The following morning Crusch met with the caretaker who'd nursed her wounds, a tall man with bags for eyes and a graying head. He looked tired, more so than she could have ever competed with even back in her long working hours on earth but the seemingly obvious exhaustion didn't seem to quell his vibrant personality as much as it usually did to her. Surprisingly enough and the man mostly used normal medicinal methods on her, there was no profound magical healing spell and for the most part he said her wounds would heal perfectly fine on their own and that as long as she didn't exert herself too much and there'd be no issues but he cautioned rest if Crusch still had any ideas of competing.
Crusch couldn't understand it however, a spell seemed a lot more convenient than normal human means, she asked it in passing while he changed the bandages.
"Healing magic? It doesn't exist and even if it did It'd be dangerous to perform such on a person, the magic in our bodies is enough" was his answer.
It seemed as though there weren't any spells catered towards healing the body, a plethora of reasons was given by the doctor. The main reason was that many spells were a derivative of what her teacher had mentioned as dragon tongue, spells that used or needed an affinity were mostly created by it from translating the language to meet the affinity used. Fire, Burning, flames, death, wind, ice etc were all present in the language. Life and healing was another matter altogether, it wasn't present or if it was then it hadn't been translated but the general consensus was that it just didn't exist since after all, Dragons rarely ever got hurt.
But it seemed as though magic was also a passive healing ability, Crusch hadn't noticed it until the doctor had made it aware but her injuries had healed far faster and a lot more drastically than what she would've expected. The scars were more shallow, red in blood but at the speed they were healing and she'd be fine by tomorrow morning with a little rest and no exertion. Her worries deflated at this discovery before inflating back up again after the small check up, what even was the next trial?
The doctor left after an hour, she was later visited by a nurse who brought her new clothes which she found had been gifts bought by her parents who gave them with a note:
'To our courageous little warrior'
That basically sealed them having watched the fight but she was once again surprised not to get a paragraph and instead a little motivational note, with the care her parents were used to showing around her and this was a damn good display of emotional restraint. Either way she liked the trust and care they were giving, the clothes were a pair of dark pants, a coat that resembled a blazer if anything else but buttoned its way all towards the neck. They fit perfectly and were warm along with practical and had a level of thickness her now most likely torn and blood ridden clothes never had, she hadn't had a problem with her previous clothes but she didn't have them now and Crusch couldn't deny that the new ones felt a lot more suited for the trials treatment of her so far.
Ronvel came to visit a little later after what felt like nine in the morning, there were no clocks to tell so she just assumed. Her appearance hadn't changed much but there was an air of nervousness in her as they left the room she'd slept in which Crusch had been allowed to do so, it was a fairly large building, much like the hotel they'd fought tooth and nail in but minus the extravagance and dangerous charms with three meter wolves.
Surprisingly were the hallways constant with activity and other participants, many had made it back from the hotel and many gave quite fierce stares her way. Ronvel had been taking her to the lower floors where the building widened to its fullest, allowed for more room and the dining area situated a level above the first floor where the lobby was. It was no different from a certain kind of a really fancy cafeteria, the food was already prepared, all different kinds and it was pick, sit and eat whatever you wanted.
It was reasonably filled at this point, Crusch found a multitude of the other participants situated here, all different kinds of them but not only that but the atmosphere around them seemed to have changed. The previous trial had been one of teamwork and mutual trust, to win or survive was to work together. Everyone who'd made it had to have come to terms with that and that's how they'd gotten here at all, something that showed in the pairs that crowded the food stalls. Crusch obviously hadn't memorized who had been with who preceding the first trial but she was more than sure that nobody had been this close to each other. Specifically had they not been on such closely speaking terms as a bustling of conversation drowned the room in noise.
Ahead of herself and Ronvel were a pretty interesting pair, a towering red haired girl in deep orange and clean clothing beside a boy just as tall but clothed under a coat tired of wear. They were in hushed conversation, the boys tired green gaze sifting over the room with an exhaustion but a purpose. Ronvel leaned beside her and whispered,
"Atalanta, another noble" Were her words.
Crusch only nodded though, the nobility weren't anything that interested her as much and the life of it was so ridiculously scrutinized upon in various literary works that she'd rather steer clear of it as far away as the previous Ludmilla had so expertly achieved. She loved the titles and money but responsibility was a burden she'd never grown into, it was perhaps the reason why she never achieved any promotions let alone a very prominent voice in her workplace. She was hardworking but that was it, the stuff that led to the betterment of the company she worked for, the much more mentally grueling tasks were left to the others but she'd been content with that anyway as people were different and sometimes it was better to accept your place on earth than to hopelessly dream of the heavens.
