After Headmaster Mana exited the nurses' office, Eve giddily hopped over to me and patted me on the shoulder a few times.
"Don't let the headmaster's cold and calculated attitude deceive you. Deep down he's a huge softy!" Eve giggled as she spoke about headmaster Mana.
I pondered about the dynamic of their relationship for a moment before responding to her.
"Well, he did just give an earth-affiliated user a full scholarship to supposedly one of the most prestigious academies around. He can't be all that bad of a guy." I shrugged as I spoke.
Eve revealed the same shocked expression as before as she exclaimed, "Yes! I was so surprised when you revealed that you were attuned toward the Earth element!"
"Come to think of it, you are the first ever earth-affiliated user to enter the Academy!"
Eve gave me a small round of applause as she jumped up and down cheering. I truly could not fathom her thought process or how she had so much energy to spare.
I couldn't help but let out a light chuckle as I buttoned up the infirmary robe and slipped on the sandals that were on the floor by the side of the bed. Her positive mood was mildly infectious, "Thank you, Eve. I'm ready to go"
As Eve gave me a tour of the academy grounds, I couldn't help but gasp at every building with sparkling eyes. Attending a prestigious academy was one of the few things I always envisioned while I was at the orphanage.
It seemed surreal to think that I would now be receiving a tour after being told by the robed men and Alisha that I would be the weakest. I clenched my fists remembering their words before focusing back on the matter at hand.
Going to a prestigious school is the first step in acquiring strength. I have to learn how to cast spells as quickly as possible.
The last two stops on the tour were the cafeteria and dormitories. Male and female students will be separated between two buildings on opposite ends of the campus, abiding by a strict curfew.
"For now you can stay in this room. You must be famished after sleeping for three straight days."
A loud grumble could be heard emanating from my stomach in response to her words.
Eve let out another light-hearted giggle after hearing it roar.
"I'll have the cafeteria chef whip up some food for you and drop it off. You're the only student here at the moment but don't expect room service to be a common thing during your stay."
"After today you can report to the cafeteria for all your meals. Meal times are posted on the cafeteria doors."
Eve began to skip away before turning back and waving, "Oh! Welcome to Cross Academy!"
Walking into the room I was shocked by how spacious it was. Inside the room was a king-sized bed, a working desk, a fully equipped bathroom, and a closet filled with school uniforms.
I pulled out one of the school uniforms to get a better look. The uniform was an ensemble consisting of a collared white shirt, a black button-down blazer, black trousers, and black leather shoes.
The collar was embroidered with gold ligaments, whilst the chest pocket portrayed the school logo. The blazer had threaded gold links that wrapped around the ankles and wrists in a way that reminded me of the white robes the men wore for my confirmation.
It's not the worst-looking school uniform I've ever seen, but then again I've never seen a school uniform outside my imagination. The design around the ankles and wrist will be the biggest issue.
-knock knock knock-
A few knocks at the door interrupted my train of thought.
"One moment please!"
I ran over to the door but by the time I opened the door, there was no one there. On the ground, a steaming platter of food was wafting an unimaginably pleasant scent throughout the hallway.
I suppose it was the cafeteria chef that was knocking on the door. I couldn't say thank you but I definitely won't let the food go to waste.
I was hungrier than I imagined because I barely remember what the food tasted like after scarfing it down. I practically inhaled everything on the plate in less than 5 minutes.
After rinsing the plate off in the bathroom sink, I headed toward the cafeteria to drop off the plate and thank the chef but the room was empty. After waiting for five minutes, no one else arrived. Not wanting to waste more time, I placed the plate on the counter and headed toward headmaster Mana's office.
Before I could attempt to knock on the door, the headmaster's voice could be heard from resounding the other side. "Come inside."
"What is it? If you have questions about what I mentioned about the bandit, then it'll have to wait until after classes begin. I'm currently swamped with paperwork."
I sat down in the chair in front of his desk before speaking, "I do have many questions about what you mentioned before, but I don't mind waiting until classes begin."
"There was something else I wanted to ask you about."
Headmaster Mana's eyebrow arched inquisitively as he gestured for me to continue speaking.
"I was wondering if it would be possible for me to be allowed to go to the Listless Plains."
Headmaster Mana had been multi-tasking by working as we conversed but stopped upon hearing my question. He aligned a stack of papers by tapping them on his desk before responding.
"Why do you want to go to the Listless Plains?"
