NEW students were filling out paperwork for their enrollment in the auditorium, overwhelming the five information desks. Most of the students had finished, already seated in the hall. Mia had timed her arrival with when the entrance ceremony was scheduled to start, but it appeared that she’d just barely made it. Now she understood why the other students had been in such a hurry and regretted her decision. How was she supposed to know that time flowed differently in the capital than in the countryside?
Aah…maybe I’ll need to keep in mind how long it’ll take to line up whenever I plan to go somewhere around here… With that thought in mind, Mia took a spot in the middle line.
“Please take out your enrollment authorization slip,” a tired voice prompted her.
The staff members working at the desks were nearing the end of the 200 new students they had to register and their exhaustion showed. Mia fished through her rugged old bag, then pulled the enrollment authorization slip out from where she had stashed it between the pages of a book. She held it out, her cheeks flushed with excitement and pride. The man at the desk frowned at it.
“A green slip means you’re a Pharmacology student, yeah? Miss Mia Baumann. Um…please wait a moment.”
As soon as he read off her name and department, he grew even more annoyed realizing he would have to look her up in their registrar. Mia’s enrollment authorization slip tumbled from his hand while he flipped through the name register, but the man paid it no attention as he scanned his eyes over the laminated pages for her name.
“They forgot to update the village directory again!” he grumbled after dropping the registrar and switched over to typing away at a console of long metal typewriter keys.
Sure, it was just a piece of paper, but that didn’t change the fact it was the embodiment of everything Mia had worked herself ragged to obtain. Disappointed by the rude treatment, Mia bent down to pick up her slip, just as a female student to her left held out her own with pristinely manicured fingers.
“Hello. Here’s my slip.”
The girl’s slip looked like it had been ironed—it was without a single wrinkle, crease, or tear. Mia had to wonder if her slip was even made of the same material as the other girl’s. Hers was made of a stunning purple material while Mia’s was green.
“Hello, are you a law student?” The receptionist to the left straightened up, schooling his exhaustion into an amiable smile. He politely, even reverently you could say, accepted the enrollment authorization slip from the girl. Breathlessly, he offered, “Congratulations on your admittance.”
Mia understood the difference in treatment as soon as she’d heard the words “law student”.
So the rumors were true…
Isea Royal Academy had four departments of study: law, magic, medicine, and pharmacology.
The Law Department held the oldest history of the four. Since the founding of the Royal Academy, the Law Department had been established for noblemen’s children. Sons and daughters of nobles were the only ones granted admittance. It was a special department that limited admission to children whose families held a court rank and contributed grand donations to the Academy. After graduation, every student would join the parliament or other branches of bureaucracy, becoming the pillar of support for the government. Law students were from a class of people that a commoner like Mia wouldn’t have seen even in passing, had she not been admitted to the Academy.
Mia intently studied the female student. She had an attractive face and sculpted figure. From her silken gold locks to her big emerald eyes, refined beauty shone through her every feature. Even the manner with which she signed her name was graceful. Her elegant demeanor was a match made in heaven for the academy’s uniform, which consisted of a dark-red blazer over a white blouse, coupled with a forest-green, knee-length pleated skirt. Her long, slender legs were beautifully concealed by black stockings. A famous fashion designer had redesigned the novel uniform just two years ago. Long since passed was the age where skirts worn above the ankles were considered immodest. The new uniform brought the Academy in line with the modern fashion raves.
Mia’s burnt-steel red hair contrasted horribly with the uniform, and her eyes were an equally unimpressive light-brown. She wore the same uniform as the other girl, so why did she look so terribly unfashionable in comparison?
As Mia enviously stared at the other girl—
The clanking hiss of pressure burst from an aperture in the counter as a long tube popped out. Her receptionist flipped it open and removed a slip of paper before putting the tube back in the hole where it was sucked in with a hissing pop. “Aaah, found it, found it. Miss Mia Baumann. No mistake: you’re a pharmacology student. Put this tie on then.” The receptionist finally spotted her name in the register.
Stealing another look to her left, Mia saw the law student had received a purple tie. Purple, red, blue, and green ties were distributed to students, indicating their departments. Then, just as Mia was exchanging her enrollment authorization slip for the green tie—
“Mathias Weiss. I’m a magic student.”
Mia turned toward the direction of the deep, booming voice, to find her eyes met sharply by the glare of the person who replaced another student to her right.
“Your bags are in the way,” he said rudely, coldly staring down at her.
Mia quickly moved her trunk and bag directly on top of her feet. Mathias moved into the open space, lining up directly beside her. His body was as large as she had imagined it to be from the sound of his voice. Was he really in the same school year? But what caught Mia’s attention the most was—
Is this guy…really a magic student?