241-250

"Huh? Yes, have a good day…." I tilted my head in the other direction. For some reason, I felt something was off with how he smiled and waved at me.

"Ahhh… Faith is now sinking her teeth into the male population." Sophie's voice came from my side.

"That she is. To think she can sway both men and women to be by her side. Then again, Steven is also a lost cause as well." Sei replied to Sophie.

"What are you talking about?" I could not follow their conversation. But when I asked my question, they both just shook their heads and sighed. Well, whatever. I think I get the gist of what they are talking about, but I will just ignore it as I do not really care too much.

I went to my next class, which was battlefield theory. It was all about tactics on the battlefield and how to implement them. I do not think I even blinked during class as I tried to soak up all the information I could. The thing I liked about this class was that it seemed that no one was looking at me in hostile ways. While some did take a peek at me, it was only a peek. It seemed everyone in this class was here to learn, which made things go smoothly, which was good because in this class, it was just me. Sei and Sophie went to one of the other knight courses to learn more techniques.

It was only in my third knight class, battle practice, that I met up with the others. The instructor of this class was Sir Olbert. He was an older gentleman with a stern expression and an oppressive aura about him. Just standing near him makes a person shrink back. Even when he smiled, it was kind of scary. "I am glad to see so many youthful people here willing to take this class."

"To start things off, I need to know everyone's abilities. There are quite a few of you here, so we will have you all pair up, and we will see just how good you are. There will be no magic. This is physical strength and sword only. And do not think just because I am old that I will not detect any magic. I can detect even the faintest of magic coming from someone. So if anyone uses magic, I will not allow you to attend my class again, and I am sure you understand what happens if one is kicked from a class here in the academy." Sir Olbert was truly strict. He did not look down on anyone either. He was just blunt and upfront. And by saying he would kick you from the class, it was the same as saying you would be expelled. Because any student kicked from a class in the academy would instantly be expelled.

"Alright, quickly team up. If you do not find your partners in ten minutes, I will decide for you!" Sir Olbert yelled out.

Now, this was a bit of a predicament because I had quite a few sets of eyes staring at me. "Umm… Sally will be my opponent!" I decided instantly on Sally because she was strong enough to take my hits. Her innate strength only doubled after leveling up a lot which makes her perfect to be my opponent. While I do wish to fight Sophie, that is only when she is able to use her phase skill. Otherwise, even with her amazing swordsmanship, I would still overpower her. Although this sounds conceited, we have already tested it. My strength and natural defenses will always prevail.

The class was nothing but sparing from start to finish. In the end, because Sir Olbert wanted to see our weak points as well as our strengths, he made us switch up partners every ten minutes. This meant I went against quite a few people and also seemed to have gained a few admirers, which I found strange.

But now it was time for me to take my mage courses. Adel managed to work her schedule so that we would attend the same classes while she attended the other mage course classes in the morning. In all, each division had six classes you could take that were not exactly fully related to the course you were taking, like runic inscription, alchemy, and mana manipulation. These were the three other classes you can take for mage courses, while the knight side had weapon specializations and formation practice.

, And since I took my knight courses in the morning since that was when I would be the most awake to do physical activity, Adel decided to follow my schedule so we could meet up since I was not taking any of the other three mage courses.

"Faith!" Adel came running over and tackle hugged me. She then began rubbing her cheek against mine. "I need my Faith recharged!"

I sighed and put my hand between our faces. "Okay, enough."

Adel smiled cheekily as she looked as if she had been fully refreshed. "So, how were the morning classes?" I asked.

"Not bad. I did learn the benefits of magic in alchemy. I never thought just infusing a potion with magic would really do so much." Adel answered. "What about you? How was it?"

"She almost killed all the nobles." Sei chimed in before I could answer.

"Who was it that spanked the noble girl with a brilliant smile on her face!?" I asked while giving Sei a teasing grin. She blushed and lowered her head. "I just kind of lost myself in the moment!"

"Seems like you had an eventful morning." Adel said as she pursed her lips. I guess she felt like she was left out.

"Now, now, don't be sad, we'll be spending the next three classes together. I am sure something fun will happen." I said, trying to make Adel feel better. I guess it worked because she soon smiled and hooked her arm with mine. "Then let's go! Let's see what we can stir up!"𝐢n𝑛rℯ𝒶𝚍. 𝑐o𝘮

The first class for my mage courses was magic theory. The teacher from this class was much older than any of the other teachers so far, but I can say one thing. No one made a peep in the class. The instructor had a strict, stern expression on her face the entire time. Something you would see in the old schoolmarms back on Earth. She even had a rod in her hand as she taught. And for some reason kept slapping the palm of her hand with it.

But I must say magic theory was quite boring. It didn't really dive deep into anything. It was just the basics of magic and nothing more. Maybe it would get better as you rise in levels in school, but that didn't matter. What mattered was I could have taken a more useful class. But I still sat there and listened like a good girl. Just in case there was something worth listening to.

My next class was very interesting, though. Magic creation. A class based solely on creating new kinds of magic. And the one in charge of this class was Instructor Jasmine. As soon as I walked into the classroom, Instructor Jasmine called out to me. "Ah, good. I did pick the right class to teach. It is good that you are here."

"Oh? Is there something you need of me, Instructor Jasmine?" I asked. I was feeling a bit confused as to why she was happy I was here.

"Yes, after all, it is worth teaching someone magic creation if they have already created their own spells, miss spinning barrier. No matter how much I tried, I could not alter the spell at all to make it possible to spin the way you did!" Instructor Jasmine looked quite upset. I do not think she was mad at me but more upset that she could not alter the spell.

