Ronan stood near the back of the main hall the next morning, watching the nervous energy hum through the crowd.

The freshmen filled the massive space, scattered in groups. They were still grouped around their assigned classes for the war for the most part.

Ronan sensed the unease in the room pretty much instantly. Students whispered to each other, shifted their weight, glanced toward the raised platform where Headmaster Rubin would soon appear.

They knew something was coming.

The Inter-Class War results would be announced today, and everyone understood that meant more than declaring Class S the victor.

Class rankings would shift.

Students would move up or down based on performance.

Resources, instructors, facilities — everything tied to those rankings.

Ronan had read enough Academy documentation to know what happened after major evaluations like this.

The entrance exam had been based on prior knowledge, family background, raw talent, along with how well your skillset fit the exam itself.

Nobles placed higher than they deserved. Commoners placed lower for the same reason.

The Inter-Class War corrected that.

Or rather, it exposed who actually belonged where.

Most of the students were worried about losing their class rank.

They were going to have to worry about a lot more than that soon.

Ronan found it amusing, wanting to see the reactions when students realized they wouldn’t be in the Academy anymore.

The massive doors opened.

Headmaster Rubin entered, followed by Vice Headmaster Roman and several senior instructors.

His presence commanded attention without effort. The whispers died. Students straightened.

Rubin reached the center of the platform and smiled warmly at the crowd.

"Congratulations to all of you," he began, his voice carrying easily through the hall. "The Inter-Class War has concluded, and each of you has demonstrated qualities that brought you to Luminara Academy."

Ronan tuned most of it out.

Rubin’s speech was the kind of thing administrators said before delivering bad news. Praise first, then stab the knife right in the gut.

After roughly ten minutes of talk about growth, challenge, and the Academy’s proud traditions, Rubin finally addressed the real talk, and Ronan tuned back in.

"Now, regarding the new class rankings."

The hall tensed.

Students leaned forward. Some exchanged hopeful glances.

Rubin raised one hand.

"Before I display the updated rankings, there is an announcement to make."

Silence.

Rubin’s expression remained warm, but his next words crushed the air from the room.

"After reviewing the Inter-Class War, the Academy has deemed many of the students here... unqualified."

Nobody moved.

Nobody breathed.

Rubin continued without hesitation. "Luminara Academy is entering a new age. While every student here is exceptional, the Academy will only foster the most worthy. Those who have failed to meet our standards will be disqualified from continued enrollment."

The hall erupted.

Not immediately.

First came denial. Students turned to each other, asking if they heard correctly, more quietly and in disbelief than anything.

Then confusion, trying to rationalize what "unqualified" meant.

Then panic.

Immedietely, students started yelling. A girl near the front started crying. A boy slammed his fist against the wall.

Many of the students with the large, over the top reactions were the ones who knew they wouldn’t make the cut.

Ronan watched in silent amusement.

This was another reason he’d contributed to the Inter-Class War beyond the leech. Sure, he’d wanted the parasite, but he also needed to stay in the Academy. An event like this — a mass purge — would eliminate students based on multiple factors, not just raw strength.

Thankfully for him, the Academy didn’t only look at power when making this decision.

They looked at everything — tactical reasoning, decision-making, adaptability, leadership potential.

If they’d been watching the main negotiations, the talks with Elara, the public moves he’d made, he knew he would avoid the purge despite his weak combat ability.

Tactical reasoning and decision-making were skills the Academy valued highly.

A massive projection appeared above the platform — a list of names arranged in order.

Roughly 300 students remained.

The vast majority had been cut.

Faces across the hall went pale. Angry expressions twisted features as students realized their names weren’t there. Shouts filled the room, accusations, desperate pleas, students crying. It was chaos.

Before anything could escalate, hundreds of Academy employees entered from side doors, each one strong enough to handle themselves.

Some students resisted.

Most went along, knowing that resisting the Academy as students was futile. Though, their expressions ranged from shock to fury to hollow despair.

Ronan watched them leave, feeling nothing in particular.

Once the hall cleared, the remaining students looked shaken. Many had just watched friends, allies, and classmates disappear. The quiet that followed felt heavier than the noise before.

Ronan scanned the list for his own name.

He found it near the bottom.

Rank 295.

Close.

Ronan’s eyes moved across the names displayed above the platform.

The top ten were predictable.

Luca Underwood – Rank 1

Aura Acheron – Rank 2

Irene Ashbourne – Rank 3

Iris Lockhart – Rank 4

Grace Light – Rank 5

Jason Vrell – Rank 6

Aegon Ravencrest – Rank 7

Freya Lockhart – Rank 8

Kazuma Momozono – Rank 9 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Armani Faelar – Rank 10

The main cast, mostly. The four great families. The protagonist. The saintess candidate.

Then Ronan noticed something odd.

Kazuma Momozono was ranked ninth.

Not suspicious on its own – Kazuma had performed well during the entrance exam – but his presence in the top ten felt wrong.

Ronan tried to recall what Kazuma had done during the Inter-Class War.

Nothing came to mind.

No leadership. No major conflicts. No strategic moves. He’d simply existed on the battlefield without leaving a trace.

Yet here he was, ranked ninth overall.

Ronan frowned slightly.

That’s inconsistent.

But before he could pursue the thought further, Rubin’s voice echoed across the hall again.

"The new class rankings will now be displayed."

The projection shifted.

Ronan glanced toward Class S first. That was the highest priority.

Class S:

Luca Underwood

Aura Acheron

Irene Ashbourne

Iris Lockhart

Grace Light

The usual names. Expected. Ronan kept reading.

Jason Vrell

Aegon Ravencrest

Freya Lockhart

Kazuma Momozono

Still predictable. Members from the four great families, the main cast—

Ronan stopped.

His eyes caught on the next name.

Ronan Ashbourne

He blinked once.

Then read it again.

Ronan Ashbourne – Class S

His name sat at the bottom of the S-Class roster, but it was there.

Ronan stared at the board, feeling genuine shock at an Academy decision for the first time since he arrived in this world.

What?