Alumni

Later

After completing Willow's new Abomination, the three walked together to the school grounds. Luz and Willow couldn't help but continue their questions for each other.

Willow gaped. "So your home has no magic at all?"

The servant gave a so-so gesture. "The ability to use magic is a rare trait nowadays. Almost all of human society is now ignorant to the supernatural."

Willow patted the cauldron on her cart. "I can't even imagine my life without magic. How does everyone cook food and make light without magic?"

Luz pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight. "Humans kinda had to do it the long way. We kind of trial and error to where we are now. Where you had magic, we upgraded from banging rocks together for fire to more complicated and powerful ways."

"Woah! That's just like my Scroll." Willow summoned what looked like an ordinary paper scroll with a purple frame. When it opened, it floated midair and was directed to the foreign duo.

As soon as the master and servant saw the screen, both raised a wry brow and gave her a smug smile.

Confused, she pulled the scroll back and reeled in embarrassment. The scroll was showing someone's profile on something called Penstagram. The most recent photo in view is of a teen witch boy with dark, dark magenta eyes, thick black eyebrows, and ash-blond hair doing push-ups. The username read HeadHunter with icons indicating that it had been 'liked' and 'followed.' The young witch's face glowed bright red. She turned to her new friends, stammering to explain herself. "I-I-It's not what it looks like?"

"Oh, really?" teased Luz. "Shirou, what did it look like to you?"

Following along, Shirou smirked. "I don't know. What does it look like, Willow?"

The pout on the young witch's face was just adorable. "I-I listen to his exercise tips, I swear."

Luz took the liberty of skipping around the other girl. "Exercise tips?" She squeezed Willow's biceps, feeling the toned muscle. "A likely story."

Sparing Willow of any more teasing, he changed the subject. "Romantic interests aside, I admit that your scroll is very impressive. I could only wish that the magic users I knew made something like that."

Thankful for the recovery, Willow calmed. "It is pretty cool, isn't it? I remember Mr. Alador working on stuff even more complicated than this."

"Mr. Alador?" asked Luz.

Her mind caught up to her, and the witch went downcast. "Sorry. It's nothing. Forget what I said."

Guilty for pointing out what was a bad memory, Luz looked around for a distraction before widening her eyes in the distance. "Oh, my god! That's your school!"

Shaking herself of negative thoughts, Willow perked up. Indeed, a couple of hundred meters away was the school campus. In front of them was a white castle-like building with many students walking through its front door. "Yup. Welcome to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics. Possibly the best witch's school on the Boiling Isles."

"There's more than one?" asked Shirou.

The witch grimaced. "Glandus High. They are kind of our rivals."

"And they get to be mine when I come here too!" squealed Luz.

The hero laughed goodnaturedly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Luz. We still have to talk to the people in charge."

Once inside Hexside, the two humans received a few strange looks from other students before they went about their day. The trio stopped at a locker, and it was surreal to see Willow tickle it to make it open its mouth and give her books. Suddenly, a shorter dark-skinned witch reading a magazine bumps into her. "Hmm?"

The younger bow was too engrossed in his book. "Willow, you would not believe humans."

Willow blinked. "Believe what?"

The boy showed her the magazine. "Did you know humans nail barbed wire to their kids' teeth? But why? Maybe to make them magnetic."

On the side, Luz casually answered. "It's for storing treats."

Both the young boy and Shirou looked at her, confused. "Luz, those are braces. You're supposed to clean the food out."

Luz shrugged. "It worked for me."

The confused look on the boy turned to astonishment. Augustus dropped his magazine. "No. No, it-" He played with his ears while staring at Luz's. "it couldn't be."

Willow took a breath. "Augustus. I know what you're thinking, but you must be cool."

Augustus shook his head vigorously. "I can be spool," he stammered. "I mean, cool."

Willow gestured to the Master and Servant. "They are Luz and Shirou, both actual humans." She turns to the duo. "He's the president of the Human Appreciation Society. Most witches wouldn't be able to recognize a human right away. But Augustus is an expert.

