CHAPTER 298: THE ARRIVAL OF THE SOLARA AND FAELARUN ACADEMIES

A few days of hectic preparation passed, and the time for the arrival of Solara and Faelarun Academies’ delegates had come.

Professor Rowan, the Student Council, the professors, as well as the entire student body, all waited at the Flying Port of the Academy, which was meant for their guests.

They had even laid down a red carpet to receive their guests, making it a grand event.

"They’re here!" one student pointed at the sky, where a grand flying ship floated in their direction.

The ship’s sails were painted red, and on its surface was a striking symbol—a blazing sun made from gold leaves. Solara Academy’s ship was admittedly awe-inspiring, drawing awe and admiration from Frieden Academy’s students.

The ship slowly descended from the sky, soon landing perfectly on the spot reserved for them.

All the students watched as the elite members of Solara Academy disembarked from their ship and stepped onto the red carpet.

"They’re still as flashy as ever," Professor Gareth muttered, prompting his fellow professors to nod in agreement.

The uniforms of the students from Solara Academy were also red, with golden linings around their edges.

These were their ceremonial uniforms, not the regular ones they usually wore at their academy.

It was simply worn to impress others because they believed that first impressions last.

Alex’s gaze softened a bit when he saw a familiar young lady disembark from the flying ship.

She had long golden hair with streaks of fiery red, which symbolizes the Solara Kingdom’s Royal Bloodline.

Her warm amber eyes scanned the surroundings, as if looking for someone.

Unlike the rest of students, who were wearing red ceremonial uniforms, she wore white and gold robes adorned with sun motifs, making her stand out like a beautiful white flower among the red roses filled with thorns.

She also carried a magical staff shaped like a blooming lily, which matched her beautiful features.

The young lady radiates a gentle, noble, and charismatic aura, making others feel calm as they gaze upon her.

She was none other than Celestria Dawnflare, daughter of the Duke of Dawnflare.

Alex knew ‌her as the Radiant Lily of the Battlefield, one of the Unique Characters in the Story Mode of ELO.

With most of everyone focused on the beautiful lady, they failed to notice that another person disembarked from the ship.

Similar to Celestria, he was also wearing white and gold robes adorned with sun motifs.

His golden hair also had faint streaks of red in it, proving his royal bloodline.

He was none other than Fifth Prince of Solara and Theo’s little brother, Garen Ashborne.

Seeing that everyone’s attention was focused on his cousin, the young man couldn’t help but sigh internally.

’I should have disembarked first,’ Prince Garen thought.

He had planned to wow everyone with his knightly charm and overflowing confidence.

But since he and his cousin, Celestria, got along very well, he decided to just smile and allow everyone to gaze at the beautiful lily of their Academy.

As if waiting for that moment, another ship appeared in the sky of the academy.

A magnificent Elven flying ship, adorned with green sails, slowly descended from the heavens.

When the flying ship neared the ground, many students saw something fluttering around its sails like silver butterflies, leaving trails of white shimmering dust behind their wake.

The emblem that was embedded on its biggest sail was a Crescent Moon, shining faintly despite it being daytime.

"Wow," Lavinia couldn’t help but sigh at the beautiful ship that represented the Faelarun Academy.

When the drawbridge connected to the ground, the first to disembark was an elven boy who seemed to be around twelve to thirteen years old by human standards.

He walked straight and confidently with his hands clasped behind his back.

Following behind him in neat order were the elves of Faelarun Academy.

All of them wore high-collared tunics of deep forest green, with a small crescent moon embedded on their right chest.

Although their clothes weren’t as eye-catching as the ceremonial clothes of the Solara Academy’s delegation, they still showed the elegance of the elves, who all had a close relationship with nature.

"Welcome to Frieden Academy," Professor Rowan said with a smile.

The students of Frieden Academy gave their guests a resounding round of applause, welcoming them as their special guests.

The professors who accompanied their delegations greeted Professor Rowan and shook hands with him.

"I know you all had a long journey, so please, come and refresh yourselves," Professor Rowan said, gesturing for the professors and their respective students to follow him.

The Solara and the Faelarun Students glanced at each other before following behind the Headmaster of the academy.

Theo, who was assigned to manage the rest of the student body after receiving their guests, made a gesture for everyone to return to their respective dormitories for the time being.

Everyone already knew the drill, so they all complied without any complaints.

Alex and the other representatives of the First Years remained, tasked to be the guides of these guests from afar after the Headmaster and the professors had finished a meal with them.

"Are you okay, Alex?" Vaan asked the young man, who seemed to be deep in thought. "Do you feel butterflies in your stomach?"

"No," Alex replied. "Don’t mind me, Vaan. I’m just thinking about a few things at the moment."

Alex was a little surprised because there was a person within the Faelarun Delegation who shouldn’t be there with them.

It was none other than the twelve to thirteen-year-old elven boy who led the delegation to disembark from the ship.

’I don’t remember seeing him in my playthroughs,’ Alex thought. ’Who is that person? He seems to have a high standing among their delegation.’

The young man was starting to think that the appearance of the boy was due to the changes that he made in the story progression of ELO.

Although it might seem like a minor change on the surface, he believed that it wasn’t as simple as it looked on the surface.

Then, an idea struck him, which made him lightly tap his head in frustration.

’How could I forget something so simple?’ Alex thought as he glanced at Lapiz, who was walking beside him.

Since she held a high position in Elven Society, Alex believed that she would have the answer to his question.

"Lapiz, can I ask you a question?" Alex said.

"Okay." Lapiz nodded.

"That little boy who led the Faelarun delegation earlier, do you know him?" Alex asked.

"I do." Lapiz smiled, and her gaze softened a bit. "He is my little brother, Prince Kaelen Eryn Sylvarin."

Alex blinked once, then twice, before his hand trembled after hearing the name that made him recall a memory of the past.

Kaelen Eryn Sylvarin was the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Faelarun, and also the future husband of the Saintess of the World Tree.

He was a genius Elf Sorcerer who specialized in Nature and Earth Magic, which earned him the title of the "Sylvan Guardian."

’It seems that a future big shot has appeared,’ Alex mused. ’I just hope that nothing dangerous happens during this time.’

He wasn’t aware that among the other students who were slowly leaving the scene, a young lady with disheveled hair and wearing glasses lowered her head to hide the smile on her face.

A few ideas were swirling inside her head, which she believed would make the month-long stay of their guest a very memorable experience that they would remember for a lifetime.