"Sis!" I ran over to her and gave her a big, warm hug. "Welcome home!"
When Marina got off her carriage, I did not hesitate. I immediately embraced her with all my strength.
Hey, I was still six years old after all, so this kind of thing was totally okay.
And besides, I really, genuinely missed her so very much.
"I see you've gotten taller, Hugo!" She put her hands on my shoulders, beaming brightly.
Ah, how I missed her smile.
"Ehehe, of course I have, Sis! I ate and slept well and oh, I also had taken up training with Father on swordsmanship!" I couldn't help but brag.
"Hee hee, no wonder you also look a little more manly than the last time we met. Look! You got a little bit of muscle here!" She grabbed my right bicep.
"Aw, stop it, Sis!" I smiled proudly. "You too have grown up, you know! You're also taller and you also look more womanly as well!"
"Oh?" Her smile suddenly turned to a smirk. "And what do you exactly mean by that?"
"I mean, your boobs are big--"
I slammed my hands to my mouth, quickly stopping myself.
Oh crap, why in the world would you say that, you dumb idiot?
But it was true. Just from one year of schooling, she already looked far more mature than she was before. I couldn’t really quite put a finger on what caused the change. She was indeed taller. And her boobs really got bigger.
To a guy like me, I couldn’t not notice that.
But then, to my surprise, instead of being angry at my perverted comments, she began to uncontrollably giggle, covering her mouth with her hand in the process.
And that giggle quickly turned into a full blown laugh.
"O-oh Hugo, you really haven't changed, have you?" She wiped off her tears. "Come here you!" She embraced me this time, burying my face in her bosom in the process.
I-I’m happy, Sis, but I’m also kinda suffocating as well!
----
Marina had gone home on her own to Father’s chagrin, who originally intended that he should go fetch her. However, she insisted, saying that there was no need for him to waste our family’s money just to do that. She could return home just fine by herself.
Since she was just an eleven year old girl, I couldn’t help but be impressed by her guts. The school was really far away from our home after all.
In fact, it was in a different country altogether.
The Magic Academy of Mira. It was located, where else, in Mira, or, to be more exact, the Magocracy of Mira. Instead of being ruled by a king like our kingdom, it was instead ruled by a council of wizards and witches.
Even so, they still ended up being quite similar to our nobility system, as the ruling class was just the same families of mages that (apparently) traced their lineage back straight to the legendary mage who accompanied the legendary Hero in his quest to defeat the Demon King far back in the past.
Yeah, her name was Mira. The country was christened after her.
It took around two weeks on a carriage ride from here to there. In modern terms, it might seem slow, but in a medieval world like this, where transportation was vastly more limited, it was already very fast.
We were lucky that we were on the borders of the Marchen Kingdom that were linked straight to the Magocracy. If we had been situated on the capital, or God forbid, on the border on the other side, it would take her much, much longer to go to the Academy. Two months wouldn’t be out of the question.
After crossing the border, she would still need to go to the capital city first, Merlin, where the Academy was located.
Merlin, by the way, was the name of Mira’s very first apprentice, or so the books told. Funny how he shared a name with a legendary wizard in my world.
The road there and back was smooth and well-kept, relatively secure from any bandits or monsters that might threaten a traveler. Another reason why Father was okay with her returning on her own.
He still did not like the idea of her sitting beside complete strangers for two weeks however, which was completely a reasonable assumption. However, in this world, you were already considered an adult at fifteen, so it was less outrageous than letting a 11-year old girl in my world going on a travelling trip on her own for two straight weeks.
“Sis, how was the trip?” I asked her with a smile once she released me from her hug.
“It was fine,” she answered nonchalantly. “Quite boring actually. Got nothing to do than read books and sleep on the carriage.”
“And how was the Academy? Did you make friends here?”
And immediately a shadow fell on her face.
Suddenly, the previous bright smile she just had moments ago turned uncharastically grim and sullen
“...A-a handful,” she answered, looking away from my eyes.
D-did something… happen?
I immediately sensed that something was wrong.
I didn’t want to press her about it right away however, so I decided to stay quiet, shelving my questions for the time being.
She just got back after all.
----
Marina
...I missed this.
I missed this all.
The grass tickling my ankles, the fresh scent of morning dew and sunshine, and the greenery that you could see all over.
I missed Mother’s smile and Father’s laughter.
And, most of all, I missed Hugo’s warm embrace.
...Oh Hugo. My sweet, little Hugo…
I am so sorry. For not being able to be honest with you…
----
When I first arrived at the Academy, I was full of optimism and hope. I thought naively, "Wow, I can't wait to learn so much more magic!" I knew how expensive this school must be, but Father sent me here anyway, as he did not want me to squander my talent in magic.
So I intended to be the best student that I could. I would answer every question the teachers have me and I would demonstrate all the advanced level magic that I could use. No doubt that would impress them.
That… was a mistake.
I quickly was seen as a young genius. Ten years old, yet already capable of casting advanced level magic, something only seniors could do.
And that quickly attracted attention from the "rulers" of the school.
When I said "ruler", I didn't mean the headmaster.
I was referring to a special group of privileged students, who could do anything they wanted in school. Skip classes, leave the premises to go to town, and even to cause trouble, as long as it's deemed "in a reasonable range".
And that included bullying and harassing other students.
The school rule stated that to be part of said group, you would have to show a significant and extraordinary talent in magic.
I clearly belonged in that category, yet I wasn't chosen.
I thought my talent was lacking at first, that there were other students with more talent in magic than I was.
However, I soon knew the true reason.
I was an outsider, a foreigner. I was not one of them.
