Chapter 56 - Welcome to the Academy

Taisetsuna looked in front and frowned at the sight. Robert Keskula, the one-day-to-be Viscount, was smiling at her, dressed in shiny yellow armour, with metallic gloves, boots, a long sword at his waist, and a white feathered helmet under his right arm. His eyes were shining while looking at her, contrasting with his long, loose blond hair.

Next to him, and looking at Nozomu with a frown, was Hinen Sukemoru, the Cat-kind boy from the City of Kolga-Jaani.

Robert tapped Hinen’s shoulder and told him to follow him. He then sat in front of Taisetsuna and asked, “Where were you? I arrived hours ago! You overslept or what?”

“No, I didn’t, but I had a few things to take care of before arriving, and we had to ride for an hour to get here.”

“Ride? On your Unicorn? I bet you made quite an entrance!”

Hinen Sukemoru asked, while still frowning at Nozomu, “Now will you tell me how you caught the Unicorns?”

“No, I am not. It’s none of your business.”

“Why won’t you tell me? Is it some sort of secret or what?”

Nozomu sighed and spoke, “I don’t tell you because I don’t want to. Why don’t you understand people don’t have to answer you if they don’t want to? You seem to be my age and Taisetsuna, so why do you act like an annoying toddler? Grow up! Geez!”

At the mention of her name, Hinen Sukemoru looked at the curious Cat-kind girl that was staring at him and gulped. “By God Raluth’s boots… You are gorgeous…”

That remark granted him a weird smile and a punch in the shoulder from Robert. “Find another target, Hinen; this one is mine.”

Taisetsuna made a low growl as she faced the blond Noble. “I am not yours or anyone else’s, one-day-to-be Viscount Robert Keskula! And the next time you force a kiss on me, I am going to take your face off!”

Robert leaned over the table and caressed Taisetsuna’s chin. “I didn’t force anything. I saw an opportunity, and I took it. Besides, if I recall correctly, you were too surprised to even react, so don’t threaten me now because you are mad at yourself for feeling attracted to me.”

He almost lost his index finger when Taisetsuna tried to bite it. She answered with her eyes shooting daggers, “I am going to kill-“

Robert placed one finger over his lips as he said, “Shush, pretty girl, don’t act like a wild animal. It doesn’t suit you. What about if we introduced ourselves to the ones that don’t know us? Hinen, this is Dame Taisetsuna, my future girlfriend. That one is Sir Nozomu. He is like her brother, but it seems you already know him. Those two girls, I have no idea who they are.”

Nozomu gave a slight smile and greeted the newcomers. “Hello, Viscount Robert Keskula. This is Tresuria, and next to her is Chujitsuna Hito, but everyone calls her Chuji. How did you meet that annoying boy next to you? Is he your friend or what?”

“Now he is. We had a slight quarrel when I arrived, and I kicked his butt. He is not a bad fellow, just a bit odd. Can you believe I was talking with a group of applicants like us, and he leisurely came to me and asked why I was wearing such ridiculous armour because it would be difficult for me to do the try-outs while wearing this? As if he was some sort of fashion expert or something! I tried not to answer, but he kept on talking, and I got fed up with him. He is quite good with Water Magic, but I am better with my Fire Magic. Still, we put on a good show out there.”

Hinen Sukemoru frowned and said, “What are you talking about? You didn’t kick my butt! We got tied and got lost in the middle of all the fog your Fire Magic created when you evaporated my Water! We need to continue on another day, to see who wins!”

“Yeah, I don’t want to. You can search for someone else to fight. I don’t want my pretty Dame Taisetsuna to think that I like to fight for a superfluous reason. I am a Noble, and as such, I have a reputation to maintain.”

From the nearby table, a mocking voice spoke, “A Noble that came to the Academy of Adventurers… You are probably as Noble as I am!”

Robert Keskula made a slight frown at the mocking Lion-kind on the other table. “I don’t know what your problem is, Lion-kind commoner, but for sure it has nothing to do with me. My reasons for applying to this Academy are mine and mine alone. You should worry about yourself instead of other people’s business.”

The Lion-kind boy got up and sat down again when an old man with a long white beard and hair stood up from the table at the end of that room and clapped his hands, asking for silence, making all the noise of chatting and whispering come to a halt. With his serious face, dressed in a long white robe, and a large dark belt at his waist, he exuded power and strength, even at his age.

The old man spoke with a big smile and opened his arms. “Welcome, everyone, to the Academy of Adventurers of the ‘Principality of Khiz’! I am the Principal, Innar Klavan. First, let me explain to everyone what we are going to do to separate the ones that are going to enter this Academy from the ones that will go back and perhaps try next year! Each of you needs to get three points to enter this Academy. The first try-out will be to hit a target at one hundred metres away with Magic. As long as you can hit the target, you get one point. I know very well that it’s very difficult to hit a small target at that distance, but then again, you are the ones that want to enter the Academy, right? So, it is in your interest to do the best you can!”

He went silent, to give time for the new applicants to digest his words. The Snake-kind Teacher that Nozomu met outside whispered something, and the Principal nodded at him before addressing the crowd ahead once again. “Next, it will be making a Potion. Make whatever Potion you can, whether it’s a Sleeping Potion or a simple Digestive Potion, to help relieve stomach pain. Another point if you make one right.”

Taisetsuna gave a big smile at Nozomu and whispered, “Healing Potions?”

