Spirit Soul

To register at the academy, Kyle and the others first had to search for the exact building from a large number of building complexes where the Glory Knight academy was located.

This was quite easy as the main building of the academy was the second-largest complex in Mylian with the biggest being the Queen's palace!

It towered several tens of meters above the ground, and Kyle couldn't help but recall the pictures of schools in the modern era of his past life that looked similar to the scene in front of him.

The familiar quadratic build that had no charm but lots of practical usages was clearly visible.

Only with the use of a nice whitish-gray color that originated from the used materials in addition to large glass windows did the large building complex gain a better aesthetic view in his opinion.

Thus, he tilted his head while approaching the building, and realized that the campus was designed around the main building which was a large 'L' with the other smaller buildings being located all around the open space close to it.

There were places that looked like a gym, parkours, and even a swimming pool which made Kyle wonder whether the Glory Knight academy was truly for training purposes of a Cultivator, or for athletes to train for a triathlon.

He smiled lightly, and upon seeing his expression that seemed relaxed and void of any tension, Beatrice and Yasmine calmed down visibly.

They had been worried that Kyle would feel uncomfortable with the glaring gazes and the murderous intentions that loomed all over him.

But that was not the case, and he was relaxed while walking through the crowded park that surrounded the academy's buildings.

"Are there always so many people present before the new term?" Beatrice wondered in confusion.

It was only obvious for her to be confused.

After all, she had never attended school, and couldn't understand the mindset of many parents, let alone youths filled with dreams and ambitions.

"You can say so. If I remember correctly, most races, including the Lohar, feel like schools and academic degrees are very important. That means every graduate from the Glory Knight academy can be considered a prodigy within the Lahin kingdom.

And that too just by graduating!

Because of that, youths of various ages have been trying to get admitted in the prestigious academy for the new terms for several years until they reach the maximum number of applications one is allowed to have, or they cross another condition, such as being too old.

Only through special permits, it would be possible for them to enter by then.

As such, what you are currently seeing are Lohars of the younger generation who are trying to apply for the new terms. For that, they need to undergo numerous tests that test their physical strength, their cultivation of talent, their knowledge, understanding, special traits, and so on.

In the end, only a few hundreds are likely to be accepted, maybe more."

Kyle could say a lot more about the schooling system, which the Lohars seemed to have implemented.

After all, he was pretty sure that they used the same or a very similar system as it was the common standard in his past life.

Countless races had used the same schooling method, which was rigid and followed some old traditions that made it seem as if youths with a specific degree were better than others.

As a former scholar, Kyle understood that degrees were important pieces of evidence to show that one had really received certain lessons.

Thus someone with a forging degree was deemed as more competent than a blacksmith without a forging degree, even if the forged goods were to be of the same quality.

As such, Kyle could only smile bitterly while walking through the rows of anxious parents.

They were all staring at the front, trying to spot their child amongst all others who were applying for the grading test that could possibly change their future path.

After applying for the grading test, they were allowed to enter the lands of the academy, where every single test would be completed.

Yasmine knew of the Lahin kingdom's teaching system as it was comparable to that of the Anadra kingdom's.

It was still different, but they had quite a few specific similarities.

But even then, she had never expected so many Lohars to be eager to apply to the Glory Knight academy.

Not only was it really expensive to go to the academy, but it was an open secret that the nobility would harass and bully commoners if they were to be accepted into the rows of the talented!

As such, instead of entering a paradise for students, some commoners were bound to encounter mental harassment upon exceeding some nobles in terms of talent and overall progress.

Yasmine had seen and heard of something like this more than a few times, giving her the chills and an innate discomfort about academies, schools, and universities.

However, with Kyle and Beatrice by her side, she was ready to come out of her shell and grew curious about what exactly was going to happen.

It made her excited, to the point, where she was restlessly fiddling her fingers while approaching the gates to the academy.

Yet, with time, her expression worsened as it took them not only three hours to reach the concerned authority to process their application, but the stares that lingered on them turned more hostile the more time they spent there.

She was not a Lohar, and didn't expect anyone to accept her with open arms. At least, not in the Lahin kingdom.

But even then, Yasmine couldn't help but feel angry at the others instead of Kyle as he was even subjected to ridicule and swearing by numerous elderly Lohar, who wished their kids, grandchildren, and other families good luck for the application.

They didn't see the blood emblem on his chest, or simply didn't care about it, and just decided to vent out their frustration at Kyle just because the Yaldras race looked similar to the Aldra race.