"Hmmm, it was quite simple though, look." I raised my hand and drew out the magic circle. Instructor Jasmine stared at the magic circle with a feverish gaze.

She stood there and studied the magic circle for a few minutes before throwing her hands up into the air. "It was that simple!? You just added in a rotational value to the runic equation like it was nothing! What the hell!?"

"It's not about trying to adjust anything in the spell but just layering an extra command over the top of it. If you add the spin to the target point you are casting it at, then you can make it spin around the target point. So all you are doing is adding in the rotational value to the runic equation." I explained.

"This is just… Fine, you teach class today!" Instructor Jasmine yelled out. I could only stare at her in disbelief. I mean, I came to this class to learn, not to teach! "What is that stupid look on your face for? I am being serious! You are much better at crafting spells than I am!"

"Faith, she has a point. I mean, you made a bunch of spells for everyone in the dungeon…." Adel, who was standing at my side, added. I, of course, pursed my lips.

"Let me make it worth your time. You will gain extra merits for teaching. Also, I will add in my referral to the dean if you are able to help these kids win the inter academy competition in a year's time." Instructor Jasmine's words of extra merits were not too bad but I did not understand what she meant by inter academy competition.

"Inter academy competition?" I asked.

"Were you not listening during the opening cer… never mind, you didn't even pay attention when you were called up to the stage. Alright, I will explain. The first year students will have a competition between the classes. Each class will face its counterparts. As each class is held by different teachers at different times. So I hope you can make this class lead the way in the magic creation part of the competition." Instructor Jasmine explained.

Hearing all of this, I thought for a moment and nodded my head. "I do not mind. If it is just teaching people how to create spells, that is fine, but the problem lies with how to responsibly do such a thing. If I teach and they make a spell that will kill us all, I do not want to be held responsible for it."

"I am not asking you to teach them how to create some of the crazy spells, you know, just some basic stuff." Instructor Jasmine flicked my forehead as she sighed at me.

"Alright then, let's get to it then…." I really don't care. I mean, if someone did try to do such a thing, I could just use dispel at some point as long as their magic power is not higher than mine.

And so now I was standing in front of the class while Instructor Jasmine sat in my seat. I guess she also wanted to learn from me. And right away was I getting hostile stares from all the noble kids. Which I figured would happen when they saw that they were going to be taught by me of all people. 𝒾𝐧𝚗𝙧𝙚𝐚d. 𝗰o𝓶

"What is this!? Why is this demi standing at the podium!? Instructor Jasmine, I came here to learn not to listen to some demi human!"

"Yeah! Why is she even up there!? Does she even know how to create any spells!? I thought the academy was a place of learning, not messing around!"

Instructor Jasmine slowly got up and turned around, and looked at the few students who had yelled out just now. "Are you questioning my decisions!? I will tell you this now if anyone is more qualified to teach this class, it is her. She can change and create spells in a matter of minutes. But you say she is not qualified? And what do you mean by demi human? Let me remind you that there is no difference between humans and demi humans in this academy. If I hear you call someone a demi human or anything derogatory towards any beastkin I will expel you immediately!"

I watched as the nobles once more lowered their heads. I have to give it to this academy. They really did keep to their ideals and rules. Well, most of the instructors did anyways. I looked up at everyone in front of me. They still had a bit of a hostile gaze, but I could care less. I cleared my throat and began.

"Magic creation is not as complicated as it might seem. One only needs a high understanding of how runic equations work. For instance…." I made a basic fireball magic circle that was big enough for everyone there to see the runes within it. I then made another one at my side so I could use it to point out the sections I was talking about.

"If you look here in this equation, the fireball is formed and given shape in this portion here of the equation. The shape is determined here in this portion. Now let's say we wished for our fireball to take the shape of an arrow. We would just elongate the shape so that it can take on the same aspects as the spell fire arrow. And if we upped the mana consumption here, we can turn up the amount of damage it can do by a lot. So, in essence, we just rewrote the fire arrow spell using a fireball magic circle." I looked up to see everyone staring at me strangely. I tilted my head to the side and asked: "What?"

"You…. You just simplified the fire arrow spell in an instant…." Someone muttered. But I felt confused, although the runic equation was different and maybe a bit shorter, fire arrow itself was a beginner's spell.

"Hmm? No one has figured this out before?" I asked. All I got was a whole class shaking their heads. Only Adel looked at me with a bit of pride in her expression, as if she was the one who did it. Even Instructor Jasmine was shaking her head. But this did not seem right. I mean, it was all right there…. "Are you all telling me no one has ever changed the fundamental aspects of a beginner spell to make them easier and more mana efficient?"

In reply to my question, I was met with more heads shaking back and forth. "Ummm!" A girl, well, one of the nobles who had yelled out in discontent earlier, raised her hand. "Yes?"

"I want to apologize for my earlier outburst. You are more than qualified to teach us, so please, teach us how to create magic like you." The noble girl bowed her head to me. This was a surprise with how haughty she was acting earlier. The difference in attitude was like night and day.

"It's fine. I do not hold any discontent towards you. In fact, I think you have every right to speak out when you see a student standing where the teacher should be. I just did not say anything back as it would have caused more of an argument." I replied with a smile.

"I would also like to apologize!" The young man next to the noble girl spoke up after. He was the other one who had spoken out. "Anyone who can simply alter a spell and turn it into another spell so easily is worthy of teaching us all."

