"There once lived a man, born to a mortal but blessed with powers divine. Conjuring the Infernos of Flames, he dispelled the darkness plaguing our star. As a reward for his efforts, the gods granted him a Holy Stone—the Crystal, which he was to guard at all costs, for it would become the cornerstone of his divine rule and bane of the scourges of his lands."
***
Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy was the whole name of the Great Academy of the Atlesian Dominion. Albeit, for most of the time, it was being called either Alsius Military Academy or Thors Military Academy.
The entire campus of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy was located far from the main city of the Atlas, in the wilderness of the Floating Island. The name of the Floating Island itself, upon which the entire City of Atlas was built, was Ionia.
Over time, as time progressed, the Floating Island of Ionia was expanded by many generations of Mages who were using their Magic to actually expand the landmass of the entire island and make it more sturdy and durable.
After obtaining the Citizenship and Noble Title, Maschenny informed Ardyn that she would be returning to the Academy. He himself was coming there only a few days later, because he still had some things that he needed to handle.
One of them was claiming the benefits of being the Grand Knight, especially one at age 17, as it seemed that the biological age of his body was seventeen years old. Technically speaking, he would need to undergo the Special Admission Exams to get into the Alsius Thors Academy.
Because of his condition of knowing not much about Remnant, much less having enough knowledge to get admitted into one of the most prestigious institutions in the entirety of the Remnant, he was taking the Special Admission Exam.
This was allowed because of his special condition, and the fact that he was Grand Knight at the age of seventeen certainly helped tremendously. He didn't know what the Special Admission Exam would entail, nor was Maschenny actually allowed to say something about it.
But before the exam time, which would be in several days, Ardyn now headed directly from the clothing store to the Department of Nobles and Aristocrats to claim the benefits of being a Dominion Aristocrat.
On the Lien Cards that he obtained were several million in Lien, so technically speaking, he was pretty rich. Or rather richer than most commoners or some pretty poor nobles, but it still wasn't really a lot.
He was dressed in a black trench coat and pinstripe trousers. He also wore a red scarf and a hooded, gray and white flower-print mantle, because the weather was rather cold in Ionia, but not as much as around the rest of Solitas.
Even though there were several Weather Control Wards around the entirety of the island, they were not really actively making the island warmer, because it would seriously harm the enviroment, so the natural inhabitants of the island were still pretty cold.
On the top of his head was a stylish black fedora, as he copied the clothes that he wore in his time as the Chancellor of the Niflheim Empire. He had to admit that the clothes looked pretty stylish and were rather eccentric, amid the rather modest and conservative Atlesian fashion.
When he arrived at the already familiar, his two Gyrinxes trottled after him lazily as both animals preferred to stay back at the hotel, where he was staying right now. As it seemed, the Dominion Aristocrats could stay in certain hotels for free of charge.
Another of the privileges that one obtained.
Just yesterday, Ardyn, on Maschenny's advice, unlocked the Aura of both Maahes and Bastet, so they could grow more powerful and assist him in combat. Not to mention, the Aura would protect his two felines if something went wrong and they were targeted during the combat.
He didn't linger long at the Department of Atlesian Domion Junker Aristocracy and Bloodline Nobility, as he still had a lot of chores to do. This also reminded him that he really needed servants or someone who would be doing these problematic and odd jobs for him.
Sirius Grey was someone who couldn't even leave the house without two servants and oversight of the entire company of bodyguards. Ardyn Izunia, on the other hand, wasn't used to handling such menial tasks by himself, because he always had tons of people who would do that in his place.
'I obtained a rather lot of things from my Grand Knight Title... the Department of Nobles and Aristocrats was really generous in this one.'
Ardyn looked at the things that he obtained; he was pretty satisfied.
As the benefits of obtaining the 3rd-Class Knighthood of the Atlesian Dominion, a person was awarded with:
1st - One-time financial stipend of 25 million Lien
2nd - C-Grade Pocket
3rd - C-Grade Arms Inventory
4th - Workshop Ticket for C-Grade Weapon
5th - Luxurious Penthouse Located in the Aristocratic District of Atlas
And these were just the monetary or material rewards. He was rather surprised by the fact that they even gave him Arms Inventory, because those were pretty precious things... from what he heard from Maschenny, Inventories of any kind were rare.
Even she herself obtained only a D-Grade Inventory.
Inventory was one of the major kinds of "Inventories" that existed in the Remnant. It was a combination of Magical Engineering, Technology, and ancient Spells. It was used for storing one's weapons, so the Huntsmen or Mages didn't need to carry their weapons with them all the time.
It also had greater advantages compared to the standart Dimensional Storage, because when one summoned Inventory, it was instantly ready, and one could choose from the weapons inside.
Similar to a Pocket, it has a Visible Mode and an Invisible Mode.
'Now I understand why she wanted to recruit me so hard... it seems that if one is already Grand Knight and participates in the Imperial Smelting Trial, they could take two retainers with them to the Trail... basically lawfully breaking the limit of participants in one team, which is 7 Members...'
He now understood how the rules of Atlas were technically skewed to favour the Junker Aristocrats... but also considering how strict the Junker Aristocracy requirements were in Atlasian Dominion, and he also managed to see several tens of cases of people being stripped of their Title and some even outright executed.
He understood that everything was based on merit, power, and talent.
If someone obtained the Grand Knight Title at such a young age, it meant that their potential was staggeringly high. Such a person was certainly worth cultivating, and thus, they created a rule that benefited those people.
These rules were not only created to benefit those people but also to motivate them to work harder and rise in the social ladder, which would also mean that, at the same time, they would become more powerful.
For an old fox like Ardyn, he needed only a few days to obtain a complete and relatively deep understanding of the Atlesian society. One could say that everything in the Atlesian Dominion was about Power, Merit, Magic and Bloodline Lineage.
He read that it wasn't impossible for one to rise to a point where they could establish a new Great House. The last case of such a thing happened only a few centuries ago, during the great turmoil, with some of the greatest Grimm incursions happening and Faunus strifes breaking everywhere.
