Should I wait till night or just check it out now? That timer just destroyed everything I stand for which is basically nothing but still...

Darrick was scribbling a plan for his future activities in his notebook while waiting for Professor Adil to show up but it was no easy feat to wait when he was an hour early for the class! He would have talked to someone, anyone even, if they had just shown up but unfortunately, he was alone.

Why was I even in that kind of hurry to come to the class anyway? Haa.

Darrick let out a heavy sigh as he leaned back in his seat when he heard a few footsteps outside his classroom. He was staring at the door to see someone enter and he wasn't betrayed, someone really did enter.

It was a girl. Like most people he had seen here she also had black coloured hair. She was far from him but her glowing green eyes could be seen clearly from where he sat. Her hair was tied in a round bun giving her some mature vibes.

Even though he had heard more than one person's footsteps the girl was the only one who entered the class. She was alone with no one with her to accompany her to the class or like his friends they were about to arrive to the class on time. The girl who entered abruptly halted in her tracks when she saw Darrick in the class.

She hesitated a bit to check his face but still did it anyway and when she got a clear look at his face she took a step back, she was about to slowly get out of the class but Darrick didn't want the only person who arrived this early to leave just like that.

"Hey, classmate. Good morning!"

"Good morning to you too."

The girl hesitantly replied to his greeting for whatever reason while looking at Darrick. To be honest, she was even hesitating to look at Darrick's face, she was only taking a quick glance at him. Her behaviour was a clear indication of her view of him.

Darrick also noticed it but he didn't do what most would do in this situation which is staying away from them if they are afraid of you. He did the complete opposite. He didn't raise his tone but called her in the most commanding voice he could muster this morning.

"Until some of your friends come to the class come here and sit with me. It would bore me if I was alone."

According to Darrick, a person has three options when someone they have a negative opinion of calls upon them. If you hate the caller then you can just ignore them all together. If you fear them then you can try to act as they say and lastly, if you hate and fear them then you may try to retort against whatever they say even if it's completely unnecessary.

What am I in your eyes? Is it only you or some others too? If it's many people then I have to do something about it to keep my reputation intact and she is the perfect one to start.

Turns out it was the second one. She just obediently walked towards him with her head lowered and sat beside him with a gap of one seat between them. She wasn't comfortable sitting beside him, at all. And Darrick wasn't trying force so he went with it.

"I'm Darrick Vental, the same year as you. What about you?"

"I, I'm Aulia Wellow. Nice to meet you," she said as her words were stuttering.

"Doesn't look like it. Anyway, Why are you so early here? We have something of an hour before class starts and you are already here."

"Wha, what about you? Why are yo, you so early?" The girl clenched her fist as she tried to retort to his questions.

"How about you guess? I may have some deep purpose for me to be here or I'm just early to waste some time. What do you think?" Darrick asked as he placed his chin on his right hand and turned his head towards the left to stare at Aulia.

"I wouldn't da, dare to guess what is the noblemen's purpose!" She said as lowered her head as she imitated a bow while sitting but Darrick was confused a lot.

"Huh?"

"Huh?" Aulia replied with a confusion of her own to Darrick's confusion.

"I'm not a noble though. Who even said that? I have not heard a more absurd thing in recent days" Darrick recalled his conversation of yesterday after their great clashes of opinion. It became more and more ridiculous as time went on so he did hear more than one ridiculous thing in recent days. "Or maybe I did but that's beside the point. Where did you hear that?"

"I overheard some nobles speculating about how you could be from a great clan or some mysterious family for you to sit together with 'them', I don't who is 'them' but they must be bigger nobles so because of what I heard I assumed you were a noble."

"That's very imaginative of whoever they are but no I'm not a noble or anything. I'm also a commoner like many people here."

So even noble children think the great clan's children are big shots and I who was associated with them should also be someone big, naturally. I thought the noble and commoner line had been blurred in this country for the past hundred years but why is this girl so afraid of them?

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"And also why are you so afraid of nobles anyway? It's not like they would come for you in particular pick on you or anything so why even worry so much? Just relax a bit."

"But someone definitely hates me. A noble at that. I saw him staring at me intensely many times in the last spell craft class and at the entrance ceremony, he turns his head away whenever I look at him like it's disgusting to meet eyes. What do you even make of that?"

"I think that's just his problem. I also know some of the great nobles but they are totally normal like any other person, you just can't stereotype them in a single group." Darrick reprimanded her.

Now that they were talking, Aulia had become a lot more relaxed. Her fear of him was only there because she thought Darrick was a noble and that was very terrifying for her.

"And also, you can completely ignore that guy. Why would you even look at him if he is staring at you? Just don't give him too much attention and also where did you get the notion that nobles are some kind of higher beings?" Darrick questioned curiously. He had guessed but was never wrong to ask questions to clear your doubts.

