One lecture, a couple of magic lessons, and a whole two days later, we have finally arrived at the capital city of Noctus, Amarande.

“Look, Selene. That is the capital city.”

Teacher pointed out the window at the huge gate wall in front of us. It’s easily the tallest wall I’ve ever seen, not only that, it stretches super far as well. I can’t even see where the wall ends and curves.

“Wow, the city must be huge!”

“This is the newly built outer ring. There are three rings that make up the city, the inner ring belonging to the royal family and the middle ring for the aristocrats. Hundreds of years ago, the current king, Malvis Emrick, approved of a clause for commoners and merchants to create settlement outside of the city. It has since been officially recognized as part of Amarande, with an outer ring wall created to defend the city.”

“Ooh!”

Outside the gate to the town, a long line of carriages has been backed up for the past several hundred meters. Being the carriage of teacher, we are currently skipping past them and heading for a special gate meant only for nobles. As we rode past the various carriages, I spotted something of interest.

“Hey teacher, I think I just saw a human! And an elf as well!”

“Ever since the completion of the outer ring, a large merchant sector has been established, making Amarande the commercial center of Noctus. Merchants from various nations come here to do business.”

“I see, are there dwarves and beastmen too?”

“Dwarves, occasionally, but beastmen, no. Their homeland, The Great Plains, is rather far from where we are.”

I recall the world map which I have seen before, if I’m not wrong, Noctus is in the far southwest of Elderant, with The Great Plains being in the far northeast. I guess that makes sense.

“I didn’t expect there would be so many people here. I’ve never seen so many people ever!”

“That’s because of the Magic Festival. Although the elves in Ayrshire have created many of the greatest mages the world has ever seen, they remain an isolated nation to outsiders. Due to that fact, Noctus remains the leading nation in magic development and trade.”

“I see. When does it start anyway?”

“Tomorrow, in fact. Starting from the second week of July, it continues until the start of the Royal Academy academic year in August, for a total of three weeks.”

“No wonder there’s so many people trying to get in.”

“Previous I told you about the four main attractions to the Magic Festival, the merchandising takes place all three weeks, but the other three events only last a week each. Most people come for the merchandising and Magic Showcase, which takes place within the first week.”

“Is teacher going to leave after the first week too?” I hesitatingly ask.

“Fufu, don’t worry. I’ll be here until you start your school year. I have some things I need to do anyway.”

Hearing that, I gleam with happiness.

“Thank goodness.”

I then feel Mary patting me on the head.

“We only have three weeks, so I’ll be doubling up on your etiquette lessons to make sure you are prepared for the academy, okay?”

Mary was smiling but her eyes weren’t. I usually enjoy her head pats, but this one feels very sinister. As I contemplate on the hellish recap of my etiquette lessons that are about to take place, the carriage suddenly came to a stop.

I peek out the window and see papa handing the guards a piece of parchment. The guard read the papers and quickly bowed, then waved his hand and the gate opened. As we moved into the town, a huge bustling scene appeared before my eyes.

Many people walking around carrying boxes, children playing in the street, buildings stacked shoulder to shoulder with each other, selling various fares. A huge sign that read ‘Get the latest household magic items here!’ followed by a restaurant-like building that stretched four floors high with the name ‘Maybel’s Kitchen.’ Every second, something new that I’ve never seen before came into view.

“Wooow! This is amazing!!!”

“Well, they sure clean up nicely at least.” Teacher commented.

“Hm?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Anyway, right now we’re heading to the hotel I usually stay at. The ‘Crystal Tear,’ it’s within the middle ring, you can see the gate for it coming up pretty soon.”

As I turn my head forward, the large inner gate leading into the middle ring soon came into view. I thought it would take longer with so many people walking around, but as we rode by, everyone made way for us. Most people went about their day, but occasionally someone would stop and stare at us. Teacher is famous after all.

Once we made it to the gate leading into the middle ring, papa once again handed over the previous papers, and the guards let us through. Inside, the distinct difference between the outer and middle ring made itself clear.

The outer ring was lively and bustling with people, while the middle ring was calmer and more organized. The people I see walking around are wearing pretty and clean clothes, leisurely going about their day. The buildings are different too, most of them are built out of stone compared to the wooden buildings of the outer ring. The pristineness of it makes it hard for me to tell that these were built a long time ago.

Soon, we arrived at a huge ten-story building, the placard in front proudly displays its name, the ‘Crystal Tear.’

“Alright everyone, time to go.”

On queue with teacher’s statement, our door to the carriage was opened by someone wearing a butler outfit.

“Greetings, Duchess Babylon. We have been expecting you. The tenth floor has been reserved and prepped, as per your request.”

“Good.”

Teacher signals me with her eyes and we began departing the carriage one by one. Papa handed the reins of the carriage to one of the workers it seems and joined us.