And all the members of that special group; they were all descendants of famous magic families in the country.
And, once they learned that my talent surpassed the talent they possessed, they immediately turned hostile against me.
----
It all started one week after class started.
It was our first big practical magic class. We were asked to demonstrate all the magic we were capable of casting. It was a way for the teachers to determine our magic aptitude, what we were good at and what we were not, and at what level our magic was currently at.
Most mages only had a couple of magic schools they were good at, and knowing which one was crucial, so that the teachers wouldn’t waste their time teaching magic their students weren’t good at.
I, however, could cast every single one of them, from all the elemental spells, to healing spells (though I could only use Beginner-level ones), even miscellaneous non-elemental ones like illusion spells and transformation spells. I transformed into a dryad that day.
The only spell I could not use were summoning spells, as you needed to make a pact with the relating spirit first, something I hadn't done.
I cast them all that day, earning the awe of everyone present, including the teachers.
Not only that, but I demonstrated my mastery over advanced-level spells. Magma Burst, Rainfall, Frost Hail, Sand Grave, and many others.
I was so happy, so proud that I was earning the applause of the crowd, that I did not realize that I had poked the hornet’s nest.
For by doing so, I was demonstrating just how much better I was in magic than some of those “special” students.
One of them was especially offended by my display.
Her name was Merinda Salamander, a senior five years older than me. She had long red hair that went down to her waist. She always wore a black witch robe, complete with the large wide hat. Her sharp green eyes seemingly always looked down on others, while none of her smiles was ever genuine, always mocking.
She was beautiful, but she possessed a wicked heart, which, I had to say, was quite the shame.
She belonged in the Salamander family, one of the handful magic families that held a seat in the Council. And it showed, both in her attitude and her aptitude for magic, as at a mere age of 15, she already reached the rank of Master, meaning she could cast a Master-level magic, a feat that made her equal to the teachers, even though she hadn’t even graduated yet.
Oh, she certainly could do a “fast track” graduation if she so chose, but she seemingly was content with doing the full six years of education for a normal mage.
That day, she immediately declared myself as her enemy, even though I could not cast any Master-level spell like her. She was still superior to me, yet for some odd reason, she seemed to be threatened by me. She didn’t even do a demonstration that day, as it was only for first year students only. She was simply watching from the sidelines, like the other non-first year students.
I simply could not understand her.
It didn't take long until she came to me, along with a bunch of her underlings.
"Hey, you, new kid," she said to me with a grin. "Come over here for a sec, will ya?”
I saw from the corner of my eyes the other students quickly darting away the moment they saw her and her groupie.
I immediately knew trouble was coming.
I could’ve run, but I knew it wouldn’t solve anything. They would just continue to hound me.
And besides, I had my pride to consider.
“Yes?” I returned with a neutral look, hiding my distaste of the situation.
“Do you know who I am?” she asked.
An annoying person, I almost replied.
“I do not,” I answered succinctly. “I just arrived here after all.”
Before I knew it, my look had turned defiant.
And she didn’t like that. Not in the slightest.
“...Come with me then.”
It was not a request.
It was an order.
----
They led me to a secluded section in the academy. There were many of those around, seeing how big the place was.
Then, the leader, Merinda, gave me a good shove to the wall, before holding me in place by placing my body between her two hands.
“So, you think you’re so smart, don’t you? So good with magic that you don't even need to know who's in charge around here?"
"You're not in charge. The teachers are."
"Oh really?" Her smirk widened. "Don't you know about us, the special class?"
"...I do not."
At this time, I indeed had not known of the matter. The teachers had not said anything about it.
"Then, it's time for you to learn. Hold her, girls."
Before I could do anything, they grabbed both my arms, pinning me to the wall completely.
“Y-you… what are you—”
I tried to struggle. But being a ten year old girl, I couldn’t do much against the two girls who were at least five year older than me.
M-my wand… I-if only I can grab my wand in my pocket...
“Shhh… this will be over soon, I promise. Just a little cut…”
And then, she began carving a wound into my face using the end of her wand.
“Aaaaaahhhh!”
I screamed. The pain was nothing like any pain I’ve ever experienced before. She was heating the tip of her wand with her magic, so in effect, a blazing hot rod was being placed onto my face.
When she finished, there was now a burn line on my right cheek, going from my lips all the way under my ear.
“Welcome to the Academy.” She said with a satisfied look. “I’m Merinda Salamander. You might want to ask around who I am before the next time we met.”
And then, she left. Just like that.
Perhaps, in her mind, she’d already shown who’s boss around here.
I did not go to the infirmary for said wound, by the way, even though I could perfectly do so. Injuries during training were said to be somewhat common after all, so there would always be healers ready to take care of students’ wounds.
No, my pride wouldn’t allow me to.
I wanted to show her that such a lowly, cowardly act did nothing to me.
Instead, I healed it myself.
Using my Intermediate-level healing magic, it took me a few days until the burn line completely disappeared.
In retrospect, if I had just shown weakness and swallowed my pride, perhaps her bullying would cease as her ego would be satisfied by me kowtowing to her.
...But, that’s not what I chose.
I could not choose that path.
Mother always said that we Greenwoods were always known for our hardheadedness. Father left his home at a young age just because of a disagreement with his old man. To this day, both still hadn’t reconciled, thanks to that hardheadedness of theirs.
Even Mother had some of that, which might have what attracted Father to her in the first place. She too left her home due to a disagreement with her mother.
Quite funny, if you thought about it. They really were a match made in heaven in that way.
And said hardheadedness was inherited to me, and so I had to obey it. It couldn’t be helped.
I had to keep our family tradition alive after all.
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