Chapter 2: Entering the Magic School of My Dreams!
THE entrance ceremony was held in the auditorium. I looked around at my classmates, and seventy percent of them clearly hailed from the nobility. Twenty percent were from the middle class, and the remaining ten percent were from the lower class. Everyone wore the same uniform, but it was easy to differentiate nobles from others simply by how they settled in their seats and carried themselves.
Students were divided by class numbers, and I spotted Alice among the mix, sitting with my group. I almost cried out, but she noticed me first, knitted her brows, and turned away huffily. I longed to have a peaceful school life, and yet now I knew it’d involve her. I hoped that she would leave me alone for the rest of the school year.
The ceremony began with an infamously lengthy speech by the headmaster, a tradition of Vizer. Count Holgar von Hoffmeister, who hailed from a family of ancient wizards and witches, proudly took the stand as our headmaster. He was a graying old man with a long gray beard and had a gentle air about him, like someone who’d be selling roast chicken during the Christmas season in Japan.
A mere three minutes into Headmaster Hoffmeister’s speech, Ehr fell fast asleep beside me. A few professors and instructors were dozing off as well. The sunbeams that shone through the auditorium window were warm and comforting, encouraging a wave of drowsiness to wash over the room.
I was used to boring meetings in my previous life, and I knew a pressure point that would keep me awake at times like these. I pressed down on it, hoping to maintain consciousness.
“Lastly, I’ve got an announcement,” the headmaster said.
Both the new and returning students chattered among themselves, confused. Perhaps it was rare for the headmaster to make an announcement here.
“Among the newly admitted students is our crown prince,” Headmaster Hoffmeister revealed.
It must be that lady who was almost kidnapped. Why did she decide to attend this school? I wondered.
“He’s enrolled under a fake name, which I shall not speak of,” the headmaster continued. “In other words, any one of the newly admitted students could be the crown prince in disguise—it’s best to be vigilant. Now then, I hope you all get along for another wonderful school year.”
Half of us were stunned, while the other half looked excited. Ehr managed to stay fast asleep amid all the chatter. I should probably wake him up soon.
“Ehr,” I whispered. “Wake up. The headmaster finished talking.”
“Ugh… I’m so full…” he groaned blearily. “Huh?!”
I assumed he was having a nice dream and wanted to let him sleep a bit longer, but his poor behavior might catch the attention of a professor. It was our first day of school, and I wanted to keep him out of trouble.
“Is the ceremony done?” he asked.
“Not yet,” I replied. “The representative of the new students has to give a speech too.”
The highest-scoring applicant among the newly admitted students had to give a speech. I excitedly turned my attention to the front, wondering who had this prized seat.
“Representative of the first-years, Rena von Wiegert, come forward,” an announcer said.
“Here,” a soothing voice said behind me.
I whirled around in astonishment and spotted the crown prince. When I locked eyes with her, she gave me a cute wink. I wasn’t just shocked. I was dumbfounded. My jaw almost hit the ground.
“Ugh, he got the best grades, and we’re in the same class as him?” Ehr groaned.
“Are we in the same class?” I asked.
“Yeah… He really stood out during the exams, too.”
Apparently, Rena was always surrounded by girls at school, and they fawned over the crown prince. Even upperclassmen came by to catch a glimpse of the famous Rena.
Rena von Wiegert… Wasn’t the crown prince’s real name Renhalt? Doesn’t feel like much of a secret identity to me…
Prince Rena wore a male student uniform—perhaps she was hiding her gender for some reason that wasn’t public knowledge. My family ruled over a remote region, and naturally, we didn’t get much information about the royal family. I had no idea that the crown prince hadn’t made her public debut yet and that she never publicly revealed her face. Uh… I fear that I’m privy to a very important, highly confidential secret. I have to feign ignorance about her from here on out.
I’m so unlucky. I’m in the same class as Prince Rena… Had I been in a separate class, I could’ve remained hidden and made sure that I wouldn’t catch her attention, but Her Highness had unmistakably winked at me. She must’ve known that I was the one who saved her.
“Man, he’s amazing,” Ehr said. “He’s good-looking, smart, elegant, and speaks with grace. God bestowed him with several gifts, huh? Between him and me, a slum rat, the difference is like night and day.”
“I don’t think so,” I said. “You’re honest and bright. I think you’re wonderful in your own right, Ehr.”
“Thanks. You cheered me up.”
