章節 22: Mischievous thought

The morning after our naming ceremony, Elder Archon leads us to a forest behind the House of Shadows. The atmosphere is filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement as we follow him, eager to meet our contracted beasts. As we arrive, a majestic blue snake appears, its scales shimmering in the sunlight. It's the same snake we saw yesterday, and it greets Elder Archon with familiarity.

"These are your contracted beasts' home," Elder Archon announces, gesturing to the forest. "I'm sure you've noticed the brands on your skin by now."

We nod in affirmation.

"Due to these brands, your beasts can find you anywhere in the world, except under special circumstances," Elder Archon explains. "They can also teleport to your location whenever needed."

He then instructs us to release our beasts, and with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, Selene and I let go of our companions. Tenebris and Raijin, her elegant little white snake, Hima, slither into the forest, disappearing among the trees.

As we watch them go, "Is this how parents on the first day of kindergarten feel?" I whisper to Selene, trying to lighten the mood. She stifles a laugh, earning us a few disapproving glances from the other students.

Geez, they're taking this so seriously.

It's been a week since our naming ceremony, and life at Tavill Academy has become somewhat routine. The classes are intense, especially for Selene, who often finds herself struggling with the intricacies of alchemy and healing.

I, on the other hand, have found a kindred spirit in Professor Xavier, or should I say Professor Xavier found a kindred spirit in me. Back on Earth, I dabbled in engineering, unwilling to give up my passion for guns and fast cars. It seems my perspective is quite different from those around me, and Xavier appreciates that.

Xavier is remarkably quick at grasping concepts from Earth, and I've had a fascinating time learning the basics of this world's unique magic system. Today, however, I find myself exhausted on the cold, hard floor of a private training room we rented for 100 merits—a steep price. Tavill Academy truly doesn't hold back on costs.

I glance at my spear, leaning against the wall, and pick it up once more. Selene just finished sparring with me, and she's improving rapidly with her metal whip. She's probably off to practice her alchemy and healing skills now, leaving me to continue my training. My goal is to break out of the beginner level, and I've been making progress. My shadow aura is nearly tangible now, and I can almost bring it out when wielding a spear.

I don't know the details of Selene's aura method, but I do know that acquiring that method came at a significant cost, leaving a noticeable gap in our funds. Tavill.

Selene and I lay in bed, discussing our need for more funds. Our lifestyle is a bit luxurious compared to our peers after all.

While the House of Shadows provides basic sustenance like rodents for the serpent beasts, they also need mana crystals to grow stronger and larger. Unfortunately, specific elemental mana crystals are incredibly rare, so cross that out.

"We have about a month until we're charged for our accommodations," I remind Selene, thinking about our dwindling merits.

"We can gain merits by accepting tasks," Selene explains. "Since we're first years, we can't go on missions outside Tavill. Merits are also rewards given by Tower missions. For example, in the Healing and Alchemy Tower, if I complete a portion or heal within a given amount of time, I gain some merits. I'm not sure about the Weapons Tower for you. There's also helping professors with extra activities and hunting for ingredients to be used by the Tower of Alchemy/Healing."

After discussing our options, we decide on the tasks we'll undertake to earn more merits.

In addition to this, joining a club is on our agenda. Most of the existing clubs are haughty and not really to our (my) liking. That's when Selene suggests that I create one instead.

"A club of our own?" I mull over the idea. "That's not a bad idea. I'll look into what's needed to create one," I say, thinking about the possibilities. A club tailored to our interests and needs could be just what we're looking for.

After yet another theory class in basic elemental magic, Selene and I made our way to the administration block to inquire about creating a club. Surprisingly, it wasn't as complicated as we thought. All we needed was a professor as a patron and a minimum of 7 members, each with a connection to all the towers.

The challenge, however, was finding those members. Selene and I had been in our own little bubble, focused on our studies and training. We hadn't really socialized much with others. It seemed like we'd have to step out of our comfort zone and start making connections.

As we delved deeper into the club scene at Tavill, we learned that some of these clubs had a long history and influence. Take "Lion's Mane," for example. This club was created 100 years ago by commoners from House Golden. House Golden was named after the royal family and was known as the house most commoners gravitated towards.

Members of "Lion's Mane" had a strong presence in the royal court, even long after graduating from Tavill. It was almost a guarantee for commoners to join "Lion's Mane" if they wanted a foothold in the royal court.

As I absorbed this information, a mischievous thought crossed my mind. Could I potentially start an underworld organization right from within the school? The idea made me snicker to myself, the idea already rooted in my mind.