"So you want me to attend a magic academy?"
I was currently asking this question while sitting in front of the headmaster of said magic academy.
"And not just any magic academy, but The Magic Academy of Galahad?"
Such a name probably doesn't mean too much to you, so I'll help explain.
The Magic Academy of Galahad is one of the most prestigious academies in the entirety of magical society.
And I'm being asked to go and become one of its students. Most people would be overjoyed and ecstatic at such an opportunity.
Unfortunately, I am not like most people.
Most people wouldn't base their entire magical career on the idea of messing with people's perception of things and overall lying like there is no tomorrow. But again, I am not most people.
"Steph Jerimiah Lynn, this could be one of the most important decisions in your career." Professor Harroway, the headmaster of the academy, for some reason that is bizarre and unexplainable to man, desperately wants me to become part of the school.
What he wants me to become apart of is somewhat explainable, if still very, very bizarre in my opinion. I am to become one of the twenty students in the prodigy class.
Me and nineteen other lucky bastards and bastard-ettes are entitled to the best education in the whole of the magical world. Something I personally wasn't interested in, but I didn't have much choice in the matter.
My master, the utter jerk weed he was, said it was either go to Galahad or go to Merlin Academy. Merlin Academy was full of nothing but rich witches and a few wizards. I personally want to not worry about a bunch of girls chasing after me during the last year dance, thank you very much!
I value my love life, and would preferably not be forced into a Merlin's coven. (A Merlin's coven is a situation where one man is forced to be with up to seven girls for marriage, and I don't want that, who let this be legal!?)
"Alright, I'll accept the offer, Headmaster." Headmaster Harroway smiled, but he didn't have just any smile, but the smile someone has when they have done something that will bring utter joy to them and utter pain and misery to everyone around them within a five kilometer radius.
It was not a good sign of things to come.
"I'll talk with your master about the contract." He said to me in an almost gentle voice, almost.
"I'm sure he will agree to it." The headmaster added.
Alright just don't take too lo- Wait. What contract?
The headmaster obviously saw the confusion on my face.
"Let me explain, an academy contract means that you are to be bound to academy law, which means extra rules to follow while you are staying."
Extra rules?! Bound by academy law?!!! That doesn't sound good. "As it follows, having things that are personally owned is fine as long as they follow the academy contraband rules- "
I listened to him talking about all the extra rules that had to be followed, including things such as that my room can be modified as long as I didn't put anything obscene in it.
Pretty standard stuff, all things considered. What caught my ears was when he got to student relationships.
"Girlfriends and boyfriends, having lovers and even marrying someone is permitted within the academy, but of course you have to follow regular conduct."
And then I heard something that sounded like music to my ears. "And no Merlin's Covens are allowed, except in special circumstances." I audibly sighed in relief.
"I see that you are incredibly happy about that." I nod. "Good, I never liked the idea myself, but I unfortunately cannot ban it, but I can at the very least restrict it somewhat."
I'm waiting for the bad part. There is always a bad part. "I always preferred the Galahad's Triangle to be honest."
There it is. "May I ask what a Galahad's Triangle is, Sir?" I ask him. I need to know as much about this as humanly or magically possible, so I know what I'm getting into.
The headmaster looked at me with an expression that I for once in my life could not decipher. I knew what the expression was, but it could be hiding any number of things. That expression was the so called 'neutral' expression, an expression so hard to pull off actively because it required you not even notice it.
I wonder what he's thinking. It couldn't have been good if I was involved in it. The world really likes to use me as its chew toy during times of stress. Which means pretty much all the time. "A Galahad's Triangle is when one man or woman is in a relationship with two men or women at once, my dear trickster." The headmaster said in a calm voice. I swallowed a large amount of air into my lungs and...
"Okay, I'll join." "Excellent, Mr. Lynn!" Headmaster Harrows bellowed. I hope to whatever God or Goddess is bothering to listen that this isn't a bad idea.
THE NEXT DAY
I was walking down one of the many, many hallways of the academy. The sound of my footsteps was methodical and not very loud.
If someone was watching, they wouldn't think much of me at the time. Afterall, I looked pretty normal compared to most students.
Well, I was a lanky guy with pitch-black hair going past my shoulder blades. But when most people carried around weapons and dyed their hair different colours to make themselves seem cooler, I kinda did stand out.
Funny how being normal in appearance here made you look weird. I chuckle to myself.
Oh well, they'll find out soon enough that I am nowhere near a normal person. Not after I get to work.
Oh, what is that I see before me? A student not watching her bag while talking on her phone?
Perfect!
MEANWHILE...
It was getting boring waiting for all the other students. But I learned from the best that patience could win any battle.
And I will use that to win the battle I have with boredom! HAH! I win the battle with boredom! I am undefeatable! Ha-
I'm bored again. I guess I could just go and chec-
Just then the door opened, revealing an average looking young person with a lanky body. They had very long hair, but they had just as many masculine features as they did feminine ones, so it was hard to tell if they were male or female.
They went to take the seat next to me. It was the one labeled for a 'Steph Lynn'. The person even had an androgynous name to go with their already androgynous appearance.
They had the normal uniform, but everything else about them was far from normal. What was with people wanting to stand out? But then again, I now stand out for wearing normal clothes, so I guess I can't complain.
This was it, time to try and make a friend. Even if they seemed a bit weird. "Hello there." I said to break the silence.
"Hello." The voice was even hard to decipher!
It sounded as if the person was trying to hide their gender! Wait a solid practical minute. What if that is exactly what this 'Steph' wants?
