Chapter 2: Reborn in the Byzantine Academy

“Welcome, all students of the Byzantine Academy!”

When Sion opened his eyes.

He found himself in a massive auditorium.

It wasn’t the kind of auditorium you’d see at a typical South Korean university. Instead, it was a fantasy-like setting adorned with chandeliers and elaborate plaster statues.

And Sion was standing right in the middle of it.

‘What on earth is going on? Where am I, and who am I…?’

Startled, he glanced down at himself.

He was wearing a school uniform he had never seen before.

The most striking detail was the vivid red necktie.

“Representing the 653rd class of the Byzantine Academy, we will now have the oaths of the top-ranked and second-ranked students. Serene Camillea, the top student, and Geivolg Rodenburg, the second-ranked student, please come forward to the podium!”

-Clap, clap, clap, clap!

As the applause thundered around him, Sion’s ears rang.

Two students began walking up to the podium.

‘Judging by the names, the girl must be the top student, Serene Camillea… and the boy, Geivolg Rodenburg? What is this place? A foreign country?’

Serene had a sleepy gaze and striking sky-blue hair.

Geivolg was a handsome young man with golden hair.

Both had appearances so flawless they looked like models.

Step, step.

The two reached the podium, showing no signs of nervousness.

It seemed either they were used to such occasions, or they had rehearsed thoroughly. Standing in front of an elderly principal, they raised their right hands.

“I swear.”

Their voices resonated throughout the auditorium, despite the lack of a microphone.

Like the other students, Sion raised his right hand as well.

Thanks to his graduate school experiences, he had at least learned to read the room.

“With the honor of attending the world’s most prestigious academy, we, the students of the Byzantine Academy…”

The oath was long and grandiose.

It gave Sion some time to reflect on his situation objectively.

‘There are chandeliers, but… a lot of peculiar things too.’

For instance, the representatives’ voices carried perfectly across the room without microphones.

Tiny fairies flitted between the chandeliers, illuminating the dim spaces.

Many students carried swords or staffs as part of their attire.

Most noticeably, Sion felt an unfamiliarity with his own body.

First, he was shorter than the average male.

Though he wasn’t overweight, he lacked muscle, making him appear rather skinny.

Unlike his previous life, he wasn’t wearing glasses or lenses, yet his vision was perfectly clear.

‘Sion Jang is dead. Instead… I’ve inhabited someone else’s body…?’

It was the kind of thing you’d only encounter in fantasy novels.

As a student of the sciences, he struggled to accept it logically.

But the surroundings and every sensation he felt screamed “reality.”

After the entrance ceremony ended.

Sion managed to find his dormitory by asking for directions.

He vaguely remembered hearing something during the ceremony about “mandatory dormitory living for all students.”

‘This must be a prestigious school. They even offer double rooms.’

His old science high school had packed four students to a room.

Even many universities didn’t offer double rooms.

Yet this extraordinary academy assigned all students to two-person rooms.

Thankfully, Sion’s roommate hadn’t arrived yet.

He took the chance to gather his thoughts.

‘My name is Sion. I’m not a noble, and I don’t know if I have a family.’

Fortunately, he had a small pouch in his pocket, which seemed to serve as a wallet.

Inside it was an admission certificate for the Byzantine Academy.

From it, he learned his name and social status.

Coincidentally—or perhaps intentionally—his name remained “Sion.”

The only downside was his status as a commoner.

Given the apparent number of nobles at the school, this might be a concern.

“But what kind of world is this?”

There was no doubt he had taken over someone else’s body.

Yet he couldn’t figure out what kind of world this was.

Though he wasn’t a frequent gamer or reader of novels, he had dabbled occasionally.

Even so, he had never heard of a “Byzantine Academy.”

Not to mention the unique names of the top and second-ranked students.

If this were a world he knew from fiction, he might have been able to gather useful information.

Regrettably, he decided to make do with the knowledge from his previous life.

Modern knowledge was bound to come in handy someday.

“For now, the most important thing is money…”

Money was crucial, no matter the world.

The pouch he had contained a few silver and copper coins.

Though he didn’t know their exact value,

he could tell it wasn’t enough to cover the academy’s tuition.

What would happen if he couldn’t pay his tuition?

‘No, anything but that…’

Worrying about basic survival in an unfamiliar world was far worse.

At least the academy provided food and shelter, making it a safer option.

For now, he needed to figure out a way to earn money.

As he pondered what else might be important—

Bang!

The door burst open.

Sion froze and stared at the intruder.

The person turned out to be a lively-looking young man.

Perhaps his most notable feature was his slicked-back red hair.

He opened his eyes wide the moment he saw Sion.

“Oh, sorry! I thought no one was here. You’re already in?”

“Yeah… who are you?”

“I’m Patrick Hanson! Just call me Patrick.”

Patrick smiled brightly and extended his hand.

Sion gave an awkward smile as he shook it.

Even while unpacking his belongings, Patrick kept talking to Sion.

“So, how did you get into the academy?”

“Well… it just kind of happened?”

“Really? For a commoner to get into the academy, it’s usually one of two things. Either you paid a hefty donation or you worked incredibly hard. Oh, don’t get me wrong! I’m not the type to look down on commoners.”

Was Patrick trying to be considerate, worried his words might offend Sion?

He didn’t seem like a bad person.

‘But what am I supposed to say?’

Sion had no idea how he ended up at the academy.

He didn’t know whether he got in by paying a donation or through sheer hard work.

And he certainly couldn’t tell the truth: “I thought I was dead, but then I possessed this body.”

Luckily, Patrick was a quick-witted person.

