Four days has passed since I left my home. For the past days, I’ve been completely reliant on the carriage driver. He was a really talented person cause he knows how to cook, hunt animals, gather food and drive a carriage… obviously.
Although I already know the answer, my urge to have a conversation partner got the better of me. So I asked him a pretty obvious question on the second day of our travel.
“Ne, Mister, why can you do all these things?”
When he heard my question, his eyeballs opened wide for a moment then made a delighted expression moments later.
“It’s to give nobles like you a comfortable journey.”
“Hee, is that so? Thanks, mister!”
He made a wry smile after I thanked him. Ever since that small talk, he became quite an enjoyable person to talk to. I also asked him if it would be okay for me to sit beside him in the driver’s seat. At first her refused and gave various reasons, but he caved in when I said, “Won’t it be boring to travel with no one to talk to?”
Thanks to that, I was sitting beside him while holding an umbrella throughout the remainder of our journey. We would talk about various stuff like where he lived, did he have a family and etc…
Also, I discovered that he was an exclusive driver for the school I was going. He also told me to drop by the stables if I have the time. He said that he wanted to introduce me to his acquaintances, because nobles like me, who were easy to talk to, were rare. Of course, I happily accepted his offer, though I wasn’t that convinced about me being rare. I mean, my mother and father were like me, so there should be plenty of nobles who were nice.
After a while, a town with a huge gate came into view. The soldiers who were guarding the gate spotted us and stopped us from entering.
“What’s your business here in the Royal Capital?”
“I’m a carriage driver of the Royal Magic Academy, I’m here to deliver the student besides me.”
One of the guard’s eyebrows rose as he glanced at me.
“Hi.”
I waved at the guard with a smile, surprising him. The driver then handed a permit to the guard and allowed us entry.
“Umm… why didn’t you show them the permit first?”
“That questioning was only a formality and also to confirm our identities.”
I pouted when I heard his answer and muttered, “It’d be faster if you only handed the permit.”
He laughed a little bit when he heard my mutter and continued to drive the carriage.
The capital was quite a well-developed and lively place. Crowds of people walked along the stone-paved paths and buildings that were a mix of the rennaissance and the medieval period were lined along the road. There were also lamplights along the road and according to the driver; those lamplights were supplied by magic. They were used to lit up the road for the night, obviously.
We continued traveling the road until a giant luxurious gate came into our view; it was around 4 meters (4.40 yards) tall and had golden engravings. The designs of the wall near the gate were made out of various gems and had lots of intricate designs that traced the edges of the gate. All in all, it was a majestic sight to behold.
Beside the gate, an aged old man with flowing white hair that reached up to his shoulders. He deep wrinkles that crisscrossed all over his face, the man revealed a smile to her and spoke to her in congratulations.
“Welcome to the Farlingstad Magic Academy, for the coming 14 years of your life, this will be you new home.”
“…Eh?”
(… Farlingstad… Magic… Academy?)
My eyes opened wide the moment I heard the aged old man spoke of those words and under my breath, I spoke, “This has got to be a lie… is this really the game world?”
The driver besides me made a smile and said, “It isn’t a lie, this really is that ‘Academy’, Miss Lumina.”
I started doubting my reality and started remembering the contents of the game I played before my death. Then, Eclara’s image floated in my mind and unlike the game, she didn’t have a surname and was a traveler. Then doesn’t that mean that this was a different world?
“Unn… this isn’t the game world… these are just coincidences piling up on top of one another… that’s it, I’m just over thinking things.”
As my mind started to calm down, I suddenly noticed the driver and the old man looking at me with worry. I hurriedly fixed myself and revealed a small smile of embarrassment to them.
“Sorry for showing you an embarrassing side… hehe…”
I made a wry smile and properly introduced myself with a bow.
“My name is Lumina, the only daughter of the Chis Chem Barony.”
Hearing my introduction, the old man started checking on a piece of paper and made a slight smile.
“Indeed, your name is on the list. May you please step on this Magic Circle and have us examine your inherent mana.”
When I heard the phrase, “examine your inherent mana”, I became a bit displeased. Heaving a sigh, I stepped down from the carriage with the help of the driver and stood at the center of the circle.
Like what had happened on my fifth birthday, the old man made a very complicated chant and made the circle under my feet form lots of geometrical patterns. It then floated up slightly above my head.
“You mana is too low to be enrolled in the magic class, but you can be enrolled in the general studies. Though there may be a lot of commoners in that class, is that okay?”
