(Grace)

The Capital, the place I’ve always wanted to go, a place I always looked forward to. I had never seen a city with this many people before.

There are tall buildings, which you cannot see in the Village of Saddin. And those water channels penetrated the whole city, I feel the traffic is more convenient than in the Village.

Because of the water, the humidity is very high in the Capital. The air is full of unfriendly water elementals. They can’t hurt me, but my cool down time for teleporting got affected, from originally half a second, to approximately one second.

Hmm… doesn’t affect normal movement, but will get more dangerous in close combat. I think I will not have to teleport since I’m only moving around the Academy.

…Of course, my teleport is a secret in the first place, can’t let just anyone see that.

Walson borrowed a normal and unassuming horse wagon from someone and drove Melon and me to the Academy. There are still two weeks before school starts, but there are already quite a lot of students waiting in front of the gate. Finally, Walson drove the wagon to the street across the gate.

I can’t see the inside because of the stone wall, but the stone buildings looked spectacular, and this is the place where I am going to live.

“Ok, here’s the Academy. Have a great school life,” Walson pulled the leash, and the wagon stopped.

Melon looked at me and said,”Take care, Miss Grace.”

I looked at Melon, “…Nn, goodbye, Melon.” She handed me my bag. During the whole process, I didn’t even look at Walson.

I put the bag on my back, turned around, and walked toward the Academy gate.

“I thought at least a goodbye was worth our friendship for over ten years, but I guess I expected too much.” I heard a taunt, then the sound of the wheels and horses. I turned around, but Walson had already driven away.

…How could it just be a goodbye? Only a goodbye?

I still have lots of things I want to tell you, Walson, and lots of things I want to do together.

In the forest, I didn’t expect the manager to ignore my request to stop. He kept ordering the mercenaries to search through the forest, and told them to attack Rifle, no matter how I tried to stop them.

At that time, I just wanted to return the manager’s favor. If I knew it would end up making such a mess, I should just refuse his attempt to escort me into the forest entrance.

These days, every time after I argue with Walson, I feel depressed. But still, during the arguments, I can’t control myself, always saying things I shouldn’t say to Walson.

Walson, do you hate me?

…

…

“Miss Lyubya L. Mejelova, please come to the third test field!”

Suddenly, an announcement pulled me back to reality and away from the things I can’t figure out in my mind.

Here is the fourth training field in the Academy. It is being used as a test field for new mage students.

I’ve read the students’ manual, the purpose of this is to test how well the students use their power, and the time for testing lasts for two weeks. During this time, students from all over the world will come to the Capital for testing.

Now, I’m sitting on the stone bench with other new students, looking around a little nervously.

The girl sat in front of me with short and white hair, and stood up after she heard the announcement. And left leisurely with confident steps.

I was starting to get very nervous. I held my wand very tight. Um, um, what should I do later? I remember I need to…

“Miss Grace! Miss Grace, please come to the first test field!” The announcement then called my name after that. I stood up, walked towards the little platform surrounded with magical barriers.

The girl who is on the platform is red-haired, dressed scantily with pretty features. I walked up the stone stairs with hesitation. And finally got onto the platform.

I took a look around, and I found that there were people looking at the training field on the second floor in one of the buildings nearby.

“You’re Grace?” She asked by the time I stood on the platform.

“Um, yes, I… I’m Grace, turning fifteen in a few weeks, from the Village of Sadin, I like to read…”

“I’m just checking who you are, not asking you to introduce yourself.” The Red-haired girl raised her eyebrows, she didn’t even look at me, just focused on the parchment in her hands.

“…” I didn’t know what I should say now.

“Come on, don’t be so scared, I won’t eat you.” The red-haired girl got a new parchment, I saw her writing my name on it. “Let’s see…”

“…Ah, this is the letter uncle Mabbon gave me,” I suddenly remembered the letter he gave me. I took it out from my bosom.

The red-haired girl didn’t take it by hand, instead, she snapped her fingers loudly, and the letter flew from my hand, and opened by itself in the air.

She peaked the letter, let out a sound of surprise, and finally looked at me.

“Your referee is Marbon?”

“…Yes, uncle Marbon gave me the letter.”

“Pff, so he was in Saddin these years… Let’s change the topic. You have been cursed so you can’t touch water directly? And you can’t cast water spells?”

“…Yes.”

“Then, are you good at any other attributes?

“…” I hesitated about whether or not I should say I like the dark element or not.

“It’s ok, we don’t hate the darks. At least I don’t,” the red-haired girl said, “Just tell me what you’re good at.”

“Mostly dark and wind, and some fire and earth, only a little on light.”

“An Elementalist with five attributes, not bad,” She kept writing, “What’s your level?”

“…34.” She stopped and looked at me again.

“Really?”

“…Yes.”

“Do you have a license for Intermediate Elementalist?”

“…What is that?”

“Nevermind. Saddin is just a small village, after all, it’s normal to not know that… That will be all. Because you are a student that Marbon recommended, so I wanted to know you a little bit more. Pardon me.”

Suddenly, while I was trying to say something, she grabbed my hand, and I felt a force of mana burst into my body. In a subconscious response, I also used my own mana to block that mana and forced it out of my body.

Her eyes widened in surprise and stared at me.

“…Oh, I’m sorry.” I said, but I still don’t want her to intrude into my body like that.

“You’re good, this is your enrollment and identification,” She let go, and gave me the parchment in her hand, “Take this and go to the next station back there for your Student ID card. After that, you can go to the Freshman’ dorm. You will live there until you get into one of our branches.”

