The carriage trod at an adequate pace.
Inside, Coy sat on one side while Fram and Anne sat together on the other. The outside world was lively as Coy witnessed numerous carriages flowing in the same direction.
In these carriages, there were children with dreams and visions. Perhaps among them was a lifelong friend he could expect.
To say excitement did not fill his heart would be a lie. Although he possessed mana, he could not yet cast a spell on his own, but that was soon going to change.
His advance to the second circle held good results, as he felt it would probably take a day or two for him to become a second circle mage.
He had also salvaged whatever knowledge he could concerning the process of casting a spell. It was quite simple; however, it required a clear mind and sufficient understanding of runes to create a stable magic circle.
As he was about to delve deeper into his thoughts, Fram said, "Are you nervous, young master?"
Coy retracted his eyes and replied. "The opposite, actually; I'm a tad bit excited."
Fram chuckled and said, "If that's you being excited, then I still have a lot to learn regarding reading people's emotions."
Fram was justified in saying so. The young master's face looked like the day he first met him.
A small smile that never left, and calm eyes. The impression he had of him was that the young master seemed too mature for his age.
"It's not your ability to read people that's flawed; I just don't often express my feelings on a surface level. Oh, I heard from Aelfryn that you used to study at the academy; what was it like?" Coy said, changing the topic.
Anne's eyes widened in surprise when she heard Coy. So the head butler was a student of the Union Academy... How nice must it have been.
Fram nudged his nose bashfully and said, "Haha, that's a thing from the past. I had fun while I was at the academy and met a lot of like-minded people."
Who were full of trouble. Of course, Fram couldn't admit that out loud since he was the spearhead of the group.
"It must have been a time worth going through. By the way, Anne, you can join our chat if you'd like to." Coy said as he glanced at Anne with his jewel-like crimson eyes.
As if entranced by them, Anne replied, "If the young master says so."
She then fixed her head on Fram and asked with eager eyes. "How strong were you when you were at the academy?"
Fram smiled at her and thought to himself, 'This is the first time she asked me something not related to work. I guess the academy is that interesting to her.'
He held his head up and proudly said in a dramatic manner, "I was among the strongest back then!"
Anne's mouth turned oval in surprise in response to Fram's statement.
Coy, who watched from the sidelines, chipped in and inquired, "To the point that you were one of the knights under the three knight orders of the king?"
Fram flinched when he heard that. "Aelfryn told you?"
Coy nodded.
A bitter smile surfaced on Fram's face. He said, "It's all in the past now. Besides, my current occupation is one that I enjoy much more than my previous one."
The carriage went quiet afterwards. Coy knew not to ask further about what happened and changed the subject.
"How familiar are you with the four factions in the academy?"
Fram put his index and thumb on his chin and thoughtfully said, "It's been a while since I graduated, so I doubt what I know about them would benefit you."
Shaking his head, Coy said, "I'm just curious about how it was back then compared to what I am going to see now."
"I see… Well, the four of them pursued their own interests in my academic life and didn't seem to interfere with each other's business that much. Though I do remember the Royalties trying to represent all the students in the academy, their attempts, however, were foiled by the headmistress."
Coy mulled over his Fram's words and asked, "Were the Royalties trying to implement a hierarchy of sorts within academic grounds?"
Fram bobbed his head. "Exactly. Although the academy tolerated the creation of the factions, they were absolutely opposed to the Royalties' way of thinking. The Union Academy was created to be a fair place for all."
"I see."
It seems like Coy needed to be extra mindful of the Royalties' faction. From what he gathered, they appeared to want to take over the academy step by step.
As he was about to ask for further details, Anne announced that they had arrived at the academy.
Coy took a peek from his carriage's window.
The first thing his eyes noticed was a towering grey and archaic spire in the distance.
The wall surrounding the academy seemed tough, and the gates were wide enough to allow five carriages to simultaneously enter.
