I was curious. What would a letter from Elbern be doing there? When did he send me this letter? Since it was for me, there was no problem opening it, so I went to the desk, took the letter out of the envelope and started reading:

"My dear Amaris,

I hope this letter finds you in good health - and as the newest student of Avalon Academy.

I am writing to congratulate you on your acceptance. Although when this letter reaches your hands I will have already given you my congratulations personally, but there are feelings that are best expressed in written form.

We've known each other for a long time, haven't we? I remember the day I went to your house to ask to be your parents' apprentice. You were just a little child with a whole life ahead of you. You were inconsequential and acted in favour of your own satisfaction, but it was possible to see that you had the potential to grow.

When the day of my departure had come, you grabbed my leg and asked me to teach you magic. At first, I was afraid, because I had never been a tutor before and I knew there were more qualified people, but then you told me "Please stay! I want to become a powerful mage and it is you who will help me! Please!" At that moment, I felt that I should comply to your will and said yes. And I don't regret that decision. You may have been one of my first students, but you are a student to be proud of.

We've known each other for 11 years. For an elf, this is like a drop in the sea, however, seeing you grow and develop in the blink of an eye made me feel the time from the same perspective as humans.

All right, I think that's enough talk about the past. Just by writing, I'm feeling like an old man. That's too early for me.

I will be honest with you: when I received the news of your approval, I was not surprised. I'm sorry I can't give you the wide and bright eyes of surprise, but, considering your progress and determination, it was more than evident that you would be recognized and enter the Academy. So keep your head raised!

Good luck in Avalon! Do your best. Show everyone what you can do! But don't overload yourself, you need to take care of yourself. But I know you will be alright, so my conscience is at peace.

Oh, and don't go call other boys "Pretty" just like you used to call me, okay? These boys in love may end up becoming problematic for you. You are no longer a child, your words now carry more weight and not everyone is as understandable as I was.

I wish you the best!

From your tutor,

Elbern"

I confess that, when I read this letter, my cheeks were flushed. All these feelings transmitted in the text, so sweet and kind, made me feel a warmth in my chest. That is, until I read what was written after the signature.

"P.S.: I hope you opened this grimoire at class time. I would love to see your face explaining why you have a man's letter hidden in your grimoire! Hahahahahahaha"

Damn you!!! So all this was a setup! I can't believe I got emotional for nothing... But even so, it's still funny. He tried so hard in a letter with the aim of making me feel embarrassed in the middle of the classroom... Hahahahaha, in your dreams, Elbern! It will take you another 100 years to reach my level! However, I will give you credit for your creativity, you just have to improve the timing.

From the words written by Elbern I can see that I am marked in his memories, whether he likes it or not, and that itself already makes me satisfied. As much as I show interest in him, the truth is that I never had the expectation that I would be able to get somewhere with him. And it's not for lack of self-confidence or something like that, but because he is an elf, a long-live specie. Surely he sees me as a child, just like John sees Erina.

I know that I am a homunculus and that I can live as long as an elf if I take care of myself, but Elbern thinks I am human. There is no guarantee that he would not see me as nothing more than a mere servant if he knew that I am a homunculus.

Therefore, if I want a partner while maintaining my facade, I will have to focus on humans or species with the same life expectancy as a human, which is boring and limiting, but that’s life, right?

“Heeeeeyyy! Amaris? Are you alive there?”

I got scared with Erina knocking on my door and screaming. I stored the letter in a desk drawer and went to meet my friend.

“Yes, I'm alive. What's up? Did you manage to tidy things up? Do you need help?”

“I put what I could in the closet and what didn't fit was put in the suitcase. What a pain...”, She sighed, “But that's not why I came here. It's already time for dinner and we have to find a place to eat”, She took her money bag and shook it a little, “I already have the money, so let's go for a walk in the city.”

I agreed with Erina and left my room, closing the door behind me. Together, we went down the stairs, with Erina in front of me swinging the money bag in front of her face and suggesting that we should find some fancy restaurant to celebrate our first day in Norwill. She even gave the idea of inviting John, but I had to deny her promptly, because it would end up spoiling my disguise.

