After they finished their shopping trip, Professor Ophelia and Ethan flew back to Brynhildr Academy to rest.
There was still a week before classes formally started. During this period, the First Years could familiarize themselves with the Academy, as well as get a better understanding of the Magical Courses through their seniors.
As soon as Ethan returned to the Academy, the first thing he did was go to his room to take a nap.
However, after an hour, he was awakened by the light poking he was feeling on his nose, and cheeks.
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his cousin, Chloe, who was just about to poke his nose for the umpteenth time.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked. “And why are you here? Don’t you belong to the Jaeger Manor?”
“I-I’m just testing if you are a light sleeper or not,” Chloe stuttered. “Also, anyone can visit the other Manors as long as they’ve gained the permission of a tenth of their members, or get direct permission from the Prefect of the Manor. Your Prefect, Sir Henry, is a good person. He allowed me to enter without too much fuss.”
Ethan lightly rubbed his face before propping himself up into a seated position. The number of people inside the Dud Manor was only twenty-three people.
All Chloe needed was to gain the approval of three people, and she would be allowed to enter the Manor without any problems.
However, since she got the approval of Henry, she was able to bypass this rule easily.
“Why did they let you enter?” Ethan asked. “Did you tell them that I am your cousin?”
Chloe shook her head. “I don’t need to tell them anything because they already knew about that. During the Initiation Ceremony, all the Pillars were being monitored and whatever they did in the Dungeon was projected to the entire Academy. When I knocked on the door of the manor, your Prefect, Sir Henry, recognized me and invited me in.”
Ethan sighed. However, after thinking about the matter carefully, he noticed one little problem with Chloe’s story.
“I understand why you are able to enter the Manor,” Ethan said. “But, how are you able to enter my room?”
“Because you didn’t lock your door, silly,” Chloe replied in a teasing tone. “Otherwise, how could I enter so easily? These doors are protected by Magic. Even if someone were to use an unlocking spell, they would not be able to open it from the outside. Only the Headmaster of the Academy, as well as the Prefect of the Manor can forcefully open the door using their authority.”
Ethan scratched his head because he couldn’t remember if he locked the door or not. After he returned to the Manor, he was dead tired so he slept as soon as entered the room.
“Okay, now that I answered your questions, time to give it to me,” Chloe said with a smile.
“Give what?” Ethan asked.
“Your spare key.”
“… And why must I give you my spare key?”
“So I can visit you anytime?”
“Ha?”
The blue-haired boy looked at his pretty cousin as if she was out of her mind. He couldn’t understand why Chloe was asking for his spare key that would allow her to enter his room at any given time.
“Wait a minute,” Ethan lightly patted his cheeks to shake off the remnants of his drowsiness. “Isn’t there something wrong with this? A girl coming to a guys room anytime? You’re asking for trouble, little lady.”
“What’s the problem?” Chloe arched an eyebrow. “We are cousins.”
“Not blood related cousins.”
“And your point?”
Chloe crossed her arms over her chest as she eyed the blue-haired boy in disdain.
“It’s not like I’m asking for your room key to spend the night with you or anything,” Chloe stated. “Don’t get the wrong idea, okay? Also, if you don’t give me your spare key, I’ll write a letter to Grandma Agnes and tell her that you bullied me.”
“Here is the key!” Ethan took the key from inside his pocket and handed it directly to Chloe.
For some reason, his Grandma had always spoiled Chloe and would often side with her in everything. There was even a time when he accidentally heard his Grandma talking to Chloe’s mother that he and the young lady, to whom he had just given the key to his room, should get married when Ethan turned eighteen.
Chloe was a year younger than him, and had just turned sixteen this year. She was indeed very pretty and Ethan had no doubt that in a year or two, his cousin would bloom like a beautiful flower that would attract dozens of bees.
The young lady with long, light-brown hair deftly hid the spare key inside her pockets and flashed her cousin a sweet smile, which made Ethan feel as if he was about to be eaten up, while he was sleeping.
“I was unable to ask this before due to the circumstances that you were in but, how did you meet Professor Ophelia?” Chloe asked. “Why did she choose you to become a Pillar?” 𝑂𝗏𝔩xt.𝚌𝗈𝓶
Ethan gave Chloe a solemn gaze as he debated whether he should tell his cousin the truth or not. Right now, he was clueless about a lot of things, so having someone to help keep him safe and look after him was a good thing.
“Listen, Chloe, there’s something I have to tell you,” Ethan said. “However, I want you to promise me that you will not tell this to anyone, including Grandma, okay?”
Ethan trusts Chloe, just as much as he trusted his Grandparents. She had been his confidant over the past few years, and she had never revealed his secrets to anyone.
“Okay.” Chloe nodded. She could tell that the blue-haired boy wanted to confide in her, so she decided to listen and keep his secret like she always did.
“You see, it all started when Grandma took me to the train station…,” Ethan stated.
The moment he started talking, Ethan felt as if the frustration that he had been holding back for a long time finally broke free from the shackles that held it back.
Chloe’s face changed from amazement, to shock, to anxiety, as she listened to her cousin’s story. When it all ended, a pin-drop silence descended inside Ethan’s room as he, and his cousin remained silent.
This silence was finally broken when Chloe reached out to hold the blue-haired boy’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“I’ll keep this a secret for you,” Chloe stated. “However, I don’t think you need to worry about anything. The Appraisal Stone has classified you as a Dud, so you can stay here in the Academy without fear.
“Although the circumstances of you being here was a complete accident, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re now a member of the Dud Manor. You belong in this world now.”
Chloe’s words, and touch, made Ethan feel warm in his heart, which slightly eased the worries that he had pushed to the back of his mind.
“Thank you, Chloe,” Ethan replied. “I’m glad that you’re here with me in the Academy.”
The young lady smiled. “Don’t worry. I will look after you. Have you ever thought about who you are going to team up with in our practical tests?”
“Practical Test?” Ethan asked back. “What’s that?”
“Um, let’s just take the Initiation Ceremony as an example,” Chloe replied. “That is an example of a practical test. If you’re not confident in taking these tests solo, you can team up with other people.”
“But, we are in different Manors? Is that even possible?”
“Yes. The Academy even promotes cross-manor interactions. For example, the Terra Manor is a place that specializes in nature magic. Most of their members have no fighting abilities, and can only help heal others.
“Because of this, they needed to team up with Manors that specialize in offensive magic during Practical Exams. Only the true powerful students like Nicole, who fought the Boss alone can go Solo. The Magic of Duds is unreliable at best, so they join other groups in order to get a ‘free ride’ in these types of tests.”
The more Ethan listened to Chloe’s explanation the more he understood that he truly needed her help. Half an hour later, the two decided to become partners, and challenge practical tests together, which made Chloe incredibly happy.
For her, spending time with Ethan was always a good thing. Now that he was in the same Academy as her, she decided to make sure to keep watch on the handsome blue-haired boy, so that he wouldn’t be snatched away by the other talented Witches in Brynhildr Academy.