We slept peacefully that night.

The beds were quite comfortable, though Elliot declared that his goose down mattress back home was the best in the empire, and we had to lie next to Cat until he could finally sleep through his homesickness.

There was an extra bed in the room. I think perhaps Darius was supposed to be our fourth room mate.

I wonder how he’s faring right now?

A crisp spring morning greeted us the next day.

I shivered as a breeze blew in from the window I opened to air out our room. I could see several buildings around the campus, most of which are two floors high, and about three towers in the distance.

“Mmm, you up already?” I looked back inside the room to see Elliot rising from his bed. “What time is it?”

“About half past 7 in the morning,” I replied, since I heard the clock tower chime seven times earlier.

“They say there’s breakfast in the dining hall,” Elliot said with a yawn. “Would you like to go together, or should we wait for Cat to wake up?
I looked at the smallest one in our room.

Cat was currently curled into a small ball, covered partly by his blanket, half of which has fallen on the floor. He was so much like his namesake that I couldn’t help but smile.

That smile is quickly replaced by a worried frown, though, when I remembered yesterday’s events.

“Elliot, do you mind staying here with Cat while I go check the situation outside?”

“Oh, is this because of the harem apprenticeship?” he said knowingly.

“Do you know more about that apprenticeship they keep mentioning?” I asked him.

“Well, you know how my father’s a well known merchant,” he began, “so, it’s no surprise that we get information from reliable sources.”

He looked around the room, as if making sure that no one was spying on us, then leaned closer and spoke in a whisper.

“The real reason why nobles fear sending their children to Royal Mauve Academy, is because the emperor is well known for his taste for beautiful young men,” he finally said.

“He has a whole palace full of men and catamites he picked from the kingdoms he conquered. They say they number in the hundreds, and that doesn’t even include his legal concubines which number in the thousands! I can’t even imagine how he can sleep with all of them in one year! Is that even possible?!”

“So... you mean to say that he picks students from this academy as his male concubines?” I asked, wide eyed with disbelief.

“Woah! You look as if your eyes are gonna pop out!” Elliot exclaimed as he stared at me. “Here’s some freshly baked pastries for breakfast!”

He handed me a platter filled with sweet confections.

“Thank you.”

“Anyway,” Elliot continued, licking powdered sugar off his fingers, “good news is, the emperor’s promiscuous behavior seemed to have dwindled recently due to his old age, news of him taking in new concubines have stopped. Problem is, the first crown prince seems to have inherited his appetite for men.”

“Then, that student, Darius from yesterday...”

“Probably sodomized by now...” Elliot said, shaking his head.

I suddenly remembered Cat saying something about being Sodam’s apprentice.

“Mmm... chocolate...”

The two of us stared at Cat as he mumbled in his sleep.

He seemed to have smelt the pastries we were eating, and now lay in bed with his arms and legs spread out. He looked like a small innocent angel as he smiled, salivating in his dream, his pink arms and legs looking so frail.

“We need to do something about Cat,” I told Elliot who nodded at me. “Soon.”

“Are you sure that’s all you plan to eat?”

The elderly woman behind the food counter asked me as I took a loaf from the bread basket.

“Here, I’ll give you an extra apple to snack on,” she said with a frown. “Really, these, foolish nobles, neglecting their sons just because they’re going to lose them to the empire!” she said, shaking her head. “You come to me if you want more, you hear me, dear?”

I heard some chuckling from behind and saw one of the men who approached me yesterday.

“What’s the use of feeling sorry for the undead?” he chortled. “It would be better to shove my holy sword down his throat to put him out of his misery!”

That’s right.

The ‘holy sword’ person.

He laughed some more with his peers, then bumped my shoulder intentionally as he passed by.

The apple fell from my tray and rolled under a table.

“Hey hurry up, we still need to check all the rooms later for follow up attendance,” I heard them say.

“Yeah, let’s look out for more apprentice candidates while we’re at it!

“Don’t you mind that nasty lad!” the woman behind the counter told me while placing two more apples on my tray. “That Herbert has turned nasty ever since he became an apprentice of one of the temple’s holy knights. They say he even spends his nights in that knight’s chambers after attendance!” she whispered.

“Thank you, my lady, I shall take note of that,” a said with a curt bow.

“Ah, a true noble, we don’t see much of those these days,” she said with a giggle. “Just call me Aunt May, now off you go, and don’t forget to finish your food!”

“So, how was it outside?” Elliot asked me as soon as I entered our room.

“It’s a bit complicated,” I answered. “It seems they plan to visit all the rooms to check the students and to look for more apprentice candidates as well.”