Augustus got a closer look at them. "Where are your gills?"

Shirou frowned. "What gave that impression?"

Luz waved off the question. "I knew an Augustus back in the human world. We called him Gus."

Augustus brightened up. "Gus? A Nickname? Human nickname? Gus? Call me it. Wow. Gus. This is the best day of my life."

Shirou chuckled. "Aren't you excited?"

To the human's surprise, a bell on the wall literally screams.

Gus's eyes widened. "I've gotta get to spelling class." He grabbed his magazine and a wand before running off. "See you guys at lunch!"

Willow waved back at Gus. "All right. I better get to class."

Shirou turned to her. "Thanks for bringing us here. Is there anything you need before you head off to class?"

"Where do we go to sign up?" asked Luz.

The young girl opened her cauldron and rechecked the spell on her Abomination. "After our test in the forest and with it still holding up, I should be good. As for administration, keep heading straight, and you'll reach the Principal's secretary's desk. You can't miss it."

"Thank you!" Luz gave her a hearty hug in return. "I guess this is goodbye for now." The Master and Servant started to walk, only for Willow to call their attention.

"Wait!" The two turned back to her. "I-It would mean a lot if you could stop by my classroom for my presentation. I wouldn't have done it without you guys."

Luz beamed. "Of course. I can't wait to see Amity's face when you whip out this baby!"

Willow returned the emotion in kind. "That's great. It's room A201. Don't forget it."

With that, they went their separate ways.

Within the main office of the campus, the Principal of Hexside sat going over some paperwork. Hieronymus Bump read a recent budget report as a crystal ball in the corner of his desk read off the daily news. Hearing his former student Eda still up to her shenanigans was somewhat nostalgic yet concerning. While she had her issues with the coven system, it has grown into a larger issue since then. Knowing that her sister is the head of the coven in charge of her capture did not sit well with him. Soon, his thoughts were cut off by a call from his secretary on his scroll. "Yes, Raya?"

"Good morning, Principal Bump. Sorry for the last-minute notice, but there's a pair of humans here who want to learn more about enrollment. The other counselors are busy at the moment. Are you free for a consultation?"

Bump blinked. "Sorry. Could you repeat that? Did you say, humans?" It was an unexpected turn of events. The only record they have of humans is the items and skeletons that wash up on the shores of the isles.

"That's correct, sir. I was surprised when I saw them too. Maybe that Agustus kid might be onto something about human culture. In any case, are you free?"

Glancing back at the stack of busywork on his desk, Bump was more than eager for a change in pace. "That's quite alright. Please, send them in."

"Will do."

Their call ended, and he started cleaning his office. Minutes later, a knock came on his door. "Come in."

True to the call, a pair of actual humans walked through his door. The older redhead was calm, while the younger brunette seemed shy. "Sorry. Are you, Principal Bump?"

The elder man chuckled. 'I suppose human children are no different from witch children.' "Indeed. I am. Forgive me, but it is my first time meeting humans." He gestured to the chairs in front of him. "Please, take a seat." The two complied and sat across from him. "Now, who do I owe the pleasure of introducing our school?"

The girl waved her hand. "I'm Luz Noceda, and it would mean so much if I could go to your school."

Next to her, the boy gave a respectful nod. "Shirou. I'm her guardian of sorts, making sure she doesn't get into any trouble."

Bump smiled. "I'm familiar with that sort of thing." He turned to Luz. "If you don't mind me asking, have you had any prior magic training?"

The girl seemed to panic. "I-I uh. No…"

That was a surprise to Bump. "Really? Normally, training usually begins at the age of six."

Shirou spoke up. "For witches, perhaps, but magic among humans is a rare trait. Luz has not yet found her talent in magic."

"Fascinating." Bump stroked his chin. "Well, as with any new applicant, we need to know your aptitude. Incoming students are given a placement exam. Considering your age, you need to master basic runes and can perform a minimum of two spells to join your peers. Otherwise, you would be placed in the Primary Education levels of those much younger than you."

Luz deflated at hearing the requirements. "My chances just dropped to zero." She felt her servant's hand on her shoulder.

