Post comments about your ideas and what you like to see in the story! There may just be some ideas that are better than my own ^^
~ Artemis University, Capital Marth
Ahh. The buzzing of the students chatting everywhere in the front yard, the new and refreshing atmosphere, the random gossips in the corners. One can tell from the feeling and commotion that this is a school, just like any other school. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited at all. I have not talked to anybody in this world that is of my apparent age, and of course am very excited to meet normal friends and have a normal school life. Well, one can consider me an old geezer, a very old one, and attending school at that kind of age is strange… but as they once said, ‘age is only a number’.
The school security is quite tight too, they have a huge powerful barrier covering the school, where only people with a pass can come in and out as they please. I had to show a guard a letter to allow passage for me through the barrier and through the gate.
However, the question remains still, how did I end up here?
… A few days ago ...
“Alright, I’ll be sending you to school.”, Grandma just threw it in my face after we reached home one day after training.
“What?”
“All it takes is for me to send a quick letter to the headmaster of the university and you’ll be enrolled in no time. Don’t worry about that.”
“What?”
“I’ve decided that sending you to school would be the best choice. After all, you need to have real friends of your age, and it would be a great experience for you, don’t you think? Now that you have this new body of this age, shouldn’t you try to live this new life of yours a little more properly?”
I thought for a bit. That was still quite sudden. Real friends. Very compelling. And also a school life. But do I need it though? Is it worth my time? What can I really learn there?
My brain snapped. Then I realized.
Why am I thinking so much? This is my adventure, whatever goes! School? HECK YEAH WHY NOT? (my apparent split personality when I get too stressed)
“YEAH!”
Grandma looked at me for a bit, shocked at my sudden approval and burst of excitement.
*Ahem* “Alright then.”, I calmed myself down from the heightened state of stress, regaining composure.
“I know that was sudden, but I don’t have much proficiency in other fields, only in magic and its studies, and you have already learnt most of the basic and advanced magic already. It’s probably more fun for you if you learn things by yourself, without me telling you everything. Not to say, I can’t provide you with friends, so it would be the best for you to go to school. The term had just started a week ago, so it wouldn’t be too late for you join in yet.”
“Even though you’re a sage, you are not as good in the other fields?”
“A sage have wisdom, but not necessarily knowledge. And my wisdom tells me to send you to school. There are three universities you can choose from in this capital; Athena, Artemis or Hermes University. They are all really good schools from what I have heard. Not been in the capital for a long time now, I’ve forgotten much about the details.”
“Let me choose this…”, I said as I gathered water into a die shape above my palm, and solidified the liquid, making an ice die.
“One and four is Athena, two and five is Hermes, and three and six is Artemis.”, I threw the die into the air. I knew that it’s for times like this in tough situations with multiple choices that seem equally good that I need to use a die. I saw my parents do it a lot of times in their research, so it was ‘scientifically’ proven to work, hehe. May the uncertainty of the universe bless me.
Ooh. It landed on a six. A nice number, I wonder what it might signify.
“Artemis University it is then.”, Grandma said as she went into her room and closed the door.
And thus, I was enrolled into Artemis University.
…
I was wearing the school uniform. It was an all-black suit, looking much like those ancient Japanese military-style uniforms. Of course I wore my lab coat over it, which grandma fixed the hole a few days ago by sewing on a piece of white cloth, which has properties that is quite similar to the lab coat, though not the same. I had also asked her to make me a glove with the remaining cloth, to cover the black symbol on my hand. I had thought that just leaving the symbol on my hand for everybody to see could create some difficulties. The aura could still be felt from around my hand after grandma suppressed it, while the glove does not suppress the aura any further, it could still cover the black symbol, so people don’t try to check it out.
Ahh yes, as grandma said, I need to report to the headmaster. It feels like this is the standard procedure for whenever one transfers to a school. I’ve read many mangas and novels they all seem to reflect this strange trait. Oh well, it’s best to meet the headmaster anyway since I’ve missed the opening ceremony.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
But this campus sure is huge though, spanning two kilometres in each direction. Surely this takes up a lot of space in the capital, and there are three of this kind of schools too. The government must really respect education to put so much resources into them.
