章節 16: Chapter 16: Xavier

After our meal, we make our way into a large oval lecture hall. I choose a middle seat, hoping for a peaceful lesson without drawing too much attention.

As we sit down, I absentmindedly start to toy with Selene's pink curls. However, our peace is disrupted by a snarky and haughty voice.

"Don't think just because you got first in ranking you're some big deal," the voice says. I let out a sigh, hoping to avoid unnecessary drama. Mentally, I'm too old for this, at 64 years old.

Raising an eyebrow, I glance up to see the source of the voice. It's a young lady with heterochromia eyes, one blue and one green. She must be from the House of Skies. I decide to ignore her, confident that Selene will handle the situation, and I continue playing with Selene's hair.

Selene, undeterred by the situation, also chooses to ignore the lady's comments.

That's embarrassing. For her ofcourse.

"Are you ignoring me?!" she shrieks, but neither Selene nor I respond. Frustrated, she stomps off, leaving us in peace.

Teenagers.

The room falls into a hush as a woman with striking violet eyes steps forward, introducing herself as Mary Tidecaller, their professor for the year. She is a 30-year-old from the House of Seas, and her presence commands the attention of the entire class.

For the next three hours, Mary Tidecaller drones on and on, delving into the intricacies of history. Finally, as the class comes to an end, she provides a list of recommended books for us to purchase.

After class, Selene and I part ways to attend our respective classes.

I make my way towards the Tower of Magic, where all the magic-related classes are held. Selene headed off to the Alchemy and Healing tower, while Gregory seemed to have disappeared to who knows where.

Entering the Tower of Magic, a guard stationed at the gate inquires about my purpose. After explaining that I'm here for a lesson, he guides me to the designated classroom.

Enchantment, as a lesson, likely involves learning how to imbue objects or creatures with magical properties or attributes. Students might study various enchantment techniques, such as creating magical wards, charms, or spells to enhance the abilities or properties of items. This could include enchanting weapons to be more powerful, creating protective amulets, or imbuing objects with specific magical properties like invisibility or telekinesis.

Enchantment, with its mystical allure, feels like the closest thing to my beloved guns and cars from my previous life.

As I enter the room, I'm surprised to find only a skinny man with various trinkets on the table. It seems I'm alone, which is unexpected. Clearing my throat to announce my presence, the man looks up startled, causing things to drop onto the floor. I quickly move to help pick them up.

The man, with his intense brown eyes behind circular glasses and his hair pulled back into a ponytail, is surprisingly attractive. He fixes his glasses and extends his arm for a handshake, which I accept.

"I'm sorry, I didn't expect anyone," he says with a smile, revealing two charming dimples.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd be offended," I joke, returning the smile.

"I didn't expect my professor to be so young, assuming you are my professor, of course," I add.

He chuckles. "I graduated just two years ago. I'm filling in for Professor Harrison today. I'm Xavier, his substitute."

"I'm Nathaniel Shadowcrest. The only student around it seems," I reply.

He laughs again, and I get the feeling we'll get along just fine.

The time with Xavier flies by, and I find myself impressed by his intelligence at such a young age. It's clear why enchantment has so few students; the stigma of it being a fallback for those who couldn't make it as full-fledged mages must be discouraging. But to me, enchantment is like a blend of science and magic, and I can't help but daydream about owning a pistol that shoots deadly mana bullets as I make my way to the third floor for Elemental control class.

Entering the large room with a central glowing crystal, I spot Selene among the students. Sneaking up behind her, I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her cheek. She doesn't even flinch, used to my antics by now.

"You didn't even flinch," I whisper into Selene's ear, amused by her lack of reaction.

"You're the only one shameless enough to do this," she retorts, turning in my arms. I can't resist kissing her forehead and inhaling the scent of her hair.

"Did you just sniff my hair?" she asks, her tone filled with amusement.

"Ssshhh, I missed you, let me be," I reply, giving her a gentle squeeze.

Selene is about to say something when an approximately 50-year-old man with a staff appears in the room next to the crystal.

"I am Professor Foster Silverpaw," announces the man with a full head of white hair. It's surprising; the House of Forest rarely produces mages, mostly weapon users. Something about dog brain I laugh to myself.

"Before we begin Elemental Control, we need to determine which elements you're most compatible with. Place your palm on this crystal," he instructs, gesturing to the crystal in the center of the room. "It will change color according to your most compatible element."

As Foster speaks, students start moving towards the crystal.

The colors most common are red for fire, blue for water, white for light (indicating healing or divinity), purple for wind, green for nature, and so on.

I observe as Dalton approaches the crystal and it turns black. Of course it does; direct descendants of the House of Shadows are naturally most compatible with, well, shadows.

Soon it's our turn, and predictably, the crystal turns black when I place my palm on it. When it's Selene's turn, it turns a dark green.

Soon all the students are finished, and the professor casts a spell I can't quite make out. The crystal grows to over 2 meters in height.

"Most of you will have minor or secondary elements in addition to your main ones," Professor Foster explains. "Now, we'll do the same exercise, but this time send your mana into the crystal."

During the exercise, each student's mana input causes the large crystal to change into an array of colors, which the professor carefully records on a scroll.

When it's our turn, Selene and I send my mana into the crystal, but I have no clue what the colors mean.

After the exercise, Professor Foster dismisses us, mentioning that we'll receive our reports at the end of the day.

In our combat and minor weapons joint class, we find ourselves in a large arena, all of us changed into our combat attire.

Two imposing, bald twin men enter the arena, their presence alone exuding a powerful aura.

"We are Ben and Ken, your first year combat and weapon instructors," one of the twins announces.

"Choose your weapon of choice. The academy provides your first weapon for free. Maintenance and upgrades will require merits," the other twin adds.

As the display of weapons rises from the ground, I scan through the options and settle on a sturdy spear. I glance over at Selene and see her holding a metal whip. It's a surprising choice, but she seems pleased with it. She must know what she's doing.