The following day.
At the break of dawn.
As the sun had only just begun to rise, Colin arrived at the School.
According to what Marjorie had said the day before, Wednesday meant that Lillian was supposed to have a class in the central area of the Tin Saint Bishop's teaching building.
He made his way to the teaching building as if on familiar terrain. The place was a huge, ancient castle, rustic and solemn, with mottled exterior walls that spoke of its long history.
The pathways inside were complex and intricate—getting lost was an easy misstep.
However, fortunately, this was not his first time here...
Previously, in order to further make use of the Knowledge Crystal Erica had given him on Blackstone Island, he had signed up for several free public classes.
Mainly about Magic Potions.
After a short while, navigating the castle's complex corridors, he arrived at a huge stairway classroom on the third floor.
It was worth mentioning that this was the very place where he had attended the free Magic Potion open classes a few days ago.
Standing at the entrance, Colin glanced inside; although the stairway classroom was large, there were only a sparse twenty or so wizards seated inside at the moment.
'Such a turnout implies either that the class is unpopular or it must be some kind of expensive charged course,' he mused to himself.
After a careful search, Lillian's conspicuously petite figure was right in the middle of the first row.
And classes, apparently, hadn't started yet... otherwise, given the Wizard World's protectiveness over knowledge, he wouldn't have been able to see the classroom inside clearly, nor would he have been able to hear any sound.
On the other hand... there was no instructor in sight at the podium right now,
After a moment of contemplation, Colin still stepped forward and walked in.
If he didn't approach Lillian now, he might have to wait until the classes ended at noon.
With few in the classroom, entering made him conspicuously noticeable, and the wizards turned their eyes to watch him.
Colin maintained a composed expression, but inwardly he tensed abruptly.
The gazes cast by the wizards seemed tangible, transforming into an invisible pressure that weighed upon his shoulders making him inexplicably feel a heaviness in his body and stirring a sense of urgency in his heart.
This was not intentional on the part of the wizards in the classroom but rather a unique atmosphere created by the unconsciously radiated aura of authority as they gathered.
They... were all Official Wizards!!
"Colin, are you here for me?"
Lillian's crisp and soft voice suddenly reached him.
"Senior Sister Lillian," Colin quickly greeted her. As Lillian spoke, he felt the pressure around him suddenly lift.
He continued walking towards Lillian, and looking at her petite figure sitting on the chair with her feet unable to touch the ground, he felt somewhat surprised.
He had thought that Lillian was just an Advanced Wizard Apprentice like himself... after all, the last time he saw her, she was not wearing a badge, also with Atbolde, a Second Rank Wizard, by her side.
Not to mention Lillian's harmless petite figure... it was indeed difficult to discern her actual strength.
But now, it seemed that Lillian was also a genuine Official Wizard.
"Yes, I think I know what you want... Is it about that matter Marjorie mentioned?"
Lillian asked, deliberately vague in her words, not revealing any information about Colin.
She held a gilt-patterned steel pen in her right hand, sitting upright and serious.
However, the childish face on her wide gray Wizard Robe, and those slender legs dangling off the chair... made it hard for one to remain solemn.
"Yes, Senior Sister Lillian," Colin nodded in response.
"Okay." Lillian glanced at the owl-shaped clock at the front of the classroom, preparing to speak.
"Lillian, is this the new Apprentice that Wizard Rudolph has taken in?"
A magnetic male voice came from the side.
"Lord Silear, please address me as Miss Rudolph,"
Lillian frowned openly at Colin, speaking coldly without turning her head.
Colin followed the sound and saw a mature Male Wizard with meticulously styled hair standing, stunned, in place.
Click.
"Colin, go tend to your affairs,"
Lillian said softly, tapping her pen on the table and looking at Colin who had turned his head:
"After the noon classes end, I will come find you at the mentor's place and take you there."
"Alright, Senior Sister Lillian, I have nothing pressing, I'll just wait outside for you," Colin replied succinctly, sticking to the principle of speaking less to avoid mistakes.
"That's fine too." Lillian nodded and looked at the owl-shaped clock again, urging, "Class is about to start, you better leave quickly."
If Instructor Ebur with his poor temper was to teach and Colin, an Apprentice, kept lingering...
"Of course." Colin didn't hesitate; he left straight away.
And that Wizard Silear who had spoken already scoffed and sat back down in his seat, having embarrassed himself.
But strangely enough... most of the other wizards were gathered in small groups, yet there was no one around Lillian.
Colin walked towards the door, his mind swirling with thoughts.
Just as he reached the entrance, a suffocating pressure suddenly struck him!
As if suddenly brushed by the cold winds of winter, his initially warm body began feeling bursts of chill.
He hurriedly took two steps out of the classroom into the hallway before daring to look back for a glance.
Unbeknownst when, a mass of ice-blue crystal had abruptly appeared above the podium, and was now slowly condensing from the top down into an elegant ice sculpture wearing a Wizard Robe.
Soft chestnut hair tied back in a ponytail, sensible glasses perched on a delicate yet prominent nose, with a well-formed figure that even a large Wizard Robe couldn't conceal...
The ice sculpture's details were clear, as though it were a living person.
No, it was a living person!