After a long and quiet walk, Davis finally arrived at the Academy entrance.

The front gate was as lively as the day of the test as many students came to find their assigned dorm room. Davis watched as they scrambled to move their items, unlike them, Davis was helped by a professional moving assistant as one of the many perks of those who have reached the top 10 in the overall ranking.

As Davis entered the main gate, his attention was drawn to the other students who stared at him with various expressions of awe, envy, fear… and most of all, respect.

The overall ranking was divided into various categories by the professors as they spectated each student's performance during the test, Davis was ranked 3rd as a final decision, 2nd goes to Rowan, and surprisingly Rachel achieved first place. This decision has sparked many accusations and discussions throughout the Empire, especially among those who witnessed the entire event.

In the written test, Davis gave a very sophisticated answer as well as new insight into how to work around the current understanding of mana, itself. But because K wanted to intentionally attract Wuldor's attention he purposely told Davis to keep some part of his answer as vague as possible.

This helped garner Principal Wuldor’s attention, but the other professors who like how the old ways work aren’t too keen to agree with Davis's perspective.

And since K was using Davis's body and completely dominated the physical test, they reluctantly gave him third place in the overall test score. Still, they allowed him to retain his 1st rank in the written test as an individual score.

Davis continued deeper into the Academy dorm. As he walked past numerous gazing eyes, he finally found his newly assigned room. Opening the door, he was amazed by the luxurious space inside. It resembled a noble's bedroom more than a student dorm room.

He found that all his belongings had arrived safely and were neatly placed in the center of the room. Davis spent half an hour organizing his items, most are packed into luggage.

Davis calmly organized his items one by one, smiling as he opened each piece of luggage. He had long forgotten the feeling of such mundane tasks ever since their family business expanded in the Avalom Empire.

As he was organizing, he found a ring and paused, giving it a long, nostalgic stare. His mind wavered, and his pupils slowly became hazy. He smiled earnestly, bringing the ring close to his chest.

“I-I did it, Mom. I got into the Celestial Academy,” Davis murmured to himself, closing his eyes as tears streamed down his cheeks. “I hope you’re doing fine back home too, Mom, Larra.”

He sat, immersed in memories of his family, his hand clinging tightly to the magical ring his mother had given him before his journey from the Avalom Empire. Without the presence of K and Skye, the room was as quiet as the endless cosmos, intensifying Davis's emotions.

Davis reopened his eyes and proudly slipped the ring onto his finger. "I wasn't ready to wear such a gift before, but now I am," he said. After wiping his tears and composing himself, he continued rummaging through his belongings, finding many items that reminded him of his past.

He found a lamp he had bought from a wandering merchant before entering the No Man's Land and got up to place it on the table, intending to enrich his soon-to-be-used station. As he did so, he noticed a peculiar white paper left on the table, addressed to him.

Dear Mr. Davis Edwelt,

We represent the Celestial Magic Academy Moving Assistance Group, entrusted with facilitating the relocation of your belongings into your dormitory.

During our duties, we discovered a significant quantity of high-level herbs among your possessions, which had not been previously disclosed to us. To maintain the integrity and potency of your herbs and potions, we have taken the initiative to adjust the room's freezer to the minimum temperature.

We remain committed to ensuring the utmost care and preservation of your belongings throughout this process.

Sincerely, Celestial Magic Academy Moving Assistance Team

When Davis finished reading the note left behind by the workers, he was perplexed as to what they were talking about. “I don’t remember buying any he…” His thought was cut short as he remembered that K spent a ridiculous amount of money on high-quality herbs and potions. “Crap, I completely forgot about all that.”

Davis rushed toward the freezer and opened it to inspect its contents. As stated in the note, the entire refrigerator, which was about the same size as Davis in terms of height, was filled from top to bottom with herbs and potions.

“He never told me anything about what he's going to use these for, though...” Davis let out a sigh as he tried to figure out K's intention. He scratched his head in frustration. "For God's sake, K, you spent most of our money on a museum of items I don't even know how to use.”

As he contemplated what to do with them, Davis thought, “If he bought them, I’m sure they will come in handy when he returns.” Reluctantly, he gave in and walked away. Afterward, he spent more time organizing the rest of the luggage.

Soon after he finished organizing his belongings, he went out on a hike. Walking down the lively hallway of his dorm, he noticed that everyone's gaze had once again found its way onto him. Unlike K, who couldn’t care less about others’ perspectives, Davis felt like he was being shunned by his fellow students.

Davis let out a sigh of relief as he reached the entrance. He continued his hike down toward the academy gate before leaving. The male and female dorms were situated far from one another.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Davis’s gaze darted left and right as he leisurely walked down the street, unlike the Academy hallway, on the street fewer people recognized him due to the business.

Woof*

Davis spotted Skye on Linda's arm, wagging his tail at him. “Hello there, buddy. How was your day?” Davis leaned down to pet the enthusiastic Skye. “He was as wonderful as always,” Linda chimed in, reassuring Davis of Skye’s behavior.

Grabbing Skye and getting back up, Davis turned to Linda with a thankful smile. “I’m very thankful for your help in looking after this fluff ball, Miss Linda.”

Linda replied casually, “Of course, Mr. Davis. You are welcome to leave Skye to me at any time.” She stared happily at Skye. “And I wouldn’t mind working for the Academy's rising star,” she added, her tease coming off as playful toward Davis.

“You’re exaggerating my abilities too much, Miss Linda,” Davis waved off her compliment with a friendly smile.

