CHAPTER 561: ACADEMIES REOPENED

As the sun lifted slowly over the horizon, its warm glow spilled across Grandeur City, stirring the streets awake with a familiar hum of life. Shopkeepers opened their doors, merchants rolled their carts into place, and travelers passed through the cobblestone paths in steady waves. Along the main road leading toward the prestigious Dark Knight Academy, the flow of traffic grew even denser as wagons and carriages made their way toward the towering gates, each one carrying students returning after half a year away.

Beyond the academy gates, the grounds were already alive with noise. Carriages pulled to a stop in long lines, drivers calling out instructions as students hopped down with their bags. Laughter and excited chatter filled the air as friends who hadn’t seen each other since the lock down rushed to reunite. Some embraced tightly, others exchanged animated greetings, while a few struggled with overstuffed luggage, only to be helped by classmates who hurried over with cheerful insistence. The compound throbbed with youthful energy, the type that came only on the first day back.

Among it all stood Liam.

Dressed in the academy’s uniform—dark, elegantly cut, threaded with gold patterns and bearing the academy crest along the back—he had just stepped down from the carriage Queen Lucy had arranged for him. Standing in front of it, he let his gaze sweep across the familiar buildings and training grounds, hands tucked into his pockets as his crimson eyes tracked the movement of the bustling crowd.

’Not much different from when we came back from mid-break,’ he thought, watching his fellow students reunite in noisy clusters.

As he stood there, the coachman approached with a respectful nod.

"Mr. Hunter," the man called evenly.

Liam turned, catching sight of the key being offered to him.

"Your dorm key," the coachman explained. "The building and room numbers are on the tag. All your luggage has already been placed in your room."

Liam studied the tag for a moment before taking it. It read: 2B1, 11—Year 2 Block 1, Room 11.

"Thank you," he muttered, giving a small nod. "I’ll get going now."

"Of course," the coachman replied before stepping back toward the carriage.

Liam began walking through the school grounds, drifting past more students as they poured in from every direction. Some he recognized from his own year, though many others—judging by height, demeanor, or unfamiliar faces—were clearly seniors. Conversations rippled around him as he passed, but he paid them little mind.

He did, however, notice the wary glances.

They weren’t obvious, but they were there—the quick double-takes, the hushed whispers, the side-eyes from several second-year students. Liam didn’t need to guess twice to know why.

’Right... the rumors. That I’m Serah Magna’s son. And that I’m a dark mage,’ he thought, expression flat. ’They’re probably wondering whether any of it is true. Well... Headmaster Thion’s supposed to clear that up during the announcement today.’

A faint grimace tugged at his features.

’Great. That’ll only make things worse. After that, every annoying idiot who wants to prove something is going to try me.’

He exhaled slowly, the irritation a familiar hum beneath the surface as he pushed onward, weaving through clusters of students while searching for the Year 2 Block he needed.

After walking for some time, Liam finally located the Year 2 Block 1 building. Studying it from where he stood, he immediately noticed how it bore a clear resemblance to the Year 1 Block 1 building—same architectural style, same placement of windows, same crest engraved above the entrance. The only real difference was its size; this one was taller, broader, and carried a more imposing presence, as if quietly reminding its students that expectations only grew from here.

Not wasting any time, Liam made his way inside. The moment he stepped through the doors, he caught sight of a woman seated behind a polished counter. She wore a neat uniform, her posture composed, elegant, and very official-looking. The interior of the building itself was noticeably more refined than the one he had stayed in last year, and he couldn’t help the quiet thought that flickered through his mind.

’Well... this is different.’

He approached the counter with his usual calm stride.

"Hey there," the woman greeted with a warm, almost musical tone once he reached her desk. "How may I help you today?"

"Looking for room eleven," Liam replied as he lifted the key slightly for her to see.

The moment the words left his mouth, the woman’s expression shifted in recognition, subtle but unmistakable.

"Room eleven..." she echoed softly. "You must be Liam Hunter, then."

The narrowing of Liam’s eyes was immediate, suspicion rising as naturally as breath. "Yes. And sorry, but how do you know my name?"

"Oh, please," she said with a reassuring calm, lifting a hand lightly. "No need to get tense over it. Your room assignment was processed long before today. Your name has been in the registrar for quite a while now."

Liam tilted his head faintly. ’Probably Her Majesty’s doing,’ he thought, the explanation fitting neatly enough.

"I see. Well, mind telling me where my room is?" he asked.

"Of course." She pointed gently toward both ends of the lobby where staircases curved upward. "Second floor. To your left once you get up there—depending on which staircase you use. Either one will take you to the right place."

Liam let his eyes move from one staircase to the other before giving a small, composed nod. "Thanks for your help," he said evenly, turning toward the staircase on his right.

"Sure thing," the woman replied, watching him disappear up the steps.

Once he was out of sight, she exhaled a quiet breath.

"He really is as alert as Lady Moonstone said," she muttered under her breath, remembering the exact moment his demeanor had shifted the second she’d mentioned his name. "Good thing I explained quickly... I wonder what he would’ve done otherwise."

Meanwhile, Liam arrived on the second floor and paused at the top of the stairs. The hallway stretched out to both sides, broader and far more polished than the one-year dorms he remembered. The floors were cleaner, the lighting brighter, and the doors spaced in a more orderly manner. It was a small difference, but enough for him to notice.

He scanned the room numbers on the doors before heading to the right.

After passing three doors, he reached his destination—Room 11. Without hesitation, he slipped the key into the lock, turned it, and stepped inside. The door shut behind him with a quiet click.

Entering the room, Liam immediately noticed that just as the hallway and entrance had been different, the interior was also nothing like the rooms from the previous building. This space was far larger—wide enough that the emptiness felt almost out of place. For someone like him, someone who owned little and preferred to keep his living area simple, the extra room felt unnecessary, maybe even excessive. Still, he supposed it could serve its purpose in other ways if needed.

His gaze drifted across the floor until it settled on his luggage stacked neatly near the bed, exactly as the coachman had said.

I guess since I wasn’t at the academy when the lockdown was announced, I never cleared out my things, he thought. The Queen must have arranged for someone to transfer them from my old room to this one.

It made enough sense. With that thought tucked away, he shifted his attention toward the bathroom and moved to inspect it. The moment he stepped inside, he paused with a faint furrow of confusion. The bathroom was also upgraded—far more polished and much more spacious than what he was used to. A bathtub sat beside a modern shower setup, both spotless and pristine.

"Why would there be a tub here?" he muttered under his breath, staring at it as though it personally offended him.

Not interested in wasting more time thinking about it, he stepped out and closed the bathroom door behind him. He then crossed the room to the window and looked out over the academy grounds.

This is a good view, he mused, letting his eyes take in the landscape. Being able to see the entire compound without another building blocking anything... that’s rare.

From this height, he could see the main gates clearly, watching carriages come and go in a steady flow. Students walked in groups or rushed across the courtyard, laughter and shouts mingling faintly even from this distance.

As he watched them, a small thought sparked in his mind.

"Now that I think about it... back in the previous building, I also had room eleven. And here too, I have room eleven," he murmured.

The realization pushed a small question forward.

"Does that mean I’ll be having those two as neighbors again?"

His mind drifted back to Dylan and Asher, the noisy pair who had lived beside him last year.

Before he could entertain the thought further, a sharp series of knocks rattled against his door. He turned his head toward the sound and instinctively broadened his perception, stretching it outward like a net until he caught the familiar presence standing just beyond the wood.

"I guess I’ll be neighbors with them after all," Liam said with a faint, knowing smirk.