Let’s Go Together

The First Weekend at Basamiel Academy

Adrian Heather awoke on the dormitory bed at Basamiel Academy.

For the first time in a long while, he’d dreamed of that incident.

It was probably that damn brat in the bed next to his who reminded him of Carlo. The Gold Dragon slowly rose from his bed, his mind hazy, likely from the dream that had just haunted him.

With a vacant expression, Adrian turned his head toward the window by the head of his bed.

The warm sunlight touched his face. Nice weather today. The Gold Dragon gazed out the window at the clear blue sky and the lush forest beyond. A few birds flitted through the air, chirping peacefully.

Hm?

…Why does this feel so refreshing?

Startled by the odd sense of ease, Adrian abruptly sat up in bed. Now that he thought about it, the prince wasn’t in the dorm room. No way… The Gold Dragon had clung to the hope that the prince would have at least a shred of conscience left. But Mikhail had completely shattered that expectation.

The prince really wasn’t in the room.

Because they had morning classes.

Adrian let out a sigh, his face deflating into one of defeat, and slowly began to get ready for class. He was already late anyway, so he decided to take his time.

Conveniently, there was something he could only do when the prince wasn’t around.

He quickly bent over and checked beneath the bed frame, where two unimpressive-looking stones had been quietly stashed away.

The first one he retrieved—the All-Seeing Eye—was so light it felt like he might forget it was even in his hand. No need to check; it was clearly Mikhail’s.

The dragon then pulled out the second stone from under the bed. Clunk. The sheer weight of it confirmed what he already knew: it was still enough to get him expelled.

“Hnnngh…”

Guess I know why I had that dream.

Frowning, Adrian stared intently at the All-Seeing Eye resting in his palm.

There was something eerily familiar about it. It felt exactly the same as when he’d confronted that “angel” inside the dungeon.

It was a higher, purer power—on a level even a dragon couldn’t resist. And yet, for all its godlike presence, it was being used to determine whether a first-year student at an academy could graduate. The irony wasn’t lost on him.

In the eyes of such an overwhelming force—one that balanced entire worlds—human fate must seem incredibly brief, barely worth measuring.

Looking pained, he glanced down at the two stones in his hands, then exhaled lightly onto the heavier one.

As expected, the name Adrian Heather slowly floated to the surface of the unimpressive stone.

“Damn it.”

With an irritated growl, the Gold Dragon threw both All-Seeing Eyes back under the bed.

He never thought he’d reach a point where he’d be this desperate to pass first-year.

Adrian ruffled his golden hair roughly, frustration crackling through his fingertips.

“…If this keeps up, I’m seriously going to end up dropping out after just one year.”

It was a problem.

According to Basamiel’s curriculum, first-years were required to take integrated courses from all departments, which meant that for the entire year, the material was limited to basic knowledge and general education. The advanced courses in botany—specifically in medicinal herbs—that the Dragon had been aiming for wouldn’t be available until second or even third year.

No, but seriously—how the hell is that bastard Mikhail walking around with such a light stone with that kind of personality? Whoever was behind this “all-seeing” judgment was clearly way too generous toward humans.

Adrian closed his eyes and tapped into a bit of mana from his true form. As the flickering gold mana rippled through the air, his bright golden hair slowly floated upward. When he opened his eyes, golden flecks of mana shimmered deep within his irises.

Get lighter.

Boom—!

Like a failed potion, the specks of mana turned black and burst mid-air.

Tch. Adrian clicked his tongue and raised his empty hand, clenching it tightly as he muttered under his breath. It was a duplication spell.

Slowly, his hand opened to reveal a stone that looked exactly like the All-Seeing Eye.

The Dragon let out a soft breath onto the replica, hoping—just maybe—it would respond.

If a name appeared, it meant success.

“…”

But the new All-Seeing Eye, crafted from his own mana, remained completely inert.

With a sharp smack, Adrian slammed it against the floor, shattering the fake stone. It had been a long shot, but he’d tried the spell anyway. As expected, his dragon magic had no effect.

He stared silently at the two stones lying on the floor and let out a long, heavy sigh.

“If I can’t move up, does that mean I’ll have to re-enroll as a first-year next time?”

Of course, it’d be better if he could just pass and be done with it.

***

“You’re late, aren’t you?”

It was the man who’d sparred with the Headmaster. He seemed to be the professor in charge of the first-year swordsmanship class.

“I overslept. I apologize,” Adrian replied as he stepped into the training ground where the class was already underway.

Judging by the heat in the air and the flurry of motion and noise from the students, the lesson had been going on for a while.

“Perfect timing. Then you’ll be paired with Mikhail.”

“…What?”

Adrian glanced around. The rest of the first-years were already grouped into pairs. The professor handed him one of the wooden swords, then gave him a firm push in the direction where Mikhail was practicing. The man clearly still believed, without a doubt, that Adrian and Mikhail were friends.

All the students were gripping their wooden swords with both hands, practicing basic moves with their assigned partners. It was the kind of exercise fitting for an introductory class—simple diagonal slashes from left to right. The professor had explained that the goal was to repeat the motion as long as possible. A pretty lazy class, honestly. Still, swordsmanship was physical, so the simplicity made sense.

Mikhail was standing alone in the middle of the training ground, swinging his sword solo unlike the other students. Either the new students were too intimidated by his royal status to pair up with him, or he’d just dumped the entire swordsmanship portion onto Adrian again. Probably one of those.

As Adrian walked over to him, he couldn’t help but think, Why do we even need to do this with partners in the first place?

Despite everything, it seemed Mikhail’s solo training hadn’t been a waste. His form was decent, his grip steady. He swung the wooden sword with surprising accuracy.

Adrian revised his opinion of the prince just a little.

He’s probably already nailed the basics, so there’s no reason he should still be stuck on beginner moves… and yet here he is, calmly swinging away.

It made him look—just a bit—mature.

Still, that was one thing. Right now, Adrian had something he needed to say to the prince.

Adrian slung the wooden sword over one shoulder and swaggered toward Mikhail like some street punk.

“Hey.”

But Mikhail didn’t even look at him. He seemed focused on his training.

“So you came to class all by yourself without even bothering to wake me up?”

Adrian gritted his teeth and shot a sharp accusation at the prince. Mikhail gave him a brief sidelong glance, then lifted his wooden sword again, about to resume his swing.

Thwack—!

Adrian’s wooden sword slammed into Mikhail’s mid-swing with a solid thunk, stopping it cold. The two wooden blades collided with a dull crack that echoed across the training ground.

Seeing his sword blocked, Mikhail raised one eyebrow.

“Shouldn’t waking up in the morning be your own responsibility?”

The prince threw the very words Adrian had been planning to use right back at him. Annoyed, Adrian gave his sword a casual flick toward Mikhail in a mock strike. Since this was a swordsmanship class, something like that was probably within bounds.

Mikhail, sensing the movement, was just about to react and shift his own sword when—

“Adrian. Mikhail. That’s not the form you’re supposed to be practicing, is it?”

The swordsmanship professor called out with a cheerful smile, clearly amused as he addressed the two of them.

Adrian quickly retracted the sword he’d swung toward Mikhail.

“You two—go over to that corner and practice the proper form a thousand times.”

Mikhail shot Adrian a glare.

But Adrian was glaring right back, just as hard.