Feeling the wind rush past her, Valessandria urged her horse to move faster. It was difficult to believe that the Empire was making their move so quickly, considering the rapid approach of the next Overflow. The various powers needed to prepare to fight it, requiring massive amounts of manpower and resources.

To start a war, between the Kingdom and Empire, would be tantamount to suicide where no one ends up a winner.

She remembered the last Overflow that occurred during her childhood. Just like any girl, Valessandria was playing with her dolls, pretending to live in a palace with her prince charming.

The other children often made fun of her, telling her how ugly she was and what prince would ever want her. Tears began to emerge as she listened to the horrible things. Clutching her doll, thoughts of why they didn't like her went around in her mind.

As the other kids laughed and pointed, the sky rumbled and turned scarlet as if it were bleeding.

For the next couple of days, the villagers were all scrambling around, scaring her cause nobody was explaining what was happening. To this day, Valessandria still remembered the screams as monsters and demons crawled over their defenses and ate the villagers.

Pouring over, like a flood, invading the village and devouring anything that moved. Without warning, she was lifted up by her mother and taken to a hole that was created under the house.

Looking up at her mother, as she was lowered down, Valessandria still recalls her mother's face as she said, “My beautiful little girl, mommy will always love you. Remember, to live a happy life and meet someone special. Mommy is sorry that she can’t come with you, but she will always be watching over her special girl.”

The next thing she remembered was being draped in darkness and the terrified screaming of her mother.

“Lady Knight! We will be approaching Leaf village in a matter of minutes. With the forces we’ve gathered, many of them being students, I don’t know how much we’ll be able to help, aside from assisting in the evacuation.” William, her second in the disciplinary committee at the Academy.

Freed from the nightmare, she looked back at William and yelled, “We can at least buy the village precious time to escape from the forces sent by the Empire! Why do we receive such training and benefits, if not to lay down our lives for those unable to protect themselves! Now stop talking, unless you want to bite your tongue!”

William’s expression looked grim, thinking about the task ahead of them. All of them understood the likelihood of them surviving this encounter, considering how they were barely two hundred.

Valessandria cursed at how cowardly and indecisive the upper nobility was. When everyone learned that the Empire was invading them with a massive force, the nobles immediately thought of how to protect themselves.

Even after learning that the Empire was on a heading towards Leaf Village, a decently sized village, none of the nobles thought about the protection of the commoners living there.

Learning of this invasion force, Valessandria tried to convince the Student Council President to send help to the village. Though the academy was meant to a neutral power within the Kingdom, a place where both commoners and nobles were allowed to learn as long as they had the ability, how could they let such evil actions occur unchecked?

If compared to the size of the population in the capital, the academy would be about half the size. With all the departments that existed in this one location, they were able to be relatively self-sustaining. Having so many industries allowed for practical experience, letting students prepare themselves for work in the real world.

Knights that trained at the academy were often some of the best knights in the kingdom, even able to join the King’s personal forces.

Seeing that the Academy wasn’t going to anything, Valessandria gathered as many knights as possible and dashed towards Leaf village. Regardless of how many enemy soldiers there were, she would not abandon Leaf.

Off in the distance, she could see a huge sea of flames in front of the village. "Did the Empire already reach Leaf village and begun firing magic at it?!" Images of people screaming and covered in flames raced through her thoughts.

“Pick up the pace! It looks like the Empire has reached the village. When we reach the village, instead of engaging enemy forces we will help the residents with evacuating. Remember, we are knights of the Academy! Justice is on our side!” She yelled, trying to motivate those following her.

“OHHHHH!!!!” Her classmates cheered behind her, as they tried to keep pace.

Changing directions, they headed towards the entrance facing away from the attack. Urging their mounts to move faster.

A part of her was worried about whether their mounts would be able to continue, regardless of whether the horses were reared for their high stamina. The horses had nearly been ridden to the ground with how little they were allowed to rest during the trip. There weren't many replacement mounts so the few they had were used to give a few horses some time to recover.

Approaching the village and seeing residents mindlessly running, lit a fire in her to move faster. There were guards who were assisting people with loading belongings onto wagons.

Reaching them, she quickly dismounted and approached a guard who looked like he had authority. “I am Valessandria, the Lady Knight of Illumin Academic City. We have come to assist in the evacuation of the village. If possible, I would like a report of the current situation, so that I can properly distribute my men.”

Initially, the guard looked annoyed at being interrupted, but after Valessandria had introduced herself, his expression brightened.

From the looks of things, the guards desperately needed help. “Ma’am, we have successfully evacuated about a quarter of the village population. There are many businesses located here, and the various owners are keen on bringing along as many of their wares as possible.