"As I said before, it is fine," I replied with a smile. The young noble boy blushed and sat down. Why do all the boys I talk to lately seem to blush when I do? Why is Adel glaring at him as if she wants to kill him? I can only sigh. I just want this class to end smoothly.

"Alright, we will do things like this for the time being. Taking a normal waterball magic circle, I want you all to adjust it to make it look like, and have the same power output as water arrow." I decided it would be best to have them try it themselves as it was not an easy thing to do at the start.

Everyone quickly got excited as they began drawing magic circles in the air. I chose waterball because if something happened, it would not be lethal and could easily be healed. It actually did not matter which spell someone cast as the principles would all be the same. I was just keeping it to low level magic as it was easier to understand for beginners and would allow people to get a better grasp on altering current spells. As they learned how to alter spells, they would slowly be able to write new spells of their own.

"Miss Cyrilia!" Someone called out, making me almost trip over my tail with how they called me. I turned to see the noble boy from earlier raising his hand. "Yes?" I asked as I walked over to him.

"This portion here. I am not sure if I did it correctly." The noble boy asked. I leaned over and began reading the equation. While it was a bit choppy in certain parts, as he seemed to have lost track of how the spell was supposed to be written, it was still functional in a sense.

"Here, here and here, need to be rewritten. This portion here was moved to the wrong area. You need to keep the same structure as waterball. While this spell may work, it is still unable to do much of anything except maybe water your plants. But for a first try of trying to reorganize the spell, it is not bad as it will still cast like this but never try to reinvent the wheel. The basic structure is already there, so there is no need to rewrite it unless you are trying to create a brand new spell altogether." I explained. When I turned to look at him to see if he was paying attention, his whole face was bright red. "You okay?"

"Ah!? Yeah… Sorry!" The noble boy's voice squeaked. I do wonder if something is wrong with him because he won't even look me in the eye. i𝐧𝓃𝒓𝒆𝑎𝙙. 𝘤𝘰𝚖

"Miss Cyrilia, it's because you are so pretty." The noble girl from earlier said with a chuckle. But this made me understand why he was acting this way. I guess I leaned in too close. "I see…"

"Anyway, make sure you do not try to rewrite what does not need to be rewritten, we are just altering the spells, not creating a brand new one from scratch!"

"Seems like time is up. That will be all for today." I said as the bell rang outside. While the class was much different from what I had imagined it to be since I was talked into teaching it. All in all, it went quite smoothly.

"Um!" A voice came from my side. "Todd, is something the matter?" I asked. Todd is the boy who was acting strange any time I got near him to answer his questions.

"Ummm! I still do not understand a part that you went over, so c-c-c-c-c-c-c-could we talk about it over a cup of teaAA!?" Todd's spectacular stutter and screech, made me almost laugh out loud. In a way, he was cute. But sadly… "Sorry, I do not have time after classes. I am doing many other things as soon as I leave here."

On top of classes and training, I only had a few hours to spare, and to be honest, I kinda wish to spend them alone and in a quiet place. And the best place for that is none other than the library itself. I felt bad turning him down. That sad puppy dog eyes that looked as if the world had come crashing down were enough to make any girl squeal. He was indeed good looking, but I am not someone he should be chasing after.

As I watched him walk away, Instructor Jasmine walked up to me and placed her hand on my head. "He is a marquess' son, you know." 𝑖𝓷n𝘳ℯ𝐚𝐝. 𝒄om

"It doesn't matter. I never came to this academy to fall in love with someone or find a man with a higher status. I came here to learn and better myself. While I may be good in some aspects, I lack in others which is why I am taking knight courses. I am aiming to be a magic knight, but I would also settle with working from the ground up until I reach my goal of having my own men and women under my command." I explained.

"You are a peculiar one, that is for sure. But I guess that makes sense with how you do things. You are someone who doesn't work just for others but for yourself as well. Anyway, I will leave these kids to you this term. I am also learning a lot, so I will also be in your care. My pay for this class will be split with you as well to show my thanks. I have things to prepare for my next class, so I will see you tomorrow." Instructor Jasmine patted my head once more before walking away.

"Sooooo~ Miss Cyrilia, how was your first day of teaching?" I looked up to see Adel giving me a cheeky grin.

I smiled back at her as I answered: "Miss Gravos, I hate to tell you, but due to your lack of performance this year, you will fail."

"Humph! Like I could fail!" Adel replied with a snort. We looked at each other for a few seconds before we both burst out laughing. I have no idea why it was so funny but it was.

pA?,??.?0m "We still have one more class for today. After that, I will be heading to the library for a few hours." I announced. I wanted to have some me time after this.

"I will be heading back to the house. I want a bath and take a nap." Adel said with a yawn. I guess classes were draining for her.

"Then I will leave your safety to Sophie, Sei, and Sally," I replied. I knew even if I asked Grace to go with them, she would still follow me.

"Alright then," Adel said as she turned to look at Grace. "Make sure you protect Faith no matter what."

"I would have done so even without your meddling. After all, I am Master's servant. It is only right for me to stand in front of her and shield her from everything." Grace's words seemed to hit some kind of cord within Adel because she looked like she was about to explode.

I clapped my hands, getting the two to look at me. "We need to head to the next class, so let's leave that stuff for later."

The next class was magic practice which I was excited about until I got part way through the class and realized that my level for this class was a bit too high…. I should have expected this after watching the entrance tests, but the skills of those around my age were much lower than I thought. In the end, it was an uneventful class as I was not allowed to do anything except cast a basic fireball all class.

