“Team up with you?” Nicole looked at Lily from head to foot then back again. “Are you sure? From what I can see, you’re strong enough on your own.”
“Hahaha! I wish that was true, Nicole.” Lily giggled. “Everyone knows that you’re the strongest of the Pillars for this school year.”
“Heh~ You’re playing the pig so you can eat the Tiger,” Nicole replied. “You’re scarier than you look. You even purposely failed the Initiation Ceremony, so that others would overlook you among the Pillars.”
Lily shook her head helplessly before shifting her gaze to Ethan and grabbing his hand.
“Nicole is talking nonsense,” Lily said. “I’m not as strong as she says I am. Although I admit that I’m not as weak as I look, she’s praising me too much. How about it Ethan? Want to team up with me? We can become the best Duo in the Acade–ack!”
Chloe pried Lily’s hands off Ethan and pulled the blue-haired boy behind her back.
“Ethan and I are already partners,” Chloe stated. “It will only be the two of us as a Duo.”
“Eh?” Lily looked at Chloe from head to foot, similar to what Nicole did to her a while ago. “Well, I did hear that the two of you are cousins. It is really a shame. I believe that Ethan and I would have been a wonderful pair, isn’t that right, Ethan?”
Lily gave Ethan a wink, which made the latter blush. This reaction made Chloe pinch his waist, making the blue-haired boy cry out in pain.
Nicole and Lily both giggled after seeing this scene, but decided to not say anything.
“How about it, Nicole?” Lily, who could no longer make Ethan a partner, shifted her attention back to the pink-haired beauty, who was labeled as the Strongest First Year. “We will definitely be the best team ever!”
“Your offer is tempting, but I have to pass,” Nicole replied. “I prefer to go Solo.”
“Hah… such a shame. All the strong and good looking people are taken,” Lily sighed exaggeratedly before walking away. However, after taking just a few steps, she turned around and winked at the three teenagers and gave her parting words. 𝐎𝑽𝐥xt.𝐂𝗈𝚖
“If the two of you change your mind, you know where to find me!” Lily said. “I don’t care how many people are in my team. The more the merrier!”
Having said what she wanted to say, Lily finally left.
“The two of you should be careful around her,” Nicole stated. “I wasn’t lying when I said that Lily is strong. She’s strong enough to go solo, but it seems that she is determined to play the damsel in distress. Take whatever she says with a grain of salt, and never, ever, trust her to guard your back. You might just find yourself getting stabbed before you know it.”
Ethan and Chloe both nodded their heads.
The blue-haired boy had plenty of experience fighting against wild animals who tried to attack their goats and sheeps. Although Lily was cute, Ethan could sense a feral side to her that was similar to a Panther that would ambush you when you least expected it.
After arriving at the Dining Area, Nicole and Chloe once again sat at the table reserved for the members of the Dud Manor.
This earned her a few stares from the Eques Manor’s Dining Area, causing the other First Years to start whispering to each other.
“Are you sure about this?” Ethan asked the pink-haired beauty in a hushed tone. “You’ll get alienated by your own Manor if you continue to act like this.”
“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Nicole replied. “Besides, I don’t need them. If they really escalate this issue, I’ll just go to the Headmaster and have him sort it out.”
“Wow,” Chloe commented. “Is this how a genius from a Noble Knight Family acts? You’re really full of yourself.”
“Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep.”
“Uh… I feel sorry for the First Years of Eques Manor.”
Chloe no longer bothered Nicole and started to eat. It was perfectly fine for her to stay in the Dud Manor’s dining area because the entire school now knew that she and Ethan were “cousins”.
Because of this, no one found fault with her actions, and even thought that she was actually a very kind and caring person.
Taking care of a Dud was not an easy task, and some of Chloe’s Manor Members even told her that she could count on them if she and Ethan ever needed help clearing their Practical Exams, which were often called Trials or Missions.
“What do you think the first Practical Test will be?” Ethan asked. “Will it be as hard as the Initiation Ceremony?”
“I hope not,” Chloe shuddered after remembering the hardships she encountered fighting the Zombies that actively pursued those who use magic inside the Dungeon.
“We’re still First Years, so they wouldn’t let us do something too dangerous,” Nicole replied. “But, there is a chance that we will act as support to the Second Years in their Practical Exams. I heard that it is a very common occurrence here in Brynhildr Academy.”
“You’re quite knowledgeable, Nicole,” Henry, the Prefect of Dud Manor, commented. “It is as you said. Usually, First Years only do minor quests, like going to places and delivering stuff. Of course, there will also be times when you will be commissioned to help the Second Years with their own missions, giving you bonus Merit Points once it is successfully completed.”
Henry then glanced in Ethan’s direction and grinned.
“Actually, it is best that you form good connections with the other Manors,” Henry advised. “If you do, they can take you on their missions, and allow you to earn easy Merit Points by simply accompanying them.
“Of course, not everyone wants a Dud in their party unless they are there to carry stuff. I’ve had my share of those experiences as well, but the thing is, if you are able to get along well with the other Manors, many opportunities will open up for you.”
The other senior students of Dud Manor nodded their heads in agreement. Some of them even actively told Ethan whom to talk to if he ever needed the kind of help that a Manor specialized in. For example, when he needed healing, or needed some antidote to counter poisons, he could go to their friends in Terra Manor, where the best Healers in the Academy could be found.
The talk went on until lunch ended, allowing Ethan to learn many things. He was quite thankful because his Seniors were very kind, and helped him learn a thing or two about getting along with the other Manors in the Academy.
A few minutes later, the three headed to their next class which was the Spell Casting Classes.
It taught the basic theories, principles, and actual practice of Spell Casting. Although most Wizard Families taught their children a variety of spells as they grew up, the Spell Casting Classes aimed to strengthen everyone’s basic understanding of magic.
Perhaps, this was the class that Ethan was looking forward to the most. As someone who was dying to learn how to use magic, this was a lesson that he didn’t want to miss out on no matter what.