This is occupying many of the guards, who could be assigned to different tasks.” The guard said, feeling frustrated by the shortsightedness of people, especially merchants who were more worried about their profits.

“What about that attack by the Empire forces? How many casualties were there?” Valessandria asked the guard.

“I do not know about such attacks; I am constantly getting conflicting reports about the enemy and none of the people I have sent out to confirm these reports have come back.” He answered.

“How could you not know about that?! We saw a sea of fire in front of the village, as we were coming here!” She exclaimed.

Turning to William, she ordered, “While I check on the status of that attack, I want you to begin assisting the villagers and getting them out of here."

Pointing at the struggling merchants loading up their wagons, Valessandria emphasized, "Do not, under no circumstance, support those foolish merchants. We are not here to help them save their inventory!”

Seeing William salute her, Valessandria headed out to where the attacks were sighted. Rushing through the streets, she saw many people following those who were in front of them.

Navigating her way past buildings and people, she was confused by the lack of damage to the buildings. She assumed that such spells would have spread fires and chaos but there wasn't anything. Nothing was adding up, and this made her nervous.

The size of the village made it so that it took quite some time to get where she needed to be. Reaching the entrance into the village, Valessandria pulled on the reins to make the horse stop. What she saw next didn't feel natural. Off in the distance, she saw the thousands of bodies, all belonging to the enemy soldiers.

Reeling in confusion, she had the horse start moving forward slowly. It wasn’t until she was closer did she notice a group of people making their way towards her.

Waiting for them to approach her, she tried to get a better handle on who they were. It didn't take long before she saw a man that looked to be about her age and several women.

On closer observations, the man had dark hair and a face that many would consider average and not memorable.

The women were definitely beautiful. One of them had long brown hair, with an oval face. Her body would be described as voluptuous, the kind that men would find desirable.

Next to her was a woman with white hair, looking like what many would consider a succubus to look like, a being that enticed men while they slept to invade their dreams. The way she walked indicated that she was someone who knew how to fight. Her outfit, similar to the others, was very revealing.

Next to the white-haired woman was a very innocent looking woman with reddish hair. She looked comparably younger, like someone’s younger sister. Her face was heart shaped and gave the feeling of someone you would want to take home and introduce to your parents. Though she didn’t give off an erotic feeling, like the other two, she did seem to fit with them.

“Identify yourselves!” She commanded them. It was suspicious that people happened to be walking in the presence of so many recently killed soldiers.

The man smiled at her, looking childish, and asked, “Is it not impolite to demand the identity of someone else, before introducing yourself?” Though he looked like someone of similar age, he felt like someone that had authority the way he carried himself.

Blushing in embarrassment, Valessandria said, “I am Valessandria, Lady Knight of Illumin Academic City." Pointing a thumb to her men on the other side, she said, "My forces and I have come in response to reports that the Empire was invading the Kingdom."

Putting a hand on her waist and tapping one of her feet, she said in a sterner voice, "Now, who are you all, and what happened here?” Clearly annoyed at not being given the information she requested.

“I am Han, and these are my companions. You no longer need to worry about the invading soldiers. They seemed to have been cleaned up." He gave a small smile as if he had said something clever. "Now… you mentioned an academic city?” The man said, sounding intrigued.

“What do you mean that I don’t need to worry about the soldiers? Where did they go? Did they change directions and head to another town or village?!” she demanded. Getting frustrated by how these people seemed to be so cavalier about being surrounded by the dead.

“As you can see, these are the men that you are talking about.” the man called Han informed her as if this was such an obvious thing.

Yawning, he said, “Now, I am feeling a little tired, so if you still have any questions you may ask me at the location, I am staying. We are staying at the fancy looking lodging here, so just ask the lady at the counter where we are, and I am sure that she will guide you.”

Out of nowhere, a carriage emerged from the black night appeared next to her, giving her a fright. Even more so the dragon that was pulling it. The creature was so silent, with how it moved, so she didn’t notice it until it had passed.

The reddish-haired woman moved to the vehicle and opened up the door, so the others could enter. After they were all out of sight into the carriage the reddish-haired woman glanced at her before entering and closing the door.

Speechless, Valessandria watched as the dragon circled back and headed towards the village.

Recovering from such a sight, Valessandria murmured, “Han… Do not expect you are done with me,” before heading back to the village to let her classmates know of the situation.

---------

As Han reached the third floor, Tom’s family and Elis were waiting for him. Rushing towards him, all of them began shooting out questions.

“My Lord, what is happening?! The village is in an uproar, and the hotel staff advised us to evacuate. When we talked to Elis, she told us that you told her everything was alright.” Tom sounded anxious about not knowing what to do.

