At dawn Cyril woke up before the alarm, turned it off, and got up from the bed.
Yesterday he returned to his dorm, unpacked, and fell asleep in seconds. Turns out he was quite tired, he didn't even change out of his uniform.
"Good morning, Cyril."
Rhamn was still around, waving in his field of vision as soon as he opened his eyes. Cyril was half expecting to wake up and find out it was all a dream.
Good morning... I understand you are always here, but I hope you'll leave me some privacy.
"Of course! Don't worry about it."
After quickly washing up, Cyril wore a spare uniform and stood in front of the mirror.
Reflected in it was a young man with blond hair and a cold look in his blue eyes. The grey uniform didn't add anything to soften the sharp image.
"You look great. The most handsome man in the academy, no doubt." Rhamn observed him up and down and gave a thumbs-up.
...It will take some time getting used to this.
He sighed, then sent her a warning look.
Haunted by you or not, today is the first day of lessons, and I won't let anything ruin it.
"How would I ruin it?" She tilted her head in confusion. "If anything, I'll make it a much more interesting experience!"
Without replying to her smug words in any way, he left his dorm.
...
After navigating the many hallways of the castle, he finally found the correct auditorium marked 'Spellmaking.'
He casually entered, ignored the few brief glances he was getting, and picked a seat in front.
With nothing else to do, he opened the Spellmaking textbook he received ahead of time and browsed through the first sections.
"Seems simple enough." Rhamn said, materializing on the table in front of him.
She peered down at the same book, her red eyes moving as if reading the text.
"I can't wait for you to cast your first spell."
He tried his best to ignore her for a time, though eventually he looked at her with a frown.
I told you to not interfere.
"But I am just sitting here?" She innocently shrugged.
True to her words, she did nothing but silently stare, yet it still caused him a slight mental anguish.
"It's not my fault you get embarrassed from having a beautiful woman near."
"…!"
His frown deepened as he almost let out an instinctive rebuttal, holding himself back at the last second.
Still, his somewhat hostile reaction earned him a few puzzled looks from the students near, which he also tried his best to ignore.
Rhamn openly chuckled at his reaction.
I am not embarrassed. It is simply distracting.
"Sure~"
He let out a sigh of frustration, about to continue his defense, when a slight clamor from the other students attracted his attention.
A good-looking young man with black hair and black eyes entered the auditorium, and many people near Cyril excitedly pointed at him, whispering among themselves.
"Look, it's him! He stopped Lapis after they blew up the station today! I didn't think he would make it today."
"I've heard his name is Cedric, no surname."
"He is a commoner…?"
So today's outage was because of Lapis... and they were stopped by someone my age.
Cyril, his eyes narrowing, thoughtfully focused on the young man at the center of the rumors.
He looked cheerful, wearing a silly smile, like someone who wanted to be everyone's friend. Still, Cyril felt a perplexing sense of displeasure when looking at him.
I wonder how strong he is. Can I beat him?
Suddenly such a thought entered his head, as well as plans of issuing an official challenge.
As the look in his eyes was becoming more hostile, from the top of the table in front of him came an enthusiastic cheer.
"You will absolutely destroy him! It's not even going to be a fight!"
Rhamn raised her chin, staring down at Cedric with a look of complete contempt, like some third-rate villain from a storybook.
Cyril froze, then his face quickly grew calm, and he looked away from the student. He quietly sighed again.
Why do you behave like this?
"What? I thought we were on the same wavelength here."
Again, he was perplexed by her ability to read his mind. He sighed once again, feeling a bizarre mix of embarrassment and retrospection.
Maybe I am too arrogant...
"Of course not! This 'arrogance' is just the overwhelming strength of your spirit shining through! It's confidence!"
He sent her a blank stare, wondering if she was mocking him.
However, her pure expression and shining red eyes showed nothing but earnest belief.
Cyril fought back the urge to sigh, no longer in the mood to start trouble, and turned his attention elsewhere.
Instead, he decided to look around the half-full classroom.
I expected more people…
Upon observing the back rows, he discovered a strange girl with auburn hair staring at him intently. Her black eyes threatened to dig a hole through him.
Seeing him look over, she quickly averted her gaze, pretending nothing happened.
Something about her caught his attention. She looked average, with rough skin and a messy bob haircut. Her beauty was nothing compared to Rhamn's, but she still seemed special somehow.
Why am I like this recently? Everyone appears unusual. Don't tell me she is not real either...
"But I am real."
I know, I know…
He sighed, surely not for the last time today, and waited until the lesson began.
...
Soon the bell rang, and a middle-aged man wearing a coat walked inside the classroom.
Arriving before the blackboard, he turned to the students and started speaking in a composed manner.
"Since some might have missed me yesterday, let me introduce myself again." He made a gesture in the air, and words made of light appeared in the air. It was his name.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Richard, and I am your professor of Spellmaking. I will be in charge of your group, and if you have any questions regarding the academy, you may approach me after the lesson is over."
"Now, once I read your name, say 'here.' You know the drill."
He proceeded to do a roll call. With a monotone voice, he read aloud from a list in his hands.
Whenever a student heard their name, they stood up, looking at the classmates with a proud smile.
Particularly their heads would tilt a little bit towards the ceiling whenever their family name was read aloud, as if it gave them some kind of power.
It almost looked like a social gathering, with every noble politely introducing themselves.
Still, there were a few of those without a family name.
"Cedric."
"Here."
A young man with black hair and eyes from before stood up. He flashed everyone a friendly smile, ignoring the few contemptuous glances, and sat back down, whispers going off as he did so.
As the rumors spread completely, most nobles here stared at this commoner with the curiosity of seeing some zoo animal.