When we went down to the ground floor, our nostrils were invaded by a very inviting aroma.

“... It looks like it's a soup”, I conclude.

“Damn!”, Erina grumbled, “they made food and didn't even think about us! What a lack of consideration”, Her face quickly filled with determination and she grabbed my arm, “Come with me! Let's take a peek.”

We follow the smell trail to a wide wooden door. I opened it a little bit and Erina and I peeped through it. We saw long wooden tables accompanied by chairs of the same material with back support. Behind the tables, there were long windows with their curtains open, letting the moonlight enter the room. We were spying on the dining room. However, we couldn’t see anyone, so we open the slit of the door more so we can look deeper.

At the end of the room, we saw a partition that separated the dining room from the kitchen. This time, we could see a young woman with a maid's uniform with her back to us. It was Lanie. She was looking at a stove, until she turned it off and, with her hands gloved, took a large pan that was smoking and put it on the central counter of the kitchen. Because she turned around, Lanie was able to see us spying and opened a smile.

“Oh, hi, girls! Come in! You arrived at a good time!”

Erina and I looked at each other and entered the room, crossed the partition and went to the kitchen part. Because I was closer, I could see that Lanie's face was flushed and sweaty because of the steam.

“As you arrived earlier than expected, we didn't have a planned meal, but I improvised a last-minute soup”, She talked while opening a closet and taking some bowls out of it, “It's not chic and stuff, but I guarantee it's delicious! Will you want some?”

The smell of meat, vegetables and soup broth made us salivate. It was obvious what our answer was. It would be stupid to refuse good food made with so much consideration. Erina and I nodded our heads in agreement. Lanie smiled in response and invited us to sit in the dining room. In a short time, she came to us carrying bowls and cutlery and positioned them in front of our seats and in the seat parallel to ours. Then she brought the pan with a quilt and put them on the table, serving us and herself the soup.

I took a spoonful of the soup, blew it a little and tried it. The heat, taste and texture of the meat, vegetables and broth quickly touched my tongue and I tasted the food until I swallowed, giving my decree:

“Yummy!”

Erina also said the same thing. Her eyes were shining and she started eating with more excitement. Lanie laughed with satisfaction.

“I'm glad you liked it!”

We continued to eat completely delighted by Lanie's abilities when improvising was needed. The soup aroused an unexpected appetite in me and I found myself repeating the soup together with Erina. Our dinner ended without any complications. Our bellies were filled with good food and our opinion about Lanie became positive. If that had been her tactic for us to like her, I would take my hat off to her.

Followed by the meal, Erina and I went to our rooms to kill some time before taking a shower to sleep. Alone, I decided to make the preparations for tomorrow: I left my uniform ready and packed my backpack with everything I considered necessary - I didn't know if the teachers would give a subject on the first day, but it's better to be safe than sorry.

Feeling that there was nothing else to be prepared, I decided to take my bath kit and pajamas and go to the bathroom. Before I went, I knocked on the door of Erina's room and asked her if she wanted to take a shower too. After my question, she asked me to wait and, a minute later, she opened the door, carrying with her the same things as me, and we went to the bathroom. Inside, we each entered a shower cabin and, while we were washing, Erina commented that she wanted to have an opportunity to be able to show off her swordsmanship skills, demonstrating to the students that she was a force that they should not try to bother. I shared with her that I also had the same desire. I wanted to have opportunities to show my repertoire of healing and support spells to show the student body that I was a valuable resource that must be preserved and protected.

After we took a shower, we put on our pajamas and went back to our respective rooms. Now I could just relax until bedtime. I was in doubt between reading my grimoire or the book I bought today at the bookstore. In the end, I chose to read my grimoire and review its contents until bedtime. I think he has some kind of comforting power in me. When finally sleep came to me, I stored the grimoire on the shelf and went to bed, with a thought hovering my mind as I was asleep:

‘Whatever it is, a crimson demon or a magic academy, I don't intend to surrender!’