4. Karla, Karla della Cascata (1)
The student dormitory, mainly used by the students, consisted of two buildings facing each other.
Around the middle of the buildings, a bridge connected the two. Despite its size, the student dormitory had a modest feel.
“Aivan, we might have to part ways here. First, we gather in our respective classes and then regroup for a full assembly. Are you in the East or West class?”
“Ah, you mean the class…hold on…”
The students were divided into groups of five and assigned to two classes—the East and West. Ivan had been assigned to the East class.
“Ivan is also in the East class? Great, me too. It’s a relief to have a friend in the same class. I feel better now.”
Emil smiled as he looked at Ivan. With a smile so pure, it was hard to believe Emil came from a noble family. Ivan hesitated, unsure how to respond, but Emil grabbed his hand and led him toward the dormitory.
“Here we are. This is the supervisor’s office.”
Standing in front of the supervisor’s office, designated as their meeting point, the two took a deep breath simultaneously. Ivan could not help but feel tense, wondering who his classmates would be. Emil, on the other hand, was worried about who else might have been placed in the same class.
“There’s no need to worry. Everyone seemed like good people.”
As Ivan said this, encouraging both Emil and himself, he knocked on the door and entered.
The sunlight streaming into the office illuminated several chairs. The modest office only had two occupants seated, and there was no sign of a supervisor.
A woman with long black hair and violet eyes sat leaning back in her chair, arms crossed and legs tucked together. A bit farther away, a man with short, blonde hair was absently playing with his hair as he sat awkwardly in his chair, his large, bear-like frame making him hard to miss.
‘Is that Liam? Definitely not a mage, so it’s easy to remember… But who’s that woman? Was she among the qualifiers?’
Ivan entered cautiously, smiling awkwardly. From behind, Emil’s nervous groans could be heard, but once Ivan stepped inside, Emil hesitantly followed into the office.
“I… everyone, nice to meet you—I’m Ivan, Ivan Kontadino…”
The woman merely smirked and turned away upon hearing Ivan’s introduction, blatantly ignoring him. Though Ivan became somewhat flustered by this, the man’s warm greeting somewhat soothed his discomfort. In contrast, Emil, noticing the unwelcoming atmosphere from the two, looked for an empty chair and sat down beside Ivan.
“Uh, Emil.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you know who they are?”
“Hmm…well, the blonde guy is probably…Liam Puko, who ranked sixth in the qualification exams. He’s not from the Empire but is a foreign noble known from a famous family of knight-mages.”
“Knight-mages exist?”
“They do. But I still think the Empire’s magic corps is stronger.”
“I see…then who’s the woman?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen her before.”
Even Emil didn’t know… Ivan stared at the woman’s back, deep in thought. For a moment, he wondered if it was Carlo. Black hair, violet eyes—it fit Carlo perfectly, but Carlo was male, so it couldn’t be him.
“Do you have any guesses?”
Before Ivan could voice his thoughts, Emil had already noticed his hesitation and asked.
“I… I’m not sure. I’ve never seen her before.”
That’s when the office door opened.
The door swung open, and a radiant silver-haired girl entered, illuminating the room as if sunlight itself had stepped inside.
Upon seeing her, Ivan’s face lit up. And when this girl noticed Ivan’s reaction, a bright smile appeared on her face.
“Regina!”
“Iiiivan!”
The girl quickly rushed over and grabbed Ivan’s hand. The joyous smile she displayed was completely unguarded, her youthful innocence shining brightly.
“I never thought we’d end up in the same class, Ivan!”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so either. Meeting you here is truly nice, Regina.”
“Um, Ivan, do you two know each other…?”
“Oh, right. Yes.”
Only then did Ivan realize he had forgotten about Emil, who was standing beside him. Considering they’d be classmates for a long time, introductions were necessary, but meeting Regina after so long had distracted him.
“This is Regina. Regina Parma. She’s an old childhood friend of mine. We were separated when Regina went abroad for study ten years ago. Regina, this is Emil. Emil von Aufschtik.”
