The next morning Flint got a heavy talk from Erveine.
Adventurer work was hard.
Some thrived-
Others died.
That's why eventually, everyone retired, some willingly, others not so much.
If an adventurer didn't come back in time, it was common practice to think they were dead.
Search parties were rarely dispatched even if the adventurer held a high rank.
'So that's why she was so damn worried?' Flint didn't say anything.
He just had coffee as Erveine kept on shouting from the other end of the table.
To not disturb the others, they'd moved to the meeting room which was empty thanks to it being the first thing in the morning.
"Are you even listening to me!?"
"I am-" Flint said. "And I apologize, I promise to not make this happen again. If anything should come up, I'll inform you first thing."
An exaggerated sigh. "Good. Take a break from all that today and fill in your forms. Start classes from today."
"I'm sorry but-"
"You don't seem to understand-" Erveine glared. "I'm quite mad, Flint Maysheather. And it's best if you shut up and listened to what I have to say till the end. Understood?" Flint shook his head. "Good."
So, instead of going to the guild, Flint prepared for the academy.
Considering how things went with Amanda last night, maybe it was better for him to not see her right away. So- this worked out.
'But they won't wait forever…' He was already considerably late to submit the heads of the trolls.
Meaning, whether he liked it or not, tomorrow he was going to have to party up with Amanda and get the rest of the trolls…
Sigh.
Dressing up in a robe provided by the academy, Flint headed upstairs for the first time ever with Erveine.
He had a typical shirt underneath- and if it weren't for the robe, he'd have looked like a typical vagabond- or so a certain girl in robe mentioned offhandedly as they passed by.
Flint didn't bother giving her a second glance, he did smirk though.
"Miss Erveine, are there classes every day? And can I choose them?"
"You can choose 3 subjects each semester. So, six day a week; at the minimum you must take three classes a week. If you want, we can make an exception and allow you to take addental subjects."
"I'll think about it."
the upper stairs were different.
Different as in, spacious.
from the outside, this was nothing but a three-story building with loads of flashy lights.
From the inside though, this was much larger.
The ground floor was one thing but this floor was even larger.
"These are the classrooms. The third floor is the practical area. Classes have started a month ago, so you're quite behind. If there's anything you're unfamiliar with, don't forget to ask me." She said, stopping behind a large door- "And I'd appreciate if you took this seriously. Not many have the privilege of being admitted to the academy so willynilly."
There were about five other such door in this area.
And each door had large rooms behind them-
Or so Flint concluded.
Knock!
knock!
The two went in.
Benches-
Tables-
Students-
One instructor-
And a blackboard.
The faint smell of perfume… various kinds.
Flint and Erveine quickly became the new center of attention.
"Well, if it isn't the deputy headmistress," the instructor bowed once.
Sharp facial features, blonde- odd glee.
White shirt with the first two buttons undone and a hat-
Noble…
And not just him-
Quite a few students were also nobles… Flint could tell just from their appearance.
Same robes, yet- the air was different-
Such was the difference between them.
"Mr. Reynolds…" Erveine smiled. "I believe the Headmistress has already informed you of your new student?"
He peered at Flint, checking him out. "Yes, yes, she has. Introduce yourself, young man."
"Flint."
"Go on-" A snort.
"Maysheather."
"Hmm…"
Silence.
And almost a frown.
Almost.
But eventually. "Go take your seat."
"Later than, Flint." Erveine went out. "Goodluck," she'd mumbled.
And Flint moved to the back, taking a seat.
***
Flint felt like an outcast.
One, he didn't understand what the teacher was going on about. He didn't even have paper or a quill to write things down.
Two, people kept on staring at him, whispering things to their peers.
And last but not least, the teacher hated him.
No, it wasn't a feeling-
He clearly hated Flint and that was clear from that glare he kept on giving him every time their eyes met.
Open hostility.
Flint wasn't going to stay here longer than a month, so he didn't really care about appearances or staying on good terms.
He didn't necessarily like being hated though.
"And that's it for today. Review the material, it'll be on your test." He finished explaining the principle behind how mana flowed inside the body.
To Flint, it was like someone was explaining alchemy to him.
Something he couldn't understand even if it was to save his life.
The teacher left- and that ended the class for the day.
Other students had multiple other classes but Flint had nothing.
Or more like he didn't want anything.
Which was why-
He strode out quietly. But got followed by two guys anyway.
Both larger than him.
Probably sons of lower-class nobles.
'Bullies?'
"Need anything?" Flint said, stopping, looking back.
One of them, the blonde guy, grinned. "Drop out." That said, he poised back-
While the other- the redhead charged in, almost tackling Flint.
Almost- because Flint backstepped at the last second, gently helping the boy crash into the wall next to them-
Slam!