Ch 14: Home rooms and Power Struggles.

Vina's POV.

(Chaclang!) (Break!) (Chaclang!) (Break!) (Chaclang!) (Break!)

Vina: "W-W-W-W-W-WHAT IS THAT GIRL DOING? DID SHE PURPOSELY IGNOR THAT GOLEM'S HEAD TO GET SIR SELK TO SAVE HER? SHE DID, DIDN'T SHE? SHE MUST HAVE. SHE'S TRYING TO STEAL MY DEAR SIR SELK FROM ME! I'M GOING TO..."

Lira: "L-lady Vina, please calm down already. We're losing a lot of bracelets because of this. And you're also scaring Ms. Allice and I. Please, get a hold of yourself."

Oh, my. It would appear that I lost my senses there for a second. I must have been making the most unpleasant of expressions for Ms. Allice to have such a frightened look on her face. What a shameful girl I am for causing an innocent child so much distress.

Vina: "M-my apologies Lira, Ms. Allice. I-I don't know what came over me. P-please forgive my shameless act."

I profusely apologize to both of my companions and immediately lowered my  killing aura. However, I cannot forgive that girl who has tried and steal Sir Selk's eyes. Sir Selk's kind heart might get fooled by her damsel in distress act, but not my keen eyes of jealousy, I mean observation.

Abriela's POV.

"Abriela, you will now embark on an important journey to build a bridge of friendship between our demon and the human kind. This task will be a difficult one, but you will have the other demonic students there to aid you in times of need. And should you find yourself in a truly dire situation, seek out a green haired flesh mage named Selk. He is a trusted ally."

That was what my father said before he saw my fellow students and I off to the human kingdom university. At first, I doubted my father's words, but when I saw a picture of a green haired flesh mage on the student list the head master gave us, I had to request to be part of his team.

I see now that my father's judgement were flawless. Not only did Selk broke the target on our initial test, and not only did he deliver the final blow to the golem in the second test, but he also saved my life at the time I lost my focus. His firm and strong arms held me after he moved with such blinding speed to rival that of the light hero. A feeling of security blankets me as I'm engulfed by his embrace, and a warmth I have never felt before fills my chest. How can a human like him be this powerful and gentle at the same time.

Selk: "Are you Okay, Abriela? I'm so sorry. I should have lessen the explosive power a bit more."

He asked with genuine concern in both his voice and his facial expression. I have never seen anyone make such a worried look on my behalf other than my late mother. Not even have my dear brother and sister made the face Selk is making at the moment. And when I look deep into his purple eyes, I see the calm night skies that my late mother and I gaze upon to help ease my troubled mind.

Abriela: "Y-you can set me down now. A-as I said, I'm fine."

I said sheepishly to Selk, unable to look him in the eyes. Once he has put me down, the rest of our team came towards us. They briefly checked if I'm okay, and when they were satisfied to know that I am well, they celebrated with us after we destroyed the golem so swiftly.

We then looked upon the teacher that was facilitating the test to inform us on how we did. However, as we look toward his direction, we saw him with mouth agape as he stared at the broken stone giant that is the golem.

We were forced to look at the direction of where the teacher was looking and saw the headless golem laying motionless on the floor. We were also made witness to the earth mage with the violet robe sitting on the floor, his head tilted to the left with a mixture of shock and disbelief cascaded upon his face.

Selk had to go and directly walk up to the facilitating teacher and tap him on the shoulder for him to finally snap out of his trance like state. Once the teacher managed to compose himself, he declared that we not only passed the exam, but we also set a new record for the fastest team to ever destroy a class B golem in the history of this university. A truly glorious feet, granted that the only thing we needed to do was survive the golem's onslaught.

Deafeningly loud cheers can be heard from outside the four walls that enclosed us after the teacher announced our momentous achievement. We were then escorted outside of the examination grounds. The audience gave us a standing ovation as we made our way towards our seats. Even some of our fellow examinees were applauding us. As my teammates and I wave towards the audience, I thought to myself "This may be the proudest moment of my life." I just wish that this creeping feeling of dread would finally fade away. I've been feeling it from the moment I left the exam room.

Selk's POV.

