27-28

The old man gestured into the large lecture hall, similar to the many college classrooms I had been in in my previous life.

Multiple long rows of desks and seats were on the left, each row below another, creating a total of four rows. Each desk seated two, and evenly spaced out. Imbedded in the desks was a small white magic crystal.

The left wall was comprised entirely of a black chalkboard, completely clean. In front of the chalkboard was a small desk and podium, likely meant for the Vice-Headmaster to speak from.

Across from us were windows, creating a very familiar scene from many shows and novels.

"Alright, pick your own seats, and infuse some of your mana into the crystal lodged in the desk you sit at please; it will let me know who sits where."

Vice-Headmaster Bijilo nodded at us before turning, walking over to his podium as he watched us filter into the room.

Jahi and Draka led us inside, the others students stepping aside as they saw them get close.

The two women led us over to the close side of the room, occupying the desks along the walls.

Draka and her group took the front, while Jahi and our group took the back.

Leone and I sat all the way in the top corner, Jahi and Anput in front of us. Draka and Rialo sat in front of them, and Poshka and Fresca sat in the very front, fixing their gazes on the desk before them.

The vampiric girl turned to look at me, a smile on her rosy lips as she said "Well, I guess we shall be partners for the year then."

I nodded, saying "Indeed we shall."

Turning my gaze to the rest of the room, I pursed my lips as I watched the two hundred some odd students situate themselves, forming groups already as they got to know their desk mates and those sitting around them.

Of course, I kept my eyes focused on that ONE seat, the one anyone who has ever watched or read a modern set show knows about; the fabled Protagonist seat, all the way in the back left of the room, looking out the window.

It seemed to almost have a natural repellent, as people refused to even approach that desk.

Of course, that's likely because the seat is the worst in the room; far from the professor and beside a window that provides distractions in visual and auditorial noise.

However, it was just something of a… novelty to me, wondering if the person that took that seat would actually be some kind of 'character'.

[Eh, yeah, it will… Remember, I told you that there were many people who were eligible to be your 'master' when you chose 'evil'? Well, that list was almost doubled for the neutral candidates, and had the same amount for the 'good' ones as well…]

I almost jumped when I heard the system, making Leone look at me in worry.

"Are you okay Kat?"

I nodded, giving her a small smile as I replied "Just a stray breeze…"

Leone narrowed her eyes at me, before nodding, returning her gaze to the flirting demoness in front of us.

'Wait, you still exist?! It's been like forever since you last spoke!'

[I was… napping? Yeah, we'll go with that. Besides, every time I 'woke' up I was greeted with the sight of you and your Mistress getting it on… and I am not a voyeur.]

I held back a chuckle, before asking 'Napping? How was I getting quests then? And Experience?'

[How do you know how to walk without thinking about it? Or breathe? It's just… what I do. Besides, you really weren't doing anything over the top that needed my direct attention, so I've been enjoying the… calm before the storm, in a sense.]

'Calm before the storm?'

[You are at an Academy. Where there are now over a thousand snobby, arrogant, talented people butting heads together. You think this'll be a joyride? No, not at all.]

'Rude. I don't plan on doing anything that would draw attention to me!'

Placing my hand on the small white crystal in front of me, I channeled a little mana into it, watching as it glowed a greenish blue, my mana still separate, much to my chagrin.

[Sure, YOU may not ask for trouble, but Jahi Asmodia is an entirely different story. You already have some 'enemies' in the Duchess Sariel and Duke Gragori, not to mention the ones that dislike you for being a talented commoner, or the ones who want to marry Jahi/Anput/Leone for political gain… Life from here on out gets much, much more intense.]

Sighing mentally, I could only agree with the little voice in my head… wait that makes me sound crazy…

Hah, whatever.

"Kat, are you sure you're okay?"

Leone placed her hand onto my own, and this time Jahi turned around, her head tilted as she asked "Something happen?"

Shaking my head, I gave both of them a small smile, saying "No, just thinking about how much trouble you'll be…"

Jahi pursed her lips, about to say something when she stopped, before nodding.

"Yeah… I would say sorry, but…"

Leone chuckled "But you wouldn't be, would you?"

The demoness gave us a wry smile, scratching her cheek before shaking her head.

"Nah, not really…"

Hearing someone cough, we looked towards the front of the room, where Vice-Headmaster Bijilo was placing a tome on his podium, looking over the now quiet students.

"Everyone is present, so no need for roll. The seats you are sitting in are yours for the year; no changing them."

