Luin looked up at the three story building before him. It stretched out to either side with window after window lining the sides on all three floors. The white stone matched the other academy buildings, but the designs were much more simplistic than those that adorned the library. Perhaps it was the fact that the academy library also doubled as the imperial library. Housing nearly all of the imperial collection would raise the building’s importance, though Thea had already explained that not all of the imperial collection was housed there. Some books were protected or restricted, but not many.
As children passed by him, most larger or older than he physically was, he suppressed a sigh. It’s somewhat troublesome that I need to blend in as a child in these classes, but so be it. He couldn’t just stay holed up in the Chronwright manor. That would solve nothing.
He chewed on his bottom lip a bit. He had told Thea and Cyris the truth about himself and what he had been involved in so far, but there were a few details he had failed to mention, mainly because he wasn’t sure he believed them himself. He’d instinctively called himself the “newly awakened God of Skill” when he’d blessed Thea with her skill, but no text he could find ever mentioned a god of skill, and it seemed that the stories about gods were more about explaining where human talents, mana, and the physical world came from rather than any evidence that gods actually existed.
There was something he was missing, but until he had more evidence that gods were real, he was loathe to give himself that title, especially to those close to him. That title had a whole lot of historical, mythical, and political baggage attached, and the slight change in the way Thea interacted with him since their talk already irked him.
It would also be a pain to have to deal with the temple. Simple observations and reading the histories of the empire told of many conflicts with the temple, some even resulting in wars or fights for the throne. None of his allies were priests or priestesses either, and a religion that had proclaimed their gods to be removed from this world likely wouldn’t enjoy any interference from a being claiming to be one.
The crowds around him were beginning to thin. Luin was just about to make a move to follow them when he heard hushed voices behind him. It seemed he was the subject of their discussion, so it caught his attention.
“I haven’t seen that kid before. Think they’re really a boy, or maybe a girl?”
“Silly, he’s wearing the boy’s uniform. Of course the kid’s a boy!”
“You never know one-hundred percent….”
“Oh, stop it! Do you think he’s lost? He’s stopped just before the entrance.”
“Maybe just nervous.”
“I’m going to go ask him.”
“Really, Rosalina, you don’t need to take on every charity case.”
The chit chat fell away as a shadow fell along Luin’s right side. He turned to see a young woman with warm, orange hair half pulled up. She was half a head taller than him, indicating that she may be somewhere around fourteen or fifteen years old—though children’s ages weren’t something he could accurately gauge. Behind the orange-haired girl was a smaller girl with shoulder-length, light-green, straight hair who carried so many books in her arms that it hunched her shoulders. The smaller girl’s face was downturned and hidden partially by her hair.
“Hello, I’m Rosalina Winswood,” said the older girl. “I couldn’t help but notice you may be new and were stopped here as if you didn’t know where to go. I could help you find your way if you like.” The girl’s smile appeared warm on the surface, and if he hadn’t seen true warmth in Thea’s smiles at him, he might have believed the gesture was truly kind.
Luin glanced at the girl behind her, but Rosalina Winswood didn’t attempt to introduce the girl following her.
“I appreciate your offer of assistance—” Luin began.
“Well, then—” Rosalina halfway turned as if to lead the way.
“—however, I believe I should be fine. I wish you a fine day.” Luin nodded to the young lady, his eyes meeting those of the smaller girl holding the books whose eyes had lifted to stare at him and widened.
Rosalina stood there with her lips slightly parted. When a few seconds had gone by, and she had not replied, Luin gave one more nod and ascended the stairs to the building. To his mind, he was better off not getting entangled in whatever the girl was after.
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“Did you see that! I can’t believe he just—” was all Luin heard from the children behind him before the entrance door shut and he continued down the hall.
He gave the children no further thought as he came to stand in front of a door labeled General Studies 1A. This was the room name and number written out on the instructional paper that was neatly folded in his pocket which had come with his uniform.
:Good luck, Master!: said Ulla in his mind from her invisibility-shrouded perch on the library’s roof. He’d instructed her to stick close to Thea in case anything worrying happened.
Luin sent his avatar a feeling of thanks before pressing the handle of the door.But he wasn’t truly nervous and only felt anticipation and slight curiosity as he stepped into the classroom.
Luin took in the room, seeing that it was set up like a small amphitheater. A desk and bookshelf was in one corner, and near that was a raised platform with a lectern in the middle. Behind the lectern, along that wall, was a large board in an elaborate frame. The far wall was lined with windows, and the other side of the room rose gradually in rows of long tables and benches. Everything was made from or veneered in a dark-stained wood that was highly polished. Some students had already chosen their preferred places, many at the back. The children were huddled in groups, chatting.
