Jun had flashbacks of going to the Principal's Office in high school as she walked through the Administration building. Despite being on a completely different world filled with magic and monsters, having learned magic from a talking cat, in a completely different body, with new friends that were heavily armed leading the way, the Administration building still felt almost exactly like the Principal's Office at her high school on Earth. It even had benches lining the entry hallway where a few students sat, their body language indicating that they were in trouble. The entry hall led into a large room with a vaulted ceiling and a grand staircase that ascended up half a floor before splitting in opposite directions to wrap around the room, with large windows letting in the late afternoon light. Doors to offices lined the walls of both levels of the room. A round kiosk type desk sat in the center of the room before the staircase, manned by a well dressed man with a look on his face one of impatience for the workday to end.
Gareth led the group up to the receptionist as he wrote something down, his pen quickly speeding across a ledger open in front of him, and waited for the man to acknowledge him.
"It's nearly the end of the day, What do you want?" the man demanded irritably.
"Gareth Brightmane and party, turning in a bounty receipt," Gareth replied, handing the man a couple rolled documents from his pouch.
Taking the documents, the receptionist unrolled and quickly read them, scowling the entire time. The man's irritation rolled off of him in waves, breaking against the sturdy cliff face that was Gareth. After a short minute, the receptionist flipped open a book on his desk, wrote some notes, then signed and stamped one of the documents before handing it back to Gareth. "There, done. Bounty completion acknowledged. Anything else?" the man hissed with false sweetness, his eyes narrowed as if telling Gareth the answer better be "no."
Undaunted by the prospect of antagonizing a bureaucrat eyeing the clock at the end of the workday, Gareth motioned for Jun to step forward. "Yes, we found someone who has an artifact the Academy may be interested in. Could you please inform the Headmaster?"
The receptionist's scowl deepened as he stared Gareth down. "I'm busy and it's the end of the day. You'll have to tell whoever you found that they need to come back tomorrow."
"The Headmaster—" the receptionist cut Gareth off with an angry shout.
"Is busy and doesn't have time to deal with some students who fell for some con artist selling Avarill's Lost Grimoire!"
"We did not fall for some scammer. We brought Jun and her artifact with us."
"Does this look like a guard station? A jail? No? Then take this criminal of yours to the guards instead of wasting my time!"
"Sean, what's all this commotion about an artifact?" A woman's voice came from behind the group. Turning to look over her shoulder, Jun saw a stern-faced woman wearing dark blue robes carrying several rolled up documents under her arm. Crows feet around her eyes and wrinkles on her brow betrayed her age on her otherwise youthful face.
"Professor Nagai," Sean, the receptionist bowed in greeting. "I was just telling these students that the Headmaster doesn't have time for every two-copper scam artist and their forged artifacts, especially when Academy students are foolish enough to fall for them," the receptionist said, shooting a glare at the adventurers and Jun.
"I see," Professor Nagai said, turning her head to regard the students in front of her. "I doubt the son of a Duke would be foolish enough to fall for any common forgery or scam, right Sean?" she said, looking at the man and raising a questioning eyebrow.
"Y-Yes, I'm sure you're right Professor... b-but be that as i-it may, it is still my d-duty to safeguard the Headmaster's time..." Sean said, trailing off under the withering gaze of the middle-aged woman.
"Well then, since I am here, I may as well assist you in this endeavor as the head of the Artifact Research Department, unless this would be a waste of my time?" she said, turning her sharp eyed look to stare down at the students and Jun. Jun struggled to keep from shaking under the imposing woman's gaze, but drew strength from the relaxed and confident poses of her new friends.
Gareth nodded slowly. "Yes, Professor Nagai, I'm certain that it would be worth your time," he said confidently.
"Well then, let's see this artifact Mr. Brightmane," the Professor said, holding her hand out and looking at the students expectantly.
Looking back at his party, Gareth jerked his head slightly and Sara nudged Jun, pushing her forward as Corin and Cecilia stepped out of the way.
The Professor's eyes narrowed as she looked at the metal shaft in Jun's hands. "May I?" she said, holding her hand out.