“There is nothing to worry about. Everything has been handled, so you can just go back to your room.” Han told them.

“Based on some events, I may be checking out other parts of the Kingdom. Though our time has been short, I have enjoyed traveling with you. Hopefully, our paths will cross in the future.” He informed Tom and his family. Thinking about a city that is dedicated to academics, Han thought it might be interesting to visit.

They were initially surprised by this change of plans, Tom’s family looking saddened, but they didn’t argue with his decision. Considering their only connection was due to Han rescuing them, they understood that this would have eventually occurred.

Han looked at Elis, and asked, “If you are still interested, you are welcome to still travel with me.”

The only reason why Elis was with them was that Han had invited her to go with him, and leave that lackluster village. It would have been heartless of him to just abandon her due to a change in destination.

Elis bowed her head, and answered, “My Lord, I’m very appreciative for all you’ve done for me, but I will be declining your offer. I talked with Molly, and I will be helping out at their business." Giving him a dazzling smile, she added, "This would have never happened if you didn’t give me a hand, so I’m very grateful.”

“There’s no reason for you to feel thankful to me. I am glad that you have found something to chase towards.” Han told her.

Lifting his hand, he made a necklace appear that had a pendant with a star in the center. Giving the necklace over to her, he said, “If you ever need to reach me, just hold onto that pendant, and you’ll be able to speak to me.”

Visibly tearing up, Elis replied, “Thank you, my lord! I'll cherish this present!”

Speaking to Queen telepathically, he ordered her, “Queen, I want you to assign one of your creatures to look after her while hiding in the shadow. Have it report to you if anything suspicious happens around her.”

Though she had the pendant, there could be times where communication isn't feasible. Han didn’t like the idea of just leaving Elis behind after taking her out of her village. Having Queen's people look out for her would be more than enough, which eased his conscious.

Leaving them behind, he headed to his room, followed by Helania, Queen, Brittany, and the twins.

Since Elis was no longer traveling with them, Cindy and Mindy would be returning to their original duties.

Once he was inside, he looked at Cindy and Mindy and said, “The two of you can return to The Stronghold, and resume your original tasks.” Considering he already had Brittany with him, he didn’t see the need to have more people with him.

The two bowed their head in acknowledgment and slowly faded away like mist.

Sitting on one of the chairs in the room, Han faced the girls and said, “I am predicting that the Lady Knight will be here soon, after talking with her men. Since we do not have a predetermined destination, I thought it would be interesting to head to this academic city she mentioned.”

“Master, what will we doing at this Academic City?” Brittany asked him, hoping for clarity.

Han pondered this for a couple of moments, and replied, “We will have to see. From my memory, these types of locations should hold a lot of information about this world.

Also looking at the various tools that we have seen, I think it is likely that we will see some more interesting things. Maybe I will try pretending to be a student, and see what that life is like?”

“Will you want us to return to The Stronghold?” Helania asked, looking nervous.

Laughing, Han said, “how could I leave my beautiful girls, and run off to someplace else?”

It was adorable how they were worried he was going to run off by himself. The three of them relaxed once Han had let them know they would be coming along on the journey.

Depending on how the Lady Knight answered his questions, he would go about things differently.

Han spent the next hour just relaxing on the bed, contemplating varying ideas going through his mind when there was an expected knock on the door.

Brittany went to the door, to see who it was, and said, “Master, the Lady Knight is here for you.”

He gave a nod of his head, indicating to her that she should let their guest in.

Even though she was the one that sought them out, the air she gave off as she entered was someone with a large amount of pride for their position, not having any feelings of embarrassment for potentially disturbing them.

Considering he had anticipated this, he didn’t give it much thought and signaled for her to have a seat. Instead of getting up, he continued to lay with his back against the headboard, amused by the woman's attitude.

“I have come to request that you provide me the information that I sought after, earlier,” Valessandria demanded.

All three of the girl’s faces turned dangerously ugly after Valessandria made such demands on Han. A part of him considered having them knock Valessandria down a peg or two, but decided to play ignorant.

“I am unsure of what you are talking about. The things I stated earlier, are just an observation on my part. Regarding additional information, I do not believe I have anything that I could provide you with.”

“What were you doing there then?” She asked, sounding unconvinced that he didn’t have a hand in those dead imperial soldiers.

“I am just a mere magician, who lives within several days ride from here. My family and I have been in isolation for quite some time, so we are ignorant on many issues.” He responded simply. "Being at such a location was purely due to my being on a journey, to see how much the world had changed. I am about a day in front of the rest of my family, with my most trusted servants."

“Then did you have a chance to see what happened?” Valessandria pressed him.

