Chapter 69: Nepotism

"Damn! I like this guy already?"

"Bro, that’s creepy."

"Hey, what do you think is his rank?"

For average people, sensing the ranks of individuals stronger than them was an impossible thing to do.

Sensing one’s rank meant bypassing the mana membrane that covered the cores of every living creature.

And if your rank was lower, it was not possible to outclass mana that was stronger than yours.

There were exceptions to this...

The elites could easily sense the ranks of others even while having a lower-ranked core, as their mana essence was generally more condensed than the average population.

Still, their abilities had limitations, as against other stronger individuals their mana sense was highly restricted.

At the end of the day, it all came down to making predictions and guesses, without having direct confirmation.

As the anchor stayed silent, the discussions among the students intensified.

"You think the topper would be among the commoners too?"

"Nah! Not a chance... I think."

The students had now grown doubtful of the social hierarchy they were used to.

"But that guy Noah—he’s a human."

"Damn! That’s crazy."

"Yeah, hope the ranker is from some other race."

"Yeah."

Many of the students from other races were now serious about the possible outcome of there being two human rankers.

It wasn’t about ranking at the academy itself, but the greater stakes that it held in the world.

Humans already had the advantage of having huge populations, and now adding to that...

Noah’s existence itself now had the chance to make things better for humans in general.

The ’what if’ question still lingered in their minds.

As more and more theories about world politics were being raised, the headmaster stood from his chair, moving towards the podium.

Seeing that, the entire auditorium went silent.

Noah too had a questioning look on his face.

He was enjoying his talk with the headmaster when the latter abruptly stood up.

’Let me make the announcement,’ was what he said.

Noah was confused.

The headmaster always gave the impression of treating students equally, no matter their race or status in society.

But at the moment, Noah could clearly feel the favouritism that the headmaster was displaying towards a particular student.

Noah would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous of the individual who had ranked first.

But he hadn’t expected the headmaster to act in such a way.

Leaving aside the actions of the headmaster, it was the fact that he wasn’t even being subtle about it—

That was what made Noah jealous.

Was the ranker really someone who had to be treated in such a way? Heck, even the royals weren’t spared from the equal grounds of the academy.

Then why?

Noah’s expression turned darker as he saw the headmaster standing at the podium, adjusting the mic to his height.

"With immense pleasure, I must once again welcome you all to the academy."

Nemur greeted the students to gather their attention.

Seeing that the students were now focused, he continued.

"Seeing the growth of youngsters as years turn into decades gives me the joy of being the headmaster of this academy."

Nemur’s voice was as sweet as honey.

It was like witnessing a calm stream of water. His soothing voice was pleasing to the ears of every person present in the hall.

It had that magical feeling of being warm while at the same time having a commanding presence.

"This year seems to be no different, with new talents emerging from across our planet. I must once again congratulate Noah for securing second place."

Clap. Clap. Clap.

Another round of applause followed.

Noah gave a polite smile as some students among the crowd cheered for him.

"Without wasting any time, I shall now announce the top recruit of this year, who will also be the de facto student representative of the first years.

And he is also someone who is close to me."

"What?"

"Don’t tell me he’s the headmaster’s grandkid."

"That explains the monstrous talent."

"Isn’t this nepotism?"

"You think the headmaster would indulge in such petty things?"

"Well, he might."

"..."

"..."

"Dude! You seriously don’t know about that day?"

"This guy’s still a kid. Don’t you read the news?"

"Just tell me?"

"Leave it."

"Hey!"

"Fuck off."

Anyone who had even a bit of knowledge about the world’s history would have known what these students were talking about.

On one unfortunate day, an incident had occurred—

Something which had cemented Nemur Daithra’s image as the protector of Equality and Justice.

On the day that a father killed his son...

A father killed his daughter...

And on that very day, a husband ended the life of the very woman he loved.

Nemur let his words sink in.

At first, he had the thought of keeping the thing about Kael being close to him a secret, as he didn’t want to make the students think that he had unfairly graded the youngster.

But on second thought, Nemur didn’t want to take chances with the unpredictable monster.

Kael could use the same knowledge to his advantage in a twisted way.

Of course, as Kael’s guardian, Nemur didn’t have any issue with it... but he knew better than to leave any possible risks unaddressed.

"Cough..."

Clearing his throat, he brought the auditorium to complete silence again.

"With a total score of one thousand points, the first place goes to—

Kael Frost."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The entire auditorium held its breath as the headmaster announced the much-awaited result.

A score of one thousand points...

It literally meant the system could no longer judge the potential of the student who had surpassed its expectations.

The royals this time couldn’t control the expressions on their faces.

One thousand points?

If the headmaster had been someone else, it would have sparked questions about the legitimacy of the result.

But...

Who could doubt a Sovereign?

And Nemur Daithra, no less.

Whoever this monster was—

It was as clear as day.

The world would no longer be the same.

As the reality sank into the minds of everyone, the next question that appeared was about the identity of the student.

Everyone turned their gazes to the front seats where the royals of the Veltran Empire sat beside—

The Frosts.

Kael Frost...

The name wasn’t new to anybody. Anyone with a decent interest in global affairs would know who the mentioned individual was.

The former heir of House Frost.

The fallen, as many called him.

Kael’s reputation of being an incompetent heir had been widespread in most places, as the Frosts had always been prime players in global politics.

As more and more students turned their attention to the Frost youngsters at the front, the doors of the auditorium opened with a resounding thud.

Every eye turned to the entrance.

Tap. Tap.

A youth stepped through the door, the sound of his steps echoing through the auditorium.

He walked with an elegance that couldn’t be taught.

Every step commanded attention.

The sharp features of his face were enhanced by dark black hair that fell over his forehead.

His black eyes magnified his presence to another height.

He didn’t feel intimidating, but...

No one could argue against the quiet yet subtle pressure that oozed from his body.

It wasn’t his power that people felt...

No.

It was his elegance that bowed their heads.

Something so refined that it even put royals to shame.