Nodding, Jun nervously handed her war wand over to the Professor as she looked closer at the engravings on the shaft. Absentmindedly, the Professor shoved her rolls of documents into Lane's hands and pulled Jun's crude sheath off, revealing the blade with it's embedded gems. "A war wand..." she murmured, pulling a leather glove out from where it was tucked into her belt and running it across the blade. Her eyes widened as the finger of the glove was effortlessly parted from the rest. "Sharpness enchantment fully intact and powered, no visible damage to the blade or body..."
Professor Nagai tensed, staring at Jun's weapon as something seemed to fluctuate in the air. Jun felt the hair on the back of her head stand up as goosebumps prickled her skin, and the sound of a howling wind filled her ears though the air in the stuffy building was still. As she focused on the strange phenomena she felt a sense that the strange wind sound was coming from in front of her where the Professor stood holding her weapon. Nobody else around her seemed to react as they watched the Professor, and after a minute the phenomena ceased, leaving quiet in its wake.
"Err...Professor?" the receptionist said, clearing his throat awkwardly to break the silence. Professor Nagai blinked a few times and handed the weapon back to Jun in a daze. "Professor?" Sean called out louder, his voice filled with barely restrained impatience. Shaking out of it, Professor Nagai looked at the foppish bureaucrat with a questioning look on her face. "The Headmaster is waiting for you Professor," he said firmly, giving the students and Jun a look of distaste.
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"Right," she said, blinking at the man before looking around for her missing documents before spotting Lane holding them. "Well then, come along you two," the woman said, absentmindedly gesturing at Lane and Jun to follow her as she started for the stairs behind the Reception Desk.
Lane shared a look with Gareth, having a silent conversation before Gareth shrugged and motioned for the man to follow the Professor. Nodding, Lane trotted to catch up to the Professor, with Jun reluctantly following close behind the older student, Shiori at her heels.
"W-Wait, Professor!" Sean the receptionist cried, hurrying to catch up to the woman as she ascended the stairs, Lane and Jun close behind.
"What is it Sean, I'm late for my meeting with Allister?" she said, ascending the stairs without pausing.
Sean scowled at Lane and Jun following them up the stairs. "This student isn't on the books to be part of your meeting, and this girl isn't even a student! They're not authorized!"
"Nonsense, they're my assistants right now, of course they're authorized," she said firmly
"At the very least, I'll need these two to sign in before they go in, it's school policy," he all but begged, using his last resort.
Professor Nagai stopped and stared down at the bureaucrat. "We are late. They will do that after," she said firmly, her eyes seemingly glowing with authority.
"A-After it is..." he said, sagging with resignation. Professor Nagai nodded once before continuing up the stairs, leaving the receptionist behind. As Jun passed by him on the stairs, he shot her a venomous glare before returning to his post.
Professor Nagai led the two of them around the balcony to another hallway opposite the stairs, where she stopped at the end and knocked three times on a pair of double doors made of a finely polished dark wood.
"Enter!" a muffled voice called out through the doors. Without waiting another moment, the Professor quickly opened the doors and strode in, Lane, Jun, and Shiori close behind.
"Ah Merin right on time!" A kindly looking old man called out from an arm chair next to a fireplace, a fire merrily burning. "Have a seat!" he said, gesturing towards a plush arm chair opposite a low table from him.
As if noticing the two of them for the first time, the old man's eyes focused in on Lane with his hands full of Professor Nagai's documents and Jun carrying her war wand. "And who might these two be?"
"My new assistants," the Professor said, casually motioning for Lane to hand her her documents. "It was fortuitous that I ran into them downstairs. The documents were getting rather heavy," she said, opening one of the document cases as Lane handed it to her.
Pulling out a roll of papers, she slid them over the table to the old man, who picked them up and quickly skimmed them. Professor Nagai and the old man who Jun presumed was the Headmaster of the school quickly began to talk back and forth about research progress, budgets, and academic figures, the conversation quickly going over her head. Tuning them out, her eyes began to wander around the room. Bookshelves lined three of the walls, only broken up by the wide double doors and the fireplace that the Headmaster and the Professor sat in front of. Various knickknacks stood in display cases, small tables, and the large desk opposite the door, and the room was well lit by large bay windows with the curtains drawn open, showing the school's front gate and courtyard beyond.
