The next three days passed by excruciatingly slowly for Cadmus. The campus was completely closed to Alice and him, which had been a terrible disappointment as he had wanted to take a look at their library. Alice, on the other hand, had been more concerned about how they were going to acquire food. They had emergency funds of course, and they could easily use it to buy meals from any of the numerous stores in the city. However, Alice didn’t want to waste their emergency funds on something that they were supposed to receive for free from the Academy anyway.
Thankfully, her fears were put to rest when one of the Academy staff came by periodically to deliver their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Cadmus had to admit, the food here was pretty good. As expected from a school preferred by even nobles.
When the day for orientation came, and the clock struck six, Cadmus had already pretty much finished freshening up and getting dressed. Orientation was to start at seven, but excitement had caused him to finish getting ready an hour early.
Alice suggested he just wait in the room until the time for orientation arrived, but the sounds of increased activity outside their room was making Cadmus curious. Had the orientation already started? Had he misheard the time Professor Mackenzie had given him?
“We’re going,” Cadmus decided, depositing Alice into his breast pocket.
He was about to open the door, when Alice suddenly exclaimed, “Wait! Your robe!”
Oh right, Cadmus remembered, the Academy allowed students to wear whatever they wanted underneath, but, on top, they absolutely had to wear a long black cloak with sleeves and the symbol of the Laurucian Academy of Magic (a book with a magic circle consisting of only a triangle hovering above it) emblazoned on it. Thankfully, the robe also had a breast pocket, so Alice was able to settle in comfortably.
“Anything else?” Cadmus asked, his hand settling on the door handle.
Alice a moment took a moment to run through her mental checklist, “No, I think you’re good.”
Cadmus grinned, “Time to go then.”
He turned the handle and took a step outside. Turns out, the noises of activity hadn’t been coming from students. They had instead been coming from the Academy staff moving in the students’ luggage to their respective rooms. The staff were easily identifiable on account of their sharp, midnight blue uniforms.
Cadmus made his way to the entrance, and noted how it looked like a dam had burst. Countless students poured in from the entrance, chatting excitedly with each other as they made their way to the main hall. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who had gotten ready early.
He was about to head for the main hall to wait there for the orientation to start, but then a thought popped into his head. The Academy was open to students now, which meant the library was as well, no? If he could just go and take a peek…
He took a turn in the hallway that he knew would lead him somewhere other than the main hall, but unfortunately, there was a closed door, and a member of the Academy staff standing before it. The staff member smiled politely when he spotted Cadmus.
“Hello, are you lost? I can guide you to the main hall if you wish?” He said.
“I want to go to the library.” Cadmus said boldly. He saw no reason to beat around the bush, even if everything about this situation indicated that he wouldn’t be allowed to do that. It wouldn't hurt to try.
The staff member looked a bit taken aback, “Er—sorry, no students are allowed to explore the campus yet. You can visit the library after the orientation.”
Cadmus frowned, should he maybe try and sneak—
“We’re not sneaking in,” Alice said, correctly guessing his thought process.
The staff member jumped a little and his head swiveled around, trying to find the source of the voice. However, Cadmus was in no mood to explain, so he simply sighed and walked away.
“Don’t worry,” Alice said as they made their way to the main hall, “You waited patiently for three days. An hour or so is nothing in comparison.”
“I guess…”
When they got to the main hall, they realized that half of it was already filled with chattering students, and it seemed that more and more were coming in every second. Cadmus walked towards the nearest empty table, and dropped himself onto a seat.
He sat there for a while, observing the students.
“You’re not going to talk to them?” Alice asked worriedly, “You’ll regret it if you don’t make any friends.”
“I still don’t know enough about any of them to know who to be friends with,” Cadmus said, “I want to assess their capabilities and backgrounds so that I can find a friend who can most easily help me in my research—”
“Hello!”
Cadmus blinked as a boy who seemed to be in his year greeted him and took a seat beside him. The boy gave off an exceedingly plain aura; he had short brown hair, a relaxed face, and seemed to be about the same height as Cadmus.
“Hello…” Cadmus greeted back, a little warily.
The boy didn’t look deterred at all, “So, what’s your name? I’m Oliver Vinari.”
“Cadmus. Cadmus Guiles.”
Oliver held out his hand, and Cadmus gingerly shook it.
“Out of all these students in the hall, why did you come to me, Oliver?” Cadmus asked.