When they passed the gate, a huge land filled with numerous buildings came into view. Lush vegetation neatly lined the sidewalks.
At the centre, a metal sphere of artistic expression resided.
Crawling under the sphere on a rough stage were grief-ridden and hope-inspired figures of different races. They all raised their hands to the top of the rounded metallic structure, where a single dragon lay asleep.
Coy stared intently at the dragon. In his mind, only one being could achieve this type of admiration from everyone. The Ancient One...
Their carriages walked around the structure. Coy noticed something written at the bottom.
'Unity against the enemy of the one who bestowed all.'
What an aggressive statement! The demons must have been a terror to instill such comradeship against the inhabitants of Mundus.
"That is the sphere of unity. Our world would have been plundered by the demons if not for it."
Coy looked at Fram and urged him to continue with his eyes.
"The sphere of unity is a contract-binding artifact of the highest level. It symbolises true unity and leaves no leeway for anyone to betray the other. It appeared one day before the throne of the previous dragon monarch and changed the world for the better. It was also a sign that the Ancient One still exists," said Fram in one beat.
Hmm, does that mean the dragon at the top of the sphere is the dragon monarch?
Coy asked, to which Fram replied with affirmation.
The carriage stopped before a cathedral-like structure. As Coy alighted from the carriage with the help of Fram, he caught sight of children of various ages and races with unique attire entering the structure.
Fram explained. "That is the hall of unity... I know, the academy likes overusing unity and union a lot."
Coy glanced at him strangely and thought to himself, 'Is a former student of said academy supposed to say that?'
Sensing Coy's gaze, Fram chuckled dryly and said, "I'm not the only one who feels this way towards the academy's naming sense."
"Well, I don't judge anyone. Setting that aside, is the purpose of this hall for the opening ceremony?"
Fram nodded as he assisted Anne to get down from the carriage. "Indeed. It's also used for any major announcements to be made. It's usually closed throughout the year."
"I see." Coy bobbed his head in understatement.
He focused his attention on the students. Like him, most of them wore a blue cloak. There were also some with green and red colors, but they were few in number.
Stationed at the doors were black, uniformed men. 'Must be guards.'
Now that he remembered, he also saw them patrolling the academy grounds and outside when he was in the carriage.
Before his focus went awry, Fram said, "Young master Coy, this is as far as I can go. You can enter the hall and listen to the opening speech of the headmistress. Maybe you can try making friends in the process. Afterwards, a student who is supposed to give you a tour around the academy will come and guide you along with the other newcomers."
"What about the classes?" Coy inquired.
"Classes are chosen by the students themselves. Of course, there are some mandatory classes to attend, like basic herbology, basic biology, and a few others. As for the martial and magical classes, you can choose which one fits your purpose. The guide will explain such things clearly." Fram said.
He remembered being clueless on his first day at the academy, just like young master Coy. Fortunately, a senior saved him the embarrassment of sticking out like the country pumpkin he was.
Reminiscing about the past, Fram felt nostalgic. The academy hasn't changed one bit from the way it looked in his memory.
'And they say time changes everything...' Maybe enough time hasn't passed for there to be a change.
A bell rang.
"Oh, it's about to start. Well, I look forward to your opinion about the academy tonight." Fram smiled.
"Thank you, Fram. I will tell you about it later. What about Anne?" Coy asked as he looked at Anne. She seemed to be fascinated by the whole world around her.
Hearing her name being mentioned, Anne replied, "The head butler said he had some business with me."
Coy glanced at Fram, who said, "I was thinking of giving her a tour around the essential parts of the city where we get our necessary supplies from. Groceries and stuff."
"That's a good idea. Have fun then."
"You too, young master." Fram said, and Anne bowed slightly towards Coy.
They entered the carriage and left.
Coy gazed at their departing vehicle for a moment before heading towards the hall of unity.
A new chapter was about to start in his book of life, and he was going to enjoy it to the fullest.