The youngest of the Great Families in Atlas, and in truth, among all the Great Families together.
The Schnee Family.
Established single-handedly by Nicolas Schenne, Titled as the Holy Saint Winter Summoner, as he was known across the Remnant. The man who was a peerless Runemaster, Sorcerer, and Anima to the point where he was a one-man army with his Summons that numbered in tens of thousands, according to the rumors.
'Even though the social hierarchy in the Atlas is the strictest and life is extremely shitty if people don't contribute, it's also the only nation where one can easily rise to a higher standing without many obstacles... something that cannot be really said bout the other three kingdoms.'
In the other kingdoms, the status quo was different.
While the commoners enjoyed much greater freedoms than the average Atlesian National Civilian and overall life was easier there, at the same time, there was a much smaller chance of ascending through the social hierarchy ladder.
Nevertheless, he needed to go and stop by the same bank and create a Bank Account, so he could receive the Lien and also upload the contents of the ownerless Lien Cards that he had in his possession.
What was fortunate, though, was that another perk of being an Atlesian Junker Aristocrat in the Atlesian Dominion was that everything was done at the highest speed at any public or private institution. The quality of the services was top-notch... this wasn't true just for the Nobles, but also for the Citizens, as they would get priority and quicker procedures than the ordinary Civilian Nationals.
So, fortunately enough, Ardyn managed to get everything at The Imperial Atlesian Bank, which was a bank older than the entire Atlesian Dominion, but a good several centuries, because it was established during the old Imperial Era.
It was the most prominent Banking Institution not only in the Atlas, but also in the entirety of the Remnant. The thing was, they only served five types of clients.
Either one needed to be a Certified B-Rank Huntsman or above, or equally powerful Mage, as not every Mage took the certification exam, rich Merchant or businessman, Artistocrat, Corporation or Company, and lastly Be Personally Invited by the Bank.
Ardyn was rahter lucky, because he had his Noble Title and Warrant of Nobility; thus, he could open an account at the Imperial Atlesian Bank. Their services were top-notch, even faster than average, and within half an hour, his bank account was already connected to his Pocket, and his account now has something above 35 million Lien.
Which was certainly a lot of money.
Considering the fact that the buying strength of the Lien was high.
It was a global curse, and the economies of the four kingdoms were rather... interwinded too much, but such a level of economic and sometimes even industrial cooperation was an absolute necessity for the continual survival of their kingdoms.
One needed just one Lien to buy a pack of cigarettes or to get a somewhat decent meal in a very average restaurant. Meal in a fancy one costs around five Lien...
Ardyn was a pretty rich man right now,
The next thing on his list was returning to the hotel and going through the curriculum of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, and also to start training in the Asura-Style Slaughter Swordsmanship, which he obtained from the Karmic Gacha.
He suspected that the Special Admission Exam would be a lot of combat, so it was better to prepare for that. All of the Great Academies of the Remnant were heavily combat-oriented as their purôpsoe was to create and cultivate a new generation of the powerhouses that would fight against the Grimm and enemies of Remnant.
Alsius Thors was especially notable in that regard, as it also nurtured future soldiers and military officers. Hence, the discipline and order were much greater than at the other Great Academies of Remnant that focused primarily on the cultivation of new Huntsmen.
***
Several Days Later, Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy
"The Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy was established by the founder of the Imperium of Atlas, Imperator-Marshall Mordekaiser Darkwill, not long after the foundation of the Imperium to train the new generation of Knights, Mages and Military Officers for the Imperial War Machine. The school's aim is to prepare its military students to fulfill First Imperator's famous mandate: 'Arise, O youth, and become the foundation of the Imperium'."
Ardyn sat in the limousine he had hired, which would take him to the main compound of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy. He read the Academy's information flyer, as there was some basic info among the other things.
It was rather surprising that the Academy was so old that it remembered the start of the Imperium and Darkwill Dynasty that ruled the Solitas. It meant that the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy was older than three thousand years.
In the end, the Darkwill Dynasty got its own internal problems, and the last Emperor, Boram Darkwill, was someone of not particularly high talent. Still managing to reach the Sainthood, he was obsessed with true Immortality and was willing to sacrifice everything to attain it.
The aging Emperor became a paranoid, immortality-seeking man.
And a very jealous man.
In the end, it culminated in the rebellion and establishment of the Trifarix Council... but that was a topic for a different time.
Right now, the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy was one of the very few legacies of the Darkwill Dynasty in the Atlesian Dominion, because most were outright destroyed during and after the civil war of Imperium.
He was then rather surprised that the school had more than one compound, as there were several branches of the Academy across the Solitas Continent as well as other places outside the main campus of the Academy.
Mainly serving as a place for students to train in environments, and also to train in military strategy and tactics. This was of essential importance to the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, because everyone needed to be familiar with as many kinds of environments and threats as possible.
"Every student needs to pick up at least one Primary Course, Special-Class Students need to pick at least three Primary Courses. Secondary Courses are not limited. All students are obligatorily assigned the Practical Combat Studies Course as their Mandatory Preparation Course."
The Primary Course served as the basis for the student's evaluation within the Military Academy. There were many Primary Courses, such as the Aura Studies Course, the Magic Studies Course, the Military Strategy and Tactics Course, and the Magical Engineering Course...
Then the students could also choose Secondary Courses, which served as specializations in areas usually taught by the Faculty that also taught the Primary Course.
Ardyn himself was planning to attend almost every single one of the Primary Courses.
"Aura Studies and Magic Studies are an absolute must... Martial Arts Course is also something that will help me adjust, and the Magical Engineering Course will make use of the Magitek that I have in my head and become the ultimate foundation in this world for me... though the Military Strategy and Tactics Course is also something worth looking at... I could also add that the Grimm Studies Course is also worth looking at, considering its variety..."
He dismissed the Arts, Politics, Economics, and other similar subjects as Primary Courses because, with his experiences of both lives and their memories, he doubted that he could learn new tricks.
