The magical journey of a countryside boy

After returning to their temporary residence, everyone locks themselves in their rooms, eager to study the sheets Mark provided.

​Setting the papers on his desk, the first thing William notices is the quality of the paper itself.

‘​This paper is so white and smooth... He runs a finger across the crisp surface. The sheets back home were all brown, stiff, and rough to the touch. This can fold so easily without tearing. It must cost a fortune, yet he just handed one out to every single student. Maybe the Academy really does pay him well.’

After reading through the documents for several hours, William notices a clear pattern—every ruler of the Empire bears a distinct title following in the footsteps of Sethgareus.

​There is the fourth ruler, the Brave Emperor, who fought on the front lines when the beasts of the northern wasteland surged past the border again. There is the eleventh ruler, the Everlasting Emperor, who held the throne for over three centuries.

​Then his eyes land on the entry for the current ruler.

​The twenty-first emperor: the RuthlessEmperor, who earned his moniker after purging multiple noble families for reasons kept hidden from the public.

His reading is soon interrupted by a firm knock at the door, followed by Caleb’s voice calling out, “William, come on out!”

​William opens the door to find both Caleb and Edward standing in the hallway.

​“What happened?” William asks.

​“Well, I got bored staring at those papers, and when I asked around so did everyone,” Caleb replies with a grin. “Everyone agreed we should organize a run to get our fitness up, so we came to get you.”

​“Most of them agreed, anyway—except for the guys from the north,” Edward adds, lowering his voice. “According to them, the sunlight is still too harsh, so they’re coming out after dusk. And the guy from the east was already out exercising on the open ground before we even reached it.”

​William thinks it over for a moment before nodding in agreement.

​When they reach the training grounds, William sees six other students already hard at work. Martha and Arya are sprinting from one end of the field to the other, locked in a fierce, unspoken race. A few others are scattered around the yard—some lifting heavy rocks, while others push through sets of sit-ups.

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​“Let’s start with stretching before we run,” Caleb says, leading the way. “My father always said it’s crucial, or you’ll pull a muscle.”

​William nods and mimics Caleb’s movements before they begin their laps.

​After nearly an hour of continuous training, William collapses onto the grass to catch his breath. Sweating and exhausted, he looks around to see the rest of the class resting in small groups, chatting quietly.

‘​I was never great at physical training, but at least…’

​He turns to look at Edward, who is lying flat on his back beside him, wheezing and breathing faster than a runaway horse.

​The next morning, the students gather in the classroom once more, though the physical toll of the previous evening’s workout is plainly written on their faces. The usual lively excitement is noticeably subdued, replaced by low groans and winces as several kids struggle against sore, overworked muscles just trying to sit down.

​Mark steps into the room, immediately drawing every eye.

​He sweeps a cold, hard stare across the stiffly seated students before speaking. “If you recall the distribution of mages across our population and think about the numbers logically, you would realize that commoner-born mages vastly outnumber noble-born mages, correct?”

​Mark continues before anyone can raise a hand to answer.

​“So why is it that, since its very founding, the Empire has been continuously ruled by the exact same Royal Family and high nobility? Today, you are going to learn why royals and nobles hold such absolute power.”

​Without another word, he turns his back to the class and faces the blank board.Mark turns back to the blackboard and begins tapping the chalk against the surface, writing out a series of ratios as he speaks.

​“The odds of a Knight awakening within an ordinary family are roughly one in a hundred,” Mark explains. “Meanwhile, the baseline odds for a Mage are one in a thousand. However, that baseline only applies to commoners without magical heritage. If even one parent is a practicing Mage or Knight, those odds rise drastically—and if both parents possess refined mana, the chances surge even higher.”

​Mark draws a line beneath the figures, turning to face the class.

​“This bloodline advantage becomes clearly noticeable starting at Tier 3. According to extensive Imperial research, if both parents are Tier 3 Mages or Knights, the likelihood of their child awakening increases tenfold. That brings the odds of a Knight to one in every ten births, and a Mage to one in every hundred.”

​He pauses, tapping the chalk against the board for emphasis.

​“Furthermore, these odds scale exponentially with every tier the parents achieve. In fact, records show that if both parents reach Tier 6, virtually every single child born to them will be a Mage.”

​Mark stops, letting his eyes sweep across the listening class before continuing.

​“This biological reality is also why noble families traditionally have many children—to maximize their odds of producing powerful heirs and securing their lineage”