An academy. It had been a while since I had experienced such an environment. I wondered if it would turn out to be fine. Perhaps, even fun.
The specifics needed to be discussed, and doing so in the reception hall seemed like a pretty bad idea—or so I assumed Leron thought as he guided me to his office.
It just so happened that his office was on the topmost floor of the building, which we took the elevator to get to.
Leron happened to be holding a pretty impressive official position—City Governor.
In any case, the formalities I was supposed to get out of the way turned out to be "existence".
As for how I found that out...
"Mr. Lightburn, please make yourself comfortable," Leron spoke as he gestured to a sofa in his office.
Looking around his office, I noticed it was quite a small and cozy one. Everything around seemed to be of high quality.
At the center of the office was a rectangular table made of dark wood. Flocking the table were two light brown sofas with intricate details.
Perhaps he likes the color brown? Who would've thought?
Leron took a seat on one of the sofas rather than the chair behind a desk situated in the back of the room. It was at this moment that I registered the semi-formal clothes he was wearing—black pants and shoes coupled with a white shirt.
"So, let's begin," Leron spoke with a bright smile before he muttered something that my ears couldn't pick up.
"Right," I said as I got comfortable on the opposite sofa and stared at him patiently.
"For starters, I will begin by explaining what this process is."
"Please do so."
"Here at Pera, we value peace over everything else. For that reason, we have a multitude of security measures set up to prevent any unwanted outsiders from stepping into the city," Leron explained with a solemn expression.
I assumed he must've been referring to the giant walls and the centaurs. However, something told me that there was more to it than just that.
"According to the report I've received about you—"
The what now?
"You have fought and defeated two Nightmares of the second and third categories."
"Yes..." I confirmed as I internally wondered when he could have received the report he spoke of. Did Markus inform him directly? If so, when? Maybe moments after dropping me off?
Regardless of that, I focused on Leron as he continued speaking, "It's of utmost importance to us that we make sure you aren't... a fake."
"What's a fake?"
"Nightmares mimicking other races in order to infiltrate the other races."
Of fucking course this would be a thing.
Images of the puppy I obliterated came back to my mind. So, that thing was a Nightmare as well, huh?
"What category do such Nightmares fall into?" I asked.
"Hm? Ah... it can vary. There is no definite category for them."
Then, Leron leaned forward. "Now, let me ask you, Mr. Lightburn: are you a Nightmare?"
"No," I responded.
"Do you have any connections with the Nightmares?"
"No, I do not."
At that, Leron smiled once again as he leaned back, seemingly satisfied.
"That settles it," he stated.
"Settles what?" I asked, confused.
"All suspicions about you."
The fuck?
To say that I found this suspicious as hell would be a huge understatement. I was very sure that there was something going on that the man wasn't letting me in on. Perhaps he was an elf-shaped lie-detector?
Still, if it meant fewer headaches for me, I didn't really care all that much.
"That just leaves us with the matter of your enrollment," Leron spoke.
"What about it?"
"I need to know about a few things, such as your age and Channel."
Ah... what should I even say to this? Should I tell him my actual age?
Deciding not to do so, I responded, "I've recently turned nineteen. As for the Channel thing, I have no idea what you're referring to."
"Oh, right, my bad," Leron spoke, appearing embarrassed. "I suppose we will leave this to the academy to figure out."
I raised a brow at that. He could've pressed me further about the matter. After all, if I wasn't mistaken, the Channel thing he was referring to was my power. He already knew that I had defeated two supposedly powerful Nightmares, so he should be aware that I'm familiar with my power.
Of course, if he wasn't asking about it, I felt no particular need to mention it myself.
Following that, Leron began explaining a few key things I needed to be aware of, such as locations in the city and the general rules.
Since I was a newcomer, law enforcement would be a bit more lenient toward me for the first few months. That's what made me realize that the city was pretty friendly toward outsiders. Not something I'd expect from a city thriving in that harsh world.
"Until your enrollment is finalized, feel free to explore the city and meet the local folk," Leron suggested with a smile.
"Was planning to do so," I replied.
"That's great. How much Ker do you have on you?"
"Ker...?"
"What!? Just where are you from to not even know what Ker is!?"
This time, Leron was truly startled as incredulity was clearly apparent on his face.
After a moment, he sighed loudly before explaining, "Ker is the currency used in this country. It's a virtual one, which you need a device known as a Moker." He rose his left arm before shifting the long sleeve of his white shirt, revealing a futuristic-looking wristwatch.
"Well, that's pretty cool," I remarked as I observed the device closely.
"And very handy," Leron added. "You must get one as soon as possible. It will also serve as your identification device."
"All right. Where do I get it from, though?"
"We will provide you one. We've got plenty in storage."
Looks like they've gone beyond using phones for purchases. It's rather nice...