“Guess that answers our question,” Ehr said.
“This is very impressive,” I replied.
Even my handbook’s magical! This is so exciting! The next page was filled with school rules and regulations, and I skimmed through them until I stopped at the last page.
“Oh…” I gasped.
“Whoa…” Ehr said.
To my surprise, the last page of the student handbook had defensive scrolls slipped inside. There were six in total: two teleporting scrolls that brought the user back to Vizer and one attack scroll for the water, wind, fire, and earth elements. The handbook went on to state that if any of these scrolls were used for anything but emergencies, the user would be expelled immediately.
“Aren’t scrolls expensive?” Ehr asked. “How can they give so many to each student? Is this necessary?”
“I imagine so,” I replied. “Greenhorn wizards and witches can be seen as golden eggs—prime targets—for some nefarious people.”
Some students in the past were abducted from schools and dragged into the darker parts of society. Even walking around in uniform might invite some malicious people to cause an incident. Even the school rules warned us to wear normal clothes if we ever left the school premises.
“Um, you should be careful too, Ehr,” I warned.
“I will,” he replied.
He grew up in the poorer parts of the city; it felt rude to mention that his old stomping grounds were dangerous, at least from my point of view.
The supplies also included a quill, a bottle of ink, paper for our essays, a leather belt to keep paper in a stack, and other stationery supplies. Just looking at them excited me. At the bottom was a discount coupon for the school store. When Ehr and I cheered for the financial help, I noticed some girls in seats nearby giggling at us.
“I guess we’re the only ones happy about this…” Ehr muttered.
“So it seems,” I replied.
Sure, I was currently the daughter of a noble, but in my past life, I was just a normal person, and I was a sucker for discount coupons.
“Did you get into this school on a scholarship?” I asked.
“No, I’m paying for it out of my own pocket,” Ehr said.
“I see.”
“My mom was friends with an uber-rich guy. He said he wanted to take me on as his adoptive son, but I didn’t feel confident that I could make it in noble society. When I told him my concerns, he recommended that I enroll in a magic school and learn how to mingle.”
I was surprised to hear about his situation.
“He said that there’re a ton of people from my part of town here, but now I know he lied to me,” Ehr sighed. “I don’t see anyone like that around.”
“Nor do I,” I agreed, casting a look around at our classmates.
Even a single textbook on magic was costly, far beyond the budget of people who struggled to put food on the table every day. It was unlikely to see someone like that attending such an expensive school.
“How did you learn magic, then?” I asked.
“From my mom talking in her sleep,” Ehr said casually.
“That’s…a very unique way of learning.”
His mother apparently tended to talk in her sleep, which led Ehr to try out some spells out of curiosity. Soon enough, he was able to wield some simple fire magic.
“And I haven’t improved much since,” he lamented. “I can only make a small flame, and that’s it.”
“Once we learn the basics of magic, I’m sure that you’ll be able to use more advanced spells,” I encouraged.
“I sure hope so.”
The bell rang, cutting our conversation short, and homeroom started. Professor Whipp, our homeroom teacher, strolled right in with a lazy smile.
“Hello, dear students,” she said. “I’m the potions professor and the homeroom teacher of Class 2—your class. Call me Professor Whipp. I’m 250 years old, but that is still rather young among the high elves.”
Her tone implied that she wouldn’t forgive anyone who dared to mention that she was old.
“All you’ve done so far is enroll in this school,” she said. “But you’re all shoved into one classroom, and I’m sure that’s suffocating. Students from all walks of life are here—those of different births and upbringings, along with different personalities and genders. We’ve all gathered here for various reasons, and I’m sure it won’t be easy for us all to get along.”
She claimed that she didn’t expect us all to be best buddies.
“You don’t have to force yourself to be friends with everyone in this class,” Professor Whipp said in her breathy tone. “But you have all braved the strict entrance exams to get into the historic institution that is Vizer. At the very least, be respectful to all your classmates, okay?”
Professor Whipp stressed that she wouldn’t let any discrimination, bullying, or insults slide. Any such behavior would lead to immediate expulsion. No one in their right mind would ever attempt such a foolish act.
“Now then, let’s start with introductions as an icebreaker,” Professor Whipp declared.
She chose to do introductions, starting from the highest marks to the lowest. Since I was in the latter half, I paid close attention to everyone’s introductions and considered my own based on them. Prince Rena went first.
“Pleased to meet everyone. My name is Rena von Wiegert. My hobby is horseback riding, and I’m good at calculating magical formulas. I want to be friends with all of my classmates. Hope we can get along!”
Oh my goodness… That was a perfect introduction, no notes. It tempted me to cheer on the future king, but of course, I wasn’t allowed to say that. I did my best to keep quiet. Since the prince had the perfect introduction, everyone followed suit.
“Hello. My name is Alice von Kirsten. I like ca— I mean, my hobby is listening to music. I’m good at wind magic. If we’ve got the same hobby, do feel free to reach out. I hope I can get along with everyone.”
Um, what? She stumbled a bit on her hobby, as if she were going to say something else, and went with music instead. Alice sat back down, as cool as a cucumber, and didn’t allow anyone to say otherwise. Maybe she’s got a really unique hobby.
The rest of my classmates quickly said their introductions as well; to my surprise, almost everyone in Class 2 was of noble birth. Is that because this class has the crown prince?
“Next, Miss Misha von Ritual,” Professor Whipp called on me.
“Y-Yes, ma’am,” I stammered. It was my turn already. I mustered up my courage and stood. “Nice to meet you. I’m Misha von Ritual. My hobby is, er, making potions. I excel at raking snow off roofs—I did that in my hometown, which is in a snowy region. I’d like to make a hundred friends. I hope we can get along!”
Ehr chuckled behind me. I was serious about my introduction, but he found the potion-making bit rather humorous. I was trying to be funny with the “making a hundred friends” part, but sadly, my joke fell flat. No one else laughed, aside from Ehr. Whatever! At least I left an impression. I quietly listened to Ehr’s turn.