[Any bullshit about dreams, the academy, idols, mana, or rumors will do the work.]
He asked with a face full of confidence, "By the way, what kind of spirit wielder do you plan to become?"
Radha said with stars in her eyes, "I want to be like those sorcerers who shoot powerful magic from afar. Bison, on the other hand, wants to become a tamer."
"Tamer?"
Radha looked at Bison with excitement. "Hey, tell them the story."
Even Crude stared at Bison.
Bison looked helpless but then, with a shake of his head, he said, "You know, in the past, our village got attacked by a massive beast. All the villagers were helpless at that time. Even the warriors protecting the village were helpless against the beast. But then a spirit wielder came; he had this weird tool in his hand that he moved in front of the beast. To all of our surprise, that beast started following all the commands of that spirit wielder. Something changed in me after witnessing that, and I dreamed of being like him."
All three on the side nodded their heads; they too got fascinated by listening to such a thing.
Radha asked him, "Drake, what kind of spirit wielder do you want to become?"
"Ahh, I don't know for sure, but I am interested in Sword, so maybe—"
"Pfffff," Crude laughed, "Are you joking with us? A Duisberg not learning spear mana art."
"What Duisberg?" Bison slapped his forehead and hastily bowed down. "Sorry, sir, if we caused any discomfort to you."
Radha followed Bison and did the same.
He was speechless at this and, trying to save the situation, said, "No, no, get up. You don't have to bow to me."
Bison lightly tapped his head on the floor. "We are very sorry, sir. Please forgive us."
Radha started shedding tears. "Please forgive us, sir, this time."
He just stared at their shaking bodies.
Crude said on the side, "Idiots, they're still stuck with those old habits."
At Crude's voice, both of them froze for a moment; soon, they found their composure and went back to their seats with beet-red faces. None of them said anything, but the friendly looks in their eyes changed to furious ones.
"Bunch of retards," Crude commented and closed his eyes.
Kane's voice came, [fck all those steps for nothing. That green eyes of yours ahhh.]
Drake's face went back to the usual poker face as if nothing had happened, and he just turned to look out of the carriage.
Kane's dreaded voice came, [You know, our academy life will not be as easy as I thought it would be. I forgot to take into account those who do not like the family.]
[No need to worry, man, we will deal with everything in time. But write down one thing, I will make sure that Duisberg regrets everything.]
The harsh reality hit both of them, that many hated the family for different reasons. The family had practically abandoned him, and it was only a matter of time before others found out, making him an easy target.
Both of them realized their role became the kind of cushion that absorbed all the dangerous aspects of the family, while others enjoyed the good.
From this one incident, Kane realized that everything written in the novel about Drake living a carefree life in the academy was nothing but false rumors that reached the protagonist.
There was no way Drake could live a casual life when a literal bloodbath might start in the academy. The only good thing out of this was now he knew he could not blindly trust the novel.
Thousands of thoughts were going through both Kane's and Drake's minds. Drake knew the Academy might be the reason for his death, but on the other hand, the Academy was the only place that could give him the power to change his future.
Kane, on the other side, was going through novel information once again, but this time removing every illogical thing.
Time passed, and soon the carriage came to a stop. The driver slid open the window. "Young sirs, we are at the meeting place."
All of them got out of the carriage, one after another. Before him, a sight both awe-inspiring and humbling unfolded. A towering wall, ancient and weathered, loomed overhead, seeming to touch the clouds. It stretched so wide that he could not see the end with the limit of his sight. A colossal sentinel of bygone eras.
The wall's surface bore the marks of centuries, etched with tales of generations long past. Many vines clung to it as if nature itself sought to embrace this monumental structure. Its imposing presence made him feel like a mere ant in comparison.
"What is that?"
Kane's voice came, [The wall of hope.]
[I only know that the Kaiser military academy is present on the other side of the wall.]
"Hello everyone!" A loud noise attracted his attention. He saw a man in a brown robe standing there, waiting for their batch. They were currently a few kilometers away from the wall, surrounded by the grassland. Soon, everyone quieted down.
The man in brown smiled and introduced himself. "I am in charge of admitting all of you to the Kaiser Academy. It's better if we don't waste much time." He took out a pen, some paper, and a transparent orb.
He threw a transparent orb in front of him. It started floating in the air and he said, "I want everyone to form a line in front of me. You have to come one by one for the mandatory test. Once you are done with the test, start walking straight to the gigantic wall behind me. Are you clear?"
Everyone nodded their head, and soon a long line of 100 students formed. One by everyone walked to the orb. The instructor in the robe asked them a few questions that marked the end of the test and the kid needed to walk to the wall. A swift process.