Chapter 689: Second Semester Resumes

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The strong winds swept across the Royal Academy’s airport, scattering snow across the landing grounds as several massive Royal Steam Dirigibles descended from the sky.

Their enormous bodies blocked out parts of the cloudy sky, and the sound of their engines rolled across the airport like distant thunder.

Snowflakes swirled around their metal frames as they gradually lowered themselves towards the designated landing spots.

Royal Academy staff were already in position.

They stood at the different landing points, gripping red glow sticks in their hands and waving them to guide the approaching airships.

Each movement was clear and deliberate, signaling that the landing grounds were safe.

The staff continued directing the incoming Dirigibles until the first one touched down.

Its heavy frame settled into place, and the wind produced by its engines swept loose snow across the ground.

The staff waited until it had landed safely before turning their attention to the next arrival.

One after another, the Royal Steam Dirigibles completed their landings.

The airport was already crowded with other Dirigibles that had arrived earlier.

Some were preparing for departure, while others had just finished unloading their passengers.

Students who had travelled from distant parts of the Kingdom stepped down from the airships, carrying their luggage and looking around at the familiar grounds of the Royal Academy Airport.

For many of them, the journey home had ended, and their holiday was officially over.

The airport was filled with the sounds of departing families, arriving students, and staff directing people through the busy landing grounds.

Some students hurried to meet their friends, while others remained beside their luggage as they waited for their personal Servants to collect it.

The gentle snowfall did little to quiet the crowd.

"Goodbye, Father! Mother!"

A Non-Noble girl waved both hands energetically at her parents.

She kept waving as the airship that had brought them began to depart, its engines growing louder as it lifted away from the ground.

Her parents waved back from the airship until the distance made it difficult for them to see each other clearly.

"Big Brother, good luck!"

The loud voice of a little boy rang through the airport.

He stood beside his parents, waving at his elder brother, who had already joined the other students heading towards the exit.

The boy continued waving even after his brother turned away to follow the crowd.

His voice blended with the countless other conversations echoing throughout the building.

However, the noise coming from another section of the airport soon drew attention away from the departing families.

"The Bergwyns have arrived!"

A young nobleman announced loudly as he hurried forward with a group of friends.

His companions followed close behind, all heading towards Carmine Bergwyn.

The announcement attracted even more attention.

Several students turned towards the Bergwyns, while others began moving in the same direction to greet the members of the noble family.

"Lady Diane Bergwyn is always so beautiful."

A student spoke with admiration as his eyes followed Diane.

Nearby, another group had already gathered around the Derlis children.

"Lady Willow Derlis, I missed you!"

The enthusiastic greeting came from one of the girls in the crowd.

Others soon joined her, making it difficult for the Derlis siblings to move through the airport without being stopped by their admirers.

Lucien Derlis, who appeared rather accustomed to this sort of attention, raised a hand to encourage the girls to make way.

"Ladies, please make way. You know we all have to gather at the Mix Arena."

He delivered the request lightly, then winked at the girls surrounding him.

"Kayyyyy!"

"I love being back at the Academy!"

"Sir Lucien Derlis is sooo cool!"

The girls responded with excited cries.

Some laughed, while others continued calling out to him, seemingly unwilling to let the brief encounter end.

Lucien carried on with his journey, leaving the girls behind to exchange excited remarks among themselves.

Yet the noise surrounding the Derlis children was hardly the only commotion in the airport.

"Lady Vera Ashenlocke!"

An equally loud greeting came from another section of the crowd.

"Lady Vera Ashenlocke, it’s good to see you healthy."

Boys and girls moved towards Vera as she walked calmly through the airport with Zack, Nina, and Lyra.

Her expression remained composed despite the attention, and she continued forward while the students called out to her.

Their personal Servants followed behind, carrying the luggage that had accompanied them on their journeys.

Nina and Lyra had not brought their own Servants, so Vera’s Maid and Zack’s Butler had taken on the additional task of carrying their luggage.

The extra bags made their journey through the crowd somewhat inconvenient, but the two continued following their respective Masters without complaint.

Vera, meanwhile, maintained her steady pace.