Oliver laughed, “You’re pretty blunt aren’t you?”
Cadmus nodded, “I see no sense in dancing around my intentions. I am curious, so I will ask.”
“Makes sense,” Oliver said, politely acknowledging his words but probably not agreeing with them, “And to answer your question, you were alone, so I came to talk to you.”
Cadmus tilted his head curiously, “Out of pity?”
Oliver shook his head, “Because I’m not even acquaintances with anyone in this Academy, and meeting new people is always easier when they’re alone.”
Cadmus felt a sliver of surprise, “You’re blunt yourself, aren’t you?”
Oliver smirked, “Not really. I would have given you an excuse, but… “I see no sense in dancing around my intentions,” right?”
Cadmus couldn’t help but chuckle a little at that, “Clever.”
“So, where are you from?” Oliver asked conversationally.
“Benig,” Cadmus said, then he realized that most people didn’t really know about such a small and remote village, “It’s a tiny farming village in the middle of nowhere.”
Oliver nodded, “Makes sense that you came here then. I can sympathize with not wanting to follow a boring path that everyone around you is following. I’m from a merchant family myself; my brothers, my parents, they’re all merchants. However, I definitely wanted to do more exciting things in the future than just peddle goods, so I came here.”
“I see,” Cadmus said, “I understand why you think my circumstances are similar to yours, however, I did not come here because I wanted to do something exciting. I came here because I wanted to utilize the resources that this Academy has to offer.”
“You’re aiming for one of the higher rankings then?” Oliver guessed, “Maybe somewhere among the top one-hundred?”
“I’m aiming for number one.”
His words seemed to take Oliver by complete surprise. Oliver blinked a few times before he could formulate a response,
“N-number one?”
Cadmus nodded, confused why Oliver was making such a big deal of this,
“Yes, number one.”
Oliver winced, “You were born in an unlucky year then. This year’s students are filled with talented people aiming for the top.”
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“How do you know?” Cadmus asked.
“Like I said, I come from a merchant family. We keep our ears to the ground for any and all rumours,” Oliver said, “For example, it seems that the princess of Laurucium herself is attending the Academy this year, and many people expect her to easily take first place. They even have a title for her: The Dragon Princess.”
“Anyone else I should watch out for?” Cadmus asked.
Oliver laughed, “Oh, there’re so many more! There’s the Golden Prince of Victory, the Knight of the Sacred Lake, the Mage of Frigid Winter, the Necromancer—”
Cadmus perked up, “The Necromancer?”
“Yeah, sounds unbelievable, I know,” Oliver said, “But some of the Academy staff heard one of the professors talking to the faculty about a student who’s trying to revive the dead! Apparently, this student even got a scholarship because he’s managed to create an actual homunculus! Don’t know how much stock I would put in this rumour though…”
“Oliver—”
“Hello,” A gentle voice interrupted them. They turned to look and laid eyes on what was probably the most handsome man either of them had ever seen. The man had neat blonde hair, piercing blue eyes, and extremely fair skin. He almost seemed to be shining with radiance, and was flanked by two other men who seemed to be his friends.
“Are these seats taken?” The man asked courteously, “Most tables are full.”
Cadmus took in his surroundings, and realized that while he and Oliver were talking, most of the main hall had been filled up with students, and the entry of new people had reduced to a trickle. It seemed that it was almost seven.
“Er—um, I—” Oliver stuttered. He seemed to be having trouble speaking for some reason, so Cadmus took over for him,
“Go ahead.”
The man smiled and took a seat. His two companions followed suit.
One of them looked exceedingly similar to the handsome man. The only difference was that he had a slightly rounder face, and curlier hair. On the other hand, the handsome man’s other companion couldn’t look more different. He was taller than anyone Cadmus had ever seen, had short black hair, and rugged features.
“My name is Arthur, Arthur Pendragon,” the handsome man introduced himself, “These are my friends: Gawain Le Fay—“ He gestured to the one who looked exceptionally similar to him, “—and Lancelot Du Lac,” he gestured to the other one.
Cadmus nodded in greeting, “Nice to meet you. I’m Cadmus Guiles.”
Everyone turned to Oliver, who almost jumped in fright.
“O-Oliver V-Vinari!” He finally stammered out.
Arthur looked concerned, “If we are making you uncomfortable, we can find a different seat.”