Looking like he was pondering her question, Han answered, “I saw some flashes of light, so I, along with my servants, went to see what happened. When we chanced upon you, we were already on our way to return to our room to turn in for the night.”

He made it sound like such an obvious thing, and how silly she was being for questioning him.

Snapping his fingers as if remembering something, Han asked, “I do have a question related to this academic city you represent. What is it like and what types of activities occur there?”

By the way, her eyebrow lifted up in response to his request. Then her face relaxed some, and she said, “This is an odd question to ask, but considering you had mentioned your isolation, I will answer it.”

Looking like she was trying to calm herself, she continued. “Illumin Academic City is a place dedicated to various fields practiced throughout the world. The city itself is self-sustaining, so it has no allegiances to any foreign powers, either in or outside the Kingdom."

"A person does not need to be part of the academic side of the city to become a resident; many merchants and civilians are living within the walls. The city boast one of the lowest tax rates, so many merchants choose to locate their headquarters inside.” Valessandria said.

Nodding his head at her words, he inquired, “If one were interested going into the academic route, what are the requirements to do that?”

The idea of going to school in a magical world sounded kind of interesting, and the fact that this city was neutral would allow him to try things out in a contained environment.

“We do have multiple tiers for various ages, which go over different topics. Depending on your abilities and age, we would place you in the appropriate placement. Would this be for you or someone that you know?” She explained.

Shaking his head, Han said, “This would be for my son. I have been homeschooling him, but now I wish for him to gain experience in the new world.”

Of course, he didn’t have a son, either here or on Earth, but considering his power it would be interesting to try going through the whole education system all over again inside a fantasy world.

Valessandria looked to be considering this, saying, “Fortunately for you, we will soon be accepting new students. In a few days, we will be opening up for assessment, so all your son would need to do is pass the examination portion.”

“Due to him being isolated, I worry about how others will interact with him. To help him adjust better; I would like to send these women with him, to help ease myself and my wife's concerns. Would this be an issue?” He asked, trying to make it seem like a natural thing, especially for a parental figure.

She looked hesitant but then said, “We do have nobles that bring along servants, but there is a significant premium to have people stay with them.

Having servants, especially more than one, would require you to live in the housing units, instead of the dormitory. All this together would increase the yearly tuition, for your son.” She said.

Valessandria looked like she didn’t want to accuse them of being poor, but didn’t want to mislead them. Though she did initially look arrogant, it was apparent that Valessandria was a kind person at heart.

“So this wouldn’t be an issue?” He asked smiling.

“As head of the disciplinary division of the student council, I can assure you that the information I provided is factual. In the academic part of the city, the Student Council has the final say on decision making.

Even a King wouldn’t be able to overrule our decisions, which is what makes us so unique.

You will need to pay ahead of time, to help reserve on of the housing units and placement of the number of servants you will be bringing. This figure can be changed, but you will need to pay a proportional fee.” She explained.

Seeing that this didn't perturb Han, she said, “the reservation fee would be twenty gold coins, with a total cost of sixty gold coins per year.”

“Would I be able to pay the total amount right now?” He asked, nonchalantly.

Looking at Brittany, he commanded, “Bring out my money chest, from the safe, and give her a bar.” Inside of his room was a magical safe, designed to protect valuables. Unbeknownst to Valessandria, Han made a chest with platinum bars.

Brittany walked to the safe, which wasn’t even locked, and opened it, revealing a secure looking chest, though this too wasn’t locked.

Casually placing it on the table, Brittany opened up the chest and pulled out a platinum bar. Taking the bar, she held it up for Valessandria to take. The moment Valessandria saw how many platinum bars were inside the chest, her eyes bulged out in amazement. With shaking fingers, she took the bar and just held it in front of her.

Valessandria’s head jerkily turned to look at Han, and her expression told him that she didn’t know what was happening.

In a teasing voice, Han said, “I do hope that will cover everything?

We belong to an old family that travels all over, so we tend not to have currency unique to the region we go to. If there are any issues, please let me know, and I will remedy them.” To mess with her, he purposefully made it sound like everyone carried around a chest full of platinum bars.

He knew that a platinum coin was worth a thousand gold coins, so a bar of platinum would be worth several thousand gold coins. Thinking of how disorderly her thoughts must be, he tried to hold in his laughter.

By making them into bars, instead of coins, Han insinuated that his “family” was highly influential. When she went back to the city, she would most likely inform the Student Council of this event.

"How would they react to this?" Han grinned inside.

“Y-y-yes!! Th-th-there are n-no issues!” Her voiced slightly squeaked and stuttered. This was a typical reaction to seeing such wealth being casually tossed around.

