C14. Academy (II)

"Although it will be quite difficult for you to adapt to the school curriculums and such due to having you enrolled halfway through the year, as it is nearing the mid-year examination period, the only thing I do to help is to provide a teacher for extra one on one tuition after classes." The Head Chairman's voice echoed through the narrow hallway, each side lined with giant lecture rooms and diligent students sitting in rows, writing in their books.

"It's alright." I nodded, curiously looking around as I was being led to the room I was going to stay in for the rest of my school year.

To be perfectly honest. I was excited. After years of secretly peering over school gates and being told the wonderful stories of school dramas in my past life, I was finally going to be attending one myself.

"Here is your room." The Head chairman's voice interrupted my thoughts as he stopped in front of a giant room, the doors meticulously decorated in red and white marble.

"It's really…extravagant" I raised my eyebrow. Seems way too fancy for a student's dorm room.

I slowly pushed down on the door handle, swinging open the freshly oiled door.

Inside, the room seemed rather similar to my bedroom at the Grand Duke's mansion. The high ceiling and giant windows. The giant king-sized bed in the middle and a walk-in closet to its side. To the right of the door was also a expensive-looking desk, equipped with all the stationary a student would ever need.

"We chose the best room for the Grand Duke's son." The Head Chairman smiled, bowing his head.

"I can see that." I looked around. When I was told I was getting a dorm room at the academy, I was expecting something more modest. More student-like. Perhaps something like a small bunkbed shared with other classmates.

"What are the other room like?" I asked, running my finger down the windowsill to see not a speck of dust sticking.

"All students are sorted into rooms of 6. The aristocrats of the school either share their room with one other or have a single room by themselves. It's mainly decided by their ranking." He admitted.

"So there's discrimination?" I asked, turning around.

"It's unavoidable. My Lord, that's how society functions in the real world. We are simply preparing them for what they'll experience later."

"I guess it's survival of the strongest no matter where you are," I muttered, no longer questioning the flaws of that logic.

I nodded back towards the door. "Show me to the classrooms."

————

"-requires the channeling of mana." An expressive voice rang out as I slid open the lecture room door labeled [S-L. Elemental Theory].

A tall silver-haired lady turned to face me in surprise as she stopped speaking, the thin stick she held in her hand still in midair. "And you are?" She frowned, walking over to the lectern and flipping through the book placed upon it.

"Lenso." I replied to the person I presume to be the teacher. "Lenso Einsoi."

"Einsoi?" She blinked, whipping her head back at me in surprise.

"I apologize for the inconvenience." The head chairman slowly walked forward to face the class of 40 or so students. "Mr. Einsoi will be joining your class from today onwards." He announced, looking around with an aura of authority.

"Understood." An unenthusiastic reply came from the students as annunciated each syllable, glancing curiously at me.

"Alrighty then. I'll leave the rest to you, Miss Riley." The Head Chairman patted the shoulder of the teacher with a bellyful laugh and left the room.

"Lenso." The teacher awkwardly smiled as she turned to me. "Find an empty spot to sit and we'll continue with our lesson."

I simply nodded and headed my way up to the deep brown-colored row of seats. The heads of the students followed me up the stairs and over to a particular spot in the middle row.

"It's you." I sat down as a soft voice questioned in surprise.

Sure enough, it was the same girl who our carriage bumped into this morning.

"I'm Sara. I'm sorry for this morning" She introduced with a smile.

Cautiously eying her up, I nodded and faced the front.

"Oh." She muttered with a pout, fiddling pen and focusing her attention back to the front.

"As I was saying, the casting of any spells require the channeling of mana." Miss Riley continued, "The more intricate and more precise movements you wish to cast on the spell, the more mana will be poured out. As many have once experienced it first handed, this will cause your mana pool to drain at a faster rate. Now, who can tell me what happens when you are depleted of mana?"

A hand shoots up at the front.

"You fall unconscious until your body is able to replenish enough mana again." A loud voice replied with confidence.

"That's correct," Miss Riley smiles, continuing on with the answer given, "Your body slowly regains its mana until it has regained at least 25% of its total mana in its mana pool. An average human body regenerates about 1% every minute approximately, so during a fight, or a life-risking event. That is a life or death situation you do not wish to be in."

"Ma'am!" another voice calls out, "Can't you use potions to increase your mana during a fight?"

"Very good, Palmer." She responds.

My ears perk up at the name and I glance over to the student.

There he was, Palmer Pharamond. His short dirty blond hair and hazel eyes concentrating intensely on the teacher and absorbing every word from her mouth.

"Mana Potions can indeed rapidly increase your mana during fights and battles. Mages and sorcerers find them to be a crucial item to carry during fights. With a human's limited supply of mana within their body, a catalyst such as a staff is used as an alternative." She held out a straight wooden stick, two-thirds the size of herself.

"Ma'am." I raise my hand, surprising the girl beside me. "Is there a way to increase your own mana pool?"

"Unfortunately no. The mana you are born with is the amount of mana you have for the rest of your life. Which for an average human is around 100 strands."

"Which species has the most strands of mana?" I asked with great interest.

"Oh," Miss Riley pondered, thinking hard about this unique question "Either Elves or Demons I'd assume."

BBRIING BBBRIING

The echoing of the school bells sounded out from the quiet hallway which very quickly became bustling with the sounds of students bursting out of their classrooms.

"H-Hello, nice to meet you-!"

"I've heard so much about you-!"

"My father's a Count…-"

The dozens of students instantly began swarming me the moment the bell rang.