"The guards will be there in a few minutes, wait for them and keep an eye on them. They might be attached but they are still dangerous."
My altered voice echoed as I explained to the coachman and the others how to deal with the attached bandits.
The fight with them ended in two minutes as expected. It was too easy, so easy that I was shocked.
[<You were just strong.>]
Well, it might be that as well.
"Hey, thanks for the help!"
I turned around and saw Jayden.
Milleia was treating the injured ones with her modest skills.
"You are too soft."
"Hm?"
"If you continue to act like a naive brat, you will lose more than your life. Nothing will remain. Not even their corpses."
I said in a cold tone to Jayden.
"!"
My eyes peered into his eyes.
I was sure that my words made him remember his tragic past, and it was the purpose.
"The same for you."
I shifted my gaze to Milleia. The latter turned around with her hands bloodied and dirty.
"If I hadn't been there, they would have all died, including the children."
"!"
"Keep staying like that, both of you and you will suffer hell."
A mirror slowly appeared at my side and I traversed it without adding any words.
I hope it was enough.
…
…
…
"Cough!"
I spat blood and supported my body on a tree.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I spat until no more blood came out.
A soft touch suddenly caressed my back.
I smiled painfully.
I recognized, well, there was no way I couldn't recognize my first partner.
[Am I an hallucination?]
[<Am I a joke to you?>]
My painful face distorted at Jarvis' and Cleenah's answer.
I was speaking of a partner I could see and touch.
Wait, it's a weird phrasing.
I shook my head and turned toward Mary.
"Mary, I told you to rest."
I was suffering the backlash of overusing Mary's bloodline ability, but Mary as well, since she wasn't like a reborn child now. I have been sharing my lifeforce with her since the contract, so I could feel how she felt. She had overdone just for my sake.
"..."
Mary looked at me with the same void dark eyes and shook her head.
With her free left hand, she handed me my blazer.
"Thanks."
I took the blazer with my left hand and hugged Mary with my right hand.
Her body was cold.
Mary's body shivered at first but relaxed right after.
I patted her dark hair for a moment.
"It's okay Mary, you're not alone."
After a minute, I forcefully transferred her back to her dimension otherwise she will keep forcing herself to remain beside me as a guard.
I didn't like her to see that sad.
The memories of her smiling happily in Sekrin town were fresh in my mind. I hope she will recover little by little.
[<You already learned how to do that? I didn't teach you that though.>]
"I'm a genius, is that hard to understand…?"
I smirked with my slightly pale face.
I should hurry up.
I dusted away my clothes, fixed my shirt, put on my blazer, removed my mask and hat.
Now, I am completely different than the one who was fighting minutes ago.
"Damn tie…"
I put the tie around my neck again like a drunken man and left the forest.
…
…
…
Just a few meters…
I walked fast as I was reaching the giant gates of the academy.
The guards saw me walking, panicked, scanned my body to be sure it was me and immediately opened the gates.
There was no way they wouldn't recognize me.
"Young Lord."
I ignored them and stepped inside.
No other student was around, I was the only one lat-
"Hey! Wait us!"
"Don't close!"
I clenched my fists when I heard the voice.
I walked slowly thinking they were already ahead of me, but they were behind me.
Jayden and Milleia were there out of breath.
They were breathing heavily while maintaining their position, pressing their hands on their knees.
The guards scanned them but for them, especially, they asked for their Academy card.
I also had one in my blazer's pocket but they didn't dare to stop me further since I was the son of a Duke.
No.
They didn't dare because I was Edward Falkrona.
My reputation as the most unpredictable bastard had spread everywhere in every corner of the Kindgom.
"Hey, you are also late?"
"..."
I ignored Jayden and continued to walk ahead.
"Come on, man."
I felt he was going to coil his arm on my shoulders, so I stepped aside.
"Don't touch me, I'm a noble."
"Then why are you late?"
Milleia asked this time.
There was no ill-intention in her question. She was merely curious, as nobles were always the first in such important events.
"It doesn't regard any of you."
I said and walked ahead.
The two obviously followed me since we were going to the same place.
It was [10:30].
We were thirty minutes late.
Damn…
I would have felt stressed before, but now my awareness of my status is stronger than before. Like, I knew nothing could happen to me since I was Thomen Falkrona's son.
You could call that arrogance as well…
Now I had to face that academy that was not different than an immense palace.
There were four large rectangular buildings connected to each other. In the middle, was the immense courtyard where students could rest and enjoy their free time.
Among the four large buildings were three buildings for each grade or year if you prefer. The academy was in three years, after all. The fourth building was for all the teachers, staff, management and other important groups…
The first year building was on the west side, on the east for the second years and on the south for the third years. The most important building, the fourth one, was in the north.
Further in the north so on the north of the fourth building were several immense infrastructure that looked like a football stadium. They were the training stadium and for other activities…
We had written classes in the auditorium but also practical classes on training grounds like that. You'd ask why such giant buildings are only for students, but they needed to be that spacious.
There were four classes per year.
In the first years, each class had an average of 70 students, so the whole first year promotion was alone, reaching more than 280 students.
Of course, in second year and third year, some students wouldn't be kept because of difficulty or another reason, but some students would be transferred to the academy according to their talents directly in second year or third year. In the whole academy, there were about 900 students. These 900 students were the future of the Celesta Kingdom without doubt. They were the cream of the crop.
There were also other buildings, like the dormitory. For the time being, it wasn't important since I was late!
"Hey, what's your name?"
"..."
"How do you know where to go? Is that your first time? But you have a red tie, so you must be a first year like us, right?"
Jayden fired question after question like a gattling gun that I ignored while Milleia was looking in awe at the lavish academy like a country bumpkin. Well, it was indeed a beautiful sight. I only looked on a screen but being literally in such a place was rather a unique experience. The academy was entirely built in white marble with a special ore that had a high compatibility with mana.
Yeah, the academy was protected by more than hundreds of knights and most of them reached their 6th Ascension. Some even more…
It was one of the most important places in the kingdom. The children of the king, high-ranking nobles, the geniuses, the hope of the kingdom were all gathered there after all. No one in their sane mind would attack the academy….without a concrete plan at least.
The entrance ceremony was going to be held in the fourth building in a GIANT auditorium. All years would be assembled there, consequently all the [Main Characters]...
"U-Um, don't you think you should fix your clothes? I heard the teachers were harsh on etiquette here…"
Milleia said to me hesitantly.
Well…
I looked at myself.
My tie wasn't even put on, my shirt wasn't tucked in my pants either. My whole atmosphere was screaming. I didn't give a damn about the rules. The problem was that I hated being uncomfortable in clothes. Tucking shirts in my pants or strangling myself with a tie wasn't for me.
I shrugged my shoulders and entered the fourth building. The automatic doors opened and we continued for a few more minutes, taking corner after corner before reaching a long corridor. The corridor was very large and paintings were hung on the pure white wall.
Fortunately, I remembered somewhat how to access that auditorium since I had to go there several times during the game with Jayden.
Finally, we reached a hall.
At the end of the hall were several doors guarded by guards. Among all the doors, one was bigger than the others. It was the famous door where the headmaster or important people would go. The other doors were for the students and they led to the far-away seats.
Without hesitating, I headed to the main door, the biggest one. Jayden and Milleia looked at each other before following me.