I am so sorry for the misunderstanding, Prince Caelum! On behalf of the Student Council, we accept any punishment you'd like to give."
After clearing up the misunderstanding between Mirelle and myself, I was safely escorted to the Student Council's office to speak with the president himself.
When we first met, my eyes felt as if they were about to melt out of their sockets.
At first glance, he seemed like an average guy. His hair was a shade of light brown, and his glasses were fitting on him.
It wasn't until I entered the room that I noticed this guys awesomeness.
He emitted the type of energy that would make even the laziest man pick up a book and get to work.
His looks, his build— even the way he used his index finger to slide his glasses back into place— looked godly.
This man was a problem!
Lowering his head, the Student Council president bowed, giving me a sincere apology.
"We did properly inform the Dark Magic Division about your circumstances, but unfortunately one member was not present and did not get the memo."
"Please raise your head. Nobody was hurt, so it's all water under the bridge. No punishment will be placed on you," I explained.
Raising his head, he flashbanged me with a smile.
As I recoiled back, he walked toward his desk and handed me the packet of files Veyra had been holding before.
Inside were my classes, a map of the school grounds, schedules of future events, and the study material I would definitely need.
"Is there anything else you'd need? Please feel free to ask while you're here."
"Hmmm. I would like to speak to the girl who attacked me, if that's okay," I said.
"Mirelle? Of course. Right this way."
Leading me through the school, we stood in front of a door with a sign draped over it.
'Dark Magic Divis-on'
It was clearly worn out, which was easy to tell since one of the letters was missing.
As soon as the Student Council president opened the door, a chair flew past his face as a loud crash echoed through the room followed with Veyra tossing another.
The president's body shook. Being behind him, I said a small prayer as it looked like he was about to go ballistic.
After a few seconds, I noticed he hadn't done anything.
Placing my hand on his shoulder, his head leaned backward as foam escaped the sides of his mouth, still wearing a terrified smile even while unconscious.
"I told you already I was sorry! How was I supposed to know Prince Caelum was going to arrive and be traced with black magic?!" Mirelle yelled as she continued dodging the strikes of Veyra, who was on a warpath.
"Maybe if you attended the meetings you're supposed to, you'd be properly informed!"
After a few more blows, one of the members sitting at a desk pointed at me, and the two slowly turned their heads toward me as I held the unconscious Student Council president.
"P-President!" Veyra exclaimed.
Veyra volunteered to escort the president to the nurse's office, while I sat down in the school lounge inside the library with Mirelle.
Her eyes refused to meet mine, and any time I breathed too loudly, sweat poured down her face.
The sight was oddly funny, though I dared not laugh.
With how easily she dodged Veyra's blows, there was no doubt she could hospitalize me if she wanted.
"Mirelle, was it? Please don't be so tense. I understand it was a misunderstanding on your part," I said. "The reason I wanted to talk to you was to ask a few questions."
Her face perked up after my forgiveness, and she finally regained some of her previous demeanor.
"What did you want to ask?" she said.
There were many things I wanted to know— how her necklace could detect black magic, or how she failed to recognize one of the king's sons— but since I didn't want to be around her any longer than necessary, I stuck to the question that was eating at me.
"You said I was drenched in black magic traces, right? That's how you were able to find me so easily?"
She nodded.
"If I were attacked by someone using black magic, would that involuntarily trace me even if I didn't cast anything?"
"Yes, although with most black magic spells, the lingering traces wouldn't be enough to detect," she explained. "A better example would be someone standing next to a smoker. The smoker would reek, but the person beside them would only carry a faint smell."
I clenched my teeth.
Rising from my seat, I gave Mirelle a polite smile and returned to my dormitory.
As I entered my room, my feet paced back and forth as I bit the tip of my thumb.
Not only had I never used magic in my life, but I most definitely hadn't used black magic, so why on earth did I reek of it?
The only possible reason had to be that incident…
Yet if a schoolgirl could detect it so easily, why hadn't the holy clerics or doctors?
They would have tested me for demonic traces at the scene.
No matter how I ran the scenarios in my head, nothing fit.
My thoughts felt like a scrambled puzzle.
Setting the problem aside, I focused on something more pressing.
I opened the packet of papers I had been given and involuntarily gulped.
I was a combative major.
The reason this was a problem was obvious.
