Gandbik (2)
A serene office with faint light seeping through. The walls, decorated in an antique style, were lined with portraits of countless past guardians of Eldmier. Beneath them, their names and terms of office were inscribed in elegant script. Two hundred years, one hundred fifty, eighty, sixty. The time each had protected Eldmier as headmaster had drastically shortened with each generation.
For a while, it seemed thirty to forty years had solidified as the average tenure, but in this era, Albrecht Yustil had shattered that record by reigning for over seventy years. He had restored Eldmier's waning authority and stood as the undisputed pinnacle among contemporary wizards. Yet the air in the headmaster's office, perched at the top of the lofty tower where he now resided, hung heavy and still.
Tick-tock— tick-tock— The pendulum clock's rhythm cut through the silence, filling the room like the beat of a colossal heart.
The desk looked different from usual. Unidentified silver instruments whirred softly as they spun, but they seemed not to reach Albrecht, who was lost in deep thought. His calm gaze remained fixed on a single point in the void.
"Hmm... I just don't know."
Albrecht's wrinkled hand brushed over a weathered parchment on the corner of the desk. Traces of ancient magic, vanished centuries ago, pulsed coldly against his fingertips.
"Is this good news?"
Far in the past, when Eldmier Academy had finally established itself fully as an academy. There had been five dorms:
[Orben] [Veilran] [Durantes] [Veritaris] [Gratia]
Each dorm was protected by a mighty spirit beast. Their forms became the symbols of the dorms.
Long ago, as mystery lost its power, those beings vanished along with it. As the number of awakening wizards dwindled, the dorms shrank to three, only recently expanding back to four.
Naturally, the number of residents in each dorm was incomparable to before... In modern times, students enjoyed the vast dorms with plenty of space to spare.
It had been centuries since the dorm lifestyle settled into one room per person. Albrecht let out a long sigh and removed his glasses.
"This sudden mess is giving me a headache."
The deep furrows between his brows looked parched today, like the bark of an ancient tree. Chronic overwork was taking its toll on his aged body; his neatly clasped fingers trembled faintly.
"Hoo..."
His eyes, profound with wisdom and usually serene, flickered with undisguised fatigue today.
"Is this an inescapable fate as well?"
The return of the long-lost house master wasn't entirely welcome. Yet he couldn't ignore their demands forever.
"Hugroabru"
As he murmured the incantation softly, the floating candles flickered in unison, emitting a blue glow.
Shoooo— Flames bloomed silently over the now-stilled silver instruments, rising as dazzling particles.
In an instant, the scattering specks of light formed the shape of an ancient beast and opened its mouth.
"So, have you made your decision?"
The resonant voice echoed from the instrument. Albrecht, headmaster of Eldmier, sighed deeply before replying.
"Cortis. Your return is welcome, but over a thousand years have passed since you slumbered. Even that fact is long forgotten. Reviving the old system now is impossible."
At Albrecht's refusal, the particles atop the silver device swirled violently. Cortis's particle-formed face warped grotesquely, the light specks trembling faintly in embarrassment.
"Oh dear, there seems to be a misunderstanding. We don't intend anything so unreasonable. We simply ask to restore the dorms to their original five, as before."
"That much is fine. We can divide the incoming freshmen into five starting this year. We'll need to hurriedly clear space for the new dorm, but since only first-years will stay initially, it shouldn't be too much trouble. But the dorm assignment ceremony! That's an entirely different matter."
Cortis's form narrowed its eyes at the unyielding stance, showing no room for compromise.
"Why? Wasn't it a tradition we upheld in our time?"
"The era is different now! I don't know how it was back then, but today's first-years are immature children who can barely care for themselves!"
Even at Albrecht's shout, the magic-particle beast remained arrogantly calm. Yet in that stillness, a sharp flicker of light betrayed open displeasure toward the human defying its authority.
"There were children back then too. Aren't you overreacting?"
"Regardless, I absolutely will not allow throwing those kids into some dark forest where the sun never rises under the pretext of a 'test.'"
At Albrecht's firm declaration, the swirling particles atop the device cooled and settled like falling ash. Cortis's mocking murmur echoed chillingly through the communicator.
"How unfortunate. Then there's no helping it. It was odd that Orbus, the mightiest among us, had no occupant. Now I understand why. Have you grown so frail in our absence?"
Albrecht didn't flinch at the insult.
"The age of myths is over. This is the era of humans. We are no longer kings or nobles. Not even advisors anymore."
A brief silence filled the office. The fading particle form atop the device seemed to lament the futile passage of ages.
"......I see. So the cradle of heroes has fallen this far. Very well. But remember our pact—we have the right to choose the children. I hope you won't strip us of that too."
"I'll arrange a separate venue."
No sooner had Albrecht promised than the white particles scattered and vanished into the silver device.
Paths between the tall tower and stone buildings were lit by soft lights that cast an eerie charm over the roads and structures.
A wide clearing held several parked buses. Upperclassmen disembarked first, grabbing their luggage and flowing toward the dorms like an ebbing tide. Left behind were the freshmen, standing blankly with their bundles.
"Huh? We're not all going together?"
It seemed freshmen had a separate schedule. Then, the crisp sound of shoe heels striking the stone pavement approached steadily.
A spotless black three-piece suit, white gloves, a black cane in hand, and a monocle. His impeccable appearance alone suggested he was no ordinary stickler.
'Alfredo?'
He didn't look like regular staff. I'd expected flowing robes at a prestigious magic school, but this guy resembled a high-end hotel concierge, making it hard to pin down.
"Who is he? A professor?"
"He looks like some head butler."
"Yeah. Dorm supervisor maybe?"
As the kids buzzed, trying to figure him out, the concierge-like man stopped before the freshmen and adjusted his monocle with a gloved hand.
"Ahem."
He tapped his black cane lightly on the ground, placed his left hand lightly over his chest, and bowed his head with precise elegance. It felt more like formal protocol than a warm welcome.
"Pleased to meet you. I am Benedict Benitas, in charge of escorting you. As Eldmier's dean of students, I oversee all the rules you must follow."
Click—
As the kids awkwardly pondered whether to greet him, Benedict pulled a silver pocket watch from his vest pocket, checked it, and snapped it shut with a sharp metallic snap.
"You're thirty minutes late. I'll need to inform the Asphodel Ship's captain separately."
His monocle flashed as his piercing gaze swept over the students. A chilling pressure, like being dissected, turned the clearing deathly silent in an instant.
"Fortunately, no problematic students seem present."
Benedict waved his cane lightly, summoning a cluster of bluish-glowing identification tags from thin air. The papers scattered like living butterflies, landing one in each student's palm.
He tapped the ground lightly with his cane again and continued.
"Time's delayed, so we'll hurry. Confirm your name on the tag and attach it to your luggage. Leave it here, and our staff will store it until your dorm assignment, then deliver it promptly. If you need the restroom urgently, use the one at the far end of the clearing. We depart in exactly ten minutes."
"Wh-what?"
"Let's just move."
Clatter-clatter—
Caught off guard by the rapid pace, the kids scrambled to comply. He watched each one intently, confirming readiness, and nodded satisfied as the last joined the line.
"Seems everyone’s ready. Let's depart. Follow me."
The freshmen trailed Benedict down narrow paths for a while. Amid sparse lights and dense trees, ancient-style buildings emerged.
Pushing open heavy doors revealed a vast semicircular hall that sank deeply downward from the entrance.
"Whoa......"
Gasps of awe rose here and there. Nodding at the other kids' reactions, I thought to myself...
...It really looks like a temple.
We stepped into the space where the entrance ceremony was probably about to begin.