Still, this campus is horribly complicated and confusing. Pathways from one place to another cross each other, goes up and down, and of course dead ends are also everywhere. I wonder how students manage to get around without being able to memorize the maps as well as me.
After a long walk around the campus, up and down, left and right, I have finally reached the headmaster’s office. It was at the end of a large corridor with a massive door, giving this whole place the look of a palace, as if I was entering the king’s chambers.
I opened the door. A table at the far end sits the headmaster, a young lady looking in her mid-twenties. Fair skin, snow white hair, a slender body and a pretty face that could make any mortal man fall in love with her on first sight. She is wearing an office dress outfit that is blue with red accents, which is well, a little revealing on the upper side.
Well, I guess magic can do that too, slowing down the aging process. I do wonder what’s her actual age though.
“Welcome to Artemis University, Earth. I am the headmaster Amis, and this is my school. To be that legendary hermit’s apprentice, the first and at a very young age at that, it really makes me wonder what you’ve done to make her accept you as her apprentice. Well, that’s a matter for another time, so now let’s get back to the topic on hand.
Skipping all the boring talks, we’ll get to the important part. There are three compulsory courses that all students have to take, that is language, calculations and general magics, though you are an exception. You do not have to take general magics, as per the elder’s requested in her letter. You will still take the magic examinations, since the elder only said that you do not have to go for the lessons, but I’m sure the examinations would not be a problem for you.
There are also a bunch of other courses that you can take. There’s no real limit to how many you can take, but you have to very carefully manage your time if you do choose to select many courses. And also remember that if you miss too many lessons, there would be grave consequences~
Once you’ve done choosing you can just submit the form to the counter outside. I’ll be expecting much from you, so don’t let me down.”, Headmaster Amis ended the talk with a sly smile. I was given a long list of the different courses, their timings and noticed some even need requirements in order to enter. I walked out of the uncomfortable room, through the corridor and to the outside.
I looked through the list, but most of the courses were not of interest to me. However, a few of them did catch my eye and without a second thought, I ticked ‘Magic Alchemy’ and ‘The Art of Magic Enchantments’.
“Ho ho ho ho… this is going to be interesting.”, I laughed to myself. My weekdays were filled up with interesting courses, but with plenty of free time in between them. I wonder if I would be the one to be enlightened, or would I be the one enlightening them?
I laughed even harder as I passed the list to the attendant at the counter outside the building, who was obviously creeped out by my maniacal laugh.
“Umm… E-Earth, your room on the campus is number 666… and here is your key and p-pass. P-please do not lose them, there would be t-trouble if you do...”, the attendant timidly passed me the key, which was engraved with the number 666 on its body and a gold ring that had my name carved on it.
Since I’ve got nothing to do today, I decided to walk around the vast campus, for a little sightseeing. The campus had many buildings spread around, each with their own purpose and they are where the different classrooms for the courses are at, but there are also large areas around that are just greenery and there is even a large forest that is said to have wildlife in them, located at the top right corner of the campus.
Of course, I could not pass up the chance to visit the mysterious forest since I’m near it. I approached the border of the forest, but it seems like there is a magical fence around it, with the plants and grass growing on it and trying to grow through it. I searched for the gate around to enter it, eventually finding it along its perimeter, though it was unlocked and half-open. Interested, I walked through the gate, but as I am a responsible person, I closed it behind me without locking it to prevent anything that shouldn’t come out from coming out.
I walked along the dirt path, or should I say just a stretch of clearing that seemed to be a path? Nonetheless, I was enjoying the natural breeze and the sounds of nature. The grass swayed in the wind, the forest had increasingly larger and taller trees as I walked further in. Occasional animals appeared far from the path, before disappearing again. There were a few larger clearings that appeared on the path, probably campsites, though I had to note down that they make great places for training and stargazing. The relaxing sounds of streams of water flowing and the feeling of the breeze blowing is just calming. I closed my eyes as I laid down the soft grass. Ahh~
“AAAHH! HAALP! SOMEBODAY!”
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