Chapter 3: Noble Arrogance and the Red Eyed Savior
The sky was draped in a riot of colors fading from orange to purple as the sun drifted slowly toward the western horizon.
Ash had tried to find his way through the capital's complex streets by asking an occasional blacksmith or a grumpy grocer and had finally managed to reach the exclusive part of the city known as the "Academy District."
This place was completely different from the rest of the city.
The streets were free of dust and mud, paved with stones so clean they looked as if they were washed every day.
The buildings were taller, their architecture more elegant. Even the air smelled different; a mixture of parchment, ink, and expensive perfumes filled his nose with a gentle breeze.
Ash wiped the sweat gathering on his forehead with the back of his arm and looked at the sky.
There was not much time left before the sun set.
If the registration office closed at sundown, he needed to hurry.
But the problem was that the Academy was not a single building; it was a massive campus surrounded by walls, and he had no idea where the entrance was.
Up ahead, he saw a group of young people standing by the roadside chatting.
They were about Ash's age, perhaps a little older.
They wore stylish clothes made of silk fabrics with collars embroidered in gold thread.
Their posture, their laughter, even the way they breathed screamed 'we own this place.'
Ash directed his steps toward them with his usual friendly demeanor.
"Excuse me!" he called out cheerfully. "I hope I am not disturbing you, but may I ask something?"
The youths in the group stopped their conversation and turned toward the direction of the voice.
When their eyes found Ash, the relaxed expressions on their faces instantly gave way to blatant disgust.
Ash's faded, patch covered clothes, the dirty bag on his back, and the rusty sword at his waist stood out like a stain on this pristine avenue.
One of the female students in the group wrinkled her nose while bringing a lace fan to her face.
She looked at Ash as if he were a bug that had been stepped on.
"Good heavens..." the girl said, her voice ice cold. "What is a beggar doing here? Are the guards not doing their jobs anymore?"
Another male student in the group nudged the girl with a mocking grin. "Maybe he is lost or something. Or perhaps he is looking for the back alley to rummage through the trash cans."
No one took Ash seriously.
In their eyes, he was an entity not even worth speaking to.
Ash, however, acted as if he had not heard or understood these insults, not altering his polite smile even by a millimeter.
He simply raised his hand slightly to correct the misunderstanding.
"Ah, no, you have got it wrong," he said in a calm voice.
"I am not a beggar, and I am not lost. Actually, I am looking for exactly where I want to go."
He took a deep breath, and his eyes sparkling, he added:
"I want to register to take the Academy entrance exam! Where can I apply?"
There was a brief silence. Not a sound was heard except the howling of the wind. Then, the group suddenly burst into laughter.
"Ahahaha! Did you hear that?"
"He can not be serious! In that miserable state?"
"Which village's barn did you crawl out of, kid? This is not a circus!"
Amidst the laughter, a tall boy with blonde hair braided fashionably on one side stepped forward.
He was barely suppressing his laughter, but there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.
He walked toward Ash.
When he closed the distance between them, he wrapped his arm around Ash's neck without hesitation.
This was not a friendly hug; it was a bullying move, putting his weight on Ash to crush him and tell him to 'know his place.'
With his other hand, the boy pointed to a dilapidated building in the distance with no windows and smoke rising from it.
"So you want to enter the academy, huh?" he whispered mockingly, his mouth right next to Ash's ear. "Look, do you see that building over there? Go ther..."
He could not finish his sentence.
Ash grabbed the snobbish hand wrapped around his neck by the wrist.
The movement was so fast that no one understood what had happened. Ash's fingers clamped down on the boy's wrist like a vise.
The pure, gentle smile was still on his face, but the pressure in his grip was not gentle at all.
The blonde boy's face turned white as a sheet in an instant.
He could feel the bones in his wrist grinding against each other. He wanted to groan in pain, but the strange pressure Ash emitted cut off his breath.
Ash slowly removed the boy's arm from his neck.
"Thanks," Ash said, his voice still surprisingly polite. "But I think that building is a blacksmith's workshop. I was looking for the Academy. I suppose it would be better if I asked someone else."
Ash let go of the boy's bruising hand and turned to walk away.
The blonde boy was trembling with the rage of humiliation and pain.
He had been disgraced by a peasant in front of his friends. His eyes darkened with fury.
"You..." he snarled. "How dare you!"
Suddenly, a bright yellow light exploded in the boy's right hand.
Mana condensed in the air, and within seconds, a sword appeared in his palm.
"You filth!"
The boy swung the sword in his hand, lunging toward Ash's back. Some of his friends screamed in fear.
Ash felt the change in the airflow behind him. He moved to turn slightly to the side.
There was no fear on his face, only slight surprise. He had not even bothered to draw his sword.
Just then, an icy voice cut through the air.
"Enough!"
Immediately following the voice, a black silhouette stepped between the blonde boy and Ash.
It was a girl with long, raven black hair with tips dyed blood red.
Unlike the other female students, she was not wearing puffy skirts that restricted movement.
She wore black trousers that allowed for mobility, a buttoned jacket, and a thin sword at her waist.