Not to mention, he felt that he already played politics for too long and it wasn't something that he wanted to return to anymore. He not only had his own knowledge of the Magitek that he helped to create in the Niflheim Empire...
But from the Gacha, he had the complete Legacy of the Magitek, including the things that were created far past his own zenith, including countless theories and other things... But most importantly, there were also books and knowledge that were recovered from the Solheim.
And translated.
Once he mastered the Remnant's Magical Engineering, he could start incorporating the Niflheim's and Solheim's Magitek into it and create something new that would become his power base.
In his head, he was already formulating the things and plans he would do to raise his status.
Now, he was rather glad that he managed to build some kind of friendship with Captain Ironwood, because he knew that once he became General in the Military, he would be his ticket to the governmental contracts.
After some time, they arrived at the compound of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, which could be summarized by only one word.
Enormous.
And pretty luxurious for a school.
That was the first thought Ardyn had once they crossed through the walled gates of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, which was located about one hour from the main city, on a rather secluded piece of land on the floating island.
The main building was enormous and built in traditional Atlesian architecture, which made it only more intimidating. Aside from the monstrously large main building, there were several other buildings on the compound, some of which were equally large.
Especially the Engineering Building and the Academy's Library were rather enormous. Then there were several Mage Towers that belonged to the powerful Mages who were traitors in here, and these Towers were also part of Ionia's defensive network.
Ardyn headed directly towards the main building, where the Special Admission Exam would be taking place.
Everywhere, a symbol of a Lion's head with two crossed swords on the shield was engraved, as it was the symbol of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy. It was the head of the Frost Thunder Lion, one of the top predators of the Solitas Continent.
Even the weakest of the greatest beasts could tear B-Ranked Huntsmen into countless pieces, as these lions were especially ferocious and very powerful. They were regarded by many Solitasians as their national mascots and the Frost Thunder Lions were also prized Familiar Companions for the powerful Mages or Aura Knights in the Atlas.
As he stepped out of the car in front of the main building, a man was already waiting for him.
He was a middle-aged weaselly man with small brown eyes behind round spectacles, and combed-back brown hair into a ponytail. He wore an elaborate maroon suit with a short purple cape, a white shirt, and a lavender cravat.
"Welcome to the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, Sir Izunia. I am Vice Principal of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, Heinrich Goodwitch. Come, we have a lot of things to do..."
The man's tone of voice was highly professional as it was nigh impossible even to guess what he was thinking about. Though Ardyn noticed one thing about the man... in terms of power... his Mana was enormous.
Just his presence alone was enough to crush him into nothingness. Ardyn knew that there must be a true Saint... and perhaps even a fairly powerful one, because he already saw some Saints during the time in the capital, and none were as powerful as the man in front of him.
'Sainthood... transcending the limitation of mortality through the Aura or Mana to become something more than a mortal human.'
Remnant had very advanced training systems regarding both Aura and Mana. There was also a strong need for a highly centralized and unified training system, or else humanity here wouldn't have survived the endless tides of the Grimm that were destroying everything in their path.
From the information that he knew, the so-called Sainthood, which also corresponded to the S-Rank Huntsmen, was something that separated ordinary mortals from the individuals who achieved such high progress in their training that the supernatural energies of Aura and Mana fundamentally changed their very own existence.
These individuals were also the pillars of the Remnantian Civilization because only thanks to their overwhelming power could the kingdoms withstand the endless hordes of Grimm that wanted to destroy everything alive.
"You will go through the standard admission tests in one hour. The written exam won't be taken into consideration, but if you are admitted as a Special Admission Student, you will be given three months to bring your score to the level of the standard Dominion Citizen and then one additional year to bring your score to the above elite level."
Hearing that made Ardyn nod, as he knew that the Dominion education standards were very high, like really, really high. That was something that he learned the hard way, though, because even with the two lifetypes of knowledge, he felt backward in some areas.
Most of the people living in the Atlesian Dominion were highly educated, and they had extremely diverse educations ranging from subjects like advanced mathematics and quantum physics to philosophy and history.
"Also, when the practical combat test would be adjusted, and difficulty increased to the maximum level, considering the fact that you have been confirmed to have Aura reserves required for the B-Rank Huntsman and have two Noble Artes. Any questions?"
When the Vice Principal Heinrich Goodwitch finished with his lengthy explanation about all the things that were necessary for him to know, he closed the holographic projection that was displaying Ardyn's information and looked at the young man with a neutral yet deep scrutinizing look through his glasses.
"Only one. The first is, are there any guidelines for the Academy where information that is needed to know is in one place?"
He asked only these two questions because he was relatively sure that the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy had something like introductory booklets or guidelines for new students, so that he would find all the necessary information there.
"Yes, there is a guide; it would be automatically given to you in physical form once you are admitted as a student. Then everything would be provided either in physical form or sent to your Pocket, since you already own one, including all necessary information. Though most of the Academy works on either Pockets or Scrolls already."
Ardyn nodded before another question came to his mind.
"And what of my familiars?"
He asked as he pointed at the two Gyrinxes who were following both of them silently without making any sound. Vice Principal Goodwitch looked at the two felines with surprise, because he could sense the Mana potential of theirs and also the fact that the two creatures were giving off some special feeling.
"They can follow you through the tests. If you are an Anima or they are just regular family members, they are still part of your strength."
Heinrich Goodwitch found it surprising that the young man already had two very special Familiars... if he was Anima, then it would be even better, because Animas were rare in the Remnant.
***
Written exams that were part of the admission tests to the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy consisted of several subjects. Such as Politics, Economy, Advanced Sciences, Magical Engineering, History, Magic and Aura Theory, or a plethora of other subjects.
Ardyn took the theoretical part of the admission exam mainly because it was meant to gauge the true extent of his knowledge of the Remnant.
The results certainly showcased that because he scored around 31% of the 100%, which was, truthfully, rather terrible but still better than he anticipated. The best results were from the Economy and Politics, where he achieved almost 95% in both, which was a very high score.