“I’m serious, Mr. Davis. Me and Skye have watched your battle from start to finish, and it was exhilarating, to say the least,” her compliments kept coming, making Davis feel awkward at the achievement that wasn’t his.

“Thank you for the compliment, Miss Linda,” Davis said, his words filled with gratitude.

“Oh no, this is nothing at all…” Linda continued to reassure Davis that this was nothing to her.

Back and forth they went, their conversation not progressing. “It's getting late, I better get going then, Mr. Davis,” Linda mentioned. “Goodbye, Skye.” As she turned to leave, Linda waved one last goodbye at Skye, who responded with a cheerful bark.

“Let's head back to Skye,” Davis said, turning to Skye before proceeding. Meanwhile, a group of men observed their interaction from the alley. “We should strike now while nobody is watching him,” one of them suggested. “Agreed, let's move,” the leader of the group declared, gesturing as they tightened their grip on their blade handles, ready for battle.

“That's not going to happen, boys,” a strong voice echoed from above. They raised their heads in unison to see a woman clad in all black perched on an open window.

“What are you doing here, Amy?” the group leader inquired, his tone cautious.

“Boss, who is she?” one of the men asked, their hands instinctively resting on their blades, prepared for a potential confrontation with her.

Amy dropped down from above and landed quietly in front of them, “I’m sorry boy, but I’m ordered to protect that boy. Now fuck off” She exuded her murderous aura to prove her point, “Are you going to go against the Blackthorns family?”.

Amy laughed at their brazen declaration, her red hair and pupils amplified by the fiery blaze of her aura. “That's not the right question,” she retorted. “The real question isn't whether I wanted to go against Blackthorn, but whether Blackthorn wanted to go against us, Veltis?”

The group leader understood their situation and humbly backed down. “Let's go back. We're no match for her,” he conceded, casting a glare at Amy for her interference. “Wise choice,” Amy said proudly as she dispersed her blazing aura.

“This job is going to be more annoying than I’ve anticipated” Amy showed a disdainful look as she mentioned her assigned job.

Amy pondered for a moment, sensing something amiss. “I've heard that this Davis boy is quite formidable,” she began, her brow furrowing in thought. “So why did the Blackthorn family send a bunch of amateurs to try and capture him?” The group of men she encountered earlier seemed too weak for Davis if the rumors were true. So,

“Why would the Blackthorns make such a miscalculation?” That was the question on Amy's mind as she watched Davis figure from afar

Far away in a quiet part of the city, the group came to a halt as they discussed their next move, “Why is that walking disaster here?” The group leader mentioned as he angrily kicked a rock, “Go back and tell the patriarch of this development, I’ll stay behind and monitor our target further” The leader shouted with authority “Yessir” one of the men acknowledged, bowing before swiftly departing.

Before he could make any headway, his leg was swiftly detached, and he fell to the ground, wailing. “I can't let you do that,” a familiar figure emerged from the shadows, his sinister smile growing as he approached. “Who are you stranger and what do you want?” the group leader inquired cautiously.

The man was dressed in fancy attire and on his face was a mask in the shape of a spider, “What I want is that little concoction inside your pocket” the man spoke formally like as if he were in an interview

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about but you won’t leave this place alive if you keep that up” The leader was sweating from the man's murderous aura, he felt suffocated but he didn’t dare show

“You wouldn't let me go either way, so why don't you just hand it over to me, and I'll ensure your death is painless,” the masked man retorted, chuckling at the group leader's attempt at negotiation.

The leader of the group pondered for a moment and formulated a proposal. “I promise you,” he began, “that the Blackthorn family will not pursue any investigation if you let us go. After all, we don't even know who you are.” The masked man responded with a maniacal laugh, dismissing the leader's attempt at bargaining for survival.

The masked man laughs as he takes off his mask casually, “My name is Vincent, now you know what I look like as well as my name, so I can’t let you live anymore” He showed a sadistic grin as put his mask away

“Charge at him together,” he commanded, and the group followed without question. However, as they got closer, they were severed into several pieces by Vincent's deadly wires.

The group leader was overwhelmed by fear at what had just transpired. His terror only intensified Vincent's murderous aura in his eyes. Vincent seemed like a demon incarnate. Overwhelmed, the group leader dropped his weapon in fright and fled in the opposite direction.

As he ran, a spark of light suddenly shone in front of him, halting him in his tracks. “Wire?” the man muttered as he examined closer, realizing numerous razor-sharp wires had sprung up in front of him. If he kept running, he would be shredded into pieces.

But he couldn't catch a breath as another wire swung at him, slicing his arm off cleanly. Normally, wires like these couldn't cut bone so cleanly, but Vincent had empowered its sharpness with his mana, turning it into a deadly weapon that sliced through flesh and bone effortlessly.

“Too bad, if only you would listen to me, then I’d have made your death a painless one” Vincent spoke from afar, his voice echoing like a harbinger of death around the alleyway.

Vincent stood before the man, a chilling grin on his face. “This is going to be a thrilling experience,” he remarked as his wire wrapped around the man’s body, cutting through his body, the man wailed in agony as the wire inflicted its excruciating pain.

When Vincent finished with his prey, he finally obtained the object that had piqued his interest: a purple pouch containing several packets of unknown black dust. Vincent carefully examined the dust, scrutinizing its nature closely.

“This will prove very handy soon enough,” he murmured to himself. With a swift motion, he donned his mask and stashed the wire back into his sleeve. He then walked away from the scene, leaving behind his crime for the law enforcers of Celestia to discover.