At this point, I'm already an accepted student so it should be fine to provide at least this much information.
"There is a forest there where the ambient mana density is higher than usual. Not only that, but the earth element seems to be quite abundant in that location as well."
A slight smirk could be seen spreading across headmaster Mana's face before he replied.
"Well have you tried absorbing the ambient mana here?"
I suddenly realized that I didn't even try absorbing the ambient mana from inside the academy. Closing my eyes, I began to extend my will outwards, sensing the mana particles within the vicinity.
To my surprise, the mana density at the academy was able to rival the density emanating from the outskirts of the forest. Eve mentioned before that I will be the first earth-affiliated user to attend the academy, and it shows.
There was a surplus of earth-affiliated mana particles lazily floating around the entire campus grounds. Bringing my attention back to the conversation with headmaster Mana, I smiled and apologized.
I bowed deeply before cultivation walking back to my dormitory. I hadn't noticed because my back was turned, but headmaster Mana showed a quick moment of surprise when I began cultivating while walking out of his office.
I had plenty of time to kill before orientation.
The next 8 days were spent focusing on absorbing the ambient earth-affiliated mana particles into the mana core, only taking breaks to eat and sleep.
The arrival of other students shuffling in and out of the dormitory revealed that it was orientation day. I began to stretch releasing all the tension that accumulated from staying in the same position for a long time.
I headed to the bathroom and freshened up before changing into a new school uniform. Looking in the pristine mirror I couldn't help but reminisce about the grungy old mirror I used to share with the other orphans.
Wearing an immaculate school uniform felt alien and eccentric as I stared at myself in the mirror. I slapped my cheeks before heading out of my room.
Upon exiting the room I was immediately greeted with a barrage of ongoing conversations. I underestimated the number of male students that would be attending the academy because, from the number of people in the hallway, every room must have been taken.
I somehow managed to squeeze through the suddenly cramped hallway and made my way to the auditorium. My eyes almost popped out of my skull once I managed to make it inside the auditorium.
There seemed to be an endless sea of people ahead of me with even more surging in from behind. A chaotic cacophony could be heard echoing throughout the auditorium, produced by a multitude of rambling.
It felt suffocating to be surrounded by so many people and it was slowly getting harder to breathe. Before my anxiety could reach a boiling point a large ringing blared through the auditorium.
Everyone covered their ears as silence permeated the room for the first time. The headmaster and Eve walked onto the stage in front of the auditorium. Several men and women walked into the stage behind them.
"I am the headmaster of Cross Acadamy. You may call me headmaster Walker. The distinguished men and women you see on stage will be in charge of your instruction during your stay at the academy."
A small round of applause resounded throughout the crowd. Headmaster Mana raised his hand into the air, signaling the crowd to settle down.
"The school valedictorian shall now give a small speech."
This time the crowd of students erupted into a thunderous round of applause. A young girl with long silver hair accented with golden tints stepped out of the crowd and approached the stage.
It was too far away to see any fine details of her features, however, from the reaction of the guys around me I could imagine. It took several moments for the applause to die down.
"Good morning students of Cross Academy. My name is Dawn Vanguard." Her voice was sweet and melodic and she bowed deeply.
She extended her arm out gesturing toward headmaster Mana before speaking again, "Thank you headmaster Walker for allowing me to speak as the valedictorian."
She smiled warmly causing the crowd to erupt in another round of applause. After the audience had settled down, she continued to speak.
"I hope that all the students here remember well why we are here receiving training. The world is plagued with monsters that won't hesitate to rip us all to shreds." The crowd went deathly silent after her exclamation.
"I dedicate this speech to having a fruitful school life, with many engaging experiences. I plan to graduate as an extraordinary magician that will help protect our kingdom!"
With those final words, the crowd roared with excitement as she strutted off the stage. She was congratulated by many students as she made her way back to her previous location at the front of the crowd.
Headmaster Mana took the stage once more to deliver some final words.
"Check the bulletin boards outside. Your name and homeroom class number will be listed. Report to class for further instructions."
The students began to scurry outside toward the bulletin board, excited to head to their homeroom class.
As I watched all the students mindlessly running outside I expelled a sigh of relief. Being crammed side by side with so many people was beginning to make me feel anxious.
I took a deep breath before slowly making my way to the bulletin board. By now most of the students were already on their way to a homeroom so I was able to easily find my name.
Juzou Mortem - B101