The carriage rumbled and shook with each gap between the cobbled stone the carriage wheel ran over.
A nearly week-long trip was finally coming to an end as the view of the academy came into view through the window.
What surrounded the academy was a birch forest, which the path they rode on cut through.
There were a few other carriages going up and down the path and through the school gate. Each one clearly belonged to the nobility or the wealthy.
The coachman reigned in the horse pulling the carriage near the entrance, as did the others.
Erik's escort opened the door ahead of him and they both got out.
His escort was one the youngest of the house guards, Randal, as his father thought it would be more suiting for him to be escorted by someone younger. Randal would be responsible for protecting and serving Erik during his numerous year-long stay.
Every student was allowed an escort, the boys would have guards, while the girls would be allowed to bring a handmaiden.
Perhaps because he was young, barely older than twenty years of age, he was much more easy-going and wasn't uncomfortable with speaking out.
Erik didn't really care to listen or engage in conversation with him, but he did find his occasional chatter to be useful.
"Do you see that crest on the door there, young lord?" He said as he pointed over to the carriage where another young boy with blonde hair was getting out. "That's the crest of the Jonrai household, the house of paladins. The Ducal family of Vinloden."
Hearing that, Erik raised a nod to look over as they made their way inside. The blonde-haired boy had his own escort and the two were walking ahead of them.
"Young lord, I will be honest," Randal whispered behind his raised hand. "I do not know where to go, so I believe we should follow them."
"...Right..."
Randal was carrying a small chest with him that made subtle clinking noises with each step he took. He held it with both hands, cradling it tightly against his chest as though to protect it with his life.
When the boy ahead of them turned into a room, they stopped. From reading the sign next to the door, they could see it was the headmaster's office and could overhear the headmaster talking inside.
"Ah! Devone Jonrai! It is an honor. Your enrollment fee has already been received and your room has been prepared. As we respect your family very much, we have yet to assign anyone to be your roomate, and if you wish, you could choose to have none at all."
At that moment, Erik saw an opportunity and turned the corner into the room.
Randal was caught off guard and almost slipped trying to stay close. The loud, disruptive sound of coins in the box he was carrying being tossed around drew the attention of those in the room.
Quickly, Randal composed himself, though his expression did little to hide his embarrassment.
"Ah, forgive me..."
"And, who might you be?" Asked the old headmaster.
Erik took lead on introducing himself.
"I am Erik Alexander Chamber, of House Chamber. I am here to enroll with a letter from my grandfather, Lord Henry Malforn."
It was Randal who was holding the letter, quickly taking it out from his coat to approach the headmaster and hand it to him. He also set down the chest on the headmaster's desk, clearly nervous from his stiff movement and standing.
"And, uh, this is the fee for the enrollment for my young lord. Uh, sir."
The headmaster raised an eyebrow before opening the box. Meanwhile, Erik's attention was focused on the blonde-haired boy, whose name he'd learned was Devone.
He understood the systematical hierarchy of modern society and understood that making allies, or better yet, friends with those high up in said society, could only bring about benefits.
Upon their first meeting, it was Devone who initiated conversation with him first.
"Chamber?" He asked while looking curiously at Erik. "Are you related to the Duke of the west?"
"Yes. He is my grandfather."
"Well, my father, is a Duke." He said with arrogance in his tone and a grin on his face.
The headmaster snapped shut the chest full of silver.
"Erik Chamber. I see. Allow me to officially welcome you to our academy. I will have a room prepared for you momentarily."
"Ah! He can share my room!" Said Devone, suddenly.
"Well, I can arrange for that, if the young Erik agrees."
Erik pondered what had happened for a moment as it was his goal, but it baffled him how easy it was.
"I will."
They were given a tour of the school grounds before lastly being taken to their dorm rooms.
The boy's academy dorms were to the east wing of the academy building, which was like a large yet fairly old palace, with the addition of a grand tower bell that rang out loudly at every interval of school time.
Their room was smaller than what either of them was used to, but it was understandable as they had to accommodate every student with a place to sleep. This was ultimately why every student had to share a room, as though there were many rooms, there were more students.
The room was simple, yet clean. A window at the back with two beds against the opposing corners, as well as a desk and chair at the end of the bed, and even a closet near the entrance.
The closest was full of multiple sets of the academy uniform: polished black shoes, grey cotton shorts, and matching overcoats.
Classes had yet to begin and it was still morning with the sun high at its peak in the sky. Erik had only chosen to attend school to better educate himself whereas he would be unable to at his home. He had read all the books in the library back home, but the majority of them were novels meant for entertainment, while others were historical records, myths, or a few on subjects of economics or literature.
What he needed were books and studies on all subjects. Anything he could learn could only be of benefit to him.
Of course, one of the rooms he was shown was the academy library, which was full of books, though was not as big as he would want to it be. Still, it was better than nothing.
He ran his fingers across the line of books on the shelf, unsure of where to start. Eventually, he came across one, seemingly at random, and pulled it out.
He sat down to read at an open table. No one else in sight. It was quiet, peaceful, and for the rest of the day, he focused on reading until he was interrupted by a man.
"Excuse me, young man. It is getting late. Curfew will begin shortly and eight. You must return to your room."
The man seemed to be one of the academy help, tasked with keeping the library's books in order.
Erik closed the book he was reading, then asked.
"May I take this with me?"
"Yes, that is fine. Just be sure not to damage it and return it once you are done."
With that, Erik left to return to his dorm room.
Devone was inside, in the middle of taking off his socks as he sat on his bed.
"Oh, hey! Where have you been?" He asked as he tossed his sock on the floor.
Erik merely stared at the disgusting pair of clothing without saying anything about them. He wanted to develop a friendship with Devone purely for the possible benefits it could bring in the future, and what was a pair of dirty socks to destroy that.
"I was studying in the library." Erik said as he walked over to his desk to place the book on top.
"Studying? That sounds boring. You should have joined us playing kickball outside. That's what everyone else is doing before classes start."
"Perhaps later."
That night, Erik had trouble sleeping. He felt uncomfortable sleeping in a new place and could only stare at the ceiling to pass the time. He was so used to staying up at night to domesticate the monster he kept in the cellar that actually sleeping at night seemed strange.
The only audible sound was the howling of the wind outside the window, and the slight snoring from a few feet to the right from Devone.
He shut his eyes to force himself to nod off.
Two days later, classes finally began.
The morning was hectic with all the students waking up to get ready for class. The guardians of the children were responsible for taking care of the children's needs, and the same went for Randal who too, assisted Erik in preparing.
"Young lord. I believe there will be breakfast to be had in the cafeteria before classes begin. I have your schedule here also!"
Even Erik felt tired after what seemed like a restless night, but Randal seemed full of energy and happy to serve to the best of his ability.
Erik's uniform wasn't tailored exactly to him, but it still fit almost perfectly.
In front of the mirror, he fixed the short red tie worn around his neck and buttoned his coat halfway before leaving.
From there, the next few days would be dull, yet efficient. Erik would study any and all that he could, making full use of his access to the school's gathering of knowledge.
After a week, he managed to get used to the school's layout, and after returning from the library at the time of curfew to his room, he found his room in shambles.
His side of the room had been vandalized. His bed had been stripped of its sheets and his closet door left open with the clothes inside gone. The letters he would use to write home he left on his desk, and they too had disappeared.
Erik's first thought was to turn to look at Devone's side of the room. It was a mess, though it was untouched because he had already learned that Devone was far from a neat freak.
He made his way over to the open window, and there, outside on the damp grass and mud, were his belongings. Someone had thrown them outside.