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Karna was just going through the motion of flipping the egg on a frying pan when she heard a knock on the door. “Come in!” She shouted while sending a small trickle of mana to unlock the door. The system was actually quite useful, as were most of the magical systems that she had seen at the Academy. If she were to make a guess, many student projects focused on improving those systems, which meant they were constantly being tinkered with and worked on. The benefits of being a partial research institute on the cutting edge of magic.

“Where are you?” She heard Reinhardt’s voice calling from the door. The space reserved for her, or to the top of the class to be precise, couldn’t really be called a dorm room. It was more like a fairly large apartment.

"In the kitchen," Karna replied as she finished with the egg and started putting the finishing touches on the sauce she was making. She sprinkled in several rather strong spices to flavor the sauce. Thanks to her bloodline, no amount of heat was too much, so she was taking advantage of the opportunity.

“Kitchen? You have a kitchen?” A female voice that sounded like the dark-skinned elf of their class asked.

Karna chuckled a bit as she sensed them all entering the combined kitchen and dining room. “Among other things.” She replied.

"And I thought my rooms were fancy," Rein muttered and immediately started sniffing as he could smell Karna's cooking. "You are aware that the Academy has a rather posh cafeteria, right? Their menus were quite nice from what little I could see during our little tour.”

“Indeed. I heard from the other Leonin students I talked to before coming to the Academy. Apparently, the food served in the Academy is very high-quality, even by our standards.” The gold-furred Leonin said with a deep bass voice.

“I’m aware. But since I was provided a kitchen and I happen to have brought enough supplies just in case, I thought I might as well take this chance to make something for myself. Besides, it takes less effort to cook up something quick than it does to go to the cafeteria. I think I’d also draw quite a bit of attention if I did go there today. It might be better to give people time to adjust first before I show up to draw their attention. My apologies but I didn’t make enough for everyone, as I wasn’t expecting company.” Karna apologized politely. She placed a bowl on the rather large table where she poured the sauce and placed the golden egg on top of a heap of rice. Simple but good. She’d actually been a chef in three lives as there was always more to learn and no one disliked good food.

“We did show up unexpected, so no apologies needed.” The elf girl whose name was Miralen waved the apology away while they all sat down around the table. The girl was fairly attractive with a greyish white hair juxtaposed against her brown skin. It was clear she was some sort of Dark Elf. Her attention seemed to be drawn by the food and she actually managed to look a bit hungry.

“So what brings you here? I sort of figured Rein would show up at some point as we’ve met before, but I do not know the two of you. Not that I have anything against you visiting, mind you.” Karna posed the obvious question.

The three people glanced at each other a bit. “Well, there are multiple reasons actually. It would seem that three of the four of us are the highest-ranked students of the first year, and Rein is ranked seventh, so it made sense to get to know each other after we all sat together during the first class. We all have to pick several elective subjects as well, so it could be interesting to compare notes.” Miralen gave a quick explanation. She also didn’t mention that it was likely the other little groups that had formed around race and previous acquaintance during that class were all doing the same. Cliques were already forming and it was just the first day.

“I also have a proposition.” The gold-furred Leonin spoke. “Oh, my apologies. I haven’t even introduced myself yet. My name is Shaheera Goldmane. Yes, the last name is really that obvious.” He presented his large hand for a handshake. Karna noted that his claws were rather long and sharp as she shook his hand, her tiny hand disappearing in the much larger one.

“A proposition?” Karna prompted.

“Yes. I heard from the older students that I mentioned earlier that teamwork is a frequent theme in the Academy. Specifically, the lessons seem to favor working in pairs and groups of four. Especially in certain classes that involve combat. What better team than some of the top students of the entire year? Besides, I think it would be useful if the four of us got along with a spirit of friendly competition instead of bitterly making enemies of one another. The Academy likes to emphasize competition, and I have nothing against that. However, I think a friendly and honorable competition where we might even aid each other is preferable to one where we'll try to do everything we can to come on top, no matter how despicable.” The Leonin presented his idea.

"The two of us already discussed this and have nothing against the idea, though the whole thing largely depends on you of course," Miralen added while nodding towards Rein. “He mentioned that you would probably not be opposed to…” Her speech halted a bit after she noticed that Karna had still not removed her veil to eat. “If you feel the need to keep your veil on and that’s preventing you from eating, we can come back later.” She suggested finally.

A peal of bubbling laughter came from Karna. "Don't mind it. I'm letting the taste fully soak into the rice. I can keep the food warm with my magic anyway.”

