The four of them went to the rooms allocated to them. Jacob and Iode took one, Ian and Kyle took the other. The room was plain looking with 2 large windows. Iode went straight to bed by the left and laid flat.
"Iode, how many stars do you have"? Jacob asked.
"Just one, though I've been cultivating to reach two stars for a few years now, but i haven't had a breakthrough" Iode replied with a sad tone.
Jacob kept staring at him, Iode couldn't help but look at his body if he had anything on himself.
"Calm down, there's nothing on you, I'm just... Wow, you possess huge mana vessel that can hold a lot of mana and the aura around you is pretty strong and you are just a one star mage"?
"Do you know how many years it takes a mage to expand his mana vessel so as to be able to make more magic spells? You are one of a kind Iode". Jacob continued.
"Wait, is that why my mana vessel has never been filled, why I don't have mana sickness or mana overload?" Iode questioned.
"Probably, you might have a huge mana vessel but i don't think you have many mana and your star it's gonna be limiting your spells". Jacob replied.
"So how can i increase my star level then, most students in the academy are actually three stars and above, I'll be subject to bully if anyone finds out especially those nobles". Iode said.
"Well good for you, you have seniors at the nextdoor". Jacob said.
"Yeah, Ian yes, Kyle, not pretty sure, did you see the way he looked at me in the carriage on our way here, it's scary and creepy". Iode said.
"Don't always judge a book by its cover Iode, he might be softer than he looks, and who knows, you guys may grow very close in the future". Jacob replied with a warm smiling face.
"Let's sleep, we'll leave very early tomorrow" Jacob said as he lied on the bed.
__________
In the middle of the night, a dark figure in an humanoid shape, crept towards Iode. The figure went to Iode's wrist. He removed the clothes on the wrist to check something.
"What stigma is this? I've seen many stigma's but not this". The figure said, yes the figure is captain Jacob.
"Let me draw this and make research on it in the blue tower". Jacob said as he took a paper and a fountain pen and began to draw.
The mark on Iode's wrist which Jacob called a stigma was like a dagger viewed from the front and a star shape around it.
"The fact that that receptionist recognized it and cursed on the inside shows this is something big and also that receptionist is doing a pretty bad job in hiding his emotions". Jacob said.
Jacob finished what he was doing and went to bed like nothing happened.
_______
Its the following morning, both Iode and Jacob have woken up and ready. They got out of their rooms and met Ian and Kyle already waiting for them.
"Good we are all ready, let's go eat breakfast before we leave".
They went to the receptionist, the same man they met in the previous night
"Hi there, good morning, we would like to check out and have some breakfast". Jacob asked the receptionist.
"Check the menu over there, and your chosen foods will be brought to you by the table over there". The receptionist answered.
They checked the menu and saw different food prices, all three looked at Iode.
Iode seeing all gazes the stares on him questioned. "what happened, did i do anything wrong"?
The three of them kept staring at iode blankly.
"Wait, don't tell me you are expecting me to say there's something wrong with the food prices"? Iode said
The blank stares continued.
"JUST HOW CHEAP CAN YOU GUYS BE!!!". Iode shouted.