Luin entered and went to the first spot available on the mostly empty first row. The other children cast furtive glances his way but didn’t approach. After a few moments, as Luin stared out the windows waiting for the class to begin, he noticed the chatter of the other students drop to nearly a whisper. Wondering if the instructor had arrived, he looked towards the door only to find that the Rosalina girl; the small, light-green-haired girl; and an entourage of four other children had entered the room. Their expressions showed they were surprised to see him, though he wasn’t sure why that was.
Luin returned his gaze to the windows, dismissing the group from his mind, but they didn’t seem inclined to do the same for him.
A shadow fell over him and his desk, and as he turned towards the source, he found Rosalina standing before him once again. This time, she towered over him since he was seated, and the other children grouped behind her.
“I guess you were right, Rose,” said a boy behind her to the right. He was quite tall. A small pair of spectacles rested on his nose and his blue-gray hair was cut just to the tip of his ears. He had the air of someone who was quite intelligent but the smirk on his lips was cruel. “He does seem to be quite confused as to where to go. He should have accepted your help.”
Luin frowned, unsure what the boy meant.
Rosalina eyed the boy and then turned an apologetic smile to Luin. “Evrett, you don’t have to draw attention to it like that. I’m sure he tried his best.” She held out her hand towards the smaller girl carrying the pile of books, and the girl handed Rosalina a small rectangle of paper. Rosalina showed the paper to Luin. “Do you have this sheet of paper with you? It says what classroom you’re supposed to go to.”
Ah, I see now. They think I’m in the wrong classroom. But he was certain that this was the classroom indicated on his paper. He could sense that, once again, the offer of assistance was less than kind, so rather than answer them, he decided to let his paper do the talking.
Luin reached into the large pocket on the jacket of his uniform and pulled out his own slip of paper. He unfolded it and laid it out on his desk for the children in front of him to see.
The children leaned over his desk, their expressions falling in a range of surprise to indignation as they read it.
“There’s no way this little kid was truly assigned to this class,” said the boy named Evrett.
“He doesn’t even have a family name. That means he’s a commoner,” said another.
“Emillia is a commoner though,” said a third child with a pointed look at the small girl with light-green hair who shrank back at the sudden attention.
“Yeah, but she’s clearly older than this kid,” said Evrett. “It has to be an error.”
Rosalina held up her hand and the kids behind her fell silent. “Oh, dear. I guess it really may be an error. This is a class for the advanced study course. If we let this error stay as it is, it will surely only cause you trouble, Luin,” she said, reading his name from the piece of paper. “Why don’t I walk you to the administrator’s office. We can certainly get it cleared up there.” She made to pick up his schedule paper, but Luin quickly took it back and put it in his pocket.
He sighed. “You appear to be under the assumption that I cannot have been placed in this class for whatever reason. But I assure you that I am where I am supposed to be.”
“But—” Rosalina began.
A hand from Evrett on her shoulder stopped her. “Fine. If he wants to be that way, just let him stay and watch him end up in remedial classes in a few weeks. It’ll be his own fault.”
Rosalina sighed with a pained expression on her face. “I guess if you feel that way, it can’t be helped. Just remember my offer still stands.” She moved off and the other kids trailed after her, all of them casting dismissive or overtly hostile glances Luin’s way—except for Emillia. Her expression was openly worried.
Luin gave her a small smile before settling back into his seat.
It wasn’t long before the instructor arrived. The thin man with dark olive-colored hair in robes that were the uniform for instructors it seemed searched the room until his gaze landed on Luin.
“You must be our new student. The headmaster wishes to see you.” Whispers erupted from the students who had taken their seats on the instructor’s arrival. “You may choose someone from the class to escort you if you don’t know the way.”
So the promised meeting with the headmaster is finally taking place. Due to the carriage accident and the attack from the disturbed man several days ago, that meeting had not happened, but now that he was back on academy grounds, it seemed that Lord Adrien had fulfilled his promise. Luin wasn’t particularly worried about the meeting since a letter ensuring his enrollment had already arrived with his uniform a few days before, but he was curious as to what the headmaster would say and if Lord Adrien would be present.
Luin scanned the classroom. He had only been told the way to this classroom, so he did need a guide. He saw Rosalina smiling at him while the rest of her entourage smiled knowingly at each other. So they think this proves them correct?
Luin simply kept a neutral expression as he turned back to the instructor. “I would ask that Emillia show me the way to the headmaster’s office.” He turned back to face a rather shocked Emillia who was surrounded by the pinched expressions of Rosalina and her followers. “That is, if she wants to.”
“Well, Emillia? Will you escort him to the headmaster, please?” asked the instructor when the girl only gaped like a fish out of water.
Suddenly closing her mouth, Emillia stood and inched away from Rosalina towards the stairway connecting the rows of desks. She nodded. “I’ll show him the way.”
“Be on your way then,” said the instructor.
Luin stood and followed Emillia from the room.