Two nights of uninterrupted sleep. He couldn't be in better shape. It was time to get ready.
He picked up the clothes that had been left for him by someone—though the list of possible people was limited—and checked their size. Perfect. The right fit. He had simple blue pants, a red belt, and a wool sweater with a modern look—red, buttoned up, with blue buttons. Once worn, it felt soft, not stiff, and lightweight. He was ready!
Going downstairs, he followed the one who had enrolled him, and they left for the academy.
The Hero took him there in an ordinary yet more luxurious carriage. The journey lasted fifteen minutes. Despite that, the ride was still bumpy...
The academy was clearly at a good distance, located in the center of Ursay, with the castle a few kilometers away—visible and imposing.
The entrance to the institution was grand and luxurious, made of marble and decorated with gold filigree. The fence was quite tall, its base also made of marble, with silver bars visibly reinforced, and golden crown-shaped plaques adorning the top in a continuous pattern. The combination was harmonious, smooth, with no imperfections in the materials. Even on Earth, such craftsmanship would be difficult to achieve. Here, it seemed to be the standard—the very definition of perfection.
At the entrance, Aaron and Endras stood before the grand gate, facing the academy's president. He had an impressive build, as tall as the newcomer, with well-kept but wild-looking hair, gray fading into brown, and sharp yellow eyes like a predator's. He was well-dressed, standing confidently as he began the conversation.
— Welcome to the great academy of the capital, young man. I am the headmaster of this institution, Grep Millium. You were recommended to me by our retired hero, he said with a hearty laugh. I hope you'll be as incredible as he led me to believe!
— I'll do my best, for sure, but I don't know much about this place. I hope to learn a lot.
— You will learn everything you need to know, don't worry about that, my boy. Now, let's go to my office to finalize everything, and then you can head to class.
— Very well, sir.
The newcomers followed the headmaster to his office. Students who weren't in class cast glances at the two figures walking behind the academy's leader, and whispers spread through the halls.
The interior was just as grand and magnificent as the exterior, worthy of a royal institution in the capital. Exquisitely carved pillars, walls lined with doors leading to classrooms, and numbers displayed beside them. The young man's eyes were as wide with awe at the luxury as the students' were at the sight of the retired hero.
Three floors, wide staircases, and a large door with the word Headmaster engraved in gold. As the door opened, not a single creak was heard, even though it had every reason to make a noise of suffering. But nothing. Just a smooth, silent opening.
Once inside, seated, they resumed the conversation that had been put on hold earlier.
— Well, now that we're in my office with no one to disturb us, let's continue. So, you are Aaron, the young man recommended to me by our former hero, is that correct?
— Perfectly, sir, he replied simply.
— I see no reason to refuse, but every reason to accept. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been recommended to me by the great Endras. I'll give you the paperwork to fill out. It'll be quick and easy, don't worry—we don't bother with unnecessary formalities.
Grep did exactly as he said. He took out a sheet of paper and a quill, handing them to Aaron to complete. The form was almost identical to the one for the guild—name, surname, age, and specialty—but it also included fields for Magical Preferences and Combat Preferences. Naturally, he wondered what he truly preferred before making his decision. He chose Archer for combat and Mixed for magic. Strangely, neither magical nor physical strength was required, nor was rank.
Once he finished filling out the document, he handed it back.
— Here you go.
— Thank you, my boy. You may now proceed to class—Room 56, second floor. We don't count the ground floor, so we start from 1 here! Best of luck to you.
— Thank you, the boy replied cheerfully, though he wasn't sure why himself.
The innkeeper left, Aaron followed, and the headmaster bid them farewell.
On his way, he found the classroom, knocked twice, and waited.
A moment later, the door swung open—without anyone touching it from the other side. He knew it was magic, but he restrained himself from reacting. Instead, he simply stepped inside at the professor's signal and stood in front of the class.
The teacher began.
— As promised, a new student has arrived. From today onward, he will be your classmate.
He turned to Aaron and asked him to write his full name on the board, which he did, and then to introduce himself.
— Hello, I'm Aaron Von Lausanne, a new student at this institution. I'm seventeen years old and just arrived in the capital. Thank you for welcoming me here.
Whispers quickly spread throughout the classroom, growing in intensity, but at a single clap of the professor's hands, the noise faded just as fast.
— Very well. Now, you may take a seat in the second row, third seat from the right.
