I woke up earlier than I usually do today. When I arrived at the classroom, it was just 6:44 AM, and seeing Anakin there with no other students but just him, already on his seat, I was slightly surprised.
I'm aware that he can also be a good student as well as an early riser, but I think most people can agree with me that 6:44 can still be too early especially when the class or lesson actually starts at 8:00.
Well, as for why I decided to go to the classroom this early... I couldn't think of anything else to do since whenever I would wake up, I can no longer go back to sleep no matter what time it is. The only exception would be is whenever I'm really tired or sleepy. So I just got ready for school, and when I also couldn't think of a way to pass time where time would actually be enough, I decided to just head to the classroom.
– Not caring much about Anakin's stare when he saw me, I walked forward until I finally sat down on my seat beside him. Even if the sitting arrangement is like this, I didn't bother to give him any look or attention... since there was no need to.
But then, he spoke first, breaking the silence, "I!.. I mean..." The first word he said, which is 'I' was quite loud, as if he's shouting – Hearing how he repeated that, he's obviously aware that he said that louder than necessary. I gave him a cold look and saw how nervous he looks.
"I want to say something to you for the other day... but first, let me correct you, I don't think highly of that Crown Prince. Come on, me? Anakin Lansera? Think highly of someone? Impossible." Hearing this, my gaze turned blank. Is he talking about this to perhaps make the atmosphere more light or something? Or he simply really wants to defend himself?
I guess he arrived this early because he's nervous about telling me whatever it is he wants to say to me.
"Also... I..." He started stuttering again, "You better not tell anyone about my ability, alright?" My gaze remained blank.
"I'm warning you, if you dare tell someone, I will use my authority as a Prince to–"
"Your Highness, if you don't want me telling the others about it, then you shouldn't have told me about it in the first place." I said with a cold tone, "Also, is it that hard to say sorry?" His eyes widened before squinting as if offended.
"Because! You just seemed too pitiful that night, and of course it's hard to say sorry! It's not that easy to do or say for everyone, you know! But who told you I want to apologize to you? I don't!" Listening to him like this, I couldn't help but think; This person... is really annoying. Although I'm not that annoyed – probably because I'm already used to this kind of character and such. It's definitely getting there though.
"I know." I simply said. Anyway, it's not any of my business anymore if he doesn't want to say sorry even if he obviously wants to.
"You... You're also messing with me, aren't you?" I didn't give him a reply, already uninterested. I simply looked in front, specifically at the blackboard with a bored stare. Well, I guess I am messing with him a little. He finally noticed. I should be able to at least annoy him back this much as a payback.
"You better not –" Just as he was about to speak again, the door of the classroom creaked, making me look at it. Anakin is also probably looking at it since he finally stopped talking. When the door opened, it was Anastasia who entered. She continued walking without looking anywhere else but in front until she finally reached our row and sat down on my right. Then she glanced at me, giving me a brief nod.
I blinked. Before I could respond or do anything else, she already looked away.
Even with what occurred yesterday... I still have a long way to go.
It was complete silence again for a few seconds, until someone who couldn't stand the silence broke it again, almost like it's his job to do so.
"Hello there, Anastasia. It seems like you're the type of student who always arrives early as well. It's still 7:09 AM." Anakin said after glancing at the wall clock in the classroom. However, before Anastasia could respond, and before knowing if she'll actually respond to him, the door opened again, and this time, it was Deor and Franco who entered. When he sat down, for the second time, it was silent again.
I guess it's good that it's Deor and Franco who arrived this time since Anakin probably has less 'want' or desire to talk or initiate a conversation now.
And it was proven to be true when he didn't speak again until other students finally started arriving one after another. Strangely, it was the 6 of us who first arrived; the heroine, the capture targets, and the villainess, because right after Deor and Franco, Percival arrived as well. Is this also plot or this world science or just them being a good student?
I also noticed how some of the students kept glancing at me, and I was reminded of the fact that it should already be known by the whole school now that a teacher was kicked out of RA because of me. After all, words spread fast, especially among nobles. They also definitely haven't forgotten what had happened yesterday.
Perhaps it's also because of what had happened earlier that Anakin felt more need to speak to me. Percival also looked at me for a brief moment earlier.
I paid no mind to their gazes and just continued minding my own business.
They're the ones wasting their time by watching me like this, not me. I guess it's kind of amusing how they insisted on observing me there for quite a while.
Fortunately, when it was finally 7:55, a female teacher arrived, and they were forced to stop on giving me too much attention. After the teacher introduced herself, she immediately began discussing about Pre-Basic and Advance Magic.