That made a few people blanch, likely realizing that should their desk mates be an idiot or someone they just couldn't stand, they were stuck.

"Now, let's just go over some basic rules. No eating in this hall, no talking while I am talking, don't play with the magic crystals, if something explodes, please don't go near it, and of course, pay attention in class. This may be things you already know, but you can never go wrong with strengthening the basics."

Raking his green eyes over us, Vice-Headmaster Bijilo grinned, tapping his staff against the chalkboard.

"As I said in Orientation, my name is Bijilo, the Vice-Headmaster of this Academy. My 'title', Of the Winds, is because…"

Tapping his staff again, I watched in wonder as his mana poured out of the wooden staff, seeping into the chalkboard.

Green mana writhed around the board, forming runes as it spelt out his name and title.

"I am an Aeolus, someone with ancestry to Wind-Spirits. As such, my magic is, naturally, of the wind element. However, unlike those present, my wind has an… extra flavor. I can control different types of wind."

A girl in the crowd raised her hand, and Bijilo looked at her, nodding.

"Miss Grangeri."

"What do you mean, different types of wind? Is wind magic not all the same element?"

Smiling at her, he shook his head.

"No, no it is not. Just like how in the world around you, it is different. Now, for most people, they tend to just have a 'general' wind; no extra flair or uniqueness to it. However, a few in this class have either Combination Magic, or they have a special connection to wind. One such student is just a commoner; Miss Zara, if you would please stand up."

Gulping, I rose to my feet, all the eyes in the room turning towards me.

"Now, Miss Zara has both; she is an Ice Magician, however her wind magic is already much harsher than the norm. In fact, I imagine that she likely has troubles controlling it sometimes…"

I widened my eyes at that, nodding slightly as his green eyes locked onto my own.

He was right; whenever I used my wind, I tended to need much more control then I did with my water magic, and when trying to fuse the two it was always the wind that acted up, not the water.

"So, Miss Zara, might I asked you to create an orb of wind magic?"

Nodding again, I held out my palm, the required sequence glowing green above my open hand.

Flaring slightly, a spinning ball of pure wind hovered above my hand, and Vice-Headmaster Bijilo smiled.

"Keep it activated, please. Mister Yuas, please create an orb of wind magic as well."

Turning my gaze over, I watched as a thin boy with short brown hair stood up, nervously looking around before tracing the necessary runes in the air.

Like me, he now held a sphere of wind, however…

"Notice the difference; Miss Zara's is sharper, deadlier. Mister Yuas' is gentle, like a breeze. This is due to the kind of mana inside of them. Miss Zara has Ice Magic, so her wind must be like a blizzards, while Mister Yuas has just Wind Magic; he possesses the most normal kind of wind, which is fine. You may sit."

Yuas and I nodded, releasing our spells before sitting down.

Tapping his staff again, we watched as the mana on the board dissipated, and Vice-Headmaster Bijilo coughed into his hand.

"I'm getting ahead of myself… anyways, that will be something we go over first in this class; how different mana can be. As you could guess, this class in on the foundations of magic; we will be discussing mana itself, how to better control it, and what it can be used for. It may be basic, but like I said prior…"

Holding up his hand, everyone watched in an awed silence as a large, whirling orb of wind appeared above his palm.

"A mastery over just the basics can be the difference between being good, and being a master."

Dispelling the orb, he smiled at us, making us shiver as his eyes flared green.

"Well, we have a few more minutes, so why not get to know the people around you, hmm? Classes truly begin tomorrow, and after this I'll lead you to your History class."

We all nodded, watching as the Vice-Headmaster sat behind his deck, opening the tome as he started reading.

"That was…"

Hearing Leone's voice, I turned to see her eyes gleaming as she stared at the old man.

"Incredible! I can't wait to see what we do tomorrow!"

I nodded, smiling when I saw Jahi and Anput looking back at us with conflicted eyes.

"What, realizing how amazing magic can be?"

Jahi stiffly nodded, before looking down at Anput, who pursed her lips.

"Still prefer my swords…"

Chuckling at her grumbling, we fell into a small discussion, all three of us smiling gently as Leone spoke animatedly about how excited she was.

—

I'm back…

Hah~ I took a break yesterday, then wanted to get a chapter out at noon my time (EST) only to have my ma say "Oh, you know you needed to help me transport an entire Vans worth of items from here to a place a half hour away yeah?"

Boom, my afternoon was now gone…

Anyways, yeah, here we go; Academy start, and the system isn't dead; they were just asleep~!

