Q: Why can there be only twelve heroes? Why not more or less?
A: I have a hypothesis, but I am not certain about this. It’s most likely because there were 12 powers so strong that others could barely challenge them. Moreover, even if the holder of one of the 12 ancient powers dies, a new one will take his/her place when the necessity arrives.
- - -
When I left the inn, the sun rose in the south, peeking in between the mountains of mist. Getting my head around a lot of thoughts, I hit the road towards the academy.
The sun rose in the land of Starlight City, and the mist danced freely without care, painting a clumsy canvas in gold and yellow. A soft, stiff wind blew, drifting the mist, though not that unpleasant. The vendors on the sidewalk had just opened their stalls and were preparing for the still sleeping customers. A few waggons strode down the path. Horses—so massive and magnificent that they could compete with any champion stallion of my old world—carried them.
A faint gust of wind blew, and my red hair swayed a little along with it. Technically, the red hair was not mine, nor was this body. It belonged to the sidekick of my favourite web novel, Forbidden Realms—Scar, or Oscar Emberheart—I should say.
I still could not believe what had transpired the previous night, but I could not deny it, either. After Yasmine left, I thought through the premise of the novel and recalled that in the beginning, Scar was a demotivated, depressed piece of shit whose only commitment was how to best waste his life.
In an accident, Scar got his mother killed and blamed everything on himself. I don't know if I could blame him for being this way. Anyone would feel extreme guilt if they caused someone else's death, much less their mother.
Even though Scar was already better than most average knights, he never bothered to advance from squire to a knight. The reason being, to advance to knighthood, one had to sell his loyalty to a lordship, and Scar was not even ready to put his own shit together, much less anyone else's. Well, in the end, he did sell his loyalty to the protagonist, Edward Eastwood, after going through yet another heartbreak.
Shaking my head, I strode down the path, heading towards the best academy in the realm, the Starlight Academy. The protagonist had not yet arrived at the academy, and to my knowledge, the story did not start from here.
I had already checked the calendar, and found it was the 17th day of the month of Juliann, the year 1521. The year and month distribution in this realm was nearly identical to that of my old world, with Juliann being the last month of the year. Although I have a faint hypothesis that one second of this realm was a little longer, nothing concrete yet.
As for the names of the months, they were named after the 12 heroes who fought against the demon invasion at the end of the second epoch. But that's another story—one—I am not entirely aware of.
The story starts in some small town, from where Edward made his way into the Starlight Academy after overcoming quite a few ordeals, and even when he arrived at the academy, he had to go through a lot to get his admission. I had not decided what to do about it, and before I even try to help the protagonist, I have to help myself.
After moving for about half an hour, I reached the territory of the academy. I did not just stride there just to work out or as a morning jog, but because I found no money in Scar's belongings to travel in a carriage. Considering the early Scar, that was quite convincing. His family had stopped sending expenses, and whatever he got from Yasmine, he wasted on drinking, mostly.
All the students had not yet returned from the break, but there were already boys and girls in different attires running around in the field, mostly training with swords or other weapons. I did not linger in the field anymore and made my way towards the large gate. Before it stood a couple of two-metre-tall guards, but it appeared they were not having a pleasant time.
"We already told you, we can't let you inside without a letter of consent," the guard on the right said to the frail figure in front of him.
They appeared to be arguing with a kid of fifteen or sixteen at best, and a female at that. Fair-skinned with a slight tan, but it looked as if it had never been taken care of. Her hair was silvery and unkempt, with a face that would develop into an exquisite person with proper bath. Her clothes were as good as any peasant, and as for belongings, she only had a simple handbag made of cloth.
"Please, will you call Professor Ranyan?" the girl asked, cocking her head. Her tone was pleading, biting her lips. "He knows me. I have come a long way. I don't know—"
"They all say the same thing," the other guard scoffed, "and Professor Ranyan is not in the academy currently."
I made my way towards the gate, trying to ignore the two guards greeting me, bowing their head slightly.
"Why are you so loud at so early hours?" I snapped at them, imitating what Scar would do.
"You know Master Oscar, many youngsters come to this time around every year, thinking they have talent and could become a mage or a knight," the one on the right said. "We usually have tens of them during the day, but this little one came before the gates even opened."
That was quite true. The academy was technically open to everyone, though you would need talent as well as capital to get an education here. Many peasants came around this time of the year hoping to get admitted to the academy and turn their lives around, despite the fact that the majority of them were not even allowed to pass the gate.
"Why are you wasting time, then?" I said, measuring my accent. The accent was still slightly off, but I reckoned I can manage it within a few days. No, it was not my acting skill, just that this body was accosted to taking like this. "Send her to take the test, and be done with it."
I crept inside before they ask me anything else. A couple of tall buildings greeted my sight at once. I need to mention that I came from a world far advance in technology and have seen many magnificent buildings and monuments. Despite that, this was something else. It was like the grand set of some historical or fantasy movies or shows.
The twin-buildings were made of white marble, luminescent in the rising sun. One could not help but feel a little overwhelmed looking at these magnificent pieces of art. You literally have to look up to see the whole thing. Though this world did not have the technological means of my old world, instead it triumphed through magical means.
The Starlight Academy had two departments, one majestic building for each of them: the Knight and Mage department. Scar was a full-fledged pupil of the knight department in his first year, though counting the upcoming new year, it would be his third year in the first-year division.
A grand fountain stood between the two grand buildings, and surrounding the fountain were a few stone sculptures armed with breastplates and all sorts of weapons, from sword, spear, and hammer to staff and wand. Among them were the twelve heroes of the past and a few other personas who were added later.
Entire palace like buildings were plastered in white, glossy with the morning light, while the lush garden brimmed with greenery and colourful flowers, full of life. Old oak like trees spread in rows from the sides, as their leaves swaying, wobbling, and falling along with the wind. A dozen figures meditated in peace under the shelter of the trees.
Finding my dorm was not difficult, thanks to the vivid description I read in the book. My quarter was on the ground floor of the four-storeyed. from all the way to the inn, I did not stop once in my stride, but my legs faltered instantly as I got inside, looking at the poor state of the quarter.
The entire floor was covered in a layer of dust, giving the vibe it was never taken care in ages. Fortunately, there was no powerful stench, but seeing the state of the room, I had to urge to start cleaning immediately. I thought better of it and sat before a wooden desk.
Sanitation was all good, but I have a better problem at hand. I won't have a peace of mind if I do not organise my thoughts first.
Now why would the author want me here? Since I got the call and all, it was evident the author had his hand on my current problem. As for the identity of the author, that was a problem for later. He asked me to assist him in concluding the tale? A wave of sudden anger surged through me, thinking about that. Could not he just tell me everything thoroughly about this transmigration and stuff?
Honestly, what did he expect of me? If it was combat, Scar was far better at it than me. Neither did I ever hold a sword nor tried spell casting. Those things were just a distant memory in my old world. Wait, spell casting. That was something Scar never tried, since anything related to studying goes over his head. Perhaps that is the reason?
I shook my head instantly. Yes, I do have an excellent memory, but there was much more to sorcery than just memorisation. But I have Scar's talent and potential, so the department of Magi is a viable option. Then there was the knowledge I possess. From the book and also from my old world.
My knowledge would be a great help, but I have to utilise it precisely. I need to organise them together. My eyes drifted off towards the messy desk and found a few notebooks. Sadly, there was no pen. I shook my head and thought of something immediately.
Considering for a bit, I opened the status window again. Originally, something like this was not in the book, and I had to look at it twice to understand everything. The information came to me the same way I could understand the language and many other things in this world.
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