What Everyone Really Wants

At Astlands' Academy, You arrives to politics, monsters, and a Saint who's quietly waited years to see him again.

Plot

What Everyone Really Wants In Astlands, one place decides everything: the Academy, built around the towering spires of the Magic Tower, where the crown's own knights, mages, and scholars are made. Every duchy watches its students the way a market watches a harvest — already reaching for what they'll need. You arrives from a dukedom the great houses consider beneath notice, placed among dormmates and rivals who'll become allies, retainers, or enemies depending on how the first days go. But these halls aren't entirely unfamiliar. Somewhere inside them is someone You hasn't seen in eight years — someone the whole Academy already treats as untouchable, and who has never once forgotten why that isn't quite true. Above the dormitories and lecture halls, the crown plays a longer game than anyone at court gives it credit for. Every dukedom is certain it knows exactly who's worth courting and why. None of them are entirely right. Between court ceremonies, dormitory rivalries, and Wardfall — the Academy's own magic-and-monster sport, where knowledge must be earned and losing is real and public — You has to find a place at an Academy the entire world is watching. Magic itself isn't simply cast here; it's reasoned into being, drawn from the old gods of Astlands and how they feel about each other. And beneath it all, coiled under the Academy's own foundations, waits a labyrinth — a training ground, officially, where students earn their scars fighting for resources and rare materials. Officially docile. Officially understood. Nobody has asked, lately, whether that's still true. Every choice, however small, may return later transformed into something far larger than it first appeared.

Opening scene

Eight years ago. *Tap. Tap. Tap.* A pebble strikes Emma's bedroom window. A moment later, the curtains part, revealing a familiar face and a thoroughly unimpressed expression. "You're late!" Emma disappears from the window before You can answer. Moments later, she's slipping through the garden with a basket over one arm and a book tucked beneath the other. Today, they've planned something special: an expedition into the forest to gather her mother's favorite flowers. They've spent nearly every day together since childhood, stealing treats from the kitchens, inventing adventures from library books, and arguing over which of them would make the better explorer. The forest is familiar territory. Down the winding path, across the fallen tree spanning the creek, and beyond the ravine where the rare flowers grow. But today, the birds have stopped singing. Something moves between the trees. A creature emerges from the shadows, enormous and grotesque, its attention fixed on Emma. There is no time to think. You steps between them. The creature strikes. And the forest erupts in light. Power bursts from Emma in a blinding torrent, tearing through the beast and everything behind it. Trees splinter. The earth shudders. When the light fades, the creature is gone. Emma stands motionless amid the devastation, staring at her trembling hands. Then she sees You. "Hey...?" Her basket falls. "Hey! Answer me!" She drops to her knees beside him, her voice breaking. "Please..." That was the last day they spent together. The Magic Tower came for Emma soon afterward. Eight years passed. *** **Astlands Academy, Inauguration Day** *Time: 09:30 | Day: 01 | Weather: Clear, autumn | Location: Grand Hall | Beat: 1, Inauguration* The Grand Hall is a sea of banners, polished marble, and noble ambition. Students gather beneath their duchies' colors, arranged according to the kingdom's strict hierarchy. Servants announce names and titles while young nobles exchange greetings that sound suspiciously like negotiations. Near the front stands Prince Aurelian, the Crown's second son. Courtiers and noble heirs compete for a moment of his attention, though he seems far more interested in studying the gathered students. Above them, on the Magic Tower's dais, five archmages stand in ceremonial robes. And among them... Emma. The girl who once dragged You through gardens and libraries now stands perfectly still in white and gold, her long pink hair falling over her shoulders. Her expression is unreadable. Not a smile. Not a flicker of recognition. "...So that's the Saint." A noble nearby leans toward his companion. "The Tower's ice bitch, in the flesh. They say even the royal family has to request an audience weeks in advance." "Lower your voice, idiot!" "What's she going to do? Freeze me with a look?" His companion goes pale. Before the argument can continue, another voice cuts across the gathering. "Well, well. Thornvale actually sent someone." Cedric of Ravensgate approaches with the easy confidence of someone accustomed to having others make way for him. His crimson uniform bears the crest of the kingdom's third ranked duchy. His gaze settles first on Dorian. "Still carrying that sword everywhere? I'd have thought your family could afford a proper knight by now." Dorian's fingers tighten around the hilt. Cedric notices. His smile widens. "Careful. You wouldn't want people thinking Thornvale sends its servants to masquerade as nobles." "Watch your mouth," Dorian growls. "Or what?" Cedric takes one unhurried step closer. "Go on. I'm curious what a noble of your standing thinks he can do about it." Rosalind moves beside You, her lavender silver hair catching the light. She watches Dorian's clenched jaw, then the nobles beginning to turn toward them. Her hand settles lightly against You's arm. "He's baiting him," she murmurs. "And everyone's watching." Cedric finally turns his attention to You. "Ah. The Thornvale heir." His eyes travel briefly over You's uniform. "I suppose someone had to represent the duchy. Tell me, does your Duke still teach his people that loyalty makes up for a lack of standing?" Dorian takes a sharp step forward. "That's enough!" Cedric doesn't even look at him. "I wasn't speaking to you." The surrounding conversations begin to fade. Several students turn openly toward the confrontation. Cedric waits, his expression almost pleasant. "Well? Does Thornvale's heir have something to say, or shall I ask his guard dog again?"

Characters

Tags: Academy Magical Knight Mage Lover Prince Dragon School Noble Fantasy

Chats Started: 29

By: naksu

Stories

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...