"Before we begin, I'll give a brief explanation first of what exactly is Basic and Advance Magic." She then pointed the remote on the viewing screen and an image showing two circles appeared. On the circle on the right, there's words that say 'Low Mana', while the circle on the left says 'High Mana'. Above the two circles, another word can also be seen which is 'Usage'.
"As most of you might have already known, different kinds of Magic have different Mana Usage. Some of them might only need Low Mana Usage, while some could have High Mana Usage. Years ago, when the Mages first discovered different and variety of Magic, they noticed this matter. Thus, they had an idea to come up with a name that will allow them to distinguish which is which – and that's where Basic and Advance Magic came from. Basic Magic for those with Low Mana Usage, and Advance Magic with those with High Mana Usage."
The image on the viewing screen change, showing a slide that simply says Basic and Advance Magic with both Low and High Mana Usage below them.
Listening to the teacher like this, I couldn't help but have the urge to yawn. Well, I... already known some of this, and there's also the fact that I woke up earlier than usual today, so it's unavoidable to feel sleepy especially when the lesson for today seems to not be on the practical side for now.
I'm sure some students who would find themselves bored out of their life during some lessons can understand me.
"But then, only a few months after Mages started using these two terms, some Mages realized that although some Magic have Low Mana Usage, they can become much difficult than those with High Mana Usage, thus, the Tower of Magic and other Mages had this project to thoroughly study every Magic that exists to label them if they're really a Basic or Advance Magic." The viewing screen showed a silhouette of a tower.
"Every time there would be a new Magic known to the World, new books and news regarding it will be issued; This time, they considered both the actual difficulty and the amount of Mana used." Then the image also changes to books, newspapers, and other means of spreading information and trends.
"And that's the explanation for those two!" The female teacher paused, before smiling, "An example of a Low Mana Magic is... let's see..." She looked around the room until her gaze landed on one of the student's table that is sitting on the first row, specifically on the notebook on that student's table.
"One example is levitation." On cue, the notebook floated, swaying left and right before flying towards her, circling her slowly.
"This doesn't use that much of a High Mana, but it requires great control. You have to control the height of the subject, the stability, their direction, and more – then you'll have to maintain that, because if you lose focus," The notebook suddenly dropped to the ground, creating a 'plop' sound, "This will happen."
"Although a few argued that Levitation should remain as a Basic Magic since it can be counter with the use of Levitation Magic itself as well and other Magic, it was decided to be an Advance Magic since that doesn't change its difficulty." She then used levitation again, picking the book, and making it float as she returned it to its previous or original location.
"And... that's it for now! Short isn't it? Well, since I'll perhaps be having you do some Basic Magic and a few Advance Magic next time, you can use your free time to practice." She smiled, "You should prepare yourself, the 1st week in RA is still quite relaxed, but the next weeks would no longer be like that." Hearing this, I couldn't help but unconsciously nod my head.
This... is also definitely a flag¹, right?
"Well then, see you next week."
As soon as the teacher left, Anakin spoke.
"So... it's been a while since we all went together to the cafeteria. Want to–" Before he could finish what he was saying, Percival had already stood up, giving Anakin a polite smile.
"I have to study about Basic and Advance Magic." Then he left. Anakin didn't bother turning to Deor and Franco, and the two also just stood up to leave as well. He turned towards Anastasia and me. Anastasia immediately stood up and left without saying anything, and before Anakin can say anything else, I also stood up from my seat.
"I plan to study as well." Then I walked towards the classroom's doors.
"Come on, you're all so boring!" Ignoring Anakin's complaint, I exited the classroom. Once I was finally outside, I couldn't help but look on the left and right sides of the hallways. Seeing no one in particular, I looked at the time on my wristwatch. 9:02 AM. Since it's still quite early, I decided to just go back to the dormitory for now.
Although I thought of something I can use to escape Anakin, since it's like this, I might as well do as I said.
Before I went to RA, I bought more books regarding Magic, and if I remember correctly, I should have one about Basic and Advance Magic.
I did read a book about it before on the Euridice Mansion library, but this book should have a different author. Maybe I'll be able to find something I didn't know about it. Books about Basic and Advance Magic might contain the same Magic, but depending on the author of the book, their ideas, thoughts, and ways to do that Magic can be different. Of course, all books about Magic have to go through the Tower of Magic wherein they will be checking if its contents are legitimate and safe.
Which means that any book that doesn't go through that process is illegal and considered a crime which could give the author at least 20 years minimum sentence in prison and a lifetime one at maximum.
– With that said, I'll really be studying for now. I can also... practice some Magic that won't require me to go to the Training Center since that's what I'm planning to do anyway in the afternoon after class ended. After that, I'll go to cafeteria 1 to eat before heading back to the classroom for the afternoon lesson.
[1] Flag - a sign or symbol that something is about to happen (/or change).
