Each side answered the other blow for blow. It was no longer a discussion but a simple fight between children. The other new students around them shifted their gazes to find the source of the squawking. The bespectacled boy next to them, who had been reading this whole time, could no longer contain his irritation.
“…Don’t make me repeat myself. If you’re going to argue, at least do it quietly—”
“Pipe down over there! What’s all this commotion about?”
A voice pierced the din of the crowd, and the sea of people parted to allow a female student through. She stood straight as an arrow, and not a thread on her uniform was in disarray. Her skin was a rare coffee color, but what really drew the eye was her golden hair—the many ringlet curls so perfectly done, they seemed to shine with the luster of real gold.
“Just because the entrance ceremony hasn’t started yet doesn’t mean you can act like children! Once we passed through those gates, we became Kimberly students in both name and reality! And as students of such a historic institution, we should endeavor to be model examples, starting now!”
Her tone was as haughty as her appearance; so much so, it didn’t feel as if they were being scolded by someone who was their own age. But the two kids were so engrossed in their argument that her words didn’t even register. Instead, they turned their heated gazes on the intruder.
“Oh good, a third party. Hey, you—”
“What do you think when you see that troll?!”
Pointing at the troll, they dragged her into their argument. The ringlet girl was taken aback.
“Wh-what? Are you referring to the Gasney troll among the parade procession?” she asked in confusion, her gaze flicking over to the object of their discussion. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a keen glint arising within them. “Well, from what I can tell at this distance, it seems to be an excellent specimen. Its skeletal structure, its height, and that musculature… It should be able to serve another thirty years of hard labor without trouble. Kimberly only employs the best familiars. Anyone who offered less than three million belc for it at the market would get themselves laughed at.”
The students’ eyes went wide at her unexpected response. The ringlet girl turned back to face the new first-years and, seemingly realizing her mistake, crossed her arms in understanding.
“Ah, I see. Your opinions were split over its assessment? Yes, I should have expected you’d wish to know a mage’s opinion of its true value. But on my family’s honor, I swear that is a purebred Gasney. It is most certainly not mixed with any blood from the violent Krand or the stumpy Ellney… It seems a bit on edge, which I will admit is a little concerning.”
She briefly looked over at the troll, then returned her gaze to the two students and spoke proudly.
“If I might add, if you want to choose an excellent troll, you must focus on the breeder’s lineage before going for a personal appraisal. I’ve even heard a story of some poor soul who purchased a wild-natured troll from an unproven breeder, only to see it grow horns over the years. Upon investigation, it had ogre blood—”
“……”
“……”
The tall boy and the curly-haired girl fell completely silent, unable to find a moment to interject. Not only was this girl’s knowledge impressive, but her ability to appraise trolls made them both realize—the curly-haired girl especially—that her culture and values were so different that at their level, no argument was possible.
“What is it? Why the silence? Didn’t you want to know more about the troll?”
The ringlet girl cocked her head curiously as the awkward tension among the three of them deepened. Oliver, who had been simply watching, began to panic a bit—this wasn’t a good development right before the entrance ceremony. After some thought, he made up his mind to cut into the trouble developing.
“…Ahem. A-anyway, you guys, there’ll be plenty of time for scholarly discourse later. Today’s our entrance ceremony; we’re supposed to be celebrating. It wouldn’t do to show up looking so sullen, now would it?” he said and drew his white wand from his waist. He smiled as widely as he could at them to prove his friendly intentions. His throat tight with nerves, he squeaked, “So, uh, have a look at this and cheer up a bit, okay?”
He flicked the wand, and chanted loudly:
“Comarusal!”
The next moment, a giant mane sprouted into existence on the back of his head with a poof.
“Huh?”
“Whoa!”
The two who had started the argument opened their eyes wide in surprise. Yes! It worked! Oliver thought, but then the curly-haired girl ran over to him.
“Wow! You can cast a transformation spell? That’s so advanced!”
“Huh, I’m impressed you kept it to just the mane,” the tall boy remarked. “I tried that spell once, and my face turned into a cat’s from the nose down. I was totally freaking out.”
The two of them commented as they touched and inspected his mane with the utmost curiosity. Taken aback by their reactions, Oliver gave an awkward smile and asked, “…Um, you don’t think it’s funny?”
“Huh? Hmm, more like…”
“I’m just impressed. Shows skill.”
They both responded honestly, without any hint of malice. Oliver slumped in disappointment. This time, the ringlet girl approached him.
“You’re good. That was your version of Mr. Bridge’s Lanarusal, right?”
“Y-you know his act?” Oliver stammered.
“Yes, I love magical comedy, too. I suppose we have a common interest. The first time I saw that joke, I was clutching my stomach and laughing for nearly an hour,” she said, chuckling at the memory.
Oliver’s heart sank even more. She’d nearly died laughing at the original joke, but she hadn’t even snickered at his version. “……Sorry. Pretend you didn’t see that.”
“Huh? Why?! It was amazing! I was really impressed!”
But the words of praise fell on deaf ears as Oliver drooped with an overwhelming sense of defeat. Even the beautiful mane he’d worked so hard to perfect swayed sadly in the wind.
“H-hey, don’t get so depressed. At least no one’s arguing anymore, right?” the tall boy quickly added. Now recovered, Oliver finally stood back up. He dispelled the mane with another incantation and turned back to the ringlet girl.
“Anyway, that’s that. Sorry for the disturbance.”
“Yes, as long as we all understand one another.” The ringlet girl smiled gracefully and nodded. Satisfied that the matter was settled, she spun around. “The parade is about half-over. Soon we shall resume our procession as well. Do try to keep an orderly line so that we can all reach the academy without issue.”
And with that, she strode off elegantly. As they watched her go, Oliver’s gaze shifted to the front of the line.
“Seems the front’s started to move. She was right about us bidding farewell to the parade soon.”
“Wait, it’s over already? H-hang on, just give me a little more time.” The curly-haired girl leaned out even farther and stared intently at a certain section of the parade.
“I hate to leave, too, but we gotta,” the tall boy called out to her. “We’ll probably get loads of chances to see this stuff at Kimberly.”
“I know, but…I just can’t leave that poor troll! He really does seem to be on edge,” she said, her eyes locked on the troll. The ringlet girl’s analysis must have really gotten to her. Both boys shrugged. It wasn’t as if they had to start moving right away. But as soon as they took their eyes off her…
✦ ✦ ✦
“Iaas.”