In the end, economic principles and political theory was the same regardless of the Eos or Earth. It was clear that some things never changed, even in different worlds.
Followed by Advanced Sciences and Magical Engineering, where he achieved around 50% in both, but that was mainly due to luck, as he was able to guess answers to several questions due to his own familiarity with technology and Magitek.
The rest was rather poor.
While he studied something, he was far behind the standard Atlesian Dominion Education Standards, and his knowledge of most of the topics that were covered in the test was terrible.
Not like he cared about it, because he knew that the written exams wouldn't be accounted for in the final result, but at the same time, it was a bit stinging in his pride that he failed so miserably, and he would have a long journey ahead of himself to get back onto the standard Dominion Education.
Especially in just one year or so.
He severely underestimated the scale and width of what the Atlesian Dominion considered standard education. And he had only one hour for the test, which was like an entire stack of more than twenty papers.
Yet he wasn't really discouraged from this, aside from being a bit hurt by his pride, as he had already predicted this outcome. He obviously knew almost nothing about this world, aside from some really basic information or things that he read on the CyberNet...
But that was it...
When he was finished with the written test, he was given one hour to prepare for the other part of the admission tests, which consisted of several smaller tests. The first one was more formal, and it was the measurement of the Attunement for the Mana.
Ardyn was then led to the training room, located within the main compound of the Alsius Thors, which was specifically designed for the training of more advanced Aura and Mana cultivation.
So, theoretically speaking, it could withstand a lot of damage if someone accidentally destroyed something.
The entire training room was huge; it was oval in shape and in diameter, and it was around a hundred meters. It really looked like some high-tech place, with its simplistic design, white color, and armored walls that were also protected by very advanced Mana Force Fields that were already activated.
The person who was overseeing the practical parts of the exam was the Principal of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy himself, Marshal Juulius Hadrian Vandyck, together with several more Professors who were watching from a distance.
Principal Vandyck was a very well-built elderly man with brown eyes, stark white hair, and facial hair. Even in his advanced age, his muscles can be seen filling out the form of his uniform.
In the Atlas, he was regarded as the War Hero of several conflicts against the Grimm or Magical Beasts, and he was a highly respected Magic Scholar. Even though he wasn't in active service for a good few years, his Military Rank as Marshal wasn't stated "In Retirement" because there was nothing like that in the Dominion.
As a Principal, Principal Vandyck wore a black suit with golden tassels on the shoulders. The suit itself was trimmed with silver and golden patterns, and he wore a red tie cord around his neck inlaid with a turquoise gem.
It wasn't every day that someone with two Noble Artes and overhelming Aura after awakening entered the Academy, so one could say that it was instead an occasion.
Obviously, the fact that Ardyn was Irregular wasn't known to anyone aside from him, Maschenny, and most probably the Family Head of the Khun Family, Khun Eduan. It wasn't like he was going to hide it; that was never his intention, but rather, he never really bothered to actively tell it to anyone.
Though Maschenny already told him that it wouldn't be something that could be kept hidden forever, and sooner or later, it would be revealed. It wasn't like there were never Irregulars before, because according to his blue-haired Princess friend, one or two Irregulars appeared every few centuries.
Ardyn was also sure that Principal Vandyck was aware of this, or at least strongly suspected it.
Now that he thought it over, he realized that the higher echelons of the Dominion would also soon enough discover this, because everything was actually recorded through the surveillance systems that the Dominion had over the Solitas.
"We will now start with the measurement of the Mana Attunement. The Mana Attunement will show basically how much talent one has for Mana and being a Mage. Yours should be very high, considering the fact that even with the absence of Mana Core, you are still putting a lot of Mages to shame..."
Principal Vandyck was personally conducting this round of examination because he was very curious about where the young man would stand. He could clearly see that even though the teen before him didn't have Magic Core, his Mana was so high that one would mistake him for a Level 2 Mage.
As Principal Juulius Vandyck explained the methods of testing and measuring, he motioned for him to follow after him to the device in the shape of a box that was levitating in front of him.
"When you enter your hand into the box, start releasing Mana bit by bit, not anything grand or so, just a small part. After some time, you will start feeling tingling in your arm. Afterward, you can start releasing more and more until the box reaches the saturation point and the measurement is complete."
Ardyn then did everything according to the Principal's instructions, placed his right hand into the levitating box, and began slowly releasing his Mana into it.
When he started sensing the tingling in his right hand from the continuous release of his Mana, he then started releasing more of the Mana, as the levitating box began shaking a bit.
This process repeated itself for more than ten minutes until the saturation of the Mana within the box reached the maximum, and he could finally withdraw his right hand from it.
When the process was complete, the box began analyzing the results until it was finished.
The data were sent to the main terminal, where they were processed, and then sent to the Principal's Pocket, which was floating around him. Ardyn noticed that Principal Vandyck's Pocket was shaped like a cube, contrary to his own, which was shaped like a Holocron that he opened with Maschenny.
"Fascinating... Superior Level Attunement for Mana and one that is already moving forward, with the data like this, it seems that it's steadily growing, which is very fair... most people who reach this kind of Mana Attunement would stay there for the rest of their lives."
According to Ardyn's knowledge, most people who managed to awaken Mana and become Mages were the ones with Common Level Mana Attunement, which signaled their average potential. Yet, even that was something, because becoming a Mage was a matter of Lineage and Luck.
Even with the Common Level Mana Attunement, they could become powerful Mages if they trained hard; it was just that the Magic would be coming harder to them compared to the people with stronger Attunement to the Mana.
Even fewer people had higher levels of Mana Attunement.
The Advanced Level was common for the members of the Great Families or well-established Magic Lineages. This meant that the person had strong potential for magical development in the future, and he would have a much easier time casting Magic than the person with Common Level Mana Attunement.
