"After him!" One of the knights from the scouting league ordered two particular pursuers to catch someone running.
The capital may be in the state of its calming standpoint, but there are no guarantees that it is safe for any crimes inside to slide. Consolidating the thought that is peacefully encouraged, no one in this kingdom has ever let a criminal slide. But this time, it is not an ordinary criminal at all.
One thing that stands out within the setting of its own characteristics is that this person who wears this weird lifeless mask was someone unordinary.
Within the roadless part of the city near the seaside under the bridge, the masked criminal has boarded a wooden boat. Straightly after setting in, he quickly paddled throughout the long line of the river.
The two pursuers were right on the spot. But seeing that the criminal had fled using the boat, without any options, they were forced to follow it by observing on the side of the walking trail.
"Damn it! There's nothing to use here to catch him, should we split up?" One of the guards suggested. The other nods in agreement.
"Yeah, if we're going to follow the path, he would end up refuging to Croalea City. Go contact all of the knights dispatched on that area, warn them about the criminal." He instructed.
"Right!" the other knight quickly ran across the main road to contact the other scouts roaming the city.
By reaching the far end of the river, the masked criminal cautiously jumped through the bridge and started running on the left side to avoid the mass. However, despite the fact that he is careful, there were at least five guards who came to corner him. Upon reaching the intersection, they have managed to cage him.
He gradually lost his speed in running and glanced around them. They are armed with spears and bows, dissecting every little corner and watching him intently as he moved around. He was no longer in the shadows.
The masked criminal began to chant.
A glowing red magic circle appeared beneath the guards who came to catch him. Red electricity leeched out their ability to perform a fight. The five guards who were in the backside of the intersection suffered electrocution. Seeing the probable shed of combat, they were forced to come in contact with it and form a defensive line.
Little did they know that this masked magician is pretty quick and nimble on itself as well. Coming from the rear side on their blind spot, he quickly twisted his body and kicked the one who tried to stab him with a spear. While nefariously beating him, there came another hoard of knights who swung their spears and some of them threw it. However, the masked magician's speed is more than average.
By tumbling and dodging their attacks, he placed the guards under major damage as he punched them one by one. They realized that he is more than a magician who kills people. After beating the rest, he cast another magic in which it enabled him to float on the sky.
The first two guards who were pursuing him saw it. They tried to fire some arrows but they couldn't hit him.
"It missed?" they fired another round but the result was still the same.
"What the hell is happening? I am confident that we are accurate, so why is our arrow not hitting at all?"
Finally running out of arrows, the masked magician flew very fast. He escaped the intense chase, leaving the city behind. As the problem dissipated, they gazed around the area and helped a few knights to stand up.
"That guy is no ordinary magician..."
"Yeah, not only that he is skilled at using advanced magic, but he is also keen at close combat sessions. We failed to capture him today, I'm worried that he might cause more crimes in the capital. We should alarm the department on the capital as soon as possible. I don't want this guy gauging up any further and hurting civilians." One of the knights suggested.
After cleaning up the area, they have retreated from the city of Croalea and returned back to their posts.
Meanwhile, the two scouting guards were summoned from the Knights headquarters to report back what just happened.
"Yes! Commander Bill..." He responded.
"We've tried everything we can to apprehend the criminal but even with the high number of pursuers, we still can't beat him, not even in the quarter range. This guy is pretty dangerous."
"I see. I heard that he used an advanced tier magic spell, is that right?" Commander Bill asked.
"Yes, sir. According to the witnesses and those who have received the electrocution, the masked magician used a lightning spell on the spot. We didn't make it in time to hear the chantings but it is very lethal. The red lightning almost killed the knights." answered the first scout.
"This is bad... the fact that he is using advanced tier magic will make it harder for us to confront him. How is the condition of those knights?" He asked.
"As of now, they are in a state of recovery. It is a good thing that they are wearing their body armor. If it was a normal person they wouldn't survive electrocution on that degree."
"According to the other witnesses, he was last seen on the east side section of the capital. It is far from our place," reported another one.
"What do you think he is planning to do in that city?"
"There is still no notable clue on his objective. But it is reasonable to assume that he will be up for another mass murder. We should be wary about that." He recommended.