"Much like I told you before, the fundamentals are important. From what we've heard, you can either join the other kids in learning the basics, or you can take your chances with Eda and me with homeschooling."

The name drew Principal Bump's attention. "Sorry. Do you mean Edalyn Clawthorne?"

Aware of Eda's notoriety, the two went wary. "Perhaps. Why?"

Already guessing what the two youths were thinking, he placated their fears. "Now. Now. I'm an educator, not the Empire. What I care about is the well-being of my students."

Luz nearly jumped from her seat. "Eda was your student?!" Shirou was also surprised by the revelation.

"Indeed. Back when I was just Vice Principal." He stood up and browsed through a shelf before pulling out a yearbook. Flipping through, Bump showed the duo a photo of three witches. They immediately recognized Eda, but she had bright orange hair and didn't have her golden fang yet. The second girl looked similar to Eda but had fluffy red hair, round glasses, and mint green eyes. The final witch had brown skin, mint-green hair, and green eyes.

"Woah. She looks so young!" exclaimed Luz.

Bump took a breath. "She does, doesn't she? I haven't seen her since graduation." He looked at another section on his shelf with nostalgia. "She wasn't the brightest of Witches, but I could see the potential in her. She got into messes just like she does now. Her permanent record is proof of that." His eyes softened. "She wasn't a bad witch, just someone who wanted to do things differently. Hearing her on the news, sometimes, I think I could have done more for her." Bump looked to the duo. "Tell me, how is she?"

"She's fi-" Luz cut herself off, thinking about what Eda said at the beach earlier that day. "She… seems kinda lonely, to be honest. She was talking about the life of a Trash Slug, but I can't help but feel that's what she thinks of herself as well."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Bump's mood dipped, but he eventually smiled. "Still, you somehow convinced her to be your teacher." A chuckle escaped his lips. "It's hard to imagine a girl like her being the one thing she rebelled against."

Luz shrugged. "She hasn't taught me magic yet, but I think it's something she's getting used to."

"In some circumstances, the student must be as patient as the teacher. I look forward to seeing how you and Eda can teach each other. Perhaps teaching can help her find herself. I should know. Although, I must say I'm curious about your other teacher." He looked back at Shirou. "You seem quite young to be guiding another in the ways of magic. A human a well."

Shirou put a hand to his chest in sincerity. "Despite my looks, I can assure you that I have practical experience in magic."

Bump nodded. "In some ways, I could tell. There's an air in the way you carry yourself. If you don't mind me asking, who taught you and what specialty?"

"My father only taught me the bare essentials of magic before he passed away." Outside of his view, Luz's expression grew somber at the new information and an old memory. "Since then, I was… self-taught." It was technically the truth. "To put it in simple terms, you can say I'm a Blacksmith."

Luz thought about all the magic that Shirou had done up until now. Now that she thought about it, Shirou making weapons and tools out of thin air fit the description.

The principal raised a brow. "Fascinating. I don't see that occupation often." He spread his attention back to Luz. "In any case, your friend is correct. You can either enroll at the lowest level or attend some homeschooling. The choice is yours."

Luz shook her head at the disappointment and turned to Shirou with a small smile. "I'll do the homeschooling first and catch up as fast as possible!"

"I await your return and your choice of magic track."

"I heard about those. How do they work, and many are there?"

"Too many for me to list right now. If you want to know more, we have a Covention coming up in a few days." He reaches into his desk and hands her a pamphlet.

"Thanks!" She scratched the back of her neck. Even though we're not students, can we still check the place out as visitors?"

Shirou nodded. "A new friend named Willow introduced us here, and we promised to stop by and watch her presentation."

Giving the two another look over, he seemed content. "You two seem like decent teens. I can grant you visitor passes for the day, but be warned. There will be consequences for disturbing the student or causing a ruckus. Nothing personal, but I've learned a lot since Eda attended here. We still haven't gotten rid of all the ghosts."

The Master and Servant sweatdropped at how their teacher and friend had this lasting influence.