The first day of school came, Noah and Corvin were now walking towards their classroom. Because paid education was expensive at the Institute, nobles and commoners weren't seperated as commoners attending this school were either sent by nobles or were from a rich background. But it's not like social status didn't matter at all, and nobles were still nobles inside the school.
"Corvy~, you can come crying to big brother over here if some bad nobles bully you okay?"
"Shut up and look straight, idiot.", said Corvin as he pointed in front of Noah. As he did that, Noah bumped into someone.
It was a cute girl with long blazing red hair in a ponytail. Her eyes were emerald green, and she was a head shorter than Noah.
"Ouch! Look where you are going, dammit!", she said, as she quickly gathered a couple of notebooks she dropped. Then she took a look at who she bumped into.
"Ah- It's the Margrave's son and the rumored 'super soldier' disciple. Who knew they were blind bats unaware of their surroundings. Too enamoured with eachother that you don't see anything else?"
"Wha-! Don't be stupid. We don't swing that way... At least I don't.", said Noah, and took a little step away from Corvin.
"I don't either, you idiot, why are you walking away. Look, you bumped into a cute girl, didn't you always want something like this? You have love fantasies that would put your little sister into the shadows, you know?"
"Oi, don't exaggerate! I simply want to find a girlfriend okay? Commoners can marry whoever they want so you are lucky, nobles usually don't have a choi-"
"Will you two idiots shut up and let me walk?!", asked the girl.
""Sorry Miss!"" said the duo in unison and stepped out of her way.
Right as she was walking past the two, Noah stopped her.
"Oh, uh will you bestow me with your name madam?" said Noah, in an overly polite way.
"Clair, Clair Flarum."
"Hm? You mean that 'Crazy Inventor' Flarum?"
"Sigh, Yes, that's my dad. So what?"
"Nothing, that's all I wanted to ask. Thank you."
After she left, Corvin looked at the guy acting weird next to him.
"Why are you acting like that. There is no way you didn't know who she was, is there?"
"Huh? Uuhh, I wasn't sure -ehehe~.", said Noah, scratching the back of his head.
"Trying to look cute won't work on me. Wasn't it your job to find noble comrades? With this irresponsibility of your's, you would have never made it. Good job finding me."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, I knew who she was okay? Everything I did just now was calculated."
"Including crashing into her?"
"Ye-yeah!"
"Don't bullshit me."
"O-okay, we may not have made a great introduction, but she will be important as a comrade for our cause, so let's talk to her from time to time."
"How so?"
"Well, we just need to wait until her father or she makes something weird that might be useful and we invest on it. Then we lay down while their invention makes money for us!"
"That doesn't sound like a good plan at all. And, who even is her father?"
"Viscount Dion Flarum. He makes money from trade with the northern kingdoms, but he is known for his strange ideas. Otherwise, he is an expert in inorganic chemical magic."
Triiii~ Triiii~
"Well, let's talk about it later. The classes are starting."
*****
"Hmm? What are these papers?"
Currently Clair was inside her dorm room after school. She spotted some papers on a shelf she never touched. The papers were blue with white drawings on them. She looked at what was written.
"--! Wha-What is this?! These things... are all super complicated.... Making these will take years, but it will definitely be worth it."
That day, after school, she quickly went to the student workshops during the club hours.
*****
--3 weeks later--
It was time for students to participate in their clubs, and Corvin was sitting in front of a canvas.
"Noah."
"Hm?"
"I know I don't go to any club, but I still have stuff to do, you know that right?"
"Just wait a bit dude, it's almost finished, okay?"
"It's almost night outside! Everyone left! Why are we still here?"
"Shut up for a bit man! I am concentrated right now, I can't paint this good if I don't finish it today. And you were just going to train more and do nothing else so sit down and pose."
"Of course I will train! I am your guard, did you forget?"
"That's why, listen to my commands and sit down!"
'I swear...'
As Corvin was contemplating whether to beat him up or not, suddenly a loud noise started to come from outside.
Vrooom~
"The hell?"
Both of them looked at where the noise came from the windows instinctively. It was Clair, riding a weird metal contraption with smoke coming from the top.
"Yahahahaha!! It's working!!"
Seeing her laughing like crazy, Noah and Corvin looked at eachother.
""What is she up to?""
They rushed outside to see the thing she was riding.
Vroom~
"Yo, Clair!"
She was drawing circles in the yard on the thing. Her clothes were dirty, because she just finished her project.
"Huh? Ugh, it's you two? Can someone else be interested in this please?"
"Why? Aren't we friends, we talk sometimes, no? Do you hate us that much?!"
"The wind is too loud, it sounds like humans as well. Weird..."
"We are air now?!"
"Both of you, stop fooling around before she hits somewhere. Can you stop this thing Clair?", asked Corvin. She was going around in circles.
"I am not gonna tell you!"
"You can't then?"
"Uuuuuhhh, that part was a bit complicated, so I wanted to make it another time okay? Just wait until the fuel depletes."
"Wait, it doesn't use mana to work?", asked Noah.
Tools that use mana were rare, because they were only made by magic smiths, who use creative magic, which is a rare talent, or made by normal craftsmen using really expensive materials.
"No! I am not a magic smith, this thing uses fuel and water to work. Crazy isn't it?"
Noah and Corvin both fell into thought. When she used this thing, it looked like a stupid toy. But when they thought about it, this thing had potential to change the world.
Corvin looked at Noah. He could see from his eyes that they both came to the same conclusion. He turned to Clair.
"Clair, hide this thing in your dorm and meet with us tomorrow at luch okay?"
"Hah? Why would I do that?"
"We want to talk with you about this thing. What is it's name by the way?"
"Oh, uhm it was called an engine I think."
"It was called?"
"Ah--I named it engine."
Noah suddenly came back to himself.
"Oh, okay. Be sure to come and meet with us tomorrow, it is really important okay? Come on Corvin, we gotta talk in my dorm."
"Oohh~ A dorm date?", asked Clair, grinning.
"Like I said, we aren't like that. I am more interested in you than him right now, Clair.", said Noah, looking at Clair's eyes. 'That thing might change the world after all', he thought.
"Eh? Wh-wh-what?!"
Clair's face turned red at his remark and she turned her gaze to the ground, embarrassed.
'What, why is he interested in me?'
She misunderstood him on her own, and after realizing they already left, she also headed for her dorm with a mind busy with questions.