The doctor had already told me my mana was minuscule compared to Caelum's original amount.
Worse, I didn't possess the family's inherited magic.
The king's bloodline specialized in swordsmanship, while the queen's excelled in magic.
She had been a powerful mage, but sickly, and to prevent her children from suffering the same fate, she had created a spell to amplify one's abilities— one that needed to be cast at birth and bound to the mana core.
I only had a few days before the entrance exams.
Thankfully, the headmaster had already allowed me entry.
But then my mind froze.
If he knew my situation… why keep me as a combative major?!
I slammed my fist into my pillow.
Swapping majors was most likely a no-go due to the short time frame before the semester started.
The real question was whether I wanted to partake in the entrance exams at all.
No matter how I looked at it, there was no feasible way to grow in such a short time.
At the end of the day, I was still just a commoner with absolutely no talent for anything.
I leaned my elbow on the window sill and once again marveled at the beautiful sight before me.
Although I was still mortified about my situation, I couldn't lie to myself.
I was happy to be where I was.
*
Class 10-C. That was what the sign over the classroom door read.
The ten represented my current ranking within the school, which scaled from one through ten. The C was where I ranked within that section.
I was a bit disappointed with myself, but this was the consequence of not taking the entrance exam.
Walking into the classroom, I greeted the teacher who was setting his things up.
I stared at the vast rows of empty seats with pride, knowing this was only possible because I came extremely early.
I sat down at the front of the class next to the door, since it was the closest to the exit and chalkboard.
As my hands planted themselves on my desk, my body heated up. My feet moved around, unable to keep still.
An inescapable smile formed on my face as I laid my forehead down on the cold wood.
I was actually at school. Not just that, but one of the best within the country.
The fantasies of school life I had dreamed and read about during those cruel work hours and crappy wage swarmed my head as I giggled to myself. I stopped myself swiftly, noting that it was creepy.
After an hour had passed, more and more students began to fill the classroom. Their eyes stabbed into me, as I had quickly become the center of attention.
"Sir Caelum! It's been a while! Where have you been?" a young woman asked.
"I-I, umm…"
"Yeah, you just disappeared near the end of the semester last year. Are you okay?"
As more and more people tried talking to me, I stumbled over my own words as a bead of sweat dripped from my brow.
Ringing loudly through the building, the morning bell went off, signaling everyone to take their seats as the day had officially started.
As everyone took their seats, the teacher began to write on the chalkboard.
"Good morning, everyone. I'm Mr. James. I will be your homeroom teacher for this semester," he explained.
"Prince Caelum, could you come to the front of the class, if you don't mind?" the teacher asked.
Nervously rising from my seat, I sank my foot into the ground, each step growing heavier and heavier.
Standing in front of everyone, I looked toward the teacher.
"This may come as a shock, but due to an accident, the prince has lost a significant amount of his memories. Please keep this in mind when you try to talk or interact with him. You can take your seat now."
Everyone's eyes were on me. It was an intoxicating feeling, but in a bad way.
They all knew I wasn't the same now. The same Caelum they knew and made friends with.
Maybe it was just in my head, but the way their eyes darted back and forth between each other, also whispering to each other made my heart race.
They knew I was an imposter.
As my vision blurred, their faces grew more twisted as they pointed and discussed among themselves with hatred and disgust.
I hastily rushed to my seat and stuck my head between my arms as I stared at my desk, desperately trying to catch my breath.
As the class finally ended, I tried my best to quickly grab my things, but to no avail. I was already surrounded by a group of students whose eyes drove stakes into me.
I looked down at my desk and clenched my fists tightly, ready for the bombardment.
"Caelum, did you really lose your memory? Like amnesia?" one student asked.
"Oh, that must be why he didn't do the entrance exam!" another said.
Slowly raising my head, I saw that their faces showed no disgust, but instead curiosity and worry.
My eyes began to water as I tried my hardest not to break down in relief.
As I gained control over my voice, I explained that I was injured recently and had indeed forgotten almost everything.
As their questions grew, a tall figure broke through the crowd and slammed his hands onto my desk.
His hair was short and blonde like a delinquent you'd find back home, and his eyes were a dark shade of blue.
His teeth were sharp, and his eyes fierce as his brow furrowed.
"Cal. We need to talk. Now."