"I see, we will end the report now. The thing is, we should be wary about the things he might try to do. We are going to have a joint force operation with the main department in the capital. The mission is to apprehend or kill him if it is necessary. We should avoid any bloodshed as much as possible." The commander has laid out the outline for the joint operation.
"Should we tell them to dispatch more guards on Knightstar?" The other scout asked.
"No, today is the opening of the Fosier Academy. There will be a lot of people coming in to reside. If we reinstate a sudden dispatch of officers in that area, we are in for a panic state. If they were to transpire all over the mass, the masked magician might get forced to kill everyone who confronts him. After all, if they were to find out that a murderer has entered the capital, they will be alarmed." Commander Bill countered.
"Are we going to send reinforcement for the capital's department?" He asked.
"For now we should lay the information to them and see if they will agree to cooperate with us. If they agreed then we will send out our men discreetly to participate as well. But if they don't, then we can just leave the case to them, although I am not really accorded with that kind of settlement. The masked magician came from our city, leaving the restrictions to them would leave a major wound to our department. We may lose our case and our ranks if that happens."
"Right, it will be bad for us to lose the council. So what are we gonna do?" the knight asked.
"Let us go personally on the capital to have a settlement and to provide an insight for their own accord. We need to outline our plan before that murderer deals with any more crime. I need you to prepare our ride." He commanded the first knight.
"Yes, sir!" After responding, he left the office very quickly. Commander Bill stood up from his seat and walked across the window to glance at the city.
"Are you worried?" he asked.
"...We failed the task as a scout and we might lose our ranks because of what we did. I couldn't help but feel accountable and responsible for this case." He vented out his frustration as he sat on the couch at the center of the room.
"There are things that shouldn't be overlooked, and there are also things that we need to face the consequences in. If we are afraid to go in further on that path we made, then we are not suitable to become the saviors of this kingdom. That is why we do our best to handle situations like this in mind. We cannot sit here and wait for help, the best thing we can do is to resolve this as much as possible before the latter leads to the opposite." Commander Bill made a remark.
"Yes... thank you so much, Commander..." He gratefully said.
***
It was afternoon.
Aran, Huck, and Lisa were waiting in the front area of the academy while the rest of the personnel are bringing in the other slayer candidate.
"I still can't believe that we are finally here though... I am really excited about what is going to happen inside the academy. We might be able to learn more things other than what William has taught us." Huck pressed inside the ground hall.
"Well, that is one of the things that I am really looking forward to. But in all honesty, I came here to learn more about the world outside." Aran replied.
"I doubt that they will be discussing anything about that. Though, I think this place has a room full of books that you can read. Well, it is not like I know everything but it is rare to learn about the outside world aside from magic and combat."
"Aran, for now, we should just focus on what is more important. To improve and become stronger. We should set aside our long-term goal for now and make sure to reach our short-term goal." Lisa reminded him.
"Yeah, I understand..." Aran replied with a smile, seemingly satisfied with Lisa's reminders.
After waiting for half an hour, the mass that has been coming in finally stopped. The gates slowly opened. The metallic bar screeching beneath the ground resonated around the area. One particular person appeared in the front, he wears a suit and has dark purple hair.
"Welcome to Fosier Academy. Before we enter the hall, please step inside and take a look at the list of the names who are registered on the board, and please note where your section is. There are four subsequent sections for all the slayer candidates. We based them on the results of your performance from the examination last week. We have recorded them on three different aspects of criteria: First, those who are exceptionally good at controlling their magic power will be assigned Section A. Second, those who are able to wield magic weapons and have experience with close combat will be registered for Section B. And lastly, those who are not that adept with magic power and are keener on combat will be placed on Section C. I will be proceeding with the next process after the assignation of your sections. Please enter..." He bowed as he welcomed the horde of slayer candidates.
"Seems like this will take a lot of time, should we just wait until they spread out?" Huck tried to lean on the backside to see the board but because of the massive group, they can't stick out their head to see which section they were assigned in.
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I don't want to compress myself with them." Lisa agreed.
Within the crowd, the strange group who wears black robes stepped in to see the board. They are numbered at least five. It was still questionable whether they have more than five or if it is their original group. Aran has been tailing their movement for a very long time and Lisa noticed the discrepancy of his attention from the academy itself.
"Aran?" She called him. Startled by this, Aran returned to his normal sense.
