**Chapter 12: Shifting Winds**

  The dust had long settled on the training ground, but its echoes still lingered in the hearts of every student in the academy. The Peasant class did what no one expected — they had stood against the Elite class and even though they lost but not one-sidedly. Not just a lucky strike, but a battle fought with strategy, heart, and determination.

  The crowd had gone silent in the final moments, then erupted like a storm as the final bell rang. Even the Royal class, known for their prideful aloofness, paid close attention. Students whispered in the corridors, cheerful expressions and excited chatter was muttering in every member of the Peasant class wherever they walked.

  Professor Hamrel, once resigned to his quiet lectures and low expectations, now stood tall before his class, pride glimmering through his eyes.

  “You all did more than just win a battle,” he said, voice trembling. “You changed something. You made this academy look at you.”

  He pulled out a small wooden box, inside of which were neatly arranged with ten enchanted ornaments — pendants infused with minor mana amplification and memory recall enchantments.

  “These,” he said, handing them out one by one, “will help you in your studies. But more than that, wear them as symbols — of what you’re capable of.”

  Cheers erupted in the Peasant class hall. Even the quietest students, those who had never dared to raise their voices, joined in. There were songs, playful sparring, laughter that echoed through the dormitory walls.

  Yet, across the academy, another story unfolded.

  In the Elite class dormitory, the mood was far from celebrations. Silence lingered like a storm cloud. Some students stared into their books with hollow eyes, others sulked or left the halls entirely.

  Yuki, the summoned student from Earth with a calm yet determined heart, stood among them. She hadn’t fought in the last battle — she was injured prior to the sparring session — but her voice cut through the gloomy students’ hearts.

  “It’s just a battle. Not a war,” she said, addressing her classmates. “We weren’t ready. But this is a chance to grow. If they can rise, so can we.”

  Her words stirred some murmurs. Some nodded. Others remained quiet.

  Tavion, ever composed and sharp-eyed, made his way to Victor, who had returned to the Elite class dorm to gather some belongings.

  “Thanks for the help out there,” Tavion said. “You held your own. Meet me at the training room later. Let’s train together.We could be a good team.”

  Victor smiled faintly and nodded. For once, there was no hostility in Tavion’s gaze. Only curiosity.

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  Somewhere else, whispers began to stir — not in the academy, but in the underworld.

  A noble of Falinghomes — Count Redure, a man of immense wealth and even greater cruelty — was found dead in his manor, his throat slit cleanly with no signs of forced entry. There were no footprints, no trace of magic. Only a black orchid left at the scene, pinned to the heart of the Empire's map.

  The symbol was recognized by few, but feared by all who did: The mark of the newly whispered **Assassin Guild**.

  The Count’s death triggered investigations, and panic erupted in political circles. Noble families who once viewed assassination as an impossible threat within their gilded walls now hired double the guards. Mercenaries scrambled for information. Underground brokers began whispering one name — Ghost. A title. A shadow. A nightmare.

  The Assassin Guild had entered the scene — and they didn’t chose a low-tier official or corrupt merchant for their debut, but a Count.

  And that was a message.

  As tension rose in quiet corners of the world, the academy’s library became a hub for students curious about the power dynamics shaping their future.

  The continent was vast, divided among six mighty nations:

  1. **Ephesus** – The Empire of Dragons, backed by the Dragon King. A land of fiery tradition, powerful mages, and sacred contracts. Once the guardian of balance, now a land feared for its brutal conquests.

  2. **Roadias** – A militarized monarchy famed for its Knight Orders. Strategic, disciplined, and cold. They value strength and order above all.

  3. **Eoadias** – A flourishing scholarly kingdom where Victor had first arrived. Known for its openness and alliance with other races. The Virtus Academy resides here.

  4. **Burdanpole** – A kingdom of deserts and trade, known for its wealth and assassins-for-hire. Many believe the Assassin Guild once had roots here, though no one dares speak it aloud.

  5. **Falinghomes** – A coastal kingdom with booming industry and maritime power. But its corrupt nobility has long drained its people’s spirit.

  6. **Dromis** – A dark forested land inhabited by beasts and secret cults. Little is known, but its people are fierce and enigmatic.

  Beyond them lay the **City in the Sky**, where harpies and wyvern riders soared and warred in aerial battles. Then there was **Atlanta**, the underwater city where merfolk scholars wielded ancient water magics, and the **Dwarven Underground**, known for its ingenious weapons and impenetrable mines.Also there is ** The Queendom of Witches** ruled by mighty Queen of witches.There’s also vampire and werewolf exist but no one knew where.Monsters like orc, ogre, goblins, spectres, mimics and many other species exist beyond the dark jungle.The demons almost wiped by the 7th HERO ARTHUR.No one knows where he is now.

  Each of these places was now on alert. The balance was shifting. And none knew from where the storm would come — only that it had begun.

  Victor sat under the sakura tree near the academy’s inner garden, its petals slowly falling around him in a soft, pink rain. Across from him sat Princess Reinar, her expression calm yet thoughtful.

  “The academy has changed,” she said quietly. “And you — you’re no longer the unsure boy I met in Eoadias.”

  Victor looked at his hands. “Change was never a choice. Not here.”

  Reinar smiled faintly. “True. But you’ve adapted well. Better than most summoned. Even among the Royals, there’s unease. You’re bridging the worlds — of Earth, of this continent, of the people who never had a voice.”

  Victor hesitated. Then asked, “Do you trust the Empire’s vision, Reinar? Truly?”

  She was silent for a long moment. “I trust people. Not visions. Not anymore.”

  The wind stirred, lifting the petals between them.

  Victor knew something bigger was coming. He felt it in the silence between words, in the shifting gaze of students, and in the growing tension across the continent. A storm was gathering — not just of magic, but of ideals.