CHAPTER 30: MOONLIT PREPARATIONS

Principal Whitmore’s Office*****

Principal Whitmore sat behind his desk, reviewing the evening reports when the first notification crystal pulsed with soft blue light. He touched it with one weathered finger, and the interface expanded before him in shimmering text.

[FORMAL CHALLENGE REGISTERED]Challenger: Roderick Veilmont (Rank 35)Challenged: Sarah Millbrook (Rank 7)Status: ACCEPTEDScheduled: Tomorrow, Post-Morning Classes

Whitmore leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Already?" he murmured to himself. "It’s barely been a week since badge distribution."

He touched another crystal, pulling up the detailed profiles of both students. Sarah Millbrook’s file was frustratingly thin: two weeks awakened, temporal biological manipulation, recent elevation to minor nobility following a classified incident. The details of that incident were sealed at royal command, but Whitmore had his sources.

’Aged a man to death in minutes during a kidnapping attempt. Raw, uncontrolled power triggered by extreme emotional distress.’

Roderick Veilmont’s file, by contrast, was thick with documentation. Noble family background, private tutors from age six, formal combat training, essence manipulation theory, dueling etiquette. Everything a proper Academy student should have before arrival.

"This is going to be very interesting," Whitmore said, though his tone carried a note of concern. "Though the odds are hardly fair."

He activated his speaking crystal. "Professor Leo, please report to my office immediately."

While he waited, Whitmore studied Sarah’s ranking more carefully. Seventh place in a supposedly random distribution? He snorted softly. Nothing about the Academy’s operations was truly random, especially not when it came to students with potentially strategic abilities. The crafters who created those badges had been given very specific instructions about "random" placement of certain individuals.

A knock at his door interrupted his thoughts. "Enter."

Professor Leo stepped into the office, his military bearing unchanged despite the late hour. The Advanced Combat instructor had been roused from sleep, but showed no sign of fatigue.

"Principal. You called?"

"We have our first formal duel tomorrow," Whitmore said, gesturing to the glowing notification. "Veilmont challenging Millbrook. I want three faculty members supervising this one."

Leo’s eyebrows rose slightly. "Three? That’s typically reserved for matches between top-five students or when abilities present unusual dangers."

"Exactly." Whitmore pulled up Sarah’s ability classification. "Temporal biological acceleration. Uncontrolled manifestation resulted in rapid aging death of an adult male. The girl has no formal training and limited understanding of her own capabilities."

"Ah." Leo’s expression grew more serious. "Potential for accidental fatality. Who do you want on supervision?"

"Yourself for combat assessment. Professor Harold for healing emergencies. And..." Whitmore paused, considering, "Professor Drik for barrier magic. If she loses control, we’ll need containment more than intervention."

Leo nodded grimly. "Understood. What about the Veilmont boy? His family will expect certain... considerations."

"The Veilmonts can expect their son to receive a fair fight under Academy rules. Nothing more." Whitmore’s voice carried the steel that had made him legendary during his military service. "If young Roderick wanted guaranteed victories, he should have stayed home with his private tutors."

"Sir, the political implications could be..."

"Are my concern, not yours." Whitmore dismissed the topic with a wave. "Though I suspect this challenge isn’t really about advancing his ranking. Thirty-fifth to seventh is an ambitious jump for someone who could choose safer targets."

"Testing the new girl’s abilities then?"

"More likely proving she doesn’t belong here." Whitmore’s expression darkened. "The Millbrook elevation has stirred up considerable resentment among the established families. This feels like the opening move in a larger campaign to discredit her."

Leo was quiet for a moment, processing this. "And if she wins?"

"Then she proves she belongs here despite her background. If she loses..." Whitmore shrugged. "Well, it confirms what many already believe about commoner upstarts."

Another crystal began pulsing on his desk, this one glowing with urgent red light. Whitmore frowned and touched it immediately. Emergency notifications were rare, especially this late in the evening.

Whitmore stared at the notification, his earlier calm evaporating. "What in the seven hells..."

Professor Leo moved closer to read the display, but Whitmore had already minimized the details. "Someone’s challenging Petra? The top-ranked student? Who would have the audacity to..."

"Someone who clearly believes they’re ready for the top spot," Whitmore interrupted, his voice carefully neutral. He studied the challenger’s profile privately, his expression growing more thoughtful by the moment.

"This changes everything." Whitmore stood abruptly, pacing to the window that overlooked the Academy grounds. "Two major challenges in one day. The entire ranking dynamic is going to shift."

’So the quiet one finally makes his move,’ Whitmore thought, keeping his expression neutral. ’Nineteen to first in a single challenge. Bold move, considering we have no idea how strong Petra actually is.’

"What do you make of it?" he asked Leo.

"Risky gamble. Petra got the first ranking badge, but we don’t actually know how her abilities stack up in real combat." Leo studied the notification display more carefully. "Could be she’s genuinely powerful and this challenger is making a huge mistake. Or maybe they know something we don’t about her actual capabilities."

"The timing is suspicious," Whitmore mused. "Challenging the number one student right after Veilmont challenges the controversial new girl? That’s not coincidence."

"You think they’re coordinated somehow?"

"I think tomorrow is going to reveal more about our student body than anyone anticipated." Whitmore returned to his desk and activated several more crystals. "Alert the entire faculty council. Cancel all afternoon classes tomorrow. If we’re having two major ranking challenges in one day, we might as well make it an event."

Professor Leo’s eyes sharpened with interest. "You’re thinking academy-wide observation?"

"I’m thinking these duels might tell us which students are worth investing in and which are simply occupying space." Whitmore’s smile was cold and calculating. "The top ten ranking spots are going to be competitive this year, Leo. Far more than usual."

"Indeed. Though I suspect this young man wouldn’t issue such a challenge without solid reasoning behind it." Whitmore studied the challenger’s sparse file again. "His family has a reputation for producing strong ability users, but they’re also known for strategic thinking. This isn’t a reckless move."

Another crystal pulsed, this one confirming acceptance of the mysterious challenge.

"Well," Whitmore said with satisfaction, "tomorrow promises to be very enlightening indeed. Whoever our mystery challenger is, they’re confident enough to accept immediate scheduling."

As Professor Leo left to begin preparations, Whitmore remained at his desk, studying the two challenge notifications. Sarah Millbrook facing down a trained noble to prove she belonged. And someone with enough audacity to challenge the holder of the first-place badge directly for the top spot.

’The political ramifications alone will be fascinating,’ he thought. ’But the real question is what these duels will reveal about our students’ true capabilities.’

He touched one final crystal, activating the Academy’s announcement system. By morning, every student would know about both challenges. The entire first-year class would be watching to see how their social order might shift.

’Let them watch,’ Whitmore decided. ’Competition breeds excellence. And excellence is what the kingdom needs.’

Outside his window, the Academy grounds lay peaceful under moonlight, unaware that tomorrow would reshape everything the students thought they knew about their carefully ordered world.