I stretched my arms and let out a yawn as the class came to an end. "Adel, I am off to the library. Make sure to meet up with the others."

"I will. Have fun!" Adel waved goodbye to me as I walked towards the library.

I walked to the library with Grace in tow. She was silent the entire way, which I was still getting used to. She seemed to be a whole different person now, but I will still not treat her any differently.

When I walked in, the young woman from before was sitting there reading her book. But this time, she actually looked up at me when she saw me. "Oh, you are back?"

"Mmm.. this is the best place to relax quietly," I answered with a smile.

"You are right." The young woman replied with a nod. "By the way, I never got a chance to introduce myself. My name is Jennifer Rineferd. I am nothing more than a baron's daughter, so no need to think of me as some big nobility. So just call me Jen."

I was quite surprised to hear her first name. It reminded me of my past life's best friend. Jen was what you could call my one and only true friend in that life. "Pleasure to officially meet you. My name is Faith Cyrilia."

"Is something the matter?" I asked when I saw her stunned face.

"Huh? Ah no, sorry, I was just thinking about something." Jen's eyes flashed with a strange light as she shook her head back and forth.

"I will only be here for a few hours today," I said as I signed the ledger. Grace quickly followed up after me.

"I see… Umm…." Jen paused her words before shaking her head. "Never mind." 𝒊𝐧𝒏𝘳𝙚α𝙙. 𝘤𝗼𝐦

I tilted my head in confusion. I could tell she wanted to ask me something, but since she did not continue, I was not going to push her either.

My daily life continued like this, much at ease. My classes went off without a hitch, and many of the nobles in the class began to throw out their ideas of being hostile toward me. There were still a few but nothing for me to really worry about. After classes, I went to the library. There I would speak with Jen, who seemed happy to talk with me. She was getting more and more chatty with each visit, but this was only when I was at the desk to sign in or sign out.

Today I was by myself. Grace was preparing for the weekend as her parents would be stopping by to discuss their daughter's current situation. So I was alone today, which was kind of nice in a way.

I walked up to the desk, where Jen immediately put her book down and smiled at me. "Alone today?"

"Mmm… Grace had a few things to do today. So I came to relax by myself." I replied with a smile. The more I got to know Jen, the more comfortable I felt around her. She gave off a familiar feeling.

"Mind if I join you today?" Jen asked, which was surprising since she had never left her desk before.

"Sure." I saw no reason to reject her, so I signed the book, and the two of us walked up the stairs to the fantasy section. I was normally reading law books the past few days, but since I figured I would end up chatting with Jen more than actually reading, I figured I would go with fantasy.

"It's been a while since I have done something like this," Jen muttered.

"Oh? You don't talk with the other visitors?" I asked.

"No, I am normally held up at home or here in the library, and even then, I would not speak to others so much. But you are different. You remind me of an old friend from a long time ago. So I kinda felt a small connection with you." Jen explained.

"Yeah, I get that same feeling," I replied with a smile. I was telling the truth. I was not sure if it was the name or just how we interacted, but it all felt similar to my time with my friend Jen in my past life. However, the Jen of my past life was not a bookworm.

We walked to the midsection of the fantasy area, where we sat quietly by a fountain. We did not get books. We just sat there in silence for a while before Jen finally spoke up. "You ever wonder if it's possible to go to different worlds? This library is filled with stories of other worlds, but I wonder, is that even possible? Like we have many where people die and are transported to another world."

"There has to be some truth to every story, no? Whether it is the way things are interpreted or the reason on how they got there. Some truths can come from the imagination." I replied. Well, it was true after all. I was a living example!

"I guess so… I guess I can only believe that to be true." Jen seemed to be depressed about something. I am not sure why but something must be eating at her.

"Well, we will never know what actually happens until we die. But we shouldn't talk about such gloomy things. We should think happy thoughts and enjoy what life we have left." I was trying to change the mood. Luckily it seemed to work as Jen smiled and nodded at me. But to my surprise, she leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder. I was stunned not because of her actions but because this was something Jen used to do all the time. When she was feeling depressed about something or just tired, she would always use my shoulder as her pillow.

This all had to be a coincidence, right? I looked down at the girl who now had her eyes closed and realized she had dark shadows under her eyes. She even fell asleep. I couldn't help but stare at her as she slept because I was seeing images of Jen from my past life overlapping with the Jen of this life. And it made me think. It was a crazy idea, but it was not totally out of the question. But if it was true, wouldn't this be a kind of fate?

I couldn't even stop the hand that went to fix her hair as I leaned my head against hers. If this was truly what I was thinking, then I would need to confirm it when the time is right. But the atmosphere was a bit too relaxing with the fountain behind us. My eyes slowly grew heavy.

I do not think I slept long, but I was awoken by the sounds of sobbing. I looked down at Jen, who was still leaning against me, to see tears rolling down her cheek and her brow furrowed. I do not know what she was dreaming about, but it seemed to be very sad. I reached up and wiped away her tears before holding her hand and petting her head. She seemed to have calmed down a bit after that.

, About twenty minutes passed when Jen finally woke up she seemed quite embarrassed because she jerked up with red cheeks. "I'm so sorry."

I shook my head and smiled. "It's fine. You must have been very tired."

"I… I do not know why but you remind me of someone I cherished from my past." Jen replied softly.

