Academy Days Page 3

  With one hand on the hilt of his sword, Frodi leads the way and walks through the open gate onto the bridge. I finally notice that it has a pretty steep incline, which covers the height difference between the gatehouse at the bottom and the one at the top. It's obviously built with potential sieges in mind, with the steepness rendering battering rams less effective.

  The gatehouse at the top of the bridge looks larger than even the ones let into the city walls. This is a real fortress, meant to weather any assault. Half a dozen guards are standing watch here, looking attentive even though the likelihood of something happening up here is incredibly slim.

  We're guided through the second gate without even stopping, as the guards see Frodi and assume we have permission. They still keep their eyes on us just in case there's something suspicious. Everybody left their weapons in the guild - although Luna is carrying her staff - so we don't look like we pose a threat.

  But there's one suspicious thing that they haven't paid attention yet; while Kamii is wearing a cloak that covers her huge cursed arm completely, that side is still bulging due to the large spikes growing from it. They could have pointed it out and conducted a search on everybody, and we would get a typical human reaction again.

  Luckily, that doesn't happen, and we pass through unhindered. The inside of the citadel is a masterpiece of planning, even when compared to the almost perfectly symmetrical city itself. The extensive open grounds are separated into three parts, with the royal palace in the center and a forest-like garden which most likely features a hedge maze to the right.

  The Royal Academy is a four-story building with two wings and a central tower that stands at more than twice the height as the surrounding building, which reminds me of pictures of old Western universities. It's easily dwarfed by the palace's tower keep but still reaches an impressive height. The entire building exudes the feeling of a long history.

  There's a large grassy field in front of it, where students are relaxing in the shade of a few large trees. Most of them are wearing uniform white shirts, long plaid skirts for girls and trousers for boys, and cloaks or capes held together in the front by a circular brooch that features a crest of a diamond centered above two crossed feathers, which is also displayed above the entrance of the academy.

  I spot a few people who are slightly older, wearing cloaks in various colors. They're sitting on the benches along the dirt path and reading books while taking notes. Each one of them has a staff next to them. Corresponding with the colors of the crystals, their clothing sense reveals their affinities. Earthen shades most likely stand for earth magic, deep blue for water, red and brown for fire, and bright shades that go all the way up to white for wind.

  "Hello there. May I help you?" A woman with graying red hair wearing a brown cloak approaches us. She appears to be in her early fifties and has the presence of a mage, even though she carries a cane rather than a staff.

  "Ah, yes, milady. These guests have a permit from the Saint of Luminosity." Frodi stands at attention before the woman, showing respect that borders on awe. She must be someone important at the academy.

  "Is that so? I shall take it from here, thank you." With a friendly smile at the young soldier, the woman turns her attention to us. Her eyes fall on Luna's staff, and she addresses her first. "My name is Astrid Hagen. What do you seek from the Royal Academy?"

  "I am Runa Sigint, and this is Chloe Marcott. We come here with a recommendation from Lady Crux, and wish to enroll at the Royal Academy." Luna steps forward and answers with a slightly shaky voice. She must be thinking that Astrid is a powerful mage, considering her more advanced age and the air of confidence surrounding her.

  "My, a recommendation from the Saint of Luminosity!" She looks genuinely surprised and glances at me. I'm not carrying anything she can identify as a mage's catalyst, which is why she must have thought that only Luna has business here. "Please follow me."

  Thus, we're led towards the main building, where the two-winged wooden doors are kept open at this time of the day. Along the way, we see people of various ages, though it's clear that Astrid is a teacher here. Nobody else is near her age, though there are some who look too old to be regular students.

  I think this may be more akin to a university than a school. There are some children around middle school age though, so that theory might not hold true either. Let's observe a little longer before coming to a conclusion. In either case, the atmosphere feels quite relaxed, though an air of academics can be felt throughout the building.