"Eh? Huh? Sorry, are you asking for anything?"
"No, not really. You have been serious and quiet for some time now, is there anything wrong?" Lisa asked. He looked at her for a brief moment and decided that he should let the group know.
"Those guys in the back, aren't you guys feeling anything strange at all?" He asked them.
"Mmm? Do you mean those guys who wear black robes? Not that I can think of anything aside from wearing such elusive clothes in the day." Huck answered.
"I find it really hideous for some reason and I have a bad feeling about them. Don't you think so?"
"Lisa?" turning his attention to Lisa, she glanced at him.
"Not for me. But I kinda know that woman in the center..." She said. Moving their gaze, they saw the white-haired woman who has sky-blue eyes.
"Eh? That girl? Lisa, do you know her?" Aran asked.
"Well, not really, but when you and Huck fought, I was about to interfere with your battle. She is the one who stopped me from entering the arena. If it wasn't for her, Aran and Huck, both of you wouldn't be able to pass. I should have thanked her for getting me into the right mind." She answered.
"I see... Still, they are really strange," Aran replied.
"Do you think it is on their culture to wear such things?" Huck asked.
"Yes, I think Huck is right, Aran. There are a lot of people out here who wears more exclusive and distinctive clothes than those group. And besides, weren't they just looking out for their section? They haven't really done anything bad, are they?" Lisa assessed them properly.
"You are right... Sorry, I must be overthinking it..." Aran palmed his face and sighed.
"We can just forget about them and move on, the line is not that big anymore so let's go." Huck noticed that the crowd reduced. Giving that much space for them to finally see which section they belong to.
"Let's see here... Section A... Section B..." Huck got a good look at the board. While examining each layer of the list, he found out that both he and Aran are registered for Section C.
"Oh! Aran, take a look at here..." He exclaimed, pulling Aran near him.
"Hmm?"
"We're both Section C. So that means we are in the same section. I think we're going to be learning together." he shared the news gracefully.
"Oh yeah, that's really cool. I was kinda expecting we are going to be residing with Section B." He said.
On their left side was Lisa braiding her hair as she looked upward to see her name registered on Section B. Her expression was not pleased.
"Oh yeah Lisa, what section are you?" Aran asked.
"..."
She didn't reply. She was looking gloomy all of the sudden and decided to head back on the backside of the gate and sighed. Huck and Aran followed her.
"What's the matter?" Aran confronted her.
"I am assigned for Section B..." She told him while on the verge of tearing up. Aran gave a slight twitch on his own confusion.
"Umm? That is pretty... great? Why are you looking down?" He asked.
Hearing this, Lisa suddenly grabbed Aran's red collar and pressed her body closer to him. The distinct feature of her own beauty reflected on Aran's eye. He saw the mole on her left cheek presided with her cuteness.
"Becauseeeeee..." with her childish, pouty tone appealing to him, Aran got flustered and took a step back while she is still grabbing his collar.
"U-U-Umm... L-Lisa?" He struggled to call her. He was trying his best to avert his eyes from her, his cheeks reddened as she gets closer to him.
(I don't like this! I want to be with Aran! I don't want to end up being alone with those other people from that section. I should have told Grandpa to assign me to wherever Aran is assigned. Ahh! This is so frustrating and annoying! And I was so excited to finally enter the academy!)
Lisa didn't notice that her grip from Aran's collar is getting stronger and tighter. Suspended by this, Aran couldn't restrain her since they would fall together if he took a step on the back.
"U-Umm... Lisa?" He called her once again. While squirming in place, Lisa realized what she has been doing to him.
"Heh?"
"Umm... It is getting tight... You're choking me..." Aran is on the verge of losing his consciousness. She suddenly raised her hands upward and stepped back.
"Oh! I'm sorry! Really, really, sorry!" She apologized while bowing.
"No that's okay..." Aran coughed a few times before talking again.
"So umm... why are you such in a foul mood?" He asked her once again. Still getting flustered by what she has done, Lisa averted her gaze and tried to talk slowly.
"Well, I-I kinda don't want to be left out. I want to go in the same section as you, Aran." She answered in a cute tone.
