"It has an altogether different feel from Night Raven College." Azul noted as he looked around.
He wasn't wrong. Unlike the grand and bright feeling of the school's walkway lined up with statues of the great seven on both sides, this has a much more solid and pure atmosphere similar to where they came in. She looked around calmly in deep thought. It was certainly clean. Perhaps a little too much so...
"Yes, there's a certain dignity about it. It makes me feel like I should straighten up or something." Silver agreed in awe.
"Look, there isn't a single fallen leaf on the flagstone. They keep this place spotless." Sebek noted rather impressed as well, "When I heard it was a small school, I feared it may not be fitting for my liege... But this seems quite suitable indeed."
"The students at our school are firm proponents of cleanliness. They're fastidious about maintaining a pristine environment." Rollo explained calmly.
"Yes, this place does possess a certain immaculate beauty." Malleus nodded in awe.
"Ah, I see you appreciate it. Noble Bell's core tenets are purity and integrity." Rollo responded with a smile.
"For my part, I prefer places that are a bit older and decrepit. Ones people tend to avoid." Malleus responded with a smile.
"Uh, yeah, those are called ruins..." Idia grumbled in disappointment.
"What kind of school would it be if people avoided it, anyway?" Azul frowned in dismay.
"Well, ah, be that as it may..." Rollo pulled out the handkerchief act again, "How does it strike the rest of you?"
"It's amazing! It really drives home that we're at a totally different school." Epel replied excitedly, "I've never visted another arcane academy before."
"Yeah, same. I'm kinda nervous about it, to be honest..." Deuce noted hesitantly.
"But it's also got some similarities to Night Raven College. Like, we have statues on Main Street." Epel chatted.
"Oh yeah, totally. That one there reminds me of the statue of that one scary lady." Grim exclaimed.
"You mean the Queen of Hearts statue. The one you and Ace burned." Deuce shook his head with a sigh of disappointment.
"Oh, uh, funny, I totally forgot about that!" Grim's eyes widen as he muttered nervously.
"So they only got one statue, huh? That guy on the horse looks like he'd yell at me if I sneezed wrong." Ruggie noted nervously, "I thought he was a king at first, but he's not really dressed like royalty. In fact, I'd wager he wasn't all that rich."
"So who's the statue of?" Grim noted curiously.
"It would be the Righteous Judge." Lotus responded much to everyone's surprise.
"The Righteous...Judge?" Grim noted in confusion.
As they recovered, Riddle informed him, "Oh, you're not familiar? He was a great individual; all the history books say so."
"The freshmen might not know, but I DO cover him in sophomore History of Magic." Trein reminded them with a frown as he raised a brow in surprise, "It is a surprise that Mister Xue would know of him."
"Of course I remember the lesson, Professor. I would never forget your teachings." Azul lied masterfully with a smile.
"Uh, I dunno..." Ruggie looked away with a side glance hesitantly, "Maybe my class hasn't gotten to him yet?"
Hearing this, Trein sighed in disappointment, "A remedial lesson it is, then. Mister Xue. Seeing that you know of him, would you like to give the lecture instead?"
"Understood." Lotus nodded calmly as she explained with a blunt tone, "The Righteous Judge is a prominent figure in Fleur City's history as a Parisian Justice minister. He was known to be highly impartial and always delivered appropriate verdicts. He's a notable historical figure, on par with the Great Seven themselves. He did not wield magic as his era did not recognize magic. Yet, it did not matter as he had a very powerful will to carry out justice with his fair judgement."
"Precisely." Rollo nodded, "The story goes that his fair judgments brought peace to the city when scoundrels threw it into turmoil."
"Wow, what a cool legend!" Deuce said in awe.
"Everyone in Fleur City holds him in the highest esteem." Rollo continued, "The students of Noble Bell College, likewise, seek to emulate his honorable conduct."
As he said this, there was a loud ringing of bells which sent a shock to Lotus's entire surroundings. What a powerful shockwave of mana!
Lotus took in a deep breath and steadied herself in bewilderment.
"AHHH!" Grim screamed in horror as he covered his ears, "What the what?!"
"Was that...a bell?" Malleus noted in surprise.
"It was rather loud." Azul added curiously.
"The Bell of Solace..." Lotus muttered in deep contemplation.
"Yes, that was the Bell of Solace." Rollo nodded hesitantly.
Malleus glanced over to Lotus, but she did not glance back at him. Dismayed, he turned back as Idia grumbled, "Talk about a grandiose name..."
"Oh, it's most deserved. The bell is an incredibly unique and valuable magical artifact that's been part of our school for generations." Rollo replied reassuringly.
