Five minutes. That's all they had until the deadline for their enrollment in the School Of Sicarius. Avic, Eliisabet, and Custos ran as fast as they could. They breathed heavily with sweat running down the sides of their faces. They had only just arrived in Discite City. Not blessed with much time, they were forced to leave the horses with a random stranger. They doubted that was a good idea but they weren't left with much of a choice.
Lori wrapped her arms around Avic's neck as he ran with her on his back. Fatigue quickly began to make itself known but he had to persevere.
"It's just up ahead! We can make it!" Shouted Custos.
Everyone fixed their eyes forward. Not too far before them was a majestic building that almost looked like it had come from the future. At the front was a massive black and gold steel gate that looked more like the entrance to a castle, rather than a school. A black steel fence also stretched around the campus for protection. Finally, there was a small concrete sign at the front that was marked with the name "Regnum's School Of Sicarius".
A second later, they burst through the school gates as fast as they could before dashing inside the building with a bang. Everyone inside immediately stopped what they were doing and looked up at them in shock.
They couldn't look any more out of place. Their clothes were dirty, torn, and bloodied in different places. Their hair was a mess and they smelled like sweat and smoke. There was even a little dirt on their faces and arms. In short, they looked like a group of homeless people.
"We're not late! We're here! We're on time!!" Shouted Avic with a look of fatigue spread over his face.
"Um... May I help you..?" Asked a lady from behind a nearby desk. She had cool brown hair tied back into a bun complemented by chocolate-brown eyes.
"Yes..." Panted Custos. "We... We want to enroll here... to take the upcoming examinations... to become Registered Sicarius!"
"Okay, but I'm sorry... We're closed at the moment. We're not accepting any more applications for tonight..."
Avic then quickly dropped Lori off his back before rushing over to the lady at the desk. His eyes were filled with urgency and resilience. He couldn't take no for an answer after they had come so far.
"Please!" He shouted as he slammed his hand down on the desk. "I know we're late but we went through a whole lot to get here! We traveled all the way from Initium through the Wilderness to get here! You don't know how much we've been through! We have to get into this school, no matter what!"
"Uh..."
Before the lady could speak, Custos ran to Avic's side and opened a bag that contained the Scarlet Witch's head. An awful scent immediately caught the lady's attention, causing her to cover her nose.
"Look! We killed a Scarlet Witch just to boost our chances of being accepted! We're worthy of being Sicarius! You can't reject us!"
"Oh my gosh... That's gross but I must say that it's also quite impressive..."
"Right?! We know we're a minute or two late but we can be great exceptions! We went through a lot to get here so we're begging you to accept our application!" Pleaded Eliisabet.
"Yes, but—"
"Please! Our journey couldn't have been all for nothing! If there's even a tiny bit of kindness in your heart, I beg you to reconsider!" Begged Avic.
"WAIT!!" Shouted the lady, immediately silencing them.
Avic, Custos, and Eliisabet immediately went silent as they looked at her. This was when she gave a bothered sigh before continuing.
"Sigh... I think there's been a misunderstanding here. Who told you that the deadline for applying was tonight?"
"Huh..? It's not?" Mumbled Eliisabet.
"No, not at all! That's what I've been trying to tell you three for the past two minutes. The deadline is tomorrow night. You're an entire day early."
"But you said that you weren't accepting any more applications!"
"Yes, but I meant for tonight. The daily cutoff time for applications is at midnight. The real deadline isn't until tomorrow."
The three looked around at one another in confusion. They didn't understand. They were certain it had been two days since they left Initium. It didn't make sense.
"Wait, are you sure? We were told that it would definitely be today!" Argued Avic.
"I'm sorry, but it seems whoever told you that must have lied to you. The enrollment deadline is the same here every year. It never changes. And I can confirm with utmost certainty that the cutoff date for applications is not until tomorrow night."
Custos facepalmed. He finally understood what had happened.
"It all makes sense now... Sigh... It seems Mister Amon lied to us so that Avic wouldn't hold us back. He was extra prepared to make sure we weren't late because of you."
"What?! Damn that Old Geezer! He made us go through all that trouble fully knowing that he lied to us! The nerve!"
"Well, to be fair Avic, if he didn't lie to us then there's a chance you'd have caused us to arrive late. I can't really blame him, knowing how you are," Sighed Eliisabet.
"This is just painful..! It's even worse with how easy you and Custos are accepting it!"
The lady then interrupted them by placing three pieces of paper on the desk before her.
"Well, given how much trouble it took all of you to get here, the least I could do is make an exception. Just fill out these forms and give me the head of that Scarlet Witch and you're good to go."
Despite feeling betrayed, Avic decided not to push the topic any further. Instead, he silently agreed and did what the lady instructed.
"By the way, I've been meaning to ask, what does the Scarlet Witch's head do for our application?" Asked Eliisabet.
"Well, it serves as a kind of merit. Once your application is reviewed, it will increase your chances of being accepted when you have proof that you can already handle yourselves in battle. It might even land you in one of the better classes here at Regnum. Anyways, given the fact that you killed a Scarlet Witch at your level, your acceptance is almost guaranteed. Good luck!"