“If there are no other issues, I look forward to my son attending your school. I hope that you will treat him well.” He said to the shaking and twitching Lady Knight.

“OF COURSE!” She yelled out nervously.

“I will make sure that this is correctly received! Please, have a good rest!” Stepping backward until she reached the door, she then bowed and walked out, while Brittany was keeping it open.

Once the door was shut, he transferred the room into a separate dimension, so no one would be able to listen in on their conversation. He then turned to the girls, who all had a similar look.

Helania said, looking bewildered, “Master, you do not have a son.”

The other two nodded their heads, in agreement.

“HAHAHAHA! Yes, Helania, I do not have an offspring.” He acknowledged.

He then casually thought of himself looking like a sixteen-year-old kid, and stated, “But they do not know that. I thought it would be entertaining for me to see what it was like going to school in this world.”

Helania, Queen, and Brittany had a look of understanding, as they learned what Han was aiming for. Though their Master surpassed anything in this world, they knew that he fancied doing whatever he wanted and so they were more than happy to accommodate him.

“Now that I look like a young adult, I wonder if the three of you would be willing to come over and spoil me?” He tried to look naive in his request.

Helania, Queen, and Brittany began to disrobe themselves gradually. With the clothes on the floor, the three of them gracefully sashayed over resembling predators stalking their prey.

Queen reached him first and said, “Master, you look so delightful now that I want to eat you up. Please allow this older sister to defile you.”

She crawled on the bed towards him, looking like a leopard, and pulled slowly on his pants, causing his erect penis to spring out. Opening her mouth with her tongue sticking out, she slowly welcomed it inside, like a boa constrictor the way her throat opened up.

Start of Sexual/Mature Content - For those 21+ years old

To enjoy the adult scene between Han, Helania, Queen, and Brittany, click HERE to head over to the site. The scene is clearly marked to make it easier to find.

Sorry for any inconvenience. - Neosquall20022000 (Author of "Creation: The Path of a God")

End of Sexual/Mature Content - For those 21+ years old

The night passed as the three of them continued and eventually ended with Brittany sleeping on top of him, resting her head on his chest, while Helania and Queen were cuddling on either side of him.

Enjoying the smell of them and the feel of their body, he turned his head to see their smiling and content smiles before closing his eyes to sleep.

-------

Changing back to his original form, Han said his goodbyes to Elis and everyone else. All of them thanked him for what he had done, and let him know they hoped to see him in the future.

Stopping by the counter and talking to the lady, he made sure that Elis and the others could stay there as long as they wanted.

Most likely, Tom and everyone would be leaving Leaf Village once his task was completed, and head back to his home.

Han left behind a platinum bar, for the owner to give to Elis. it was obvious that Elis wouldn’t accept such a large sum of money, so he figured by leaving it with the woman, Elis would have to accept it.

Once outside, Andrea was waiting with the carriage. With the directions he was provided, about the location of the city, he let Andrea so she would know to expect his "son's" arrival.

Inside the carriage, Han had Brittany bring them several breakfast dishes. When it comes to breakfast, there was nothing like fluffy scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, and juicy sausages.

Though it was originally planned for him to try out the dishes of this world, it was troublesome for him considering how delightful the food was. The justification given to himself was that he was looking forward to seeing the city, so they didn’t get breakfast at one of the many restaurants in the village.

“Master, how long will the journey to the Academic City be?” Helania asked him, between mouthfuls.

Even though all the girls had large appetites, they didn’t seem to gain any weight and kept their stunning figures.

Bringing up a map, Han pointed at their current position and then to Academic City. “Based on how far away the location is, and our current pace, we should be there in a few days, just in time for examinations.

Though we could get there in a day and a half if we had the dragon go full speed, which an ordinary person would be able to go if they constantly changed horses. I think it may be better for us to take our time. Considering they don’t even open up, for a new student, until a few days from now, there would be nothing to gain if we arrive there too early."

----------

Though Valessandria was planning on allowing everyone to rest for a day, the fact that she received such a significant amount of money made her anxious.

If others knew that she was carrying a bar of platinum, it would no doubt cause her to be targeted by not only by bandits. This would not only put her men in danger, but also risk putting a smear on the Academy's reputation.

Not wanting to put her classmates in additional danger, she thought it prudent that they head back immediately.

When William asked her why they were departing so soon, she made an excuse about something coming up that required her attention. Based on how he looked at her, he didn’t believe that this was the case but knew she had a good reason for not telling him after seeing that she was under some kind of pressure.

Looking back at her men, Valessandria could see that they were exhausted from the hard ride to Leaf Village and having to head back so soon. Though she felt sorry about the circumstance, she knew that they would concede to such measures. Those that went with her had a strong sense of duty, and wouldn’t let such a minor thing as sleep get in the way.