“Are you really planning on keeping your veil on the entire time?” Shaheera asked, sounding curious. Karna could already tell that the Leonin was very curious by nature, and didn’t mean anything deeper with his query.

Rein grunted before speaking. “She has an unofficial bet with my older brother.” He said as if that explained everything.

“Really? What kind of stakes would be worth that kind of effort?” The Leonin leaned forward eagerly.

“We actually didn’t decide yet, and I’m not even sure if we do have a bet. The occasion where the topic came up was a little messy and left room for interpretation. I have a reason for wearing the veil, but I’m not going to do it for forever. Don’t mind it too much.” To demonstrate, she deftly moved a spoonful of the food behind the veil, showing she could easily eat despite the obstruction.

“Well, ignoring that for the time being, how about my proposal?” Shaheera leaned back, looking a bit dejected for a moment. It was kind of funny to Karna how easy it was to read his emotions. All that was missing was a tail wagging according to his emotions. He did have a tail but it wasn’t wagging.

“I don’t have anything against the idea for now at least. We can see how well we get along as time goes by. However, I do have a question. Won’t this cause problems for you? Your compatriot didn’t seem all that pleased with getting upstaged by a girl several years his junior.” Karna pointed out in reply.

“What in the worlds gave you that impression?” Shaheera asked sarcastically. “Brimaz has a lot of pride and not a lot of control over his emotions yet. His passions can be a good thing when channeled right, but they also cause him to lash out. I’m afraid that the two of you will likely never get along. Even if he were to replace you as the highest-ranked student, he would only lord it over you. I wouldn’t take it personally though. It wouldn’t matter who the number one was as long as it was not a Leonin. Although, I’ll grant you that your age didn’t exactly help matters. There’s nothing wrong with a Leonin having some pride, but I’m afraid his has grown excessive thanks to his family. Some among our kind can’t handle the thought of someone being better than a given member of our race.”

“You didn’t really answer my question.” Karna pointed out.

Shaheera laughed. “I didn’t, did I? Will it cause problems? Sort of, I suppose. Not because Brimaz himself, but who he is related to. I’d keep that in mind while interacting with him. They say one’s connections don’t matter in the Academy, and to an extent they are right. However, if your uncle happens to be Ashanti Goldmane, then that can’t but affect things.”

“I seem to recall hearing someone else with the last name Goldmane.” Miralen pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

“Indeed. In a twist of irony, despite our shared last name, I’m not related to him while Brimaz is. That’s just how our last names work.” Shaheera shook his head with a wry smile. “Anyway, I don’t mean to put any pressure on you, but there might be some consequences to aggravating the military leader of the entire Aegean Empire. I doubt Brimaz is close enough to Ashanti to really stir up anything serious, but I would still be a little mindful when dealing with him. I don’t mean being deferential, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to cause him problems and humiliation either.”

“I think I’ll manage.” Karna smiled under her veil. “That said, if you don’t mind the potential trouble, then certainly it would be petty for me to do so. “

“Good. Now then. What electives were all of you considering? It might also be beneficial if we knew some of the strengths of our future teammates.” Shaheera suggested. “To make things easier, I can start. I have four electives to choose. As a spirit bonded, I’m naturally thinking about the initial spirit control and handling course. I think I’ll also aim for tactics and strategy. Incidentally, that’s one of the courses where you need a team, so I would really appreciate you joining as well. On the flipside, I’m not sure about the last two and I’m open to suggestions. I’m a mage of the third circle and a second tier warrior with some experience in leading small groups.”

Rein chose to speak next. “Right then. I'm a third-rank warrior, and I have enough talent with magic to learn some, but I will likely not be a proper mage. My father always describes me as a blunt instrument, and he's not wrong. I'm very good at being a blunt instrument though. Show me a nail and I’ll be the best hammer you ever saw.” He grinned a little proudly. “As for electives, I’ll only get to pick two. Tactics was also my first pick, so that won’t be an issue. For the last one, I would like the spirit handling course, but my brother strongly advised me to take a course called Sword Techniques. It’s a long one, lasting several years, so it’s going to eat into my electives for a while, but my brother said it was one of the most useful courses he has ever taken.”

"As for me, I'm a pure mage," Miralen stated. “I will of course take spirit handling and tactics as well because of how useful those skills will be, but for my last elective I was thinking about the basics of chantless casting.”

“I strongly encourage you to do that.” Karna nodded towards the elven girl. “Learning the basics of chantless casting as early as possible is extremely beneficial. No matter what you choose to specialize in, chanting is always going to slow you down.”

“Thanks.” Miralen smiled in relief. “I was still a little doubtful about my choice, so it’s good to hear a second opinion.”