My new teammates and I were in celebration over the fact that we just set a new record and managed to secure a place in the top class, which is great for me. Not only will I get the chance to get my clinic ownership license, but I heard that top students can get low interest loans from banks that sponsor this university. A high loan with little interest can fast tract my clinics' construction.

We waited in our seats as we talked amongst ourselves while watching the other examinees take their second test. Valeria had a lot of questions about the war. I think she's one of those historical war junkies I've heard about from my father. Unfortunately, none of the other teams manage to destroy their golems. It looked like the Old mage in violet robes took out his frustrations out on the next teams after us. He went wild with his attacks, almost crushing some students in the process. Fortunately though, they were all able to survive their encounter and managed to pass. By the end of the exam, it was announced that there were only two teams that managed to secure the top spot.

The host announced the third team that came after us as one of the top passers in the entrance exam. They consist of an all female ensemble, four swordsman, and two mages, with one being a demon just like Abriela. The host then called our team up the stage, reconstructed back as a fifty foot wide ring, to announce us as the other team that will be placed at the top class.

Bismart: "I can't believe we actually got the top spot for this year's class. My brothers are all going to die of jealousy once they receive the news."

Bismart said, ecstatic that he's able to one up his brothers.

Alfred: "Yes, my father will finally have something to be proud of me for. I'd like to see that old man call me useless now."

Alfred chimed in, saying something that alarmed me of the situation he has at home.

Sakanari: "Hey guys, don't forget who we owe this victory to."

Valeria: "Yeah. If it wasn't for Selk being here with his veteran combat experience and archery skills, we wouldn't have beaten that Golem."

Sakanari and Valeria said as they pointed out that I contributed the most out of this test. Abriela stayed silent as the others were abuzz from ceremony that's taking place. I think she might be in shock. She's in a foreign land full of people that would probably kill her if she wasn't in disguise. Yet now she is being rewarded by said people as they cheer her on. The Head Master, a middle age man name Rickert Maximus with long brown beard and hair dressed in white garbs with golden trims, came down from the podium with a small ornamented box on his hands. Once the Head Master opened the box, it revealed the six golden medals within it.

Head Master Rickert: "The six of you have shown exemplary skills and team work before our very eyes. You have gone above and beyond the expectations of everyone present in this arena. For that, I bestow on to each of you, the Arcamac University Medals of Honor."

The Head Master said as he had the teachers accompanying him place the medals on our necks. The weight of the pure gold medal that symbolize our achievement felt heavy on my neck. The crowd once again roared in appreciation of what we just showed them. The Head Master then officially announced that all the members of our team are now considered the top first year representatives of our university, and explained to everyone in attendance what that means.

Head Master Rickert: "These young men and women have proven themselves worthy of the title of Arcamac's champions. They will now be competing in the very first Inter-university Grand Prix Tournament that will be held here eight months from now. The ten universities all throughout the Human continent will be competing in this tournament, and will show which is truly the strongest amongst us all."

The head master continued as the earlier rowdy crowd fell silent, eager to hear more from the Head Master.

Head Master Rickert: "The Tournament will have representatives from the first, second, third, and fourth year students of their respective university. Whom ever obtains the most victory from this contest will be declared the winner and will receive a grand prize yet to be revealed. To the six youths before me, please do your best."

The audience then started their cheers again once the Head Master was done talking. We then did a final wave towards the crowd, thinking that this was the end of the ceremony. However, someone grabbed on to my right long sleeve, preventing me from leaving the stage. It was one of the teachers that presented us the medals. He is a tall and slender bespectacled man with a handsome face and reddish hair.

"A-are you really a flesh mage?"

He asked with a serious look in his eyes. I answered him with a nod. I felt that he wanted to say something more, but he let go of my sleeve and joined his fellow teachers, presumably satisfied of my answer. I didn't feel any ill intent from him, so I paid it no mind and rejoined my companions as we exited the arena.

Allice's POV

That was so amazing. Dr. Selk pretty much singlehandedly passed the exam for his team. It's too bad that I could only figure out a few things that Dr. Selk did in his test. He did told me to watch carefully, and I couldn't catch everything. The only thing that I really noticed was the shape of his magic circle. It looked like he skipped a few symbols and added new ones. I hope the doctor wouldn't be too disappointed in me.