“Do you require any assistance with your bags, my lady?”

“That won’t be necessary. We will be fine from here.”

“Understood, your grace. Breakfast has been prepared and will be brought to your abode within the hour.” He answers with a bow.

“Very good.”

Teacher answered with a nod and then proceeded to walk into the building, the rest of us following her while papa gathers our bags and carries them. Entering the building, a row of maids and butlers greet us with a neat bow.

“Welcome to the Crystal Tear, Duchess Babylon.”

Teacher acknowledged them with a nod and moved on. This must be the place teacher stays at every time. The inside of the building looked even more incredible than the outside. A large fountain in the middle, stone-carved statues decorating the atmosphere of the room, and beautifully scented flowers all around that pleasure the senses.

We continue walking forward and arrive at the reception desk.

“Greetings, Duchess Babylon. Here are the authentication bracelets, and the item you requested delivered has arrived. The transportation array has also already been prepared.”

Teacher picks up a couple of thin silver strip-like objects, along with a gold plated card from the maid at the reception desk. I can feel mana faintly emanating from the objects. Teacher examines the card for a quick second and nods, then continues onward to the right. We follow her through a door into a room, inside a large magic array was laid, with two maids standing at attention.

“This is a teleportation array that will take us directly to our room. Everyone, in the center.”

As we step into the array, I can feel the magic pulsing under my feet. Once we were all settled directly in the center, teacher signaled at the maids. They knelt down and started pouring mana into the runic formation, and it started glowing brightly. Soon, a bright light burst out from the array and next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of an extravagant lobby.

“Where are we?” I inquire.

“This is the lobby area of the tenth floor, there is a connecting teleportation array underneath this carpet we are standing on. Everyone, take one of these bands and place it over your wrist.”

Teacher hands each of us the silver strip from earlier. Once we placed it against our wrist, it wrapped around and formed a comfortable bracelet.

“Whoa! What is this?”

“The specialty of the Crystal Tear is teleportation magic. These bracelets let us use the teleportation array in that room over there to exit to the first floor. It is automatically configured to recognize this bracelet and send a signal to the first floor, from which they will activate the array and teleport us down.”

“That’s amazing.”

Teacher smiles and pats my head. She then raises the other item she picked up from the maid earlier.

“One last thing, here you go Selene. Take it and try pouring your mana into it.”

Teacher hands me the gold-plated card from earlier. I grab it and start pouring my mana into it, causing a couple of words to appear. I read what it says.

“First-year Amarande Royal Academy Student - Selene McDowell…!”

My eyes shine and I look back up at teacher. She smiles and continues speaking.

“This is your identification card. Don’t lose it, alright?”

I give teacher a big hug.

“Yes!”

Teacher pats my head and continues.

“In the event that you do lose it, it has special attunement magic in it that has already registered your mana. All you need to do is use ‘Locate Object’ and it’ll automatically teleport to your hand.”

“Understood!”

“Good. Alright, soon I will need to head out to a meeting with someone. Mary, Abel, it’s fine for you guys to take the rest of today off and go relax if you want.” Teacher says with a smug.

“Y-yes, thank you, mistress,” papa answered nervously.

“Selene, is there anything you wish to do?”

I think for a bit and figure that I might as well take this time to do some exploring. This is my first time in such a big city after all.

“I want to explore the city, can I?”

“Sure, as long as you have that ID card, no one will dare bother you. One thing to note though, use of magic outside of Academy grounds is prohibited unless you have special permission. Keep that in mind.”

“Okay.”

“Alright, let’s put away our luggage. After breakfast, you are all free to do as you wish.”

“Yes, mistress.” Papa and Mary both replied.

Inside this luxurious lounge, there are many well-designed tables and couches placed throughout. Behind where we landed was a big door, which I assume is the general exit. To the left was a small room teacher pointed to which held the teleportation array. Finally, on the right side was five doors leading to various bedrooms, each room had its own private bathroom area.

I sat in the lounge playing with my gold card while Mary and Papa stored our luggage, with teacher sitting near me reading her notes again. After about 30 minutes or so, a knock resounded through the big door.

“Come in.”

A butler and two maids opened the door while rolling in with a cart with covered porcelain plates.

“Pardon our intrusion, Duchess. We have prepared breakfast for your party of four.”

The butler lifted the cover off the plates and carefully explained each dish.

“Today we will be serving back bacon and eggs, seasonal vegetable soup, and mulled wine. Along with our house-baked bread, each ingredient is carefully selected from the best the ‘Golden Crown Company’ has to offer.”

Teacher nodded and the maids started carefully carrying over our dishes onto the large dining table not too far from where we were sitting. Once they finished, they neatly retreated back out towards the door.

“Enjoy. One of our staff will come to collect the plates as soon as you are done.”

