The academy in front of Elias looked nothing like the regular universities and colleges he was used to seeing in his home territory. The landscape before him resembled a grand royal estate, fit for housing a Duke or Count of any of the aristocratic families.

Buildings of magnificent architecture were scattered across its vast acres of land, each one adding a touch of grandeur and awe to the grounds of this prestigious academy. Some of the buildings even spiraled upwards like mage towers, giving the estate a surreal and magical aura.

Elias could also make out the image of a tall and imposing building at the estate's epicenter, which dwarfed all of the other buildings around it. The building stretched up to numerous stories, its structure capable of captivating the attention of observers and onlookers. It was simply just too grand!

Elias was totally stunned by the sight before his eyes, wondering if he had been pulled into another world without his notice or knowledge. He even started to express genuine doubt, rubbing his eyes and even seeking confirmation from Lars to make sure that he wasn't daydreaming.

He only managed to compose himself once the train attendant announced their arrival at the landmark stop, forcing Elias to fight off his disbelief before disembarking from the train.

The train's landmark station was situated close to the academy's gate, meaning that Elias just had to walk for a few minutes to get to the academy from where he was.

The Academy acted as the street's main attraction, its grand architecture vastly palling any of the other buildings and estates around it. Elias walked forward with brisk steps, his eyes glued to the gates of the academy which would decide the course of his life.

He could see a group of security officials patrolling within the academy grounds, with 2 of them situated outside, acting as external protection and guards for the gate.

Elias approached them respectfully, explaining how he was there for the assessment and asked them where he was meant to go. He handed them his documents in the process, waiting at the side for them to complete his verification.

"Oh, an assessment candidate huh... You are quite lucky. If you had come 10 minutes later we would have had to turn you away. Why didn't you try to get here earlier?"

The guard that responded to Elias was a female guard, who had an amicable smile on her face. Elias didn't know why, but he felt a sense of calm coming from her smile, allowing him to get out of his state of nervousness.

"I had to work an extra day back at home to meet up with the required acceptance fees. I did that so I wouldn't have money problems, in the instance that I pass the assessment. Having to pull out because of finances would be too crushing for me."

The guards quietly listened to Elias's explanation, nodding their heads in approval while showing their administration. They quite liked the young man's straightforward way of communicating, as it was very smooth and to the point.

"What a meticulous young man... If you keep up with this attitude, even if you don't pass the assessment, you will still be able to become something great along the line. Hard work is often regarded as the basic blueprint for success."

The other guard nodded in approval to their colleague, before handing Elias back his documents and instructing him on how to get to the administrative building.

The guards watched Elias walk into the academy, resuming their post duties only after he boarded an academy coach. They then proceeded to talk about how attractive Elias was, especially for a commoner, with both of them expressing their thoughts on what his background could be.

While the two were fully focused on their discourse, a beautiful silver carriage pulled into their view, causing the 2 guards to scramble to attention, totally forgetting about the topic they were previously engrossed in.

Upon closer inspection, one would be able to make out a peculiar and intricate detail about the coach; it was adorned with the image of a beautiful silver swan on its two doors!

...

Elias sat in a carriage moving towards the administrative building, admiring the academy's scenery as they drove through the estate. The sights he saw made him once again fall into awe, as he felt like he was riding through a palace of royalty.

The gardens within the academy specifically caught Elias's attention, as he could see numerous rare breed plants and flowers that he had only ever seen within the pages of agricultural books and texts.

A middle-aged woman seated across from him was amused at the sight of his shocked face, a sight obviously not foreign to her at all.

"I assume this is your first time entering the academy, young man?"

Elias was startled out of his awe by the abrupt question, awkwardly turning towards the woman with a smile. "Yes ma'am it is... Was my shock that obvious?"

The woman gave Elias a soft chuckle in response while adjusting the position of the scarf across her legs. "Well yes... And that's not necessarily a bad thing. The structure and size of the academy has even managed to shock a lot of visiting nobles and royals in the past, talkless of a person with a more simple background such as yourself. Your surprise is very natural."

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She took a brief moment to study Elias, pointing to the side of his mouth with an amused expression on her face. "Of course I can't say I've seen a lot of people who have gone as far as drooling though."

Elias was momentarily taken aback, before urgently trying to wipe the drool off his face. He urgently wanted to bury his head into the ground so he could escape the amused gazes of the other passengers. He was beyond embarrassed!

The image of Elias scampering to wipe the saliva off his face was so comical and amusing that the middle-aged lady forgot her basic etiquette and indulged in a hearty laugh.

"You are an amusing child that's for sure. Would you mind telling me your name?"

Elias took a deep breath, trying to fight off the embarrassment from before. He could still see the other passengers stealing amused glances at him, causing him to want to instantly disappear from the coach.

"My name is Elias, ma'am... Elias Nor."

The lady raised her eyes at the mention of his last name, adjusting herself into a more comfortable sitting position to show her interest.

"Nor? Isn't that the last name given to orphans within the Grace Church?"

