>Chapter 29<

Caedis was currently feeling amused. He was looking at the boys' expressions after he had told them the name of the Demon Empress.

"It sounds so… normal?" One of the boys exclaimed.

Caedis laughed after hearing that. Never would he have thought that the name that brought so much fear into human heart would be described as 'normal'.

Though, he had to admit that it indeed sound very normal. But he also understood that the parents of Emily had no way of knowing that she would once become a Demon Empress, so of course they didn't give her an epic name.

They soon forgot about their talk, when they came out of the forest and they had to close their eyes because of the sudden appearance of light. After adapting to it, what came into their vision was a very large building. Definitely one of the biggest ones they had ever seen.

It was in the shape of a triangle but without the edges. Instead of those, there was actually free space with a gravel pavement leading from all three directions. Each of the three parts of the buildings was different in color. One of them was dark grey. The second one was light grey with the third one being white.

"The academy is separated into three buildings. Each of them represents a year with the dark grey being the first year part, the light grey for second years and the white building for the third year students." Caedis spoke as he walked on one of the pavement into the middle of the campus.

The inside part of the three building looked like a really nice park. It had trees with all kinds of fruits growing on them. In the middle of the park was a circle with sandy ground. It was actually built into the ground a little.

"As you can see, there is a park here. It is another kind of tree that grows fruits that emit calming particles. It is mostly here because we want the students to have better performance and so that they can learn in peace without being all stressed out." Caedis said as he pointed to a tree with a green, peach-like fruit on it.

He stopped speaking as he walked closer to the center of the park before continuing.

"This is one of the most visited parts of the academy by the students. It is an arena. The students aren't allowed to use magic inside of the three buildings for obvious reasons. And because conflicts are inevitable, they are often settled in this arena, the only place inside this triangle where people can use magic."

"Are the instructors allowed to use magic?" Jacob asked.

"Only some small spells are allowed to be cast inside. If the instructor wants to show the class some magic, they often go into the forest. There are some small barrier-covered spaces inside the forest so it won't be damaged accidentally. Though, I will not show these places to you, since it is very troublesome to get to them." Caedis replied.

He then pointed to one of these buildings, the dark grey one, and walked towards it as he talked.

"Each one of these three buildings is divided into five parts. The bottom floor is the kitchen with the dining room. The second and third floor is the dormitory part and the fourth floor, where the teachers living area is located. On the topmost floor is the storage part. All the magic equipment needed for classes is located in there."

"What about the classrooms?" David raised an eyebrow.

"That part is located underground, away from the prying eyes of spies. The underground complex is at least three times bigger than this above-ground campus. It will take a while for you to get used to it. Actually, the whole "school" part is interconnected with all the years. A lot of third year students still get lost in those corridors sometimes."

The boys' mouths opened wide in shock. It was underground? And it was supposedly bigger? If that's the case, how were they supposed to find their way in there?

As if understanding what they were thinking about, Caedis explained.

"I will give you a map so you can make some sense of it. But, worry not, you will get used to it very quickly."

"Huh, how is that? Didn't you say that even third year students still get lost?" Patrick asked doubtfully.

Caedis didn't explain and just turned around to look at the boys, who stiffened under his chilly gaze.

"This is it for the Veneficia Academy. More questions will be answered by the instructors after the school starts in a week. For now, we will be going back so that we can teach you all the important stuff you need to know."

"Albert, lead them back to the carriage. I still have some business to attend here."

"Understood, sir," Albert replied.

When did he appear?! The boys thought in panic when they heard Albert's voice coming from beside them. They had thought that he stayed back at the front gate, but, surprise, surprise. He has been here this whole time, it seems.

Albert then started walking, not waiting for the boys to follow. They only woke up from their stupor when they noticed Caedis's gaze.

Not wanting to stay there any longer, they quickly ran away, following the butler.

After they were gone from view, only silence prevailed in the massive area, with Caedis standing there.

He released a long sigh after a long while of just standing in place and walked in the direction of the carriage. Not even a second passed when he started walking, that he already caught up with the rest of the group.

The boys were confused when they saw him. Did he just stay there for like a few seconds? They thought that he must've followed right behind them, since it didn't take long for him to catch up to them. But they didn't say anything, afraid of getting just a creepy smile instead of a normal answer.