“Eh?”
Unexpectedly, upon hearing Ye Xu’s reply, the four classmates showed even greater shock.
They exchanged glances, each reading disbelief in the others’ eyes.
After all, that Earl Nal was quite the character.
In just five years, he had lifted his family from a rundown baronial house in the middle of nowhere—possessing only one ancient, barely functional Magitech Knight—into a newly ennobled earldom with nearly twenty cutting-edge machines.
Simar · Nal had long become a famous figure in the surrounding kingdoms.
More importantly, all of this had happened after his father’s death, when he took the reins in a moment of crisis.
Given the family’s former circumstances, calling it “rising from nothing” wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Yet such a man had publicly announced he was bringing home his father’s illegitimate son from outside?
The common consensus was that it was merely a PR stunt to build an image of filial piety.
Otherwise, why bring back a half-brother he had never met—one who might one day compete with his own children for the inheritance?
But now, seeing with their own eyes this brand-new Magitech Knight whose appearance alone screamed terrifying performance, they instantly understood:
Things were not as simple as the world believed.
This “younger brother” who had suddenly been brought home, less than half the earl’s age, was clearly deeply cherished by His Lordship.
The four young nobles exchanged looks and silently made up their minds: when they went home on the next break, they would definitely report this to their parents.
And they, too, would do everything possible to befriend him.
“Is there anything else?”
In just a few seconds, the innate aura of high nobility radiated from Ye Xu.
He sighed inwardly.
There was a reason he had never had peers as friends his whole life.
Commoners never even had the chance to meet him, and noble children were each more scheming than the last.
The only exception in both lives had been his childhood friend Navila.
In fact, had Navila’s family not appeared like a ray of moonlight in his life, making him believe—however unrealistically most of the time—that “good nobles might exist,”
he probably would have made executing local nobles and redistributing their land and wealth to the commoners the very first thing he did after capturing any territory during the rebellion.
“If there’s nothing else, then I’ll—”
“Ah, w-wait!”
Seeing Ye Xu about to leave, the four hurriedly stepped forward again.
—A noble who could bring the latest military-grade Magitech Knight to school just because he was an earl’s brother? Someone this favored couldn’t be allowed to slip away so easily!
And so, under Ye Xu’s faintly impatient gaze, they began introducing themselves without prompting.
“We’re all from the Nalan Kingdom.”
“I’m Edwin Hawthorn.”
“This is Roland Black.”
“He’s Lionel Fell.”
“And this is Sarah Wentworth.”
“You see, the Nalan Kingdom and your Ross Kingdom are neighbors, after all.”
“We’ll be classmates for four whole years.”
“It’d be good to get to know each other—helps us look out for one another later.”
Three boys and one girl. The three boys were from viscount families; the girl was from a baronial house.
Of course, even without the introductions, Ye Xu could tell.
They had the bearing and basic etiquette expected of nobility, but their ability to hide their thoughts and emotions was far too immature. They had probably been forced to attend the academy under the border kingdoms’ policy requiring noble offspring to train—very much against their will.
From the look of it, they were all second or third sons and daughters with no inheritance rights and little serious education, which explained their rawness.
Still…
“No need. I prefer to be alone.”
The advantage of an earl’s status was immediately apparent.
—Just barely stepping into the ranks of high nobility, if he himself had no interest in making friends, lesser nobles trying to climb up was like trying to ascend to heaven.
And true high nobles would never lower themselves to approach first.
Although he had promised Lady Nal he would make friends his age…
He wasn’t desperate enough to settle for just anyone.
“Hey, wait—”
Watching Ye Xu walk off with his Magitech Knight in tow, the four felt unwilling but didn’t dare pester further due to the gap in status. They could only give up reluctantly.
Carrying his luggage with one hand, Ye Xu walked slowly out of the station and headed straight for the Magic Academy gates as Lady Nal had instructed.
A student followed by a military-grade Magitech Knight naturally drew every eye.
Add in Ye Xu’s striking appearance, and the head-turn rate was practically 100%.
Whenever this happened, Ye Xu couldn’t help but feel grateful for his past habit of keeping an extremely low profile.
Aside from necessary tasks like magical research or commanding battles, he had almost never appeared in public.
Even when he personally comforted liberated civilians, he had never allowed any portraits to be made.
Because of that, almost no one in the world knew what the boy “Ye Xu,” whom the “Night Princess” had disguised herself as, actually looked like.
Otherwise, even after escaping the empire, he would have to keep his face disguised at all times.
Now, the only ones who knew what he used to look like were a handful of imperial royals, the Nine Eternal Night Knights, and the former high command of the rebel army he once led.
“Um… hello, classmate. Are you…”
“A new student?”
As soon as he reached the academy gates, a senior who seemed to be in charge of receiving freshmen stared blankly at Ye Xu and the Magitech Knight behind him.
“Yes. Here’s my enrollment letter and student ID.”
Ye Xu pulled the documents from his bag and handed them over.
“Hm… Ye Laixi · Nal, right?”
The senior took the enrollment letter to submit later and returned the ID. After a quick glance to confirm identity, his eyes swept over the Magitech Knight behind Ye Xu, and he immediately reached the same conclusion as the previous four.
However, this person’s ability to conceal his emotions was on a completely different level.
Though also from a mere viscount family, as the eldest son and heir, his upbringing and insight far surpassed the average person.
With just one look, he recognized that the machine was a military-grade model built on the blueprint of the currently coveted, near-impossible-to-acquire “Radiant Sun Type-14.”
Instantly reassessing Ye Xu’s status, he extended his hand with calm composure.
“Nice to meet you, classmate Nal. I’m Charles Forte.”
“Like you, I’m from the Ross Kingdom.”
“For the next few years, please take care of me.”
Although there was still that uncomfortable glint in his eyes—the look of someone coldly measuring another’s value—as the heir of a noble house, he at least restrained it well.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ye Laixi · Nal.”
And so, Ye Xu shook his hand in greeting.