I Ended Up in a Magic Academy

Chapter 1: Beneath the Noble Mask

Rain fell heavily outside. Inside the noble's mansion, a man stood at the center of the room with his subordinates behind him. In front of them, the current head of the barony knelt on the floor, crying as he pleaded for mercy.

"P-Please, just give me another chance. I'll give you everything, I swear!"

The figure stood motionless. He just watched the nobleman cry and beg.

Suddenly, a woman in a black robe, her purple hair spilling out from beneath a mask that concealed her face, stepped forward from the shadows at the back. She seized the man and yanked him to his feet. Before he could even react, she drove her fist into his stomach.

"Guh-"

A strangled sound escaped him as the impact sent him crashing to the floor. He lay there gasping for air, desperately trying to pull in each breath. In a broken, desperate voice, he managed to speak, "S-Sir, please! I have a family, my daughter…"

Before he could say more, she grabbed him by the neck again and said, "If you speak nonsense again, I will end you right here!"

The young man let out a quiet sigh, clearly irritated by the entire situation, as if he didn't want to be there but was simply enduring it. With a slight nod, he gave the signal. One of his men stepped out from the shadows, seized the baron by the shoulders, and hauled him upright.

Emil Remington stood at the center of it all as the leader of the operation, his pitch black hair contrasting with his striking crimson eyes.

To the outside world, the Remingtons were a kind and wealthy noble family that donated to charity and helped those in need. But it was all a cover. Their "help" always came with a price written in "contracts" no one could refuse.

As the only heir, this twisted family lineage would one day fall entirely into his hands. It was a secret passed down only through the men of the Remington bloodline, all in hopes that the heir would inherit a unique trait that appears only once every few centuries. His father, the current head of the Underworld, never possessed it, but the elders of the Order his family belonged to still believed Emil might be the one to awaken it.

This Order, a hidden organization concealed for years from the other nobles and even the empire itself, was now being taught to Emil step by step by his father until the day he would have to take over everything.

As the baron was dragged off screaming, he just stood there watching, completely unfazed, before speaking in a low voice: "Since you have signed the contract, I can't do anything about it. I don't know what you signed, but it is a binding agreement."

Before he could continue, the baron suddenly shouted in desperation, "No, my lord, sir, please! I was set up! I was not supposed to sign it!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

The current Underworld had many officials who conducted business using the Order's name. He knew it had its share of shady dealings, but at the moment, he was simply following orders from his father, the current head.

The baron continued pleading, his voice trembling. "At least, please spare my family…" he begged, tears now flowing from his eyes.

He looked at the baron with a hint of pity. But before anyone could speak, the woman from earlier stepped to his side and bowed.

"My lord, the Head Leader wants to see you. He said it's important."

He nodded and turned around. "Finish everything here. Just bring the baron and do not harm his family," he said quietly before walking away.

"Got it," they replied.

___

Later that evening.

"Come in," a voice called.

Inside the room, silence filled the air, and the atmosphere was thick with tension. My father, Nile Remington, sat behind a large desk, buried beneath stacks of documents.

"Head Leader, it seems you summoned me..."

He raised a hand, cutting me off before he could finish.

"When we are alone, just call me Father," he said calmly.

I lowered my head slightly. "As you wish… Father."

He leaned back in his chair. "I heard you spared the baron's family. Why did you do that?"

"I felt pity. That's all," I replied, feeling the sudden pressure of his cold gaze. My expression remained blank. To be honest, I didn't truly feel pity for the baron; it was more like a passing whim.

My father nodded, seemingly considering my answer. "The reason I called you here is because you will be enrolling at the Eilram Magic Academy."

"Hm? I don't think that's necessary, Father," I said, genuinely surprised by his response. Normally, I was only given orders related to the Underworld's dealings, but this time it was different. A school? Why would he send me there?

"Emil," he said. "You've done more for this family than I ever should have asked of someone your age. The legacy, the responsibilities... you've carried all of it without complaint. But for now, I want you to set all that aside and live like a normal teenager, even if only for a little while."

"...Normal," I repeated softly, looking down at my feet before slowly raising my gaze to meet my father's eyes.

"You'll attend the academy," my father continued. "Not as an obligation, but as an opportunity."

His voice was calm, but there was absolute certainty in his words. He wasn't asking me to accept it. He was making it clear that he wanted me to go.

I let out a quiet sigh and decided that if it was my father's will, then there had to be a reason behind it. I nodded before asking, "What about the entrance exam?"

"You've already been recommended." My father didn't even look up from his work.

I was shocked again. What is this? It's already been planned? I slowly bowed my head. "As you wish, Father."

I turned my back and was just about to leave the office when my father spoke, "Happy birthday."

It was already midnight, and I had just turned seventeen as I glanced over my shoulder and said quietly, "Thank you, Father," before stepping out of the office.

__

The weather was actually pretty normal when I set out for the academy. My father and I had talked about me going there about a month ago, and now it was finally the day.

