Galleria Royal Academy of Magic—established in a vast hilly region slightly removed from the royal capital in the heart of the kingdom, it is the nation's largest and most prestigious magical educational institution.

Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled. The entry age is fifteen, and the maximum age for enrollment is eighteen, generally following a four-year system. Its gates are open to anyone with a certain level of magical aptitude regardless of status—not only the children of royalty and nobility but also those from local knightly families, merchant houses, commoners, orphans, and even international students invited from abroad.

However, "being able to enter" is not synonymous with "being treated equally."

In this academy, what one can do as a mage is valued more than lineage or wealth. The symbol of this ideology is Galleria's unique "Academy Ranking System."

After enrollment, students are assigned a rank based on a comprehensive evaluation of practical exams, mana volume, mana control, formula construction speed, academic grades, mock battles, extracurricular missions, and research results. This applies to the entire student body. In other words, a clear hierarchy exists for all nearly 3,000 students.

The top 100 students in particular are called the "Hundred Seats" and are clearly distinguished from general students.

The higher the rank, the more facilities and systems become available, such as dedicated training grounds, permission to view high-level grimoires, priority purchase of rare catalysts, and eligibility to enter special research sectors. And the pinnacle, "Rank 1," is not merely a top student. It is a title known throughout the kingdom as the most outstanding student mage in Galleria of that era.

However, ranks are not permanent.

They fluctuate constantly based on periodic assessments, official matches, research results, and mission records. If conditions are met, one can challenge a higher-ranked individual to an official duel. Thus, someone who was ranked 1,000th yesterday might suddenly rise, while a student in the Hundred Seats might fall due to a single defeat.

That said, the ranking is not a simple combat power leaderboard.

There are those who possess combat abilities on par with the top ten but remain in the double digits due to issues with class attendance or academic grades. Conversely, there are those who are not skilled in direct combat but break into the top ranks through overwhelming achievements in barrier arts, alchemy, healing magic, or magic engineering.

Magic itself is diverse.

Starting with common elemental magic like fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, and ice, the systems researched are extremely broad, including light, darkness, healing, summoning, illusion, barriers, alchemy, enchantment, space, gravity, and mental interference.

It is unrealistic for one person to master all forms of magic, so students choose specialized fields according to their aptitudes after completing basic courses.

Furthermore, having a large volume of mana does not necessarily make one superior.

There are those with massive mana but low control, those who utilize small amounts of mana with extreme efficiency, those who deploy existing magic at high speeds, and those who construct original formulas. There are countless directions for strength as a mage.

Therefore, the word "talent" does not have a single meaning in Galleria.

The academy's land area is also extraordinary.

In the center stands the main building with a massive clock tower, surrounded by lecture halls, practical buildings, the grand library, magic workshops, the medical wing, student dormitories, a cafeteria district, and commercial sectors.

Since 3,000 students and numerous faculty members live there, a society close to a small city exists within the grounds alone.

Furthermore, the outer perimeter features forest-type exercise zones, artificial lakes, overwater training grounds, underground training sectors, and exercise areas for large magical beasts.

The central arena can accommodate thousands of people, and the spectator seats are filled during official matches between top-ranked students or large-scale competitions during the school festival.

Meanwhile, a massive "Research Tower" exists in the northern part of the academy.

Here, advanced research outside of regular classes is conducted, and some students are given personal laboratories. Research topics are diverse, covering magical biology, ancient formulas, magical weaponry, and unknown mana phenomena; in some sectors, explosions and accidents are daily occurrences.

For this reason, the research tower has its own safety regulations, and students without a certain level of qualification cannot even enter the building.

Furthermore, there are rumors that old research sectors no longer in use exist underground.

The academy's self-governance system is also characteristic.

Since it is impossible for teachers alone to manage 3,000 students, strong self-governance by students is recognized.

The representative organizations are the "Student Council" and the "Disciplinary Committee."

The Student Council is involved in much of the academy's operation, including budgets, club activities, events, and student life, forming a massive organization. On the other hand, the Disciplinary Committee is an operational organization that cracks down on rule violations, unauthorized duels, magical crimes, and the bringing in of dangerous goods; in some cases, they are even granted the authority to detain students.

However, the two are not in a superior-subordinate relationship.

If the Student Council is the "organization that moves the academy," the Disciplinary Committee is the "organization that protects the academy's order," and it is not uncommon for them to clash due to their different objectives.

In addition, there are countless large and small student organizations such as clubs, research circles, student merchant guilds, duel enthusiast associations, magical beast research societies, and the newspaper club.

And naturally, with an academy this large, there are many problems.

Unauthorized duels, research accidents, magical pranks, smuggling of contraband, escaped familiars, rampaging experimental beasts—to varying degrees, days without an incident are rarer than those with them.

Among the students are those who cause trouble no matter how many times they are disciplined by teachers or the Disciplinary Committee, with some even becoming semi-celebrities within the school.

On the other hand, not everyone is interested in the ranking struggle.

Those who head to the cafeteria with friends after school, those who devote themselves to club activities, those who fret over romance, those who hole up in the library, and those who simply continue their research—with 3,000 people, there are 3,000 different school lives.

Galleria's goal is not merely the cultivation of powerful mages.

Graduates go on to all sorts of fields, including the Royal Knights, Court Mages, Magic Research Institutes, Healing Houses, adventurers, alchemists, magic technicians, and teachers.

Therefore, for the kingdom, this academy is both an educational institution and a place that produces the next generation's national core.

And precisely because its history is long, things remain that cannot be explained by the official systems alone.

Sealed underground sectors.

Ruins said to exist since before the founding of the nation.

Abandoned school buildings that are off-limits.

Magical devices left behind by the academy's founders.

Forbidden books kept in the deepest parts of the grand library.

Sealed zones whose details are unknown even to teachers.

While their existence circulates among students as rumors, the academy side has never completely denied them.

Those who take classes, face exams, and compete for ranks.

Those who seek to master magic.

Those who immerse themselves in research understood by no one.

Those who follow the rules, and those who break them.

Those who try to carry the future of the kingdom, and those who show no interest in such things.

Approximately 3,000 people with different talents, goals, and positions are gathered in one giant sandbox.

Galleria Royal Academy of Magic.

Here, even the Rank 1 is just one of 3,000 students.

But at the same time—an unknown student can become someone whose name is known throughout the academy in a single day.

A place where magic and talent, order and freedom, the everyday and the extraordinary exist side by side.

That is the kingdom's greatest academy of magic.