—

As I listened to the excited vampiric princess, I looked off towards the seat opposite us, in the back left corner of the room, beside the window.

Sitting in that spot was a beautiful young woman, her long brown hair framing her sharp features as she looked outside with a slightly bored expression.

Wearing a plain brown leather combat outfit, the woman looked every part an adventurer, giving her desk mate a raised brow as she looked her over.

Sitting beside the adventurer-esque woman was a thin, petite woman, her golden locks falling onto her white robes as she excitedly and animatedly spoke to the other woman.

"Hey, what're you looking at?"

Jahi narrowed her eyes at me, and I gestured towards the two women, saying "I was just looking around, and those two caught my eye…"

Everyone turned their gazes over to the women I pointed out, discreetly observing them.

"Yeah, the chick in leather looks good…"

Hearing Jahi, we all turned our eyes towards her, making her gulp.

Holding up her hands, she gave a wry smile, saying "It was just an observation; just an observation…"

? Keeping our eyes focused on her, she bit her lip as she looked at the floor, before sighing in relief when we looked down at Draka, who was chuckling.

"Yeah, she is pretty isn't she?"

My eyes flickered to Rialo, Fresca, and Poshka, only to frown slightly as they seemed… unfazed by Draka.

"Hmm… what do you think, Rialo?"

The Lamia looked at the woman, her lips pursed before she replied "I don't know, we would have to talk…"

The Dragonkin nodded, sighing.

She looked down at the two maids, who only shrugged at her.

"Fine, we'll see, we'll see… Anyways, hopefully this History class we're meant to take isn't boring…"

Jahi sighed, resting her chin in her hand as she said "Eh, I'll just take a class or two before taking the final… Really, not too interested in relearning the same thing over and over again…"

Anput pouted at Jahi, muttering "If only…"

Chuckling, Jahi cupped the olive womans cheek, leaning closer as she whispered "If you wish, I can give you… some 'private' lessons, dear~"

Stiffening under her touch, Anput's ears and tail twitched as she leaned into the blue hand.

Leone and I chuckled, making the Jackalkin flinch, biting her lip as she looked towards us from under her lashes.

"Alright, get up and follow me; I'll take you to your next class…"

Vice-Headmaster Bijilo rose from his desk, gently tapping his staff onto the floor, getting everyones attention.

Standing up, I followed behind Leone as she walked down the stairs, reaching the old man quickly.

He turned to me, smiling slightly as he said "Miss Zara, I do apologize for calling on you during class earlier. It will… likely cause some problems and resentments from your classmates."

Jahi just chuckled, looking down at the Vice-Headmaster with golden eyes as she said "They can try… Kat belongs to me, and they'll risk pissing me off if they try something."

The old man responded with a chuckle "That's good! Well, as long as you don't cause harm when professors can see…"

That made the blue Demoness and olive Jackalkin grin, understanding his meaning.

As long as no one can prove it was you…

You can do what you want.

Vice-Headmaster Bijilo turned away from us, looking over the large crowd of students.

Opening the door, he led us back out into the hall, back towards the auditorium.

Walking beside Jahi, I pursed my lips slightly as I felt her hand on my waist, making me look up at her.

She leaned closer, whispering "Kat, I know you don't care about what people say; at least, that's what you've said. However, if you hear something, let me know. I'll take care of it."

Her eyes were serious, making me chuckle slightly.

"What makes you think I'll let you take care of MY problems?"

I flashed her a chilling grin, a rune appearing on my palm as I flashed it towards her.

She just grinned down at me, ruffling my ears as she replied "Yeah, I guess so huh? Sneaky little minx…"

Leaving her hand on my waist, we walked down the halls, turning into another long hallway.

Reaching a door with a plaque labeled 'Professor Xiant; History I – IV, Monsterology IV', Vice-Headmaster Bijilo knocked on the door with his staff, waiting for a response.

Sighing to himself, he rapped the staff against the thick wooden door again, this time receiving a muffled "Alright!"

Moments later a lanky man opened the door, his long black hair falling onto his shoulders as he pushed up some large glasses on his nose.

"B-Bijilo!? Oh… Ah, it's that time again huh? Hah…"

Sighing, the man slumped his shoulders before stepping back, revealing the exact same hall as Bijilo's.

"Alright, everyone come inside; find a seat and pour some mana into the crystal, just like you did in the Vice-Headmasters hall."

Quickly filtering into the room, we found ourselves seated in similar areas, some students wanting to change things up.

Pouring my mana into the crystal, I watched as the man, Professor Xiant, sighed as he approached the podium.

