003: The Emotions In Her Eyes In Conflict

"I was the lowest-ranking student of the academy when it comes to its practical side," she replied with nonchalance.

All of them frowned except for Drake.

"Lowest?" Stormie was looking at her in disbelief.

Saphira nodded her head, "I had a miss during the entrance examination. And I didn't know that it was a one-time trial, so I ended up being at the lowest."

"What kind of miss did you do?" it was Nixon's turn to ask.

He was unable to win against her when they were kids.

During the academy, he became among the top, almost the top if not for written examinations.

But the person he had always lost to before they each went their different ways to train, was the lowest on her academy?

This is too unbelievable.

Even Ridge and Willow were looking at her in disbelief at her answers.

Saphira sheepishly grinned, "I used a broadsword to fight."

The rest were dumbfounded by her answer.

Even Hunter was looking at her wondering if there was something wrong with her head. Or if he heard things wrong.

It was known to everyone that she used a 20-inch short sword.

For her to use a broadsword which is a weapon she wasn't used to and was heavier than a short sword, wasn't that simply too stupid?

Saphira laughed at their reactions, "I know, stupid isn't it? But I didn't know it was a one-time entry, they had seen my capability with my movements but because I was unable to properly use the sword, I only ended up at the bottom."

Hunter couldn't help it and gave her a light smack on the head.

"Is that why they left you despite knowing a stranger had approached you?" he berated.

"Ouch, you don't have to hit me. But yes, they see me as a burden. I asked the teachers that I could do it individually but wasn't granted permission to do so," she pouted as she massaged her head.

"And why didn't they allow you to do it?" Hunter asked again.

"Teamwork they said. How will I know the essence of teamwork if I were to do things alone," she shook her head as she talked about what the teachers always tell her.

"You were left alone, without anything. How are you able to keep on passing when they wanted you to learn the essence of teamwork?" Ridge asked knowing full well that based on her still wearing a uniform, she was still in school.

"I also don't get it. But every time I would still pass. The teacher was always grumpy at me but they wouldn't tell me the reason behind it," she shrugged because she just didn't get it.

"Are there no more practical exams?" Nixon asked again.

"There is. But every single time, I was exempted. It was weird but then again it was already decided. And having one lesser thing to do suits me better."

Though she felt that it was weird, she did not bother training with these students because it was a waste. She'd rather train by herself.

"And because I kept on passing, the students weren't looking at me favorably. Well, they ignore me and leave me behind, quite childish aren't they?" she talked as if what was going on was something unrelated to her.

And the way she talked, they were once again dumbfounded.

She was feeling nonchalant but wasn't that obvious bullying?

Especially when she kept going about them throwing her things away. Or garbage on her desk. Or the fact that some would try to gang up on her but she was fine because they wouldn't go so far as to break her arms.

Or some telling her to just be their woman when all she has is her beauty and brain and nothing else.

"Ouch!!" she once again complained as for the second time, Hunter hit her on the head.

"Why aren't you fighting back when it was obvious that they are abusing you?" he gritted his teeth at her nonchalance.

They were all pampered since young but she allowed the students of this place to bully her.

That is unacceptable even for him.

Saphira chuckled, "That was an abuse? Wow, are they babies?"

They turned agape.

"You aren't getting mad at all?" Stormie asked in disbelief.

"Hmmmm," was her only reaction as she smiled.

In the past, whenever anyone would hurt her, she would instantly flare up.

Yet here she was, telling them that she had been abused but she wasn't the least bit affected. Instead, she was even laughing it off.

"If you are done with your chit chats then let us go back. Her leave from the academy will entail a lot of process," Drake finally spoke for the first time since they got there.

Without waiting for anyone, he turned his back and started walking away.

"I guess, it is getting late already, we should probably get some rest and have the process begin tomorrow," Willow looked at him before she suggested.

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

"Then I guess it is time for me to return to the dormitories as well," Saphira said as they walked back toward the town.

"Dormitories?" Nixon stopped walking and looked at her in confusion.

"Yes, I stay at the dormitories," she replied.

Then she gave them a v sign, "I was smart enough to be a scholar that I can stay in the dormitories."

"Scholar?" Ridge followed a question.

Saphira furrowed her brows at their questions.

"Wait a minute, your words a while ago suggest that I shouldn't be here. Now you are speaking as if what I had been doing was so unbelievable."

"First, how did you live in here at the beginning?" Hunter asked her.

"Here you go again, asking me questions without answering mine," she complained.

"Just answer this for now," he urged.

"I came here with nothing. I realized that after I found out that I am in a different Empire. So I could only rely on defeating some low-level demonic beasts and sell their cores to the academy and institutions that study it," she started explaining.

They were now once again looking at her as if what she did was something that she shouldn't have done.

She furrowed her brows but continued her explanation.

She told them she relied on fruits to eat at the beginning until she was able to collect enough money to get herself a place to stay.

Then knowing they were sent away to train themselves, she enrolled herself in the academy and everything followed.

Hunter placed his hand over his eyes and shook his head in defeat after hearing everything, "I'm going to speak to that old man once we get back."

"Old man? Hey, that's rude to refer to him that way," Saphira laughed.

"Saphira," Stormie called to her.

Saphira looked at her.

"We were all sent to the kingdoms under the Empire. You are the only one sent to a different Empire," Stormie explained making Saphira understand just what it was that all of them were reacting so negatively about.

After realizing this, she started laughing, "So that was why. I was sent to the wrong place. No wonder I also have nothing."

"You are laughing it off just like that? You were in a very disadvantageous situation," Hunter felt exasperated.

All of them still had money to spend they didn't need to worry about anything and could just focus on their training.

Saphira seeing their look of pity waved her hand and smiled, "That wasn't disadvantageous at all. I gained a lot from this mistake. Learned so much that I am grateful it was a mistake. Knowing that it was one."

They stared at her and seeing as she was genuine with her words, they could only sigh.

"If we didn't know better, we'd think that you weren't born in that family," Ridge sighed as he pushed up his glasses.

"Well, that is Saphira for you. Can adapt quite well to different situations," Nixon followed as they continued walking back.

Saphira shrugged and they continued on their way.

"I guess I don't need to worry about anything else now then," she said after a while.

"What do you mean?" Stormie asked.

"Well, since I will be dropping out of the academy, I no longer need to keep up with all the lessons and everything," she answered.

"Knowing your head, I can tell that all those exams are a breeze to you," Hunter saw that she was bored with the lessons.

The reason why she had said those words now.

"I have read so much I guess. I should have just slept," she grimaced remembering how she used her free time to check what was in the library.

In their childhood, if she weren't training or lazily sleeping away, they would find her in her family's library or the Empire's main library reading different types of books.

She was lazy but she was quite a diligent reader.

The only thing she does other than lazing around.

"I thought it was really necessary that I enter an academy. If I knew that it was all about training then I wouldn't have entered," she pouted at the thought of those boring classes.

"At least you are over that now," Stormie replied as they got close to the town.

"Why don't you stay with us tonight? We rented a house, not simply rooms. With that, we can relax better than staying at inns," Stormie then suggested, to which Nixon and Ridge nodded in agreement.

Willow remained silent, the emotions in her eyes in conflict.

Saphira smiled, "Nah, it is best to still stay in the dormitory."