Above the Advanced Level was the Elite Level. Essentially, the potential was ranked 1 out of a hundred thousand. People with the Elite Mana Attunement have almost guaranteed a way to bvecome become Master Mages and have strong potential awaken or create Noble Arte.
They have a solid chance of ascneding to the Saint Boundary in the Magic Path if they train hard enough.
The percentage of people who had Superior Level Mana Attunement was extremely small, but every single one of them had an almost monstrous aptitude for Magic Manipulation, and they had almost effortless advancement through Magic Ranks.
Not to mention, when someone had Superior Level Mana Attunement, it was guaranteed that their Noble Arte would be extremely powerful, and they would become very powerful Mages as long as they managed to stay alive and train properly.
Of coruse, all of these numbers and chances, was talk in the natural numbers... not through the Eugenics and other kinds of methods that Great Families, Nobility or powerful Mages weer doing to strengthen the Mana Attunement of their descendants to a higher ranks.
For the Great Families, it wasn't any problem to elevate someone's Mana Attunement to the Advanced Level, or with some kind of investment, even to the Elite Level. Everything was a matter of willingness and resources used.
"The results of the Mana Attunement Test are splendid... we can now proceed with the Aura Test, and afterward, there will be the combat test. As the papers are saying, you also have a talent for swordsmanship; you will be tested in combat thrice. Once in the standard Spellcasting Combat, once in the Noble Arte Combat, and once in the pure swordsmanship combat. For the most comprehensive results, you would have one test per day so that you can fight in your best condition for every single test. The last day, would be the Position Test."
Principal Vandyck explained all the parts of the practical exams because they were divided into several phases.
For Ardyn, it sounded rather logical because if he took all the practical tests on the same day, it would be exhausting, and taking them at the same time would go against the purpose of the practical exam.
They needed to record his ability in every single area as precisely as possible. Ardyn didn't have much of a problem with this division because it worked well for him, too. He would also prefer to have these tests separated so he could undergo them in the best condition possible.
"The Aura Test will be starting in one hour. For the time being, you can rest, and then the test in the basic Aura Manipulation and Aura Attributes will start."
"I understand."
With that being said, Ardyn then waited for the Aura Test to start. He knew that this one would probably be the hardest, compared to the Spellcasting Combat Test, the Swordsmanship Test, or the Noble Arte Test.
With the entirety of Template Assimilated, he could now use Armiger and Warping as easily as breathing and also cast Elemental Spells with relative ease. Unfortunately, when it came to Spellcasting, he could cast only some basic ones and a few advanced ones.
It seemed that there were not many spells in Eos.
Which he found rather embarrassing.
'Fortunately, I have trained in the Shinwonryu Aura Manipulation Style that I obtained from Enryu's Holocron. Still, depending on the test, it could be problematic due to the very short time that I had with the technique, and my own Aura is too big to actually train in a few days.'
When it came to the Spellcasting Combat Test, Noble Arte Test and Swordsmanship Test, all three of them were very easy.
With the Armiger and Warping Noble Artes, he was almost guaranteed to obtain a perfect score on the Noble Arte Test.
And the same thing could be stated about the Swordsmanship Test, because even if he used just his own experiences, he was confident of outperforming many other swordsmen and weapon users in single combat.
Two thousand years worth of memories... of various forms of training... when a person was locked up in the chair, there were not many things that he could do aside from mental activities and training in his head.
With Magic it was rahter an easy thing to do.
"This is Professor Michael Irving, Dean of the Faculty of Aura and our Chief Instructor on the topic of Aura Manipulation and Aura Techniques at the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy. He will be your Proctor for the Aura Test."
Ardyn looked at Professor Irving and noticed he was pretty young. He was a tall man with lavender eyes and short blonde hair.
He wore an Academy's "officer uniform", consisting of their colour scheme but with a large grey and green overcoat over a black shirt and red tie. He wore white trousers and blue shoes as well as a grey-green beret.
Michael Irving was loaned here from the Dominion Military because the previous Dean retired, and there was a vacant position. Finding suitable, qualified people for the task was impossible in a short time, so for the time being, he was filling the post.
Within the Dominion Military, he was a member of the Dominion Affairs Military Police, which was an elite division of the Dominion Army of the Military of the Atlesian Dominion tasked with maintaining the security over the internal affairs of the state.
"The rules of the Aura Test are simple. First part is the measurement in terms of Aura Units, and then we will proceed to the basic control exercises."
Principal Vandyck left some time ago, though Vice Principal Goodwitch remained at the site for further observation. Ardyn, who listened to Dean Irving's explanation, nodded his head as it was rather straightforward.
"Now, put your hand onto this device and activate your Aura."
Ardyn did as instructed, and soon enough, the Aura Measurement Device started measuring his Aura.
"56,700 Aura Units..."
Dean Irving mainly muttered to himself.
Saying that he was surprised by this development would be an understatement of how he felt.
"For someone who has not practised any Aura Cultivation Method nor trained in any way and had Aura for a few days, this is a really staggering amount."
Ardyn didn't say anything more than necessary as he just nodded.
He learned from Maschenny, shortly after his Aura Awakening, that his amount of Aura was really unnatural and was on the level of core geniuses of the Great Families after many rounds of nurturing and also a great deal of luck.
"Now, the next thing is the Aura Controlling and some minor exercises that will measure your control over the Aura. Considering the time that you had the Aura Awakened, we will be adjusting the scoring for this part, as it hadn't been even a week or so... You just need to execute these moves with the Aura..."
Ardyn then spent three hours together with Dean Irving doing various kinds of Aura exercises, while he was using the Shinwonryu Aura Manipulation Style in doing so, and surprisingly enough.
It felt extremely easy?
Like, there was no real effort in doing so.
He often practised the Shinwonryu Aura Manipulation Style, because it was the sole Aura Manipulation Style that he had. Apparently, the things that were on the CyberNet were either scams or techniques of total garbage quality.
The Aura Manipulation Style was approximately 50% of the entire Aura Training.