As everyone focused on Prince Rena, I gazed into the distance, hoping to never lock eyes with her again. I wondered if Alice was infatuated with the prince like the rest of the girls, but she sat prim and proper, no different from when she was listening to the headmaster’s speech.
I guess the daughter of a duke has seen her fair share of handsome men. One more won’t make her overly excited. Still, I expected her to be a bit more interested in someone like Prince Rena.
I expected the speech from the upperclassmen to be handled by the head prefect, but surprisingly, one of the third-year prefects took the stand instead.
“Huh… I guess the head prefect isn’t giving the speech,” Ehr murmured.
“I guess not.”
Maybe the head prefect is like a secret boss who never shows their face to the masses.
The school director then appeared and gave his introduction. This tall and handsome man in his late forties had golden hair and emerald eyes. He sort of reminds me of Prince Rena… People whispered around me, muttering how the director was the king’s younger brother. Maybe the hair and eye color are characteristics of the royal family… The director emanated a solemn and stern aura, his gaze piercing enough to scare you. I’m so glad that he isn’t the headmaster.
“I’m Ricardo von Lindenburg, the director of Vizer School of Magic,” he announced.
Director Lindenburg was the grand duke. The royal family established this school; it was no wonder they were involved in running it. He spoke of difficult topics, but his speech was short. Even Ehr managed to stay awake throughout it. Next, the professors were introduced to us. Our class was led by Professor Whipp, and her beauty attracted many passionate gazes from the boys. She was a high elf and extremely popular among the students.
Once the ceremony was over, we languidly headed to our respective classrooms. Prince Rena was already surrounded by a group of students, so I didn’t have to worry about her trying to make contact with me yet.
“We’ve got no classes today, right?” Ehr asked.
“I don’t think so, but we’ll summon our own familiar,” I replied.
“Oh yeah, I think I saw that mentioned on some of the enrollment documents.”
For our three years at this school, students were provided with a familiar that they formed a contract with using a summoning note. Mystical beasts, fairies, spirits, and other magical creatures would be selected at random based on whatever would be most compatible with the user. A summoning note cost around ten gold coins, and the fact that every student at Vizer got one for free from the school was a pretty awesome privilege.
“Man, I hope I can summon a huge dragon or something,” Ehr remarked.
I guess boys of any age like dragons. When I was in elementary school, I recalled seeing an image of a dragon flying against the backdrop of lightning in a sewing catalog. I feel like he’d like that.
When we arrived at our classroom, I spotted a box of supplies neatly laid on the desk. Each had a name on it, and the one at the very end, in the front, had Rena von Wiegert’s nametag. Seats were assigned boy-girl-boy-girl, and it also went by grades. Naturally, Prince Rena’s was at the front, and when I searched for my seat, I found it by the window, farthest away from the ones with excellent grades. I was at the very front of the class, too.
“Hey, I’m behind you,” Ehr remarked.
I guess Ehr and I had similar grades. We exchanged a short bow again, happy that we were sitting close together, and once we sat down, Alice entered the room. We’d just been assigned our classes today, but she was already surrounded by an entourage of girls.
“Lady Alice, it seems seats are assigned by grade,” a girl said.
“Oh, my!” another gasped. “You’re right next to Lord Rena!”
Apparently, Alice didn’t just come from a prestigious family. She had the high grades to prove herself as well. Coupled with her gorgeous looks, I was a bit envious of her. But if I stare at her for too long, she’ll glare at me. I’ll check the box of supplies with Ehr instead.
“Whoa, awesome…” Ehr gasped.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“This box won’t open until you put your hand over it and channel your mana.”
“That’s quite amazing.”
Oh yeah, the acceptance letter told us to submit a document registered with our mana. I assumed they simply wanted to keep tabs on the quality and element of our magic. I didn’t expect them to use it for magic items like these. Following Ehr’s example, I placed my hand over my box of supplies. A magic circle appeared on the surface, and it unlocked with a loud clack. I anxiously opened the lid and saw numerous supplies inside.
The first thing that caught my eye was the student handbook embossed with our school insignia in gold ink. When I flipped it open to the first page, gold letters appeared with a statement that proved that I was a student of Vizer.
“This is awesome…” Ehr murmured.
“I think this handbook can also read mana,” I said.
“Will these words not pop up if we touch another student’s handbook?”
“Let’s try it out.”
I exchanged handbooks with Ehr, and we opened them up. I didn’t spot any gold words. Instead, red words popped up, warning me to deliver this to the knights or to Vizer immediately.