Hearing these words, I couldn't take it anymore. Although I might end up sounding crazy, I still have to know what has been eating me this entire time. There were just too many similarities between this Jen and the Jen of my past life.

I took a deep breath as I suddenly shouted: "Jennifer Parker, your panties are showing, and they have a cute teddy bear on them!"

"Faith, you damn perv….." Jen's eyes grew big while my eyes began to water up with tears. I used to tease Jen all the time about her cute underwear. It was one of the things I knew most would be different from this world. Something that she would react to instantly, just as she always has. The wide eyes she had slowly began to tear up as she tossed her arms around me and hugged me tightly. "You! You! I had a feeling, but…."

Jen sobbed into my chest as I hugged her back as tightly as I could. We both had been reborn. And funnily enough, we were brought back together due to books. The one thing I loved in my past and the one thing that Jen seemed to treasure now.

I have no idea how long we cried for, but when we finally parted, Jen's lips curled up into a blooming smile. "To think we could meet again."

"Mmm… I would never have thought you would turn into me." I said with a slight chuckle. But Jen's face showed a sad expression.

"After you died, I fell into depression. My life from then was not something I could really deal with. I even thought about dying just to make amends for your death. I kept thinking it should have been me. I should have been the one to die. But…. It was then that I saw one of your books lying on my desk. I picked it up and wondered to myself why you loved these stupid things so much, and that was when I fell into a trance. I basically became you. Or maybe I was just trying to replace you. I still went to school. I did what I needed to do to graduate, but my day was nothing but just that. School and then reading at home. Shut off from the world.

"Faith, you were like a shining light in my world whether you believe it or not. I mean, I was an outgoing person, but you were always doing what you loved most without a care. You never even cared about what other people thought about you. You talked about what interested you and ignored those who thought you were a weirdo. I looked up to you and thought maybe if I tried to work a bit harder, I could one day reach my goals.

"But that day changed everything. You risked your entire being to save me. I promised myself if I ever got to see you again, I would do everything I could to make sure you could reach your dreams. But now, after twenty two years, the best friend I thought I would never see again is now sitting in front of me. Although much cuter than before."

"Hey!" I fake punched Jen on the shoulder as we both laughed. She had tears in her eyes, and so did I, but I knew one thing, Jen, my best friend, was here in front of me. "So? How did you end up in the library of all places?"

"I am under watch. My magic is different from others. I have what is called curse magic. It is the only thing I can cast. The king did not wish to kill me, so he stuck me in the academy to watch over me. As long as I played the good girl and stayed here watching over the library, they would not see me as a threat. You see…. Curse magic can not be blocked. It is a form of dark magic, but only very few people can actually cast it. Plus, being here reminds me of you. Books have become my only solace. I owe them for keeping me from taking my own life on that day. They kept me moving forward as they reminded me of the times you whined about going to school due to it taking away your reading time, yet you still did your best in school. It made me feel like if I could only grasp a portion of that kind of thinking, I could at least stay somewhat sane.

"But sadly, my life still ended short. I do not know what I died from, but I only remember falling asleep one night when I was twenty five. And then I woke up in this world, and in this body when it was only two years old. Although I was in an orphanage at the time." Jen explained.

I had no words. I mean, Jen's life was a complete mess. I have no idea how I should even respond or say to any of this. I could only hug her and rub her back gently. But all I got back in return was a chuckle.

"It's fine. I did not tell you all that to make you feel bad. I just wanted to let you know that It was you who kept me alive even after your death." Jen said softly, while hugging me back. I had my questions, but I knew this was not the place to talk. That was when I came to a decision.

"I will speak with the Dean and King! You will come live with me from now on!" I stated firmly as I stood up and grabbed Jen's hand. 𝘪𝓷𝘯𝙧ℯ𝗮𝘥. 𝗰૦ｍ

"What!? Huh? There is no way they will…." Jen had a look of helplessness in her eyes, but I only smiled back at her as I said: "I am much more dangerous to this kingdom than you are."

"Wait, what are you talking about!?" Jen asked. I guess she did not pay much attention to the outside world.

I smiled as I pulled her along and answered: "While you may be able to curse a person or two, I can destroy the entire kingdom in one go if I so wish. So in words to best explain it, I could become the demon queen of this world if I wanted to."

"You can what!?" Jen still seemed quite confused. I walked straight to the sign out book and signed out in order to not cause Jen any trouble before walking to the door when Jen suddenly pulled hard on my arm.

I turned to look at her in confusion, but Jen stepped back. "I can't leave. There is a barrier placed on this door to keep me in…."

"Hmmm?" I turned and looked at the door before waving my hand. "There, it's gone," I said with a smile before grabbing the dumbfounded friend of mine's hand and pulling her right through the door.

"What how!?" Jen was completely stunned. She looked at me in disbelief as she passed through the door with ease.

"Faith Cyrilia! You better explain yourself!" A roar came from the sky. I looked up to see the Dean standing in the sky with a furrowed brow.

"What? I am taking a new member into my team. Any questions?" I asked coldly.

"Faith, don't do this! I will just stay here. Why get yourself in trouble!?" Jen was still trying to pull away from me, but I held her wrist tightly.

"You will no longer be alone!" I shouted. I then turned back to the Dean and said: "Jen will now be a Cyrilia and be under my name. Have her sign a blood seal contract with me. Plus, if anyone should have been locked up, it should have been me, right? But look at me. I am free and walking around even though I could destroy this entire kingdom. Just because she has curse magic means nothing. Curses can be removed. I know since I have removed them myself. But I will say this now, and I will even say it to the king himself. If you wish to keep Jen locked up as you have been, then I will break her out and leave this kingdom behind."

