We arrived at the shopping district. It was clearly a place for the upper class. I had a feeling that normal people would shop in a different part of the city. Everyone was well dressed and a lot of the shoppers had servants, some even guards. I also spotted slave collars on a few maids. It left a sour taste in my mouth but there was little I could do.

The shops had big glass windows where they displayed their goods. The buildings used a lot of marble and had elaborate signs to attract customers. I felt poor just looking at them.

“I… I doubt I can afford anything here.” I said nervously.

“It’s ok, I will buy you some clothes!”

“I can’t accept that!” I protested.

“Hear me out. We will have four years in the academy together. There will be plenty of times when you can help me in turn. The money this will cost is not much for my family. And it allows you to make a better impression on other nobles. While I don’t care about your wardrobe, others will. I don’t like politics, but sometimes it pays off to play the game. At least a little bit.”

It did sound reasonable but I did not want to owe her. It did not feel right. She noticed my hesitation.

“Look, I am not talking about the latest designer clothes. Just something with good quality that is practical. It really is not that much money for me. You can always pay me back later, if you want.”

I was still torn but I relented. I would find a way to pay her back.

“Ok… but I will pay you back!” I promised.

Helena smiled triumphantly. “Let’s look for a shop!”

From her stories I knew that she had been in battle. But the next hours showed me what a true monster she was. I was dragged into stores, dressed up in clothes, while she oohed and aahed. There was a dangerous twinkle in her eyes.

It was early afternoon that we found ourselves in a lovely restaurant for lunch. I was exhausted. And slightly terrified of my companion.

“That was sooo much fun!” She said, I shivered at her words.

“You looked great in that dress.” She added.

Said piece of clothing was black and knee length. She insisted that one needed a dress. She also bought me two black pants and two white shirts. And underwear. I would rather fight for my life again, than to experience another shopping trip. Ok, maybe it was not quite that bad. But it was close!

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

At least now it was over and I had food. The pasta with a creamy sauce and a lot of cheese on top was nice. We sat outside and enjoyed the meal in the sun.

“We are finished with shopping, right?” I asked.

“Yes. Unless there is something else you want?”

“NO… I mean, I am fine. I don’t need anything.”

“We could go to a spa.” Helena suggested. “There should be a good one in the city. We can relax in a hot bath or get a massage...”

A hot bath? That did sound amazing. But it would cost money, again. So far Helena had paid for everything, even the food. Was I taking advantage of her generosity? Or was that simply friendship?

“It does sound nice…” I admitted.

“Then it’s decided!” Helena proclaimed.

And so we went looking for a spa. After some dessert, of course. I enjoyed a nice slice of apple pie. I could really get used to this kind of life.

And so I found myself soaking in a large stone tub together with Helena. And some other people I did not know. It was a public bath after all. The whole experience felt really decadent. And sooooo relaxing. If only I could have that every day, especially after workouts. The hot water contained certain minerals that were supposed to improve the skin. I wondered if they would be good for my tail as well? If I ever made a lot of money I would certainly invest in a nice bath. While we relaxed Helena told me a bit about her home. They had natural hot springs in the area which were rather popular in winter. I hoped I would have a chance to visit them in the future.

In the end, the day was a great success. Despite the terrifying shopping. Once we returned, I even decided to purchase the watch the academy offered. Since I had not spent any of my own money yet, it seemed an acceptable expense. I had to queue at the reception for a while, since a lot of students were looking for their rooms. Dinner would be quite busy.

Thanks to my new purchase I knew that it was 19:13 when I went to the mess hall with Helena. Most tables were occupied. We both grabbed the beer and a stew with bread. One could never go wrong with stew. With our meals in hand we looked for a place to sit.

“Over there.” Helena called. I nodded and followed.

The table she was going towards was not empty but the only occupant was a female dwarf with short red hair. Based on her uniform she was also a first year, like us. Her body looked well trained. She studied us with crimson eyes.

“Can we sit here?” Helena asked.

The dwarf shrugged. “Sure.”

“Hi, I am Helena Frost and this is Koyuki.” I simply nodded.

“I am Skadi.” The dwarf replied.

“Where are you from?” Helena asked.

Skadi sighed. “Look, let’s get this out of the way. I am not a noble. My parents are merchants.”

“I am not a noble either.” I answered.

“Oh.” Skadi said, looking surprised.

“She is a noble though.” I pointed at Helena. “But she is alright.”

“I see.” Skadi said.

“So, what brings you to the academy? Do you want to join the army?” Helena asked.

“My parents think it will be good for business.”

“Business?” I wondered.

“Being an officer in the royal army comes with a certain amount of prestige.” Helena explained. “Having no title makes it harder to do business. The bigger merchants either have a noble patron, or very good connections.”

“Yes. If I become an officer it will make it harder for a local lord to bully us.” Skadi sounded bitter. I decided not to pry.

“What magic affinity do you have?” I asked.

“Earth and water.”

“A dual affinity?” That sounded awesome.

“That is amazing! You are going to be a blood mage!” Helena squealed.

“Uh, what is that?” I asked.

“When you combine water and earth you can control blood. You can either attack the enemy directly, or use it to form weapons and armour. It works really well for spellblades. But very few people have a natural dual affinity. Most people have one and use artefacts to compensate for the other.” Helena explained. “We should form a team! Koyuki summons an undead army, I support it with large scale ice magic and Skadi will protect us and tank strong single enemies! We are going to be unstoppable!”

Skadi looked at me. I shrugged. “I have only known her briefly but that is normal.”