The scale was so immense that it felt like it would be an affront to even compare it to the Academy of Tolis.
“I have to walk to the Academy. It’ll take about half a day.”
Everyone in the group was surprised by Aila’s words.
Aila added that the reason the Academy looked close was simply because of its massive size.
It felt large here, but what kind of impression would it make when seen up close?
With that question in mind, we walked along the neatly maintained path.
Everyone had traveled enough to be weary of walking, so they executed the task silently without complaints.
When the sun set and darkness fell, the Academy building shone with bright light.
“It looks like a city.”
“There’s a city within the Academy. Most students live there, but students’ families also reside.”
I thought it was large, but I never imagined they had made an entire city into the Academy.
The entrance to the Academy was essentially the entrance to the city of Sarita.
In front of it, unlike other cities, a checkpoint was installed.
A staff member, who appeared to be a demon, walked out from inside and stopped us.
“This is a city under the protection of the Emperor of Roran. Please present your identification.”
Though we were not carrying weapons, his large, muscular hands showed many small scars.
Even without any special knowledge, I could tell they were the hands of someone who had undergone quite intense training.
When Aila took her identification from her pocket and showed it, the staff member saluted politely.
“It’s an honor to meet you. Are these people behind you your companions?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll proceed with checking the other individuals as well.”
The staff member checked all our identifications and then spoke to Dahlia.
“Were you part of the guard?”
“I worked there, but I wasn’t a full-time employee.”
“You must be quite skilled then. Let’s go somewhere together later.”
It was unexpected for a staff member to suggest meeting separately with Dahlia, as we were not hunting for romance in the streets.
“Sure.”
Dahlia accepted the staff member’s proposition without hesitation.
The thick iron gate opened smoothly and silently, revealing the interior.
From the outside, I had expected a street covered in flashy neon signs.
Instead, the sidewalk was neatly organized, with streetlights illuminating it brightly at regular intervals.
It felt completely different from the cities I had seen so far.
“You just need to take bus number 4 from here to get to the Academy.”
Hearing a familiar term from Aila surprised me greatly.
I had already experienced cars, but I had never seen a bus until now.
Public transportation that had been my legs throughout my life.
I had never expected to ride it again after coming to this place.
After waiting briefly at the bus stop, a bus marked with ‘4’ arrived at the front window.
It arrived quietly without a loud noise and the door opened.
Aila boarded it as if she were used to it, while Jema, Catherine, and Dahlia climbed aboard with expressions of wonder.
As the coins clinked, Aila dropped a few copper coins into the fare box.
The fare box was gradually disappearing even in my time.
The exterior and interior were not much different from the one I was used to.
The only notable difference was that there was no driver.
“Who drives it?” Jema asked Aila, and Aila smiled as she sat in an empty seat.
“It moves by itself. Just sit.”
As the bus started moving, I heard a faint noise from outside that I couldn’t hear before.
With a low humming sound, the bus began to go.
“This city is large enough that many technologies from beyond the gate have been introduced for the students and residents.”
“So, the people who live beyond the gate ride these.”
I felt no significant excitement as I had ridden such vehicles my whole life.
As I was on the bus, I wondered why this city hasn’t incorporated this technology into other cities.
There were cars on the road, and the roads were paved, yet there was no public transport; it was strange.
“Why is it here, though, when it doesn’t even exist in the capital?”
“Here, flying in the sky or using teleportation magic is forbidden. Other cities don’t have these restrictions, so they don’t need it.”
Thinking about it, most demons had wings, and even if they walked, they would likely be faster than humans.
The landscape of the city passed by quickly outside the bus window.
As we got closer to the stop, Aila prepared to get off, and we all exited the bus together.
Not far from where we arrived, a large building was visible, and Aila pointed to it and introduced it as the Academy.
Though it was called an Academy, what I saw was more like a large office building.
As we approached near the building, a large sign at the entrance read ‘Sarita Academy’.
“Is the entire building the Academy?”
“Yes.”
It looked like a school building from the city I lived in.
Of course, its size was enough to be considered a corporate headquarters.
Upon entering the entrance, a staff member in a suit rose from the information desk and greeted us politely.
“Hello. What brings you to our Academy?”
“I have an applicant for admission.”
“But it’s the middle of the semester?”
It seemed the Academy was currently in the midst of classes.
“That’s why I’m requesting a consultation.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The staff member spoke with someone through a crystal orb on the desk and directed us to a particular floor.
Now, the elevator was familiar.
There were no buttons to press for the floors inside; once everyone boarded, it began moving up automatically.
“By the way, do you know the headmaster here?”
“I’m seeing him for the first time as well.”
When the elevator arrived at the floor, the doors opened.
The floor we arrived at was very chilly and silent.
Looking out the window, we could overlook the entire city.
Following the corridor, a large wooden door stood elegantly in front of us.
Aila lightly knocked on the door, and it opened automatically.
“Welcome. Please have a seat.”
It seemed that the person at the desk had been working, scribbling on some documents.