With that, the butler and two maids left the room. Soon after, Mary and Papa had finished their unpacking and came out to join us in the lobby. Together, the four of us enjoyed and nice relaxing breakfast.

“Wow, this is so good. Not as good as Mary’s cooking though~”

Mary smiles on my complement and continues her meal. The back bacon was especially good, but something about Mary’s home-cooked pasta and sandwiches suits me way more.

Once we finish with breakfast, Mary took me into my room and got me dressed for the day. Today’s outfit will be a medium-cut frill skirt that ends just above my knees and a short sleeve blazer.

Once I finished getting dressed I put my ID card in my pocket and we head out into the lobby and join teacher and papa near the teleportation room. Once through, a similar magical array was set on the floor in a small simple room.

“Follow me.”

Teacher stepped into the array and it instantly started shining, once she reached the center, she disappeared. The rest of us do the same, once we step into the center, our surroundings started to change and we appeared in a room with the two maids from earlier.

“Welcome to the first floor. Anytime you would like to retire to your room, simply return here.”

After the greetings, we exit back into the first-floor lobby. Where we were greeted by a butler.

“Is there anything we can do for you, Duchess?”

“Yeah, take me to the Royal Academy, third campus.”

“Understood. A carriage will be drawn shortly, a moment please.”

The butler signaled to someone standing in the back with his hand and they both walked outside.

“Alright, I will wait for my carriage, but the rest of you can feel free to start your day.”

“Understood.”

“Okay!”

Mary, papa, and I exited the hotel into the clean streets. Once outside, we were once again greeted by the butler we first met when we arrived.

“Greetings, is this your first time in Amarande? Do you require any assistance?”

Mary simply stayed silent and papa awkwardly answered.

“Uh yeah, can you point me in the direction of the shopping district.”

The butler paused for one second, examining the two, before responding with a bright smile.

“Yes, of course. Down that path and to the right is a store named the ‘Orchid Branch.’ I’m sure you will find everything you need there.”

“O-okay, thank you.”

“And young lady, is there anything I can help you with?”

He moves onto me with his steady bright smile.

“Um, I’m not sure, this is my first time here and I want to explore.”

“If that’s the case, I recommend the Amarande Royal Park that is a short 10 minutes walking distance that way. It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful parks in all of Noctus.”

I look in the direction that leads inwards toward the center of the town and nod.

“Okay! I’ll start there. Thank you!”

“No problem at all.”

“Papa, Mary, I’m off! See you guys later!”

“Be careful, okay?” Mary warmly says.

“Yeah! Got it!”

With that, I part my ways with Mary and Papa and head toward the direction of the Amarande Royal Park.

Or that’s how it should have been.

“Yep. I’m lost.”

It’s been an hour and I haven’t seen anything that looks like a park. Where the heck am I? I was walking in the direction the kind butler pointed me in and on the way, I saw a stray cat and decided to play with it for a bit. After petting it for a while, I continued on my path and ended up in this random alleyway.

“What should I do…I can’t use magic…”

It was at that point I heard someone calling out to me.

“Oh? What’s a cute girl like you doing here?”

A boy about one head taller than me with a confident look on his face called out to me. He had two tall bodyguards standing behind him. The boy had short blond hair and clear blue eyes. Even though his eyes aren’t red, I can tell from his ears and fang peeking through his lips that he is clearly a vampire.

“Um, I got lost trying to find the Royal Park.”

“Oh dear, that is unfortunate indeed.”

He walks closer and starts circling me, examining me all over. It feels a little weird.

“Um, I think I’m going to go back. See you!”

As I try to walk back the way I came, I feel him catch my arm.

“Wait, leaving so soon? But we just met. Why don’t you join me for some tea back at my place. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.” He says with a smug.

I try to struggle free but can’t.

“Um I appreciate the offer but, I really have to get going. Can you please let me go?”

“Tch. I tried being nice, but if you want to play it that way, I guess I’ll have to teach you the hard way. Don’t you know who I am? I’m Cassius Marco, heir to the Duke Marco household. A bumpkin like you should know better than to refuse a request from me.”

He tugs at my arm and I couldn’t resist with my physical strength.

“Hey! Stop, or I’ll-”

“Or you’ll what?” He says with scorn.

I couldn’t finish my sentence. I recalled what teacher told me a while ago, that magic was prohibited here. As I panic, thinking about how to get away, suddenly a voice yelled out behind me.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I turned around to see a girl one head taller than me, wearing a full blazer and long pants, with two girls standing behind her wearing the same blazer but with skirts. She has long brown hair tied in a ponytail and they all have a noticeable silver sword emblem pin on their blazer.

“Tch. What I do is none of your business. Don’t you guys have anything better to do?” He answers, letting go of my arm.

I pull back towards the wall as the group of girls walks up to confront him.