He complied and went to his assigned seat. He was by the window, but two students sitting in front of him blocked his view outside, which he found slightly inconvenient. So, he focused on the lesson instead.
— Now that that's settled, let's continue the lecture. I'll start with a simple explanation for our new student.
— We are in the Royal Academy of Ursay, located in the country commonly referred to as The Empire—though that is actually incorrect. It is now merely a powerful principality due to its history and strategic resources.
— Demonic beasts such as dragons, orcs, and even hydras pose great threats, which is why adventurers are needed. That is one of the reasons this academy was established.
— Nearly a hundred other kingdoms, empires, and various governments exist across the world. That concludes the introduction. Now, let's move on to military strategy.
— Today will be purely theoretical, but tomorrow, you will have pieces to control—allowing you to test, experiment, and create your own strategic battle formations.
An hour passed, then the class came to an end. It was captivating, so the hour and a half went by rather quickly.
Aaron left the classroom and headed to the courtyard. He had plenty to test, and so he did. He took control of a chunk of earth and worked it until he shaped it into a magnificent iron sword. It was a double-edged sword of moderate length. Then, he took another piece of earth and crafted a perfect scabbard for it. The blade had a hollow section in the middle, giving it some flexibility while still retaining a decent cutting edge, though the sword was mediocre at best.
Next, he forged a curved dagger, black with a violet edge. The upper part of the blade, the non-cutting side, had hollowed-out circles. This weapon was of far superior quality. He had done all of this in secret, sitting in the shade of one of the four large trees in the courtyard.
However, he quickly realized he wouldn't be able to hide everything. He let the large sword fall and tucked the new dagger under his jacket. Fatigue began to set in—he had pushed his heat manipulation too far, draining more energy than expected. But class was starting, so he forced himself up. Time to go. Just two more hours.
Once back in class, Aaron returned to his designated seat and tried to focus on the lesson.
— "Are you okay?" his seatmate whispered. "You don't look great."
Without bothering to move, think, or even pay attention to the voice, he instinctively answered.
— "I'm fine. I just overdid it a little with my magic."
— "That doesn't look like a little," the person beside him remarked. "You look like you're about to pass out."
— "Not a big deal."
— "It is."
Aaron glanced to the side and saw a young girl with long brown hair that nearly touched the floor. Her eyes matched her hair color, and she sat with the posture of a queen on her throne. A wave of mocking laughter almost escaped him, but he held back, quickly returning to a neutral expression—his assassin's face—before shifting his gaze back to the board, where explanations were written.
— "What's so funny?"
— "Nothing. I'm just not used to being lectured by a stranger like you."
— "I'm not a stranger… I'll put you in your place after class. Be ready."
— "Very well, princess," Aaron replied with amusement.
She simply responded with a "Hmph."
Twenty minutes later, the last hour ended, and as Aaron was leaving, he was quickly caught by the one who had intended to "put him in his place."
— "So, you really meant it?" the supposed target asked.
— "I always keep my word," she affirmed.
— "Very well," Aaron said, bowing slightly before her, his right hand on his left shoulder, looking at her with a gaze full of challenge.
— "Do you really want to be lectured?"
— "Who would want that? No one. I just want to see if you'd actually dare… or if you have another reason. If it's the latter, then you must be after information. So, how can I help you?"
For a brief second, she faltered, then quickly regained her composure. But in that fleeting moment, she looked startled—almost frightened—as if he had said something terribly wrong.
— "Nothing, I didn't want anything. I just wanted to mess with you since you're new."
Hearing this, he figured that staying silent was probably the best response. In any case, she had already disappeared.
Deciding to head to the dormitory himself, he wondered who he would be rooming with.
The walk was relatively long, and he had to climb four flights of stairs to reach his room. It required quite a bit of endurance.
He knocked, waited two seconds, then opened the door and stepped inside. The room was far better than he had expected. The beds weren't large but were big enough for one person to sleep comfortably. There were three in total, made of dark oak wood, with beautiful carvings of flowers and leaves on the footboards. The sheets were plain white but soft, and the pillows were thick enough to provide comfort.
After changing into his red-and-black two-tone pajamas—two colors he adored—he jumped onto one of the beds. He didn't care much for other colors, though he had a slight appreciation for pink.
Once he finished examining the rest of the room, which was ultimately quite simple, he wondered what Obsidian would show him this time when he fell asleep.
Lying down, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
. . .. ..