Warm sunlight stabbed through my eyelids. Behind my closed lids, everything glowed orange-red, the color shifting between light and dark as something blocked the sun.
I opened my eyes. The wall clock's short hand pointed straight at six. Normally I'd be up at five for training, but since today was my first day at the academy, I'd decided to skip it just this once.
Ever since I heard yesterday that I could attend the academy, I'd been so excited I could barely contain myself. But anxiety clung to me like a stubborn shadow. When I thought about the past, I wasn't sure I could fit in with everyone else. I let out a small sigh, stretched big, and climbed out of bed.
I'd left the window open while sleeping, and the breeze kept making the curtains dance, occasionally blocking the sunlight. I threw open the heavy curtains wide, and brilliant morning light flooded the entire room.
I left the bedroom, walked through the office, and stepped into the room with the kitchen and bath. The cool air hit my face as I washed up, grabbed a quick breakfast, brushed my teeth, and packed what I needed. Since Nian Academy was a boarding school, I ended up with way too much stuff.
After some thought, Sakika decided to use the intermediate non-attribute magic {Box} to store his belongings.
Box creates a pocket dimension, inside, there's nothing but endless white space. Plus, only the person who created the Box can open it, and it doesn't matter where they are. Basically, you can pull out whatever you stored no matter where you go.
On top of that, even though Box is intermediate magic, it's as easy as beginner-level stuff. Gaia had mentioned it was popular with students because it's so convenient and simple. If Sakika used Box, she wouldn't stand out.
Now, what to do about his mana? Even with the mana-sealing equipment holding it back, the magical energy still leaking from his body was on par with a lower AAA-rank adventurer.
That could let mana-sensitive people or strong fighters pick up hints of his real power. Sakika closed his eyes and forcefully suppressed the mana flowing through his body and spilling out of him. Now the magical energy anyone could sense from him should be a bit lower than your average student.
According to Stella, uniforms and textbooks would be provided at the academy, so Sakika changed into comfortable casual clothes, left his room, and locked the door.
His destination: the Crimson Destroyer's room, Gaia's room. He knocked, and out came a red-haired boy in uniform, all ready to go Gaia.
"Morning."
"Morning. Ready to head out?"
The two of them started walking toward the academy.
Why not teleport? Because normal first-year high school students can't use teleportation magic. Teleportation gets taught in the third year of high school, and even then, only a few exceptional students actually master it. Sakika and Gaia were sixteen, first-year high school students. Using teleportation magic would definitely make them stand out.
They could've taken a carriage or car, but only people from far away and nobles rode carriages to school. As for cars, such luxury items were only for high-ranking nobles in their daily lives.
As they walked to school together, they ran into students wearing Nian Academy uniforms. The closer they got to the academy, the more students they encountered.
Sakika felt piercing stares from all around. Probably because Gaia was walking with an unfamiliar boy his age, namely, him.
Since Nian Academy went from elementary through high school, even though today was an entrance ceremony, everyone pretty much knew each other. They might not know names unless they'd been in the same class, but if you passed someone in the hallways enough times, you'd remember their face.
But Sakika had never attended the academy before, so he was a complete stranger, and in casual clothes, no less.
Still, that alone probably wouldn't draw this much attention.
Sakika glanced at Gaia. He had a handsome face, more rugged than pretty, but definitely well-proportioned. Maybe the reason for all the stares was the guy walking beside him.
But weirdly, he wasn't getting as much attention as he'd expected. If anything, more eyes seemed focused on him. Was something wrong with how I looked? He glanced down at his clothes, but nothing seemed off. He'd checked himself in the mirror before leaving his guild room, so he didn't have bedhead or food stuck around his mouth.
In the end, he never figured out why, and under those intense stares, Sakika arrived at the academy with Gaia.
But it looked nothing like what you'd call a school. If anything, it resembled a massive castle owned by famous nobles, or maybe a castle with the royal family's crest carved into it.
The white color scheme gave off an elegant vibe. The gate was huge too, had to be at least fifteen feet tall. The castle…er, academy, was surrounded by high brick walls that added to the intimidating atmosphere.
Definitely not what you'd expect a school to look like. The phrase "towering majestically" fit perfectly. This was a proud, gleaming white castle.
It was so far from what you'd picture when someone said academy that you'd seriously wonder if it really was a school. The extravagant yet tasteful exterior made you want to ask which royalty had built this thing.
Who the hell had turned this "castle" into a "school"? But no matter how hard he thought about it, Sakika doubted he'd understand.
He gave up trying to figure it out and followed Gaia toward the principal's office.
The academy's hallways were spacious. Paintings hung on white walls, and what looked like marble flooring stretched beneath their feet.
The interior could've fooled you into thinking you were in some royal palace, but instead of knights and servants walking around, it was boys and girls around his age, with the occasional elementary school kid or adult who looked like a teacher.
Gaia stopped in front of a door decorated with particularly elaborate gold ornaments. Sakika could sense strong magical energy from the other side. This was probably the principal's office, and the principal was likely someone with serious magical power.
"Yes?"
When Gaia knocked three times, a calm male voice answered.
"Excuse us," they called out before opening the door and stepping inside. Across from a desk in the luxurious room decorated in white tones sat a man in an impressive armchair.
He looked about sixty years old. His black hair, streaked with white, was cut short. He had a stern face and green eyes, with wrinkles at the corners from smiling.
Feeling the man's presence and magical energy up close, he knew instinctively, this guy was a warrior. Even just sitting there with a smile, he had zero openings. If Sakika tried to create an ice spear with magic and stab him right now, he'd dodge it easily.
When the door closed, the man stood up, approached Sakika, and held out his left hand. Every movement was perfectly efficient, his fluid motions showed he was using exactly the right muscles with exactly the right amount of force.
"You must be Sakika. Stella's told me about you. I'm the principal, Rau Iskar."
Sakika hesitantly offered his left hand, and they shook with warm smiles. Rau's palm was rough and calloused. Maybe from wielding a two-handed sword or gripping a shield. Either way, it was obvious he'd lived a life of battle.
"Let me introduce myself properly. Grand Emperor, Silver Blade Wielder Sakika. ... you don't have a last name, so if you need one, I can make something up."
"I see. ...Not having a last name might make you stand out. Could you come up with one?"
Rau let go of his hand while making the request. He didn't pry into why he had no last name. Not having one usually meant no parents. Maybe he didn't ask because the academy had plenty of students without surnames.
"Then... how about Foras?"
"Got it."
When he gave him the random surname that popped into his head, Rau wrote "Foras" on a paper on his desk. After finishing that, he looked at Gaia.
"I haven't thanked you yet. Thanks for showing Sakika around."
"...No problem."