“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about. By the way, I’m the fourth of five siblings from the Hanson barony. Can you guess why I’m here? Haha.”

Patrick laughed heartily as he spoke.

Being the fourth of five siblings in a baronial family was an ambiguous position.

It likely meant he had no claim to the inheritance and was unlikely to receive a significant estate.

He had plenty of reasons to attend the academy.

“Anyway, nice to meet you. Once I’m done unpacking, let’s go grab some food.”

“Sure. Nice to meet you too. Need help with your unpacking?”

“Oh! That’d be great. Can you believe classes start tomorrow? It’s nerve-wracking!”

“Tomorrow? Y-Yeah, classes start tomorrow. Right.”

“???”

Sion spent some time helping Patrick unpack.

The more they talked, the more Patrick seemed like a decent guy.

He treated Sion as an equal, not looking down on him for being a commoner.

Thanks to Patrick, Sion felt like he was back in his school days for a moment.

That day, they ate together and wandered around the academy to pass the time.

And then, the next day arrived.

The morning of the first day of classes at the academy had come.

“Where are we going?”

“To class, of course.”

“…What class do we have?”

As they walked together, Sion’s question made Patrick twitch his eyebrows.

Having spent a bit of time with Patrick, Sion understood the meaning behind the gesture.

It was Patrick’s way of showing he was baffled.

“First-year schedules are fixed. Didn’t you get one?”

“I lost it… Sorry. Let me take a look at yours.”

“Here you go.”

The first-year schedule Patrick showed him was more packed than Sion had anticipated.

By modern university standards, it seemed like over 20 credits’ worth of classes.

In other words, they’d be stuck in class for at least 20 hours a week.

“Don’t you think this is a bit much? I mean, we’re just freshmen, but there’s so much…”

“I know, right? It’s not enough.”

“What?”

“…What?”

Patrick stared at Sion like he was looking at some kind of monster.

Sion just blinked back at him.

‘Isn’t 20 credits manageable…?’

To Sion, 20 credits didn’t seem overwhelming.

In fact, it felt light.

In his previous life, he had always taken full schedules, including elective courses and even non-required major classes, packing his timetable as much as possible.

“How can you say this isn’t a lot? What kind of—”

“Oh, we’re here. This is it, right?”

Classroom 103 of the Byzantine Academy’s academic building.

It was a tiered lecture hall that could accommodate about a hundred students.

Around twenty students were already seated.

‘This really feels like a university. The schedule, the setup—it’s closer to college than high school.’

Aside from the mandatory dormitory living for all students, it was almost identical to a university.

Even in death, he couldn’t escape the life of a student. Sion chuckled bitterly as he walked in.

He headed straight for the empty seats in the front row.

Plop!

Sion sat down and began pulling out his things, preparing for the lecture.

A laptop would’ve been ideal, but of course, such advanced devices didn’t exist here.

He’d just have to make do with his notebook and pen.

However, the seat next to him remained noticeably empty.

“Patrick? What are you doing over there? Come sit down.”

“Huh? You’re sitting there?”

Patrick glanced around, visibly flustered.

Very few students had chosen to sit in the front row.

Most of the students sat in the back or middle rows.

Sion tilted his head at Patrick’s hesitation.

“Why? Isn’t the front row the best for listening to the lecture?”

“Well… yeah… I guess so…”

“Alright, is everyone here?”

Click, click.

The front door of the lecture hall opened, and a woman walked in.

Her sharp features made her seem stern, but she appeared younger than expected.

She looked more like a teaching assistant than a professor.

“Patrick.”

“…Alright, alright.”

Feeling awkward standing alone, Patrick finally sat down beside Sion.

The class was just an orientation, so it would end quickly. However, the professor announced attendance would still be taken, as some students might skip even on the first day.

“Gagarin?”

“Here!”

The roll call began.

It turned out the woman was indeed the professor.

‘She doesn’t seem much older than the students…’

Sion watched her closely.

Her bright, mint-colored hair was strikingly vibrant.

Yet, like thorns on a rose, her sharp gaze gave her an intimidating presence.

‘She’d look so much better if she smiled instead of frowning like that…’

“Sion?”

“…”

“Is Sion here?”

“Hey, Sion. She’s calling you.”

“Oh.”

Patrick nudged Sion’s side, snapping him out of his daze.

“Sorry! I’m here. Sion.”

“…Tsk. Pay attention during class.”

“Sorry…”

At the sound of the professor’s tongue clicking, Sion’s shoulders slumped.

He worried he might have already left a bad impression on the first day.

But the roll call soon concluded.

“We’ll now begin the orientation for Basic Magic Studies. My name is Rhonda Magrette, and I’ll be teaching you the fundamentals of magic this semester.”

The content of the orientation was similar to any other university lecture.

However, there was one distinct difference.

“Before we start the lecture, I’d like to show you something.”

Click, click.

Professor Rhonda Magrette stepped down from the podium.

She approached the front of the room, stopping just in front of Sion.

Was she about to do something? All the students’ eyes were on her.

“This is what magic is.”

Whoosh!

Without warning, a yellow bird flew from her hand.

The radiant creature illuminated the lecture hall as it soared around.

‘…What the?’

Sion was stunned by the sudden display of magic.

But what shocked him even more appeared right before his eyes.

A translucent window materialized in the air.

[???]
Spell Name: ???
Attribute: ???
Circle Level: 4th Circle
Description: ???

[You have witnessed a spell of a higher circle than your own. Details are restricted, excluding its circle level.]

The translucent window hovered in front of Sion’s vision.

While the other students were mesmerized by the glowing bird,

his gaze was fixed on the mysterious screen.

‘What is this?!’

Something extraordinary was happening to Sion.