(Woah... She is really cute!) While rubbing his hair, Aran gave her a pat on the head. It is the first time in his life that he noticed the difference in their height. Back then, when they were still a kid, Lisa is a bit taller than him. But now, Aran is taller. He is looking down at her at normal pacing in which Lisa looked straight into his eyes in return.
"Lisa... Don't worry, I will be fine. We can still go in here together even if our section is different. We will still see each other anyway." Aran reassured her.
Huck noticed his dense attitude towards Lisa's whine. He facepalmed his forehead and sighed in dismay.
(This guy literally didn't understand her...)
Upon conversing, the man who wears a suit finally showed up once again. He gathered everyone in the center to finally announce the next step.
"Everyone, may I have your attention?"
"I assume that every one of us knows our section by now. I would like to tell you something about the rules and regulation that you need to remember when entering the academy. There is actually a lot of stated sections but I will only tell the most important ones and the other rules will be handed to you in a piece of a book as a manual." he introduced.
"Now then, let us start with the first rule. The academy is a place for learning and developing each and everyone's skills and fighting techniques. That being said, you are now allowed to use your magic powers inside and outside the academy premises without any permission. You can only use them if your master or instructor has allowed you to, but you cannot transpire or chant while doing something on a normal routine. Everyone is expected to respect each other. If you are caught to be using your magic power or chanting spells, you will be automatically warned. If you continued to practice the same disobedience, you will be expelled from the academy. Another one is that we prohibit the fighting and clashing of other slayer candidates. Not only that we promote skills and abilities, but we also practice discipline and management. We don't want any slayers fighting each other in a battle, whether it is obligatory or not, you cannot deal it with your magic or combat powers. If you were to be condemned and have adequate evidence for the incident to happen, you will be automatically expelled. That's all!" Ending the rule outline, everyone followed him.
Upon entering the hall of the academy, they were greeted by the vast flooring of the whole room, illuminated by several fluorescent lamps that emit orange lighting to vector and to adjust the contrast of the whole room. Aside from the greetings of the whole lighting, the design on the doors of each section halls are magnificently detailed and the windows are quite large as well. On the center of the flooring, engraved by the official logo of the academy which can be also found on their badges. The tiles are smoothly contracted to each other and the walls are laminated with such beauty of abstract designs.
All of them have finally entered the vast hall and they all scattered to see the other parts of it.
"Welcome to the biggest area of the whole academy. We call this, the Main Hall. Upon entering the main hall, there will three doors leading on the other side of the building. Those large doors that you are seeing on your left and right side are the doors for Section B and Section C. Those who have the potential of controlling their magic power are located on the second floor of the hall. Every building in our academy has enough space to serve all of you for your important needs and contribute to further hone your individual skills." he continued.
Everyone followed him to the center. The stair's design is pretty exquisite as well. And partnered with that is the overlapping curtain with an abstract design and a carpet that leads to the room.
"Now, on the upper part of the hall, is where your rooms and lockers are located. Lockers are those permanent drawers or cabinets that you can use to put your stuff like magic books and small weapons. It is important for everyone to have their own lockers for you will be bombarded by a lot of books as you progress with the learning system. Now, you might be asking, where is the cafeteria section? Well, you don't have to worry about getting lost because the cafeteria is just beneath the stairs. Everyone is encouraged to eat." Going on the other side of the stair, he presented the candidates where the cafeteria is.
Checking the other floors would be a waste of time so he decided to let everyone explore the whole academy on their own. As they went to different locations, Aran was left standing on the corner with no one else to talk to. He tried to glance at everyone who is walking but he got distracted when suddenly, a woman bumped on his side.
He almost fell down but it is a good thing that he made his stance to balance himself. When he opened his eyes, he saw a young beautiful woman wearing glasses. Her hair was medium length, and the color of it is black. She wears a blue long-sleeved dress and a glossy metallic collar on her neck. She also has black gloves that extend longer on her right arm. A simple beautiful girl indeed.
"I'm sorry, are you okay?" Aran quickly stood up and extends his hand near her. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Realizing what happened, she grabbed his hand to help her stand up.
"Sorry! It was my fault, I wasn't looking in my direction." She apologized deeply.
"No worries, it is okay..." Aran replied. After a slight embarrassment, she bowed and went on her way without saying anything. Aran was confused for a brief moment.
"Who is she...?" He mumbled.