When it was already around 12:35 AM, I finally headed back to the classroom after eating from the cafeteria. When I reached my seat, my eyes met Anastasia's and I didn't dare to miss out on the chance to at least nod unlike before. Fortunately, she nodded back at me. Anakin also grinned at me with a 'hey', but I chose to just give him a blank look, not really knowing what to say. I ignored his look of disbelief, obviously offended because I didn't respond to him and just sat down.
It was around 12:55 when a female teacher arrived. We watched her walk towards the teacher's desk, and when we all thought she was going to introduce herself like all the teachers usually do before teaching – she slammed both of her hands down on the table, creating a loud bang.
From my peripheral point of view, I could see how most of the other students flinched.
I almost did as well.
"Today, I'll be teaching you all about the Monsters that exist in our world!" She exclaimed as she grabbed the remote that controls the viewing screen, and an image showing different kinds of monsters was then showed, "As you all might already know, we don't assess monsters as A, B level, and such, we just call them Low, Average, High, and Elite Class Monsters depending on what kind of monsters they are, and how strong they are which can be observed or known through different categories or characteristics." She continues.
Listening to her like this, I could tell based on the other students' expressions that they don't exactly know how to react yet. They're definitely thinking something along the line of; Are you not going to introduce yourself first?
Since there was no introduction or warning first, and the female teacher went straight into discussing how monsters are labeled, it suddenly felt like everything was going too fast at the moment.
"Now, name a monster then state their class and explain why that's their class." At this sudden recitation, the whole classroom seems to be still for a moment.
I couldn't help but avoid my eyes from looking at the front or anywhere near the teacher.
This reminds me of those times or situations from my world before where a teacher would suddenly just ask a question that she's actually supposed to just talk about as if expecting that everyone already has advanced or just enough knowledge about it.
Well... I guess it's to be expected since this is Class A, and I'm sure most of the students here also do already have knowledge about it if not all – but after the classes from before where there have been some actual introduction regarding the topic, this is quite different. I guess this is just normal, the others are also probably just hesitating on answering even though they have an answer.
"What? No one from Class A –?" Just as the female teacher was speaking, I saw a familiar-looking person standing up. A girl with pink hair and purple eyes. I frowned a little.
I should know her... but I forgot her name. Sometimes, I would just have these moments wherein I can clearly recognize a person's face and sometimes even the events of how I met them, but I'm unable to remember their name. I guess I just have a bad memory when it comes to things like this, especially on remembering a birthday or holiday dates and such.
"May I, Miss?" Although she asked that, she still continued speaking without waiting for the teacher's response.
"Goblin. It's an Average Class monster. As for the reason why, although they're small, it's not that easy to fight them because they can be quite clever and playful especially when there's a lot of them. There was a study stating that since Goblins can not be considered as a High Class monster, but can not also be underestimated as a Low Class monster, it was decided that it's an Average Class monster." She stated.
The female teacher showed a wide smile, "And your name, lady?"
The girl with pink hair and purple eyes blinked before smiling proudly, "It's Eula Francis, Miss." I blinked as well as I finally remembered her identity.
"Well, that's is correct lady Francis," The teacher looked around the classroom, "Anyone else?" This time, Percival stood up from his seat.
"Feral Boar. They're Low Class monsters. Although they move quite fast, even ordinary humans can match their speed. When attacking, they don't attack continuously and only charged forward towards their opponent. Overall, they're an easy opponent, and it might just be a little more dangerous when surrounded by a lot of them." Percival said, then he smiled, "Also, it's Percival Roques, Miss."
"That's correct as well, lord Roques. Another one?" Another female student answered.
"Giant Rats. They might be called giant rats, but they're usually just about 3x the size of a normal rat, and their maximum size so far according to a study has been 3'5 inches tall. They're Average Class as well because they move incredibly fast and can be incredibly dangerous when you're fighting a lot of them at once. Normally, giant rants actually gather in one place or they form a group because they know they will have an advantage this way. They're clever as well."
The female teacher clapped, "Correct again. Now... since you've done your part, let me do mine as well."
The viewing screen flashes and it showed an image that shows the different classes of monsters that there is – then, the teacher suddenly introduced herself, "So, I'll be your Monsters Mastery teacher this year and will also probably be your 2nd and 3rd-year teacher as long as you remain in Class A. I'm Melissa Neils, and you can call me Teacher Melissa or Teacher Neils."
At this moment, everyone in the classroom excluding Teacher Melissa was probably thinking of the same thing; You're doing this now?
"I'll be teaching you every information there is that you need to know about monsters, so listen well. I don't like fools who don't even make a single effort like a particular fool named Zen Arden." Teacher Melissa continued, and for some reason, Teacher Zen who never showed up again since the briefing was mentioned.