Still, Cedric's friendly smile never faltered in the midst of this.
Cyril looked away from him, having mixed feelings.
After a few others, a name that somehow stood out rang out.
"Myra."
"Here!"
With a loud but somewhat nervous shout, the girl with auburn hair raised her hand, staring straight ahead.
"Ha! She is a commoner! Fitting identity for fitting looks."
Calm down.
A few people sent her a surprised glance, then quickly moved on, treating her as background noise and nothing more.
As the names were read from the list in a seemingly random order, Cyril's heart turned a bit heavier.
Eventually his name was read as well.
"Cyril Thorne."
"Here."
The eyes of most of the students present quickly focused on him. Immediately whatever whispers had been going around settled down, soon replaced by new ones.
"Thorne? Son of that Thorne?"
"I wasn't informed we would be studying with him…"
"What rotten luck…"
At him they stared as if he were a zoo animal that had escaped its cage and was now walking among them.
Cyril familiarly ignored them, his face completely calm.
"They are staring at you with fear…" Rhamn mumbled, her red eyes scanning the students around.
Then she nodded.
"That means they respect you. Very good."
At her genuinely pleased voice, any heaviness within him was dispelled, replaced by tiredness.
"..."
In the meantime, Richard continued reading out the names in an uninterested voice.
After finishing the list of about 20 people, he eagerly dropped it on the table and motioned towards the students.
"I hope everyone here made sure their body is ready to start learning magic. We've had people in the past fabricating their age and paying for it."
"Alright, since you people were good enough to enter class I, you shouldn't be too foolish..."
In Ailanthus, classes were decided based on the entrance results. Based on their level of talent and prior theoretical knowledge, the students were placed in classes I to V.
The professor flipped open the book on his table, his eyes quickly scanning it as if it was the first time he saw it.
After a few seconds he nodded, turning towards the student.
"Open the textbook on page 4. We will start our lesson by studying Maze's pattern. It is generally used in most magic circles, so-"
Despite the professor's monotone voice, Cyril found himself engrossed in the lecture.
Rhamn was still sitting on the table, though she moved a bit to the side to let Cyril see the professor. She was also listening and didn't say much during this time.
After what felt like only a moment, the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson.
"Alright, that's it. See you tomorrow." Richard said, closing the book on Spellmaking.
Without any ceremony, he quickly walked out from the auditorium before any other student even managed to stand up.
Better than I thought…
Cyril nodded in satisfaction and began quietly collecting his things, his mind still lingering on the contents of the lecture.
As he stood up, on a certain whim he glanced at the other students.
Most didn't share his optimistic state. They stared numbly at the whiteboard, where the professor wrote some beginner circles with fear and desperation.
Even Cedric's friendly smile turned more urgent. He hastily copied down everything in his notebook, a sweat rolling down his forehead.
And the unassuming yet somehow assuming girl with auburn hair had it even worse. She blankly stared down at the textbook, then nodded once and closed it, no regrets on her face.
Before she could notice his stare, Cyril looked away and finally left the auditorium.
"I knew it. We are pretty good~"
All the while Rhamn had a wide and satisfied grin.
...
Mixed with the crowd, they soon arrived at their next destination. It was time for their Combat Training.
It took place within the castle, in a wide hall with plenty of space for thousands of people. There were arenas, weapons racks, mannequins, and everything that a martial artist could ever need in their life.
Their group took only a portion of the space, with other classes visible training in different places.
"My name is Rendel! Nice to meet you!" yelled their combat instructor.
He had a mean face, with a distinct scar over his left eye.
As the students were getting used to his booming voice, it came again, now even louder.
"We have no time to waste! Run three laps around the hall, now!"
The students instinctively started running, their eyes widened.
Clearly not all here were physically fit. Some students switched to walking after only one lap, and it took quite some time until everyone was finished.
Weak whispers and complaints flooded from them, who didn't expect such hardships here.
"I am surprised this many of you are so feeble. Mages need to have great stamina if they want to survive on the battlefield!"
The professor raised his fist, staring into the distance with determination.
Next he looked over at those not lying on the ground from exhaustion, obvious satisfaction in his eyes.
"Anyone with prior combat training, step forward now!"
Cyril, along with a few others, came forward, ready for his next words.
"At least I have you lot. Go grab a weapon you are familiar with, choose a sparring partner, and let me see what you have!"
"Finally, something exciting. You have to fight that guy! It's a perfect opportunity."
Rhamn, who didn't have to run before, was filled with anticipation.
Cyril glanced at the black-haired student, Cedric. He was currently helping someone off the ground with that same friendly smile.
Maybe I will.
So, Cyril moved towards a weapon's rack near the wall.
He just picked up a wooden spear. Immediately, someone grabbed another one right in front of him.
"…?"
It was that girl with auburn hair. She familiarly grabbed a wooden spear and twirled it.
"Cyril, right? How about we have a duel?" she said, giving him a confident look.
Or what was supposed to be a confident one. Her black eyes slightly shook, betraying the real feelings beneath.
Still, despite that, her stance was clearly trained. The way she held the spear was not like an amateur.
"Myra," Cyril carefully said her name.
It felt familiar somehow. He stared at her for a few seconds.
The girl stiffened, almost letting go of her weapon. "What?"
"Nothing. I agree, let's duel."
Recently he felt that the world around him had changed. Not in any obvious way, but somehow unseen.
Maybe I am the one who changed?
"I am sure your world changed for the better ever since yesterday," Rhamn replied with a proud nod, walking by his side.
Cyril ignored her theatrics and moved to the arena for duels, Myra following after him in silence.
Her gaze seemed to pierce his back as the grip on her spear became tighter.