Arriving at destination

After the incident with the mage and the swordsman in black, the journey had gone smoothly until this morning. For most of the time, there was an uncomfortable atmosphere inside the carriage. Some remained silent, lost in their own thoughts, while others just stared out the window with blank expressions.

The princess stayed quiet most of the time, but this time it didn't seem to be just her usual behavior. Ran managed to convince her to heal her injuries one night, and the marks on her neck and wrists had disappeared. Even so, something still seemed to be bothering her internally. It was noticeable in her austere expression, as if she was brooding over something troubling in her thoughts.

On the other hand, the young man in white was much quieter and more distracted than usual. Most of his expressions seemed to reflect that he was mulling over something bothersome. Although curious, Lince didn't want to pry into his affairs.

This strange atmosphere persisted for most of the journey. Even when it seemed that the worst had passed, nothing about what happened in that clearing was discussed among them. The only ones who talked inside the carriage were Ran and Lince, two curious minds asking each other mundane questions. And on many occasions, the only sounds were the wheels turning and the horses' footsteps outside.

"What is that thing?" Ran asked, noticing Jiro fiddling with a small dark sphere between his fingers.

It didn't seem to be something magical, although Ran could feel some kind of mysterious power emanating from the sphere. She was curious.

Jiro looked at the sphere with the same questioning thoughts. Even after pondering over it many times, he hadn't reached any satisfactory conclusion. But he couldn't bring himself to throw it away.

'Whether you'll need this or not is up to you.' Jiro remembered the swordsman's words. Many things about that fight still intrigued him. There was that moment when the swordsman in black averted his gaze; he didn't seem to be watching the mage's fight. His eyes appeared to be searching for something farther away in that direction, and there was only one thing there: the carriage where the others were. But about this, Jiro thought he might be overthinking.

'The Calamity is eager to work with you.' Those were the words that lingered in his mind the most, like rust corroding the blade of an old sword. What could they mean? Or was it just another way for the swordsman to provoke him?

Calamity. Jiro knew who it was: a cruel being that terrorized this world. In the past, Calamity had become the enemy of all humanity, and its existence couldn't be easily defeated, so it was imprisoned in endless torment, where it was supposed to remain for all eternity.

The only thing Jiro was sure of was that his reunion with that talkative swordsman would happen sooner than he expected. And when that moment came, he would have some questions to ask. About the strange sphere in his hands and... about the Calamity. Not to mention returning the defeat he had suffered. He wouldn't forget that either.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Ran pointed at the sphere. "What's that weird thing in your hand?"

"It's... nothing," Jiro replied, seeming to snap out of a trance and quickly hid the object inside his shirt, as if wanting to keep it out of everyone's sight.

As might be expected, the girl soon lost interest in the sphere. She leaned her body out and looked outside, then said while stretching:

"Oh, we've finally arrived! I hope we never have to travel this way again..."

The coachman slowed the carriage as he spotted a fork in the road ahead. Lince looked at a wooden sign; the longer path pointed toward the capital, Luzia, while the shorter one indicated the Camellia Academy as the destination.

The scenery began to change. The carriage moved along a narrow road paved with gray stones. On one side, there was a gloomy forest with tall, twisted trees, their roots tangled across the ground. It reminded him a bit of the mage from a few days ago. On the other side, there was a field of green grass and small bushes with colorful flowers, stretching to where the hills began and ending under a cloudy sky.

Lince looked at both sides, seeing nothing but two landscapes that didn't seem to match each other. Feeling confused, he asked the girl:

"Have we arrived? I don't see anything here besides that scary forest..."

"That's because it's your first time here," Ran replied. The boy was heading to the academy but didn't even know the right way. Really, he was very lucky to have arrived at his destination safely, she finally thought. "This forest is part of the academy. But be careful with it, as it's famous for being haunted by evil spirits and is full of traps…"

Lince looked at the forest again. It wasn't the kind of place he'd enter, even if he hadn't known about the traps and evil spirits that lurk within. But he had hoped to see the city of Luzia or the prestigious Camellia Academy. However, Ran told him that Camellia was located a bit further from the capital, so it was impossible to see it from there.

"Camellia is a place where all kinds of skills and magic are studied and practiced, including some very dangerous ones. Therefore, a large space and uninhabited areas are necessary so that these practices don't affect ordinary people. Didn't you think of that?"

"No." Lince promptly replied.

Ran sighed, as if she didn't understand that response.

But Lince understood what she meant. If a magic like the one the mage used were to happen in a city, it would cause great damage. Suddenly, he saw the beginning of a white wall and the red rooftops of some buildings.

In the middle of the wall, there was a massive silver gate, used exclusively for vehicles. Just before it, there was another, slightly smaller gate, used only for people to enter and exit. The carriage slowed down until it stopped in front of it.

"From here, you have to go on alone," Jiro said. "The tall building in the center is the administrative area, which is where you said you need to go first."

The coachman opened the door, and Lince stepped out of the carriage. He then waited for his luggage, but the old man told him not to worry about it.

"I'll take care of it, Mr. Elliot," the old man said, then bowed in respect and thanked him for helping the princess earlier.

Lince felt strange being treated so formally by an older man. But he made sure to thank him as well:

"Thank you, then." He bowed in return.

"No need to thank me," the old man said, somewhat embarrassed. "It's just my job." He quickly returned to his seat.

Lince straightened up, looked toward the carriage, and placed one hand in front of his chest and the other behind his back, then bowed in gratitude to the young people inside the vehicle.

"Thank you for bringing me here. I will never forget your kindness. I hope to repay this favor one day."

"Listen carefully, Lince, when you introduce yourself or thank someone for a favor, it's important to make a good impression on people. Posture is very important…" Lord Micaelo had said during an etiquette lesson.

Lince was just a child when that lesson took place, and although he barely remembered much of it, he still managed to recall the posture shown by the lord and tried to imitate it. However, what he ended up displaying was an awkward bow. His plan to leave at least a good impression at the end of the journey failed.

"Don't forget that we're all students here," Ran said, smiling. "We'll still see each other around. So, you don't need to make such a formal farewell."

Jiro nodded, agreeing with her words, and wished the boy good luck. The princess even looked at Lince, but she didn't express anything.

The carriage began to move slowly toward the larger gate. Many other carriages were arriving there as well, some of them as large and beautiful as the one carrying the princess. Each one transported illustrious students of the kingdom, and he was about to live with these people for the next three years... Lince felt a cold shiver at the thought.

Then his eyes focused solely on the place where he would spend the next few years of his life. Despite everything that had happened along the way, he had reached his destination.

Inside the carriage.

"I hope he does well in this place…" Jiro unexpectedly whispered.

"Why do you think he wouldn't do well here?" Ran asked, while staring at the young man in white.

It might have just been his intuition, but Jiro knew that the people of the Aspriel family always kept many secrets, and he didn't like to believe in coincidences.

"This year will be interesting here in Camellia, don't you think?" Jiro deflected, with a weak smile.

"Thinking of it that way, you're right," Ran murmured.

Naige remembered when the boy used his saber and almost died because of it. If he was another one of those who "dreamed big," she could only feel sorry for him.