One needed to choose wisely, and because Ardyn was Irregular, he chose the technique for the Irregulars. Ardyn knew that the ordinary Aura Manipulation Techniques wouldn't be suitable for him, because of his nature as an Irregular.
Yet, fortunately enough, he managed to obtain the one for the Irregulars from the Holocron of Enryu.
***
Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, Headmaster's Office
The highest office, located on the topmost floor of the Stygian Tower, which was the name of the main tower of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, in a circular room featuring an ornately lit, futuristic or steampunk-styled environment with warm, glowing lights that highlighted the grandeur of the setting, a meeting was taking place.
Behind a huge table watching multiple holographic projections, there sat the Principal of the Academy, Juulius Vandyck.
But he wasn't alone in the room.
Another man was seated in front of the Principal Vandyck. He was a tall man, easily over two meters, with light-blue hair and light-blue eyes. He had very pale skin and wore a brown trenchcoat, a double-pieced suit of black color, and a golden vest beneath the suit.
Just by looking at him, one would feel like the temperature in the room has dropped below zero.
"I told you he was special, Marshal..."
The blue-haired man stated casually as he looked at the projection of the test in the Aura Control.
'Shinwonryu... he already mastered it to such a degree... what a frightening talent. He is even faster than most of us were...'
He recognized the technique at one glance, for the experienced old timers like him, recognizing the Shinwonryu wasn't anything difficult. In truth, he was surprised how fast Ardyn was progressing with the mastery of the Aura Manipulation Technique, because it was going far faster than he would have thought.
"Well, you know, we old folks are more cautious than the youngersters these days."
Principal Juulius Vandyck said with mild laughter as he looked at the projection.
"This makes it two, right?"
The elderly man asked, but the question was primarily aimed at himself.
"With the current generation, we have a rather serious chance of winning this round of the Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars."
Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars.
It was the ultimate fighting tournament between all nations of the Remnant. Taking place every century, it was something that countless people wished to participate in because of the rewards in the Tournament.
The rewards for winning the Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars varied every time tha the Tournament was taking place... but this time, they would be the highest in the past two and a half millennia.
Which meant that every nation was gearing up for the win.
With everything that they got.
***
When the Aura Test was concluded, Ardyn was asked if he wanted to rest for the rest of the day or to conduct another of the Tests. Interestingly, if he chose to conduct another Test right now, it would slightly improve the overall evaluation of his Examination.
Seeing this result, Ardyn chose to conduct the test in the Noble Artes because his Mana Reserves were still intact, and he also considered this as another form of training. To see how far he could push himself.
Even though he was given several days for the test, it wasn't like he needed to use those days. Instead, he chose to undergo the test straight away, as he felt that it was within his capabilities and he could even obtain bonus points for that.
So, technically speaking, everyone would win.
Surprisingly, the examiner this time was Vice Principal Heinrich Goodwitch himself because the Noble Arte test was probably the most important one among all that were conducted here today.
Given the fact that the Noble Artes were so important to the Dominion, it wasn't anything that surprising.
"Rules of engagement are simple. Only the Noble Artes are allowed, and nothing else is allowed. The combat ends when the Proctor of the Test deems it so, or if you manage to injure the Proctor. Are you prepared to start?"
Vice Principal Heinrich Goodwitch stated as he looked at Ardyn, who nodded, and both of the combatants prepared for the combat. In this test, the purpose is to reach the limits of his Noble Artes, something that he was already preparing for.
Using the Noble Arts came naturally to Ardyn, like breathing, as he could do it as if it were second nature. He immediately called for the power of the Armiger, as several Magic Crystalline weapons circled around his person and shot towards lightning speed at the Vice Principal.
Obviously, such a predicament would be blocked by the S-Ranked Huntsman, as Vice Principal Goodwitch conjured a Magic Shield around his person that blocked the weapons that were crashing against it.
But even the Vice Principal was surprised when, suddenly, several of those Magic Crystalline weapons changed their trajectory and attacked him from behind. Suddenly, as more and more of the conjured weapons crashed against the Magic Shield, the Vice Principal noticed something peculiar.
'It's cracked?'
Even though the crack was small, he was still deeply shocked. One needed to know that Heinrich Goodwitch was a very powerful Saint and S-Ranked Huntsman. Highly accomplished Mage, much more than his wife, Glynda Goodwitch, who was more focused on perfecting her Telekinesis Semblance to a frightening degree, so much so that she managed to undergo Second Awakening of her Semblance.
She was also Vice Headmistress of the Holy Beacon Academy located in the Kingdom of the Vale.
Heinrich Goodwitch was a powerful Mage, and in the Mana Path itself, he reached the level of Arch-Magus and was only one tiny step away from becoming a Forbidden Magus, which would make him another Limit Saint of the Atlesian Dominion.
He was also a rather renowned Magic Scholar and Spellweaver, which were very respected professions and also a testament to his own mastery over Magic and his deep knowledge.
Spellweavers were the people who were capable of weaving new Spells, creating entirely new Spells out of nothing, which was a very rare talent and required a tremendous amount of knowledge on the Lore to even attempt Spellweaving a Novice-Tier Spell.
His Mana was exceptionally dense, pure, and powerful...
The fact that someone who was only an Acolyte Level on the Mana Path actually managed to create cracks in the shield that he had personally conjured was something that was deeply shocking and also not something that he understood.
But while he couldn't understand it...
There were people who were watching who could...
***
"Isn't it... no... absolutely not..."
Principal Juulius Hadrian Vandyck, who was observing the Noble Arte Test, did not believe what he was seeing.
"No... It's true... There is only one thing that is recorded to have a similar effect to the Ultima Sword of the Draconian. Only the Armiger is derived from the ultimate power of the Bladekeeper, and there was only one Lineage that was given the Blood of the Draconian and obtained the Armiger and Warping."
Khun Eduan, as one of the most powerful beings in the world, aside from those who broke through the limits, had acess to many secrets of the world. Some of those secrets were forgotten by the world, now existing only in the vaults of the Great Families or organizations like the Astral Septian Church.
