We pushed through the crowd and made our way deeper into the main hall. The atmosphere somehow felt even heavier now that classes had ended. Students clustered beneath the massive elder tree growing at the center of the academy building, while others crowded around the stone walkways circling it.

The elder tree stretched upward through the open center of the academy, its silver bark glowing softly beneath the sunlight pouring from the glass ceiling far above. Wooden bridges and corridors wrapped around the trunk across multiple floors, making the entire hall feel alive.

And packed.

Students were everywhere.

Some sat beneath the tree discussing strategies while others leaned against the railings overlooking the lower floors. Quite a few had already changed into partial combat gear instead of wearing their regular academy uniforms. Leather guards, light armor pieces, reinforced gloves, weapon belts... everyone suddenly looked far more serious than usual.

Near the base of the elder tree, Professor Veyra sat behind a long wooden desk with an enormous ledger opened in front of her.

The line waiting for registration moved painfully slow.

Apparently every team in the academy had decided to register at the exact same time.

Ken leaned closer toward me while we waited in line.

"If we die horribly," he whispered, "I want free food at my funeral."

A few students ahead of us suddenly started arguing loudly with Professor Veyra.

"We need a replacement," one of them insisted. "He’s terrible at teamwork."

"No substitutions unless a student is physically incapable of participating," Veyra replied without even looking up from her ledger.

"But he almost shot me yesterday."

"That sounds like a coordination issue, not a medical emergency."

The student opened his mouth again before Veyra finally looked up at him with an exhausted stare.

"And no," she added flatly, "’he sucks at teamwork’ is not an acceptable reason either."

Mio snorted quietly beside me.

The arguing students walked away grumbling under their breath while the line slowly moved forward.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity, we finally reached the front. Professor Veyra glanced up from the ledger, spotted us, and immediately sighed.

"Ah... good." she muttered. "The Ambly-blessed."

"Good to see you too, Professor," Ken replied cheerfully.

"I told you not to call me that."

"Right. Sorry. Ma’am."

Veyra dipped her pen into ink and flipped through several pages of the ledger.

"I assume you’re here to finalize your tournament registration."

"Yes, Ma’am," Mio answered.

Veyra paused briefly before speaking again.

"Before we proceed, I should inform you that I’m unable to assign additional students to your group."

Ken blinked. "Seriously?"

"There are no available students remaining," she explained. "Most participants already formed complete teams. The remaining students either declined participation entirely or refused to cooperate with unfamiliar teammates."

"That sounds incredibly stupid for a team tournament," I muttered.

"It’s the academy," She replied dryly. "Half the students here would rather lose proudly than work alongside someone they consider weak."

Honestly, that sounded exactly like academy students.

"Some higher-ranked students also requested smaller teams intentionally," she continued while writing. "They believe fewer members result in cleaner coordination during combat."

Ken rubbed both hands over his face dramatically. "So we’re really entering this with three people."

"I’m afraid so."

"This is going to end horribly."

"It probably will," Mio replied calmly.

Veyra ignored us entirely and continued preparing the registration.

"Names."

"Mio Lenn. Second-year. C-Class. Ranger."

"Mm... next."

"Ken Noi. First-year. C-Class. Ranger. Solvane-blessed."

Then her eyes shifted toward me.

"Ace Walker First-year. F-Class."

Veyra’s pen paused for half a second. The scratching of the pen continued across the parchment before she added the final part.

I exhaled. "Ambly-blessed."

Nearby conversations noticeably quieted.

A few students glanced toward us immediately while whispers spread beneath the elder tree once again.

I pretended not to hear any of it.

"Done," Professor Veyra said while shutting the massive ledger. "Your team is officially registered."

Ken let out a weak breath. "Nice. Now we can lose legally."

"You three are to wait near the rear corridor entrance," Veyra instructed while pointing toward the large double doors at the far side of the hall. "Once Her Majesty’s guards finish securing the courtyard, participants will be escorted outside in groups."

Mio nodded once and turned away immediately. Ken and I followed after her while the noise around the elder tree continued growing louder by the minute.

And somewhere beyond those massive closed doors, the Queen was already waiting.

A loud metallic sound suddenly echoed through the hall as one of the royal guards struck the butt of his spear against the stone floor.

The conversations around the elder tree slowly quieted.

The guard stood near the massive double doors leading toward the rear courtyard, his polished armor reflecting the sunlight pouring through the upper windows.

"Attention, students," he announced in a firm voice. "The rear courtyard will be opened shortly. You will proceed outside in an orderly manner under the supervision of academy staff and Her Majesty’s royal guard."

The entire hall went nearly silent.

"No pushing. No running. No unnecessary use of magic or abilities within the academy halls. Upon entering the courtyard, each participant will pay proper respect to Her Majesty before taking their seat."

A second guard stepped forward beside him. "Failure to follow instructions will result in immediate removal from today’s event."

That definitely got everyone’s attention.

Around us, students immediately started whispering excitedly again, though quieter this time.

Ken leaned closer toward me with wide eyes. "She’s really here," he whispered excitedly. "This is insane."

"You’re acting like you’re about to faint."

"I might."

A few nearby students looked equally nervous. Others looked thrilled beyond belief. Some were fixing their uniforms repeatedly while others practiced bows under their breath like their lives depended on it. Honestly, they probably thought they did.

Several seconds later, the same guard raised his voice again.

"The doors will now be opened. Proceed in line and follow academy staff instructions at all times."

The giant double doors slowly began to open inward.

Bright sunlight spilled into the hall immediately, along with the distant noise of the packed courtyard outside.

Teachers quickly moved into position along the sides of the corridor.

"Slowly now."

"Keep moving."

"Stay with your teams."

"Do not stop near the entrance."

The massive line of students finally began moving.

Since the three of us had been standing farther back near the corridor wall, we ended up near the end of the line. Honestly, I preferred that. Less attention.

We waited while groups ahead slowly filtered outside one by one.

As the line moved forward, I finally started getting glimpses of the courtyard beyond the doors.

Rows upon rows of seats surrounded the massive combat arena outside, nearly all of them already occupied by students, teachers, guards, and academy staff. The arena itself sat lower than the surrounding seating area, its floor marked with old weapon scars and faded impact craters from previous matches.

Then I noticed what every student had been reacting to.

The Queen.