Robin seated herself between Moei and Ibaraki, sipping minimally at the juice? She couldn’t tell, but it tasted peculiar almost like a breed of overwhelming spices. The saccharine fueled by the spiciness was a flavor to behold; too bold and much too different for her taste buds.

They were taken to the back of the bookstore, where they met with the owner’s apprentice. Her name was Maya, according to the professor. He ordered her to look after the shop and gave a cold glance at Robin.

Maya rolled her eyes calling the owner “old fart” before making way to complete her task. The owner didn’t seem to mind it, but if Robin were to ever have the guts to call her professor that, she’d be expelled before she could even spell it.

Despite her youthful beauty, Maya seemed like a big ball of teen angst and anger enough to compete against the sun. It took away from her honey-colored hair, hazel eyes and light freckles dotted across her cheeks.

Honestly, the particular personality displayed by Maya wasn’t something Robin was very fond of. Rather, she preferred if people were more respectful, and displayed appropriate mannerism. After all, one’s manner contributed to their attractiveness and maybe reflected their intellectual capabilities.

The room lit up from the dangling magical orbs Robin had tested before, hanging by the thin chandelier. It gave the room a nice homey glow in shades of orange and yellow. Stacks of paper and books surrounded the room and even clothes and plates of moldy food were evident that the owner failed elementary hygiene.

It made Robin not want to drink from the mug anymore, setting it down politely. In the back of her mind, she made a mental note to rinse her mouth thoroughly.

“About the magic school…” she commenced.

“Ah, yes. Well, the magic school in Xaexaviel Empire is the most renowned in the continent. Many kingdoms from all over the continent, send potential geniuses to polish their abilities. The school has an entrance exam, but the most talented are often waived from the exam. Even though many people are able to use magic, those who have talent are able to get in.” Alden explained.

The thought of Harry Potter crossed her mind; trope evidently present, yet she couldn’t deny the curiosity rising from her. At the same time, Robin did not want to be part of any school drama that may accompany through its competitive nature. High school had its misadventures, cut-throat competition, students clobbering you at any chance to rank a bit higher, and people who seemed to live off initiating meaningless dramas.

“There’s going to be competitions correct?”

A nagging feeling poked at Robin, causing the corners of her eye to twitch.

“Correct! Every year, the academy hosts a magic competition for each year. Many famous officials and royalty will be scouting for potential talents. However, to qualify for such competition, only the top 50 may be eligible.”

Backings? Talent scouting? Sounds like college applications.

Robin pondered for a moment, rubbing her chin. The magic school was like a debut for the world to see. It wasn’t anything different from job interviews, internship, or college applications. Only the far talented individuals will get chosen and backed by strong countries and the not so talented will disperse and do their own things.

In the light of this competitive world, it was great news for Robin. These were the geniuses she needed to help in her research.

There seems to be more of a political incentive to all this.

A clear visualization of a chess board appeared in her mind. But unlike normal chess, this spanned five times larger. The pawns would resemble the students, and the other pieces would represent the backers, with the King as each individual countries. It was why founding a country was very important as a stepping stone to the advanced stages.

“May I ask if there is a clear political incentive for this sort of competition. Like, any power unbalance, or hostility between kingdoms?” Robin cautiously inquired, staring directly into his beady blue eyes.

The exciting twinkle dimmed, leaving only a solemn look. He sighed taking a sip from his mug, “You seem to be very insightful of things, young lady. Xaexaviel is a leading contender of military strength governed by the six major families. With Xaexaviel as one of the strongest military power across the continent, it’s inevitable for strong rivals to gut this kingdom out for its riches. Thus, the competition is as important as the king’s coronation.”

“I see. However, if things are as is, it will only be time when the stalemate is broken. War will possibly be an outcome correct?”

Robin watched as he smoothed out his long beard, a spark of wisdom prevalent in his eyes compared to their initial meeting. “War will most likely erupt from it, however, this kingdom is protected by a mutual treaty between five other kingdoms. It’ll be far off in the future when war occurs.”

“But of course, I’d be dead by then,” he chuckled probably at his blissful mortality.

Robin could only offer a wry smile. “By any chance, could you tell me the date in which the admission process will be held?”

“Of course. It will begin next month at the capital. The first of next month. As a matter of fact, I’d gladly recommend you to the institution, but in return, I’d like request if you could look after my apprentice.”

I don’t want to watch over her though. She seems like an annoying brat. Plus I don’t have magic, maybe someone could go in my place.

Robin was about to decline but held her ground. There were more benefits at stake, but she didn’t want to tie herself to such troublesome requests. She recalled the way Maya treated the owner, babysitting her and keeping her out of trouble, especially with the kind of attitude she possessed Robin would be tagged as an acomplance.

“About your apprentice, you want me to keep a watch on her and protect her?” she questioned, skepticism present on her face.

“Yes. My form of recommendation will guarantee better housing and prioritize your ability to choose the teachers and classes you want. Of course, that includes, entry to parts of the school that normal students would not dream to enter.”

