Chapter 23: Xyrus Academy

ARTHUR LEYWIN'S POV:"Wake up!" a shout pierced through my ears.Air was forced out of my lungs as Ellie oh-so-tenderly pounded my sternum with force capable of resuscitating a corpse.Gasping, I sat up and yelled, "Ellie!!". My sister just gave me an innocent smile and left the room, shouting, "Mom told you to hurry up and get dressed so we can eat."Still catching my breath, I couldn't help but smile at her antics. Despite everything, Ellie always managed to bring a sense of normalcy and joy to my life. As I got ready, my thoughts wandered back to the recent events.The announcement of traces of another continent, Six White core mages, as lances.One of the lances, Barion Wykes, Lucas's brother. Thinking about his betrayal in the Dire tomb and how Lucas had come to taunt us at the guild hall, I felt my blood boil. I would deal with that bug in time. His family had already been an obstacle to stopping me from killing him, and now with his brother being a white core mage, I could not take rash actions. I wasn't sure of how strong a white mage would be. I shook my head and thought of Dicathen.Today was an eventful day in the Dicathen calendar, marking the day the first steam engine ship called the Dicatheous would set sail on a voyage to the other continent. It was also the day I would start attending Xyrus Academy."Let's go wash up, Sylv!" I said, kind of excited about what the days at the academy would bring. I grabbed my companion and headed over to the shower.'No! Papa, I don't want to shower! I'm cleaaan!' "Kyuuuu!" Sylvie's desperate wails barely registered as I hauled her inside. Sylvie now had fur, or very thin, long, and soft scales that were very similar to fur. This meant she attracted dirt like a magnet, so washing her more often had become a necessity.After what felt like an eternity of wrestling with Sylvie, we finally emerged from the bathroom. I got dressed in the uniform from the Academy. It consisted of a black, military-style outfit with gold details and a knife strapped near the pocket.I was very accustomed to this type of uniform, having worn similar attire for most of my previous life. Still, I had an odd feeling this uniform might cause some trouble in my school life. However, I didn't have much choice, so I put it on and headed downstairs where everyone was gathered.Sylvie hopped on top of my head, her small claws digging into my scalp to keep grip, worrying me ever-so-slightly that I might bald prematurely.As I descended the stairs, the familiar buzz of morning conversations filled the air. Mom and Aunt Tabitha were busy setting the table, while Ellie was already seated. Ellie gave me a bright smile, her eyes twinkling with excitement."Took you long enough to get ready! Who are you trying to impress?" My mother wagged her finger at me while Tabitha, who was in an apron matching my mother's, started giggling."Good morning, Arthur! You look quite dashing in that uniform." She gave me an appraising look, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "It's very different from what Lilia wore. The black military style with gold details suits you, but it stands out.""Maybe, because Lilia is from the Student Council, so her uniform is different." My mom suggested. Still, I had doubts that I was being played into some nasty trap by the director."Oh right, you probably don't know, but she is going to be up on stage for the orientation since she's part of the student council. She's probably nervous by now, so make sure you cheer her on." Saying that Tabitha also sat down across from me next to Mom and Ellie. I nodded my head."I see the both of you are wearing the necklaces I gave you," I noted while my mouth was still full of oatmeal and fruit."Yup, why wouldn't I when it's such a beautiful piece of jewelry? I wish your father had half the amount of sense that you do," my mother sighed, fiddling with the Phoenix Wyrm ornament."All my friends are jealous because of how pretty it is! Be sure to get me things like these more, okay Brother?" Ellie leaned forward on her chair as she talked excitedly."Sure," I dismissed, trying to calculate exactly how much something like the pendant would actually cost.My father came in, quite evident he had been training from the beads of sweat rolling down his face. "Sorry, I'm late for breakfast! I was in the middle of a small breakthrough!" He eagerly sat down and looked at me. "Wow, my boy is already going to school. I can't believe it. Looks like we raised Arthur well, right honey?" My father smiled broadly."What do you mean 'we'? I was the one that raised him," my mother scoffed, giving him a sly grin."I guess the only times I raised my children were when they got into trouble then?" My father raised a brow."As long as you know," my mother stated matter-of-factly, causing the whole table to chuckle.The only ones missing were Vincent and Lilia. Lilia had to go to school a few days earlier since she had to do some work for the student council but Vincent had been more and more busy these days as he was part of the management committee for the ship, Dicatheous, setting sail today."Please control yourself to a degree, Arthur. There are members of very influential families attending that school. You wouldn't want to create trouble for Tabitha's family," My mother warned me, her face filled with worry."Don't worry. I'll be sure only moderately to beat people up!" I saluted while stuffing my face with more oatmeal, Sylvie stealing the fruits mixed into it. My mother just shook her head but my father