The young man seemed to be hesitating. Reeve started growing impatient, while waiting for his answer. On the other hand, Rizaneth grew amused. Any other time, she would have laughed out loud before saying something to mock the young man. However, she had to admit, this was quite fun to watch.
"Well … I'm part of the Information guild … well, I will be some day", Merezeka blurred the last part of his sentence.
Rizaneth burst into laughter, before hitting the young man in the back. "What Information guild? Are you trying to swindle us? Well, tough luck!"
A few people walked past the group, and went inside the open inn. Rizaneth felt sorry for these people. "Let's leave. It'll take some time before we reach Artemine", she urged, before walking away.
Reeve looked at Merezeka and said, "I apologize for that. Do you have a card or an… actually, how would I get in touch with you when I need information?"
Merezeka's eyes brightened, before replying, "There are various places where you can leave your requests, and when we get them, we'll send the information to the address specified through a dove. So, would you like me to--"
"Maybe some other time. Where can I drop off the requests? Or rather, where can we meet again?"
"The Ogre's Head", replied Merezeka.
"Pardon?"
"Once you arrive at the Ogre's Head, just tell the bar keep that you're looking for water. They'll ask for the request, then tell them there."
Reeve was confused. It seemed as if the young man was trying to be subtle, but as he considered it, he realized this was quite weird.
"Are you coming??" came Riza's voice, which was quite a distance.
"I'm coming! Hold on", replied Reeve, as he realized that he was the only one left. Everyone else was waiting for him by Riza's side.
After finding a carriage, it took them a whole day to finally get to Artemine Elemental College. When they arrived, everyone's jaws dropped wide open. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. Well, who could blame them? The person who built the school had gone overboard with the designs.
So, what was in front of them? There were massive metal gates, which were about ten feet tall. As they were wide open, one could see a path that led to a large building. However, in front of the building, there was a fountain, and the path branched into three others, which led away from the fountain.
At each side of the path, there was neatly cut lawn, as well as small bushes. There was an old man who was attending to cutting the lawn, while wearing a distinct uniform.
Large numbers of people were going into the school. The students entering the school varied in age, but if there was one thing that made them look similar, it was the weird robes they wore. There were all sorts of age ranges, from middle-aged men and women, to young adults. There was even an old man carrying large books. The robes varied in color, but they were all similar. In fact, there were only four distinct colors, red, green, yellow and blue. There were even a few people wearing black robes.
"So, this is Artemine?" asked Reeve, as he stared at the large sign at the side of the gates. The sign was written with a language, which Reeve still couldn't believe he could read and write. The symbols were all capitals, and they were deeply embedded into the stone sign.
"No, I think we're lost!" replied Rizaneth, with a laugh.
"This place looks amazing! I have never seen something so grand in all my life … well… discounting my father's old farm house", Soren said.
Eskaria remained quiet; she was perplexed by what she was seeing. After a few minutes, she suddenly asked, "How long are we going to stand here admiring the scene?"
"Oh, right, let's go!" the others finally woke up from their trance, and everyone walked into the school.
When they reached the fountain, Reeve stopped and looked at it. He finally said, "Whoever designed this fountain is a genius! The way they--"
"Ahem", someone coughed. It was Rizaneth, and it seemed as if she wasn't happy, judging from the way she glared at Reeve, of course.
"What? Can't I just admire someone else's work? If I had my phone, I would have loved to take a selfie and post it on Inst--"
"Did you forget why we're here?" asked Riza.
"Oh, right. Let's go then!"
They walked a couple of steps, before Soren asked, "Eh… Where exactly are we going?"
Everyone's steps froze in mid-air. The truth was no one had an idea, and yes, not even Riza.
"Now that I think about it, Rizaneth, have you been here before?" Reeve couldn't help but wonder.
"Well, of course. I came here once with my b…" Riza didn't finish her statement, as tears welled up in her eyes. Her facial expression changed from mildly happy to somber. She couldn't finish her sentence, and it seemed as if it was something she didn't want to talk about.
While they were standing, a feminine voice suddenly exclaimed, "Eh? Mysa?"
Everyone turned to look behind them, since that's where the voice had come from. Behind them, stood a middle-aged lady, who was wearing a long, purple robe. She had neat, silver hair which flowed down to her shoulders. Her face, despite her appearance, didn't have any wrinkles at all, something Reeve had a hard time believing. He didn't think foundation had been invented in this era, so how did she do it?
There was also one thing that caught Reeve's attention. When they got near the school gate, he could see small spheres floating in the air, and they had different colors. However, there was a golden crown floating above the lady's head. This crown was small in size, and it had a glowing star. Reeve rubbed his eyes, as he realized that his hallucinations were getting worse. He looked at Eskaria, and of course, her halo was still there.
The lady's eyes were widened, and she looked very surprised, as she was staring at Eskaria, who turned to look behind her, thinking the lady was talking to someone else.