Clay:
When we left our dorm room and made our way down the stairs, the other boys from the class were all waiting for us. I widened my eyes a bit in surprise, but they made it seem like it was just the normal thing to do. I accidentally locked eyes with Eyvind, both of us awkwardly shifting away and pretending that it never happened.
We walked out and met the girls in the courtyard. They took us to the school, the entire time Lynne was pleasantly chatting with the others. I hung behind. As I watched Lynne speak to the others, something boiled inside of me. It felt like anger or frustration... but somehow it was different. For some reason, I didn't want Lynne to talk to them. Yet the feeling made no sense, so I dismissed it. Anyway, I wasn't alone. Isabella wasn't conversing, either.
When we arrived they took us up the stairs and down one hallway where there was a room with a sign saying Battle Theory on top of the door. Everybody filed in, taking their seats naturally as it seemed they always did. Only two seats were left. The one smack in the middle of the classroom and the one right next to that, where the window was.
Lynne and I gave each other a passing glance before choosing our seats, Lynne naturally sat in the middle while I sat by the window. A few moments later, a man with medium length, deep purple hair and maroon eyes walked into the room. I found him off-putting as soon as he walked in. His eyes were horribly curved and naturally narrowed, his lips were curled. He was a lanky man, wearing a fancy-looking suit. Underneath the bottom of his eyes looked like some sort of scar but was too neatly done to be one. They were thin black lines sliding down his cheeks with a stitch-like pattern.
"Alright class, let us begin~" He cooed. Even his voice seemed creepy to me. His entire demeanour reminded me of a snake. "May our new students rise?"
Lynne confidently stood up. I followed his lead and stood from my chair as well. "Our new transfer students are joining us for the first time in this class." The man explained. "Now, my name is Yusuke Saintirral from the Saintirral family. Introduce yourselves to the class."
"My name is Lynne Charlton, from the Charlton family." Lynne followed along.
Then it came to my turn. I pressed my lips together awkwardly. I hated how everything introduced themselves as 'from the whatever family'. So I stood tall, puffing out my chest. "My name is Clay, Lynne's royal guard."
The class was silent. The dumbfounded look on their faces was enough to please me. I sat back down, crossing my arms with a smile. That answer was the best I could have given… thanks to Lynne, I had a title.
Lynne sat down as well right after me. The heavy silence broke as the teacher spoke. "Very well, a pleasure to meet you," Yusuke said.
Just like that, the class began. Yusuke jumped right into the lecture. "When fighting against a mainly close combat army, it is best to keep the front-line fighters in the formation's front."
He started talking about things I had no idea about. I couldn't even picture what they were. Above all else, he kept on putting random squiggles on this big board in the front of the class and a bunch of arrows, as if they were supposed to mean something.
This class was so boring… When am I going to be able to fight?
"No matter what, the strategist should always remain in the middle of the formation. This is the safest place and also makes distributing new commands and information possible." Yusuke lectured. I rotated from looking out the window to glancing at the front of the class.
This whole damn lecture made no sense. In war, the real strategy is to be strong enough to run in and kill everybody.
"Now things change if there are archers." The man explained, but soon I began to completely zone out what he was saying.
Those stupid scribbles on the board didn't make it any clearer, no matter how many times he pointed at them or added more. I hated this… I couldn't understand why everybody else didn't seem confused. Some were even doing their own scribbles.
I glanced at Lynne, who was listening intently. A part of me wanted to reach over and poke him, but even if I did, I had no idea where I would take it from there. With a quiet sigh, I just looked back out at the window. I watched the wind make the leaves on the trees sway. My mind drifted off until I heard the magic words I was waiting for.
"Alright. That's enough for today." He announced, making me snap my attention back to the front with a smile. "Now… I know it is sudden for those who just joined us… but it is a few classes into this semester, so it is time to discuss the first mission."
Now he really had my attention.
"This school has already been summoned to take care of a group of bandits rampaging through a nearby town." He explained. "Now, since this will be this class's first combat mission, it is time you receive your true sword."
The class erupted with excitement. They began to chatter with euphoric grins on their faces. "You will all be leaving tomorrow. Do not worry about their awakening, but it is time to begin to sync your spiritual essence with them." Yusuke said. More words I didn't understand.
I glanced over at Lynne, who at least looked just as confused as I was.
"So, follow me to the armoury."
The students all stood up and filed out the door like they knew they were going. Lynne and I followed behind them. I trailed last. As I was about to exit the classroom when I felt a tug at my arm. I turned around to see the teacher, his curled lips actual in a serious, neutral expression.
"Clay. I apologize, but it is forbidden for commoners to enter the true armoury." Yusuke said.
Of course it was...