The greetings came from several directions, yet she did not allow the gathering crowd to disrupt her walk.

The attention surrounding the Ashenlockes was not limited to Vera, either.

"Spotted Sir Ezra Ashenlocke!"

"Welcome back to the Academy!"

"Let’s get closer this time!"

"Is it true you were in Thornwick?"

"I saw you in Thornwick!"

Multiple girls shouted as Ezra moved through the airport with Lucy by his side.

Some waved at him from a distance, while others tried to get closer to greet him.

A few called out questions about Thornwick, hoping to receive a response from the young Ashenlocke.

Ezra continued walking without changing his usual expression.

The crowd’s excitement did not seem to affect him much, and he gave no indication that he intended to stop and answer their questions.

Lucy remained beside him as they made their way through the airport.

She glanced at the students gathering around them, then lifted her gaze towards the sky beyond the building.

"The atmosphere of Academy life."

She spoke as they left the airport after passing through the security checkpoint.

Her eyes lingered on the snowy sky, and a pleased smile appeared on her face.

"It’s good to be back."

She turned towards her Master, sharing her thoughts as they continued towards the waiting carriages.

Ezra, however, was looking at the screen of his Starlix 11.

He was reading a chat from The Eclipse.

His expression remained the same as always, plain and calm.

The voices of the students around him continued to rise and fall, but his attention stayed on the messages displayed before him.

He read through the chat without making any noticeable reaction.

After finishing, he placed his Starlix 11 into his space bag.

He and Lucy then boarded a Noble Steam Carriage.

Their destination was not their residence in the First Year Royal Academy East Wing.

Instead, they were heading to the Mix Arena.

The reason was simple.

All students from every year had received a general message from the Royal Academy Student Council.

Everyone was required to gather at the Mix Arena immediately after arriving at the Academy.

There had been no mention of going to their residences first.

Whether they had just returned from a distant region or had arrived from somewhere nearby, the instruction was the same.

They had to gather at the Mix Arena.

As a result, the roads leading towards the arena had become busy with all sorts of Steam Vehicles.

Their wheels rolled across the snowy paths, while the sounds of their engines filled the air.

Servants and carriage attendants guided their vehicles through the traffic, ensuring that the students could reach their destination without unnecessary delays.

Royal Steam Carriages.

Noble Steam Carriages.

Royal Steam Buses.

Noble Winter Rollers.

Royal Winter Rollers.

Noble Land Sailors.

Royal Land Sailors.

Noble Fordliners.

Royal Fordliners.

Noble Phantom Rolls.

Royal Phantom Rolls.

And many other types of Steam Vehicles filled the roads of the Royal Academy.

Their designs varied, from the familiar carriages used by noble families to the larger vehicles that could transport several students at once.

Some moved steadily along the roads, while others passed through the gaps whenever the traffic allowed it.

Their passengers were all heading in the same direction.

The Mix Arena.

The road towards the assembly grounds grew busier as more students arrived.

Carriages approached from different parts of the Academy, and students stepped out with their belongings before making their way towards the gathering point.

Those who had travelled with personal Servants left the handling of their luggage to them, allowing themselves to walk ahead.

Minutes passed.

Then more minutes.

It was almost an hour before most of the students had finally arrived at the Mix Arena.

By then, the assembly grounds were filled with students from all years.

Some stood in small groups, catching up with friends they had not seen throughout the holidays.

Others remained close to their companions, listening to conversations about what had happened back home.

The gentle snow continued to fall over the grounds.

Some students had brought their personal Servants along, and those Servants held umbrellas above their Masters and Mistresses.

The umbrellas shielded them from the falling snow as they waited for the assembly to begin.

Meanwhile, other students simply stood beneath the open sky, brushing snowflakes from their shoulders whenever they felt the cold settling on their clothes.

The students gathered across the assembly ground, waiting for the Student Council to appear.

Not everyone remained quiet.

Some began talking about their holidays, sharing stories of the places they had visited and the things they had done while away from the Academy.

Others discussed events that had occurred before the holidays began, bringing up matters that their friends might have missed.