Who she was more interested in though was the person beside her, from what she could muster from appearances alone and the boy definitely didn't fit the descriptions of nobility, much less a person living well enough in the middle but somewhere…much..much more below. The thought flashed but she didn't voice it, Ronvel glanced at her and noted where her gaze was scrutinizing and spoke in a whisper again—
"A survivor from the peasant class" Crusch could've sworn she saw the boys ears twitch at Ronvel's words even though she herself was having a hard time catching what she was saying regardless that they stood so closely together but he didn't react, didn't protest or say a thing.
"Survivor?" She inquired as Ronvel explained.
"They don't usually make it past the first trials…when there is one of course," They were nearing the front of the line while she spoke, "Remember, you're coming here with the skills and experience you've been training for years or months to enroll into an academy, the rich and the middle class have instructors while the lower class…"
Ronvel didn't finish her sentence and trailed off, it didn't look as though she was quite enjoying saying this behind a person of said class perhaps because it was rude or something else but she knew exactly what the last part would've been.
The lower class were coming here trained by themselves…
It made sense, this was a world still stuck in divisions; just like her own. Royalty, nobility, the middle class and peasants, the names had changed and the divisions as well but life back on earth wasn't all equality either. There were still the wealthy, ridiculously so, as well as those in between, the middle, then the poor and povertized. What had really changed was that at least you earned it, well..some did…
But was there really a difference between there and here, then and now? Your worth still came down to luck, you could be intelligent but if by some serious screw over were you placed in a place that couldn't support for that head to be used anywhere useful, it was either an ihuman amount of effort needed or divine intervention.
'Ugh, I'm not a philosopher' She groaned inwardly, didn't matter to her anyway, she'd died and had been given a second chance at a life that was at least exhilarating. If this wasn't the God's smiling down on her then she didn't know what was, by the time they'd reached the front of the line and got what they could did Crusch start to really come to terms with the gazes and glances that came her way, they were murderous. A few of the participants looked hostile from just a glance, before there was competition among them but now this seemed different, she had an inkling of a feeling that she'd been designated a red hot target so large that it was burning.
"What's with all the stares?" She finally worked up the courage to ask Ronvel while they sat at a table, she gave a look of surprise.
"You mean you haven't figured it out already?" Crusch shook her head, "Ludy, it's jealousy"
Crusch frowned, "Jealousy? Wait, everyone got to see what was happening in the first trial too?!"
Ronvel nodded as Crusch clicked a tongue in annoyance, "So it's jealousy As in they would've preferred having the lights knocked out—"
"Ludy no!" Ronvel cried, "This is a competition of flaunting, it's a test but we all know the real reward is getting accepted by an academy"
She glanced over her shoulder, "Most of the participants passed fairly early, most just went to finding their rooms the moment they got inside while others got lucky"
Crusch raised a brow, still not quite understanding, "What I mean is that you were given a chance to…well..show off and believe me when I tell you the academy's watching seemed quite impressed"
Ronvel smiled while Crusch did so wryly, "The charms spells really caught the attention of one of them, are you sure you don't want to specialize—"
"Absolutely not" She answered flatly as Ronvel shrugged and the conversation lulled under the hunger.
Crusch's thoughts were more importantly centered over or at least strolled towards her battle with the wolf again, it had exhilarated her but her body seemed to also unconsciously shudder at the thought of it, those words it spoke still rang in her ears as Crusch stared at Ronvel for a while till she asked—
"You're afraid of wolves?" Ronvel's body stiffened as she looked up in surprise.
"How did you…" She trailed off, scrutinized Crusch and frowned deeply as the latter shrugged.
"That was a nightmare beast right? Turns into what it's target fears most" She deduced that from the little she remembered Abssynia mentioning in the fight as Ronvel's eyes grew wide.
"You could be a beast hunter you know, you deduced that from its actions alone?"
'No, my wand told me' She answered inwardly but didn't say it out loud, it sounded weird to say that she got assistance from it and honestly she still didn't know how some Witches and Wizards felt about their 'tools'. Ronvel sighed and lowered her head, she glanced up at Crusch a few times and gave a look of deep contemplation, one mixed in with worry till it disappeared all the same.
"It was a long time ago, further out of Lauren is the Forgotten woods, you should know since your estate is right at the cusp of it"
"You mean the forestry around the castle? It doesn't look like it goes far enough to me though" Crush remembered the mass of trees around her new household.
"At the cusp, the real woods start further inwards" Ronvel explained, "It's a hunting area for some people, my father included…"
Her voice seemed to lower to a whisper as Crusch caught her hands that held the utensils she'd been using to eat, trembling by her peripherals. Sure, she'd heard of animal trauma's but what exactly had her this scared? Although when Crusch thought of the fact that the beast in question was a wolf, she had the horrifying inkling that she'd nearly been killed by one, at an early age that'd scare her just as much but Ronvel composed herself just as quickly.