A jolt of panic shot through her as she noticed that Shiori was no longer by her side, but casually exploring the room, sniffing and poking at artifacts. Jun's heart pounded as her Master leapt onto the desk and seemed to begin leafing through the documents spread out on it. Jun's eyes darted between her reckless Master and the Headmaster, certain he would notice and explode at her Master's blatant disregard for his privacy. She knew her Master was powerful, but this old man was the Headmaster of an adventurer academy! He might be far more powerful than Shiori!
A sharp pain in her side brought her back to attention as Lane elbowed her. The Headmaster and Professor were looking at her expectantly.
"Headmaster Allister asked you to bring over your war wand," Lane whispered out of the corner of his mouth.
Blushing, Jun hurried over to the table and gently laid the weapon down with a bow. "Sorry sir," she mumbled softly, her face red.
"It's perfectly alright my dear," the Headmaster said with a grandfatherly smile before turning his attention to the weapon in front of him. Carefully, he picked it up in his hands as Jun felt the same phenomena she had downstairs, only far stronger!
After a couple minutes, the Headmaster set her war wand down on the table and nodded at Professor Nagai across from him.
"I see what you mean Merin, it certainly is a fascinating find," he said, stroking his beard in thought. "I think we can find some room in the budget to authorize research on this find. You there, my dear," the Headmaster said, addressing Jun. "What is your name, year, and current majors?"
"I-I..." Jun stammered, her mind racing. "I-I'm Jun and... I'm not a student... I was hoping this could help me get into the school?" she said timidly.
Headmaster Allister and Professor Nagai shared a look, the Professor subtly nodding.
"Well!" the Headmaster exclaimed with a laugh. "This is perhaps the most unique and enticing application for admission I've ever seen! Consider your application accepted immediately, with a scholarship on the condition that you allow Merin and her Artifact Research Department to study your artifact. Is that acceptable?"
Adrenaline surged through Jun's body in her excitement. It was exactly what she'd hoped for, what Gareth, Sara, and the others said she could get, and she didn't even have to negotiate! Nodding her head rapidly, Jun couldn't help but smile widely. "Y-yes! That's definitely acceptable!" she all but shouted, struggling to reign in her excitement! She was going to be a student at a magic school!
"Excuse me, sir," Lane said, addressing the Headmaster. "Jun is new to the city and doesn't have lodgings yet. Will her scholarship include room and board?"
Jun's stomach dropped through a hole at Lane's question. In her excitement she didn't even think about where she and Shiori would live! How would they afford food? Gareth and the others were nice, and had fed her the last couple of days, but it'd be different if she asked them for help with this. New friends didn't mooch off each other, and what pride she had wouldn't let her do that if she could avoid it!
"Of course, of course! As a school, it's our responsibility to ensure all our students can study well," Allister said with a smile, dispelling Jun's fears and wasting the energy she'd just poured into her anxiety attack. "Thank you for looking out for your fellow student, Mr. Firewalker."
Standing up, Allister gestured at the doors, causing them to silently glide open. "Now, I'm afraid it's getting late in the day, so take this down to Sean for me, would you students? He'll see that Jun here gets situated." With a flick of his wrist, a sealed scroll popped into existence, landing in Lane's hand as Professor Nagai's remaining document cases floated into the air. Dismissed, Lane led Jun out of the Headmaster's office. The doors silently slid shut, seeming to pause briefly as Shiori slipped out between them.
Descending the stairs, Sean glared at Lane and Jun, while the others idled near the entry hall.
"Well? Done wasting the Headmaster's time?" Sean sneered at them.
Nodding, Lane handed him the scroll from the Headmaster as the others met them at the bottom of the stairs. "Headmaster Allister instructed me to give this to you," he said simply. As the man broke the wax seal and began to read, Lane made eye contact with Gareth, giving him a slight smirk and a nod.
The party watched with desperately suppressed laughter as Sean's expression rapidly shifted from sneering confidence to anger and horror the further he read. "Immediate admission? Room and Board? Full scholarship? Take care of it immediately?! Which one of you is Jun?!"