  We walk through long hallways and climb several flights of stairs which all look like they were built centuries ago. This academy is ripe with history, and I feel a hint of pride at the thought that I'm going to add my legacy to it.

  "If the gentlemen would please wait here. We do not want to crowd the principal's office now, do we?" Astrid opens the door to a waiting room and gestures for Rolan, Gram, and the bard to enter. I'm sure she wanted to ask Kamii to join them, but because the little dark elf is defiantly clinging onto me with seemingly desperate determination, she keeps quiet about her.

  We're then led towards a spiral stair in the center of the hallway, just two doors away from where we left the others. It leads up the tower above the main entrance, and when we pass a window, I look out to see the city beyond the citadel walls. The view all the way up there must be incredible.

  At the end of the stairs, we reach a richly ornamented wooden door. Astrid knocks, and a man's muffled voice answers, upon which she pushes down the handle, opens the door and gestures for us to enter.

  "Grand Master Eklundstrom, I have brought you students with recommendations from the Saint of Luminosity herself." With a nod, our guide explains the occasion. I look into the room and spot a man sitting behind a large wooden desk.

  I have to suppress my laughter when I see him. He has long white hair, an extremely long beard that reaches down to his sash, and a wizened face that radiates wisdom. The dark purple robes he wears have bright dots sprinkled onto them like the stars in the sky, and a brimless flattop cap sits atop his head. When he stands up, I can see that he's pretty tall; while not on the level of Gram, he still towers almost a head above me. Inquisitive blue eyes examine Luna and me through square glasses - a first in this world.

  If you were to look up the word 'wizard' in a dictionary, you'd see a photo of this guy.

  "Thank you, Astrid. You may leave us." His deep voice, tinted with age, is soothing to the ears. He gestures at the couch before us while our guide walks out of the room and closes the door behind herself quietly. "Please, sit."

  As Luna and I walk to the couch, we each look around the room. It's much cleaner than that of guild master Ingrid's, but there are still many signs of his line of work lying about. Stacks of documents and scrolls are strewn across his table, and there are many heavy books buried under handwritten notes. There's a bookshelf filled with what must be old magic tomes on one side, and a wall covered with portrait paintings on the other. Each one of the faces looks wise and knowledgeable; they must be all the previous heads of this academy.

  "My name is Thorvald Eklundstrom, and I am the fifty-first Grand Master of the Royal Academy." He introduces himself while rounding his desk and waving his bony hand at the paintings. There aren't even twenty portraits here, but it's possible that many of the older ones didn't have one made for them, or they hang elsewhere.

  As we sit down, Kamii's coat is flipped open, and her cursed arm becomes fully visible. The principal glances over it, but there's not even a hint of surprise or disgust in his expression. There isn't even self-serving sympathy in his gaze, and instead, he just takes note of it as if it were just an accessory.

  He sits down on the couch across from us and crosses his legs while folding his hands on his knee, expecting one of us to begin talking.

  "I am Runa Sigint. These are Chloe Marcott and Kamii." Luna introduces the three of us with a respectful nod. "We met Lady Crux in Hovsgaerden, where she noticed Miss Chloe's talent-"

  "Ah, I hear that Lady Crux has written letters of recommendation for you?" Thorvald interrupts Luna to preempt a potentially prolonged account of everything that led up to this moment. He must be a busy man, so cutting story time short is understandable.

  "Y-yes." Taken by surprise, Luna produces her letter from within her cloak, and I do the same with mine. Thorvald grasps them delicately with his long and thin fingers.

  "What about Miss Kamii?" Raising a bushy white eyebrow at the little dark elf, the principal asks for her purpose here.

  "She's just accompanying me." I put my arm around her shoulder demonstratively, to show that she's important to me and has all the reason to be here.

  "I see." His eyebrow drops again in understanding, as he shows us both a warm smile. Is he suspecting our relationship or just appreciating the closeness between two good friends?

