Elio walked after the senior student—who turned out to be a girl with her hair tied in a ponytail, the one swinging a sickle. They were led toward a special room belonging to the NEA Security Organization. Danzel had been carefully observing their surroundings the entire time. He was already completely resigned.
"Hey, Sickle Girl, why are you suspicious of us?" Elio asked, clearly displeased with the silence that was filled with nothing but footsteps.
"Calling us intruders and all…" He folded both arms behind his head as a cushion.
The girl stopped walking. She turned around.
"I have a name. Don't call me Sickle Girl," she hissed irritably.
"Name?"
"Are you stupid? Everyone has a name."
"Hah?! Who are you calling stupid? I'm asking what your name is!" Elio snapped.
Danzel had already stepped aside. Enough. He was tired of this argument.
A reddish flush crept all the way up to the girl's ears.
"Ugh! For goodness' sake! If you're asking, at least use the five question words properly!"
"Rebecca. That's my name!" Rebecca turned back and continued walking.
Elio slipped his hands into the pockets of his robe, catching up to Danzel and Rebecca who had gone ahead.
"Rebecca," Elio called.
"What?" Rebecca huffed, still annoyed.
"Why did you call us intruders?"
"Because you're extremely suspicious and you ruined my peace at the start of the day. Huh, honestly—who wouldn't think that two people who suddenly appeared out of nowhere in Evanes, then started sneaking around, weren't suspicious?!" Rebecca shot back sharply.
That made Elio elbow Danzel—the very person who had suggested sneaking around.
"Well, we're here. I'm only escorting you this far. After this, good luck." Rebecca waved her hand and left just like that.
Elio watched her go with a pout.
"That girl definitely just wants to see us suffer."
"Enough. Let's go inside." Danzel pulled Elio by the arm into the room.
Elio glanced around. The room they entered was empty, with no one there to greet them. There were stacks of books, a fireplace, ancient parchments, a white sofa, and colorful glass ceramics decorating parts of the walls.
"Look, Danzel! The ceramics look like humans!" He pointed at the colorful ceramic relief on the right side of the room.
Danzel glanced at it indifferently.
"Every glass ceramic placed here must have its own story. So don't—"
Those orange eyes looked tired. See? Before he could finish speaking, the person he called his friend was already reaching out toward the ceramic.
"Red Puppet Realm! What are you doing now?!"
A woman dressed in dark clothing with a tall, towering hat entered with a sharp glare. Danzel's heart felt like it skipped a beat. Elio, meanwhile, calmly turned to look at the three people who had entered after them.
"It's fine, Madam Grace. Perhaps they're just curious about the ceramics. That's normal, isn't it? Children are full of curiosity." Madam Talia tried to calm the elegant middle-aged woman standing beside her.
Felix took a seat on one of the single sofas. Sensing the sensitive atmosphere, Danzel quickly pulled Elio into a straight, respectful stance. The two women also took their places standing near Felix.
Felix gently pressed his temples.
"The ceramic you were looking at earlier depicts a girl who was once a student here, just like you. In the mosaic, she is shown kneeling, holding out both palms toward a white dove with rainbow-crystal eyes. She holds the highest score in NEA's history," Madam Talia explained in a gentle yet composed tone.
Elio and Danzel exchanged glances.
"No one's beaten her score?" Elio asked, his face full of curiosity.
Madam Talia chuckled.
"Not yet. Perhaps someday."
"Back to the beginning. Why were you late, hm?!" Madam Grace began, folding her arms.
"Madam, please calm down…" Felix said, then turned to Madam Talia.
Madam Talia nodded.
"The aspada isn't damaged."
"Not damaged? What do you mean? How could they get here if the aspada wasn't damaged?" Madam Grace cut in.
"We—"
Danzel quickly covered Elio's mouth before he could say anything reckless. He shot a sharp look at the lake-like eyes beside him. Elio could only nod—understanding.
"We already explained. We were late. And we didn't know where the hall was. In the end, NAA Security became suspicious of us," Danzel justified.