I was not joking. Jen had suffered because of me. I would not let her suffer anymore. She was my best friend in my past life and still will be in this life. Although I would feel bad for Adel and the others, but Jen was someone I spent my childhood all the way to the day I died with in my past life. I could never abandon her. This world revolved around power. I had the power to defy those in high positions whether they liked it or not.

"I can not make that decision." The Dean seemed to be put into a tight spot.

"Then we will go to the castle then. All three of us." I said as I grabbed Jen by her waist and flapped my wings. "I don't have time to walk, so let's fly there."

"No, we can just use the teleporter. Come follow me." The Dean replied. I nodded and followed after him.

Jen, who was in my arms, was in a daze. I can understand why. Things were happening quickly, but this was just who I was. We arrived at the Dean's office, where we were led to a secret room behind a bookcase. Inside was a teleporter. But this one could only be activated if you had the same mana signature as the one who created it. In seconds we were inside the palace.

Jen looked around in awe as I pulled her along. The Dean kept sighing with each step he took. When we walked into the throne room, a meeting was going on. "Why are you…." The King looked at me, then at Jen, who had her head lowered and let out a long sigh before rubbing the spot between his eyes. "Meeting postponed for an hour. Everyone should leave." 𝒊𝐧𝒏𝘳𝙚α𝙙. 𝘤𝗼𝐦

The room quickly cleared out, and King Gravos's eyes fell onto me. "I can guess why you are here." After saying this, he looked at the Dean, who nodded his head before looking back at me. "I can not allow…."

"I object!" I cut him off. Causing Jen's mouth to drop and The Dean to look the other way. "Your Majesty, who is more dangerous, her or me?"

"Ahem…. I guess… That would be you." The king replied. Well, he couldn't really say otherwise.

"Then it's settled, Jen will come live with me, and we can be dangerous together. Any questions? Good. I will go back to being under house arrest. Dean, can you send me back to the academy?" I said as I went to turn around and walk away.

"Faith! You brat! You are worse than my daughter! I don't mind if she is under your care, but she must sign a blood seal contract! I can't have her being controlled by another kingdom. You are a different story as you have high magic power and can't be controlled. But she doesn't have such a thing. She is unable to resist mind control effects. We have tested her many times." The king explained. I turned to Jen, who nodded her head. I now understood why they kept her locked up. Not just to keep her from harming others but to keep her safe as well.

"Then why did you not do it before?" I asked.

, "I refused…. I would have rather have stayed in the library anyway. It was the only place I felt at ease. I had no reason to leave but now…. I will sign whatever contract I need. I now have a reason to leave the library and maybe see a new side of life." Jen held my hand. I could tell she wanted to go back to the old times when we spent so much time together talking about this and that.

"Ummm… Just to ask…. Are you two lovers?" The King had a bit of a troubled face on as he asked this.

"Huh? Jen is my best friend. I can't explain it in a way that you would understand, but, we are just friends. You can say we are childhood friends." I could tell by the confused expression on both the King's and Dean's faces that they still did not understand but I did not care. I did not feel like explaining anything more.

<strong>–AN: Another chapter will be coming out later today. I had some things going on this morning which took up more time than expected. I apologize for the late release of the second chapter.–</strong>

"Childhood friends? I am sorry to tell you, Faith, but that excuse will not work for me. I need a clear explanation." King Gravos's words made me sigh because I knew that he saw through my words. Although it made me seem like I was lying, I had to at least try. I mean, I did not want to go explaining things because it does sound crazy, but there was not much I could say or do about it at this point. And now, even after I told myself that I wouldn't go explaining things, I had no choice but to explain.

"Can we change rooms? It will take a long time to explain, I think." I answered as I looked King Gravos in the eye. He nodded and stood up. "Follow me."

I nodded back and took the bewildered Jen by the hand, and pulled her along with me. When we entered the room, King Gravos and the Dean both sat down on a blue velvet couch while Jen and I sat across from them on a similar couch. In between, us was a small wooden coffee table. There was no tea or snacks, just the four of us in this room. "Now, please explain yourself. If I did not know your full history, Faith, and hers, I would have bought the whole childhood friend thing. But sadly, I knew you both too well. No friends at all during your childhood!"

Guh! He had to hit a sore point on my life. Yes, I had no friends, so what!? "Well, when I say Jen is my childhood friend, I mean it. Just not in this life…." 𝘪𝗻n𝑟e𝑎𝒅. 𝘤𝒐ｍ

"What do you mean not in this life?" The Dean asked.

"Let me put it in a different perspective. And this might seem far fetched, but we both have memories of our past life. And we can remember them vividly. We lived on a planet called Earth. It was a place where technology ran rampant, and there were no monsters or anything like magic. There I was only sixteen when I died. But I was just a normal girl. I woke up, went to school, hung out with Jen, and went home and got lost in reading novels and books.

"I was nothing special. My one and only friend in that world was Jen, and she was as close to me as any sister. In fact, the reason I died was saving her, and even now, I do not regret it. Although it had a great impact on her life." I paused when Jen gripped my hand. I could feel her trembling. I guess just thinking about it caused her great pain. I patted her hand and continued.

"Jen, from that point on, was no longer the same. She had become closer to how I was than her original self. And she lived her life like that until she died at the age of twenty five. How she died, I do not know, nor does she. But she woke up in this world in someone else's body. The body of a two year old orphan." I paused to see the complex looks on the faces of the king and the dean.

