Since its founding, Camélia quickly became one of the great symbols of pride for the small people known as the Asterli. It was no surprise that it was a place of such splendor. However, what he found exceeded even his wildest imagination. The academy was far grander than any description or painting could convey. To begin with, there were so many buildings that he almost mistook it for a small town.
"Incredible! This place is enormous…" he thought aloud.
He stood frozen like a statue in front of the gate, admiring the view. Other students had to walk around him, but not without giving him a curious glance first. When he realized this, his face flushed with embarrassment. Not wanting to attract more attention, he hurried to cross the gate.
Inside, he could see the academy in greater detail. The buildings had a square and ancient architecture, though they were so well-preserved it seemed they had just been erected. Their colors stood out at first glance: most of the buildings were painted in golden-yellow and topped with red roofs that seemed to burn under the sun's rays. It was no coincidence that these colors were symbols of the kingdom of Asterl.
They spared no luxury in creating this place, Lince thought.
He was distracted, looking around everywhere, once again drawing the attention of those passing by. The number of people also impressed him. The academic activities had not yet begun; those wandering around were students, dressed in casual clothing that varied according to their noble rank and personal tastes, making it seem almost like a fashion show.
They walked alone or in small groups, as was the case with the girls. They spread out across the courtyards, engaging in lively conversations, and everyone seemed to be relaxed young people. This sight was also different from what he had imagined he would find.
Suddenly, Lince shook his head as he remembered his purpose there and began walking again. He walked for several minutes until he reached the center of the academy. Here, there were rows of two-story buildings with small windows, which seemed to be where the classrooms were located. The dormitories were at the back, among other places whose purposes he could only guess. Additionally, throughout the academy, there were flowered gardens and small fountains where students could chat freely, sitting on wooden benches. For a moment, the beauty of the place distracted him once more.
He shook his head again, trying to focus, and stared at the third floor of the building in front of him.
"This is the building…"
His goal wasn't hard to find because the place was very eye-catching. It was at the center of the entire academy, the tallest building, and atop the only tower was a magical clock that precisely marked the phases of the day, with a bell above the midday hand. However, what he sought was beneath the clock, where there was a single window with a privileged view of the academy. It was also the director's office.
Directly in front of the building's staircase was an immense fountain with a statue of a young woman sitting on a stone. Her smile was enchanting, almost as if it were the face of a real person, and her hands played with the water, tossing it into the air as if by magic. Birds loved to rest their wings by perching on her.
He stopped beside the fountain and gazed at his objective once again. It was just a matter of going in there and delivering a letter to the director, so there was no reason for him to be so nervous about doing this, Lince thought.
Lord Micaelo had instructed Rude to be his guide during his first steps at the academy. Rude was supposed to prepare everything, including the steps to finalize his enrollment. However, after what happened during the journey, Lince couldn't rely on his former friend. He also didn't want to depend on Rude for everything. Ran had offered to help, but he politely declined. He needed to do this himself.
First of all, he had to formalize his enrollment. To do that, he needed to go to the director's office and deliver the envelope he had in his pocket. After completing this task, he would officially be considered a student of the academy, with all the rights and responsibilities that entailed. Those were the lord's words.
"This letter, take great care with it. You must personally deliver it to the vice-director." The lord had said this a few days before Lince departed. The letter in question was also in his pocket.
Suddenly, someone bumped into his back. Lince turned around and saw a small girl standing very close to him, her face flushed red as she quickly lowered her head.
"I'm so sorry…" the girl apologized in a low voice, staring at the ground.
"It's okay. I was just a bit surprised."
"I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…"
She didn't seem to hear his words, just kept repeating her apologies and bowing more and more rapidly. It didn't take long for her behavior to draw the attention of some people around them.
"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. So, you don't need to apologize so much, alright?" he said more firmly, showing a cordial smile to the girl.
She walked with her head down, afraid to look at other people, so she didn't see the boy in front of her and ended up bumping into him. It was her fault, yet the boy acted kindly. Finally, she stopped bowing but remained still, her face always looking at the ground, as it was the only thing she could do at a moment like this.
"Are you, by any chance, having some kind of problem?" Lince asked casually.
"I… I'm so sorry…"
Once again, she was apologizing. The way she used those words for everything was strange. Lince scratched his head, wanting to ignore her and move on, but he felt he would regret it if he did.