"Rebecca told me that while she was patrolling near the gazebo, she saw you two suddenly appear out of nowhere in Evanes. You were sneaking around like rats, so she suspected you," Madam Grace added.
Rats? Elio and Danzel exchanged looks for the umpteenth time.
Who told us to sneak around?! Look, now we're being called rats!
Elio's thoughts seemed to be desperately trying not to explode.
Yeah, whose idea was it to wander around without knowing where the hall was?!
Danzel lowered his head as deep as the ocean.
Good grief—they looked as if they could communicate with each other using nothing but glances.
"Suddenly appeared?" Felix interjected.
"I don't know. That's what Rebecca said."
"When the group of new students gathered at Evanes, they separated from the group because they saw too many interesting things. Perhaps they wandered too far and got lost, unable to find their way to the hall," Madam Talia offered.
Jleb.
It felt like an arrow had suddenly pierced Danzel's chest. Me? Wandering around?
"See? We've had children get lost during inauguration due to curiosity before."
"Hm… That's true. The problem is, it's impossible for them to pass through the aspada. But they are indeed registered as new students."
"Oh, Halena has already checked their data?" Madam Grace chimed in. Felix nodded.
"Lost, huh… Every year there's always some kind of problem." Felix closed his eyes briefly and let out a breath.
Madam Talia chuckled, looking kindly at Elio and Danzel.
"Um, since it's over… may we leave?" Elio asked awkwardly.
"Red puppet realm. Go. Meet Halena. She's the only female instructor here who wears glasses. Ask her about your class," Madam Grace commanded—this time with an intonation just a little, only a little more friendly than before.
Elio nodded quickly. In a flash, he grabbed Danzel's hand and dragged his still-dazed friend out of the pressure-filled room.
"Honestly, children …" Madam Talia chuckled.
"By the way, how is the situation over there?" Madam Talia asked Felix.
"Things here are already like this. How could I even think about over there?" Felix rubbed his face tiredly. Madam Talia laughed softly, while Madam Grace shook her head faintly, a small smile on her lips.
***
"By the way, what is Halena like?" Elio stopped short all of a sudden.
It nearly made Danzel, who had been dragged along by him the whole time, stumble. A lot of students—seniors and juniors alike—turned to look at them. Too many eyes. Curious? Or maybe cynical? Danzel was tired. He glanced at Elio, only to find the boy strangely calm, looking completely unbothered by the unpleasant stares.
"Didn't that monster already explain at length about the instructors—"
Danzel's words were cut off the moment Elio tilted his head toward him. Way too innocent, this kid. "Forget it, never mind. You definitely weren't listening. Miss Halena—she's an instructor in royal history, a water-element aether user. She's the youngest instructor here. Didn't you hear what Madam Grace said? That she wears glasses?!"
"Oh, there she is!" Elio ran off without a care.
"Elio!" Danzel chased after him.
Halena greeted them with a warm smile.
"Madam Grace told us to come see you," Elio said bluntly.
"For your class, right?" Halena curved a smile, and Elio nodded.
"Now then, hold out your palms like this," Halena demonstrated with her own hand. Elio followed immediately, with Danzel doing the same right after him.
Splash.
Droplets of water landed on the palms of the two boys.
"The symbol formed by the water represents your class," Halena explained.
"What did you get, Danzel?" Elio turned toward him.
The water droplets on Danzel's palm continued to gather, then formed the symbol "XII."
"We got the same symbol!!!" Elio shouted.
"You've both been assigned to Class J–XII. You should already be guided by an instructor at the eastern building—your class is there. To the left, that's the eastern wing. We're currently in the northern building. From here, you'll need to cross Evanes—the field located at the center of the complex." Halena pointed at the building ahead, prompting Elio and Danzel to turn their heads toward it.
"If you're unsure of the classroom's location, you can look at the glass signs near the doors. They'll guide you to your class," she added kindly.
Elio nodded and thanked her. Perhaps only a second passed after that before Danzel had already pulled him away, taking over as their guide toward the class in question.