"I know this all might seem fantasy like to you all, but the stories people write that can be found in the library are not too far off. Even my world had stories as such, but those stories talked about a world of magic instead. I know this very well as I have read many of those books myself. How you take it from here is another story. But I did not lie.

"Jen is one hundred percent, my childhood friend, just from another life, time, and place." I could only watch as the two men in front of me wrinkled their brows. I have no ideas how things will turn out from here, but hopefully, they will just take things at face value.

"I see…." The king said as he leaned forward. "How many know of this?"

"As of now, the four of us. But I would probably need to explain it to Adel." I answered. I could already see Adel's reaction, and I did not wish to hide things from her as she was one of my best friends. I did not want to keep her in the dark forever.

"Don't tell anyone else, not even Adel." King Gravos's tone was stern, which startled me a little. This was the first time I had ever seen him like this.

"I am confused. Why can I not even tell Adel?" I did not understand why I would need to keep something like this from Adel. It made no sense.

"Because you two are not the first. And there seems to be more and more people crossing over into this world from another." King Gravos replied. "People with powers greater than our own. Ever since the appearance of the dungeons, we have been hearing reports of people who were on their deathbeds, have suddenly regained consciousness, and are feeling perfectly fine but acting strangely. Not in this kingdom but in others. These are reports from our spies. Some are even said to wield amazing powers and are heavily cared for by their kingdoms. We seem to be entering a new age, and that new age might be something we can not handle easily."

While I was surprised by the sudden information of a lot of people suddenly appearing in this world from another, I couldn't help but worry. It made me wonder if the dungeons had something to do with this as well or if that man had something to do with all of this. "I understand now…." I now understood why he wanted me to keep it a secret. After all, if word got out, we might be targeted by other kingdoms' spies and assassins.

"So please, do not let anyone know of this truth. It will never leave these walls. And don't worry, this room is special compared to the others as it has a twenty layer sound barrier on it." King Gravos was someone who thought ahead it seemed.

"We won't. I will just make something up." I replied. I do not know what I will say but I will try to come up with some kind of excuse to pacify Adel. Because I know she will freak out when she sees how Jen and I interact.

<strong>–AN: It's late but here you go!–</strong>

After signing the blood contract, Jen was now allowed to move in with me. She had been staying at the library in a room that was hidden from others' view. We packed her things which surprisingly were no more than a few pairs of clothes and a pile of books. I had to apologize to Sir David once more since he had been waiting for me this entire time.

But now it was time for the truly difficult task I had to deal with. I just know Adel will freak out when she sees how close me and Jen are. While I know I shouldn't let it affect me personally, I still understand that she has some feelings for me that are more than just being friends. I also did not wish to hurt her feelings either, so I hope she will get used to Jen being around.

When we arrived at my home, Jen stared at the huge gates in disbelief. "This is where you live!? Are you some kind of noble?"

"Ah? Now that I think about it, I am. I was granted the title of baroness." I replied. I had forgotten that I had been given a title.

"Now that you think about it!? Did you really forget!?" Jen gave me a strange look. I just shrugged. Not like I cared for the title to anything.

The carriage pulled up to the house, and as I got off, I turned and held out my hand. Jen chuckled as she said: "You are like a knight helping his princess."

"Then, Princess, if you will…." I said teasingly. Jen smiled and took my hand. In my past life, Jen and I held hands a lot, so I did not think much of it as I walked through the door hand and hand with her to see Adel standing there frozen solid with a cookie in her hand raised to her lips. She stared at me, then at my hands, and then at Jen.

"Who…. Who is this!?" Adel yelled out. She tossed the cookie in her hand down and marched right over to us, grabbed my hand, and pulled me to the side. "You! You are the library girl, right!? What are you doing ho-ho-ho-holding hands with my Faith for!? No, wait, what are you even doing here!?"

"Adel, stop!" I yelled, flicking her forehead, causing her to turn and look at me while pouting and holding her forehead. i𝑛𝓷𝙧𝘦𝚊d. 𝚌o𝓶

"But…." She whined. But I just tapped her head. "Adel, Jen is my friend, so do not treat her badly. I can not explain it to you just yet because I was told not to by two certain people, but just know that Jen is actually my childhood friend. She is as dear to me as you are. Okay?"

"I…." Adel looked at me as if she wanted to cry and then at Jen and lowered her head. I felt bad because I could see her emotions running wild. I reached up and patted her head, causing her to relax slightly. "Fine… but no hand holding!"

"That might still happen," I replied. "It's a habit from before."

"But… Ah! Fine!" Adel cried out, then hugged my arm and lifted her chin as she looked at Jen. "Just so you know, Faith is mine!"

"I belong to no one!" I said while flicking her forehead once more, causing her to push her face into my shoulder. I let out a long sigh. "As you can see, Adel is kind of attached to me."

"I can see that." Jen looked as if she did not know what to make of the situation. I can't blame her since I do not know what to make of it either. "Anyway. My name is Jen. I hope we can get along, Your Highness."

Adel finally raised her head to look at Jen and let go of my arm. "Just Adel is fine. In this house, the one with the highest status is Faith. Not I think the one with the highest status in the kingdom is Faith."

"Pardon?" Jen asked, seemingly confused.

"Adel, your father, is the king," I reminded, causing Adel to shake her head.

"Faith, in this kingdom or any kingdom, those with the strongest power have the highest authority. It is already proven that with Diablo alone, you are the strongest person in this kingdom." Adel explained, which I did understand but still.

