Let’s Go Together

Basamiel Academy

It was finally the morning of the entrance ceremony at Basamiel Academy.

Adrian Heather changed into the academy uniform he had prepared. Other than wearing the uniform, there were no specific instructions. He looked at himself in the mirror, running a hand through his fine golden hair a few times. Then, he checked once more to make sure his eye color had successfully changed to an ordinary shade of brown before averting his gaze.

Mikhail Ruth Inehart was lying on his bed with his eyes closed, possibly resting after an early morning run. Knowing just how blissful it was to take a short break after exercising, Adrian didn’t bother waking him. Or, to be more honest, he didn’t see the need to take care of someone who wasn’t a child.

Mikhail would surely get up on his own and attend the ceremony. The usual age for entering the academy was around seventeen. In just two more years, they would be nineteen and considered adults—plenty old enough to handle things themselves.

When Adrian had read the information sheet that came with the admission notice, he had assumed the entrance ceremony wouldn’t be a big event. After all, the academy admitted only about two hundred students each year. He expected nothing more than a simple greeting from the headmaster. However, as he made his way to the academy’s banquet hall, he realized he needed to adjust his expectations.

The entire area around the hall was bustling with activity. People who seemed to be academy staff were hauling heavy objects across the hallways. On one side, a group of students wearing academy uniforms was carrying musical instruments that seemed completely unrelated to the entrance ceremony. Was this not just a ceremony but a full-on party?

As Adrian walked, someone dashed past him.

“It’s starting soon! Hurry up!”

Glancing around, Adrian quickened his pace slightly. The dormitory wasn’t far from the banquet hall. In fact, in terms of distance, the banquet hall was even closer than the main school building. He could already imagine students sprinting desperately every morning to avoid being late.

Along with the other new students, Adrian entered the hall. He could tell they were first-years by the way they hesitated, awkwardly glancing around, or by how their uniforms still had that crisp, brand-new look. It was amusing to see.

The massive wooden doors, adorned with intricate marble carvings, were already open. Beyond them lay the grand banquet hall of Basamiel Academy.

At the farthest end of the hall, a massive glass wall allowed sunlight to flood the space. Today’s weather was clear, and the warm sunlight streaming through made the entire hall gleam. The already luxurious furnishings looked even more elegant under the natural light. Outside the glass wall, the academy’s garden featured an enormous tree so thick that it would take about twenty fully grown men with outstretched arms to encircle its trunk. Surrounding it was a dense forest, as if guarding the ancient giant.

A large list was posted beside the entrance, dividing the new students into twelve groups. The first-years checked the paper and moved toward their designated groups. Some students, already bonded with new friends, were whining about being separated.

Adrian was placed in Group One—”Garnet.” It seemed the groups were named after the twelve birthstones.

As Adrian approached the sign with the red emblem, he saw a man who appeared to be a teacher holding a sheet of paper. The man moved through the groups of first-year students, checking if everyone had arrived. When Adrian reached him, the teacher asked for his name, nodded in confirmation, and gestured toward the back of the already forming line of students.

Just as Adrian was walking to his assigned spot—

“Mikhail Ruth Inehart?”

The gathered students fell silent for a brief moment. They were young, but they all knew the name of the prince of their kingdom. When no one responded, the academy teacher repeated the call.

“Mikhail Ruth Inehart, are you not present?”

The new students began whispering among themselves. Adrian thought to himself, So he really couldn’t get up after lying there for so long. He continued walking toward his place in line.

“The student sharing a room with Mikhail… let’s see, Adrian Heather?”

Lost in thought, Adrian snapped to attention when he heard his name. Slowly, he turned his head.

“Is Adrian Heather absent as well?”

“What? No, I’m here.”

“You didn’t come with Mikhail Ruth Inehart?”

“…No.”

Adrian felt awkward. He wasn’t the kind of roommate who would fuss over Mikhail and make sure he got to the ceremony. Now, however, every eye in the hall was on him. Their gazes practically screamed, What kind of nerve does this guy have to show up without bringing the prince?

