“Have you heard the news? They said that someone has broken the record of the academy in the Individual Rankings.”
“I did. According to the Fifth Years, Prince Jason has broken the record that had been set by the First Prince.”
“His Highness is truly a prodigy. I bet that all the girls in his class are looking at him with infatuation.”
“Hasn’t that always been the case?”
“I wish that they would just post the result now. Must they keep us all in suspense? I want to see which classes were able to get the highest points this year.”
“Why are you in a hurry? Do you have a bet with someone?”
“Yes. I made a bet with a Third Year student from Class F. That moron said that they would be ranked first this year, so I agreed to the bet.”
“How lucky. You got some easy cash there, Bro.”
“I know, right?”
The students were getting rowdy as they waited in the Academy Plaza for the results of the Quarterly Assessment Test.
This was where all the points of the different classes in each school year would be posted. Not only that, it would also show the individuals who gained the highest merits in each Year Grade as well.
These Individuals would often be sought out by the High Officials, and nobles of the Kraetor Empire to train under their guidance. This way, they would have a talented subordinate that would help them out in the future.
“Look! It’s Prince Jason!”
“He’s so handsome!”
“He must be feeling proud of himself for beating the record that his older brother made a few years ago.”
“Definitely. I know I would be grinning from ear to ear if that were to happen to me.”
Prince Jason had a friendly smile on his face as he made his way at the very front of the Giant Monument at the center of the plaza. The crowd parted before him, and all of them bowed their heads to show their respect for the Prince of their Empire.
Prince Jason didn’t stop walking until he arrived at the very front row, where most students were waiting for the result.
The Prince ignored all of them and raised his head to look at the very top of the monument. There, a name, written in bold letters shone brightly even when the sun was at its zenith.
Maximilian Hal Kraetor
The name of the First Prince of the Kraetor Empire shone brightly. This name had been the target of all the students inside Silverwind Academy. A name that they had long wanted to surpass in order to gain untold honors from their Emperor.
Prince Jason sneered in his heart because he had long wanted to prove that he was better than the First Prince of the Empire. He had been feeling giddy since the moment he woke up that morning.
Why?
Because this was the day, when his name would appear on the top of the monument. A name he believed would remain at the top even after hundreds of years had passed.
It was the greatest honor within Silverwind Academy. Just imagining all of the students looking up to his name made Prince Jason almost laugh out loud. However, since he was a Prince, he needed to maintain his image.
Suddenly, a commotion happened. The crowd once again parted to allow three beautiful ladies to pass unimpeded. They were Prince Jason’s cousins.
Emperor Leonidas had three sons, and two daughters. Currently, his three sons were vying for the throne.
The current Emperor was old, and he had also announced that he would only remain in his position for two years before handing it out to one of his sons. No one knew whom the Emperor was leaning on, but the battle between the three brothers was being waged in the shadows.
Although their children didn’t dabble in politics, the young princes’ and princesses’ accomplishments would also give their parents a much needed boost in popularity if they performed well inside the Academy.
“So you are here, Big Brother Jason,” one of the beautiful ladies with long blonde hair, and gray eyes, said with a smile. Her eyes softened as she looked at her Big Brother whom she had secretly loved all these years.
“Vanessa, it’s been a while,” Prince Jason replied with a nod. “Big Sister Hannah, Big Sister Amanda, I pray that both of you are well?”
“I’m good,” Princess Hannah answered. “The Assessment Test was quite competitive this year. Did you manage to get some good points, Cousin?”
Prince Jason crossed his arms over his chest and gave his cousin a mysterious smile. “I think I managed to get some decent points.”
“Heh~” Princess Amanda chuckled as he looked at her cousin who was looking back at them with a confident smile. “There are rumors going around that you have beaten Big Brother Maximilian’s record. How true is this rumor?”
Prince Maximilian was Princess Amanda’s blood brother. The two of them had a very good relationship with each other, and always watched each other’s back. Seeing that someone was threatening her Big Brother’s position, Princess Amanda felt anxious inside her heart.
Prince Jason didn’t answer and only smiled at his cousins. He was doing his best to not boast in front of them, because he wanted to see the look on their faces when his name appeared on top of the monument.
“You look very smug today, Cousin.”
A deep and confident voice reached Prince Jason’s ears, and the latter clenched his fist before looking at the direction where the voice came from.
Four good looking teenage boys walked with grace, which made the faces of the ladies in the plaza blush in delight.
They were the four young princes of the Kraetor Empire, and all of them had gathered to see the results of the rankings.
“Do I look smug right now?” Prince Jason asked the First Prince of the Kraetor Empire whom he had treated as his rival.
“Very,” Prince Maximilian replied. “I could see your nose from beyond the Seventh Grade Residences. Looks like the rumors flying around have substance in them.”
Princess Amanda’s heart sank when she heard her Big Brother’s words. Although she wouldn’t believe the rumors until the evidence was right in front of her eyes, it still made her uneasy because of how confident Prince Jason looked.
“A Prince of the Kraetor Empire should be confident.” Prince Jason shrugged. “If we can’t even do that then we won’t be suited for the position that was bestowed upon us. Isn’t that right, Cousin?”
“True,” Prince Maximilian replied as he placed his hands behind his back.
No more words were spoken between the two Princes. A subtle tension hung in the air as the rowdy crowd earlier quieted down. For some reason, it was very hard for them to speak because the presence of the Royal Family pressed down on them like a mountain.
A few minutes later, the bell of the academy started to ring. It was the spark that made everyone look at the monument at the same time.
The Giant Black Monument suddenly sprang to life as the names that had been written there months ago disappeared, and were replaced by new ones.
The first ones to appear were the Rankings of the First Years. It was immediately followed by the Second Years then Third Years, and so on, and so forth.
Prince Jason’s lips curled up into a smile when he saw his name appear in First Place in the Individual Rankings of the Fifth Year Division.
The changes on the monument were happening gradually. It would still take a few seconds before it reached the top of the monument where Prince Maximilian’s name shone in bold golden letters.
Prince Jason clenched his fist as he waited for his name to appear on the top. His smile became wider when his older cousin’s name slowly faded from on top of the monument.
‘My era has come,’ Prince Jason mused. ‘This time, all of you will look up to me.’
Every student in the plaza also noticed the change that was happening at the very top of the monument. All of them waited in bated breath as a new name appeared on the spot reserved for someone who had broken the previous records of the academy.
A name whose fame would spread far and wide in the Central Continent in the next years to come.
