What was my interest in, then? Obviously, money.

Money makes the world go round. What else could I want?

However, I never would have expected that my love, money, would be the determining factor in my fate, in the start of this legend.

It was a day in spring just like any other. I sat at my desk, gaze wondering to the window and the birds playing on the tree branches, singing happily. I sipped from the straw of my bamboo cup as I watched. But, I actually saw nothing, my brain computing new ways to get money.

“…and everyone who goes there has all their money disappear!”

Just as I was getting slightly frustrated by my lack of ideas, the words suddenly struck me, my head snapping to turn towards Angie.

“…a thief?” I asked carefully.

“No! A ghost. Apparently, it lives in the 13th building! Some girls convinced some guys of the warrior class to go with them, sort of like a courage test, but even the brave war students ran away scared! One guy had a total of about a hundred gold stolen from him! And it was for his girlfriend’s birthday present..tsk, tsk…Wanna see it last now!”

A-A hundred…gold…? I could feel my eyes swirling. If I have that much, no, even if’s in an exaggeration! With that money, I don’t have to worry about my expenses for a whole month! …But, damn those rich students! For a birthday present? Hah!

I furrowed my eyebrows together slightly in concentration, asking seriously, “What does it look like?”

“Oh, are you getting interested?” Angie seemed pleased, “Well, they were all too scared to even talk about it, but I don’t think it was human ghost! More like a beast…?”

My new idol, the thieving animal! I need to capture that! Imagine having a pet that gets money for me…? Hehehe…

“Honestly, Eli, I don’t know if that smile is supposed to mean you’re happy…or you want to scare us?”

Ignoring her comment, I revealed my brightest smile, “So, when are we going to capture it?”

She looked troubled now, scratching her face with her pink manicured nail, “Well, you see…we were discussing about this adventure a while ago…but, there is this warrior we want-”

“No problem.” I stood up, the chair of my desk scratching backwards. Completely serious, I said, “I just have to get some warriors to accompany us, right?”

I didn’t even give them enough time to answer, grabbing the loudspeaker from under my desk and walking over to the classroom’s window. Why did I have a loudspeaker under my desk, you say? Everyone has their own hobbies.

Right now it was lunch break. Even though the girls in the Princess classes were in their classrooms, sitting together at their desks, the same was not true for the members of the war classes.

Pretty ironic, right? Who even came up with those names? In the glorious past, the classrooms were divided by the god one wanted to be the Ciel of. Now, there were the classes for those who wanted to be the war Ciel, the war classes, and the Princess classes for those who just wanted to be, well, princesses. Cooking and sewing, and looking troubled were our specialties! Hah!

Well, the classes were further divided by grades and colors. Crimson was the highest for the war classes, where only the strongest and most likely candidates for Ciel studied, regardless of age. Sapphire was the highest for the Princess classes, where the most desirable girls studied…Shivers. Can you believe looks is one of the tests we have to pass?

Ah, please don’t even make me explain more! What is important right now is that the war students were very competitive. They had to train in order to get into a better class, and even become a likely candidate. Something like a lunch break did not exist for them!

And that is why they were all outside right now, in the dirt field bellow our window, wielding their swords and practicing against each other. It was perfect!

I switched on the speaker, and then proceeded to test it, catching the attention of all the faces bellow, “Hello, one, two, three. Hello. Can you hear me? Ah, ah.”

Once I had seen all the faces looking up, their eyes turning into hearts, I felt a smile spread across my face. Okay, let’s do this, my loyal subjects! Hahaha!

“Whoever wants to accompany us to the-”

I hadn’t even finished when a stampede followed from the dirt training field, up all the stairs and towards our classroom door. Soon, boys were fighting their way to pass through the door, smashed together with each other and struggling to get through.

“That’s Eli for you. Everyone is already neatly organized in a line, and bidding to get a time slot on the trip. There are even different prices for levels of difficulty!” Angie said with a helpless expression.

“…They are paying? I thought no one wanted to go there anymore?”