Even their names were nearly the same, giving Kyle a huge headache.

In the end, he decided to simply ignore their taunts and leering as well as possible, only to retort when it would cross the limit.

And Kyle knew that it would become ugly once they were to go too far as he had great patience and an even greater anger management skill that would make him explode only after reaching the bottleneck.

As such, he calmly stood in front of the young female Lohar, handing over the special invitation letters they had received before pulling back his hand once again.

While patiently waiting for her to process everything, Kyle noticed that the female Lohar's eyes widened upon seeing the names 'Silvermoon' and 'Grace', which referred to Alice and her master.

Throwing a short glance at the three existences that were the most prestigious in the crowd of Lohars, she quickly averted her gaze once again before completing everything.

"There is no need for you to undergo any tests. The testimony we have received is enough. Congratulation on enrolling at the Glory Knight academy's Special class for foreign races."

Smiling lightly, the young female welcomed them to the academy and didn't seem to show them any hostility.

This was unexpected as Kyle had predicted that everyone would loathe him, at least a little bit for looking like a being of the race that brought them lots of agony.

But the young Lohar didn't seem to mind looking at him.

Not even her expressions changed causing Kyle to smile lightly, making him think that his first term in the Glory Knight academy might not be as bad as imagined.

Bowing his head slightly towards the Lohar, he retrieved the special letter of invitation.

"Is there a booth or some place where we can get to know the rules of the academy, and the things we have to pay attention to?"

He asked with a smile, ready to leave upon receiving an answer.

Yet, his question and the fact that he was occupying the young Lohar longer than truly needed caused the other Lohar students behind him to frown.

Some of them had once again started to curse him.

But this time, Kyle could only smile at their whispered curses, feeling that their inferiority complex was kicking in.

Not only were they far uglier but their talent and confidence was something that Kyle's appearance and prowess could crush at any moment.

"You will need to wear a uniform now that you have enrolled at the academy. So I guess, it would be best if you go and meet the Head of the academy's council.

He should be in charge of the Elemental affinity grading station. There are not that many students with elemental affinities, so he won't be that busy, I guess!"

Happy about having received such a detailed answer, Kyle bowed once again before bidding the female Lohar farewell.

After walking away from her, he entered the lands of the academy, and looked ahead, only for Beatrice and Yasmine to eye the young Lohar behind them.

She continued with her work but threw a single glance towards Kyle before the corners of her lip curled upward into a smile.

This caused the two women to knit their brows as Yasmine asked the question Beatrice had in her mind,

"She won't have a crush on you, and lead to unnecessary trouble because some nobles might like her, which would make them hate you, right?!"

Kyle just shook his head when he heard the doubtful voice of Yasmine.

He was not sure what was on her mind, but when his gaze flicked over to Yasmine, he could also see that Beatrice was nodding her head, agreeing to what the little halfling had just asked.

This caused Kyle to ignore them, feeling that they were just overthinking before heading towards the direction of the Elemental affinity grading station…or so he had planned.

"Looks like her detailed description was not all that detailed. Where the hell is we supposed to find the Elemental affinity grading station?!" Beatrice asked, exaggerating their issue a little bit.

Glancing toward her, Kyle couldn't help but shake his head at her unnecessary drama.

'It's not like this is a big problem, little vampire.' He thought, before using his Nurture ability to see the hues of the living.

Beatrice might not be a vampire, but most of her characteristics such as the need for blood, and her appearance were very similar to the well-known folklore of vampires.

As such, he liked to compare her to a blood-sucking vampire in his mind, even if he didn't dare to say it out loud.

Thus, after ignoring her comment, Kyle walked ahead, while turning his head in all directions.

He was searching for the specific hue around elemental affinity seeds.

The direction of most elemental affinity seed hues was likely to be the building he was looking for.

As such, Kyle spent a minute before perceiving several hues that seemed suitable.

"Let's go, I think I found it!" He exclaimed, causing Beatrice to frown as she understood that Kyle didn't feel like answering her questions.

However, it was just at this moment that she smelled something causing her to halt in her tracks.

At the very same moment, Kyle sensed a familiar hue that grew denser.

It was to the right of the direction he planned to go in, causing him to squint his eyes as he mumbled,

"What the…are there really thugs in school?! What are these nobles trying to do? Steal the lunch money of a commoner? Are they nuts?"