“Cassius. Need I remind you that this area falls under the jurisdiction of the Royal Academy? Should I report that you yet again tried to abuse your family position to solicit other students?”

The boy named Cassius didn’t answer, simply staring at the girl in scorn.

“Hmph, whatever. I’m tired of this dirty alley, let’s go.”

Cassius walks away, taking his two bodyguards with him. Once he exits the alley, I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Are you okay? A girl like you shouldn’t be walking around these parts alone.” The girl walks up and asks.

“Ah, I’m okay. Thanks for your help.”

“That’s good. No problem at all.” She smiles.

“What year are in? Do you need me to walk you back to your dorm?”

“Uhm I’m a first-year student. Here’s my ID.” I say, suddenly remembering that I have my ID card with me.

“Oh?” The girl grabs my card and then raises her eyes. “A golden card? McDowell? Which family is that?”

“Hm?” I answer in confusion.

“...Allow me to introduce myself. I am Liliana Bethram, 2nd daughter of the Duke Bethram household. Currently, I am a 2nd year Knight Division student and a part of the Disciplinary Council. I was on my routine patrol when I saw that you needed help.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Since you’re new, let me explain to you the value of that card. Gold ID cards are only issued for members of Duke households and above. If you had waved that card at Cassius earlier, I’m sure he would have given up.”

“Really?”

Liliana hands me back my card and I stare at it. I silently thank teacher in my heart.

“So, Selene, was it? I don’t doubt the validity of your card but...I’ve never heard of House McDowell before. Is your family a new Dukedom?”

“Ah, I don’t think so. I think it’s because of my teacher that I have this card, Duchess Babylon.”

“What...did you say?”

The girls standing behind Liliana gasp in shock along with her inquiry.

“Duchess Babylon…has a student? I see…”

Liliana stands there with a contemplating look on her face, before finally continuing.

“Well, in any case. I’m glad you’re alright. Although this area is under Royal Academy jurisdiction and is usually very safe, occasionally we have people like Cassius who abuse their family name, as the Royal Academy is open to all students that have talent, not just nobles. If you run into any trouble with them, just use your card, I’m sure they’ll back off.”

“Okay, I got it.”

“Where were you headed, this area is a little bit...ill-fitting for girls to be hanging around.”

“I was trying to find the Royal Park, but I got lost on the way.”

“The Royal Park? I see. I can take you there if you’d like.”

“Could you?! Thank you so much!”

Liliana brightly smiles and answers “No problem at all.”

Liliana then gently grabs my hand and leads me, I feel my face getting a little hot, I must be tired from all the walking. Together, we eventually arrive at the entrance to a huge park.

“This is the Amarande Royal Park, heralded as one of the most beautiful parks in Noctus. If you’d allow me, I can give you a tour.”

“That’d be great!”

The tour lasted two hours and afterward, Liliana took me for a walk around town, showing me various other places as well, during which I chatted a bunch and learned a lot about the school.

The Royal Academy can last up to six years, with promotion depending on your grades and performance. If you fail to promote twice, you are kicked out of the school. Additionally, the last two years are optional and you can skip grades under special permission. The school is divided into the Magic Division and the Knight Division, however, both division students attend general education classes. All students year four or lower must live in the school dorm, with some special exceptions for Duke Households and above.

I also learned that Liliana is top of her class at the Knight Division and she has a brother named Demitri. I talked to Liliana about how I became teacher’s student, leaving out the part about my adoption by papa.

Once we finished chatting, it had already been about five hours since I left this morning. Realizing the time, I received some directions on how to get back to the Crystal Tear hotel and parted ways with Liliana.

***

“And that’s what happened!”

Back at the hotel, everyone was already back and waiting for me. Mary scolded me for staying out so long without a word and I told everyone about my adventures today.

“I see...So that brat Marco’s kid dared to mess with my student hm? Maybe I should pay him a visit.” Teacher says with a sinister tone.

“Mistress...I concur as well.” Mary followed with a flat tone.

“Uhm, it’s really okay guys! Liliana helped me out after all!”

Teacher simply sighed and shrugged.

“Well, if you want to leave it be, then so be it. But if that kid comes bothering you again, let me know okay?”

“Y-yeah, of course.”

Teacher sounded scary so maybe it’s best that I avoid Cassius from now on. For his sake.

“Well, sounds like you had an eventful day Selene, did you at least have fun?” Papa asked.

“Of course! It was tons of fun! I can’t wait to meet Liliana again in school!”

“Oh my, it seems like the serious boy has some competition now.” Teacher chuckled.

“Huh?”

“Nothing nothing. Anyway, tomorrow is the start of the festival. Let’s go have dinner and then rest early today.”

“Alright!”

Tomorrow is the start of the Magic Festival, and in three more weeks, I will finally start my school life!