I turned to Ms. Vina and asked if she would like to go to where Dr. Selk is, but she gave a disappointed look and said.

Vina: "I wish I could, but If I go there now the way I am, I might cause Sir Selk troubles. I... don't think I can hold back if I see that girl face to face."

Miss Vina said as she clinched her fist so tightly, blood started to trickle down her hand. Looks like it's going to be a long road ahead before Miss Vina can truly suppress her deadly jealousy.

Vina: "Besides, if I went there now, Sir Selk might not cook me my favorite Wyvern Steak. I will endure, so long as I get to eat a meal my beloved Sir Selk made specially for me."

Miss Vina added as she held both her flushed cheeks and giggled to herself. It took four hours for the second part of the exam to finish, so it was getting dark by the time we had to leave. Ms. Vina, Ms Lira, and I made our way to the dormitory, where we would be eagerly awaiting Dr. Selk's return. Little did we know that when he comes back, he wouldn't be alone.

Vina: "What are they doing here, Sir Selk?"

Ms. Vina asked Dr. Selk once he returned home with his five new compatriots. Ms. Vina unsuccessfully hid her annoyance with a forced smile that made Dr. Selk's guess take a step back.

Selk: "W-well, the group said they wanted to celebrate our victory in one of our dorm rooms, but none of their rooms are accommodating to host this many people. So, we decided it would be best to do an impromptu celebration in my room since I didn't have that much luggage in here."

Vina: "B-but what about your promise? I really thought this would be a more intimate evening for the two of us."

Ms. Vina said with a very sad tone on her voice. I actually felt bad for her since she was so excited earlier about eating Dr. Selk's personally cooked dinner. Even Ms. Lira is staring at Dr. Selk with judgingly angry eyes.

Bismart: "D-don't worry, Lady Vina. We're only gonna be here for one or two ours. We just wanted a chance to get to know Selk, our benefactor a little more. We were actually hoping that you could regale us with stories of Selk's heroism and bravery."

Mr. Bismart said to Ms. Vina. His words suddenly changed Ms. Vina's attitude to a more pleasant one. Looks like Mr. Bismart knows that Ms. Vina loves talking about Dr. Selk with just the little time they had known each other.

Vina: "Oh my. Stories of my dear Sir Selk, you say. Well then come in and let me tell you of the time he saved me from a dark golem and how I fell in love with him."

Ms. Vina said with a big smile on her face. Although, it doesn't look like Dr. Selk's guess expected her to tell them about her true feelings towards my master. It looks like this might turn out to be a long night for us. I hope everyone gets enough sleep for tomorrow's classes.

Meanwhile, in the Demon Continent.

Prince Hadan: "Thank you for meeting me in such short notice, Wolf-man King Alphanor."

The Demonic prince said as he is accompanied by his sister, now wearing her Armor Seed.

King Alphanor: "Enough of your attempts at pleasantries, Demon Prince. Why have you come to my kingdom, so far away from your home? Are you here to force us to take part in your foolish peace treaty with the humans?"

The Wolf-man king said scoffingly at the thought pf living peacefully with humans.

Prince Hadan: "Quite the opposite, actually. My father has gone mad for thinking there will ever be peace between us and the humans. So I came here to propose an alliance. I wish to take the thrown from my father, and I need as much power as I can obtain to make that wish a reality."

King Alphanor: "An intriguing proposition. But what do we get in return for this. You know that if we fail, it will be both our heads on the chopping block."

Prince Hadan: "Do not fret, King Alphanor. I am willing to offer you a place as my right hand once we have taken the thrown."

King Alphanor: "And What's my guarantee that you'll keep your word?"

The Wolf-man king said, eyeing the prince as he do so.

Prince Hadan: "A political marriage between your eldest son, and my youngest sister."

Hadan replied, willing to trade his youngest sister for a chance to be king.

King Alphanor: "If that is the case, then I whole heartedly accept our alliance. So, tell me prince, how is princess Abriela doing these days?"

The beastly king asked with a maniacal smile.