The girl didn't look like someone of noble birth; everything about her was simple. She had a travel backpack strapped to her back, which seemed heavy, though she carried it without showing any signs of struggle. Her skin was even paler than Ran's, and her long hair had a beautiful light blue hue. She wore a green dress that reached her knees, along with long boots and a peculiar hat. They were simple clothes, but they suited her well. The hat made her look cute above all else.
She was small compared to the other girls around her, perhaps about twelve years old. The age requirement to be a student was fifteen or older, so she shouldn't be younger than that. Or maybe she wasn't a student; she could be someone's servant. But it would be rude if the girl discovered what his true thoughts were, Lince thought.
The girl averted her gaze every time she tried to look ahead, as if she were afraid to meet his eyes. Still, she seemed to need something. Lince smiled, noticing this, and asked,
"Are you looking for something?"
Before answering, she nervously fidgeted with her fingers and shook her head. She tried to appear fine, but her actions conveyed a different impression.
"It's okay, you can just tell me if you need anything."
Lince insisted, and it seemed to have an effect. The girl looked at him for the first time, and her crystal-clear eyes were enchanting.
"I'm looking for the director's office... I was told it was in this building..."
Her voice was really soft, making it difficult to hear, but since he was close, he understood her well. The fact that they were headed to the same place was a fortunate coincidence, as they could help each other.
"I think we're looking for the same place," he said, smiling. "Why don't we search together?"
Suddenly embarrassed, the girl looked down again. Lince thought she might refuse, but then he heard a faint, affirmative reply:
"Yes..."
They climbed the stairs together. From below, the building seemed even more imposing. It had only two entrances, the main one in the center, where there was a greater flow of students and academy staff.
As they walked through the building, Lince felt the need to break the silence, or it would become increasingly uncomfortable. He noticed her backpack, which seemed a bit large and heavy for such a small girl to carry alone.
"Would you like some help with that?"
"No need," the girl replied, still with her head down.
The silence remained. Lince awkwardly smiled and said without breaking his stride:
"I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Lince Elliot, and I will soon be a student at this academy..."
He thought it best not to be too formal in his introduction, as whenever he acted that way, the girl seemed to become even more shy around him.
It took a few seconds before she responded:
"Yalanda..."
She kept her head down when she introduced herself. She was visibly insecure, her voice so faint that it was lost in the noise around them.
"Sorry," Lince interrupted, "I think I didn't hear you properly."
"My name is Yalanda... Nashay..." This time, she spoke in a slightly louder tone. "I... will also be a student soon..."
"Yalanda Nashay. So, Nashay."
"You can call me Yalanda, Mr. Elliot. That's fine..."
"There's no need to use 'Mr.'," he said, then added with a smile, "You can call me Lince as well."
She discreetly glanced at the boy and nodded. Then, she lowered her head again when she saw the genuine smile on his face. He always acted kindly and had a warm energy around him, she felt.
After a series of hallways and stairs, they reached the third floor. There was only one spacious corridor here, with large windows allowing light, softened by curtains, to filter through. There were also beautiful paintings displayed on the walls, as well as ceramic vases that seemed like valuable museum pieces, many of which held fragrant flowers.
"It seems the director's office is at the end of this hallway," Lince said.
The area was strangely quiet and empty, unlike the floors below. At the end of the corridor, they saw a large door and guessed that the director's office was on the other side. Lince stopped in front of the door and was about to knock when they were both startled by a female voice behind them:
"Children!"
They both turned around in surprise at the same time, as the woman who had appeared there hadn't made a sound. They saw a young woman with a tall and slender figure, standing in the middle of the hallway, one hand resting on her slim waist. Her long hair was an even more intense shade of red than Rude's, with straight bangs falling over her forehead. Additionally, she wore an eye patch covering her right eye, but this didn't diminish the sharpness of her gaze, quite the opposite.
"What are you doing here?" the woman continued with an inquisitive voice, glaring at the two of them with her sharp look. "Students aren't allowed to wander on this floor."
"We're looking for the director's office," Lince replied, a bit tense. "We wanted to speak with the director..."
Lince took the initiative since the girl beside him seemed to shrink even more in the presence of this woman. He thought she might be a staff member of the academy, so she could help them.
"And what do you want with the director?"
They both hesitated to answer her.
"Well?" the woman pressed, giving them an even sterner look.
At that moment, Lince took a step forward toward the woman and said:
"We're here to complete our enrollment... but we didn't know the director wasn't available."
The woman observed each of them for a moment, then resumed walking. She opened the door to the director's office and said before entering:
"If that's all, I can help you. Come in."