“No problem. I don’t mind giving you some tips if you have difficulty with the class.” Karna slipped the last spoonful of food into her mouth and chewed carefully before speaking again. “As for me, I have the most space in my schedule. As you’ve all set your hearts on tactics, I don’t mind joining you. I’ll also take spirit handling. My father told me it’s the most popular class for a reason. As for the others, I’ll likely be taking alchemy and blacksmithing. I was considering inscriptions and formations for the last spot, but if you have better ideas then I'm open to it. As for my strengths, I'm an all-rounder, but obviously, I will focus on magic while in the Academy. I'm also an Aura user, so I can handle myself in a fight."

Miralen gave a small whistle. “I had heard rumors about your Aura after the tests, but I didn’t know for sure.”

“Blacksmithing and alchemy, huh?” Shaheera focused on something else. “Interesting choices.”

“Let’s just say that I have certain advantages when it comes to such things, so pursuing that path seems beneficial.” Karna hedged a bit with a small smile hidden by her veil.

“Well, it would certainly be useful to befriend someone with those skills. I was hoping to get ideas about my last electives, but I don’t think any of the ones you guys mentioned really fits my plans.” Shaheera tapped the table with a claw. “I’ll have to think about it. There are too many choices.”

“I could give a recommendation if you’re interested?” Karna offered.

“Sure, why not. Even if I won’t agree, it would be interested in hearing someone’s reasoning.” Shaheera nodded.

“I’m getting the sense that you might be interested in a military career after the Academy. Am I on the right track?” She probed just a bit.

“I’m not sure how much it is because I’m specifically interested myself and how much it’s about my family pressuring me into the military. I’m not uninterested, but that’s partially why I’m at the Academy. I want some time to figure things out without being pressured by others.” Shaheera admitted rather frankly.

"In that case, I would recommend both comparative magic and ritual casting courses. Even if you don't personally want to use ritual spells all that much, there are benefits in knowing what different types of magic users are capable of, and ritual casting, in particular, is very useful for many different fields. Even army commanders would benefit from a competent ritual caster under their command. A skilled ritualist can affect large groups of people much more easily than many other magic users. Besides, I’ve heard that some of the majors and more advanced courses require you to have knowledge and skill in ritual casting. Might as well get it done early.”

“Hearing what she said, I think I'd also join in on those recommendations," Miralen interjected. “Many generals get focused on the abilities of battlemages, and they have a good reason, but that focus often comes with ignorance about the abilities of other types of magisters. It would be very useful to be aware of the capabilities of, for example, warlocks and shamans as well. The Academy is also an excellent place to get that kind of information, as you likely won't have access to such detailed information and lessons in other places. Here, you could actually get lessons from a real Shaman.”

“Hmm. That’s a fair point. I’ll take that under advisement. One question though. Karna, you said you still have one elective you haven’t settled on. Why are you not taking these courses?” Shaheera asked with a genuinely curious tone.

“Because I can get lessons on those subjects from my parents. My father is actually a guest lecturer in the Academy, and he’s quite skilled when it comes to ritual casting. His recommendation carries enough weight that I don’t need to take the class. As for the other one, the class on inscriptions and formations would simply combine better with my other choices. I still intend to take the comparative magic class at some point.” Karna explained.

“Changing the subject for a bit, want to show us around your rooms, Karna?" Miralen asked. “Your place is certainly bigger than ours, and I thought my rooms were already quite nice.”

“I’m not sure if there’s that much to show honestly. I have a kitchen and dining room as you can see. I also have a bath of my own, and then there’s the bedroom, as well as a small training area. None of the rooms are decorated yet so there’s nothing personal to show. Incidentally, I delved into the controls of the place, and apparently I can determine what rooms I have access to. I wanted the bath and the kitchen, but they could’ve been something else. I also haven’t yet used all the allotted space, so I can have another room created for me.” Karna explained.

“Ooh, a private bath.” Miralen seemed pleased with the prospect. “The communal baths are sizeable, but even with just our class, they will get crowded at certain times. Mind if I borrow yours sometimes?”

“As long as it won’t become a habit.” Karna nodded. Of course she had asked for a bath of her own. It would’ve been a little bothersome to wear her veil in the baths after all.

“Wait, we have communal baths?” Rein asked a little surprised. “Mixed?” His tone was almost a little too hopeful.

“You wish!” Miralen stated disdainfully. “No, we have communal baths, but they are gendered, thank the Goddess.”

Shaheera huffed a laugh. “You let your desires show a bit too much Rein. Not a good idea in mixed company.”