Honan Academy

**Honan Academy** is the first branch and the headquarter of the Guardian Association, located in Brussel, the capital of the EU in the Old World.

## Overview

Thirty years prior to the May 26th Fight event, Pythia Delphi, the Voice of the God, delivered an oracle to the Holy Roman Emperor to create a place where people could learn about the world's system as well as educating people to fight the disaster if one ever occur again. Thus, the Guardian Association was created in Brussel, the heart of Europe.

The initial purpose of the academy is to teach people practicing mystery. However, Yue pushed for teaching science as well to preserve the legacy of human.

## Structure

There are totally 12 main academic departments inside the academy with one policy department. In each department, there are many branches.
The headmaster of the academy is Alfred Stuart, a descendant of the House of Stuart in Great Britain. He was the final member of the Golden Dawn that had lived since the 19th century.

Despite the initial purpose of spreading knowledge, the academy has become a political battle ground between influential noble houses. Eventually, aside from the department of Lore (led by the headmaster), all 12 other departments are under a noble houses either from the Holy Roman Empire or from the Divine Theocracy. Even the headmaster had to create a noble house to compete with other nobility so he can continue his research within the Academy.

In the political front, there are three factions inside the academy, the Liberal, the Aristocratic and the Neutral faction.

Despite being one of the biggest investor of the academy and its founder, the Holy Roman Emperor denied his family's entry to the academy.

### Three Great Families

The three great families are the three major families that hold sway over the academy. They are old royal families of Europe includes the Habsburg-Lorraine, the Liu and the Morningstar. Along with 20 other relative families, they are objects of fear within all of the Guardian Association.

Of the three the Morningstar are at the top, the most powerful and influential family in the entire Honan Academy.

### Lords

Leader of a department is leader of their respective noble family. Thus, they receive the title of Lord.

### Aristocratic Faction

* **Leading family:** Morningstar Faction.
* **Purpose:** They believe the management of the Honan Academy should be handed to those nobility who had proven to have excellent bloodlines as normal people are not suitable for leadership and nobility is the way of power.

### Liberal Faction

* **Leading family:** Liu Faction.
* **Purpose:** They believe bloodline should be disregarded and those with the talent should be in charge.

### Neutral Faction

* **Leading family:**
* **Purpose:** They don't care one way or the other, and just want to do their research in peace.

## Academic Rank

Students and researchers of the academy are ranked based on their achievement. Either on power or research or invention.

Of the seven ranks, **Crown** is rare. It is the peak of what a Mage can reach. Any one Crown rank Mage is a monster capable of taking down a whole nation on their own. The very appearance of a Crown at a Mage-related event is large enough of an announcement to cause fervor.

Due to the Crown rank being so rare, **Brand** is considered to be the actual highest rank. With the exception of Ludociel and 031 who did not participate in the Academy's teaching and receive no rank, all Lords are Brand ranked.

* Crown
* Brand
* States
* Fes
* Rites
* Pro
* Train

## Sealing Designation

**Sealing Designations** are edicts handed down by the Guardian Association to maintain and protect special Thaumaturgical abilities which cannot be acquired through study. Said to be a title of the "greatest honor", those marked are deemed "precious", causing the Association to mobilize the greatest effort to secure their flesh and blood, their body's potential.

Sealing Designated Magi are preserved: the brain, eyeballs, nerves, and Magic Circuits are extracted and pickled in preservation fluid. Depending on if there are any remaining appendages, the jar function as the body, or the exoskeleton. In essence, Sealing Designees agree to turn their body into experiment subjects so that others will have an understandings of their outstanding ability for research purpose.

Those Designated are to be incarcerated, becoming samples preserved in their present conditions and levels of ability. It is an outrage to those who are designated not because of it being the equivalent of a death sentence, but rather because it is an affront to their status as prominent Magi. They who have spent their lives devoted to their research will automatically reject a situation in which they will be unable to continue.

However, every now and then, a Sealing Designee is able to have their seal lifted in exchange for agreeing to contribute to the Association.