Elias nodded respectfully, signaling that she was correct. Nor was indeed the last name given to orphaned children within the Grace Church.

Most children within the church's orphan system were made to drop whatever last name they had before coming under the church's care. This was made to increase the children's connection to the church that took them in and raised them, as well as to allow for easy identification when they come into contact with people of similar backgrounds.

Orphaned children of the same church are usually raised to treat each other as family, irrespective of the branch they were raised in. The naming system aimed at fortifying that principle, as a name is the basic form of self-identification with other people.

The woman elegantly tucked the loose strands of her burgundy colored hair behind her ear, causing the male passengers in the coach to steal hungry glances at her.

Elias shook his head in disgust at the sight of their lustful gazes, causing the men to tense up and instantly retract their eyes in embarrassment. The lady gave Elias a casual smile, seemingly not bothered by the event that had just transpired.

"So... I assume you are here for the Apostolic Assessment then? Possibly to become a clergyman of your church?"

Elias's gaze wandered out of the coach, taking in the image of a clear water fountain in the middle of the estate. Its water was as clear as a mirrored lake, reflecting the gentle gaze of the afternoon sun hanging above the clouds.

"That is one of the reasons, yes. But I also have a personal reason for embarking on this journey myself. I apologize, but it's not something I'm ok with sharing at the moment."

Elias's tone became slightly melancholic, causing the woman to detect a hint of sadness and resolve hidden beneath his voice. She took a long glance at Elias, before chuckling while retrieving a card from her purse.

"Well that's okay, we all have our fair share of personal secrets. I've taken a liking to you, young man, here is my card. Whether you end up passing the assessment or not, don't be shy and pay me a visit. I'll need the card back after all."

Elias subconsciously reached out for, and accepted the card, watching the lady step out of the coach while signaling her stop to the driver.

She elegantly exited the coach through the side door, throwing an encouraging glance at Elias before walking into an oval-shaped garden at the side of the road. The lustful gazes of the male passengers were once again focused on her departing figure, causing Elias to throw them a long scornful look. He didn't understand how these men could be so openly shameless.

After the coach continued on its way, Elias finally remembered the card she had thrust into his hands before leaving. He glanced down at the elegantly designed identification card, his face left with shock at the sight of the name and title written on its surface.

'Rochelle Doherty, Dean of the Department of History.'

...

Elias was seated in the administrative lobby, waiting for the assessment to start amidst the obvious chatter of the other candidates. The veins on his head were visibly protruding, as Elias was trying his best to keep himself calm.

Lars was laughing hysterically in his head, his voice communicating his amusement and joy at the subject of Elias's previous ordeal.

"Haha... My goodness, I can't believe this. You DROOLED? you drooled at the sight of some big buildings and gardens? Why don't you just wear a sign that says 'I'm a lowly commoner' while you are at it?

"And what's even worse is that you drooled in front of your future dean! Haha... And then proceeded to protect her from the lecherous gazes of delinquent men. I'm dying... When did we step into a romance plot? I'm sure she is going to kiss you when you get to her office, a real knight in shining armor... Hahaha..."

Lars was laughing so intensely that he started to choke, the entire situation was just too amusing to him. Elias couldn't say anything in his defense, because the entire situation was, indeed, quite silly.

If it had happened to anyone else, he might have joined Lars in laughing about it, so he decided to toughen up and stay quiet. He just hoped that Lars would continue to choke since that would be the best way to keep him quiet.

Lars managed to calm down after a few more minutes, his voice still hoarse from all the laughter. "But on a more serious note, what would such an elegant and successful lady want with you? I know you are attractive and everything, but you are too young for her. Or does she have a thing for little boys?"

As Lars had said, lady Rochelle was quite conventionally attractive, especially for a woman her age. Her long burgundy colored hair added a touch of wild expression to her soft facial features, with the constant smile on her face making her feel vibrant and calm.

Elias also noticed that she had unusually long lashes, which further complimented her general beauty. She also dressed less conservatively than what Elias was used to, causing her to frequently draw the attention of men, as was obvious from the coach incident.

Elias sighed in response to Lars. At this point, he was just downright fed up with him. Lars was the only one that could start a sentence off with 'on a serious note', then go on to say the most diabolical things known to man. Elias secretly wished that exorcists were real, as they were the only ones who could save him from an eternity of torture.

Elias ran his hands through his hair in a desperate act to calm himself down, mentally telling himself that he should be used to Lars's antics by now.

"I don't know, but I plan to find out later. This even works out well for us, since she should have a lot of material that could aid us in our research for the meaning of that 'dream' if we play our cards right."

Lars scoffed in response to Elias's direct explanation, annoyed at how his brother never liked to accommodate his harmless jokes. Elias felt like his brother was a bit delusional if he truly believed that his jokes were harmless. They were damaging to Elias's mental health!

Lars was about to rebuke Elias for always overreacting to his jokes when the doors of the lobby suddenly swung open, welcoming in the elegant steps of a lady who descended the previously loud lobby into a state of surreal silence.