Chapter 6: The Beroma Continent (corrected )

Turning my head toward the new arrival, I staggered. I was dumbfounded by the odds of fate.

Seriously, again!???

"Good morning, Principal, miss." Greeted Mainu in his formal blue and white uniform.

His semi-long hair, normally lightly tied in the back of his head, was let down beautifully.

In his hand, I could see a pile of new books.

"I received the new books this morning from the delivery service. Where should I put those?"

"Don't worry, let them here.

Here's Georgia Premeson, the person who you will take care of during this semester. I count on you to help her accordingly, Mainu!"

"Hello miss. I am Mainu Frederic DuPont, but you can call me Mainu. I hope I will be able to help you to the best of my ability."

"Hello, thank you, Mainu. Pleased to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine, miss."

Trying to not let my eyebrows twitch, I focused on gently rubbing the back of my dress.

Panic engulfed me in a chaotic spiral as I tried my best not to let it transpire on my face.

-What did I do in my past life to deserve this!? Tell me, God, you actually hate me, right!?

As soon as I take a resolution, something happens to make me deviate from it. It's like a cruel joke.

Now I had no choice but to admit it; something was strangely attracting me to this boy. Maybe it was really fate. But a cruel one.

"Shall we depart then? I will give you a guided visit of the academy."

"Many thanks. Goodbye Principal."

"Goodbye Principal."

"Goodbye children!"

....

It has been a couple of minutes now that we have been walking ahead without talking. Despite what he said earlier, he did not stop anywhere to let me visit. No introduction, nothing.

It was only him, me, and the suffocating silence.

Being a slow walker, I was mostly observing him from the back. The taller boy was very fast and efficient, but really quiet. While he did not seem to be annoyed by my presence, he did not try to make me feel welcomed either.

"So you are really a mage, huh?" He finally said, beginning a semblance of conversation.

" Yes…and you too, right?"

"No, I am not. I am from the knight faction…"

"What? Then why are you my guide?"

"Because I asked it."

"You asked it…"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"… That's a secret." he said, turning his face slightly toward me, smirking.

"…"

"*cough, cough*…. I will first take you to the principal's buildings, where every course takes place. Then we will go to the library, where I will give you a short introduction to the academy's history. Finally, I will escort you to your room before giving you the book's rules. Is that alright with you?"

"It's alright, I guess..."

"Perfect then. We have arrived."

Before us stood three large buildings, the ones I saw at my arrival at the academy. They were still as jaw-dropping as the first time I saw them. Only this time, I had the opportunity to look more closely and even inside them.

Just like the fronts, the insides were magnificent and nice-looking. The place pictured exactly what an academy from fairytales would look like. It was bright—as there were a lot of transparent windows and doors—and had a somehow magical atmosphere. The wooden floor seemed to transfer warmth as we walked on it.

"We call those buildings, apart from the principals buildings, the megatons—a name granted by the founding queen of Gefya."

"I see!"

"As a mage, aside from the training grounds, you'll study here most of the time. There's a smaller practice room for the magic students here."

" Great." I perfunctorily replied again, not excited to have longer conversations with him. Since I did not know nor understand his motives for approaching me, I better stand on guard.

"If you have any questions, you are allowed to go to my faction to ask anytime…you can also directly come to my room too."

" Your room…"

" Yes. Students, regardless of their gender have the rights to visit each other during the limited time in the daytime and the open hours, before the curfew."

" Really? What if…"

"Don't worry, nobody has ever been assaulted during those visits. Moreover, those are limited times controlled by magic, so nothing bad should happen." He said, slightly smiling." Moreover, I don't bite; do not worry." He added mischievously.

" Ah…"

—The hell do you mean you don't bite? No. You do worse; you devour (not to take it literally).

"Then I will be sure to let you know if I have any questions!" I said firmly but with a light tone. This way, I still stood on my ground while not letting my mask fall.

I should never forget my role.

....

Finally ending the "visit" day, I went back to my dormitory, accompanied by Mainu.

The day had been a roller coaster of various emotions: from consternation to embarrassment, everything passed.

