"The Runaway Servant"

The summoning rituals of the new students came to an end, but Ivory was still lying on the clinic's bed. With consciousness coming back to her, she slowly opened her eyes and stared at the wooden ceiling for a brief while.

"Ugh…" Ivory raised her head and slowly sat on the bed, feeling nauseous. "What happened? Where am I?"

"You're in the clinic. You were brought here after you lost consciousness. You gave a lot of your mana to materialize your Servant," the nurse explained the situation to her, "...and because a Contract Ritual was not done, you cannot get back your lost mana."

"Sorry…. I… I don't understand…" Ivory spoke in a soft voice and scanned the room looking for her Servant. "My Servant… Where is he?"

The nurse shook her head, "He's very stubborn and refused to accept you as his master, so he left the academy grounds."

"What?!" she was so shocked to hear the news that her head throbbed. Servants were supposed to protect their Master, so how come he left her? In desperation, Ivory stood up and briskly walked towards the door, only to be stopped by a young man.

"Ivory," it was Lucius, who came to check on his friend. "Where are you going? You should be resting!"

"I am alright now…" she glanced and smiled weakly at him.

"No, stay here-"

"Please… I… I need to talk to my Servant and make him accept me-"

Lucius held both of Ivory's shoulders and looked at her in the eyes, "Listen to me, Ivory. You should rest first. He really took out a lot of mana from you."

"The Contract Ritual is a spellbinding magic that lets the Servant and the Master borrow and share mana with each other. Without it, both of you will never get stronger," the nurse interrupted after seeing their worried faces. "The Educators advised you to go back home and rest today as there are no more activities this afternoon."

"But… I will have to walk to Greensteid town…" her eyes were staring on the floor.

"You don't have a carriage?" Lucius sounded surprised.

Ivory shook her head.

"Don't you worry. I'll ask for the principal's help," Lucius said, offering his arm to her. "Let's go to his office, which is near here. Come, you should hold my arm."

Ivory was touched with his kind offer, but also a bit ashamed since it seemed like she'd been a nuisance to him since this morning. They just met that day, but all that Lucius did was to help her. If only her Servant accepted her, she wouldn't have to bother him anymore.

"By the way, where's your Servant?" Ivory placed her hand on his arm as she wondered why he went alone.

"My Servant is in my bag," he glanced at her.

She widened her eyes in surprise. How was it possible that a Servant could be placed inside a small bag?

"But how did your Servant…"

"I got a creature from the Golem Class," Lucius explained, "He's a warm, porous rock when passive. He's actually big and heavy, so I can't make him walk here in his true form."

"I see… We got totally different Servants, huh…"

As they passed the hallway, students from different sections were staring at them, talking about her.

"Speaking of the weakling…"

"Isn't that the student who got rejected by her own Servant?"

"That's so hilarious what the heck!"

"I didn't think it was possible at first! I wonder how weak she is?"

"Don't ask something stupid! The moment I saw her, she's definitely at the bottom!"

"Geez, her mana must be of low quality. If I were her Servant, I would also leave instantly!"

"She's a low class for sure. Look at her outfit, duh? It's so out of style. She's a country bumpkin!"

Ivory furrowed her eyebrows in disappointment. The mean looks that she was receiving from the people around her made her feel so small. She clenched her fist, encouraging herself that she must not give up yet. Perhaps if she could meet her servant, they could get to know each other better and work together.

Lucius glanced at Ivory who looked dispirited. He patted her back gently before speaking, "Don't mind them. Their first impression of you doesn't define who you really are."

They arrived at the Principal's office and were welcomed by Principal Zwain Arthurdane.

"You're here, come, sit," Sir Arthurdane said, and they sat at the velvet sofa. He sat on the other sofa across them, "How are you feeling, Miss Sprucemint?"

"I'm a little dizzy, but I'm better now. Lucius has been helping me..."

"Thank you, Sir Lucius, for being a kind classmate. As expected, you're very responsible. No wonder your father has been training you to be his successor as a General."

"He's training me because I am his only son," Lucius chuckled, "By the way, sir. I would like to borrow your carriage so that I can bring Ivory home since it's a bit far from the academy."

Sir Arthurdane nodded, "Yes, of course, you can. Besides, I made sure that there are no activities this afternoon to let the new Masters rest." He then cleared his throat before staring at Ivory. In a serious tone, he said, "Miss Sprucemint, your servant… is of the Vampire class."

"Vampire...?" her head tilted.

"We all thought that Goddess Destinia had banished them but honestly... none of the Educators exactly know what is happening right now. I might go to the Castle to talk to the Oracle tomorrow," the principal explained. "Your Vampire Servant has introduced himself as Sigmund. If you see him around town, call his name. He has no powers for now because you haven't done the Contract Ritual. Also, you're feeling weak because there's no spellbinding magic that can enable you to mutually share Goddess Destinia's mana with him."

"Then I'll go around town first before going home. I need to find him," Ivory stood up, but she only felt dizzier.

"Ivor-"

Lucius' voice faded as she became unconscious again.