“Finally,” Ethan said as he fixed his uniform in front of the mirror. “Today is the day.”
The long week was finally over, and classes had officially begun.
Everyone in Dud Manor had told Ethan everything he needed to know, and he was very thankful for their guidance.
After leaving his room, the blue-haired boy had breakfast with the others from the Manor before going to the Training Grounds of the Academy for his first class of the day which was Martial Arts Training.
When he arrived, he found at least a hundred people, whom he believed were First Years just like him. As he was about to look for a place to stand, she found a familiar pink-haired lady waving her hands at him.
“Over here, Ethan!” Nicole waved her hand at the blue-haired boy, which made everyone around her look in Ethan’s direction.
“Isn’t that the Dud Pillar?”
“Well, his performance wasn’t half bad during the Initiation Ceremony.”
“Well, most Duds always attend the Martial Arts Training lessons because their magic sucks really bad.”
More murmurs spread through the surrounding area as Ethan walked towards Nicole, whom everyone recognized as one of the Strongest First Years of the current school year.
“You’re so popular,” Nicole said in a teasing tone. “See? Everyone is talking about you.”
The pink-haired beauty then made a gesture with her hands, hinting at the people behind her.
“You’re quite fearless, Nicole,” Ethan commented. “Aren’t you afraid that these people will hold grudges against you?”
“Well, they are free to do that,” Nicole replied. “But, I don’t mind, they don’t matter.”
The Pillar that managed to beat the Initiation Ceremony alone had been the talk of everyone, including the Second, Third, and Fourth Years.
Although the Ceremony was meant to welcome the First Years of the Academy, it was also a test to see the cream of the crop, and Nicole stood out beautifully among her peers.
‘I wish I was as confident as her,’ Ethan thought.
The blue-haired boy had been trained by his Grandpa how to use the spear, but since his Grandma didn’t want him to use an actual weapon in his training, the one he always used was a pitchfork.
Because of this, his mastery of the Pitchforks had reached unprecedented heights. However, anyone who looked at him would just call him a country bumpkin because his weapon of choice was a farmer’s tool.
The beautiful professor who had lent him the Moulding Ball that could transform into any weapon he desired, had come to talk to him last night. She said that after careful consideration, she decided to give him the artifact as commemoration for clearing the Initiation Ceremony.
This news made Ethan very happy because he no longer needed to buy a weapon for his Martial Arts Classes. Although there were blunt weapons that were readily available to be used by anyone, the blue-haired boy much preferred the Moulding Ball because the weapon it transformed into had the perfect weight, balance, and length.
The beautiful professor said that the weapons were made from Magical Cold Iron, which was said to repel evil spirits, fairies, and other supernatural creatures.
Just as Ethan was wondering when their professor would arrive, he faintly heard the flapping of wings in the distance.
Nicole also heard it, and glanced in the direction where it was coming from.
Suddenly, a loud screech spread in the surroundings, catching everyone’s attention.
“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!” A young man, who seemed to be in his early twenties, with dark-blonde hair, and gray eyes shouted, while riding a Hippogriff.
The Magical Creature, which was much smaller than a Gryphon, landed on the training grounds with a flair, sending gusts of winds flying in every direction.
The Hippogriff had the front half of an eagle, and the hind half of a horse. According to one of the books that Ethan had borrowed from the library, this magical beast was a favorite companion of Magic Knights, who could wield both weapons and magic.
“My name is Lionel,” Lionel introduced himself with a curt nod. “Feel free to call me Sir Lionel, for I am a Knight that has sworn to protect Brynhildr Academy from anyone, or anything, that poses a threat to its safety. Although being called Professor Lionel is also good, I still prefer to be called Sir Lionel, so let’s leave it at that.”
The Knightly Professor then urged his mount to walk slowly towards the students who were eyeing him with awe and wonder. Even Nicole, who prided herself as an Aspiring Magical Knight, couldn’t help but smile after sensing how strong Sir Lionel was.
“Since today is the first day of class, let’s start with a very easy lesson,” Sir Lionel stated. “Do all of you see those yellow flags over there?”
The Knightly Professor pointed to the East, and everyone gazed in the direction where he was pointing at.
“… I don’t see any yellow flags,” a brown-haired teenager with freckles on his face said with a frown. “Do you guys see any?”
“No.”
“Maybe Sir Lionel made a mistake? There’s nothing there but trees.”
“Maybe he is just teasing us?”
“Maybe you are right!”
“Hahaha! Sir Lionel sure knows how to tease his students.”
Just as everyone thought that the Knightly Professor was just pranking them, a lady with long black hair took out her wand, and drew a circle in front of her face.
“Longe Aspectu!”
Immediately, the circle in front of her glowed faintly. At that moment, the scenery in front of her eyes zoomed into the distance, allowing her to see up to ten miles in front of her.
Although it was faint, she could now see at least a dozen yellow flags fluttering in the breeze, proving that Sir Lionel wasn’t lying to them.
“I think the flags are located at least twelve miles from here,” the black-haired teenage girl said.
“T-Twelve miles?! Are we supposed to run twelve miles?!”
“How about we just ride our broomsticks? We can get there faster if we do that!”
“I’ll just summon my Magical Beast, as long as I ride on its back, it will only take me half an hour to reach those flags.”
“I can also enhance my body constitution, and use a spell that allows me to run faster…”
All the students were now discussing with their peers the fastest way to reach the yellow flags in the distance. For them, this was a playful way to start the first day of class, and they very much enjoyed the challenge.
“Sorry to disappoint all of you, but no one is allowed to ride any flying brooms, ride any magical beasts, use any spells, artifacts, or any other means that would allow you to travel magically,” Sir Lionel said with a smile. “All of you will just run. Anyone caught cheating will be automatically disqualified from this practical lesson.
“Those who manage to get one of the flags before class ends will get 200 Merit Points. So, start running before time is up, okay?”
As soon as the First Years heard that they were not allowed to use magic, artifacts, and magical beasts to help them reach their destination, they immediately started to complain that this was unfair.
However, Sir Lionel only chuckled and told them “Well, life is never fair. If you have a problem, you can just skip today’s class if you want. However, anyone who will skip class will be penalized 50 Merit Points, bringing your total Merit Points into the negatives. I’m sure that none of you want to have negative points on the very first day of class, right?”
The students went into an uproar and cursed the Knightly Professor, but Sir Lionel just shrugged off their complaints.
While this was happening, Nicole glanced at Ethan, and gave the blue-haired boy a cheeky grin. 𝐎𝑽𝐥xt.𝐂𝗈𝚖
“Well, are you going to run?” Nicole asked.
“I might not be confident in using magic, but I am confident in my stamina,” Ethan replied. “Running is one of my specialties.”
Nicole arched an eyebrow after hearing Ethan’s confident reply.
“Then how about we bet with each other?” Nicole asked. “The loser will give the winner 20 Merit Points. How does that sound?”
“Deal.” Ethan nodded.
The two held each other’s gaze for half a minute before kicking off into a sprint, which caught everyone by surprise.
Soon, the other students reluctantly followed behind, leaving the Knightly Professor with an amused smile on his face.