--------

They had been traveling without stopping, so when they viewed Illumin Academic City, there was an audible but weary cheer. Seeing the city meant that they would be able to get much-needed rest.

Once they entered the city, they would be able to go back to their dorms and rest. Due to having to go to Leaf village, many of them had to skip out on classes and other obligations, but that could be put off till the next day.

In front of the city was a team of guards, maintaining an eye on those entering and departing the city. With the resources that were generated within the city, they could bear to have an entire platoon appointed to guard the entrance.

The guards formed a battalion, with four companies inside of it. Each company was assigned a distinct task to safeguard the city.

There was the City Wall Company, Peace-Keeper Company, Academic Company, and Information Company. Each company was composed of four platoons, where usually three were on duty while the third was resting. The platoons were made up of four squads, each one taking a quarter of the day.

With this composition, there was continually someone from each company doing their designated roles.

“Lady Knight, we are glad that you have returned intact. The Student Council President was troubled about you and told us to keep an eye out.

He had also requested that when you returned, we should notify you are summoned by the Student Council. When we witnessed you near the city, we had assigned a runner to inform the Council. They will be awaiting your arrival.” The squad leader informed her, trying not to feel daunted.

As the Lady Knight, she enforced the edicts and ordinances within the academy, but considering how the Student Council was the ruling authority of the city, she also had the control of the military forces. Even the commander of the guards had to heed what she said, or risk being deposed.

A heavy sigh escaped and Valessandria said, “I understand. Thank you, for your hard work.”

There was no helping being ordered to stand in front of the Student Council. She had gone against what the Student Council had announced and taken cherished students to go off on a suicide mission.

Also, she and the Student Council President often quarreled on a variety of topics, even more so when elections were approaching. Recognizing the responsibilities of the Student Council President, where he had to balance the various governments to maintain their neutrality and keep the interests of the students in mind.

The benefit of her role was enforcing what the Council said and not much else.

While the students that came with her went off to their individual dorms and houses, William and Valessandria had their horses proceed towards the large tower in the heart of the city.

The tower, where the Student Council handled its affairs, was one of the first things that could be observed as someone neared the city.

No one knew when or how the tower was created, but the tower had withstood various cataclysmic events. There were not many structures in this world that were as timeless as the tower.

As Valessandria progressed through the outer city, where many of the civilians and merchants lived, she was continually greeting those who called out to her. With her background as a commoner, many regarded her as an inspiration and praised how she was able to achieve her position.

The other stations on the Council were held by those that were a member of the nobility. Even though the city alleged not to have a division between those who came from nobility and those who didn’t, many nobles still made a big deal about their lineage. Compared to other countries, inside Illumin many nobles would spend time in prison cells for committing offenses.

In other nations, the nobility would get away with criminal and civil acts, but inside of this city, the Peace-Keeper Company did an exceptional job at punishing those who infringed upon the law.

There was a slight quality contrast when someone entered the center ring, where the academy was located, due to nobles having slightly more prestige.

Since a lot of the city’s revenues came from students, the Council would often be more tolerant if the offender was from the nobility.

This caused her no end of frustration, with how her job was to make sure that this wasn’t the case. The dilemma was that she was the only commoner on the council, so her view was often drowned out by the other members.

Though she may not be able to lock up a noble, there were other means she could rely on. This came in the forms of fines and stipulations, where she would not allow the nobles to have access to their retainers for however many days.

Reaching the innermost circle, there was a large gate where only students were permitted to pass through. The squad that was part of the Academic Company and a squad of the Disciplinary Committee were both monitoring the identification cards of the students. Even though there was plenty of things to do inside of the academy, students would go out into the outer ring to enjoy numerous activities.

One of the members of the Disciplinary Committee noticed her approaching, and barked out, “All attention, the Lady Knight!”

Both squads ceased what they were doing and formed rows to present themselves. The gate was opened, and she was able to pass through.

When it came to the gate, there was the main entrance and side gate, which was for students. The main entrance was used for those in more distinguished positions entering the academy.

As she passed by the students, multiple girls called out her name in an attempt to get her attention. For some reason, Valessandria had a fan club comprised of only women that would greet her.

Shops inside and outside of the academy would market posters, displaying her golden hair and striking blue eyes. Compared to other girls her age, she had a more mature body which got her attention from both boys and girls.

Due to her childhood in the village, Valessandria never acknowledged herself to be beautiful and thought that she was dull looking. She thought that the attention largely derived from her post as head of the Disciplinary Committee.