"No matter how strong I am, it is your father who is king and always will be as long as I can help it." I did not wish to be a leader. I would only exert my power position if it came to those I cared about, like how I did with Jen.

"I know! I am just saying but still. Jen is your friend, so formalities would just be stupid since I will always be around. Anyway, let me make one thing clear. Faith is my mi…. Ouch! Faith!" I once again flicked her forehead.

"You keep saying I am yours to everyone who talks to me in the slightest. Do you even know what that means?" I asked.

Adel looked at me in confusion as she thought about it but still did not seem to understand as she raised her head and answered: "We are best friends?" She even tilted her head to the side as she looked at me with a puzzled look.

I could only sigh. I guess she still has a long way to go. "As she said, just call her Adel. She may act like this, but Adel is a very good person. She cares deeply for all her friends. You can say I am a special case as I was her first true friend."

Jen nodded to my explanation as she reached her hand out this time to Adel and said: "Then let's be friends as well from now on."

"Ah? Yes…. Same to you." Adel reached out and shook Jen's hand and shook it and then watched as Jen walked over and hugged my other arm and smiled at her as she said: "But just so you know, I am also Faith's best friend as well and have known her much longer!"

"You!"

"You, what? Faith is my oldest and bestest friend. No one can say anything against that! So me hugging her arm is only natural." Jen's smile was very pretty, but the look in her eyes was not inviting.

"I am also Faith's best friend, so I can hug her arm as well!" Adel shot back while staring daggers at Jen. But I wonder…. Do these two not realize that they have yet to ask me my opinion on this? I do feel that even if I did, I would just be yelled at.

Jen smiled, seemingly ignoring Adel's retort, and looked at me as she said: "We should probably continue our conversation from earlier. I still have a lot to tell you."

I knew this would probably cause a scene, but I had many things to ask Jen about as well. "Mm… Adel, I got something I need to speak with Jen about."

"What?" Adel looked at Jen and then at me. When she saw me nod my head, she understood my meaning as she lowered hers and let go of my arm. She seemed sad, which made me feel bad, but what could I do? The king told me not to let her know that I was reborn. But to be honest, this was leaving a sour taste in my mouth. As Adel began walking around with her shoulders slumped down, I grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She turned and looked up at me with a confused expression.

"I may have been told not to tell you anything, but that doesn't mean I will be able to hide it from you much longer. Come with us, I will explain everything, but you have to keep what I tell you a secret and act as if I have never said a word to you about it, okay?" I said this, looking directly into her eyes to show her how serious of a matter it was. I just did not wish her to take things in the wrong way or think I had come to hate her. Adel may not seem it, but she is a delicate person. Her emotions sway in many different ways, and I do not want her to think she was losing me as her friend.

"I swear never to speak a word," Adel replied.

"Then come on. Let's go to my room." I said as I walked forward.

A few minutes later, we are all sitting in the sitting area with some tea and snacks. Adel sat across from me as I explained many things to her. Her expression changed many times from sad to shocked to sad again and then repeated over and over until I was done. "The reason your father asked me not to tell you is that he does not want the information to spread, and knowing will ultimately make you a target. So never speak a word of any of this to anyone."

Adel nodded her head as if she was a baby chick. "I won't speak a word of it. But now things make more sense. Seeing you so close with Jen so quickly had made me confused, but now I understand." Adel took a deep breath and looked at Jen while bowing her head. "I apologize for my rudeness. I thought you were just trying to get close to Faith. She is like an angel and will treat everyone she meets with kindness."

Jen chuckled and glanced at me before looking back at Adel. "It's fine. Faith has always been this way ever since she was a young kid. I will tell you some stories later about her childhood."

"Hey! I can hear you!" I knew Jen would talk about all kinds of embarrassing things. But to be honest, I really don't care.

"I would like that very much!" Adel replied with a smile before adding. "But she is still mine."

I held my head. Did she really need to add the last part? "Anyway. Jen, I want to know how my family fared after I passed….."

It was time for some doom and gloom on my part. I wanted to know if my family fared well and kept living their lives. I was nervous. I have no idea if I was even ready for any of this, but I had to know. I had to know how they lived after my passing. I took a few deep breaths and prepared myself for what I was about to learn.

"Your parents were devastated when you died. They hated me. I guess they kind of blamed me for your death. Like if not for her, my Faith would not have died. So I stayed away from them. But even though I could not ask them directly or go see them on my own, I still inquired about them. Your father and mother continued their lives. Going to work and then going home. The last I heard was that they moved from the house they lived in, and from there, I lost track of them. Sorry I do not have much more information than that."

"I see… As long as they were able to continue their lives…." Truth be told, I did not know how I felt about all of this. I am sure my parents hurt a lot inside. Death, to me, is a scary thing. While I may have been reborn this time, what about next time or the time after that? When would eternal darkness finally take me over? These kinds of thoughts have spurred up from time to time, not just in this life but in my past one as well.

It is one of those things no one really wants to think about but have to. The reminder of death is always sitting there in front of our faces. Everywhere you turn, there is death. Whether it is human or demi human, dragon or demon, even the bugs that crawl on the ground, death is everywhere.

Before I knew it, as I was lost in my thoughts, I was embraced on both sides. I guess my mood must have been felt by these two. I smiled and patted both their arms as I said: "I'm fine thank you."𝑖𝗻𝙣𝐫e𝙖𝗱. 𝚌𝗼𝓂