"In recent years," the guide added with some excitement of her own, "three particularly monstrous geniuses have emerged from the academy, marking what many people are calling the beginning of the 'Calamity Generation!'"
She held up three fingers, then continued to speak…
-
As she continued, Petra quickly became distracted.
Just to the side, something drew Petra's attention.
While the tour guide continued her long explanation about the academy and what the 'Calamity Generation' meant, Petra's gaze slowly drifted away from the group. A short distance away, near a row of trimmed hedges and a concealed park, two figures were speaking in low voices.
Petra tilted her head slightly, focusing her attention.
Mm, upon closer inspection…
She actually recognized them!
One of them was the Diamond Rank Adventurer 'Miss Green', a tall woman with long blond curls tied into a puffy ponytail. Her sharp black eyes carried a piercing intensity, and despite her scholarly appearance, the way she stood radiated a commanding pressure.
Even from here, Petra could hear her rhythmic clapping, which seemed to set off some trauma in the depths of her soul...
listening closer—
"I-I'm sorry, Miss Green!" the girl, Hestdum Holzeyras, stammered, bowing her head repeatedly. "I don't know where it went! I really don't know!"
Miss Green's eyes narrowed. "How is that possible? Where did you put it down?"
"I don't know! I-I don't think I even put it down!"
Miss Green frowned.
Her expression darkened.
"You didn't? You mean it was taken from your hands!?"
Hesta flinched.
"I-I-I don't know!"
"Hmph!"
Miss Green spun around sharply.
"Then we're going back to find it. Now—clap—hurry— your—clap—butt!"
"Y-yes, Miss Green!" The horse girl scrambled after her, nearly tripping in her act.
Petra watched them disappear around the corner, not missing Hesta's click of the tongue, then she slowly looked away as if nothing had happened.
-
Petra slowly turned her head back toward the group.
In the short time she had looked away, the guide had finished speaking. The massive twin doors leading into the academy had opened, and a dignified figure now stood at the top of the wide stone steps leading up into the main building.
He was a tall man dressed in formal robes.
The group of girls watched as he stepped forward.
Seeing him arrive, the tour guide immediately straightened her back. Clearly, she knew exactly who he was. "Children," she spoke quickly, "please look this way!"
She gestured toward the man.
The man gave a warm smile as he looked over the gathered cluster of small green-haired girls.
"Welcome to the Royal Academy of Magic," he said calmly. "I am Principal Inel. It's good to see so many aspiring youths today!"
Several of the children began whispering excitedly to each other, clearly recognising him.
The principal's gaze swept across them with interest.
He adjusted the sleeve of his robe before continuing.
"You have traveled very far to visit us today. It's always a pleasure to receive guests from across the continent, and it is especially exciting to welcome members of the legendary Kiwi Clan!"
At the mention of their race, several of the girls proudly perked up.
Petra's brows rose slightly.
She remembered that name.
Mm, when was it again…?
Ah, right!
Once upon a time, she had been mistaken for one of them because of her small body and green hair!
The Kiwi Clan was rare, very rare, not only on the Cross Continent, but throughout the world. They were a strange race that did not belong to the Beast or Beastmen Clans. Every member of their people shared the same distinctive traits, bright green hair and a pair of small, delicate wings growing from their hips. Long ago, they were a unique branch of beastmen who lived deep within the forests of the continent, but over time, their race had changed and evolved, gradually becoming a unique race and breaking away from the beastmen.
Their homeland had been destroyed long before the arrival of the human migration, way back during the Desolate Age.
As time passed, their numbers dwindled…
Over many centuries, their clan scattered across the continent, surviving in small, isolated communities that now faced the threat of extinction. If not for the protection of certain spirits from the Green Wind Forest, their race might have already vanished entirely.
What made them truly special, however, was their unusual 'nature!'
The Kiwi Clan carried traits of the Beast, Sky, and Human races all at once. They could master flight at an early age, communicate with animals, and their bodies were so light that they moved almost effortlessly through the air. Among all the races, they possessed some of the sharpest senses for danger.
Petra wondered if this had something to do with Mimi's innate interest in her…
This particular group of girls had been brought on a tour to experience the outside world. That was why the academy had specially welcomed their visit...
It should also be said that the angry auntie was not from the Kiwi Clan.
Mm, anyway, the principal continued speaking about the academy, when suddenly another figure stepped forward from behind him.
This was a young man with sharp eyes and a calm demeanor. His robe hung loosely over his shoulders in a slightly unusual style, and he had a pair of large goggles around his neck.
"Allow me to assist with the tour," he said politely.
Inel nodded.
Petra, within the group, looked at him with her large black eyes.
…Arthur? Why was he here?
Arthur's gaze slowly swept across the group of children.
Then—
His eyelids twitched.
…Petra? Why was she here?
Petra: "..."
Arthur: "..."
For the briefest moment, his eyes landed on Petra, who was standing quietly among the green-haired girls. She clearly did not belong!
He paused.
His brain seemed to glitch for half a second, but then he recovered immediately by shaking his head.
Arthur calmly looked away, pretending as if nothing had happened, not noticing.
"…Thank you," the principal said, stepping aside.
With that, the principal gave the group a final nod before turning away and walking back across the platform, leaving Arthur and the tour guide to continue their introduction.