I was trying to pass the time reading a book on the ride, but something felt off. At first, everything looked fine, but then I looked out the window.

"This isn't the right way," I muttered.

I looked up at the driver, Joseph.

He looked terrified. I didn't say anything, though. I just leaned back and thought, Hmm… this might be interesting.

The carriage kept moving until we entered a long dark tunnel. Then the brakes slammed on.

Before the dust even cleared, the driver jumped down and sprinted off without saying a word.

A second later, a bunch of rough looking thugs stepped out of the shadows, laughing. One of them barked, "Well, well... look what we got here. A Remington kid."

Another one chimed in, "Think about the ransom money on this one. It's our lucky day, two noble brats dropped right in our laps."

I stayed where I was but I looked around and noticed a girl passed out on the ground. She had bright blue hair. I figured it out pretty fast. The Silvius family has dark blue hair, so with shade this bright, she had to be a Lozano. A big shot duke's daughter.

How did they even manage to abduct a duke's daughter? I wondered. An inside job? A skilled mercenary?

But the people in front of me didn't look like either. Just disposable lackeys.

One of the thugs stepped up and pointed an axe at me while grinning. "Come here, kid. We won't hurt you."

I just smiled a little, then stretched my arms and got out of the carriage. Well, I hope something will come up, but sensing the area, it appears no one is strong in this vicinity, well whatever, suddenly one of them rushed me.

I didn't waste time. My hand slipped into my pocket, and before he realized what was happening, my knife was out. I cut his throat in an instant, and he dropped right there. Everything went dead silent.

"That's it?" I muttered, looking at the blood on the blade. I gave my wrist a sharp flick to clean it off.

"You bastard!" the thugs shouted, and then the other three rushed me at once.

I used a little wind magic to speed up my hands and make the cuts cleaner. Within a few seconds, all three hit the dirt.

Only one guy was left, and he was shaking. "W-What are you...?"

He looked down at his dead friend. Panicking, he turned around and bolted.

"Don't turn your back in a fight," I said. I threw the knife straight into his thigh.

He wiped out hard on the gravel. "Guh!" He looked up at me, begging to be spared. "P-Please! Spare me!" he screamed.

I didn't answer.

I just walked over, my boots crunching on the dirt, and picked up one of their dropped axes.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what your victims say right before you kill them, right?"

The guy shut up and dropped his head like he gave up. Then he suddenly lunged at me.

Pathetic.

I brought my knee up hard, right into his face. His nose broke with a loud crack, and he fell back down, groaning.

"Goodbye," I said quietly. "Tell your friends I said hi."

I finished it, and then a loud scream echoed through the dark tunnel. After a while, everything went quiet again.

I patted down my shirt to smooth out the wrinkles. I looked at the bodies, then at the unconscious noble girl, who flinched for a moment before I turned my attention to her. Then I saw something move further down the path.

"Joseph!" I called out. My voice echoed off the walls.

The driver came crawling back, shaking like crazy. "S-Sir... I'm sorry... they said they'd kill me," he stammered.

I just shrugged. "Whatever. I get it." I looked back at the girl. "Well, we're going the same way anyway. If she doesn't wake up, we'll just leave her with the guards."

—

The noble girl started to wake up. Her head was foggy, but she remembered pieces of the ride, the rocking carriage, and her guards, right before everything went black.

She frowned, trying to figure out what happened. Why did she pass out? Where were her guards? The second she thought about being kidnapped, panic set in. She forced her eyes open and looked up.

Sitting right across from her was a guy about her own age with black hair and red eyes. He looked completely bored, just reading a book and casually looking out the window like nothing mattered.

She stayed quiet, clenching her fists while trying to figure out who he was.

Then he spoke up.

"You can stop faking now," he said. His voice was totally flat, and it startled her enough that her eyes snapped wide open.

"Where are we going?" she demanded, her voice shaking a little. "I'm a Lozano. My father will..."

"Relax," he cut her off, not even looking at her. "Some guys tried to kidnap us and failed."

She didn't buy it at first. But then she looked out the window and saw the academy building in the distance. A wave of relief hit her, and her shoulders dropped.

She quieted down for a second, then mumbled, "...Thank you." She looked at him properly. "What's your name? I need to pay you back for this."

He just kept looking out the window. "Don't worry about it."

The carriage finally banged to a stop. He turned around and gave her a quick nod. "We're here. Go tell the teachers what happened."

She hesitated as she stepped out onto the dirt road. Feeling the solid ground made her feel a bit better. She stopped and looked back one last time.

"Bye," he said. A tiny smile hit his face, and just like that, the carriage started moving and he was gone.

"Who the hell is he?" she muttered, watching the carriage disappear.

The question stuck in her head because the truth was, she hadn't been completely passed out. She had seen the whole thing through her eyelids, the way he absolutely shredded those thugs without even sweating.

He just used minimal magic and mostly relied on a knife, fighting up close in a way that felt completely out of place in a world where everyone uses magic.

Standing there by herself, she knew one thing for sure: that guy was definitely not a normal student.