There were also students who preferred to talk about their personal training.

They compared their progress, discussed the improvements they had made during the weeks at home, and listened to what their companions had accomplished.

For those who had spent the holidays working to improve themselves, the gathering offered an opportunity to learn how much their fellow students had changed.

The assembly grounds were filled with the light noise of countless conversations.

Some students spoke in low voices, while others were loud enough for those standing nearby to hear.

Every now and then, a burst of laughter rose above the general chatter before fading into the surrounding noise.

Then a familiar voice reached the ears of many Third-Year students.

"I think we have all arrived."

The conversations did not stop at once, but several students turned towards the stage as a figure stepped onto it.

The speaker’s voice had been calm, and his arrival drew the attention of those who recognized him.

"Quick question. Did we even use this place during the first semester?"

Another voice soon followed from the stage.

"Obviously not."

A different voice answered.

The brief exchange caught the attention of a few students, some of whom looked towards the stage with curiosity.

The gathering continued to settle as the Student Council members took their positions.

"Greetings to all my fellow Students of Royal."

Drax Drakes lowered his head calmly.

He stood at the center of the group on the stage, facing the assembled students.

Fourteen other Student Council members stood around him, bringing the total number of students on the stage to fifteen.

From where the students stood, the Council members were easy to distinguish from the rest of the gathering.

Each carried a different presence, and even without knowing all their names, it was difficult to overlook them.

Some gave off a feeling of fear.

Others inspired admiration.

A few seemed to possess a certain goofiness, while others carried themselves with an air of elegance.

Their personalities and mannerisms were different, yet they all shared one thing in common.

They were members of the Royal Academy Student Council, the students who stood at the top of their respective years.

Many of the students looked up at them with admiration.

Some paid particular attention to the members they already knew, while others tried to take in the entire group on the stage.

For the First-Year students especially, this was an opportunity to see all the members of the Council in person.

Many had not yet met most of them, and the gathering gave them a chance to observe the students whose names and achievements they had heard about.

"That’s the Student Council."

Cherry whispered to Maxwell.

She stood beside him, her attention fixed on the fifteen students on the stage.

Maxwell, meanwhile, remained calm with his arms folded as he studied the group.

"All of them, huh."

There was a clear note of interest in his voice.

Many First-Year students had not had the opportunity to see most of the Student Council members before.

Now, they were standing before the very people who held the highest positions among the students of their respective years.

The difference in their presence was enough to draw attention, even from those who knew little about them.

Maxwell continued watching the stage.

"They are strong."

He muttered the words to himself, his interest in the Council becoming more apparent.

On the stage...

Drax raised his head after greeting the gathering.

His brown eyes moved across the assembly grounds, passing over the students standing before him.

"Welcome back to your Academy life."

His voice remained calm as he addressed them.

"I’m sure you all enjoyed your holidays and trained hard to grow within the weeks you had."

His gaze moved from one side of the gathering to the other.

He looked over the faces of the students, allowing his eyes to pass across the different groups assembled before him.

Some were still exchanging quiet remarks with their friends, while others had already turned their full attention towards the stage.

As Drax continued speaking, more students settled down to listen.

The beginning of the second semester meant that their time away from the Academy had come to an end.

Whatever progress they had made during the holidays, they would now have to return to their studies and the activities that awaited them.

Drax paused.

His expression became more serious.

"Now that the second semester begins..."

He allowed the words to settle before continuing.

"It is time to begin the preparations for the elections."

The announcement immediately changed the atmosphere among the students.

Some straightened their backs, their attention sharpening at the mention of the elections.

Others smiled with excitement, while a few exchanged glances with their companions.

The elections.

It was a subject that could hardly be ignored now that the second semester had begun.

Students who had been chatting casually moments earlier were now paying closer attention to the stage, waiting to hear what the Student Council would announce next.

Drax continued without raising his voice.

"First, all Faction Leaders, step forward to list out the chosen candidates for the representatives of the Second-Year and First-Year students in your factions."

His tone carried a note of command, making it clear that this was an instruction rather than a suggestion.

Almost immediately...

All the Faction Heads stepped out calmly.