The day of departure arrived quite quickly after that. Ron wore a hooded jacket that hid her features, which, while still far from being fully developed, were already easily distinguishable in a crowd if one were to look for them.

With it, he waited by the dirigible as streams of students made their way into it, going into groups based on which academy they joined. Despite having read all about how dark and light magi despised one another to the point of waging endless war, the people here didn't seem too bothered.

Not that it bothered her. Anyways, the academies were entering in an order based on prestige, and soon enough, the Fire Mausoleum's turn arrived.

Ron made his way into the group at the last moment, receiving fearful looks tinged with both envy and hate by his fellow students, but there was also admiration in their gaze. Of course, to Ron, their gazes were worth less than dog shit.

He knew that the bastard boy from yesterday probably wouldn't have gone too far, but his gaze back then before he subdued him had shocked him in ways he didn't know possible. While it wasn't the gaze of a true rapist and criminal, it was still the look of one used to abusing and using people unwillingly.

And, as much as he hated to admit it, he was a woman now. A girl, to be more correct. He knew enough about rape to never put himself in a situation where it might befall him.

And the only way to achieve that was by having strength, which was basically the only thing in this dog-eat-dog world that granted people the power to make decisions for themselves and hold by them.

As Ron and his fellow students entered the airship, he looked around with great interest, banishing the dark thoughts from his mind. The interior was divided into many areas and corridors, all of it seemingly high-class. It truly was a work of art, despite lacking the technology of his previous world.

Ron wasn't overly surprised when a man dressed in butler clothes approached him, wearing a subservient smile on his face as he spoke. "Please, follow me. The lady is waiting for you."

Ron nodded and followed after the man even as another one led the rest of the students away to their own rooms. Ron spared them one last glance, taking off the hood that had now become redundant, allowing the golden waves of his hair to flow out.

Eventually, after a minute or so of walking, the man stopped in front of a door with the words 'professor' stamped on a sign directly next to it. The man gave a curt nod to Ron before dismissing himself.

Taking that as his cue, Ron gently opened the door, poking his head in. The room was quite bare, and yet still gave a homely atmosphere, something that shouldn't have been possible, and yet it was.

The lady that had allowed Ron to finally start his journey as a magus rested leisurely on the only couch in the room, slowly sipping away at a weird substance from whom Ron could feel fire particles moving about.

"Professor." Ron took the initiative to start the conversation as he bowed as deeply as he could, both out of expectation and also genuine gratitude towards the woman.

"Brat." The woman said back, still sipping away at her drink. After a bit, she finally put it down, eyeing Ron with great interest. "An acolyte within less than a week? That's truly groundbreaking. I'm glad my expectations weren't let down." The woman said slowly, causing pride to bloom within Ron.

"It wasn't too difficult thank's to Professor's kind gift." Ron humbly replied, causing the woman in front of him to chuckle, which caused her comically large breasts to shake a bit. Ron spared them a glance, briefly wondering if they had been surgically enhanced, before returning his eyes to her own.

Thankfully, the woman didn't seem to notice his lapse in attention, or at least she didn't mention it. "Hehe... You've got it all wrong, brat. That 'gift' I gave you has extremely stringent requirements on the person using it. In fact, rather than a gift, I would almost call it a curse. You may not understand now, but that cursed thing is the reason I cannot advance at all." Her eyes glazed over for a moment but quickly regained their focus.

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"I may not be able to take you in as a disciple, but that doesn't mean I cannot pass on my own legacy." The woman waved Ron to come closer, which he did without daring to take his eyes away from the woman's own, having been completely enthralled by her words.

"You're uniquely suited to inheriting my meditation technique, which I myself received back when I was a mere brat by a complete stranger. Hence, it could even be called a tradition." At the mention of this, the woman's lips curled up in amusement as Ron's eyes lit up with slight understanding.

"You see, talent and affinity are both required, but there are also much subtler and stringent requirements that even I cannot completely understand. Originally, I only gave you the initial part, not expecting you to actually succeed in it. However, seeing as you are now, I suppose I can dispel my worries. Take this."