  Then his eyes move down to the letters and the seals on them. Opening them carefully, he takes out Luna's first and begins to read what Arcelia has to say about the half-elf mage's talents.

  "An affinity for fire, water, and wind, I see. The combination of water and fire is quite rare, even among those with three affinities." He looks into Luna's eyes with an inquisitive gaze, until she averts hers under the invisible pressure. "And a half-elf, I presume."

  Luna stares at the principal with her eyes widened in surprise. He could tell at a glance even though her ears are hidden by her hair. There must be some other indicators that I'm missing, which he spotted.

  Thorvald then proceeds to read the letter about me, and I keep close attention to his expression. As he gets to the passage I presumed would elicit a response from him, one of his eyebrows shoots up in slight bafflement. It's followed by the other as genuine surprise fills his face.
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  "All elements?" He looks up from the letter, and we make eye contact. I realize why Luna averted her eyes now because his piercing blue irises makes me feel like he could be reading all my thoughts. But I remain steadfast and return his gaze without blinking.

  "I would like to ascertain your affinities right away, Miss Marcott." Thorvald stands up and rounds the tea table between us. I do the same, and we meet about halfway. Since I already know the procedure, I stretch out a hand towards him, and he takes hold of it lightly with his almost skeletal fingers. Moments later, he has gained the insight he needed and sighs as if in resignation. "Indeed... you do have every affinity. In the long history of magic, there has not been a single case like yours, Miss Marcott."

  Why does the way he puts it sound like a disease rather than something awesome? Arcelia was awed by the discovery and showed it openly, but this old man is cautious about this news.

  "This is an irreplaceable talent that has to be fostered well. You have the potential to become the greatest mage in history." When he puts his earlier phrasing into perspective, I start to feel much better about it.

  "Thank you, Grand Master Eklundstrom." I bow to his assessment of my hidden talents. So this is what it feels like to be considered a genius, huh? He then turns to Luna and ascertains her affinities, as if hoping that she might be the same.

  "Indeed, fire, water, and wind. Lady Crux mentions in the letter that you are experienced in magic so I would like you to take a practical test." When Luna's expression changes to one of worry, Thorvald quickly adds something to ease her mind. "Do not worry, you will be enrolled without a problem, it is solely to see the extent of the abilities you already possess."

  He then turns to look at me again, the eyes behind the glasses filled with the gaze of an academic who has discovered a worthy student who could make history.

  "As for you, Miss Marcott, I read that you are learning light magic, but have no training in any other element."

  "That's right. The only spell from another element that I can cast is this here. Ignis." I raise a finger and create a small flame from the tip.

  Then I remember that not using a catalyst is a big deal and that I wanted to keep it a secret from the academy for the time being - even though Rolan and the others already know. I slipped up right away.

  Thorvald's eyes are fixed on the finger below the flame, to discern if I have a catalyst embedded inside my nail. When he realizes that that's not the case, his eyes widen, and he begins to stroke his long beard. Just like Luna said, being able to cast magic other than that of the light attribute without a catalyst must be something unheard of.

  "We will have to devise a lesson plan tailored to your needs." But he doesn't praise me for it and maintains a professional attitude towards a would-be student. "For the time being, you shall join the beginner classes of the nature elements."

  He means fire, water, wind and earth magic, as opposed to light, dark and space, which are spiritual elements. But the one I'm most interested in is the space affinity. If my assumption is correct, it should be the domain of transportation magic. That way I can teleport into the demon castle instead of traveling across half the planet when the deadline draws closer.

  Then again, Arcelia said there was only one known human with the space affinity, so maybe they're not even at this academy.

  "Miss Sigint, if you prove to be at an advanced level, you will be granted a stipend to further your studies. Of course, you will also be exempt from paying any tuition fees." Thorvald turns to Luna and begins to explain the conditions of her enrolment. "There are accommodations within the academy dormitories you can make use of if you so choose."

