student. The face of the usually authoritative royal wizard turned slightly red from embarrassment. He realized he was too busy showing off his title that he forgot the basic teaching procedures.
Without waiting for a response from the still-shocked teacher, Kazien turned around and walked casually back to his seat without saying another word.
Orlando watched Kazien's back while shaking his head slowly in his heart. A wry smile appeared on his lips. Besides being a genius, he is also very critical and bold. Who would have thought that he could think about the procedure of taking attendance in this class while others were busy admiring my title. This kid... is interesting.
As Kazien sat back down in his chair, Alvin leaned his body slightly closer to his fiancé and whispered to him.
"Is standing out like this also part of your plan?" whispered Alvin, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "This morning you said you wanted to hold back during the entrance test. But now you're showing off. First, you answered all of our homeroom teacher's questions. Second, you dueled with that girl. And third, you completed the magic formula very quickly."
Kazien smirked slightly, glancing at Alvin.
"You are right, Alvin! My plan has started since we began attending this academy." whispered Kazien back. "My initial intention was for us to almost fail the test and get put into the 'trash class,' and then become dominant once classes started. We will prove that the outcast class can defeat the elite class. But, since the class rules have been changed, I think showing it like this is good enough to make the nobles who think I'm a commoner feel hot under the collar."
Allen, sitting to Kazien's left and listening to their conversation, became very curious about the topic of their whispering.
What plan? Allen wondered in confusion. Why are they full of secrets and strategies? What is Kazien's actual goal?
However, because the situation didn't allow it as the lesson was still ongoing and the teacher in front was still watching them, Allen abandoned his intention to ask Kazien.
In front of the class, Orlando regained his composure. He erased Kazien's answer and wrote a new problem that was no less difficult. This time about elemental theory.
"Alright, forget the attendance incident earlier. Let's continue." said Orlando. "Who else can solve this?" asked Orlando suddenly, his eyes challenging the class, hoping to find another diamond.
This time it was Alvin's turn to raise his hand.
"Me!" said Alvin, then stepped forward to solve the test question.
Unlike the firm and fast Kazien, Alvin moved with grace. His hand danced across the blackboard. His handwriting was neat and beautiful, as beautiful as his face.
Just like Kazien, it didn't take long for Alvin to complete it. His answer was perfect, even added with a brilliant footnote.
Orlando was astounded again. His eyes widened perfectly.
I am absolutely sure that this class will be crowned as the best class this year, thought Orlando optimistically, his heart beating fast with the joy of discovering raw talent. There are two geniuses in this class. One sharp theoretical genius, one elegant natural genius.
"Very good! Perfect!" praised Orlando sincerely.
On the next turn, Orlando gave one more problem. The last problem for this session.
Allen, sitting quietly, felt motivated seeing Kazien and Alvin performing brilliantly. He didn't want to be left behind. He wanted to prove that he also deserved to stand beside them.
Allen ventured to raise his hand.
Allen went forward. Although he needed a little more time to think and count on his fingers, his forehead furrowed in concentration, but he did not give up.
After a few tense minutes, Allen put down the chalk. He managed to solve the problem correctly, although his method was more conventional.
Orlando smiled with satisfaction seeing Allen's answer. All the questions I gave are quite difficult for beginners, thought Orlando while looking at the three students at the center table. But, the three of them could solve them correctly! Great! They are the future great wizards of the Kingdom of Garveon! Class D this year is truly a jack-in-the-box full of treasures.
The lesson went on excitingly with the dominance of the three brothers. Orlando became more enthusiastic about teaching, and Class D, which was initially underestimated, began to show its fangs.
Until finally, time passed without realizing it.
Dong! Dong!
The dismissal bell rang, signaling the end of the long first day of school.
"Alright, class is dismissed. Don't forget to study the next chapter at home!" concluded Orlando while packing his books.
Once the lesson ended and Orlando left the room, a familiar situation occurred again.
The sound of chairs shifting was heard in unison. They were swarmed by students once more.
But this time, it was different. It wasn't Alvin who became the main center of attention because of his face. This time, it was Kazien who became their target because of his stunning intelligence and his courage to reprimand a teacher.
The students who were previously afraid of him because of the incident on the academy field now looked at him with academic admiration. They crowded Kazien's desk with notebooks in hand, forgetting their fear for the sake of knowledge.
"Kazien! You were amazing earlier!"
"How did you calculate that so fast? Teach me!"
One of the students exclaimed representing the others while holding out his book: "Please teach us how to understand magic circle formulas!"