Loud murmurs and conversations echoed from all directions. The sound in the halls still wasn't something that I had gotten used to. The academy grounds were now fluttering with students.
Within the blink of an eye, two weeks had passed by, and the opening ceremony was just a day away.
Students had started arriving since last week, slowly but surely finding their way to their dorms. The old students sighed with familiarity, while the new students gawked at everything they saw.
Despite the ridiculous number of students, the Royal Academy was big enough to welcome them all at the same time, leaving just enough space for each of them.
Looking at all the students in front of me, I put on my leather hat, pulled it down to be discreet, and held my suitcase.
Yes, I know…I'm a bit of a show-off. I even put on the same tuxedo as the day I humiliated Derek.
Nothing much had happened between us two; he just gritted his teeth every time we passed in the halls. Some of the professors he knew well did the same. Most of the gifts I had bought…I hadn't given. I know…what a waste of my money.
At least, there was one teacher in the entire Royal Academy that I had become friends with. The rest looked at me as if I was some sort of monster. Who knows what Derek had told them? Honestly, I couldn't care less. I would finally learn what this special class of mine would look like.
Just like the students with empty bags, I was starting fresh.
These past two weeks had definitely been more interesting than I had originally thought. Meeting Darla, the mixed vampire, and the fact that Derek might just be a demon…However, my real job would finally be starting.
"Nervous?" Ava asked, turning her gaze my way.
"Uh…kinda. I don't even know what my class looks like, may I remind you."
She nodded.
"Right. The director insisted on hiding everything from you. Not even giving the list of students you would be teaching. Still, she did tell you that you're teaching first years…so, there's that."
That was a good point. The director had told me that I wouldn't be teaching old students, only focusing on certain new students that had recently joined the school.
"What kind of professors did you like when you were younger, Caedrel?"
I rubbed my chin. A few heads popped up in my mind, but there was one that was completely different from the others. I couldn't tell her about it; it was related to how I received my powers. Maybe if I trust her enough, I might just tell her…but we're far from that stage.
"Uh…I like them a bit eccentric. You know, those so passionate about their courses that you can't even see the time pass. I had only one teacher like that in my life, and I will always remember him. That's why I'll try to be just like him." I turned in her direction. "What about you?"
"Oh, uh, those who can listen. Listening to your students is one of the most important parts of your job. Just those who were genuine with me, that's the ones I liked the most."
"I see…genuine, huh?"
"Yes. You see, most teachers think that you need to show your students everything from the start right until the end. But, for them to truly realize something, they need to figure it out by themselves through their own hardships."
I kept on listening, taking in as much information as I could.
"At the end of the day, you can only show them the path. You can't walk it for them."
She looked done, and a little giggle escaped my mouth.
"Wise words, wow. Thank you."
She also smiled in my direction, staring directly into my eyes. Over the past two weeks, her shyness had subdued quite a bit. However, there were still certain instances where she was red as a tomato, but it clearly wasn't as bad anymore.
"Well, I need to go. The director asked to meet me before classes start. Maybe she'll finally tell me what I will be teaching those kids."
"Hah. Good luck with that!"
I left her behind, walking a little faster through the hall as I could hear mutters from the older students.
"Did you see that teacher before?"
"I don't know, but he looks so young. He might even be our age."
A couple of seconds later, I walked past a group of girls who were chatting, and they instantly started whispering. I just smiled at them, and a couple of them started screaming.
I had never noticed in the past because I lacked the time, but I might really be handsome.
Either way, it was no time to think about this as I continued my way in the direction of Alexandra's office. I briefly met with her secretary, and she led me to her office.
-Swoosh!-
I swung open the door and was met with the same view as always. She was sitting in her chair with all her magic beasts around her.
"Come in, come in."
She had a smile on her face, which was never a good sign. I had seen her a couple of times since I had "threatened" her, and let's say that our relationship had taken a little dip. So, I was quite surprised when she asked to see me today.
I sat down and stared back into her eyes.
"So, the opening ceremony is tomorrow," she announced. "And I just thought I'd let you know that you need to prepare a test for your students."
'A test? Why hadn't I heard of that before today? I didn't prepare anything.'
"What kind of test?"
"A way to determine the strongest from the weakest."
I frowned. "Why?"
"To acclimate them to the Academy and to figure out those with the most potential." She had a hearty laugh. "It can be anything, unsolvable problems, humiliation by fighting against you, anything really."
What kind of school was this? My image of the opening ceremony wasn't like that at all. This sounded like it was straight out of a novel.
