The School of Knowledge for Gifted Children

Purpose and setting

The School of Knowledge for Gifted Children is the prestigious academy in Kenmeikyo, Chiseido, where Volume I’s present-day story unfolds. It was created for research and learning, drawing talented people to study mana and develop their skills. Its teaching joins magic, swordsmanship, and martial arts, making it a meeting place for students whose strengths would otherwise belong to different traditions.

Grounds and daily life

The academy’s halls have towering arches, polished floors, and crystal lights. Beyond them are open green yards, dormitories, an infirmary, a training ground protected by a magical barrier, and an arena announced by a bronze gong. Ryuji’s first passage through the grand corridors makes the physical splendour clear, but it also places him beneath the gaze of students trying to decide what family he belongs to.

Hierarchy under instruction

Within recent decades the institution has become a playground for nobles. High-born children are treated as kings while commoners are treated as slaves or targets for violence. Headmaster Elian Stewart, himself a commoner from Lindsey, presides over a system that gives rank extraordinary power. Ryuji’s refusal to accept Sophia Dion’s demand for fealty and his conflict with Riki Shibatani expose this order in public.

Battle of the Kings

The annual Battle of the Kings turns the school’s hierarchy into formal contest. Its winner becomes King, while the runners-up take Queen and Jack. Ryuji’s victory, with Sawano Torafuku as Queen and Yuki Hayami as Jack, makes the academy a site where power is reassigned—but not automatically redeemed.

Scope

This article presents information available through Volume I. Later developments are intentionally not included.