"We went wolf hunting, really aggressive and desperate an animal can get when backed into a corner and in the process my father was severely wounded" She made a motion to her neck then the chest with the butter knife in her hand, "Bitten at the neck then slashed across the chest, horrific for a child my age"
Crusch looked at her in horror, "Then how did he and you…"
"The thing was wounded, it wanted an escape so when my father was incapacitated, it left and I had to somehow…drag him back…"
Ronvel went silent following those words, Crusch couldn't blame her. She looked no older than nineteen, if this happened at a really young age, fifteen at most then that was seriously unnerving. The thought of dragging ones own bleeding and dying father for god knows how long back home, that sounded worse than having just been bitten or nearly mauled by the thing.
"Sorry…" She managed to console to her but Ronvel shrugged and laughed.
"No, it happened a long time ago, I shouldn't be so scared of it…I can handle it better now…" She muttered the last part but Crusch still heard, raising a brow as the clattering of food trays caught her attention from across the room.
"Scum!!" Someone shouted, Crusch stared in direction of where it came from, two people stood across from one another with one glowering over the other and a hand by the scruff of their clothes, "Filth, do you think I'm blind!?"
Chairs crashed into one another as the boy who'd been held by his clothes was thrown across the room, crashing into a table nearby. Crusch's eyes widened to the act as she rose from her chair,
"Hey—" Ronvel grabbed her back down immediately as she looked over at her in disbelief, "What are you—"
"Calm down idiot, don't get yourself involved in other people's matters!" Ronvel spoke to her in hissing whispers, "Do you even know who that is!?"
Crusch glared daggers at the kid who'd just thrown the other across the room, he seemed not much taller than herself, short, glimmering white hair accentuated burning red eyes that glared with a fury at the boy who was staggering to his feet.
"Yeah, a punchable face" Ronvel's eyes widened in horror.
"Ludy! That's the son of a Duke, Duke Argen!" Crusch glanced over again, the boy indeed had an air of superiority, an arrogance that bordered on the lines that there was a right to what he did and few who'd have the guts to stand up to that but regardless, it didn't suffuse her anger any less.
"Ludy, Lucious Argen isn't someone you want to get yourself involved in" Ronvel glanced over, "You know that Magical aptitude tests are a public matter, right?"
Crusch scoffed, "What does this have to do—"
"He scored a two" She went silent, "A prodigy Ludy, one that's been trained since childhood, you've got a talent and a grit for battle but Lucious…"
The boy who Crusch noticed was the same kid who'd been standing and chatting with the red haired girl from before was grabbed at the shoulder of his clothes, his body brought close to Lucious' face.
"You thought I wouldn't notice what you were trying to do?" The crimson eyes that stared at the boy were murderous, "It's only natural, wretches of that ruined district only know so much"
A fluid motion brought a glimmering silver wand to the boy's neck, its tip glowing with a red hue that crackled as it drew nearer.
"Ronny, she's going to murder him!" Crusch stood up as quickly as she had moments before, regardless of the fact that the kid was a Duke, hurting someone while not in the trials had to be taboo. Her actions were for naught though as someone else stepped forward.
"I think that's about enough of that, I don't take kindly to those willing to harm precious properties of mine" A hand laid itself on Lucious' sleeve while another held a wooden wand similarly to his own neck, it was the girl from before.
"Atalanta…" Lucious frowned, "Your precious property just attempted theft, are you asking me to leave it be?"
The glare from those crimson eyes was chilling but Atalanta didn't seem perturbed, if anything, there was a hint of amusement.
"I'm asking that you leave the responsibility of punishment in my hands" Lucious gave a cold sneer as the wand drew closer, close enough that whatever spell had been invoked at its tip drew small trickles of blood from a scar splitting at his neck.
"You don't want to do this Lucious…" A spell similarly began to form at the tip of Atalanta's wand as well.
"You know it won't hurt me, Atalanta"
"Leave him" She ordered, Lucious glared, his face growing annoyed as he feigned a lethal movement deeper into the boy's neck but disengaged just as quickly.
"Train your pets more properly" He let go of his shoulder, nudging him that he stumbled back onto the floor and left.
"Haa" Atalanta sighed, her wand disappeared just as swiftly as it had been brought to Lucious' neck and a cold glare ran across the room that was now filled with onlookers.
"Does something seem interesting here?" Eyes averted quickly to that question and conversations, now light murmurs, started anew although one person seemed to need a little more persuading to stay out of trouble.
Crusch sat at the table with Ronvel, glaring while a firm hand held her in place, "The nobility disgust me…"