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Kaelen walked silently out of the courtyard, accompanied by the staff. His footsteps echoed along the stone-paved corridors. The interior of the academy was designed to match the grandeur of the outside world; elegant lamps lined the columns, ancient paintings adorned the walls, and faint traces of old mana lingered in every corner, reminding him of the institution's deep-rooted history.
The staff stopped and gestured toward a large door made of dark walnut.
"Kaelen, this is your new room. Your belongings are inside. If you need anything else, let us know," they said politely, bowing their head.
Kaelen nodded in thanks and reached for the brass doorknob. The coldness of the metal subdued the slight excitement he felt inside. As he opened the door and stepped in, he momentarily lost his breath.
This room… was vastly different from the narrow, damp dormitories he had stayed in during his previous life.
It was spacious and airy. A large window stretching from floor to ceiling welcomed the afternoon sun. Golden light poured onto the stone floor and the dark wooden bed at the center of the room. Around the bed were carved columns, with velvet drapes hanging from the top, giving it an almost noble appearance.
To the left, carved bookshelves ran along the wall. They were empty but sealed with mana; only the owner could fill them. In the right corner of the room was a small desk, accompanied by a comfortable-looking reading chair. The desk was made of smooth white stone, engraved with magical circles — a clear indication that it could interact with mana. The lamp hanging above it held a magical flame that emitted a steady warmth, softening the atmosphere.
Between the bed and the wall was an embedded array of mana cores. Kaelen paused to examine it. It seemed as if the room was designed to adjust itself according to the mana frequency of its occupant. Such a luxury was reserved only for top-tier students.
Even the stones on the walls were smooth and neatly carved, some bearing symbols.
"Nice," he whispered to himself. "Not a bad place for a second beginning."
He looked out the window. It was clear he was on one of the upper floors of the Western Dormitory; below stretched the spacious academy courtyard, and further away were sloping forested areas. The wind lightly moved the curtain. The fresh air, mingled with the earthy scent of magic, filled the room.
A sense of peace spread within him. For the first time in a long while, he felt like he belonged somewhere.
But at the same time… he knew this comfort was temporary. This room, this peace, was only the calm before the storm.
He slowly sat on the edge of the bed, running his hand over the fabric. The smooth silk slipped under his hand like melted butter.
"Ah… I could get used to this."
Stretching fully across the bed, Kaelen leaned back.
"Wait, I almost forgot."
He remembered the reward he had received after defeating the lava monster.
As Kaelen drew the item from his mana core, the magical voice whispered into his ear:
[You have obtained Common Rank 5: Bone Armor.]
[Description: Armor made from the body of a monster dwelling within the volcano. Incomplete armor left from a creature that once made the volcano's mouth its home. The wearer must not forget this.]
Kaelen looked at the bone-like armor covering him.
It was a common-rank item, produced after killing a corrupted monster.
He examined the parts that sat atop the armor. Having had access to far rarer equipment in his previous life, this armor felt quite outdated to him.
"Wow, nice armor."
"Thanks…"
Kaelen answered casually.
He froze for a moment and slowly turned around. The man behind him was sitting in a chair without leaving a single trace of mana.
Kaelen's eyes widened as he stared at the man. He had expected the first day to be uncomfortable, especially with guild leaders watching.
The man was tall with a scruffy beard. Black hair was streaked with white, and his dark eyes held a captivating aura. He looked like a hunter watching its prey. Kaelen swallowed. The man seemed even larger sitting in the chair.
"Hello… who are you?"
Kaelen knew, but only from his previous life.
"I am Geralt Escard. Head of the Escard family and one of the founders of Vaelion City. I am currently the head of the Council."
Kaelen fell silent for a few seconds after Geralt Escard's introduction. Then, as the silence seemed odd, he continued to speak.
"Kaelen, pleased to meet you. And this is my room."
"Ah, forgive my disrespect. I haven't seen such talented young people in a long time. I got a bit excited."
"Oh, come on, I'm not that great."
"A corrupted Rank 5 monster… you must have had a hard time defeating it. Especially for a student with a humble background like yours."
"Yes, it was quite difficult, sir."
"And you even managed to defeat my trained daughter. I never believed someone more talented than Estelle could exist… and suddenly, you came along and beat her as if she were a mere child."
"Ah… Please don't take it personally. What I did was only to pass the exam. I had no intention of harming Estelle."
"Don't apologize for that. In fact, I might even thank you. Estelle's ego needed to be broken. That it was done by someone her own age pleased me. Now she can become even stronger."
"If you want, I could go and hit her two more times."
"Don't push your luck, Kaelen."
"Did you come here just to say that?"
"Actually, no. Pheniyet summoned me. And after watching your exam, I wanted to meet you personally."
"I'm honored. I wondered what could be so important that you'd risk breaking academy rules."
"You know, it's about six months until the mana gates open. Do you plan to stay in the academy until then?"
"Yes… I have no other plans."
Even though Kaelen wanted to say otherwise, he couldn't speak. Should he tell the Council head that he could enter the black market if he wished? His reputation was already poor. Even Pheniyet probably thought he might be a clan agent. Geralt Escard seemed more interested in who was guiding him.
"There's not much the academy can teach you now. You've awakened extraordinary mana abilities and have close-combat experience comparable to professionals."
"…."
"The 200 people coming to Eldorian Academy are here only for knowledge known to the Council. Some guilds insist on keeping information to themselves, but the Council doesn't. A lot about the first mana seed is taught here and in other academies. The reason I established these academies and invested so much money was to prevent wizards from guilds from killing each other inside the seed. After all, it's when we are most vulnerable."
"Is it okay to tell me all this, sir?"
Kaelen asked curiously. The man continued without answering.
"So, the Council may not be the strongest, but it's still a powerful authority. If someone makes a mistake inside the first mana seed, we would know—and the consequences would be severe."
"…."
A threat… it was clearly a threat. At that moment, Kaelen realized he had painted himself as someone bad enough to be personally threatened by the Council head.
"I'll keep that in mind, sir."
"Good. Pheniyet will contact you in a week. Until then, take it easy."
As Geralt left the room, his aura gradually faded.
Kaelen collapsed back onto the bed, realizing he had sweated quite a bit inside the armor.
"Damn…"
He sent the armor back into the mana core with a sigh of discontent.
"At least he didn't interrogate me. Only suspicion remained."
A shiver ran through him as he spoke about the Council head. He stood up, locked the door twice, tightened the curtains over the windows, and spoke with frustration:
"Which is more hopeless: thinking these precautions could stop a Rank 4 wizard, or that the Council already has me on their radar?"
"Anyway."
Kaelen turned off the lights and tried to shake off the exhaustion from the long exam marathon.
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