Orderly streets made from bricks, with water canals in between, flowing past one castle-like building after another.

People of different races and different classes/jobs were lingering and making noises that only a crowd could make. Even the rare elves, demi-humans with cat ears or wolf ears; heck, there are even a few with lion heads or panther heads could be seen.

After receiving the ID card and keys, Grace walked towards the Freshmen registration office, eyes wide with wonder and excitement.

Beast type demi-humans… Saddin didn’t have those. And unlike Melon, these are all fluffy animals with fur and hair.

“Hey! You there, what are you looking at? Are you a newbie?” Seems as if the intensive look has made the lion-head aware of Grace’s gaze, they turned towards Grace and shouted.

He stood on the street right outside the registration office, surrounded by four to five students. Those students had beautiful and flashy equipment on their bodies, with one female [Mage] in particular wearing a white robe with golden outlines.

“…Ah, sorry.” Grace bowed in apology. Being caught staring is quite impolite, and a very strange experience.

Watching Grace’s movement with amusement, the students started laughing one by one. Grace couldn’t understand the reason why they were laughing, and could only look at them quizzically.

“Pfft. Come over here, which branch do you belong to?” The lion-head said with his hands resting on his hips, leering at Grace.

“…Branch?” Grace inquired.

Hearing this, the students seem to laugh even louder.

“You hear her? She doesn’t even know what a branch is.”

“Ah, according to my dad, all peasants who enter always start off without being sorted into one. They have to give their all for any of the branches to accept them.” The girl in white robes said.

“Sounds pitiful. Doesn’t that mean they have to live in the pigsty?” A boy with silver plate armor said.

One of the tall and thin boys tried his best to suppress his laughter and turned to face Grace.

“Hey pea… you, let me ask you, does your student ID say that your dorm is the Freshman Dorm?”

“…Yes. Excuse me, what is the direction…?”

“Peh! How would I know the way to the pigsty!” The boy spat, then laughed, and the surrounding students grew even rowdier.

“…” Grace said nothing, she just turned and walked away.

No matter how naive she might be when it comes to social interactions, even she can get a clue and know that they held ill intent towards her.

Then, it is best to ignore them. It’s hardly polite to attack people when coming to a new place.

Grace’s thoughts flashed back to Marbon and his instructions regarding the academy, things such as the system, things to look out for, etc.

The royal academy has six “branches” known as the house of White Whale, house of Fish Dragon, house of Rhoa Peacock, house of Wyvern, house of Unicorn, and the house of Gryphon.

Dividing students into these six houses is how the academy tries to cultivate competitiveness between them… and usually all new students start from the freshmen dorm.

But Marbon said that these six houses are actually backed up by the nobility. Therefore, young boys and girls who have connections with respective noble families are sent to their dorms before even getting close to the freshmen dorm.

… And for the same reason that the six branch houses are connected to nobility, students who lack connection often end up staying in the freshmen dorm for years.

In the end, the freshmen dorm ends up having mostly ‘peasants’ in it. Despite the only other example being Neolla, I feel that interacting with nobility is never a pleasant thing.

The youths she just met, and especially that Neolla… Neolla is the reason why Grace couldn’t make up with Walson yet, Mu…

Having no one to tell her the directions is just fine, she can still read after all.

Following the signboards took a bit more time, she ended up walking several circles, but managed to find the girl’s dorm for freshmen sitting in the corner of the academy.

It was a building that was three floors tall, made with plain white stone. The entire building was shaped like a “U” and looked very ordinary, nothing like what the young nobles called ‘pigsty’. It was even bigger than the Orphanage she was so familiar with.

However, when Grace saw the dorm, she didn’t enter immediately. She instead took a turn and walked into a small alleyway next to the dorm.

Because she unwittingly came upon a scene that would invoke a sense of deja vu, a scene that she simply couldn’t just leave behind.

In the alleyway, the signature energy pulse of water magic still remained. Three girls were blocking the entrance, talking to each other, each with a staff in hand.

“Even after being splashed by water, she remains silent, how infuriating. Looks like she doesn’t seem to care.” Said the tall and thin girl.

“Then how do you think should we please our senior Kleya?” Said the small girl.

“How about we strip her naked and tie her on a boat, then let it float away on the canals?” Said the fat girl.

“Eh? Wouldn’t that be overdoing it?” Said the small girl.

“But this might be able to prove our loyalty to senior Kleya! Then she might let us join the house of Gryphon!” Said the tall and thin girl.

While the three of them were discussing bullying tactics in broad daylight, they were completely unaware of the cherry petals floating around them.

Yes, deja vu. But it seems like it’s missing something, or perhaps someone. Someone that will stand up to bullies.

Nn… I’m thinking of Walson again.

Then the sound of a heavy object impacting flesh sounded three times, followed by the sound of three collapsing bodies.

Finally, Grace was able to see that there was a human – no wait, pointy ears, an elf? – soaked to the bone, sitting at the end of the alleyway.

Wavy golden hair and a light skirt and shawl. Would have been really pretty, but it’s all wet.

She just sat there, motionlessly. Not even bothering to raise her head to acknowledge Grace.

“Don’t bother me. Just leave.” She said, with her head lowered. Grace couldn’t see her face.

Grace heard her words, but only blinked and surveyed the surroundings. Objects were scattered around the ground, almost as if a bag was cut open.

But then, of the objects fallen on the ground, Grace managed to spot a student ID and a key… How convenient.

“… But I don’t know my room… Waiting for roommate…” Grace held out her hand to the sitting girl and spoke kindly, “… Can senior Aure take me to our room?”