The girl fixed her eyes on the blonde boy.
The blonde boy paused, the sword in his hand trembling. "You..."
"What is going on here?" the girl asked, her voice authoritative.
The blonde boy seized the opportunity and immediately assumed the role of the victim.
Holding up his bruised wrist, he contorted his face into a pitiful expression.
"He started it!" he shouted, pointing a finger at Ash. "This beggar attacked me! I was just trying to help, and he tried to break my wrist!"
The red eyed girl slowly turned her head toward Ash. Her gaze was sharp and piercing, as if weighing him.
"Is this true?" she asked.
Ash shrugged his shoulders. He had no need to lie or exaggerate the situation. "No," he said clearly.
The girl looked into Ash's eyes.
She saw neither fear nor guilt there.
There was only clear honesty. Then she turned her gaze back to the blonde boy and narrowed her eyes.
"I see,"
"Close the matter here, and everyone mind their own business."
The blonde boy could not accept this decision. He waved his hand furiously in the air.
"What does this mean!" he roared. "I am telling you that beggar attacked me! You know who I am! He must pay the price for this insult!"
The black haired girl walked slowly toward the boy.
Although she was slightly shorter than him, the aura she radiated made her seem like a giant.
She stopped right in front of the blonde boy, nose to nose.
The boy involuntarily tensed and took a step back. He had started sweating.
"Is that so?" the girl said, her voice like a whisper, but every word revealed her intent. "Do you want to take this incident to the Student Council?"
She tilted her head slightly to the side, a scornful smile appearing on her lips.
"Think about it... As a 'noble,' are you going to complain that you were subjected to violence by an unarmed peasant who does not use magic? Do you want to have your incompetence and weakness entered into the official records?"
The girl's eyes burned with a dangerous glint.
"Is that what you want? Are you really that pathetic?"
The blonde boy's face changed colors.
First it turned red, then purple.
The girl was right. Admitting that he was beaten by a peasant would destroy his reputation.
He ground his teeth and clenched his hands into fists, but he could not say a single word.
"We are leaving!" he shouted to his group behind him.
He turned around quickly and walked away, casting one last hate filled look at Ash. His friends followed him like dogs with their tails between their legs.
The street fell into silence again.
The girl watched the group leave for a while, then sighed deeply, turned around, and faced Ash.
She put her hands on her hips and scanned Ash from head to toe as if examining merchandise. Patched clothes, rusty sword, dusty boots...
"Are you lost or something, kid?" she said harshly. "What are you doing here in that getup?"
Ash returned to his enthusiastic self as if the tension just moments ago had never happened.
"I want to register for the Academy entrance exam!"
The girl's brows furrowed. She tried to figure out if he was serious.
"Go back to your village, kid," she said clearly. "This is not the kind of place you think it is. And it certainly is not the fairy tale land of your dreams."
Ash was surprised. "Huh? Why? But I have been traveling for months! I crossed mountains to get here."
The girl sighed again at Ash's stubborn innocence. She rubbed her forehead with her hand.
"Look," she said, explaining articulately. "If you are an ordinary peasant, which you are, and you do not have a noble dynasty or a wealthy family backing you, participating in the entrance exam is close to impossible."
She took a step closer and lowered her voice.
"Especially joining the academy... The world inside is more savage than the one outside. They will eat you alive in there. That blonde fool was one of the most harmless types inside."
She fixed her eyes on Ash's.
"I do not know what kind of dreams you have, but forget them before you get hurt. Go home."
A thoughtful expression settled on Ash's face for the first time.
He bowed his head slightly and remained silent for a while. The girl thought she had convinced the boy.
Then Ash raised his head. There was no disappointment in his eyes, but a strange curiosity.
"Um... So it is not 'impossible,' right?" he asked innocently. "You just said 'close to impossible.' So there is still a chance?"
The girl froze where she stood. This kid was either lacking intelligence or was a hopeless optimist. Probably both.
"This kid does not listen to reason," she mumbled to herself.
She slumped her shoulders.
If he wanted to hit a wall, let him hit it.
It was best for the boy to learn the truth at the brutal registration desk by facing the cold face of bureaucracy. Maybe then he would give up.
"Fine," she said with a weary attitude. "Since you are so insistent..."
She pointed with her hand to the massive building with iron gates at the end of the road.
"Follow me, kid. I will take you to the registration area. But do not say 'you did not warn me' later."
Ash's face instantly lit up.
"Seriously? Thanks! You are a very good person!"
The girl rolled her eyes. "Do not compliment me, I am just doing my job."
She started walking quickly in front.
Ash followed her with a nonchalant smile, as if he were in the safest place in the world.
The girl was pitying this naive peasant boy on one hand, getting annoyed by him on the other, and secretly feeling curious thinking about how he had squeezed that blonde boy's wrist so easily on the other.
"What is your name, you stubborn kid?" she asked without looking back.
"Ash! My name is Ash."
"And I am Aria," the girl said coldly.
"Now shut your mouth and follow me, Ash. Registration is about to close."