Oliver paled at that, “N-no, it’s fine! I’m just a bit nervous to meet you, Your Highness!”
Arthur seemed to find relief at that, “No need to be nervous; in this school status means nothing. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Your Highness?” Cadmus repeated, “You’re royalty?”
Arthur and his friends looked a bit taken aback.
“You do not know of Prince Arthur Pendragon?” Lancelot asked, “His name is known across the world!”
Cadmus shook his head, “Sorry, I’ve never heard of you.”
Lancelot seemed to take offense at his words, “How can you not—?”
“Lancelot, it’s fine,” Arthur said, holding up a hand to halt his friend. He turned to Cadmus, “Yes, I am royalty. I am the crown prince of the Northern nation of Avalon. I hope we get along well in our four years of schooling.”
“So do I,” Cadmus said, mostly out of politeness.
Taking this as a sign of the end of their conversation, Arthur gave Cadmus one last nod and turned back to his friends to speak to them privately.
“I heard Galahad…”
Cadmus tuned them out and levelled Oliver with a look, “What was that about?”
“He’s the one I was telling you about!” Oliver whispered, “The Golden Prince of Victory—Arthur Pendragon! And the one beside him is the Knight of the Sacred Lake—Lancelot Du Lac! They say that the Golden Prince of Victory was chosen by fate itself to one day rule Avalon, and that he has never lost a single battle in his life! What’s more, some say that Lancelot Du Lac might even be more skilled than Prince Arthur!”
That was all well and good, but these rumours still gave Cadmus no insight on the specifics of their abilities. He was about to voice this, when a familiar, commanding voice rang out near them.
“Pendragon.”
Cadmus turned to look, and sure enough, it was Ardea Regis. Behind her stood a steady-looking woman with black hair and brown eyes.
Arthur also looked to her at the call of his name.
“Regis. A pleasure to see you again,” he greeted back politely. He then turned to her companion, “And who is your friend?”
The black-haired woman bowed slightly, “Elise Auxil. It is an honour to meet you, Your Highness.”
Arthur nodded, “And you as well.”
The two of them took the remaining two seats on their table, not giving Cadmus or Oliver a single glance.
Oliver seemed to be on the verge of fainting at the arrival of their two new additions. Cadmus gave him a worried look,
“Are you alright?”
“Am I alri—no!” Oliver frantically whispered back, “Do you know who that is? That’s Ardea Regis—the person I was telling you about! The Dragon Princess!”
Oh.
Now Cadmus finally understood why Ardea Regis had acted the way she did three days ago. It was because she had been disappointed that he didn’t even know the surname of the ruling family of this country. She had been expecting more from a scholarship student.
“Pendragon, I am glad to see that you’ve come to this Academy,” Ardea said, “A mage and warrior of your calibre will surely help tremendously in facilitating my growth.”
Arthur laughed politely, “I am happy that you think so highly of me, Regis. However, you’re being rude to the rest of our table. You haven’t even greeted them.”
“My apologies,” Ardea said without hesitation, “I look forward to competing with you both as well, Du Lac, Le Fay.”
A troubled look came across Arthur’s face, “You still have two more students to greet, Regis.”
He really was very kind, helping those who he thought had been wronged. However, it was in a pitying sort of way, like a powerful person defends the weak.
Ardea’s red eyes flicked to them for a mere split second before settling on Arthur again, “I have already met one of them, and the other seems like he will faint if I make eye contact with him.”
“Regis…” Arthur sighed tiredly.
“You see now?” Oliver leaned in close and whispered, “All of these people received a scholarship to come here, and one of them even rejected it! You’ll have to compete with all of them if you keep holding on to that crazy goal of yours. Give it up, man, for guys like us, number one is impossible!”
Certainly, Cadmus understood why Oliver felt that way. Even Cadmus couldn’t help but agree that defeating these people would be troublesome—there was just something about the aura they all exuded. However…
“Guys like us? You seem to have mistaken something, Oliver,” Cadmus said sincerely, “I was invited to this school with a scholarship as well.”
Oliver suddenly seemed to look at Cadmus in an entirely new light.
“Huh?” He asked, sounding completely surprised, “For what?”
“I’d like to know that as well,” Ardea said, “Why would someone with no awareness such as you be granted a scholarship?”