That just makes this seem all the more stranger to me. Why would they want to hide their gender? Well, they probably have a good reason.
And to be honest, Steph isn't the strangest looking person I've seen today. At least half their body isn't covered in armour.
Neither is Steph wearing a cloak or a witch's hat. But it just so happened that a person wearing a cloak and a witch's hat walked in at that exact moment.
Her bag was covered in a reddish liquid. "Goddammit, why did someone do this to me, on my first day no less?!" I wonder what happened there?
I turned to Steph, it was at that moment that I saw some semblance of emotion on their face. It was a slight grin that was gone after a moment, returning to an emotionless face of stoicism that was Steph's normal expression.
So, it was Steph that did the deed. That was frankly surprising, Afterall, Steph didn't seem like the kind of person to do that.
But that is just me judging by appearances. Under that stoic expression could be the mind of a prankster or troublemaker. I did learn from dad that the best troublemakers and tricksters are the ones that never reveal their hand in the things that they did, or, to put it in simple terms, they never let themselves be caught and punished for their deed.
So, I have decided to uphold Steph's honour as a trickster and not say anything about it. Afterall, friends don't tell on other friends, do they?
Or am I going about this wrong?
"Hello there." I said to the other girl, who was now trying to use tissues to vigorously clean the liquid off her bag.
"Dammit, hello there, can you help me?!" Well, I can make friends with this girl as well as Steph. That would be very nice. I shouldn't pass over the chance, it might not come again.
"Sure, pass me a tissue." I went to work on the bag, cleaning with ease. It barely took me a minute to get all the red off. It was a simple liquid that didn't dry easily, as if Steph didn't want to ruin the bag, just ruin the expression of said bag's owner.
How nice of them to put such thought into a joke. The girl just stared at me in in complete and utter surprise. "How? Are you a maid or something?"
"My mother trained me to be able to clean houses and clothes, Afterall, I need to be able to clean for when I get a husband." I said with complete honesty and seriousness.
"OkayâŠ" The witch said with a bit of concern in her voice. Oh no! Did I say something wrong?!
"Ignore what I just said!" I blurted out to the girl. "No, its fine!" the girl replied. "It's just, I'm surprised that the Magic Knight Princess Maxine Ambersky would know how to clean?"
Oh, so she knew who I was. That just made things a bit complicated. I need to think of a reply that is appropriate.
"My parents prepared me for housework as much as they prepared me for war." I stated to the girl. The girl just stared at me like I just said I was an alien.
Abort, abort! Say something less weird! "So, what do you think of Steph here." I immediately start pointing at said person. I turn and look at Steph as I say this, and I take one look at their face.
They were not happy that they were made the center of attention it seemed. Then again, I should have realized that someone like Steph would be like that. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"Steph looks nice." The girl said with obvious regard in not poking the metaphorical bear that was Steph. It seemed to have worked as said metaphorical bear didn't appear to be angry or anything.
They just stared, which was even worse. "Do you know what gender Steph is?" The Witch asked me, oblivious to the fact that those words might offend Steph.
I quickly look at Steph, they haven't moved an inch; in fact, they seem to want to know my answer if their 'go ahead' gesture was anything to go by. "My best guess is female at the moment." I reply to the Witch.
"We could just check the magical register for Steph's details." The Witch said. As she said this, it appeared as if Steph jumped at the words. Steph must not have read up much on Galahad if they didn't even know about a common function of the Academy.
I decide to ask a question I should have asked first thing. "By the way, may I ask your name?" The Witch seemed to suddenly bellow with pride at the question. Wait. Don't tell me this girl is one of those 'pridefully rich' people, is she?
"My name is Brittany Stratingfordshire, I am the heir to the Stratingfordshire Company of potions and magical items!" She shouted in an overdramatic manner. Oh god, she is.
"I'm Maxine Ambersky, but I believe you already knew that fact." I say to her. "Yes, indeed, I hope we can remain friends during our time here, Miss Ambersky." Brittany politely says to me.
Oh my God she is so posh, you could cover the whole of the academy with poshness and she would still have some to spare!
"Mind if I join in on the conversation?" Brittany (and most certainly not me, you must have seen some sort of apparition) jumped at the sudden appearance of Steph.
I noticed that Steph's voice had taken a new tenor tone, marking them as most likely a male. I wonder why he (most likely he anyway) had tried to hide their voice before?
I don't know, and I don't necessarily care too much to be honest.
I just hope to be good friends with him. (Certainly not thinking of wanting him to be my roommate, no no no, not at all).
"So, are you a man?" Brittany asked.
"Yes, I am a man, and you are a woman, so why aren't we talking about who is going to be whose roommate." He said with a playful Cheshire smirk in order to mess with us.
It worked, as I suddenly blushed at the thought while Brittany started to stutter in complete gibberish.
"Mr. Lynn, Miss Ambersky, Miss Stratfordshire, please sit down." Said our teacher who just walked in.
We stopped our chat and sat down as asked.
Well, I wonder what kind of legend of a person is our homeroom teacher going to be like?!
I hope she's one of the lesser-known ones!
I always liked them best.
I unintentionally let out an adorable squee, causing both my fellow classmates to look at me with questioning expressions.
I immediately tried to make myself as small as possible.
That was so embarrassing!
The teacher suddenly let out a yelp when she tried to sit down due to sitting on a balloon that had been left on her chair exploding when she sat down.
Well, maybe what I did wasn't as embarrassing as that.