My eyes blinked in pure confusion at the question Nora had laid down upon me.
"Excuse me?"
I asked once more to clarify her statement since it was a weird question that had nothing to do with the present situation whatsoever.
"Hehehe, come on, Ken, just answer my question. Don't be shy. As I said... Top or bottom?"
"Uhhhmm... Is this a trick question?"
I refused to answer when I don't even know the purpose of the query is. Call me paranoid, but that girl might be up to no good or something like that. Her presence currently shared the same demeanor more or less like the chibi Headmaster when he was in a crazed obsessed state vying for Master's attention.
Thus, my first impression of Nora Leliana was that of a deranged lady who I needed to stay the fuck away from.
Or at the very least, from her bad side. Literally getting away from her was definitely impossible due to us being classmates now.
In short, the girl is capital C-R-A-Z-Y.
This was going to be troublesome, I can just feel it.
While my thoughts were in conflict, I felt a soft pat from my left shoulder.
Turning my head at my back, it was the Earth Mage Davis as he sighed in response. This was probably his attempt of consoling me like I resigned my fate to a Dark God or something like that.
"Just give up, Ken. She means no harm and actually asked the same question to us all. Well not really, only us men though. The ladies were simply spared from her wrath of questioning. I too have wondered about that. To be honest, it does not matter what answer you'll be giving her since her bizarre reaction is just going to be the same."
Right... That certainly did not give me even a small amount of assurance, not even a little bit.
Still, if I refused to answer her question, then she may pester me for the entire school year just to get something out of me.
*Sigh* better get this over quickly then.
I finally then gave her my answer without giving much thought.
"Bottom."
"Ehehehe, bottom, you say?"
Nora seemed to be pleased... no, in utter ecstasy with my response as she proceeded to write quickly at her notepad while mumbling something from her mouth.
With my enhanced sense of hearing thanks to my Dragon blood, I was able to decipher what she was whispering about.
"Hehehe, so Ken is in the bottom, being the submissive one while Alexander is on top, preferring to be the dominant. Ahhh... this is truly wonderful indeed. Now my ships are finally complete."
Ships? What does a sailing vessel operating at sea have something to do with my answer?
And also, what the fuck was she babbling about me being submissive? And what does Alex had to do with all of this?
Time to inquire the lady of Infinite wisdom residing inside my mind.
"Don't look at me brat, even with my years of knowledge, even there is something that I lack information about."
Against my better judgment, I decided that I should not press that issue for now since I don't want to bother any further with Nora's shenanigans.
Dealing with her, even when we just met, was a rather tiresome affair indeed.
Nora then fixed herself appropriately and returned to what I assumed to be her normal self... hopefully. She then performed the same gesture that I did when I introduced myself earlier to the whole class by bowing in a straight manner as well. Her tone also drastically change, from frighteningly strange to a gentle manner that's rather soothing to the ears.
"Thank you for your wonderful response. I hope that we get along as well, Magus of Infinity."
Now that's more like it. If she was not being a weirdo, then she exhibited an aura of a proper young lady.
Call it a hunch, but she gave off the vibe of a priestess, like the few ones that I knew back at the village.
.
.
.
Nah, that can't be right. No priestess was bat-shit insane like her.
Nevertheless, I answered back with a smile of my own and she eventually returned to her seat, back to being in her psychotic state while focusing on writing once more in her notepad.
Yup, crazy lady indeed.
With Nora's rather memorable prologue now out of the way, I then asked Alex about something that Davis had mentioned.
"Class rep, huh? I suppose you are the leader of this class?"
"By nature of democracy. During the first day, when our instructor asked who's going to represent our class, all fingers pointed right at me. Not that I mind being one though. Leading this class to glory is going to be an honor here in this prestigious academy."
"I see. I'll be in your care then, class rep."
Alex seemed to be satisfied with my answer as evident by the smile on his face.
"Their first choice was actually you. Being the Magus of Infinity, it's your duty to be the leader of Mages. But alas, with your absence, the responsibility falls up to me instead."
Wait, so I'm supposed to be the class rep? That's kind of shocking. Just because I'm the Magus of Infinity, that does not mean that I instantly possessed leadership qualities. Seriously, just because of my new title, people immediately misjudged and overestimate my overall capabilities.