“Yes, but maybe a Low Grade. Or a Medium. We don’t need to do too much for one point, I think.”

The Principal clapped his hands again, to silence the whispers that rose in the room, and continued. “The third try-out will be the capture of a Monster or a Magical Being. You can work in groups with a maximum of six elements for this. It will be your first Party in this Academy that will probably accompany you for the entire year if you get accepted, so choose wisely! We have a forest and a range of mountains nearby, and you can go to one of them to try your luck. If you finish this try-out, each member of your Party will get one point. You will have until the end of the afternoon for this try-out. The last try-out that can give you three points and an automatic entry to the Academy is fighting the Dragons, that will surely come here at that time, and survive for ten minutes. So far, only a handful of people were fool enough to try that last resort, and some died in that attempt, meaning that it’s better if you get the first try-out points. Now, go out and walk around this building. The training field with the targets for the first try-out is at the back, in the training field!”

When Nozomu approached Taisetsuna, he noticed the big smile she had. “You want to fight the Dragons, don’t you?”

“Yeah… And defeat them! Remember what the Princess said in her Castle about their promise? I want a Dragon! Since they are two, one for me and one for you!”

“She also said that they don’t like Unicorns, but maybe we can ask Furnace and Rampage to help us, as a distraction. With them and you throwing Magic at the Dragons, maybe I can approach and punch them. Or slap, whatever would be better to knock them out.”

Taisetsuna vigorously nodded and kept on whispering. “A punch, or better yet, a barrage of punches. Dragons are strong; they don’t fall easily.”

Robert Keskula leaned forward and spoke in a low tone. “I guess we already have our Party, Leader, considering we are six. Seven with that strange plant that Tresuria has, but I think that one doesn’t count. Let’s go! I want to finish the try-outs in time for dinner!”

The Cat-kind boy spoke as he was getting up. “I admire your confidence. You don’t even consider that you might fail a try-out and not be accepted?”

“Of course not! What in the name of God Raluth, are you thinking of me? There is no way I won’t be accepted! I will not leave Taisetsuna alone in this Academy! I need to impress her for her to agree to be my girlfriend.”

Taisetsuna snorted as she was following Nozomu and the others while Tresuria stuttered behind Nozomu. “This… this one is not sure if she can get all the points… The targets and the Potion won’t be a problem, but capturing a Monster or a Magical Being? How can this one accomplish that?”

Chujitsuna Hito spoke, with her face all red. “You… heard the Viscount, we are a Party. This will be fun for sure! Nozomu is cool, and Taisetsuna is funny, but I think she will be an awesome Leader. I bet the targets will be easier for you! Oh, and Potions, right?”

“Maybe… This one can use Earth Magic, and a Growing Potion to be used on a plant is not difficult. What Magic can you use? If… you don’t mind telling….”

Chujitsuna answered, even redder than she already was. “No… I… I won’t mind answering any of your questions, Tresuria. I can also use Earth Magic, and I am pretty good with Poisons. It’s a sort of Potion, right?”

“Yes… not a friendly one, but it’s a Potion… Why did you learn how to make them?”

“Oh, the usual. Hunting animals, poisoning people… Snake-kind are supposed to be evil and treacherous, so my mother taught me all the nasty stuff that our kind is known for. She always said, ‘Chuji, if we already have the fame, we might as well know how to do it’. Yeah, my mother is kind of weird, but she is funny.”

Tresuria slowly nodded, lost in those big brown eyes and red cheeks. She was so distracted that she almost tripped on the pet plant that was walking in front of her.

As they were going to the exit, Hinen Sukemoru asked, “Viscount Robert, why did you call Nozomu Sir and Taisetsuna Dame? Are they Nobles?”

“Almost. The Princess made them Knights. You seemed strangely interested in Taisetsuna. I saw you glancing at her during the Principal’s speech.”

“What do you expect? Did you look at her? She is amazingly pretty! And her eyes! Not many Cat-kind have yellow-golden eyes, you know?”

Robert Keskula forced a smile. “Well, well… it seems you intend on rivalling me, Hinen. You have zero chances against me, you know?”

“I am not so sure, because I saw the way she looked at you, with hate and annoyance. You are not in her heart yet, meaning that it’s possible for me to conquer her.”

“If you think like that, you have already lost. You are just impressed by her looks, but you know nothing about her, and that, my friend, is already a loss.”

Hinen shrugged and spoke, “You mean I don’t know her yet, but that can be easily fixed. By the end of this day, I will know her a lot better, and so will she. It’s up to her to decide with whom she wants to date, and unlike you, who likes to draw attention to yourself, I can give her all the attention she deserves.”

“Hey! I don’t like to draw attention! I just have a certain reputation to maintain!”

Hinen poked Robert’s armoured arm and grinned. “I don’t agree, and neither does your armour. You already lost, and I didn’t even start.”

“Why you… Okay, you will not bother me. We are miles apart, and you will never be good enough to be at her side.”

“What? And you will be?”

“I already am. We even kissed already.”

Hinen raised one eyebrow and said, “According to her, you robbed a kiss, and that doesn’t count. Did she kiss you back? Did she grab your neck and pull you closer? No? See? It doesn’t count.”

Robert Keskula took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm down his anger. Surprisingly, that weird Cat-kind boy angered him in a few minutes, while every other Noble his age never managed that for an entire week.

*This Cat-kind boy annoys me so much! Every time I have to write about him, I want to hit my head in a wall, or smash my keyboard!"