Swords were permitted for self-defense, so he wore his favorite rapier on his hip.
“Might I suggest you attach your Order to your uniform, Master Arcus?” Noah said.
“Nah, I’m good. It’d be kinda showy, and I’m only going to school.”
“I believe it would be a good idea.”
“Really, it’ll be fine. You’re overthinking it.”
With that, they set off. First, however, Arcus had some business to take care of. His destination was the biggest cemetery in the capital. Tombstones and the areas around them were kept perfectly tidy. The country in which the man had lived had a stigma around cemeteries—the majority of people thought them eerie. The one Arcus was visiting, however, was closer to the graveyards overseas, located in a park with an air of sanctity about it. With its beauty, it wouldn’t be a stretch to call it a memorial park.
The gravestones were ordered in a neat line, and the water basin and flower beds were well maintained.
At the entrance, Arcus turned to the cart that carried his luggage. “My barrels,” he announced proudly.
His servants exchanged a glance. Those barrels numbered three, none of them especially small.
Arcus looked around, eventually finding who he was looking for: Gown, who was carrying a watering can in his draping sleeves.
“Gown!”
The elf wore a hood over his face, enveloping it in darkness but for the bright yellow of his eyes. His sleeves and hem tended to drag along the ground as he walked.
On hearing Arcus’s voice, Gown removed one sleeve from the watering can and lifted it in a wave. “Arcus! Hello!”
“Hello!”
“Hello, Noah! Hello, Cazzy!”
His servants returned the sprite’s greeting. He was as cheerful as ever.
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve got some soma wine to offer up. It came out pretty well, so I’ve brought this year’s lot.”
“Really? Thanks!” Gown raised his arms and cheered. It was somewhat unnerving to see such a childish reaction to the provision of alcohol, but then he had been drinking it since time immemorial.
“You said barrels were fine, right? I got you three of them. There are some minor differences between them, like how they’ve been pressed. Is that all good?”
“All good!”
Arcus explained and marked what was in which barrel, and then Gown approached the cart. He then used some sort of power (that didn’t seem magical) to set the barrels down on the paving. It reminded Arcus of telekinesis—and made him a little jealous.
“I’m gonna share it with everyone, okay?”
“Thanks. I’m sorry I didn’t have the time to deliver it to them myself.”
“It’s okay! If I want more, can I come see you?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure I’m all stocked up.”
After seeing Gown off, it was time to head for the Institute. The campus was busier than usual, bustling with new students. Many seemed to be joined by their families to mark their first day, just like they would be in the man’s world. These families, however, were nobility—putting the scale of this event in another league. If only it were limited to immediate family. Some of these children seemed to have brought along their whole extended family. Naturally, this meant there were several carriages lining the street. One had stopped just in front of Arcus, allowing a young boy to alight on the pavement.
He had to be son to a count and countess at least if he was commuting by carriage. He was accompanied by a servant, and was evidently well educated. Arcus was reminded of his own family.
I’d better watch out for them...
The Raythefts weren’t as performative as some noble houses, and that went for Joshua too. He couldn’t see the viscount and his wife being so elated over Lecia’s acceptance that they would accompany her here, all smiles, but it never hurt to be cautious.
It was as he was making his way to the gate, keeping a constant lookout, that he heard the comments.
“Wait, did they send that girl the wrong uniform?”
“No, I think that’s a guy.”
“A guy?! He’s so cute!”
“You know, I think he’s too cute to be a girl.”
“No, she’s definitely a girl! She’s just trying to confuse us!”
Ignore them, Arcus... Just ignore them...
He felt a headache coming on. Walking through the gate, he eventually came across a crowd that looked more promising. They seemed to be new students, and they were gathered around something.
“That ‘Raytheft’ at the top... He can’t be that Raytheft, can he?”
“What? No way. I heard he sucked at magic.”
“He got a perfect score on the written exam? With that impossible section on the Chronicles at the end?”
Although Arcus couldn’t make out everything they said, he did catch his name and what sounded like the usual rumors. They must have caught sight of him and started gossiping, just like the students outside the gate. It was no wonder they recognized him; no family but the Raythefts had a combination of silver hair and red eyes—not in this country, anyway.
Only then did he realize that no one was actually looking his way. It seemed that the comments had come from the students who were gathered around a bulletin board. Arcus quickly worked out that they were studying the results of the entrance exam. He weaved in between them to have a look at the rankings in more detail. Not every candidate was listed; only those who had scored the highest. If his name was here, he must have done pretty well.
Arcus Raytheft
Kane Lazrael
Lecia’s name also appeared lower on the list.
“First!”
That made him top of the class. The practical exam wasn’t graded with a numerical value, but he couldn’t imagine he had done poorly considering how closely his spell had matched the example.
The rankings were gradually causing a stir among the other students.
“How is this possible?!”
“How is he top? Wasn’t the Raytheft kid supposed to be useless?”
They had the exact same confused reaction as the nobles attending the awards ceremony. He could hear accusations of cheating, nepotism, and forgery. He could also hear those who came to his defense.
“I don’t think there was any opportunity to cheat...”
“Wasn’t he disinherited? He probably doesn’t have any connections.”
“I doubt he could have forged his results either.”
Right on all counts.
There had been no way to cheat on the exam, nor did he know anyone who would be able to give him a free pass. Having said that, Craib probably counted as a connection, but that didn’t mean Arcus could have used him to get into the Institute.
“Besides, if he sucked that much, wouldn’t Lazrael be at the top?”
“Yeah, that’s true. Kane would’ve been top for sure.”
Arcus seemed to remember Kane being at the aethometer’s launch party. He recalled the rumor he’d heard—that he was a Lionheart reborn. The viscount’s son must have been pretty famous if so many new students knew about him before school had even started.
The commotion was beginning to get louder, and Arcus was starting to feel rather awkward. Just then, he heard a voice call out from behind.