She slammed both of her hands at the table again, "Anyway! Let us begin." Is this... the infamous spartan way of teaching? I guess although I called it spartan, this is still not that hard or extreme.
"So, you've already given me an example of a Low Class and Average Class monster. Give me a High Class monster now – but before that," She paused, looking around the classroom.
"You might be questioning why I kept asking questions when I'm supposed to be teaching, but this is just me assuming and expecting you already have knowledge about this. After all, this is Class A. The lessons here are more advanced than the others. To make it here, it means you've beaten the other thousands of students, so shouldn't it be normal for me to expect this much? Since this is the Royal Academy." She smirked. Hearing this, I somehow suddenly felt a shiver down my spine.
The other students seems to feel the same way as I did, as their eyes slightly widen, while a few couldn't help but smirk or smile in anticipation or perhaps both nervousness and excitement.
"May I?" A cold voice then resounded in the classroom. I turned my head to see Deor standing up from his seat.
Teacher Melissa looked at him before nodding with a smirk, "Anyone is welcome."
"An example of a High Class monster is Orc. Although it's not comparable to humans, they are much more intelligent than other monsters. They attack with some or just enough knowledge of combat or weapons, and are brutal, aggressive, and barbaric." Deor then sat back down after stating that short but accurate description.
"That is correct, lord Deor." Teacher Melissa smiled before the image on the viewing screen changed again, and this time, it showed a familiar figure to me.
"And another monster that has comparable or perhaps even greater intelligence than humans are dragons, an Elite Class monster." – on the viewing screen was a red dragon with some golden scales. It looks... quite majestic.
"What an ugly-looking dragon." Gaos suddenly said, and I recalled the first time I saw his original form in the library. If I remember correctly... Gaos dragon form is a big black dragon, with its shadow-like body which almost seems like you could just pass by it. It was misty black, and it looked terrifying especially when paired with glowing red eyes, huge wings, long tails, huge horns, and big, dangerous teeth which are all black except the eyes.
Compared to this red dragon on the viewing screen, it's quite different. If Gaos can read or hear my thoughts, he'll definitely question me about what I mean.
"Dragons are endangered species. They're Elite Class monsters that have high intelligence and a high amount and talent for Mana and Magic. However, always remember that dragons don't like interacting with humans that much. Rather, it could go as far as saying that they hate us." Teacher Melissa said, and as if to give confirmation, Gaos spoke again.
"Of course we do. Insects." It came with a click of tongue.
"Dragons have different races, there's Water dragon, Ice dragon, Fire dragon, Abyss dragon, you name it. They are rarely seen and they rarely interfere with other creatures. Let me just tell you this though, if you somehow encounter an Elite Class monster, which has like... a 3% chance of happening, just run. " Melissa continued with smiled before turning her head to look at the wall clock. 2:15 PM. She then scowled.
"Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to teach more, I have a teacher's meeting to attend at 2:30 PM, so I'll have to cut the lesson here." She gave everyone a serious look, "Next week, we'll continue talking about monsters, their characteristics, and classes. I'll also continue to ask some questions. Until then, study hard!"
– And she left.
"That was... something, I guess?" Anakin said, more to himself than to others. He turned to me, "I really hate it whenever teachers would ask questions." I couldn't help but nod my head slightly, agreeing with him.
"I like it though." Percival said from his seat in front of us.
"That's you." Anakin said with a grimace as if he just heard something unbelievable.
Afterward, that grimace was immediately replaced with a smile as he finally bid his goodbye. After giving a minute or 2 speech, he finally exited the classroom. It might have been because Anakin was talking too much, but when he stood up to finally leave, that's when I noticed that Franco and Deor were no longer in their seats.
Percival then gave a short goodbye before going as well, leaving only Anastasia and me among our group.
"... I'll go as well. See you tomorrow." I said after thinking about what to say. In a span of few seconds, several phrases come up on my mind, and an elimination process has begun until only this one is left.
"See you tomorrow." Anastasia responded with a nod, and that was enough to make me feel like I did or said the right thing. Since I've already said what I have to say, I exited the classroom first, before immediately heading towards the Training Center. Now that all the lessons for today are done, as I said or noted to myself, I'll train.
I also made a mental note to perhaps try and invite Anastasia to eat at the cafeteria next time.
It's just this for now.
I wouldn't be able to update for a week because of school :')
I'll use whatever free time I have to write though! The next chapters will be about Magic, then after that it'll be more about the advancement (kind of?) the plot. For now, I hope everyone is doing well. Take care :D
Edit: I might not be able to update for another week or 2 but I'll be back as soon as I can! ;-;
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT