One week after getting suspended, Ava and Allen were finally allowed to return to school. While the young human was cooped up in his dorm, the half-elf had been busy with various tasks. For example, she exercised to stay in shape, inspected her dorm, looked for new hiding places, checked on her secret stashes and-

“Those fit you. You look cooler.” [Allen]

Bought a pair of black pants.

“Yeah, it feels a lot less breezy between my legs now.” [Ava]

“But, you were already cute with just the dress.” [Fyr]

“Don’t call me cute.” [Ava]

“I-I’m sorry!”[Fyr]

Sitting behind the school and leaning against the wall was Ava, Allen and Fyr. It was noon and since no one came to this place, the three of them were eating their lunch in peace. Sitting in the middle was the black-haired girl who was wearing her usual white dress, but also a pair of black pants. Now that her lower body was covered, she felt more at ease than before.

“Um, isn’t it a bit, weird? To wear that with your dress?” [Fyr]

Although she also wanted to buy a shirt at the store in the school, she held herself back to save on money. Her goal of getting pants was achieved and she settled for it… For the moment.

“Who cares if I look weird? I’m running low on money.” [Ava]

Since no money was being sent to her and she had to buy her meals, she was currently running low on funds after using it to buy various supplies.

“I could pay for all your meals and anything else too if you want.” [Allen]

Allen offered to buy food and any other necessities for her. He felt indebted to her because she helped him against his three classmates that bullied him. Also, since he was already buying her lunch every day, he figured he could pay for her breakfast, lunch and dinner too to repay his debt.

“Your family sure is rich, like nobles.” [Ava]

“N-not really…” [Allen]

Her comment made him look away and break out in cold sweat.

“Anyway, I refuse. It feels like I’ll owe you too much.” [Ava]

“I’m the one that owes you one, so it’s fine, you know?” [Allen]

“No thanks.” [Ava]

In the end, despite his attempts to persuade her, she rejected his help.

“It’s about time I start looking for a job around here. Then, I’ll buy more stuff.” [Ava]

“You could be more careful and wait for your allowance. Also, using too much money is bad for your parents that work for it, you know?” [Fyr]

“I don’t receive money from home though.” [Ava]

“Huh? Why not… Ahh! I’m sorry! I-I said something thoughtless!” [Fyr]

Fyr was bowing her head repeatedly while apologizing. Half-elves were treated badly by the elves, so she thought she stepped on a landmine.

“You don’t need to fret so much. You really act like a chicken.” [Ava]

“Uhhh~… I’m sorry… I’m a chicken… I can’t fly after all…” [Fyr]

Having been hit here it hurt, the young harpy powerlessly hung her head with teary eyes. Allen, on the side, could only smile wryly at their exchange. Despite what he and Ava did to her, Fyr was hanging out with them as if nothing happened. He had apologized to her again for dangling her in the air from the roof and she had said that she didn’t mind it anymore. Truly, although timid, she had a kind and generous heart.

“It would be nice if you were more like Fyr, Ava.” [Allen]

“Huh? Are you saying you want me to cry more often?” [Ava]

The half-elf stared at him quizzically.

“That’s not it. Um, I thought it would be nice if you were less rude, or blunt, with your words. That kind of thing.” [Allen]

“… Who cares about that?” [Ava]

After a moment of blankly staring at his face, she went back to eating her sandwich. Allen sighed because of her unladylike way of eating. Fyr, who was done rubbing her moist eyes, noticed a piece of bread crumb stuck on the corner of the black-haired girl’s mouth. After saying “Um, you have a piece of bread on your face”, she picked it off and ate it. The red-haired boy smiled wryly when he saw the interaction between the shy harpy and the lazy half-elf.

That was how these three of different classes spent their time eating together. Now that Fyr had, for some reason, so naturally joined their group, things were noisier than usual. However, Ava didn’t really mind it. She was busy thinking about which job she should get to raise funds. She wanted to save some money for emergencies and, of course, to finally buy proper clothes.

She had grown up wearing nothing but white dresses that all had the same design. Now that she had more freedom in Sanctuary Academy, she was going to buy clothes that she wanted. As such, after getting some pants, she wanted to buy a shirt and, if possible, men’s underwear. The store clerk would stare at her weirdly, but she didn’t like wearing panties.

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It reminded her that she was a girl, just like with her dress, her face, her voice and her body. In short, her female form made her uncomfortable. It made her doubt her existence, so she wanted to change her image. If possible, she would have wanted to cut her hair short like a guy, but her clan had forbidden her from doing so.

That was why, after buying all the supplies she needed to fill her stashes, she had indulged herself and spent her limited funds on her pants. Then again, not all of her felt off. Her black hair and her right eye that was white helped calm her down. The reason was simple. Whenever she looked in a mirror, they reminded her of who she was and what she had to do.

But, a few days later, a few individuals would appear to remind her that she was Ava.

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Under the bright blue sky, three carriages, each pulled by two horses, were travelling down a beaten road. Except for the one in the middle, the other two were wagons that carried supplies like food and water. Several men and women, who donned armor and carried weapons, rode on horses and surrounded the carriages as the escort. Although they looked like humans, they had long pointy ears which were a physical trait of the elves.

“Is this the place, mother?” [Saria]

A little blue-eyed girl with long white hair asked her mother sitting next to her as she stared out the window. She was inside the carriage in the middle of the group. It had enough space for four people to sit comfortably and the windows allowed a view to the scenery outside.

“Yes, Saria, this is the place. It’s Sanctuary Academy.” [Talindra]

Her mother, Talindra, who had long white hair and green eyes, answered her in a gentle voice. She lovingly stroked her eight year old daughter’s head and Saria narrowed her eyes happily. Outside, she could see several big buildings with people going about. Although they were too far to see clearly, but she knew that they were of different races.

“Agis, why aren’t you going to this school?” [Saria]

She asked her older brother who was sitting in front of her. Blonde hair and green eyes, the sixteen year old man crossed his arms in front of his chest and put on a small smile.

“We already have a school at home, so why go all the way here to study?” [Agis]

He said to his adorable little sister.

“But, there are so many different races here. I think it’d be very fun to study here. I’d like to go to this school when I’m old enough.” [Saria]

“Haha, but we’ll be too worried about you if you stay so far away from us.” [Agis]

“I’ll be fine though?” [Saria]

Saria blinked her round eyes and tilted her head. Her mother caught her and sat her on her lap.

“Your brother is right. I don’t want you so far away from home. I’ll be too worried to sleep.” [Talindra]

She said, almost sadly, and patted her cute daughter’s head.

“Please go to the same school than your brother, okay?” [Talindra]

“Okay.” [Saria]

The young, elven girl obediently nodded, causing her beautiful mother to praise her while smiling happily.

“You’re a good girl, and very cute too. Your mother is proud.” [Talindra]

Saria’s family pampered her since she was their miracle. Although the elves had long lifespans, it was difficult for them to have children. That was why it was rare for a family to have two kids as quickly as they did. Saria Luceran and Agis Luceran were born within a decade of each other, an exceedingly rare occurrence. Their family was very fortunate for this and Talindra was proud like it was a great achievement.

That was why they were overprotective and spoiled Saria a lot. However, the real reason why she was called a miracle was because she was born four years after that incident. It was like the gods had blessed Talindra with a child to soothe her pain. It was like Saria was there to help her family forget about Ava, the second child that no one spoke of.

Even if they had mixed-blood, half-elves were hard to give birth to as well. So, for Talindra to be pregnant with her was a huge stroke of misfortune. Technically, the elven woman had given birth to three children within a decade which was something no elf has ever done before. However, Ava didn’t count. That was what they all agreed on. Ava wasn’t her daughter.

In fact, right now, the three of them were headed to Sanctuary Academy to deal with her. They were forced to travel all the way here because she was causing too much trouble. Apparently, she tied up a young harpy and dangled her over the rooftop. Furthermore, this was only a few days after she used her power in front of multiple students.

Although the seven clans’ heads wanted her to get in trouble when they all agreed to send her to study in Sanctuary Academy, they thought she would get bullied and ostracized. They never thought she would use her ability or dangle a student in the air. So, to make sure that she would listen and behave, they decided to send a Luceran to scold her directly.

Her husband, Nylian, wasn’t with them because he had work to take care of as the head of the Luceran clan. It was unfortunate since she was seen to be scared of him and as such, he was the most effective when dealing with her. The next best choice was Agis, the eldest child, though he never interacted with her except for one time when he was eight. That was why, taking some time off school, he was tasked with going to Sanctuary Academy to lecture Ava and to make sure that she would behave.

Unexpectedly, when Saria heard where he was going, she begged him to take her with him. Having been told of Sanctuary Academy, a school where various races mixed together, she was interested in seeing it. The way her eyes became teary as she clasped her hands in front of her chest was just too much for her doting brother.

In the end, he accepted and his mother followed along, worried about her daughter. As such, the three of them left Faywood kingdom inside their carriage that was surrounded by their escort. While Saria was in high spirits, Agis and Talindra secretly swore to keep her away from Ava and made plans for that purpose. No matter what, they would not let her discover the existence of the half-breed.

Having arrived at the parking lot reserved for guests, the elvish family exited their carriage. They had stopped at the entrance of the school’s campus and were now making their way towards the middle school building. Having been notified beforehand, a guide was leading the three of them. The soldiers escorting them were asked to wait so as to not cause a commotion.

“Mother, look! That person has a tail like a lizard!” [Saria]

While Agis was walking on Talindra’s right side, Saria held her mother’s left hand and exclaimed excitedly. She was looking left and right, fascinated by the many races around her. Since it was lunchtime, students were walking around the place. But, with their arrival, many had stopped and were curiously observing them.

“You’re right, sweetie. That young man is of the dragon race. They are very powerful.” [Talindra]

Talindra gently told her so as she ignored the myriad of stares her family was getting. She already knew this would happen. Elves were known for their long lifespan, for their unique power and for their beautiful looks. Many guys went scarlet when they saw her and many girls squealed when they saw her son. There were also some humans in the crowd, which was the race she liked the least after getting Ava.

She endured her nausea that was welling up from the pit of her stomach and turned her gaze towards her daughter. Saria was happily looking at her surroundings like a curious cat. When she noticed her mother’s gaze, she looked up and quizzically stared at her with her round eyes. Furthermore, she tilted her head and smiled at her. She had such an adorable appearance that a smile unconsciously emerged on Talindra’s face.

Vowing to be strong for her daughter, she slightly strengthened her grip on Saria’s hand and looked ahead. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that her son was worriedly watching her, but was reassured after seeing her expression. With a clueless Saria in tow, the two exchange gazes and swore that they would make sure that she wouldn’t come in contact with Ava.