It took some time for the rest of the class to introduce themselves. They all seemed to be ok, some of them seemed very nice, while others were still a bit shy and not used to interacting with new people. Their class consisted of nine girls and eleven males. Hiroki and his friends introduced themselves as the last people. And because of their unfamiliar and strange names, they were asked where they lived.

“We come from a territory that’s rather on the edge of the kingdom. Though it’s really dangerous sometimes, as they’re often appear groups of demons, it’s really a beautiful place. You should come to visit sometime.”, told them Hiroki, as he had the intent to make them pity him and his friends and not ask any more questions.

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that. Well, anyways… welcome to the capital I guess.”, answered one of the girls.

Hiroki’s plan succeeded and the class was silent, not asking any more questions about their background.

Professor Clarus watched their short conversation in silence. He wasn’t quite convinced of their, what seemed to be a facade of lies because earlier in the morning, the headmaster had personally called for a meeting with him. There they had a serious talk.

“Mr. Clarus, I’ll have to tell you something. In your class there are going to be five students that are, let’s say special cases.

The secretary of the king ordered me to make room for them and give them a spot in the academy. That was two days ago. It really angered me, because even if he was the king, ordering such a thing was still inappropriate. Thus I personally requested an audience, as I wanted to know what kind of people they are to be able to get such good treatment from the king.

As I asked him about why or if they were some special geniuses, he just answered that they live on the outskirts of the kingdom. He sent me away immediately after that, without saying a single thing.

And if you don’t already know, the king is famous for being a talkative guy. Especially if the topic is about something he really likes. The fact that he didn’t talk any more than the short answer he gave me, means that there is something laying dormant in the bush.

Please be careful dealing with those kids, as they are, at least right now, suspicious people and on our watchlist.”, was what the headmaster had told him.

As he watched them, that talk came into his mind. Though it lasted only for a short period of time, as the students stopped talking and he had to continue with the lesson.

“Now that you all know each other, how about I give you a quick look around the academy?”, he asked them.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

All of the students agreed, as they were excited to see what their new school looked like, as it will be the building in which they will spend most of their time for the next few years.

“Let’s go!”, Professor Clarus said, as he opened the door of their classroom.

“Follow me, everybody.”

The group followed their teacher. They walked through a big hall, that had many doors on its side walls.

“Behind these doors are the other classrooms. On this floor, there are all the classes from year one and year two. The classes for the students of the third year are on the second floor, as they are more privileged and need more space than you guys.”

As they walked further, the students admired the hallway, as it was really luxuriously decorated.

Chandeliers were hanging from the ceiling, there were plants in elegant pots. The pots were decorated in a way, that made them look rather similar to Greek vases. On the walls were, always in a spacing of about 2 meters, hanging portraits of some people. The wooden floor was covered by a red carpet.

“Oh, have you spotted the paintings of the old headmasters?”, asked them professor Clarus, rhetorically.

“Each one of these paintings shows a person, that was once the headmaster of this academy. If you want to see the founder of the academy, then follow me.”, he told them.

As they were curious about the founder, they followed their professor. As they followed him, they passed by many paintings. On the paintings were men, women, old people, younger people…

Finally, they had reached the last, or also first, depending on how you see it, painting.

The painting depicted an old man sitting on an elegant leather chair. The man was clearly about 70-80 years old, as he had long white hair and an even longer white beard. He wore a grey pointy hat, that seemed like a witch’s hat, and also a grey robe. In his lap was a black cat laying, which he stroked with his right hand. A wooden stick was leaning against the elegant chair.

The background of the painting was a library with many bookshelves and books.

As the students admired the painting and asked questions about the founder, Hiroki looked at the name tag that was hanging under it.

「

The academy’s founder: Gondolfus the Great

」

‘Gondolfus… interesting name’, Hiroki thought.

“This man is the founder of the academy. It is said, that he possessed the power to destroy mountains and split rivers. There are even stories about him stopping the advancement of a dragon, by only using his wooden staff.”, said the professor.

“Anyways, let’s keep going. There’s still a lot of stuff to see ahead. Next, I’m going to show you the cafeteria.”

They walked yet again for around two minutes, then they reached a wooden double door. Upon opening it, they found themselves inside a gigantic room.

On the right side of the cafeteria was a long counter. Behind the counter was a big kitchen visible. There were hanging of signs hanging above the counter, that were displaying all sorts of food.

The rest of the room was just a large space with many tables and chairs. They were simple wooden chairs. In contrast to the rest of the building, the cafeteria looked rather simple and not too luxurious.

The professor let them look around for a few minutes, then they went on with their tour.