And this was one of them.
Even historians and scholars got things wrong.
They lacked the bigger picture.
"The Royal House of the Kingdom of Lucis... Lucis Caelum Lineage... but they fell many millennia ago when the continent of Zemuria was overrun by the Magical Beasts and Grimm, and it fell..."
Anima, Sanus, and Solitas were far from being the only contents on the Remnant. But if one asked what contents were still inhabited by the man, then the answer would be these three.
Other ones were overrun by the Grimm or ruled by frightening Magical Beasts, or were places where the humans didn't dare to wander. Zemuria was one of such places, because once in the past, it was a powerful continent, but unfortunately, it was overrun by the hordes of Grimm, and another part was taken over by the Magical Beasts.
What has remained from the Zemuria field to the Solitas, where they founded the City of Mantle, which later became the Imperium of Atlas, as it happened many millenias ago.
Unfortunately, most of the Legacies and Lineages perished during that time, and much was lost. Currently, only some minor Lineages survived in the Atlas, though the most notable was the Royal House of Arnor, which ruled the Kingdom of Vale, but even they were in severe decline during the past centuries.
The time when Zemuria fell, more than five thousand years ago, was considered one of the darkest periods of the entire Remnantian history, because it wasn't every day that the entire human continent fell.
"Yes, but the truth is there, right in front of our eyes... someone who bears the Divine Blood of one of the Six, only the Lucis were given such honor. I don't know how he ended up here... my own personal theory is that some Holy Saint sent him to the future with a Time-related Semblance or Magic. The fact is, we have a living Protoss among us."
Khun Eduan was actually thrilled by the possibilities... he knew very well who the last known Protoss were and what potential these individuals possessed.
Protoss was a term for someone who bore the God's Blood; they were humans with the Divine Blood flowing through their veins, making their talent unparalleled and also far more powerful than other people.
And in truth, it wouldn't be the first time that someone from the past was sent to the future, and there were even cases of people in the present travelling to the past. Even though they were exceedingly rare...
"Among the current publicly known Heavenly Monarchs, Heavenly Monarch Timeless and Heavenly Monarch Immortal are Protosses of the Primordial God of Light... one is related to the Royal House of Arnor that rules the Kingdom of Vale, while the second one is the High Priestess and Oracle of the Astral Septian Church. We have the possibility of cultivating our own Heavenly Monarch for the Dominion..."
The Family Head of the Khun Family said as he looked at the Principal of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy. Even though it wasn't confirmed, there were many speculations that Heavenly Monarch King of the Adventurers was also a Protoss, but it wasn't confirmed by anyone.
"Well, his chances are still much higher than all Holy Saints of Atlas combined..."
Even though Principal Vandyck was shocked to the core, he quickly collected his composure as he calmed down.
"Fortunately, the records about the existence of Armiger and its connection to the Draconian are something known only to the Great Families, and once the Astral Septian Church notices this, they would send a severe warning to everyone not to do anything to their precious Protoss. Not to mention, the appearance of someone with this kind of potential could turn the stalemate with the Grimm into something more... active."
Khun Eduan knew that among the Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo, nobody would be really glad if Atlas obtained someone of the Protoss Line. Every Protoss recorded in the history of Remnant managed to transcend the Sainthood and become Heanvely Monarch.
But initially, neither of the living Heavenly Monarchs was affiliated with one of the four kingdoms. Maximally Ozpin the Timeless, as he was Headmaster of the Holy Beacon Academy and had some relationship with the Royal Family of Vale.
And that was all.
No nation could claim to have the personal backing of the Heavenly Monarch...
But even though he doubted that the other three would be that happy, he knew that they wouldn't dare to do anything. Khun Eduan was aware that the Astral Septian Church would protect its own, and he also knew that all Great Families of Atlas would do the same.
The real danger stemmed from others...
Heretics, Cultists and Faunus.
Those were the greatest dangers.
In the Khun Patriarch's, the faunus were the greatest threat, because, contrary to the previous two, they could, technically speaking, blend into their kingdoms easily and carry out an assassination operation.
It wouldn't be the first time.
In the end, one of the main reasons behind the Culling was the assassination of Holy Saint Lionheart Dreichels Reise Arnor, who could have become Heavenly Monarch, by radical elements among the Faunus Species during the War of the Dusk in the Vale when the Kingdom was invaded by the largest Grimm Incursion in many centuries.
"I will go and notify the local Cathedral of this...something like this cannot be hidden for long, and at least the Church will give us final confirmation of the authenticity of his status. I will also notify the Trifarix... I seriously doubt that faunus even have an idea what Lucians were, but we are not taking any risks."
Even though the information about the connection between the Lucian Royal Family and that of the Draconian wasn't something that was publicly known. Especially when the one in question was the Royal Line that was extinct for more than five millennia.
That was something that only the Great Families were aware of, and they made sure of it.
And aside from the Great Families, only some really old fossils were aware of this, together with some scholars and researchers, but the number of people outside of this circle could be counted on one hand.
"It seems that the Noble Arte Test is coming to an end."
***
For the forty minutes or so, Ardyn was using his Noble Artes in the spar against the Vice Principal Goodwitch, who was now observing him in wonder.
Especially after Ardyn managed to destroy one of the Magic Shields, which shocked the man pretty deeply.
Not to mention, the Vice Principal found the Teleportation-based Noble Arte extremely annoying and troublesome to deal with. While there existed some Sembblances like this, there were not many of them, and those which existed had rather severe restrictions on them.
The power of the Armiger was relatively high despite the fact that Ardyn was only an Acolyte-Level Mage. Yet even the Vice Principal noticed that his control over the Mana and his Noble Artes was absolutely superb to the point where it would rival someone who practised the Craft for many centuries.
This was the result of assimilation of the Template, because Ardyn Izunia / Ardyn Lucis Caelum was a two-thousand-year-old monster that had superb control over the Magic coursing through his veins.