“Yes. What brings you here?”
He asked as if the staff downstairs had not reported to him.
“I’m here to enroll someone.”
“Oh, you’re a parent.”
“No….”
The person at the desk stood up from his seat.
With a tall stature and long, dark hair that had strands of gray, he leaned against the sofa, and with a flick of his fingers, a teacup and teapot flew from somewhere and landed in front of us.
“I am Adele, the headmaster of the Academy. Let’s talk.”
“There are three new students here.”
“One of them is a human.”
The headmaster’s eyes glimmered faintly blue as he observed us.
“That one….”
He looked at me, then showed a puzzled expression before turning to Aila.
“I’ll tell you later.”
Regarding my identity, it was an open secret among us.
Especially Dahlia still didn’t know my true nature.
“Then, to get to the point. Our Academy is currently in session, though?”
“It hasn’t been long since it started, right?”
“Well, it’s been about three months. However, there will likely be a significant skill gap.”
Aila hesitated momentarily while fiddling with her teacup, then spoke up.
“Isn’t three months okay?”
“Well, if it’s just an introductory phase, then it may not be a big difference. Next is this child.”
The headmaster pointed at Jema with a smile on his face.
“Where did you bring a newly awakened child from?”
Aila gave a slightly detailed explanation about Jema.
As the headmaster listened quietly, the teacup in his hand shattered, spilling its contents.
“How dare you, can’t you tell a rolling stone from a gem?”
The atmosphere in the room turned icy.
“Ah! I apologize for my rudeness for a moment. They might have just dismissed her as a demon in their eyes.”
The headmaster magically cleaned up the broken teacup and spilled tea.
“That girl can be placed in an intermediate class. The others….”
The headmaster quickly scanned Dahlia and me.
“I’m not an applicant. I just came along.”
Dahlia was the first to tell the headmaster the truth, and the headmaster licked his lips before speaking.
“Our Academy also teaches swordsmanship.”
“I know that already.”
“Would you like to visit? You seem to have quite enough magical energy, and you seem to have talent.”
Dahlia pondered for a moment at the headmaster’s words but shook her head.
“I have some connections with the Knight Order. Sometimes, students choose that path after graduation.”
When the word ‘Knight Order’ came up, Dahlia’s eyes trembled.
It was a completely different reaction from when Aila mentioned she was the leader of the Knight Order.
“There are also teachers from the Knight Order within the Academy.”
“Ah, well, that….”
She couldn’t find the right words and looked seriously troubled, which was evident on her face.
The headmaster patiently waited for Dahlia to think it over.
“I’m not saying you must decide right now. Please take your time to think.”
After that, the headmaster’s gaze fixed on me.
To have a discussion, Aila suggested that the rest of us step outside.
Jema and Catherine naturally stood up, but Dahlia tilted her head in confusion.
In the end, Dahlia was pulled out of the headmaster’s office by Jema and Catherine.
Only Aila, the headmaster, and I remained in the room.
Once the three left the room, the headmaster’s eyes glinted as he glared at me.
“So, what exactly is this child?”
“He’s a dragon.”
Upon hearing that, the headmaster jumped up from his seat and approached me.
“A dragon? No way. They have already gone extinct!”
“But it’s true.”
“What’s the proof?”
The headmaster’s question left Aila momentarily unable to respond.
She couldn’t present any solid evidence that I was a dragon.
“There’s no evidence, but there’s a witness.”
“Ririan. What do you mean by that?”
“Just a moment.”
I took the horn given to me from the Demon King and held it in my hand, initiating the conversation.
“I’m leaving.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the Demon King appeared on the table in the headmaster’s office.
“Hello~”
The headmaster, startled by the suddenly appearing Demon King, called him ‘teacher’ instead of mocking him.
“Long time no see, Adele.”
The headmaster offered his previous seat to the Demon King.
“I’ll prove that Ririan is a dragon.”
“But they have already gone extinct, right?”
“Don’t you see that he’s alive?”
The headmaster fell silent at the Demon King’s words.
As he sat closer to the Demon King, he gulped down the tea contained in his cup in one go.
“It’s surprising. A creature thought to be extinct is right before my eyes….”
“I only found out recently. Aila brought him to me.”
At the Demon King’s words, Aila nodded slowly.
“Then, should we place him in an advanced class? No, it should be a top-tier class?”
“Uh, well, the thing is….”
The Demon King began explaining about me to the headmaster.
“So, he knows almost nothing about magic.”
“Considering he has gone extinct, there is no way to learn it… that’s interesting. I’ll give it a try myself.”
“Are you going to teach him directly? Aren’t you busy?”
“Ugh. Things have been getting a bit busier lately. I am busy, but… an opportunity to teach a dragon….”
The headmaster was displaying the same expression that Dahlia had shown earlier.
“Just leave it to the teachers.”
“I’ll keep this child’s identity a secret from the teachers and give him supplementary classes from time to time.”
Thus, my admission to the Academy was decided.
