Accident During Enlistment

The Academy grounds that Laurellius witnessed on their moment of arrival, was far, far larger than what he expected.

It was completely different from just watching it from afar, and it was also much more detailed, as such he was able to witness its intricately detailed workmanship.

Laurellius didn't exactly know how to describe it, but all he could say was. . .

"It's amazing. . ."

He was lacking the vocabulary, and the creativity of mind to describe it well.

The tall walls that Laurellius deduced were at least 30 meters tall, were painted white, and had a sloping form that made it harder for intruders to the run-up. It was observation towers set at different intervals, and he even saw occasional glances of people who seemed to be flying above the wall.

They were flying!

Just how powerful did a mage have to be able to do that?!

At the very least, Laurellius wanted to be like that. Like that Harrion Petter story that he read. Laurellius loved that story.

However, a sudden voice rained on Laurellius' parade: "Have you not seen walls before, plebeian? You gawk like an absolute bumpkin. . ."

Laurellius groaned at Avarosa's strangely apt description, and couldn't make a comeback. She was right.

Okay, calm down, me. It's just a wall, okay? It just a well-arranged piece of mystic stones that are placed to surround an entire academy to prevent unauthorized intrusion, and is reinforced to be able to withstand even a 5th Tier spell—wait?! isn't that a big deal?!

Laurellius' mind spun at high speeds as he kept processing whatever he was seeing and was unconditionally amazed. Only his sister knew, but Laurellius was a fan of the famous Arcanum Academy. One of the reasons why he chose this place out of several other academies to enroll.

Laurellius felt like he heard Avarosa sigh and casually insulted him, but he didn't pay it any mind. He was busy after all.

And so, after about 30 minutes of pulling and dragging a fanboy, Laurellius, Avarosa, and Nell finally reached the reception center.

"Hello sir, anything I can help?" the Receptionist asked politely.

Laurellius made a small smile, "I'd like to confirm enrollment please."

"Invited?"

Laurellius nodded and handed his invitation.

The Receptionist took the invitation letter and opened its contents. She began to read it as her eyes glowed a faint luminesce.

Laurellius was amazed. He knew that spell, and it was the spell he was aiming to master when he became an Intermediate Mage. . .

"True Sight. . ." Laurellius muttered in a daze.

The Receptionist stopped reading for an instant, as she seemed to smile proudly from Laurellius' perspective. Perhaps she was really amused by his amazement.

After reading the contents, the Receptionist smiled at Laurellius: "I've confirmed your intentions to enroll. Please follow me to test your accurate aptitude."

The Receptionist then began to walk, but Laurellius felt a tugging at his clothes. Laurellius looked to see who it was, and was surprised to see it was Avarosa. She was upset as she pointed at herself while glaring at him. But weirdly, Laurellius found it cute.

"Ah, please wait," Laurellius called out to the Receptionist: "Actually, can I ask if I can also approve her for the entrance exams? I'm pretty sure she's more than capable of passing." He said as he pointed to Avarosa.

Avarosa made an arrogant, yet pleases expression as she narrowed her eyes. Laurellius had already known how much she loved being praised.

However. . .

"Unfortunately, we cannot do that without an invitation. After all, we do not know anything about her background and character. As you are aware, Arcanum Academy has its own standards." The Receptionist said as she pushed up her glasses.

Hearing her words, Avarosa scoffed and opened her lips to say something, but Laurellius covered her mouth, to prevent her from speaking: "I-I see. . . but is there no other way?"

Avarosa stiffened at his touch, but he ignored her for now.

The Receptionist made a pondering expression for a while, and finally pushed up her glasses: "Hm… Let's see—if she gets to have a third-year student to vouch for her, then it might be possible."

Laurellius too, pondered for a while: "Someone to vouch for her, huh..? I think this is goin—Ow! H-Hey, what are you—!!"

As Laurellius spoke, he was suddenly cut off by a painful sensation in his wrists. Avarosa had clenched his wrist with her delicate-looking fingers, and it clenched hard as his hand began to feel cold from the lack of blood.

"You will not touch me without my permission, Plebeian." Avarosa spoke in a freezing tone. Her eyes seemed to glow a faint chilling glow, making Laurellius pale even further.

When Avarosa finally let go of his wrist, he heaved a sigh of relief. He thought he was about to die that instant. He was once again reminded that Avarosa was not your average lass.

"Is anything alright?" the receptionist suddenly asked, bringing Laurellius' attention back to the discussion.

Laurellius waved his hand to show that he was alright, "I'm fine. Just a bit of disagreement with my companion here, haha…"

"I see." The receptionist said as she pushed up her glasses once more, "Well then, I'll explain it once more. It is entirely possible for an outsider to enter the entrance exams as long as a third-year or higher seniors."

"Though I doubt there will be any… It's the long-awaited vacation after all. Most of them have already been studying here for a while, and each one has gained their own reputation. They probably are back in their hometowns." She added with a shrug.

Laurellius' face darkened as he hung his head. "I see…"

'I guess I can just look for other ways, huh?' Laurellius thought, but a sudden voice from nearby butted in.

"Oh? Is that you, Laurellius? You're really taking the exams?"