Ron flinched slightly when the woman took out a small box and threw it at him, scrambling to catch it. Its surface texture felt smooth, and it had a small yet firm lock keeping it tightly closed.

"In there is the remainder of my meditation technique. As you are now, you may not survive. I made it so you will be able to open it when you become a rank 3 acolyte, and not a moment sooner. Otherwise, I fear you may just turn to ashes." Her wry yet serious smile told Ron enough. While she could be lying, he really didn't see a reason for her to do so.

With a final, drawn-out sigh, the woman waved him away without saying anything else. Ron stood up, bowed as deeply as he could, and putting as much emotion he could into his words, he spoke. "Thank you, professor. I swear I shall never forget this kindness you have bestowed upon me."

The woman just snorted at his words. "Brat, leave already and get some strength before speaking such big words." Still, despite using cruel words, there was an unmistakable tinge of satisfaction behind them.

Ron did leave quickly after that, and even though he didn't say anything else, he still felt more than willing to prove to the woman that he could and would one day repay this kindness. In a world that was so clearly brutal, rare acts of selflessness like this were rarer than treasures.

Ron was about to head towards the area where he'd last seen his fellow students go to, but before he could do so, a maid rushed up to him. "My apologies, miss! I'm Erika, and I've been assigned as your personal attendant. Perdon my tardiness, I wasn't expecting your talk with mistress Fiona to go so quickly! Please, follow me." The woman said in rapid-fire, bowing at the end then quickly running off.

"H-hey! Wait up!" Ron panicked slightly when he saw the maid running off, and he instantly followed after her, feeling slightly flustered at the strange woman's behavior. Personal attendants? Maids?

He'd read about that kind of thing in all the books he'd read, but seeing it in person was just... It left him speechless.

After half a minute of panicked running, one of them seemingly thinking that rushing through an otherwise calm airship was a good idea while the other one not wanting to be left behind, it made for a comical sight.

Finally, Ron caught up to the deceptively fast woman, and grabbed her arm, pulling her to a screeching halt. Then, although he would forever refuse to admit the fact he screeched... Well, he screeched at her. "Are you crazy!? Slow down for the love of god!"

Flustered, the maid began to splutter out apology after apology, even going as far as to tremble, as if afraid. "M-my apologies, miss! I-I wasn't thinking! I made the miss look bad!" The woman then began to wail, causing Ron to feel as though his ears would begin to bleed.

At this point, Ron's cheeks were completely scarlet out of embarrassment of even being seen together with this crazy woman.

Despite Ron being 9 years old, at least in this body, and the maid being around her mid-twenties, it looked comical as Ron scolded her.

"L-let's just go to my room, alright?" Ron asked, glaring at the maid, although it wasn't very intimidating. Erika nodded repeatedly, making a deliberate attempt at acting in a calmer manner now, although judging by the various people that had gathered around them during her crazy run, the whole affair hadn't gone unnoticed.

Ron wanted to hide in a hole and never emerge, but he held his head up nonetheless, glaring at anyone that looked at him funny. It was a bit surprising when people actually looked away when he did, people quickly making themselves scarce after a few rounds of glaring.

As Ron was digesting what had just happened, they quickly reached an individual room. Ron looked around quizzically for a bit before silently asking his supposedly 'assigned servant'. "Where is the rest of my group?"

"My lady! You do not have to worry about that trash. Compared to you, they are nothing but trash. Naturally, you do not have to live amongst such low-lives." Erika quickly answered, her usual nervous stutter vanishing as lines of flattery flowed out of her so smoothly it briefly stunned Ron.

"O-oh... I see. Ahem! Thank you, Erika. You may retire now." Ron coughed into his hand, his childish and still very-much high pitched voice trying to take an authoritative tone, which apparently worked as the weird maid curtsied before retreating... only to turn back and rush back a moment after.

"U-um, wait, my lady! What do you like for breakfast? When do you wake up? What and when should I bring your meals?" She fired off in rapid succession, her cheeks dusted pink with embarrassment.

Ron didn't know if he should laugh or cry at the woman's absurdity.