“…”

“Done! I have gotten the money- I mean, I have gotten all the help we could need!” I declared proudly as I walked over to them.

And I even especially told them to stuff their pockets on the way there…hehehe…to act as bait, of course! That way, when I catch the animal thief, the money will be mine! Hahaha! And even if I don’t…I still have all this money, don’t I? How come I didn’t think of this before? Hehehe…

“Eli has gone into her own little world again…”

“…why is she so scary when she’s like this?”

“Hm? How come you guys don’t seem happy?” I asked suddenly, regaining my cool.

“Well…”Angie started, but soon turned to look at Felly with a troubled expression. “You see…” She struggled to form a sentence, her brows furrowing.

I sighed tiredly, “Listen, if you want my help, then speak!”

This time Felly herself spoke up. She was kicking the ground, fiddling with her thumbs as she looked down shyly, “There was…a…specific…warrior…”

“Oh? Did I miss him?” I asked surprised.

Angie sighed sadly, glancing at Felly with a soft smile before she spoke, “Well, he’s not really a normal student…He’s…Ezekiel Knox…” 

With no change in expression, I asked, “Who’s that?”

Angie looked shocked, “You don’t know who that is? Seriously? Ezekiel, only the strongest warrior in all of the Academia and the most likely to become the war Ciel?”

Then she seemed to realize something and chuckled at some hidden joke, “Well, it is Eli we are talking about here.”

Felly giggled, and added excitedly, “Right? To Eli, every guy is the same! Just a bunch of blank faces with heart eyes! Hehehe!”

“…”

I felt there was no need to add anything, and just glared.

“Aww, come on, don’t get mad! It’s who you are, and we accept it all! Hahaha!”

Angie winked, but went on rather disappointed, “But, even if it is our Eli, getting Ezekiel doesn’t seem likely… He has rejected every girl that has confessed to him, and shows no interest in anything other than sword-fighting. He’s even more of an extremist than the other warriors! I heard he doesn’t even attend classes, and always practices in the Ciel hall. And because he is number one, no can say anything to him.”

When she finished speaking, I was already at the door, holding onto the sliding wooden frame.

“Anyway, I just have to talk to him, right?”

Angie had only confusedly seen the blank space, so when she heard my voice, her head snapped towards me with a shocked expression. Felly had already been facing me with her mouth agape.

Even as I heard their calls, I walked away calmly, they eventually catching up to me out of breath and accompanying me down the school halls. If I remember correctly, the Ciel hall should be on the fourth floor…Then I have to go up two levels?

Just as I was approaching the stairs, I caught as two girls stopped on their way just at the bottom of the stairs.

“Neh, isn’t that Elise?”

“It is! Wah, her skin is so fair and smooth! I wonder what she does?”

The other girl snorted, “Don’t you know? I heard she only drinks water and never eats!”

Girl number one gaped, “Isn’t that bad? Tch, tch! What pretty girls do!”

Ignoring their judging remarks, I just walked on. When they noticed me close in, they immediately shut their moths, watching me carefully.

Even though until then I had looked straight as I walked, I suddenly paused, revealing my brightest smile with a nod of my head. Then, leaving two statues behind, I hurriedly, yet gracefully, walked on with both Angie and Felly struggling to catch up to my pace.

“Really…even though I’ve known Eli for a while, I can’t understand how she makes walking so fast look so easy and graceful!” Felly commented through panted breaths.

Cough, cough, cough!

“…She always coughs uncontrollably afterwards, though.” Angie added with a helpless look.

After coughing a bit, I reached for my bamboo bottle, gulping down the cold water from the straw hungrily. When I was done, I finally spoke as if we had just reached, “We are here!”

Hands on my hips, I grinned as I looked at the two double-doors that held the famous Ezekiel in its depths. So, how will you react, Mr. Next Ciel? Hehehe…

“…I think I’m scared.” Felly said with wide eyes.

Angie just patted her back comfortingly in sympathy, as if saying “I understand; I’m the same.”