Chapter 39 - The Wyvern Headmaster

The next morning, I was once again awoken by Cle’de. This time, however, she was wearing a red school uniform that looked similar to mine and an expression of… was that guilt? Instead of anger.

She also knocked. Which was great, because it actually gave me time to transform back into my human body after falling asleep last night in my potato one.

Rya’de and Ma’ra were back at home, and didn’t notice anything off about their children- or me. They only asked whether I was feeling better and if I needed a cork. I really wondered what Cle’de told them last night.

I was a little excited, like a child would be on their first day of school. Except I was no longer a child.

Finally. Finally. Finally, I would learn real, proper, standard magic that everyone else knew.

“Hey. Hey.” Cle’de said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Right. She and I, both dressed in our uniforms, were walking to school now, down the same path I’d walked with Red yesterday.

“Are… you ok? From yesterday, I mean.” She looked down, black hair hiding her face, but I spotted the barest trace of a blush.

Why was she blushing?

Hmm…

“I’m ok. Why do you ask?”

Immediately, she quickened her pace. “W-well, it wouldn’t be good if you weren’t, would it?”

Now, now. This was a completely different side of her from yesterday.

“Don’t you think I deserve an apology?” I teased, jogging to catch up to her.

She took a deep breath and looked away from me. “I’m sorry.” She whispered.

I couldn’t help it. “What was that? I didn’t quite catch that.” After all, it was only payback. She’d done the same thing to me yesterday.

It’d been so long since I was the one doing the teasing.

“I said I’m sorry, ok?” She turned back to me, her face scrunched up like she was about to cry.

‘Shit. Did I go too far?’

“Hey… I was just teasing you. No need to cry about it.” I said, trying to be sympathetic.

On second thoughts, maybe I wasn’t the best potato to do that. I’d never been good with the ladies, and that was one of the reasons why I was still a virgin.

Thankfully though, Cle’de seemed to have calmed down.

“School begins at nine.” She said coldly. “If you don’t want to be late for the opening ceremony, I suggest we hurry up.”

I sighed. She had turned back to her old self.

“Fine.”

Upon entering the school rounds, we were greeted by a cold looking man wearing a black and white suit. He had sharp, green eyes that stared at us without emotion.

He was tall, but I was taller. We stood almost eye to eye with each other, Cle’de by my shoulder.

“June and Cle’de Harding?” He asked, unmoving. I couldn’t even feel his breath on my face.

Cle’de’s pigtails bobbed as she nodded. She refused to look me in the eye.

“Follow me please.” The man said, and turned around, walking briskly down the marble path.

As we came closer and closer to the school, I soon found myself marvelling at everything, left right and centre. The main building was large enough to be a castle, and definitely passed the fancy check. Just like our school uniforms, the walls and towers were all lined with gold. An impressively large garden spread almost the entirety of the courtyard.

We passed dozens of other students, some of which looked surprisingly old, by the time we’d entered the great hall. The centre of all action. Two floating staircases rose on either side of its entrance, and a stage was set up at the very back. The students all stood in lines facing the stage, with their backs towards us.

On the stage was a white haired woman in a green dress that reminded me strangely of Winter. However, Winter’s grace and poise simply could not match hers- every step she took and every movement she made seemed to flow like the water.

Behind her were four other grey haired men, all wearing suits.

“Cle’de Harding. Line up here.”

The man guiding us- who also looked like the men on stage, gestured to a spot behind a blonde haired elf. As he turned around and smiled at Cle’de, I recognised him as the boy from yesterday. What had his name been? Martin. Cle’de smiled back and quickly moved into place.

Instinctively, I followed suit and stepped behind her, intrigued as to how this boy knew her.

A strong hand rested on my shoulder, stopping me in place. “This is not your spot, June.”

I frowned and tried to turn around, but man, this guy’s grip was strong.

“Hey. I’m supposed to stay with Cle’de. Red said so himself! Right, Cle’de?”

She turned around and blinked innocently. “Did he? I don’t remember anyone saying anything like that.”

This motherfu-

She hadn’t heard because she’d stomped off! How was that my fault?

The man’s grip tightened to the point where I could feel his fingers digging into my bone. I winced and clenched his own wrist with my other hand. Using all my strength, I managed to tear it away from my shoulder.

“Don’t… touch me.” I snarled, panting.

I had no idea why I was being so aggressive. There was something about this guy that made me wary.