The boy did not let any side of his true self show: he was always polite and open to any requests. A little too perfect to be true.

If I were not so sure of his masquerade, I would have thought that he was genuinely a good person. Someone you could count on without fearing being backstabbed.

Unfortunately for me, he was not. Besides, you could still see a bit of his true thoughts transpire now and then when he made sharp and double-edged remarks.

With an innocent voice, he could look at you, eye in the eye and say, "You can come to me anytime… for advice, surely." Or "Since everything is controlled, it's not like I could do anything even if I wanted. It's only rhetorical."

One thing was sure: Mainu Frederic DuPont was nowhere near your typical sweet and weak protagonist. In fact, nothing was weak about him: whatever it was his twisted personality or his outstanding capabilities.

He was admired and revered, and he knew how to use it to his advantage.

Moreover, in addition to his stunning beauty, he had a huge sex appeal, which gained him numerous suitors and the attention of the most promising men in the country.

The only problem—sadly for the women of this world—was that he did not feel any attraction for the female gender. Not only did he not like them, but he even despised them in a way. He would only use his charm on them when he could gain some kind of political advantage from them.

As for the reason behind all of this, I didn't know. There was no tragic story behind it for me to empathize with. Utterly, I could not even understand his actions.

But because I couldn't emotionally attach myself to him—or at least not fully—it led me to be more aware. That would be my power. Awareness.

—I don't understand him. What does he want from me?

"We are here!" He said slowly, like to slow down the pace of time with his voice.

—Is he waiting for something? 'If it's for me to invite you, you can count on!' I thought with sarcasm.

As much as the boy intrigued me, I would never invite the wolf into the sheep's sanctuary. I may have acted like I was a sweet, silly girl, but I was not.

Although not the queen of self-discipline or the master of tricks, I still had enough senses in my bag to survive. Being pragmatic and realistic was one of them.

"Yes ! Here we are, indeed! I hope you will have a good day."

"Maybe I can talk to you more about the school's rules before going?"

"No, do not worry; I am fine. I think I figured everything out! Thank you again."

"Goodbye then…Gorgia." He said looking at me dead in the eye, suddenly reaching for me.

Seeing him suddenly move his hands towards me, I flinched while dodging.

But before I could go any further, he caught my hand, holding it tightly.

Then, just as fast, he wrapped me in his arms.

At this very moment, I stilled, my body as tense as a rock.

My upper body, now surrounded by body warmth, was slowly heating up. I felt awfully hot!

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" I screamed in my panic while struggling to get out of his arms.

I was now red with anger.

Angry because of his actions, but mostly because I could not even rival a sixteen-year-old brat. I had no physical strength.

Whilst god had granted me almost unlimited magical power, on the other hand, he had bestowed me with the strength of a mosquito.

"Nothing. I just wanted to hug you…am I not allowed to?"

"Of course you are not! I don't even know you!"

"Oh really? Are you really sure?"

"What do you mean, if I am really sure? Don't try to get in my head!"

"I'm not."

"You are crazy.

Let me go, please!"

Titling his head while gauging me from above, Mainu squinted his eyes before finally letting me go. Then he looked down, deep in his thoughts, before finally turning around and leaving—without looking back.

- Yeah that's right, you better stop pretending! You stupid kid!

Getting more frustrated, I stomped on the floors a few times in a row. My hair was disheveled, scattered all around my shoulders. My bun had fallen during our altercation. I let out a final few muffled sounds, breathing heavily, before finally joining my room.

I admit acting excessively, but in my defense, that was my mechanical response to frustration.

As long as I could remember—even before reincarnating in this world—I would have some manic episodes from time to time like that, the only difference being that those were literal breakdowns.

Seemed like the accumulation of emotional turmoil had the better of me this time.

Passing my head under cold water, I finally felt better.

In the mirror reflected a sweet, tired child. The baby fat on her face could not hide the maturity of her traits nor her deep, thoughtful eyes.

Turning off the tap, I took a few mouthfuls of air before changing into my pajamas and heading to my bed.

- What a long day…I thought before falling asleep.