Oh wait… I am in one.
That fucking novel. I still have no idea what it's about or what the story is supposed to be. There were no main characters in the war, at least, it didn't seem that way.
It was troubling, not knowing what world I was part of, but over the years, I guess I just got used to it.
"Caedrel? Are you still there?"
My head was filled with thoughts. But, in the end, I just sighed. I couldn't do anything about it. I could only adapt, which is what I had done to begin with. So, I could only continue doing the same. Things were working well for me, after all.
Living in a novel was what I did for the last eight years of my life, and things had gone smoothly. There was no reason for that to change.
"Ah. Yes," I said, shaking my head. "It seems like I'll have to prepare for that test."
They are strong kids, right? They all got admitted to the Royal Academy. Those teenagers should be able to endure a slightly harder test than normal, right?
Wait…what about making them go through the first test I got when I arrived on the frontlines?
An ugly smile formed on my lips just thinking about it. Tomorrow would be a funny sight.
The director looked at me and sighed. "I don't know why, but I feel like I shouldn't have told you about this."
***
Peter was a young carriage driver. After his father had died, he decided to take over the company to feed his little sister. His job was quite straightforward, and nothing special happened every day. It was pretty much always the same kind of people entering his carriage.
That is…until he met a strange customer. Today.
With a nervous gaze, Peter brought the carriage and went to open the door for his customer.
"We're here, mister. I can't go any further than this."
With a smile, the customer picked up his black suitcase, adjusted his hat, and stepped down from the carriage.
Peter pointed into the distance where a forest was situated. The trees were so tall that they were visible from the Royal Capital.
"That's the only forest around here. Most people call it the Royal Forest. But, those who went inside it call it the Death Forest. If I were you, I'd reconsider going inside that place. A bunch of dangerous monsters are roaming inside it."
"Oh, it should be fine. Please wait here for a moment; it shouldn't take long."
"Shouldn't take long? This is over a kilometer away!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, the purple and red-haired man had disappeared from his sight.
Having a good idea where he left, the man turned to look at the Royal Forest. He had heard that some of the soldiers at war were incredibly fast and powerful. Maybe that was one of those…however, the man looked young. It also wasn't rare to meet retired soldiers these days since the war had ended a few weeks ago.
"Still, why would he go here?" Peter shook his head. "Especially with that rumor going around about a Cyclops being spotted inside it."
Peter wasn't too keen on spending time here any longer; he didn't want to put himself in danger. But just as he was about to turn around, he heard loud explosions and the roars of monsters. He looked up, and a cloud of dust rose into the sky.
He frowned.
The cloud of dust was getting closer to him every…damn…second.
"What is this?!" He turned around and headed for the carriage, jumping right inside it. Peter needed to leave, right now. If not, he would get run over by whatever was heading for him.
However, he was too late. Right in front of him, the man with purple and red hair was smiling just like before. He still had his suitcase in his hands, and his hat didn't even fall off his head.
"Ah…thank you for waiting! I hope it didn't take too long."
He swung one of the biggest bags Peter had ever seen over his shoulder. However, the bag was still moving. The man kicked it once, and nothing moved inside it anymore.
Peter wanted to say something; his mouth was wide open, but no words would come out.
"Let's go."
Who would have thought driving a carriage would be so strange?
"Uh…where are you heading?"
"The Royal Academy."
Peter's eyes widened. That Academy…the opening ceremony was tomorrow. He remembered hearing about it.
"Are you a teacher there? What's your name?"
'My name?' I thought with a smirk.
"You can call me Bond, James Bond."
It didn't take long to reach the Royal Academy grounds. The man waved at Peter as he walked right through the swarm of students. People eyed him weirdly, and some were shaking out of fear. His bag was still moving even now as the man gave it a good hit once again.
Peter stared at the man walking away, simply unable to believe it.
Were all professors in that Academy the same as him?
***
"Ahh…" I stretched my arms. It had been a while since I had pushed myself so much, but it definitely felt nice. Either way, I had managed to capture what I had been looking for—the Cyclops.
Last week, I heard some adventurers talking about seeing one in the Royal Forest, so I thought to myself, why not just get it? Weirdly enough, it was the first thing I had encountered once I got sent to the battlefield.
I remembered the officials calling it a way to test our potential. Let's say that…not many of us had potential. Even I lost that day.
Getting hit by a Cyclops when you've never fought a single time in your life is definitely a pretty good wake-up call, I'll tell you that much, and I'm sure my students will be able to enjoy it just as much as I did in the past.
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