I nodded a few times to his words. He then opened the gate. The driver then escorted me back to the carriage and instead of sitting beside him; I was now sitting inside of it. I tried asking him why and he only replied, “It wouldn’t be good for your image to sit beside me, a simple driver”.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
I grumbled a bit when I heard him say that, but because he was right, I reluctantly accepted his offer. As the carriage moved inside the school, I placed my elbow on the window and looked out the window.
“I like sitting in the driver’s seat because the wind felt really good... haaa.”
I slowly closed my eyes and slept inside the carriage.
***
“Please wake up Miss Lumina, we have arrived.”
I opened my eyes and found the carriage driver shaking my shoulder slightly. I stared at him for a while then directed my gaze to his hand.
“Ah!”
He quickly removed his hand from my shoulder and bowed in front of me.
“That was very rude of me, I’m very sorry.”
Yawn*
“No, I didn’t mind it, so stop bowing.”
When I became fully awake, I noticed that we were in front of a big mansion with many windows. I moved my gaze a little bit and found some children with varying ages walking from and to the mansion.
“Hee, so this is the place where I’ll stay from now on.”
The driver recovered when he heard my statement and moved closer to me. He coughed slightly and said, “Yes, it’s not as great as the magic class’ place though. It’s because they’re elites compared to us.”
“Well, that’s true. They can use high leveled magic and stuff.”
As stepped down from the carriage and a female servant that was wearing a maid’s uniform came closer and bowed in front of me. She had red hair that was tied into a twin tail and seemed to be around my age. Under the glow of the afternoon sun, her red eyes sparkled brilliantly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lumina Chis Chem. My name is Emilia Darion, I shall serve as your guide for the remainder of the day.”
I wanted her to stop talking so formally to me, but because I was a noble, it couldn’t be helped. The driver then unloaded my two suitcases and followed behind me as I walked along with the maid.
“Um, can I ask a question… Miss Darion?”
While we walked along a large hallway with walls painted white, I asked the maid a question with a reluctant face.
“Emilia is fine.”
She gave me a curt answer and continued facing forward.
“Then… Emilia, how old are you? I kinda feel that you’re not that much older than me.”
“That’s correct, my actual age is 7 years old.”
A smile bloomed on my face when I heard that our ages were close.
“Then does that mean you’re a working student?”
“Yes.”
“Are there a lot of you here?”
I expected Emilia to answer me, but instead it was the driver.
“Yes, there are a lot of students like her. They are given to exceptional children with promising futures but can’t afford the tuitions of the school.”
“Hee, is that so? Then does that mean, you’re really smart?”
“Not that much.”
Again, she gave me a curt answer without facing me. But in my eyes, I could see her ears becoming slightly red. It seems she isn’t used to getting praised.
“This will be your room, Miss Lumina.”
Emilia suddenly stopped in front of a large wooden door and opened it. I entered inside the room and found that it was quite large for a person. On the right side was a canopy bed with lots of pillows. There was also a desk for studying near the window and a closet near the bed. Though the room looked a bit dull because of the lack of ornaments and decorations.
The driver then placed my suitcases inside the room and left along with the maid.
“I thought that they were gonna help me unpack… well, maybe they’re busy because there are a lot of students inside this mansion. So I can’t be too spoiled.”
I opened my suitcase and arranged my clothes inside the closets and placed some of the books I brought on the desk.
When I was done, it was already evening and the sky was already dark. I suddenly heard a knock on the door.
“Come in!”
I allowed the person to enter and found out that it was Emilia pushing a cart of food to my room. Once she entered, her eyes grew wide and became a bit panicked.
“You… finished arranging your room?”
“Ahh, yes… I didn’t have anything else to do.”
“Normally, it’s our job to arrange your belongings while you were away, Miss Lumina. I wondered what you were up to because you didn’t come out… to think, you were doing this.”
“Is that so? Well, I just finished doing it and am famished. What’s for dinner?”
She quickly straightened her posture and showed me the contents of the plate. The main dish for tonight was beef stew with vegetable salad as a side dish. And for dessert, it was a strawberry sponge cake and black tea.
“Hmm, looks delicious!”
I then sat on the table and waited for her to finish arranging the plate. She poured water into a cup and stepped away once she was finished. I casted magic and placed 3 cubes of ice on the water and started eating.
Once I was done, Emilia quickly cleaned the table and left the room with a bow. I became a bit sad because I couldn’t make a conversation with her. I was educated by my mother to never talk while I eat so I finished my meal quickly and talk to her. To think she was that fast.
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Hmm, that Idea seems good, ViolatedMonkey. But I like to take it slow for now. She's still 7 years old, so those things have to wait
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