No Titles Here

The young woman didn't look surprised. She glanced at Thammy and said – Mr. President, it's been a long time! I thought I'd never see you again.

Thammy smiled as he replied – We saw each other this morning, Elaxi. And… I'm here to leave a new student in your care – Thammy said, his voice calm and measured. He looked at Celine before turning his eyes back to Elaxi – This is Celine, from the Northern Kingdom.

– Celine, this is Elaxi – he continued, gesturing between them – She's the head of the girls' dormitory. She'll take care of you and guide you to your quarters – After introducing them and watching them greet each other, he turned to Celine, his tone warm but professional – Celine, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me.

Celine nodded slightly, watching as Thammy turned his eyes to Elaxi with a serious expression, who listened attentively – I'll leave Celine in your hands from now on.

Elaxi nodded, flashing a playful smile and waving – See you later, President.

Thammy held her gaze for a brief moment before leaving. Celine watched until his figure disappeared down the hallway. 'He's so cool…'

– He's handsome, right? – Elaxi smirked, studying Celine's expression. "Don't tell me you're another one who's been charmed by the president's looks and charm" She sighed internally.

Celine turned to her, unfazed – Very handsome. He seems like an incredibly powerful and impressive person.

Elaxi nearly laughed at her blunt honesty. Most girls would blush or mumble shyly, but this one was refreshingly direct – Obviously. He's the youngest Night Mage out of only six in the entire Age of the Nine Realms.

– Well then, Celine – Elaxi clasped her hands together, her tone shifting to businesslike – Come on, I'll take you to your room. Thammy already introduced us, but let me reintroduce myself. I'm Elaxi, vice president of the Student Council and the person in charge of the girls' dormitories. I've reviewed your documents, and let me be clear: no matter what family or status you held outside, here, we're all equals. The only titles that matter are the ones given by the institute.

Celine stiffened slightly. 'So many important figures here, yet external status means nothing… But wait—when did she see my documents?'

– Is that alright with you? – Elaxi asked, noting the girl's frozen smile.

Celine nodded – Yeah, no need to worry. I'm just another second-period student, nothing more.

Elaxi grinned and gestured toward the stairs – There are four main floors above the ground level. The lobby and study rooms are on the ground floor, along with a small library and storage area. Every floor has its own bathroom.

She pointed as she explained, guiding Celine through the building – The first floor is for fourth-period students, the second for third-period, and so on. Your dorm is on the third floor.

Celine smiled faintly, a little bitterly. She already knew magic was restricted for mundane tasks—even winged students couldn't fly unless necessary. Not that it would change anything for her, she didn't know how to fly, and much less could she cast very elaborate spells.

Elaxi continued listing rules as they walked down the third-floor hallway, stopping only when they reached a door marked 212.

'212? We only went up two floors, but the room numbers jump this high? Just how many dorms are on each floor?' From what she could see, there were ten buildings in total—five belonging to the female dormitories and the other five to the male dormitories—separated by a large garden. The male and female dormitories mirrored each other, with each set of five buildings connected by grand, bridge-like structures.

Celine glanced around. The hallway stretched far, with a left turn at the end suggesting even more rooms. Kesla had around 2,400 students—a small number compared to other academies, but then again, Kesla only accepted the best. The elite. The prodigies of every race and kingdom.

– This is your room – Elaxi announced, watching as Celine stared at the door thoughtfully – Your roommates are quiet and in the same period as you. Normally, dorms fit four, but this one only has three. So you'll only be sharing with two others. Hope that's alright.

– Oh, it's fine – Celine replied quickly – I was just lost in thought. Sorry.

Elaxi gave her a knowing smile before knocking lightly on the door. Moments later, it swung open, revealing a young girl with straight black hair and an excited gleam in her eyes.

– Elaxi! Do you need something? – She asked before turning to Celine, soon her smile widened – You must be the new girl, right?

Elaxi chuckled and answered for the momentarily stunned Celine: – Harumi, this is Celine. She'll be staying here with you and Leila. She missed the first few days, so I'm counting on you to help her catch up. Her schedule matches yours.

With that, she shot Celine a playful look – …Good luck – Then she walked off, leaving Celine even more bewildered. 'When did she see my schedule? I haven't even seen it yet'.

– New roommate, come in! – Harumi grabbed her wrist, pulling her inside. Celine barely had time to process Elaxi's mysterious efficiency before being introduced to her new living space.

– I'm Harumi from Yuugen. And you're Celine from Celestia, right? The Northern Kingdom?

Celine nodded. 'These are some high-profile people…' The name Harumi rang a bell—she'd heard it before.

– Harumi… Kagetsu? – She ventured.

The girl grinned and nodded, confirming Celine's suspicions. 'Harumi Kagetsu. Second princess of Yuugen, daughter of one of the Emperor's favored concubines. Her elder sister is missing, and her brother is the heir. Though her status isn't the highest, she's still imperial blood, valuable for political marriages. No wonder she's here, forging connections.'

How did Celine know all this? Simple—she'd spent most of her life buried in books, and servants loved to gossip about royalty.