It took a moment for Cadmus to realize that the entire table had been listening in to their conversation. Oliver turned red and seemed to wilt into himself, but Cadmus remained unfazed.
“It’s because I created Alice.”
“Alice?” Gawain asked, “What is—?”
“Hello…” Alice hesitantly revealed herself from Cadmus’ breast pocket, “My name is Alice.”
The table went silent, and Ardea in particular looked like she had just swallowed something terribly bitter.
“Is that… the rumoured homunculus…?” Elise asked slowly, “It’s real?”
Cadmus nodded, “Professor Mackenzie inspected Alice and found no faults, so Alice is definitely a genuine homunculus.”
“You’re the Necromancer?” Oliver asked disbelievingly.
Cadmus shrugged, “I suppose so, but I wasn’t aware of that title until you told me.”
Cadmus could see it now, the light in everyone’s eyes had changed. Before, Arthur and Ardea’s cliques merely grouped Oliver and him together, and judged them as two of the many faceless students in this Academy.
But now…
Every single one of them was assessing him far more carefully, and Oliver almost seemed like he was being threatened, surrounded by so many people with such giant reputations.
Ardea suddenly shot to her feet, “Come on, Elise, we’re going to a different table—”
“Everyone, please sit down,” A deep voice boomed throughout the entire hall, “It’s time for orientation to start.”
Ardea’s cheeks visibly turned red as she slowly sat back down and avoided eye contact with any of the people on her table.
But she need not have worried, as Cadmus’ attention was now fully directed towards the source of the voice. There, standing behind the podium and a magic circle that was designed to enhance the volume of one’s voice, was a short, portly old man with a thick, black handlebar moustache.
He waited until all conversation in the hall slowly died away before speaking enthusiastically,
“A warm welcome to our new students, and a warm welcome back to our returning students! For those of you who don’t know, my name is Conan Capitis; I am the headmaster of this illustrious Academy.”
Cadmus didn’t know why, but everyone clapped at the mention of the headmaster’s name. It took a few seconds for the clapping to stop, and when it did, the headmaster continued,
“The Laurucian Academy of Magic is, first and foremost, a place of learning. Those who wish to improve themselves will find no better place than our Academy. Those who wish to coast by may do so, however, considering our expensive fees, and the wealth of resources that we have to offer, this course of action is not recommended. To our returning students, I hope this year will prove to be even more fruitful than the last, and to our new students, I hope that you will reach heights that you never even dreamed of! Ever forward, ever upward—that is our school’s motto! Thank you!”
The student body clapped again as the headmaster stepped aside from the podium and another person took his place. This person was a lanky man with limbs that looked like sticks. He had a gaunt face, and bags underneath his strained brown eyes.
“Thank you, headmaster,” he started off, sounding terribly tired, “Hello everyone, my name is Scoll Sellae. I am the deputy headmaster, and I teach enchanting. Most of you may already know this, but our school functions on a point system: the more points you earn relative to your peers, the more resources we will offer you. Most of you already know the specifics, so I won’t explain them now—for those of you who don’t, you may ask your fellow students or any of us professors later at any time. In any case, everyone’s points will always be displayed on this board.”
He gestured at the blank wall behind him, and suddenly, it began shining brightly. A few seconds later, the light died down, displaying a ranking system along with the number of points that everyone had earned.
Cadmus’ eyes immediately jumped to first place.
1st: Rex Optime—3,021 Points
2nd: Victory (Guild)—2,751 Points
3rd: Prosperity (Guild)—2,352 Points
And the list continued on and on. Cadmus tried to find his own name at the other end of the list, but no matter how many times he checked, he could not do so. Come to think of it, Oliver, Arthur, Ardea, and the rest’s names were missing as well.
“For those of you who haven’t earned any points yet, don’t worry,” Professor Sellae continued, “You will be added to the board as soon as you earn some points. On a related note, please remember to submit a signed document to one of the faculty if both parties agree to a duel, as a duel without official documentation will simply be considered a spar, and the victor will not receive any of the agreed upon spoils.”
Cadmus had no idea what Professor Sellae was talking about, but it seemed to make sense to other people, who were nodding in understanding.
“Anyway, that concludes this year’s orientation,” Professor Sellae said, “You may explore the Academy as you see fit. New students, please use this time to familiarize yourself with the campus, and from tomorrow on, please make sure to attend all your classes on time. Dismissed.”