The ancient beings that were once considered the progenitors of magic itself. The greatest species that could command spells, not just use them, those were the great dragons. For a dragon, people might be as insignificant as ants were for people.

The same dragon was floating in the sky directly behind the students. Makoto almost immediately reached out to grab a rock.

"Ah... don't be scared students. I am the Principal of Wrydhaven."

Great, now they were hallucinating from the shock of seeing a dragon. Makoto gripped the rock tight and stood upright, all the other students were just as confused. He wasn't planning to hit the dragon with the rock, there was no outpacing or beating a dragon. Beating a human though, now that was possible.

"Welcome to the academy. I cast an illusion spell at the door to not spoil the fun." The dragon said, it swept its gaze over the students and smirked. "You can consider your current situation similar to an entrance test."

"Entrance test... but weren't we all invited?" A rather fearless student muttered from the side, clearly someone from a noble family.

"The invitations were for people who had magical talent. You don't have to pass or anything, but a screening is necessary! What if there are students who snore too loudly or students who don't brush their teeth properly? It is important to weed them out. Whoever places at the lowest will be expelled."

Makoto's mind cooled down at the words of the principal. Even though the words were strange, the meaning was probably a personality test. So that someone doesn't harm others with their magic? Makoto pocketed the rock in his hands and sighed.

"This great forest is a part of the Academy, there are a lot of stray monsters and escaped chimeras though, so be careful. Classes start Monday, find your way out before then."

'Wait, this doesn't sound like a personality test?' Makoto's thoughts were spot on. Alas, he was the only one thinking it would be a personality test in the first place.

"Oh, and we are holding a welcome banquet on Sunday night if you kids can make it. And lastly." The Dragon smiled the brightest it had yet. "There is a punishment for people who miss more than one week's worth of classes at once."

One week's worth of classes. Makoto had a feeling that some people had taken longer to leave the forest.

"Bye then!"

The Dragon's wings fluttered, and it disappeared just as quickly as the entrance (or rather, the exit of the academy) had done a few moments ago.

The students were too flabbergasted to say anything. One raised his voice, eking out words like a rat caught in a trap, carefully he said. "What day is today...?"

"Sunday, wasn't it?" someone else answered.

***

While the students all looked around nervously, Makoto decided to get a move on. Even his luggage had been left behind at the door, but he could make do.

'Thank god for all the forest outings I did.'

Stolen story; please report.

Makoto was sure he could survive in the forest, but making his way out was tough. It was still necessary to secure his safety before anything else, and it was important to get out of here first. Makoto stepped back and glanced over at the students. His eyes didn't fall on the people from noble families, he was planning to find someone who could help him out of here.

It seemed the other students had a similar thought. Alongside the chirps of the birds and animals in the forest, the chatter of the students started to fill the air. The nobles who knew each other grouped up and so did the commoners. Makoto spotted an elf student leaning alone against a tree. The student was biting on a twig, his arms crossed as a smile played on his lips.

That was it! Though Makoto hadn't had the chance to meet a lot of people in this world, he knew a fair bit. Though Elves' forests were practically cities, a lot of them were close to nature and had a good idea of how to track.

Makoto approached the elf.

"You seem pretty relaxed," he said.

"Hmph. Something like this is but a gust of wind in front of my skills."

"Makoto."

"Shea."

Nobles usually introduced themselves with their family names. It seemed this elf friend was either like him and disliked such customs or was not a noble. Both were good, since he wanted to get out.

"Should we go out of here together? I can handle most things we would need to survive in the forest, hunting and everything."

Shea opened one eye and looked at Makoto, then he smirked. "Great, I was looking for someone like you. Why don't you lead the way?"

"Oh, I don't know how to navigate my way out of a forest I haven't seen before. I didn't even step in here myself. I was hoping you would—"

"I don't know how to navigate in a forest," Shea said casually. He shrugged and smirked again. "Hmph. Those things are too far below my skills."

Makoto held in a sigh. "Well, I see, maybe we can find someone else who could help us out. What else can you do? Can you hunt?"

"Hmph. I am too skilled for such small things."

"Maybe track monsters?"

"Too skilled."

"Know about what kind of monsters might be in the forest and where?"

"Nuh-uh."

'What the fuck is he so smug about then?' Makoto barely held in his thoughts. He sighed, audibly this time since he didn't have to please this guy, and shook his head. Just because the other party was an elf, Makoto had assumed they would know their way around a forest. He was wrong. Maybe elves were not all that good with such things—Makoto's eyes fell on another group of three. At their center was an elf who seemed to know what to do. More such students surfaced one by one, it was wrong to blame it all on one guy.

Makoto sighed and pushed off the tree. He was planning to approach other students, but he was already a bit too late. Everyone was turning away from the people that tried to join in now.

Why wouldn't they? The nobles here seemed to know each other (The Barabanki was far too reclusive for Makoto to make friends) and the others were tense with their groups. Adding more people now would only be adding to their own competition. Makoto could try to get everyone together, but the people probably wouldn't listen to him. At least he thought so. Poor Makoto had no idea what a real leader could do yet.

Instead of dawdling around, Makoto decided to move for now, and then follow someone sneakily when they leave too. He took a few steps into the forest, then a few more, but another pair of footsteps was ringing along. Makoto looked back and found Shea biting on the twig with a smirk.

"Why are you following me?" asked Makoto.

"Didn't you ask me to protect you?" answered Shea.

"Can you fight?"

"That stuff is too crude for someone of my skill and stature."

Makoto gave up.

***

With another person now freeloading off his back, he stepped into the forest boldly. Makoto and Shea had just passed a few dozen meters away from where all the other students were and had now set off into the forest. Makoto had heard that going North was best in such situations and tried to guide himself by following the sun, he also made small marks on the trees next to him with Shea's knife to make sure he didn't end up running in circles, nothing was more dangerous than that in a forest.

A rustle resounded in the path ahead. Makoto quickly gestured at Shea to crouch down and did the same. The scent of the damp, mossy ground, filled his nose, as Makoto peeked out of the trees in front of him.

There he noticed, a girl with long brown hair... stuck inside a net-trap and pulled up along a tree.

"Oh!" the girl waved at him. "Help! Please!"