"That's what the village elders said back in my hometown from my childhood so I just can't do that just because you told me to do it and..." There was a little pause in her talk, her face was totally red as she said, "And I have a crush on him."

"Huh?"

"Huh?" Like the last time she also followed his confusion with the confusion of her own.

"Do you perhaps have some kind of fetishes?" Darrick asked as he moved his seat on seat away the offended Aulia retorted and the argument kept going without a clear answer.

***

Many people had entered class by now but it seems Aulia's friends hadn't arrived to the class yet as she was still here with Darrick talking nothing-serious talk. She stopped talking when a guy with long emerald green hair entered the class.

He scanned the classroom with his black-coloured eyes looking for something, maybe to find a seat but when his eyes reached Aulia it didn't linger on her more than a second but the gaze that turned resentful landed on Darrick.

Well, well, well! That's interesting. Should I tell Aulia or just let them talk it out? It's probably none of my business, right?

Darrick placed his hands on his chin while thinking of their weird chemistry, or maybe it was the normal one. He didn't know sadly but before he could decide what to do some more students entered the classroom then Aulia got up and headed towards them.

Yeah, I'll let them figure it out. If that matter comes to me again then I just have to nudge it towards the right path.

As it was almost time for the class, his friends also arrived and sat with him. It was only Jasmine who greeted him a good morning, the other just gave head nods and unsurprisingly that was enough of a greeting.

"We are neighbours Darrick. Why are you running for the class so early in the morning? Half an hour more and we could've come here together."

"I just wanted to come early and I did, it's no big deal. It actually helped me a bit with my image because I found out early. A funny rumour is running around about me, can you guess?"

"I can. That's so obvious, are they speculating you to be also from the great clan or some noble family?" Jasmine said uninterestingly like it was not even worth a consideration.

"Mysterious families instead of noble house but yes, you are right and that's because I sit with you guys. Because of my company, I've become an outcast, what are your thoughts about this topic, Mr. Leon? Please share it with us without any hesitations." Darrick mimicked an interviewer, he was only missing a mike.

"I have no comment. All this is a very confidential situation and we can't be going around spreading false news and stories about it."

Then Professor Adil entered the class as it was exactly the time and he wasn't late. He entered and placed his coat on the table and folded his sleeves a bit then turned towards the spectators.

"Good morning students! We are already in our second spell craft class and we are going learn many things here today like in the previous class so look forward to it."

Professor Adil was pacing from one side to another on the stage, slowly. He asked, "Have you guys completed the homework I've given you? If you have succeeded even partially then raise your hands. And also students who had learnt this even before the class you should also do the same."

That made a lot of people raise their hands but still more than half of the student's hands were not raised. Professor Adil gave a smile and scanned the classroom and then he wrote something in his notebook.

"So the assignment was to move the mana towards the sigil from your mana core. Last class, I made it sound like it's an easy process but it's nowhere near that easy so it is natural to face difficulties. Now I'll teach you how to do it and also its conditions and such so let's get started. You can lower your hands."

He took a chalk and drew an undefined random shape and made a small circle inside the shape then filled the circle with the chalk. Just below the ball, he made another circle, it was bigger and not filled.

"This random shape is your soul and this ball is your mana core, then what do you think this circle is?"

"Our sigil, The imaginary." Some students answered.

"Yes, you are correct. When you established a connection with your mana core by enveloping it with your soul what do think happened?"

"The soul was intertwined with the mana core and they became one and the same. Connection wise at least. Then you placed your sigils on your soul which was connected to the mana core indirectly through the soul so you can use magic. Very simple. Don't mind that fact that we used a different method than this to do it but it's the result that matters."

"Now you have to make that mana flow through the sigil so you can use the spell. Your sigil is not on top of your mana core so how can you bring that mana to the sigil? You had two days to test it out and now whoever had succeeded show me your results."

Students who had raised their hands did as they were told. The learnt ones from noble families drew their spells pretty effortlessly in two or three seconds but for others, it was taking quite a bit of time, not for Darrick though. He just dragged his mana around and made it in three seconds as well.

"Darrick, you're fast but your method is wrong. What you are doing is just damaging your soul over time. It does not matter if you do it for a few times but it will become a problem if this goes on." Professor Adil singled him out of everyone else but it was good if he could learn the thing.

"What am I doing wrong then?"

"You should sense your soul even more carefully and identify the circuits on them. The small web of connection spreading throughout your soul, Sense it, sense its connection with the mana core then sense its connection with the sigil. Put all that together then onl-"

"Oh is that it? It's so easy to move and activate my spells. That really worked out so easily, thanks, professor!" Darrick was glad about his achievement but the feeling was not the same for everyone.

Most students didn't much attention but those who paid attention were definitely jealous of his speed. The professor was also surprised seeing Darrick doing whatever however and still being like this.

"What a talent waiting to be polished. I'm looking forward to your performance in the future!"