“Oh... that’s bad indeed!”

Elliot went to Cat’s bed and began shaking the sleeping boy.

“Cat, wake up, or you’ll be in big trouble.”

“Mmm... I want more jelly...” he mumbled.

“Don’t worry too much,” I told him, “I have a plan.”

We heard a sharp knock on the door about an hour later.

“Novices, line up against the wall with your identification cards and greet your seniors.”

I stood up nearest to the door, followed by Elliot in his pajamas, and Cat in a hooded long sleeved shirt.

Three seniors came inside our room. They took one look at me and stepped back outside.

“Is there something wrong with your health?” the first one asked.

“Is it contagious?” asked the second.

“Do you have a doctor’s certificate with you?” asked the third.

“Of course.”

I promptly showed them my ID as well as my health certificate.

“Dehydration?!” the three of them laughed.

“Well, it does seem like you haven’t a drop of blood left in your body!”

“Frankly, he looks more like a giant goblin!”

“That’s enough, check the other neophytes,” said a forth senior who stayed outside the room.

“My name is Elliot,” Elliot said nervously.

“It’s a speckled black boar!” I heard them chuckle, taking note of the pockmarks and pimples on his face.

“And the other one?” asked the senior outside.

“M-my name is Cathan...” Cat said feebly.

“Hey, what’s with the hood?” asked the senior nearest to me.

“Pull that hood off!” the one next to him said.

“No,” said the senior from outside. “Take your clothes off completely.”

I heard Elliot gasp.

Cat’s hand trembled as he pulled the shirt up, exposing the short pants he was wearing, as well as his pink belly.

I could hear the seniors sneer at they stared at Cat with big grins plastered on their faces.

Cat raised his other hand to pull the shirt over his head.

He was wearing a sleeveless shirt underneath. He fixed it to cover his belly, and tried to cover his small body with his arms.

“What’s that on his body?” The nearest asked, pointing at the red hives all over Cat’s arms.

“It’s an allergy,” Elliot told them.

“Don’t worry, they aren’t contagious as well,” I added.

“Are you kidding me?!” another senior exclaimed. “Even his face is full of welts! I can’t even tell what he actually looks like!”

“I-I’m usually like this when I get nervous...” said Cat.

“Just look at the state of his face!” they said in disgust. “He looks like a melted candle!”

“Uh... another fail...” one of them mumbled as they filed out of our room.

“We should have checked the fourth floor instead, I heard the late registers were quite good looking.”

“Too late, the fifth years are up there right now...”

The three of us gave a deep sigh as the door slammed close after they left our room.

“I can’t believe that actually worked!” Cat said, jumping up and down. “Now I won’t need to worry about being Sodam’s apprentice!”

“You mean sodomized,” I corrected him.

“Who is Sodam anyway?” Cat asked with a pout.

“He was a black emperor in the desolate ages who preyed upon young boys,” said Elliot.

“He was?” Cat’s red blotches looked paler. “Does he really eat them?!”

“Don’t worry, the important thing is that we have successfully fooled the seniors!” said Elliot. “Now, why don’t we go to the dining hall to celebrate with an early lunch? I heard the food here is to die for!”

“Would you like me to remove the hives first?” I asked Cat. “You can just cover your face with a hood like I do.”

“Nah, I feel better knowing the seniors won’t come near me while looking like this!” He placed both fists to his hips and grinned at me, his face bloated with the sagging red hives.

“I still can’t believe you know a spell like this, Pat!” Elliot looked at me with admiration. “To think that my new friend is a young magician! You’re truly amazing!”

“I thank you for the praise, but please keep this secret to yourselves,” I humbly answered. “I know you both are aware that magic use is forbidden for neophytes like us.”

“That’s right,” Elliot confirmed, “students here in the academy are only allowed to learn and use magic once they enter their 4th year. And that’s if they show any talent for it. If you’re caught using magic, then...”

“I’ll be sent straight to the Ivory Tower,” I concluded with a nod.

“Then how were you able to make this illusion?” asked Cat who kept patting his swollen face. “I could even feel the bumps in my face!”

“It is just a simple spell called ‘mask of flesh’ that I found from an old grimoire,” I told them.

“How interesting, especially how you were able to hide the fact that you can perform magic. The empire have always been strict about mage candidates, since powerful magicians are an empire’s greatest weapons. So, how were you able to hide the fact that you have manifested and have even studied magic by yourself?”

“I have my ways,” I answered with a smile.

Elliot was about to ask me more questions, when our conversation was disrupted by a loud growl.

“It is not me, this time.”

“Sorry, that was my tummy,” Cat said with a shy grin.