The mess hall was relatively empty. Most students went home during the break and had not come back for the new year yet. The hall was filled with tables for ten. Food was offered at a large counter. There was one section for the free stuff and one where you could buy food at any time. I grabbed a tray and went to the free section.

“Hi. What can I get you?” A cheerful servant asked.

“Hi. I am new, how does this work?” I inquired.

“We have two options, they change each day. The most popular one tends to run out rather quickly. You can come back and have seconds, but you will have to wait in the queue again. Since most students are not back yet we still have both options today. There is a lentil stew with fresh bread, or chicken in mushroom sauce with rice.”

“I would like the stew please. Do you also have drinks?”

“There is a fountain at the wall where you can get water. Cups are there as well.” He pointed at it. “In the morning we offer tea and coffee, in the evening you get one free beer or ale. Anything else you will have to buy.”

He placed a large bowl of stew on my tray and a big piece of bread, it was still warm.

“I will give you a large portion, I know beastkin can eat a lot.” He said with a smile.

“Thank you!”

“Once you are done, bring the dishes to this area.” He pointed at a different counter, where servants accepted the dirty dishes and began cleaning them.

I nodded and left. I grabbed a mug of water at the fountain and picked an empty table. The food was decent, for my standards at least. While I had been trained to cook I was usually not allowed to eat it. There were pieces of meat in the stew that I could not identify. But it was meat, something I did not have often.

While I ate, I looked around and studied the other people. Most were human, as expected. The royal family and most nobles were human. The few beastkin, elves or dwarves who held titles were not very influential. At least that is what I heard.

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After completing my meal I went exploring. I tried to memorise the layout so I would be able to find my classes once they started. I also relaxed a bit in the garden and played around with my magic. There was not much I could do but I moved it around in my body, trying to get a better feel for it. After the evening meal I went to bed early. I was excited about tomorrow. I curled up in my bed, snuggling my tail. Hopefully my tutor would be nice.

“MORNING! TIME TO RISE!”

I awoke confused and ready to fight. It took my brain a moment to make sense of the shouting. Silvia told me they would wake everyone at 5:00. Apparently that is how they did it. I was convinced they used magic to amplify their shouting.

My bed was really comfortable. I was sad to leave it but I had an exciting day ahead of me. I put on my uniform and went for breakfast. After some bacon, eggs, bread and coffee I felt ready for the day. Since my tutor would meet me at the practice grounds I switched to my training outfit. It was still a bit chilly in the morning but I did not mind. With my excitement I barely felt it.

I used the clock in the dorms to time my arrival. Not having my own watch was annoying but at least each building had several. Despite being slightly early the tutor was already there and waiting.

“Are you Koyuki?” The man shouted. He was bald, clean shaven and very muscular. His hard face had multiple scars, telling tales of many battles. His brown eyes studied me. He was dressed in shorts and a sleeveless shirt. I could see runes covering his arms.

“Yes sir.” I saluted.

“Good. I am Major Charles. I have been ordered to whip you into shape and prepare you for the academy. We only have two weeks so let’s not waste any time. Do you have a weapon that you prefer?”

“No sir.”

“Hm. We will do some sparring and see what suits you. A lot of necromancers, or other ranged casters, go for a staff. Mostly because they care about the huge gem they put on top, to help with their magic. But at the very least you will want some training with daggers and small blades as well. First, stretch and run a few laps while I get a bunch of practice weapons.”

“Yes sir.”

As a foxkin I was stronger, faster and tougher than the average human. But Charles was far beyond average. And considering the runes he was also a spellblade. The difference between us was vast.

He made me use a bunch of different weapons and we sparred. I failed horribly and acquired a lot of bruises. After a while he stopped, thinking.

“Ok. I think I have an idea about your abilities now. First, your body needs training. I will give you a workout routine that you will follow every day. Next, weapons. It’s clear that you have no training, but at least there are some instincts I can work with. Now, do you know why we train mages with weapons?”

“To see if they qualify as spellblades?” I guessed.

“That too. But mostly because you are training for war. Your magic is not limitless. And an opponent could be resistant to your type of magic. Everyone who graduates from the academy is trained in at least two weapons. One of them needs to be a sidearm.”

“A sidearm?” I wondered.

“Something you can wear on your belt. It can be an arming sword, a sabre, a hammer, a dagger,... There are lots of options.”

“What would you suggest, sir?”

“Stick with the classics and take a staff and an arming sword as a sidearm. Once you have more experience see if something else interests you.”

I nodded. He knew a lot more about this stuff so I would follow his advice.

“Good. Now, how much do you know about magic?” Charles asked.