  Oh, so the practical test is to see whether she can wield her elements at an advanced level, so that she may skip classes and go straight to improving herself at an individual level. I'd like to get that as well, but I'm still a beginner in both theory and the number of spells I know.

  "Miss Chloe, due to your unique status as a holder of all affinities, you will have to live in the dormitories. Please understand that we cannot risk losing someone as valuable to the study of magic as you." The principal shows me a warm smile that gives me the feeling that he's a genuinely nice person. There's just something about old men and their ways to put people's minds at ease.

  That also makes it easier for me to bring up an important issue.

  "Grand Master Eklundstrom, I would like to attach a condition to my enrolment." I find that the time is right for me to do it. I gesture at Kamii. "Please assess my companion here."

  "A cursed child." He simply comments, most likely grasping my intention without needing to hear more. "It is exceedingly rare for the corrupted to retain their original affinities."

  Kamii shirks away as the principal rounds the table and stretches out a hand towards her slowly. I give her a reassuring squeeze, and she turns to look at me.

  "Don't worry; it's alright. He's just going to hold your hand for a moment." Smiling, I lift her left hand for her, and Thorvald looks into the little dark elf's eyes to ask for her permission. When she finally nods reluctantly, he lightly touches her palm.

  "... an affinity for the dark element, nothing else..." Within a few seconds, he finishes his assessment of her affinities. "While those who possess the dark element rarely come to our doors, we prefer not to accept those without any further merits than that element alone. I am afraid I cannot enroll her."

  Kamii stares at the principal for a second, then looks up at me with upturned eyes. She knows full well what he means and fears that we'll be separated.

  "So she cannot stay in the academy dormitories with me?" I ask just to be sure, but the answer to that is quite evident.

  "Outsiders not enrolled at the academy are not allowed to remain within the citadel grounds."

  "Then I shall not enroll either." I state with a straight face. There's no way I'm letting Kamii get separated from me, even if it's for this academy. Luna's eyes are round like saucers as she stares at me with her mouth open. I'm sure she wants to scream at me that I'm stupid for refusing this once in a lifetime opportunity. "This child is precious to me; she will not leave my side."

  I pull Kamii close to me, and she nuzzles into my side. But Thorvald seems to have anticipated my reply and doesn't seem taken aback at all. After all, the fact that the little dark elf is important to me is obvious to anybody at a simple glance.

  "... but in light of the circumstances, we can make an exception. I can see that she is very important to you, Miss Marcott. If her absence is a hindrance to your studies, then we have to grant you this much leeway." He speaks as if continuing his earlier sentence, showing both the little dark elf and me a warm smile.

  I must be an exceptional existence in his eyes, but at the same time, he has to maintain a professional attitude and pride as the principal of this prestigious academy. Groveling just to keep me here is not an option, and he easily navigated around it. What a cunning old man.

  But I don't dislike that. I would have been disgusted if a person of his standing had acted like a starved businessman and changed his attitude in an instant just to get what he wants. This way, he successfully kept up the image of a wise man in my eyes.

  "Thank you." I nod my head and show gratitude, even though I know very well that he just navigated the situation cunningly. In a way, it would appear that I owe him for that favor.

  "I am glad that we could come to an understanding." Thorvald says as he walks behind his desk. Picking up a bell, he lets its crisp sound ring through the room. The second the tone fades, there's a knock on the door and Astrid enters without waiting for an answer. She must have been waiting outside the room all this time.

  "Would you please be so kind as to guide Miss Sigint to the training arena? She shall undergo a test to assess her magic mastery. I still have a little matter to discuss with Miss Marcott here." The principal's attitude towards the female teacher is on a far more professional basis than the friendly facade he put up for his would-be students.

  Luna leaves with Astrid, looking back at me one with a hint of worry. She may be thinking that I could still mess up this situation and end up getting expelled before I even enroll - leaving her alone in this unfamiliar academy. I nod at her with a reassuring expression, although I can't guarantee that nothing bad will happen.