laughed, just as a maid walked in."Mr. Arthur, the driver says that we should leave now if you are to make it on time for the orientation ceremony," she said while bowing.I stood up and walked around the table to where my mother and Ellie sat. "Mom, Ellie, before I leave, I need you guys to show me your index finger for a bit.""Huh?" My mother looked at me, confused, but nevertheless showed me her index finger while my sister unhesitatingly followed suit. I took a quick poke at both their index fingers with my mana-imbued finger, just enough for a droplet of blood to form on the tips of theirs."Put the blood on the necklaces." The seriousness in my voice made them silently concede despite their initial surprise. They both placed their index fingers on their respective necklaces and the blood on the tip of their fingers got absorbed into the jewel immediately."These necklaces are now bound to you, so only you two can wear them. They'll protect you just in case Dad or I aren't there, but still keep yourselves safe while I'm gone, okay?" I gave both of them a strong hug, my sister tearing up a little bit. I hugged my father and Tabitha as well, my father holding me firmly in his strong arms."Be good, Arthur, and don't worry about us," my father said."Come visit whenever you can and keep in touch!" my mother added before letting us off."Bye Brother! Be safe!" my sister shouted out to me as I walked down the stairs."Your luggage is in the back of the carriage." The driver bowed and opened the door for me.I couldn't help but smile, looking back at my old home, as I stepped inside the carriage that would bring me to my new one.The ride to Xyrus Academy wasn't too long since it was in the same city, but the campus itself was enormous, so going in through the main gate took some time.There was an abundance of other extravagantly decorated carriages, some twice as long as normal carriages, with low-ranked mana beasts pulling them.Our carriage was quite luxurious as well, but that was from the standpoint of commoners. Compared to those richly decorated carriages of major families, ours weren't nearly as eye-catching."We have arrived, Master Arthur." The driver opened the door for me as I stepped out."Kyu!" 'Woah, this place is big,' Sylvie's voice rang into my head. I couldn't help but compare it to my previous life in the royal castle. My castle was far larger, built during a very advanced era, with technology seamlessly integrated into its structure. It was a testament to the peak of our civilization's progress.However, Xyrus Academy had a different kind of charm. The academy exuded a sense of regality and prestige that was palpable. Its architecture was grand and refined, designed to inspire awe and respect. The intricate details and the historic aura of the place made it feel as though every stone held a piece of the academy's storied past.While my castle was a marvel of modern advancements, Xyrus Academy embodied a timeless elegance that commanded admiration in its own right.As I entered the academy, I immediately winced at the noise. The loud chatter of excited students filled the air, reminding me just how noisy kids this age could be. It took me a moment to realize that people were staring at me. Glancing around, I noticed that my uniform was different. The other students wore either a white dress shirt, a grey vest, a maroon string tie around their necks, and a pair of tailored navy dress pants or a white dress shirt underneath with a badge featuring a crossed sword and staff etched intricately over the breast pocket. In contrast, my black, military-style uniform with gold details stood out like a sore thumb. As I thought, I had indeed been played by that old hag. But the students' heads soon turned toward something beside me.Suddenly, I felt something touch the back of my leg. Turning around, I saw a wolf with a darker shade of brown fur, almost reaching my knees. It had an overgrown mane, some orange markings, and a long-haired tail.Just then, a boy came running towards us, shouting, "Demitrius!" The boy had messy spiked black hair, bright yellow eyes, bulkier but not much with brad shoulder, and looked to be around my age. He skidded to a halt as he spotted us. "You need to stop running around like that, Demitrius," he scolded Demitrius. "What if you got lost? Or worse, what if someone mistook you for a wild mana beast?" He crossed his arms, glaring at the wolf.But Demitrius just pointed towards me with his paws, the boy's eyes widened upon seeing me as he exclaimed, "Ha! Finally someone with the same uniform as me." "I am Gawain Ariosto, from house Ariosto, nice to meet you," he introduced himself and extended.~~A/N: Well, here is our new OC, the next chapter will be his perspective to get somewhat the idea of what his life is like. This chapter was kinda filler, as I needed to pick up the pace again, Make sure to like the chapter and comment on anything you would like to see in the future.Special announcement: I am thinking of making a separate series where Caera will be Mc and the story and the plot changes will be explained along with some filler chapters and it will be part of this Series but like explaining another side. The reason for doing so is, I don't want Caera to just become OP character after meeting with Arthur but rather have her own story also I have decided on her power leveling but I am open to suggestions. Of course, that story won't disrupt the flow of this series, so I will probably upload one chapter per week or when I am free for that one.