And I'm definitely not thrilled about that.
Vivian seemed to have understood my plight and begun consoling me.
"Such is the mentality of most people. Just because one possessed this kind of incredible characteristic or circumstance suggests that they must perform a specific role as fit to their distinct aspects. For instance, when a person is a Knight, then he's automatically appointed as the commander. When that person is a Healer, they are instead sent to the backlines, to be on standby and shall only act when a party member is injured. In your case, just because you are the Magus of Infinity means that you should be leading them as proposed by the Dragon brat."
I listened in silence and took every word to heart. Master cleared her throat as she paused for a moment before resuming her lecture.
"While the idea is solid with little chance of failure, that does not mean that they should stick with it constantly like it's the definite rule. One should consider an individual's other characteristics as well, no matter how minor they seem to be. What if the Knight hated being a commander since he does not have the heart and resolve to capitalize on people's lives and make heart-gutting decisions that might ultimately end them? What if the Healer is an even better combatant than his other party members? His potential in battle is wasted when he's merely on the rear of the battlefield. He could have ended the conflict quickly instead of allowing more lives to be at risk due to his lack of presence. Of course, everything still depends on the situation, and it can change quickly in a heartbeat. Such is the nature of the battlefield that we call Life, like a wheel with its peculiar ups and downs."
Huh, Vivian sure loved her long educating sermons filled with quotes and lessons about life. I truly appreciate the advice that she would impart on me, someone like myself who needed life advice since I'm practically going to be like her.
I simply offered my acknowledgment by thanking her mentally. My attention was quickly shifted back to Alex and I told him of my true sentiments regarding the matter of being a class rep.
"Me? Nah, I would suck at being a class rep. You're far more suited to lead us due to your upbringing as a Noble."
Alex rubbed his chin as he contemplated for a moment.
"I supposed your logic is sound. As you have implied, I'm far more suited to being a leader due to the fact that I was trained to be one ever since I was a child."
Though the topic appeared to have apparently closed, It was different for me as I quickly added-
"But even so, I wouldn't mind being trained to be one, being a leader that is. As you have mentioned, I'm the Magus of Infinity. There will come a time when people would be relying on me to make decisions due to my status as a Hero. Master Vivian also said that we are on a battlefield called Life, a wheel with its peculiar ups and downs. I may be a follower today, but a leader I shall be tomorrow, figuratively speaking of course."
With my statement filled with great conviction to improve myself as a person, Alex was certainly stunned as pronounced by his slightly enlarged eyes.
Hehe, perhaps he was not expecting such a grand statement coming from a commoner of all people?
In the end, the male sibling chuckled and found my reasoning to be favorable to him.
"Hooohh... It appears that you are a lot more interesting than I thought, Ken. And here I first assumed that your title and unique magic is the only thing that you had going. It seems that I'm horribly mistaken, ever since the debate we had in office when you rebutted the man-child's argument."
I'm not sure how to respond to his compliment, so I simply said the first thing that came to my mind.
"Uhm... Thanks?"
"No thanks are necessary for I only speak the truth. I admire your certitude to improve yourself. Recognizing your own weakness and seeking ways to eliminate or lessen them at the very least, is a mark of true strength. Don't let anyone say otherwise."
He then patted my right shoulder and look at me straight in the eye without so much as a blink.
And his next declaration resonated for everyone in the classroom to hear, shocking us as a result.
"Very well, Ken. By my authority as the class rep, I assign you as the assistant class rep, or the class ambassador to be more precise. I'll make sure that you'll be the best damn leader worthy of leading us away from the impending darkness of great evil."
Me... an ambassador? Can't say I expected this.
The whole class shared Alex's judgment and clapped their hands in response to my new position in this class.
But Alex's sentiment and faith towards me certainly was appreciated. Yep, I can say without hesitation that the Dragon dude, Alexander Dragonheart, is my first friend here in the academy. The guy was pretty nice and cool if you ignore his arrogance.
Ah... Having friends sure is nice.
Although I can't help but notice Nora with her maniac grin once more, gawking particularly at Alex and I while writing at her notepad at an incredibly fast rate.
Hopefully, she's the only crazy person around here.
And boy, how I was fucking wrong.