To the Academy (2)
Clip-clop! Clip-clop!
A luxurious carriage rolled smoothly along the well-paved road.
Inside sat Ellen, bound for Harryford—the capital of the Prode Kingdom—to enroll in the Magic Academy.
“The Magic Academy is where one receives foundational magical education in order to become a mage. There is a commoner class, a noble class, and a special class; you will almost certainly be placed in the commoner class. Since the royal family funds the academy, the Magic Tower also dispatches competent mages there as military instructors. As my disciple, you will find it far easier to be assigned as one of those military mages. Ah, but graduating does not automatically make you a mage. Graduates who fail the examination hosted by the Magic Tower become Magic Assistants. Have you heard of Magic Assistants?”
The moment they left Los, Yujin’s self-important lecture began.
This insufferable mage bastard.
Ellen did his best to ignore every word, yet Yujin prattled on without the slightest sign of fatigue.
“Magic Assistants are the losers who never managed to become proper mages. All they can do is ape a few simple spells. A true mage is someone who pursues truth and contributes to the advancement of magic through research.”
One corner of Ellen’s mouth curled upward at those words.
And you’re such a ‘true mage’ that you failed the periodic evaluation twice?
Back when he had been a Magic Assistant himself, Ellen had heard plenty about Yujin.
Intermittent Mage.
That was the man’s nickname.
Mages belonging to the Magic Tower were each assigned a private room equipped with a personal laboratory. Every three years they had to demonstrate either research achievements or clear improvement in skill; failure meant their annual research stipend was reduced—or cut off entirely. Fail three times and they were expelled from the Tower.
Even those who were cast out still held the title of mage, yet they belonged neither among the Tower’s mages nor among the Magic Assistants.
At present Yujin had already failed the periodic evaluation twice, thanks to pathetic research results and stagnant skill. He would barely scrape by on the final chance a year from now and keep his room in the Tower. After that he would continue the same pattern—failing twice and clinging on by the skin of his teeth the third time—so that his colleagues had dubbed him the Intermittent Mage, a man who was a true mage only once every ten years.
And this guy has the gall to preen about research achievements. Unbelievable.
“Is there anything else you wish to know?”
Oblivious to Ellen’s thoughts, Yujin simply assumed his disciple was the quiet type and kept talking.
“I believe that is sufficient.”
“Tsk! A proper disciple ought to approach everything with curiosity!”
Yujin arranged his features into a deliberately haughty expression.
“This master shall teach you more.”
Is the first thing I need to do simply become stronger than this man?
Ellen sincerely thought so as he let Yujin’s words wash over him.
“See that you do not bring shame upon your master’s name.”
“Yes. Please go in.”
Ellen bowed his head; Yujin raised a hand in reply and returned to the Magic Tower.
Laden with bags in both arms, Ellen trudged toward the dormitory, grunting under the weight.
I never expected him to buy me all this.
The moment they arrived in Harryford, Yujin had purchased every item Ellen would need for the dormitory. He had even outfitted him with a full set of robes and a hat. His intention was clear: saddle the boy with a debt of gratitude while he still knew nothing. Ellen had seen through the ploy, of course, but chose to accept the gifts for now.
So I’ve come back here again.
Memories from thirty years earlier flooded through Ellen’s mind. Having failed twice, he had spent more time at the academy than anyone; every corner of the place still held his recollections.
Creak.
Ellen found his room and opened the door. Someone was already inside.
“My roommate? I’m Kinber. Nice to meet you.”
Ellen knew the boy with the navy-blue hair and eyes perfectly well. Thirty years ago he had met this same boy in this exact spot.
“I’m Ellen.”
“Glad to meet you, Ellen!”
Kinber beamed and helped Ellen unpack, just as he had in the past.
“If you’d like, I can show you around the academy. My father’s a merchant who deals with the Magic Tower, so I used to come here with him all the time. Among the freshmen, I probably know my way around better than anyone.”
“I’d appreciate that.”
Ellen knew the academy inside and out, but he decided a tour would also help him sort through his old memories.
They left the floor reserved for commoner rooms and headed down to the dormitory lobby.
“This is the lobby. Left side is where commoners like us live; right side is for the nobles. Best to stay away from that direction if you can help it.”
Kinber shook his head firmly. Ellen was already well acquainted with the nobles’ sense of privilege.
A sharp voice cut in from beside them.
“Hey. Who do you think you are, looking at the noble wing with that expression?”
They turned. A blond boy with every strand of hair slicked straight back stood there with several other youths.
That guy…
“My apologies. I overstepped out of idle curiosity.”
Kinber stepped forward at once and bowed his head.
“An apology is enough? A mere commoner thinks an apology is enough?”
Same as ever. Or rather, of course he is.
The boy’s name was Rick Chedleton—heir of the prestigious Chedleton Marquis family, a lineage of renowned mages. Whether by blood or not, he possessed tremendous talent… and a personality just as enormous.
“Please, Lord Chedleton, grant us your magnanimous forgiveness just this once. We will never set foot near that place again.”
Kinber bowed even lower. He had learned the art of survival from his father early on and knew precisely when—and to whom—he should yield.
Rick Chedleton, however, had no intention of forgiving anyone. From the very first day he had planned to establish his dominance by picking on whoever happened to be convenient.
“Not so, Lord Chedleton! How dare lowly commoners spy on the living quarters of noble heirs? Such insolence must be punished.”
An unfamiliar voice made everyone turn.
When Ellen’s eyes found the speaker, rage surged through him.
Leonard!
There stood young Leonard, groveling before Chedleton with every ounce of sycophancy he could muster. Chedleton looked pleased by the flattery.
“You’re a little different from the other commoner trash, aren’t you?”
“I am honored you think so. But as a student who aspires to become a mage, how could I possibly be ignorant of the Chedleton family?”
Every word and gesture made bile rise in Ellen’s throat. It was not yet time.
“Hahaha! Very well—exactly as you say, I shall teach that insolent dog a proper lesson. However, since the family head is still present, I shall postpone it for a short while.”
That should be enough to set the tone.
Satisfied with his little performance, Chedleton and his entourage returned to their rooms.
Bang!
The moment Ellen shut their door, Kinber collapsed onto the bed. Tears nearly sprang to his eyes at the thought that the very first day had already gone so wrong.
Yet Ellen, seated on the edge of his own bed, smiled inwardly.
Leonard. Chedleton. You won’t be able to do things the way you did in the past. Things are about to get a lot more interesting.