"Hah… Call me Professor Xiant; I'll be teaching you history for this year, and if you continue, I'll be your teacher again. This class will be dedicated to two main things; the Labyrinthian, and our Empire, mainly the Labyrinthian. Besides that, we'll be doing very basic monsterology, since most of the lands were formed and created to either avoid certain monsters, or to keep them out.

Now, like you could guess, this will be a more… book focused class, and there will be little hands-on activity in here. Papers, debates, quizzes… yeah, yeah, I know you find it boring, but this is stuff you need to know about. So try to pay attention please? Hah… anyways, just… don't break anything in these thirty minutes? Then you can go have fun outside with the meatheads…"

Collapsing into his chair, Professor Xiant buried his head into the three books opened on his desk, his hand blurring as he furiously scribbled something down in one of them.

"This is…"

Anput sounded despondent, sighing as she looked at Jahi.

"Please help me study; I don't know if I'd be able to stay sane in this class…"

Leone nodded, making Jahi chuckle.

"Yeah, a little group study session…"

I could already see the lust in her eyes as she said that, making me sigh.

However, if there was someone I wanted to help me study history, it would be the large bookworm in front of me.

Jahi knew her stuff, and even if she wanted to… divert our attention, we would eventually know enough to take the final early.

We fell back into discussion, the thirty minutes passing quickly as we talked about what we planned on doing next year.

Sighing when his hourglass grew empty, Professor Xiant got up, opening the door with a yawn.

"Come on, quick!"

He gestured for us to speed up, and we followed behind him as he swiftly led us deeper into the Academy.

Reaching a large set of double doors, he opened them and said "Here are the training grounds; its just a large cave, nothing fancy. Have fun!"

Making sure we were all there, the lanky History Professor bounced away, scurrying back to his books.

Entering the training grounds, we were in awe of the large cavern we found ourselves in, easily larger than a dozen of those lecture halls.

Standing in the center were three people, one of which was Liako.

Seeing us approach, they turned to stare at us.

A tall, bulky man leaned on an equally large axe, grinning at us as we got closer. His two bear ears twitched slightly, and I shuddered at the raw aura surrounding him.

Beside him was a short, thin elf, his serious face contrasting the Bearkin beside him.

On his back was a longbow, and we could see two daggers strapped to his legs. He looked every part the Elven Ranger, his piercing green eyes narrowed as he stared at us.

Lastly was Liako, her long raven black hair pulled into a ponytail as she sheathed her longsword, crossing her arms as her blue eyes raked over us.

"Ha! Look at all the fresh blood! I can't wait to see what they're like!"

"Calm down, you oversized oaf! Hah…"

The elf stepped forwards, nodding at us as he said "I am Hawn Sariel; that idiot behind me is Thorn Oakam, and this is Liako. We will be your close combat teachers."

Liako looked over at us, nodding before turning her attention back to the group.

"Each one of us is a seasoned adventurer, and we know many different styles of fighting. However, we all specialize in something; I used swords, Hawn uses daggers and ranged weapons, and Thorn uses heavier weapons, like axes and maces. Tomorrow we will do mock fights, to determine what you should focus on during our time together."

We all nodded, and this time Thorn stepped forwards, still grinning.

"Listen up whelps; this will be real training, which means it is likely you will get hurt. However, many of you are mages, some having been taught by private tutors over the years. If one of your classmates can't heal you back up, then you'll just need to go to the nurse, or preferably learn to not get injured."

Lifting the axe, he rested it on his shoulder, grinning wider as he continued.

"Besides that, we'll be doing little tournaments throughout the year, to rank each of you. There will be a… prize, for the Top Five students. so try hard, yeah?"

"Hah… we weren't supposed to tell them that till later you dolt! Fine… Yes, there will be incentives to get stronger, but they are a ways away from now. Try to find what you need to improve on first, before worrying about a high rank. Honestly, you all can either leave now or stay; nothing's stopping you. Just know that tomorrow will be much different."

Nodding, our group turned away instantly, Anput and Leone following behind Jahi.

I stopped for a second, a slight frown on my face as I looked over the students.

Someone was staring at me… and they weren't admiring me.

Shaking myself, I left, aware of the gaze lingering on me as I walked.

Hah… well, guess I already earned myself a grudge huh?

—

Slow, but the start of a school year was always slow wasn't it?

Besides that, I really need to get back into a schedule; one day break, another late, and today is VERY late… man it's kinda worrying how easy it is to stop doing daily uploads…

—