“Aufschtik…”
Regina’s face tensed slightly upon hearing the name. Even though she came from a noble family, the presence of a great noble like Emil was intimidating.
“It’s fine to relax, Regina. A friend of Ivan is a friend of mine.”
“Well then…”
“In any case, Regina, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Ivan smoothly changed the subject, drawing Regina’s attention and alleviating her nervousness. Regina slowly relaxed and looked around before speaking.
“Is Carlo in another class? I thought about saying hello to him during the qualifying announcement, but I didn’t.”
“It would have been nice if Carlo was in the same class. Unfortunately…”
“Really, it’s so noisy. Aren’t we in a schoolroom?”
A cold voice interrupted Ivan mid-sentence. Husky and low-pitched, yet still somewhat youthful, the voice drew the attention of everyone in the room.
It came from the girl sitting near the window, the one with long black hair. Her face was still turned away, but she let out a derisive snort and looked out the window.
“You two have talked enough. We should all keep it quiet.”
“I guess so.”
Realizing they had been talking loudly, Ivan, Regina, and Emil instinctively closed their mouths and glanced around nervously.
—Drrrrrick.
The door opened again, and a familiar figure entered. A woman with fiery red hair like burning flames—the same person who had supervised the entrance exam.
“You’re all here. Do you remember me? Have you all at least introduced yourselves to one another?”
“Yes!”
Only three voices replied.
Ivan, Regina, and Emil.
“Hmph, that’s enough. It doesn’t really matter anyway.”
Regina quickly moved to her assigned desk toward the back of the office.
“As you know, I’m Alina. Alina Patrone, your instructor for the term. Judging by how far apart you all are, I assume you’re not exactly close yet.”
No answer came.
Though none of them confirmed it, the three sitting side by side quietly greeted her with small “please take care of us” and Alina briefly nodded.
“You may not realize it yet, but students who make it into the same class at the Central Academy will probably see each other until graduation, whether you like it or not. In some ways, you could consider each other family… or rather, even a married couple.”
At the mention of “married couple,” Regina quietly glanced at Ivan. A small blush adorned her bright, energetic face.
“You’ll know each other’s magic as deeply as family members living together. So, getting acquainted with each other through introductions would be a good start. Also, since none of you will likely volunteer on your own, I’ll set the order for you. The big guy first, and we’re going clockwise.”
Caught off-guard, the muscular man scratched his nose and stood up. Scanning the room with sharp eyes, he muttered.
“I’m Liam Puko. Nice to meet you.”
Although his introduction was brief, the tension in the room remained. His fluent empire language still carried a distinct foreign accent, increasing the awkwardness.
“Re, Regina Parma! My specialty is… uh, knitting! I hope we can all be good friends! Nice to meet you all!”
Regina’s cheerful introduction managed to lighten the mood somewhat. Even Liam, who had been sitting far away, changed his crossed-arm posture and looked at Regina.
“Ah, I’m Ivan. Ivan Kontadino… a commoner. Nice to meet you all!”
“Ivan, in the Academy, there is no distinction between commoners and nobles. Exclude such unnecessary introductions.”
“Yes, understood, Instructor!”
“Next.”
After Ivan finished his brief introduction, Emil stood up next.
“I’m Emil. Emil von Aufschtik. Nice to meet you all…!”
Finishing his introduction abruptly, Emil quickly sat down. Now only one person remained—the mysterious woman.
She glanced around the room with an irritated expression.
“Hurry it up. We’re all waiting.”
Spurred on by Alina’s urging, the woman reluctantly stood up.
She was tall—unusually tall for a woman. Even Liam couldn’t help but stare at her stunning beauty and prominent presence.
“…I’m Karla. Karla della Cascata. That’s all.”
In that moment, Ivan froze. Regina’s eyes widened in surprise.
And even Emil gasped and muttered, “Eh?” in astonishment.