Thus, it needed just a little bit of time after assimilating the Template and some training, he was already on the path of achieving Master-level control over his Mana. Which was crucial, because the better the control over Mana was, the less Mana Mage tended to spend.
Conversing Mana during the fight was something of utmost importance, while at the higher degrees of mastery it would also lead to increasement in the Mage's strength. The Armiger, the Power of Kings, was far from being developed to its potential; it was still far more powerful than Ardyn remembered.
He guessed the reason some time ago.
Ardyn knew that Armiger's power and strength were deeply tied to the Soul of the person.
He had two ideas behind the power of the Armiger. The first was related to his Transmigration into this world, because it seemed that his Soul must have been strengthened by the Transmigration through the Dimensional Gap between the worlds.
The second theory was related to the Template Assimilation, which most probably had some effect on the Soul; most probably, his current Soul was a merger result of two Souls. Sirius Grey and Ardyn Izunia... which gave his current strength unprecedented power and potential.
He also had the third theory.
Awakening of the Aura.
In this world, Aura was the power of the Soul. He became an Irregular who Awakened his Aura on his own, which led to the sublimation and strengthening of his Soul.
Nevertheless, the result was the same, as his Armiger got much stronger as he controlled more than fifteen crystalline weapons in the air as he shot them at the Vice Principal Heinrich Goodwitch, as the man just looked at him and used his Magic Shields to block the attack.
Even the Vice Principal raised his brows as
***
The room that he was given was one of the spare guest rooms at the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy, so nothing was really luxurious here, albeit it was of that typical high-tech utilitarian minimalistic feeling.
It was entirely his cup of coffee, but he could manage it even though it was rather uncomfortable because, all of this time, he was living in something that could certainly be termed luxury.
Be it his chambers at the hotel where he was staying before, which were made with the finest level of comfort, which, while being rather simple in design, was still an enormous space and a high degree of luxury.
So, the quarters that he received at the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy really seemed to be subpar to his normal dwellings, but he would manage. He was already dead tired from everything, especially from the Noble Arte Test, which proved to be rather challenging.
Both Maahes and Bastet were curled up on the bed and were sleeping, like they had for most of the day. Gyrinxes were, in the end, cats, and they loved to laze around and sleep. Which wasn't really that much surprising, in fact.
***
"What do you say, Principal Vandyck?"
The Family Head of the Khun Family asked as he looked at the Principal of the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy and Dean of the Faculty of Magic. The last part of today's exam has ended, as the Noble Arte Examination has been concluded, and it was really surprising.
Aside from being the Principal of the entire Academy, Juulius Vandyck was also the Dean of the Faculty of Magic and often gave lectures on the Advanced and Master-level Magics within the Academy.
He also pretty often personally guided the students, as he found joy in teaching others.
At the same time, he was also one of the most skilled and proficient Magic Combatants in the entire Atlesian Dominion, and his knowledge of the Noble Artes, Magic Spells, and Spellcasting Combat.
"He is good... his control over his Mana is practically superb, though we will see how it will go in the Spellcasting Test, but if not for his lack of Mana Core, I would have thought that he was a Master Mage. Nevertheless, it seems that we managed to really pick another superb student."
He understood the reason why Khun Eduan recommended him to attend the Alsius Thors Military Sentinel Academy. It wasn't like there were never geniuses on a similar level to young Ardyn, but they were rare, even among the four great academies.
The Alsius Thors divided its students between General-Class System Students and Special-Class System Students. The ratio was something around 5 to 1, because there were far more General-Class Students than the Special-Class System Students.
Most of the Special-Class System Students came from the Great Families, other types of powerful backgrounds or Lineages, or they were once, in time, heave-defying geniuses.
The teaching styles for both Courses were vastly different, mostly because the Special-Class System Students were far more powerful and individualistic than the ones in the General-Class System.
As those ones were typically from the Commoner origin and they didn't even have Mana, most of them were armed only with Aura, and they were assigned to serve in the Dominion Military after graduation as officers and special operatives.
"Well... this generation seems to have far more potential than the previous ones... like it's unnerving..."
Khun Eduan said as he stood up and prepared to leave the office of the Principal Vandyck, as he had other places he needed to go. Just some time ago, Disaster-Grade Grimm was seen moving across the plains of Solitas, so he was going to hunt it down.
If one of those reached the vicinity of one of their settlements or cities, it would spell doom for the place. Disaster-Grade Grimm were comparable to the most powerful Saints; sometimes they were powerful enough to match a Holy Saint, and their power was tremendous for ordinary mortals.
"We have how many till now? Six such people with the young Izunia right now... regardless of everything, at least this generation's victory in the Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars would for sure belong to us."
Even Principal Vandyck was inclined to share the sentiment with Blue Thunderclap, but he had a more positive outlook on the things happening around the world. The humanity withstood the endless tides of Grimm for more than ten millenias, and they would withstand them for another ten millenias.
Because they were strong.
"Who will be overseeing the last two tests?"
Principal Vandyck tapped with his finger on the wooden desk of his table as he pointed at himself.
"I will oversee the Spellcasting Test, while Chief Sword Instructor Le Guin will oversee the Swordsmanship Test."
Khun Eduan nodded, though he was a bit surprised that the Principal himself would be overseeing the tests, because such occasions were beyond rare. Though, considering the identity and circumstances of the testee, it was understandable to a certain extent.
"Well, given the situation, it's obvious that he would pass."
Even Principal Vandyck nodded upon hearing the statement, because it was undeniably true, as their Academy could benefit immensely from having someone like him attending.
"Eldest Schnee, your own daughter, Hon's prized descendant and sword genius... and we have that problem kid, young Baek and young Izunia... they would probably create the most powerful team that the Academy produced in the past several millenias. Even though the other Academies are good, in this generation, they are clearly inferior to the Atlas."
For the Great Families, participation in the Holy Blade Dance Tournament of Six Stars was also a matter of honor. If they won against another member of the other Great Family, then it would bring them a lot of prestige.