Hooong!
The doors opened wide.
Arthur gestured toward the entrance.
"Come on, this way. I'll show you around!"
The children eagerly followed Arthur and the guide through the massive twin doors and into the academy's entrance hall. Their excited voices echoed softly through the massive interior space.
Petra, swaggering along, shuffled ahead with them as just another green head.
Just like that, Petra entered the Royal Academy of Magic…
* * *
Outside, as the massive doors closed, the front garden slowly grew quiet.
The principal stood alone, watching the doors slowly close. Then, footsteps approached along the stone path ahead, causing him to turn back.
He turned to find two figures approaching.
Hesta walked beside Miss Green, her hands nervously clasped behind her head like a hooligan.
They stopped near the principal.
"Something wrong?" Miss Green bluntly asked.
The principal hummed softly and folded his hands behind his back as well. "…No," he said after a moment of pause. Then he glanced briefly towards the closed doors. "…But I may have just seen someone very interesting."
Miss Green raised an eyebrow.
The wind rustled softly through the academy gardens as the two academics stood beneath the towering entrance of the thousand-year-old academy.
* * *
Royal Academy of Magic, Entrance Hall—
Petra followed through the massive doors and into the academy.
Just beyond the entrance hall, taking the leftmost door, the path opened into a massive corridor, a long passageway that seemingly stretched forward endlessly. Tall arched windows lined the left wall, each framed with delicate runework carved directly into the glass. The glass shimmered with amber hues, forming scenes of ancient mages, floating constellations, and dancing elementals.
The room filtered a soft amber glow from the morning sun, scattering warm light across the floor.
Looking outside, the sky looked endless, and the faintest hint of clouds could be seen on the horizon.
The floor was polished black and white marble, arranged in a diamond pattern that reflected the dim light like a mirror.
Every step, especially the many rhythmic taps from the children, echoed throughout the corridor, the sound swallowed by the high ceiling high overhead.
Tiny motes of golden light drifted lazily through the air, floating like small fireflies in slow motion, but whether they were stray sparks of spiritual energy or simply dust catching on the light, it was impossible to tell. Looking ahead, it wasn't merely a passageway, no, it felt more like the kind of place where magic lived in every brick, waiting patiently for the next generation of mages to appear and walk these halls.
But with that said, the hallway was far from empty!
All around, students filled the corridor in small clusters.
Some casually leaned against the walls while chatting with friends, others hurried along with stacks of books pressed tightly against their chests, and a few simply wandered around aimlessly, clearly enjoying the chaotic moments before classes officially began.
In addition, the diversity of races was obvious at a glance.
A tall bull-type beastman with two horns quickly walked past with a book tucked beneath his arm.
Two female elves, each sitting on the windowsill, argued beside one of the windows, their long ears twitching in annoyance as they playfully pushed each other back and forth, nearly collapsing on top of each other in the process.
A dwarven student sat cross-legged near the wall, carefully polishing a small mechanical device that clicked quietly with each of his adjustments.
Further ahead, a female from the sky clan with feathered arms briefly perched on the railing of a stairwell before jumping down and 'gliding' down with the grace of a goose.
Petra watched quietly as she slowly walked forward with the group.
She was just like a tourist at an amusement park.
She had seen many scenes like this before, a very long time ago.
She saw students arguing over special assignments, Someone rushing because they were already late, and someone trying to pretend that they had finished their work. As Petra looked at all this, she felt that things never changed, regardless of the world they belonged to.
Perhaps, this was a spark born from wisdom, not race…
Just then—
Swoosh!
A sudden gust of wind rushed through the hallway, clearly in a hurry.
Petra looked over.
Several students were startled as someone ran directly through the corridor, weaving through the crowd at a shocking speed.
"Coming through! Coming through!" The soft cry could be heard clearly.
The figure clutched a bow tightly against her chest while pushing through the hallway.
Squinting, Petra looked at this figure.
She was a small girl with bright white hair tied into an extremely long braid that swung wildly behind her head as she ran ahead. Long rabbit ears bounced up and down above her, and a fluffy rabbit tail bobbed behind her waist as she sprinted.
"Sorry! Sorry! Important emergency!" she breathlessly laughed while dodging around a pair of confused students.
Several people stumbled aside as she carelessly passed.
"Hey!"
"Watch it!"
She simply waved her hand as an apology as she disappeared down the corridor.
A few moments later, the hallway slowly settled.
Conversation resumed.
Petra blinked slowly, then continued walking.
Behind her, the small cluster of little girls quickly regrouped as the tour guide ushered them forward.
"Stay together, girls," the female guide auntie said firmly.
Arthur nodded, helping with a head count.
Soon, the group moved deeper into the academy.
* * *
Petra spent the next few hours aimlessly wandering through the academy.
The tour guide was determined to show them as much as possible, so the group steadily moved from one section of the academy to another. They passed students carrying stacks of books, apprentices arguing loudly about spells, and even a pair of instructors debating something complicated enough to disperse the surrounding students, almost like a plague.
Everywhere Petra looked, the aura of academics was ignited and spreading uncontrollably.
-
Eventually, Arthur and the guide led them into one of the academy's largest rooms—the library!