“But how can you guarantee, I’ll pass the examination?” Robin continued to probe. She wanted to blurt out that she didn’t have magic power, but held her tongue back. But then she did recall her locked status page and had a good hunch after the program finished downloading, something miraculous will occur. Probably.

Hopefully. If not, I’ll have someone else take my place.

The owner smiled, “I just have a hunch, or intuition that you’ll do well on the examination. You give off quite a strong magical presence emanating off of you.”

A visible frown appeared. That was not true, but Moei and Ibaraki did indeed have strong magic capabilities, so it must be from them and the old man assumed it was from her. Also, how could this man trust a stranger he just met? Robin pushed the thought aside and decided to accept his terms.

“It’s a deal.”

With that, Robin got up thanked the owner for his time and left the quaint shop after she had received a formal letter written by the owner.

This man holds more secrets than I do.

Robin thought, glancing at the black envelope with golden borders. With a sigh, she placed it inside her messenger bag along with the pile of books. They said their goodbyes and left the store with the parrot sqwaking at them.

“Master, will you enter the school?” Moei suddenly spoke.

Robin turned to look at the stoic girl. “Yes, I had made the deal and intend to uphold my end of the bargain. Besides, it may be the first stepping stone to my long-term plan.” Robin smiled before continuing, “I’ll tell you more after we return. But for now, let us taste what this town has to offer.”

They approached the nearest tavern and went inside. A blonde waitress led them to their table and offered her recommendations for lunch. She would occasionally sneak glances at Ibaraki, but he showed no facial movement.

After ordering, the waitress hurriedly ran into the kitchen only to come out with their cool drinks. Robin noticed clothing on her chest area seemed to be deeper than before. The waitressed laid the drinks on the table, before bending extra low when she placed Ibaraki's drink on the table, enough for her ample cleavage to show.

From the corners of her eyes, as she took a sip of her drink, Ibaraki’s eyes seemed to twitch in agitation. The beverage reminded Robin of fruit juice but held more of a woody flavor to it. Before long, the food was served, and the waitress yet again attempted to seduce Ibaraki to no avail. Instead, Ibaraki emitted a threatening aura that had her hair stand on its very own, even more so with the young waitress paling retreating back into the kitchen.

“By the way,” she began, “Do you have any idea why the store owner claimed I have a strong magical presence?”

“What the owner said is true, Master does give off a strong magical presence.” Ibaraki replied.

Wait...what?

It was impossible. She tested it before, during the second day. She attempted to cast a simple fireball spell, with only an error message. Furthermore, she was unable to transfer mana into the stones.

Status.

Everything was indefinitely locked, the bar still remained a stalemate with just a sliver of percent advancing. Her health bar remained the same, but her mana bar was full. Could it be that her mana was the cause of this?

But I shouldn’t be able to have mana in my body? Right?

She pondered on this, creases forming on her forehead. The small icon redirected her attention from the corners of her eye. It was the Battlemage class emblem and mentally hovered over it until the info page popped up.

Class locked.

It probably explained why. With or without the class being locked, there was no specification preventing the hp bar or mana bar to remain the same as her own character. The notion came from the novels, so it became a normalized knowledge that did not hinder her in any way, but still...

Slightly shaking her head, Robin took a bite of what seemed to be a salad. The leafy greens were not exactly “green” rather it was violet and a few in the shade of red. A few blue leaves peaked out and there were pieces of cubed meat that delightfully melted in her mouth. It held a peculiar flavor, not terribly bad but still an unusual palette.

Ibaraki's face itched in protest.

“The food is fine, Ibaraki. You should try it. I don’t think it’s that bad.” She pointed out, taking another bite of her salad.

Ibaraki turned to his plate of grilled meat before cutting an elegant bite of the juicy meat. He took a bite and found the taste of human meat to be way better. Per the wishes of his Master, he diligently ate at the meat, not while giving a quick glance at Moei munching on a large piece of purple leaf.

Moei slowly chewed on the piece of leaf with some sticking out from her mouth. At least she seemed to be enjoying her salad without restraint, from the sight of her puffed cheek and beaver like chewing.

“Artificial,” Moei spoke after finishing her meal.

“Artificial?” Robin she raised a brow.

Moei nodded, “Taste artificial.”

Ahh...Robin didn’t know how to reply. Moei probably had a sensitive taste buds.

They paid for the food and left the tavern. The next stop Robin planned to visit was the guild building, where she planned to join but would have to placed on hold since she would be attending the magic school.

If she could guess correctly, the higher the ranking in the guild, the more power guild groups would have. It was all based on a questionable source.

Robin believed relying on such books held some form of merit, since most tropes that had occurred remained respectively correct. The magic school, world transfering, overpowered companions, and probably eventual political conflicts were...

Linear plot line, huh?

However, if she intended to go through with her plan, she would need a firm power hold whether it be in politics, military, or trade. A very particular novel followed the same path, but in retrospect, how will it pull off?

What would they do?

Humming to herself, she attempted to reach deep into her memory for any recollections the novels had taught her about traveling to another world. Establishing was the optimal option, and guild seemed to be another pathway toward the same end goal.

Who better to do that then?

“Moei, Ibaraki. I need a favor from you guys. Actually more like a long term mission.”