I was invited to the basement of our dormitory by my friends who were in the same situation. It's a basement that has been converted into a common room - the reason for this is that ordinary practitioners like us are not allowed to stay on the Academy campus outside of class and meal times, so we don't have access to the Academy's common rooms.

I'm quite happy that I was able to meet the first-year students with me.

The person who greeted me was a guy called Dieter, the son of a pure peasant family living on the outskirts of the city of Clitus.

He, like the people standing in front of me, has a talent for magic, which is why he has the opportunity to study here.

People like me gathered in large numbers for a welcome party organised by a group of second-year students, led by Fergal, the son of a poor baronet.

"Fergan-san is also a noble, why is he here?" I was curious to talk to Dieter.

Dieter is a man with tanned skin and a toned body. When he heard the question, he came close to my ear:

"Fergan-senpai stood up for a classmate who was the victim of bullying, and unfortunately it was an embarrassment to a certain noble lady..."

"Later, her powerful father took revenge. He found an absurd excuse to confiscate all of Fergant's family property and then demoted them to civilian"

"Just because of an embarrassment?" I heard and my heart ached.

"Yes, the Royal Academy has always been praised as a place of equality, but in fact it isn't. On the contrary, it's a place where nobles flaunt their reputations..." Dieter was speaking when he suddenly stopped...

"Let's... let's change the topic".

I also understand that the topic Dieter is talking about is very sensitive:

"Then why are they having such a big welcome party?"

"You see, the welcome party is a party to build bonds between students who are in the same situation as us. Suppose there is a dispute with the noble student, then we can also calm things down a bit - although that is very unlikely".

"Not only do we socialise, we also exchange information, form study groups and practise!"

A bespectacled man standing in the corner spoke up as he approached me. Lawn, that's his name.

Unlike Dieter, this guy has a rather active personality, a thin but tall body and glasses of knowledge.

Lawn put his arm around me and prepared to continue:

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"The first and foremost purpose of this party is to find the next suitable candidate."

Seeing my and Dieter's stunned expressions when he heard this, Lawn pushed up his glasses and hurriedly explained:

"Every year, the Academy holds a vote to select five representatives for high positions in the Student Council."

"If elected, the representative can get some special powers, including the right to complain, we can complain about bullying directly to the school administration."

"Will the complaint be successful?" Dieter asked.

"Maybe?"

"Why is it 'maybe'?"

"Because there are a handful of clans that even the school authorities dare not touch. For example, the noble lady that Fergan-senpai was guilty of, her clan is a big clan that has contributed a lot to the academy, so it's understandable that they turn a blind eye".

"But to be honest, if there is a person like us in the student council, our voice will carry more weight!"

Dieter nodded as if he understood.

After chatting for a while, the group of sophomores had just returned in large numbers, so we started this party.

The following year it seemed to be our turn to host it.

Suddenly, one of the upperclassmen approached me.

"You are..." I was confused to see that he was about to offer me some alcoholic drinks, but thankfully I refused.

"Andrea, Andrea Conal"

Andrea-senpai seems to be a third or fourth year student, because he's old enough to drink alcohol.

"You're a special student in the entrance exam, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am..."

Andrea-senpai listened to me and expressed her admiration:

"You used only one sword to defeat other noble magicians, which proves that you are very promising."

Dieter, who was sitting next to me, was surprised.

"So the 'divergent' in the rumour is you?"

"Um..." I lowered my head slightly.

"I haven't had any magical powers since I was born..."

When I said that, I thought people would look at me with contempt, but in fact I seemed to be wrong.

"Is what you just said true?" Dieter and Lawn exclaimed, "You're really good !"

"It's not easy to defeat the nobles who were taught magic from an early age!"

The way they talked about it comforted me. It makes me feel very comfortable.

"Hey, Anos-kun!"

"You know, magicians are very weak when it comes to direct combat," Dieter looked at me, "According to Andrea-senpai, you use a sword, right?"

"Can you teach me a bit of swordsmanship?"

I was surprised by Dieter's suggestion, and when he saw my surprise, he also said that he would teach me how his water-magic works.

As this was a win-win situation for both parties, I nodded quietly.

Shortly afterwards, Andrea-senpai talked about the problems that often occur in the academy, emphasising the need to avoid attracting attention as much as possible. He also listened to Dieter and Lawn's questions, which were about using the training room, the library, joining clubs, etc.

I have some questions too, but I can find out for myself. I thought if we asked him too much, this party would turn into an interrogation.

"Hey, did you hear what I said?" Lawn nudged me on the shoulder.

"I heard that besides Anos-kun, the academy is also accepting a very special student this year..."

"What then?" Dieter didn't seem to care.

"If you don't know, you don't find it interesting !" Lawn laughed, but then very seriously, "This girl is a student from the Elfdof Forest."

"Elfdof? So she's an elf?"

"Yes, she's an elf. I've never seen an elf in real life" Lawn looked at me, "I heard she was allowed to enrol in the noble class, but she chose to study in the commoner class!"

"Oh"

"So we'll be studying with a beautiful elf," Dieter went from being uninterested to the most interested person.

If I ignore the reason why the elf girl chooses to study in the commoner class, contrary to the excitement of the other two friends, I feel this is actually quite normal.

Maybe it's because my parents both have friends who are elfs and dwarves, and they used to visit us a lot.

At that moment I heard Charlotee's familiar call from outside.

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