"You all must treasure it. Is it comparable to the Dark Mirror at Night Raven College?" Malleus raised the question curiously.
"Mm, yes. Many arcane academies possess magical artifacts that become emblematic of their school." Trein nodded, "It's been many years since I've heard the Bell of Solace, myself."
"Oh?" Trein looked to him in surprise, "Have you been here before?"
"Decades ago, yes." Trein responded with nost I came here on my honeymoon. We never got to actually see the bell—it's very rare and valuable, you understand—but my wife was quite taken with its beautiful tones."
"Would you like to see it now?" Rollo offered kindly.
"May we truly?" Trein looked to him in surprise.
"Certainly." Rollo smiled, "The whole purpose of this social is to gain a better understanding of one another."
Trein turned to them with a stern tone, "I hope you all appreciate how lucky you are. You will not get many occasions to view another school's magical artifact in person."
"A rare bell, huh... I bet it's all shiny and made of pure gold!" Ruggie noted excitedly.
"What an object of beauty it must be. I can hardly contain my excitement!" Rook exclaimed in awe with his luminous and difficult words.
Ignoring their words, Rollo gestured to the tall tower, "That tall edifice there is the bell tower. You'll find the bell on the top floor."
As they walked towards the tower, Rollo turned to Lotus and raised a brow, "It would seem that I have neglected to take notice of your presence. My deepest apologies. May I ask for your name?"
"My name is Lotus Xue." She replied bluntly.
"Lotus Xue..." Rollo frowned, "I do not recall that name..."
Lotus nodded, "I doubt the headmaster would have the opportunity to notify you. I will be accompanying the others for a short time. However, I am here in place of your headmaster's special guest. However, it would seem that I would have an interesting story to tell them when I return."
"That's correct." Trein responded calmly, "The fault lies with us. It was out of the blue when he learnt he was to arrive at the same location for a similar reason. It was decided that he would be accompanying us for his safety."
"It would certainly be more confusing had I appeared with everyone yet not have my uniform. It would feel like denying my relation to the school." Lotus nodded.
Rollo looked around hesitantly, "Your luggage."
"I gave it to my dorm leader." She turned her head to Yuu who looked surprise but did not say a word.
"I see." Rollo hummed thoughtfully, "The headmaster is rarely present at school grounds. When he is here, he does not make his presence known. He is quite an unique individual."
Hearing this, Lotus did not say anything as her mind continued to turn. He continued, "Would you perhaps wish to join us for now?"
Lotus nodded, "That would do."
As they continued, the vice-president approached her hesitantly, "My apologies for not greeting you earlier. Pardon me for asking, but why did not speak up during the introductions?"
"I had." Lotus shook her head as she lied, "It's all right, really. This has happened before. Rather, I apologize. Due to a special innate magic, my presence has always been faint. As far as I know, I still have no proper control over it. It turns itself off and on as it pleases bring both its ups and downs. So, I apologize you had to experience that."
"That is certainly true." Trein nodded in disappointment, "This is why he is usually excluded from most social events. However, today was an exception as he was called by a special guests."
"It was a rather bad case this time..." Lotus frowned, "I said I gave my luggage to Yuu, but I simply just placed a small luggage in his room without saying anything. In total, that would be half an hour now? Forty-five mins? It's not worse, but it clearly need improvement."
Rollo looked to Trein for explanation as he could only shake his head in defeat, "We've exhausted most methods we could recall. None worked. In the end, we could only conclude that this was an innate magic at play."
"Though everyone will return after three days, I may have to remain here longer." Lotus continued, "It's something my employer requested. Thus, I can only comply. I'll have to see what ideas they thought of this time."
The assistant and vice-president looked to one another in surprise as Riddle continued, "Well, since he is here. Why not allow him to act as an on-site medic for this group? He has the approval of the nurse, correct?"
"Nobody has allergic reactions, if I remember correctly." Trein thought carefully, "Perhaps it would be better if he takes this position while he is with us."
"Would that be fitting?" Rollo looked to him in confusion.
As Trein nodded in agreement, Grim continued, "Yeah. This guy's knowledge is legit. He's been approved by the nurse and an outside physician. If there is someone who is really badly hurt, he can provide aid until professionals arrive."
Lotus was surprised by the unison of approvals as Rollo looked to her in surprise. He cleared his throat, "It would seem I have doubted your abilities. My apologies."
"It's fine. There's a lot of apologies going on today. If I may, why not let's drop all this serious atmosphere and continue the tour. I've heard of the Bell of Solace once from an elder. Seeing how he spoke so highly of it, I would also like to see the Bell of Solace up close."
"Very well."