Going through the gates led her to the residential section of the academy. Nearly a quarter of the inner circle was assigned to the residential area. The first two-thirds of the section was given to dormitories, where usually the commoners lived. With the last third of the section, this portion was devoted to housing, where many of the nobles lived.

Continuing down the main road, there were a lot of shops targeted at students. Approaching the center, the quality and style would see a notable improvement, catering to those who had wealth.

The housing units were spaced out and looked luxurious. Valessandria could see the larger homes that were assigned to the Student Council members. These houses looked equivalent to those occupied by the nobility in other countries, where servants would cater to the demands of such people.

Arriving at the tower, she dismounted and handed the reins to one of the servants. Entering the tower, she still marveled at how lovely it all looked. There were high ceilings with chandeliers dangling from the ceiling.

When you entered the tower, the first thing noticed are the various departments with their counter. Students are regularly seen waiting to talk with the person on duty, and depending on the department, they would sometimes turn in assignments, tokens given for completing various tasks, paperwork to enter the department, or changing to a different department.

This part of the tower was continuously looked busy, regardless of the time of day.

Stepping up the stairs, in the center of the tower, she reached the second floor, where various practice rooms were located. Though each department had a practice area for those to improve their crafts, the rooms located within the tower had superior quality for students to use.

Once she was on the second floor, she went to the elevators where she could reach the top of the tower.

If you needed, you could walk the full length of the tower but reflecting that the tower had a hundred floors, walking was not advised.

You could sometimes see someone running the full length of stairs for stamina building, but those types were in the minority. The conventional method was to take the elevator.

The floors were subdivided into various sections, the first being for students, the second for the Academic Company, the third for the Disciplinary Committee, the fourth for the Treasury Committee, the fifth for the Records Committee, the sixth for the Public Relations Committee, the seventh for the Vice President, and the eighth for the President.

At the very top, this floor was reserved for the Student Council to gather and examine various issues. Every student was entitled to access the first floor of each section after the first section, which was open to all students. Entry into the last level was only granted if you had a Student Council ID card, which you obtained admittance to by swiping the ID over a mana crystal.

Swiping her card, Valessandria felt the elevator surge upwards to the top. When the doors opened, she stepped off and saw an area that would fit in most palaces.

The floor was formed out of marble, and there were polished granite columns all throughout the floor. Illumination for the floor came from large mana crystals. There were rare plants arranged in visually appealing locations, keeping the appearance of extravagance alive.

There was a marble counter where several secretaries were submissively waiting. They made sure that only those with permission entered this floor.

Though they looked beautiful, each one of them was part of an elite force that answered only to the Student Council President. It was a gap of beauty and lethality that made her shudder sometimes.

“Welcome, Lady Knight. The Student Council is awaiting your presence.” One of the secretaries told her not bothering to look.

Apathetic towards the treatment, she walked towards one of the arches on either side of the counter.

Strolling down a long hallway, Valessandria reached an imposing door which opened when she got near. Going through the doorway, she observed a long crescent table with the members of the Student Council sitting in each of their particular seats.

Overhead each of the members was a flag, with the individual member’s symbol. As the leader of the Disciplinary Committee, her symbol was a sword and gavel, both pointing towards the sky, with a wolf’s head in the center.

The gavel and sword represented the Committee's devotion towards pursuing justice, despite the dangers, and the wolf’s head declared their loyalty to the Council since wolves were deemed to be noble and loyal animals.

Instead of walking to her seat, she presented herself in front of the table where all the members could view her. Valessandria understood that she went against orders, and wasn’t here as part of the Council.

Immediately in front of her, Valessandria could see the President, Nathanial. With both palms together, Nathanial was resting his head on his thumbs. He usually looked like this when he was disappointed about something.

“Do you understand why you are standing before the Council?” Nathanial asked.

Taking a deep breath, she answered, “Yes. I went against the commands of the Council and took students to Leaf Village to fight the soldiers sent by the Empire.”

Other members started murmuring amongst themselves, at how audacious Valessandria was behaving. The way she acted, it was as if she didn’t do anything wrong and thought this whole matter was trivial.

“Please clarify, why did you do this. You know, before going there, there was nothing that you could do. Illumin is a neutral territory, and we do not get involved in the affairs of the Kingdom! With your activities, you could have jeopardized what we have achieved for hundreds of years!” Nathanial criticized her.

“It is a fact that the Kingdom was more focused on protecting themselves, instead of thinking about those living in the village. I could not, in good conscience, let that village be forfeited." She said, not letting herself get emotional.

"I know what I did was wrong, and I am willing to submit to whatever discipline the Council deems is justified.” She answered.