He cocked his head sideways, wearing an expression that almost resembled surprise as he rolled up his sleeve. “This is class 3-A’s line. You are in class 1-F. I will now punish you for unwarranted aggression and disobedience.”

He raised his hand up in one fluid motion.

Was he going to hit me?

‘Slow motion.’ I muttered, and the loud murmuring of the crowd vanished. If he tried to hit me, I’d just dodge or block.

As expected, his hand came down in a chopping position, straight for my head.

I raised my hand, all too slowly in this slowed time, above my forehead, ready to batter the blow away. Then all of a sudden, I blinked, and his hand was no longer there. It snaked through the air, blurring, warping, away from my head.

‘Shit.’ I thought. Where was he trying to hit? How was he moving this fast?

His hand became visible once again, now by the side, still in that same chopping position. But this time, it was coming for my… neck?

Desperately, I tried to twist away, but his hand was simply too fast. It was too late.

Crack.

‘Just who is this guy?’ I wondered as my eyes rolled upwards and I felt my body crumble to the floor.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

I did not wake up slowly or quickly. After being knocked out, I only woke up with a sense of disorientation. As my eyelids cracked open, I realised I was lying down. The skylight above me was made of stained glass, depicting ten strange symbols in a circle with each other. One was in the shape of an oak tree, one was in the shape of a…

I sat up quickly and whipped my head violently from side to side. Tall marble pillars, ornate glass and ceramic furniture, large, exquisite paintings of strange beasts hanging on the walls all surrounded me.

As usual, the first questions I had were; ‘where am I’ and ‘what happened’. It seemed like this was beginning to happen more and more frequently.

“Greetings, potato. I had not expected to meet you again so soon. It appears that you are as troublesome as the other royal.” A silken voice said from the other side of the room.

I spun around and stared at a white haired woman who had been sitting so still that I hadn’t caught sight of her before.

“Y-you’re that person. How do you know I’m a potato?” I stuttered as her piercing eyes met mine.

The woman who was on the stage.

She sighed, and flipped a large, leatherbound book shut.

“If Athreial had heard you say that, he’d have you lick the floor.”

Athreial? Where had I heard that name from before?

“I really wonder what you were thinking, taking on a royal wyvern’s guard like that.”

Wait. What did she mean wyv-

Was she-

I stared at the woman in front of me.

No wonder why I thought I’d seen her somewhere before. That white skin. Those light blue eyes. That air of grace whenever she moved. The eerie calmness.

There was no doubt about it.

It was her.

The so-called ‘queen’ wyvern that’d kidnapped me. And those grey-haired men must’ve been the other wyverns.

“You. How are you a human? Aren’t you a wyvern?”

“I am. But aren’t you a potato?” She shot back.

Fair point.

“Just like you, we have human bodies. However, our natural bodies are stored elsewhere and we can switch between them. Our human body will not regenerate like yours if we damage it.”

“Ok, but why are you telling me this? And where am I?”

I looked down, only realising now that I was sitting on a very soft and luxurious leather couch. I wanted it in my castle.

“We are in my office. I brought you here and told you that because I want you to trust me. Us. We are not your enemies and it would be in your best interests to befriend us.”

I had a hard time believing that. “You kidnap me. Lock me up in this place. Force me to do an impossible task and expect me to trust you?”

She stood up from her seat and strode towards me. “Like I’m sure Corvus has said to you many times. You are a threat. To everyone. Don’t you think your situation is quite favourable? We’re giving you an opportunity. Count yourself lucky.”

“I- I-” I wanted to say something back. To shout or scream. But I knew it was no use. I was in the wrong. I slumped on the couch, defeated.

“Sit up.” She commanded. “Don’t dirty the couch. It’s very precious to me.”

“Yes ma’am.” I instantly replied.

“Call me Leanea. Let’s get you to class. You’ve missed the opening ceremony.”

“Right! Wasn’t that important?”

She nodded. “Yes, it was. But it was your fault that you got yourself into trouble. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Figure it- Did she really intend to leave me like this? I didn’t even know my way around the school?

“Wait! Where do I go?”

She sighed and returned to her desk, no longer paying attention to me.

“Athreial will escort you to your first class. I’m quite busy. A headmaster has a lot more important things to do than bring you around.”

At this, the double silver plated doors swung open, and the same man who’d knocked me out gestured to the hallway outside.

I almost instinctively snarled at him, but for my own safety, decided to keep my mouth shut. As I strode past him, I noticed a purple tinge on his right wrist, the place where I’d grabbed him before.