Parting the sea of reporters and onlookers for Kim Yiseo's sedan to pass through proved to be less troublesome than Merlin had thought it would be. He had been expecting a lot more vigor from the reporters seeking a scoop, but it seemed to be that when Mages put up a barricade, everyone else kept their senses and stayed on their end of it.
Merlin had no complaints, though. He had still tasted celebrity life for a moment there, even if it had not been to his expectations. And, if he was to give his honest review, it was mesmerizing, just like the interior of the car he was seated in. But, apparently, those who had grown up in that life did not feel the same way. He glanced at Kim Yiseo who was up front, fully focused on her phone, before turning to his.
He had made a bit of progress on his Intelligence in the brief battle with Caster and the Troll, but compared to what he had been helping himself to these past few weeks, it was barely noticeable. After all, his Intelligence had only gone up by five percent, and that was the same for the free Attribute Points he had obtained. But he knew he had no right to complain. There had been a time when he only moved up by one-point-five percent.
Actual battles help me progress more, that much is obvious now, and I have a feeling it'll be the same for the practicals taken at the Academy, if they are anything like the assessment exam… This is actually nice. I can't raid Dungeons yet, so I'll use the practicals to increase my strength while I bide my time. Man, the fact that I'll have to dial down on my exercises is bothering me, but I have no choice. I'll have to make do with just home workout sessions and shadow boxing until I have chances to leave the Academy. I wonder if I'll be allowed on weekends. I'll just have to wait and see…
He assigned the five Attribute Points he had earned to his Intelligence and leaned back to rest his neck.
"I'm Kim Yiseo," the lady upfront said, but no one had asked.
"Yeah, we know that," replied Nora with a dismissive tone. She had her headphones over her head and was playing Tower Raider, but she was always one to split her attention without trouble.
"I know you do. But it's only common courtesy to present one's name before asking another for theirs," said Kim Yiseo. "Tell me yours."
The way she spoke was somewhat baffling to Merlin. She was not exactly trying to sound rude, he could feel that, but her words came out in a rude manner either way. Was it something that was common with people who were of the higher classes of society?
Well, it didn't really matter to him. The person she had to be wary of was Nora. Merlin glanced at his twin sister; thankfully, she was so engrossed in her game that Kim Yiseo's tone missed her.
"I'm Nora." She jerked a thumb at Merlin. "He's Merlin," she answered unenthusiastically before cussing at her phone, specifically at Tower Raider. The middle-aged driver stole a glance at her, but said nothing.
Kim Yiseo was silent for a few seconds and Merlin was almost on the verge of concluding that they had arrived at the end of their conversation.
"So you're the ones," she said, causing Merlin's brows to fall and Nora to look up from her game. "The Deficient Mage and the A-Class Mage twins."
Nora switched off her game without a moment's hesitation, grimacing. "If you have something to say, say it." She was always raring to go for a fight.
"I really don't," Kim Yiseo replied, still typing on her phone, not sparing them a glance. "It just bothered me for days that there were people who could best my party's time score during the assessment exam. I did a lot of research on Dungeons for the exam. But I guess it explains itself. You guys were ready to dive into danger today, so I suppose you're very enthusiastic about becoming Mages. I'm sure you both also researched as much as I did, and complemented yourselves for any missing information."
Merlin had stopped listening after she had mentioned that his and Nora's party had had the best time score during the assessment exam. That ought to be complete nonsense. It had taken them fifty minutes to clear the Dungeon. And, besides, when they had come out of the Dungeon, most of the parties were already out. Granted, most could have been those who had failed as soon as the exam had started, and their party had also taken a bit of time before heading out, he wasn't really sure, he had been groggy. But that was besides the point. If Nora was correct and sixty parties had passed. How had they achieved top score with fifty minutes clearance time?
"That's impossible," Merlin blurted out his thoughts. "What was your party's score then if fifty minutes was the best clearance time? That makes no sense."
"I agree," said Kim Yiseo. "My party's clearance time was forty-nine minutes, thirty seconds. Just thirty-one seconds away from being the best."
Merlin still found it absurd. "And the worst among those who passed?"
"Fifty-nine minutes, forty seconds," Kim Yiseo replied.
Merlin still had a shocked look on his face. He couldn't really believe that their party had scored the best.
"And how do you know all this?" Nora asked, unfriendliness bleeding into her tone. She and Kim Yiseo might never end up being on the same page if things went on like this.
