The following day, the students gathered in the assembly hall. The rector explained what had happened the day before and almost proclaimed us saviors of the Academy, which elicited a rousing ovation from the audience.
Next came some less pleasant news; a new student took the stage—a girl with short chestnut hair and small rectangular glasses perched on her nose. Her features were somewhat rugged, yet she possessed a certain charm, and her figure displayed a slender, slightly athletic build. She wore an unusual attire, resembling that of an earth mage: a dark brown dress with a black corset, short sleeves, and a knee-length skirt. Leather boots with thick kneepads adorned her feet, along with heavy military leather gloves, each bearing two small boxes on the outer side. A black cloak draped behind her, depicting two enigmatic symbols. Adjusting her glasses with her finger, the girl spoke:
"My name is Aileen Draglein, and my specialty is... hmm... engineering. I will be studying with you, although I suspect you already know that I am one of the imperial guards. I am here as a guarantee of peace, or you may consider me a hostage in your country," with such a friendly introduction, Aileen embarked on her studies at the Academy.
However, the holiday season had begun, and there were no classes for another week after the New Year. Nevertheless, today was a busy day, as the students assisted in the Academy's restoration after the battle.
The attack itself didn't cause as much devastation as our own battles did. Scorch marks were left in front of the dormitory and the clock tower, while the lawn before the main building was scattered with the aftermath of multiple explosions. The assembly hall, where the students had just gathered, still bore traces of ice. The main path between the training grounds suffered minor damage, with blade marks etched into the ground, and some cobblestones were melted by lightning strikes. The field to the southwest of the main square had transformed into a vast, charred expanse, with a large crater near the edge of the ashes. The most significant damage was evident on the main square, with cracked pavements and shattered windows on the façade of the main building.
The students quickly cleared the debris and leveled the ground, leaving the building repairs to the professionals. Thankfully, the dormitories remained unscathed, and after the miraculous rescue, everyone valued their freedom even more.
Only the girl from the empire remained an outcast, viewed with disdain and even fear. However, this didn't affect her much, as she tried not to interfere with others and focused on her own affairs.
"Hmm, hmm, hmm," the girl-engineer sat atop a tall ladder in the library. Nobody was around at the moment, leaving her undisturbed in her quest for knowledge. "So, they derive magic from spirits—such peculiar people. Technology is much more reliable. Though, now I understand why they cling so much to heredity. Power is passed down through generations, albeit weakening with each successive one. Why rely on such an unreliable force?"
She flipped through one book after another in search of information.
"Boredom, boredom, boredom. They can't reach the spirits, and the only way to communicate with them is through the power of summoners. Not a single book with their addresses! Strange, don't they have any directory with the addresses of all important individuals?"
The girl reached for a large, gilded book on the shelf, its weight almost folding the ladder.
"No, if it's not in here, then I don't know," she opened the book with hope, only to find unintelligible scribbles. "What on earth, who wrote this? I can't make out a single symbol! Their language shouldn't be different from ours, so why is this book filled with indecipherable scribbles? All of this is futile. If I want to learn about him, I'll have to ask the locals and perhaps, in the process, search for the criminals."
Aileen headed towards the librarian. Today, a pleasant young instructor, who was also an earth mage, worked at the library. The guardian didn't recognize her, although it wasn't their first encounter.
"Excuse me, can I help you with something?" the librarian asked.
"Well, I wanted to find out where your summoner lives, but I couldn't find anything here. Maybe you can give me a hint?" Aileen inquired.
"Don't tease me like that," the librarian warmly smiled. "Nobody knows where he is, but many are currently searching for him."
"What? I thought he was like a god to you or at least the supreme ruler. How can you not know where he is?" Aileen expressed surprise.
"I can't be of any help. The news about the new summoner became known only recently, and nobody has managed to meet him yet. But you can ask other students about it."
"Hmm. I doubt anyone will talk to me, let alone about this topic," Aileen sighed.
"Then join a guild; they might accept you despite being from the empire. There is even one guild whose goal is to search for the summoner."
"Hmm, maybe that's all I have left..." Aileen scratched her cheek, deep in thought. "At least it will occupy me for some time. Will you help me find them?"
"Of course, I'll draw you a map of how to get there. Good luck," the librarian bid farewell with a contented grin.
"Hmm, some familiar place," Aileen stood in front of the leaning house of the SyormGlaive guild. The walls bore traces of fire, windows were shattered, and the roof was covered with a large canvas due to partial collapse. "Perhaps I came here for nothing; it's unlikely that a decent guild would inhabit such a building."
Movement was evident within the guild, and as Aileen approached, the door opened, revealing two students—a girl with long golden hair and a boy in dark attire.
"Katrina, we'll still need to store this somewhere! We'll dispose of everything that's broken and hide the rest near Asura's place. Don't try to drag ALL this junk!" the boy carried a box of books, reprimanding the girl as they exited.
"But look at this nice cauldron; we can brew so many potions in it," the girl attempted to push the oversized cauldron through the doorframe.
"The only thing you've attempted to brew in it over the past half year was Raghnir, and you couldn't even ignite the fire."
"Ugh! Don't remind me. We just didn't have the ingredients and money!"
"It's still cracked; let's buy a new one!"
"YOU RUUDE!!" Katrina finally noticed the unexpected guest and blushed, gasping for air.
"Never mind; I don't want to interrupt your lovers' quarrel," Aileen retorted.
"IT'S NOT A LOVERS' QUARREL!" Katrina blushed furiously and gulped down air.
"Never mind. So, I came to chat, exchange information, and maybe join the guild," Aileen narrowed her eyes and scrutinized our faces. "Hmm, haven't we met somewhere before?"
"Cough. Obviously, YES!" I couldn't believe she didn't recognize us.