The ceremony seemed about to begin.

A few students dressed in uniforms took their seats in the beautifully decorated orchestra section of the banquet hall, tuning their instruments. Around them, second, third, and fourth-year students were seated in their assigned places. The academy’s faculty members had also arrived, waiting for the event to start.

But no one seemed bold enough to begin the ceremony without the prince.

“…I’ll go get him.”

When Adrian spoke first, the teacher looked relieved and even praised him, though it was clear she had been hoping someone would step up.

Internally cursing the whole situation, Adrian turned and left the banquet hall alone. The outside corridors were eerily silent, as if the entire school population had gathered inside. Only the sharp sound of his own footsteps echoed across the marble floor as he moved quickly.

He was heading toward the dormitory staircase when—

“Hey!”

There he was—Mikhail Ruth Inehart, strolling leisurely across the courtyard.

Adrian stopped mid-stride and stared down at him from the top of the stairs, his eyes cold.

“Are you coming or not? I had to come all the way back out here because of you.”

Despite Adrian’s sharp tone, Mikhail didn’t hurry. He continued walking with an air of composed elegance, completely unfazed.

“What’s the rush? It hasn’t even started yet.”

As Mikhail walked back to the banquet hall alongside Adrian, he spoke.

“…For events like this, you’re supposed to arrive a little later than the official start time.”

“I don’t do that.”

That was how royalty behaved. The higher one’s status, the later they arrived at a party. In fact, nobles and royals considered it embarrassing to be present before the event had begun.

“Try using that excuse when you’re late for class and see how well it goes over with the professors.”

Adrian grabbed Mikhail’s arm and pulled him forward. The prince was walking far too slowly, and at this rate, they’d both be late. But Mikhail immediately swatted Adrian’s hand away with a sharp thwack! As his grip broke, Adrian raised an eyebrow and glanced back at him.

“Don’t touch me without permission.”

“Ah, you’re such a pain. Then walk faster.”

Fortunately, the banquet hall doors were still open. Adrian led Mikhail toward the section where the Garnet group was gathered.

“Whoa! Look, he actually showed up.”

“I’ve never seen royalty in real life before.”

“Who’s that next to him? That blond hair… Which noble family was he from again?”

“The prince? You mean the youngest prince?”

Students whispered among themselves, eyes locked onto the two of them as they walked to their assigned places. Their gazes weren’t hostile—just filled with pure curiosity.

“There,” Adrian muttered, ignoring the attention as he delivered Mikhail to their group. The teacher in charge of attendance finally checked off the last empty space on her list.

“Mikhail Ruth Inehart?”

“Yes.”

Mikhail answered as he surveyed the assembled first-years. He and Adrian stood a full head taller than most of them. Something about his presence—an unspoken authority—made the murmuring students fall silent.

His hair was a brilliant silver, and his delicate facial features were strikingly beautiful. Yet the sharp slant of his eyes gave him a piercing, almost intimidating expression. He had the looks of royalty, but his cold demeanor made him difficult to approach.

Adrian and Mikhail moved to stand at the back of the line.

Just then—

The students holding instruments began to play. The music signaled the official start of the ceremony.

With the shift in atmosphere, all eyes turned toward the center of the banquet hall.

The headmaster of Basamiel Academy had arrived.

Her long, wavy gray hair cascaded down past her waist, and she wore a deep green gown—the symbolic color of Basamiel.

This was a woman who had dedicated her entire life to the protection of the Rustavaran Kingdom, once serving as its youngest royal knight. Even at her advanced age, her posture remained impeccably straight, and the massive sword hanging from her waist was a testament to her unwavering discipline.

Adrian’s gaze flickered to Mikhail and caught the way his hand curled into a tight fist.

Mikhail’s expression, usually indifferent, now held a flicker of intensity. His eyes burned with something close to admiration.

The headmaster, her face carrying the warmth of one who had lived a long life, finally spoke.

“Welcome to Basamiel Academy.”

The entrance ceremony had begun.