The Transmigrated Author

Chapter 152: L'Institut des Lumières Academy

{Rel's POV}

[Paris, L'Institut des Lumières Academy]

I froze, staring at the statue. Was he alive? Probably not. Most of Garrick's group died getting to the towers. But if they built a statue... he had to be dead. Right?

A voice startled me away from the statue.

"Excuse me? Are you an open Day visitor?"

I turned, surprised someone had actually spoken to me. It was just an instructor – middle-aged, with thinning hair, a neatly trimmed beard. Typical.

"Yeah," I said.

He followed my gaze to the statue, a slight smile on his face.

"Ah... Sir. Celeste, an iconic figure."

"I see."

My eyes drifted back to Vincent's likeness. They said he took down an Emperor, became a legend... if that was true, the praise was justified. Still, though... his popularity here felt unexpected.

"Enough of that statue, let's get going."

The instructor's words cut through my thoughts.

What? Was there a schedule I missed? Didn't they say it was open exploration?

Isn't that what a open day meant?

He must've seen my confusion because he chuckled.

"Right! I'm the tour guide and helper for today. Apologies." A smile, then an outstretched hand. "Mr. Dubois, a pleasure to meet you."

Still caught off guard, I shook his hand.

"We've still got people arriving, so one of the first-year classes is doing a sparring session to warm up. Interested?"

"Sure."

Following Dubois down the courtyard, I noted the classrooms we passed: labs hummed with the scent of chemicals, training rooms filled with shouts and the clash of practice weapons.

Their academy uniforms flashed by – red and white, sharp and formal. Nothing special.

This Dubois guy seemed like a non-entity, so I might as well play along.

...

...

...

[Paris, L'Institut des Lumières Academy - Main Arena Grounds]

Dubois led me towards the academy's main arena grounds for the academies tournaments.

Though I was a bit suspicious that he might've been misleading me somewhere else, I guess he was just doing his job as a tour guide.

"Here's Honour Class 1-A," he was saying, "There's a lot of promising students here. Even the Royal Highness himself..."

My feet nearly stopped as we passed through the gates.

And there he was - Alessandro Reynard Valois. The royal prince of France and the soon to be king.

That silver hair, those green eyes... unmistakable.

[Special Ability Passive: Perceptive Mind [Grade 3] Has Been Activated!]

Without a second thought, I activated Perceptive Mind.

His character window flickered into existence.

[Status Window Of Alessandro Reynard Valois]

[Age: 19]

[>Strength: 110, >Durability: 107, >Speed: 55, >Mana: A+, >Elemental Attribute: Gale, Life, [...]- ]

[Current Thoughts: "I wonder what's on the breakfast menu today..."]

Royal blood, as expected. The stats were impressive, no doubt. I couldn't imagine any other attribute more fitting for Gale which is just a stronger version of the wind attribute.

Ben lunged first, a burst of speed meant to catch Alessandro off guard. But the royal was braced, his wooden sword held in a classic fencing stance.

With a flicker of movement, a punch aimed for Alessandro's face met empty air.

Emotionless, Alessandro reacted, mana channelling into his left hand.

A gust of wind exploded from his palm, pushing Ben back with unexpected force.

"Woah!" Ben stumbled, struggling to regain his balance.

Before he could, Alessandro was in motion. One-handed, his wooden sword arced with immense force, slamming into Ben's stomach.

BANG!!!

"Argh!" Ben was sent flying across the stage, his breath knocked from his lungs.

And with that The fight abruptly ended, the impact leaving him gasping on the white stage floor.

A ripple of surprise washed over the class.

Rel, however, remained unimpressed. He expected this as a result.

One-shotting an extra was hardly a testament to true power.

He still had no reason to alter his initial assessment of Alessandro...

"One point for Alessandro," the instructor's voice cut through the murmurs.

Fights blurred together. Alessandro, a whirlwind of motion and wind-laced strikes, easily dispatched challenger after challenger.

Each victory was more decisive than the last.

Murmurs rippled through the Honor class, surprise shifting into reluctant admiration of the royal prince.

tap...tap...tap...

Throughout the recent matches, there were breaks between that brought a steady stream of Open Day visitors.

tap...tap...

The usual crowd and scouts were only here to see one person... and that was Alessandro, the current undisputed ranked 1 student.

tap...

Then, a feeling... a strange feeling passed by him... in the blink of an eye.

For a moment his senses were confused on who had just passed him.

He turned, scanning the crowd, until his gaze landed on her.

A young woman, moving gracefully through the crowd. Long black hair, free of bangs, parted effortlessly in the middle.

Her wispy layers added volume and movement, framing her face -- and those eyes. Striking violet, accentuated by glasses.

His eyes widened at the sight, but there was something that made him truly confused.

"Why is she here?"

__________

To Be Continued...

__________

Authors Notes:

- While writing this the song that helped me craft the second half is - Fallin' Twice by Chevy ദ്ദി(• ˕ •マ.ᐟ

- Rel is completely bewildered... there's no other meaning O_o

- Alessandro's main ability is called: Fleur-de-Force (Flower of Power)

This talent allows the user to manipulate kinetic energy through a touch infused with mana. The user can then "redirect" or "amplify" that kinetic energy.

Touch-based: Requires physical contact to activate, making close-quarters combat or strategic positioning crucial.

Mana Cost: Stronger effects require more mana, leading to potential exhaustion or strategic use during battles.

Specificity: Fleur-de-Force only affects kinetic energy, not other forms of energy (fire, electricity)

- When Alessandro used his Gale attribute he wasn't using his main ability.