“Everyone gone….” A black haired boy, around 12 years of age, sitting on the bed, forced the words out of his mouth as his shoulders were shaking.

An older girl with long black hair, who was at the edge of the bed, said, “Indeed...when she was found by the party dispatched by the Magic Association, her eyes were devoid of life.”

The boy looked at her sister, eyes gleaming in curiosity. “What happened to her next?” 

“That’s a story for another time.” The sister smiled as she closed the book. “Besides, you need to wake up early tomorrow for school.”

“It still doesn’t feel real though…”

“You’ll get used to it.”

His sister stood up to adjust his blanket before walking to the door.

“Goodnight Rose,” the boy said as the sister put her hand on the doorknob.

She looked back with a smile. “Goodnight Lance."

In front of the mansion’s main door, Lance Einfelt is currently being hounded by his older sister, Rose.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to just teleport you to the academy?” His sister asked him once more. “You might get lost!”

“Rose, that just takes away the fun of walking through the gate on your first day,” he said. “Also, it’s a little hard to get lost when the academy’s visible even from here.

“Fair, but that’s because you’re not letting me walk you to the academy! And you already rejected going by carriage!”

“People are going to end up flocking to you if you’re seen in public.” And I’ll be caught up in that if we use the carriage.

“Oh come on!” Rose pouted. “Can’t I see my dear brother off at least?!”

Seeing her like this, Lance…

“Fine…” he relented, “but we’ll split off halfway through.”

After that, we left the mansion.

Slowly, they made their way through the city, taking in the sights.

Or rather, Lance was taking the sight in, while his sister silently followed him, a smile on her face.

“This isn’t the first time I’m seeing these sights but…”

The clear river reflecting the rising sun in the middle of the city, the well-maintained streets, shops opening up one by one, the smell of bread being baked in a nearby bakery, and the huge castle in the distance…

It was…

“Beautiful…” Lance muttered.

“Indeed…” Rose nodded in agreement.

Lance felt his eyes grow moist.

Rose remained silent, still wearing that ever gentle smile.

“Let’s see....” Lance looked at a piece of paper. 

It has a simple map drawn that his sister gave him before they parted ways. 

“The entrance ceremony takes place in a large hall at the center of the academy….” 

He took note of his surroundings. Right now he was standing near the academy’s wide entrance. He could see quite a number of students passing by and heading to the direction of the hall.

I don’t really think I’m going to get lost with this many students heading in the same direction as I am, but having a map is still pretty handy. 

He followed the direction of the crowd.

Oh yeah, Rose asked me to look after her apprentice.

Lance was about to flip the map, as the apprentice’s name was written on that side, but what he saw gave him pause.

Lance was awestruck by the scenery. The buildings were well-maintained and exudes a sense of history. The greenery surrounding the buildings also extends up to a nearby forest by the horizon. A small lake can be seen on the horizon, with a river flowing to the academy grounds.

This academy is huge….

He only realized afterwards that he was standing in front of a huge door that had been left open that the other students were entering into.

“This must be it," he muttered as he entered the building.

After he found a good spot within the crowd of students, his gaze went to the front and waited for the entrance ceremony to start. A few minutes later, an elderly white haired man clad in mage clothing, approached the podium on the stage.

He cleared his throat, getting the attention of all the students. 

“I congratulate you all for passing the exam!” The old mage said. “I am Tyrion Blaze, the headmaster of this academy, and today I welcome you to this fine institution. For the next four years, you shall all be taught magic and its many different wonders and applications.” 

Gasps and whispers were heard around me once the old mage introduced himself.

Tyrion Blaze...I heard from my sister that he was a highly skilled Battlemage back in the day. True to his name, he’s highly adept at Fire Magic.

It was then that Lance noticed the item the headmaster was holding. It was a black, cylindrical shaped object with a ball-shape at the top.

A magic tool to amplify the volume of his voice? I remember Rose creating something like this in the past...

What are Magic Tools?

They are items created to help people do a lot of things. They range from weapons like enchanted swords to everyday items to improve their livelihood like the stove.

According to Rose, things were a lot more advanced a few millennia ago.

I wonder what it was like before the destruction of the former Magic Capital four thousand years ago…? All I know are from the books and stories that Rose tells me.

“And now, a speech from the student who scored the highest on the entrance exam," the headmaster said as he gestured to a girl around Lance’s age to take his place who was sitting on the side. 

Ah, so the girl who managed to score higher than me is showing up. I’m curious to see what kind of person she is.

The girl stood up and went up the stage. Other students were whispering, making comments about her beautiful face, her black hair, or her fiery red eyes.

I have to admit they’re right, Lance thought. 

It was then that Lance recalled the matter about Rose’s apprentice.

What was her name again… Lance turned the paper he was holding over.

“I will be skipping all the pleasantries and head straight to the point,” the girl started.

“I came to this academy at my master’s recommendation, telling me to interact with my peers. And so, here I am."

The girl paused a little before continuing.

“I seek to challenge myself to further heights and will welcome anyone who wishes to challenge me. No, really. Please do challenge me to a duel.”

Whispers in the crowd about her daring attitude were made. 

I’ll try to avoid her as much as possible, Lance thought as he read the name of Rose’s apprentice.

“Ah, right. I haven’t introduced myself, have I? My name is-”

“Aria Silverhart.” 

Her voice and Lance’s overlapped at that point as he widened his eyes, turning his attention back to the stage, aghast with the realization that she was the one Lance was supposed to look after for the next four years.

After that, the program continued, but he wasn’t able to pay attention. He kept looking at the ground until the end of the ceremony. Afterwards, the crowd slowly dispersed. Lance absentmindedly followed along until he found himself standing outside the hall.

He looked up in the sky, resigned. 

“Well, there goes my chance of spending my time in peace…”