As an afterthought, Valessandria said, “While I am here, I would like to present this to the Treasurer. I was given this by a parent of a student, but the material received is...” She left it unfinished, knowing they would understand.

Walking up to the Treasurer, she laid the platinum bar in front of the Treasurer.

“The father is named Han, and his son will be staying in one of the housing units. The boy will be bringing along servants, though the number is unknown. Considering the amount he has paid up front, I would advise the largest house we have, aside from our own, be presented.”

The Treasurer, Alice, had her jaw open the instant she saw the bar. When she realized her jaw was open, she collected herself and said, “Y-yes. I think that would be the best course of actions. Considering you have met the father, I urge that you meet with the boy when he comes."

"I will arrange everything so that it is ready when he arrives. Since we are starting exams the day after today, it may be a bit tight, but I think I will have everything settled.” Alice finished.

When Valessandria walked back to where she was standing, the other members were gawking at her in astonishment. Who would have conceived that her going to fight would land them a student of considerable wealth?

Looking a lot calmer, Nathanial placed his hands on the table and said, “This is very surprising. Though you did violate the Council's decision, in light of recent developments, we will state that your discovery cancels out your disobedience. There will be no disciplinary claims charged so that you may continue your duties.”

Bowing her head, Valessandria walked to her seat and sat down. Many of the members were still watching her, either in respect or unbelief of how she was able to evade punishment.

“Since you were at Leaf Village, the Council would desire for you to give your report on what occurred. How many of the villagers were killed and how many were able to evacuate?” Nathanial asked.

“My force and I reached the village right when the soldiers had sent a large number of fire-related spells at the village. We initially thought there were going to be a great many casualties, but when entering the village, I discovered no such events to have occurred." She said, nodding in understanding at the puzzled looks by the other members.

"Aside from the villagers running away from the attack, there was no damage to the village itself.”

This caused an uproar and soon some of them were demanding for an answer.

Ignoring the commotion, she continued, “As I made my way through the village and reached the entrance facing away from the capital, I saw the bodies of thousands of enemy troops."

"As I got closer, I could not ascertain what happened. This is where I met Han, the father of the student that will be arriving here. I investigated the matter and was incapable to learn anything more. Briefly interviewing some of the villagers, I discovered that no one had seen what happened after the large explosion."

"This is understandable considering most of the people were focused on surviving the onslaught. Proceeding to where Han was staying, I talked with him some more and was unable to get further information out of him." Her shoulders slumped thinking about the exchange.

"After my questions, he asked me about enrolling his son and gave me that bar,” Valessandria said, pointing at the platinum in front of Alice.

Though initially, there were members who clamored about the validity of the story, after listening to her, they couldn’t find anything wrong with her statement.

The only unusual thing was how the Empire’s forces were defeated, but considering how she accepted the amount that she did they agreed to why she returned so quickly.

Even if an invasion force from the Empire was big news, it nevertheless only affected the Kingdom and not them. Many students originated from the Empire, so they didn’t fret about being attacked without warning. If they were attacked, they had an ample amount of defensive power to hold out for support from other nations.

Afterward, the Council discussed minor issues and the arrangements for the new students coming in. Once they were finished addressing these topics, the President ended the meeting and dismissed them.

As each of them moved to the elevators, Alice cornered Valessandria and asked, “What was this man, Han, like? Considering how wealthy he was, I am sure there would be something exceptional about him?”

Being the treasurer, Alice often equated a person’s worth by their economic power. This was an acceptable flaw in her personality, and why she was so good at her job.

“I guess you would call him an attractive person. He had long dark brown hair and eyes, which were brilliant and seemed like they could see right through a person." Valessandria said, moving away from Alice.

"As I stated earlier, his face was fairly handsome though it was pretty forgettable. When I first met him, he told me that he was a simple magician. I don’t know what kind of abilities a magician has, but I’m assuming he can wield magic. Maybe where he comes from mages are called magicians?"

"His servants were beautiful, to the point where even women would find themselves attracted to them. He also seemed like someone who was used to wielding power.” Valessandria summed up her description of Han.

While she was telling Alice, Alice looked like she was trying to retain all the information. “If you are contemplating the pursuit of him, I would advise against it. Considering how elegant his servants are, his wife is probably striking and far surpasses you.” She tried to warn her friend.

Flinging her hair back, Alice said, “My family is a prominent family, with a long history. I can also be viewed to be one of the top beauties in the Empire, with many nobles desiring me.

"If this man is as marvelous as you say, it would not hurt to look into his background more. I am sure that I will be able to enthrall him.” Alice smirked.

Though Alice was her friend, Valessandria sometimes found Alice's ego to be grating. The difficulty was that most nobles thought alike as her, so it was something she had to get used to.