"I have my ways," Kim Yiseo replied. She then took her eyes from her phone for the first time since they had gotten into the car, looking over her shoulder at Merlin. "The same way I found out that you have the ability to cancel magic."
Merlin froze where he was seated.
He was not particularly anxious about people finding out what he was, there was no way he could keep it secret for long and he wasn't planning to. The problem here was that it had not been his place to reveal.
"Now, how did you find that out?" Nora questioned. "And don't you dare say you have your ways. You don't get to pry into someone else's lives and don't tell them how."
Kim Yiseo paused. Then she sighed. "I did not pry. You're, how do I put this nicely, a weird Mage. The Consortium deals with all things Mages, and your case was reported to my father. It's only normal that your situation reached my ears."
Nora clicked her tongue and folded her arms, saying nothing more. Merlin sighed.
"I understand," he replied, waited a few seconds, then continued. "You're not curious?"
"Deficient Mages have not been completely figured out," Kim Yiseo said. "I'm not exactly surprised that someone like you popped up. I won't say I'm not curious, though. But bombarding you with questions would be what they call prying."
Nora clicked her tongue again, knowing that those last words had been for her.
Merlin, on the other hand, said nothing more, wondering if the rest of the students at the Academy would be the same as Kim Yiseo concerning his situation. But there was no use bothering himself with things like that. Whatever would be would be.
He then turned to stare out through the window, and Kim Yiseo respected the silence that had come to take over the interior of the car.
It did not take long for them to arrive at the Academy, and to Merlin's bafflement, they were not the only ones who were late.
He saw students like him pulling their luggage as they hurried onto the Academy's grounds. Some were already in, alighting from the cars that had brought them, but ultimately doing the same thing as the ones who had been brought by cabs and dropped outside.
Merlin's eyes only lasted on those students for a brief moment, though. Because as soon as Kim Yiseo's car drove in through the gate, he took in the scenery of the Academy in all its grandness once more, still as beautiful as on the day of his exam.
In fact, it was more colorful now.
At the fountain to its center sat students, all dressed in the red blazers and tie of the Academy uniform, leisurely shuffling around, reading books, or swiping through the projections that emanated from their smart watches. Second years, he deduced. Some were seated in the small patches of grass that could be seen everywhere one looked—a few with their Grimoires floating at their sides, but no spells at their finger tips. The Academy had a rule against spell casting out in the open grounds; Merlin had read that in the sent leaflet, so he was not taken aback.
However, despite the absence of spells, it was all still so lively, unlike how it had been on the exam day, due to it having been an off-school period.
"No matter how many times I see it, it's still amazing," Merlin could not stop himself from muttering. "And ancient."
"I agree," said Nora.
"Wait till you experience it even better," Kim Yiseo chimed in, putting off her phone and dipping it into her blazer's side pocket. "It's the best Mage Academy in Korea for a reason."
Nora raised a brow, her arms still folded. "You talk like you aren't our classmate."
Kim Yiseo scoffed, somewhat conceitedly. "I am, but I've been here more than a few times already. I've experienced this Academy in all its glory."
"Yeah; with daddy's money."
Kim Yiseo fell silent.
"Nora…" Merlin nudged his sister at her side, shaking his head when she looked at him.
Why would she say that?
Nora replied, not with her lips, but with a slightly animated gesture. One he interpreted as, "Don't pick on me. She was being smug."
Still, there had been no need for that.
"We're here," Kim Yiseo said as they arrived at the Academy's parking lot. One would be forced to think that she had not heard Nora's jab at her. "Your things are yet to arrive, so you'll have to attend the orientation without checking into your dorms."
"Shouldn't the orientation have ended by now?" Merlin asked, curious as to why she'd still thought it was ongoing, and glad that they had moved on from the little scuffle of words that had just occurred. If he could even call it that.
"I confirmed," Kim Yiseo answered. "It's yet to start."
Merlin was bamboozled. He checked the time on his phone, wondering if he had lost his mind. He hadn't. It was the same as what had happened on the day of the exam.
What was up with Prestige Academy and delays?
"It's past ten," said Nora, before Merlin could.
"Yes," Kim Yiseo hesitated to reply, but did regardless, as she pushed open her door. "The president's grandson was caught in traffic."
The president's grandson? Merlin blinked incredulously for a second or two. He knew who that was—well, by name and Mage Class alone. It was the second S-Class Mage in their year. But…why was the orientation being delayed because a single person was late?