Laurellius turned in the direction of the voice. "Miss Fran…"

Fran made an I'm pleased expression as she pouted: "Jeez! Didn't I tell you to just call me Fran?.."

She then put her hands on her slim waist and sighed. She then asked: "So? You seem in trouble?"

Laurellius scratched his head, "Ah… actually, I was troubled because I wanted to help my friend here enroll. Unfortunately, I don't know any third-years. Haha…"

"Friend..?" Fran seemed bewildered, as she turned her head and saw Avarosa. She stared at her with a smile, but her expression suddenly froze. "Eh?"

Laurellius was curious as to what could cause Fran such a reaction, so he turned to Avarosa. And he saw a strange sight.

Avarosa's eyes were narrowed as it had traces of hostility in them. Her face was expressionless, but it felt cold to Laurellius. Avarosa then spoke: "I do not like your gaze, woman. Cease it, else I tear off both your eyes."

Laurellius saw Fran become wide-eyed from the blatant threat, as his heart began to race in alarm. He wanted to admonish her, but someone beat him to it.

"How rude!" the receptionist suddenly snapped: "How dare you talk to her like that?! Do you even know who she is?!"

Attention from the surroundings shifted to their location, as Laurellius also shifted his gaze to the receptionist. She was fuming, red-faced. Her body was shaking and her eyes glowed as Laurellius could feel mana circulate in her body. A sign of a mage's genuine anger.

Fran seemed to be troubled by the attention they were gathering, as she tried to calm her down: "H-Hilda, can you please calm do—"

"No, I insist, Lady Francesca. I will not tolerate a bunch of commone—"

"Silence."

The receptionist, who was apparently named Hilda, cut of Fran in mid-speech as she insisted on her words. But she was also cut off by a single sentence from Avarosa.

As if obeying royalty, everyone in the surroundings went silent—including Laurellius. And it was perfectly understandable. After all, no one was daring enough to resist the tremendous pressure coming from Avarosa. They knew they would be in great trouble if they do; Laurellius included.

Hilda, Fran, and Laurellius all paled. Perhaps it was the same for everyone too. Laurellius glanced at Nell, but she was only looking around bewildered. It seems she was unaffected—or simply not targeted.

After a moment of what it felt like an eternity, Avarosa finally spoke: "You will not talk to me like an equal, plebeian woman,"

Her tone made everyone feel like they were doused in frozen water, as they paled further. Avarosa began to walk towards Hilda. She stopped in front of her and reached out with her delicate arm. She spread her palms wide, and then clenched Hilda's neck who paled even further. Her face was ashen in color now.

Laurellius' eyes widened from the shocking scene. And perhaps it was the same for everyone, yet no one said anything As mages, they knew that those with power ruled over those without it. The inferior included.

The world had never been so benevolent. And Laurellius knew that too. However, he couldn't just watch idly as Avarosa killed someone on a whim.

Squeezing out each and every bit of courage inside him, he called out in a seemingly muffled tone: "W…Wait!.. Avarosa… stop!"

His entire body was shaking, as he was cursing himself inwardly for getting involved with her. She was dangerous. He realized it by now.

Avarosa only gave him a sideways glance, but only for an instant. She ignored his words, as Laurellius saw her hand clench even harder on Hilda's neck. Hilda was barely struggling at this point.

'D-Does she really deserve to die?!' Laurellius shouted to himself, 'She just spoke for someone else!'

Laurellius didn't want her to die. From the very short time he interacted with her, he saw her as a patient person and a good person. His morals and upbringing refused to simply let her die.

Desperately resisting the pressure, Laurellius dragged his seemingly petrified body towards Avarosa. Once again, he spoke: "I said… wait..!"

Laurellius only heard Avarosa's sneer, and her grip tightened further. She was trying to kill Hilda.

Laurellius felt a tinge of despair well up in him, but he couldn't do anything. Just talking was a great ordeal, and he had attempted to move. He was already exhausted mentally.

'If only I was stronger…' the thought popped in his head, but it was pointless now.

However, just as Laurellius was beginning to hate himself for being useless, a voice suddenly intruded.

"Now, now. That's enough games for you, students…"

The voice seemed quite carefree, and it was feminine. It had a strange melodic intonation to it, but that wasn't what caught Laurellius' attention. It was what happened afterward.

*SNAP!* 

The sound of a finger-snap resounded, and the next instant, Avarosa put Hilda down and let go of her neck. Hilda dropped to the ground and gasped heavy breaths at a fast pace.

"And to take care of the bad atmosphere…" the voice added, then another *SNAP!* resounded.

A magic circle manifested in mid-air, and the students around felt the pressure dampen to a tolerable degree. With weak legs, they began to vacate the area; afraid to linger any longer.

Laurellius turned to the one who just spoke and saw a middle-aged woman wearing a black robe and a witch's hat. She had gray hair that seemed natural, and her face still retained the beauty of her youth. Laurellius had seen her once.

"Headmaster Veronica…" Laurellius muttered.

It was the legendary Witch of the Grand Arcana, Veronica Wicca. The headmaster of Arcanum Academy City.

It seemed the commotion they caused had attracted a massive big-shot…