A young girl wearing a fiery crimson dress walked down a garden path, followed closely by a handmaiden. A single glance was all it took to show that this person was someone of the upper class. Her ruby hair, flowing down to her shoulders was decorated with a single, dark maroon rose to the side of her head. Clasping her hands together in front of her, she walked down the stone path, red dress trailing behind her like a long robe.

The garden was very well maintained, all the bushes perfectly trimmed, delicate flowers waving in the breeze. The dormitory, surrounding the huge circular garden, was three stories tall, the occasional noble and their servant seen hurrying through the expensive glass windows.

This place, filled with beautiful plants, decorated with statues, benches, and fountains, was like a greenhouse, carefully managed and protected. It was a miniature paradise, each part existing perfectly with the others.

Treading down the pathway, weaving past rainbow floral arrangements, the girl walked towards the center of the garden, maid loyally following her footsteps. Here and there, she could see a fellow student practicing magic out of the corner of her eye before they quickly vanished out of sight.

Soon, a stone veranda came into view, carved pillars holding up a roof over a group of noble girls. A little bit after, the distant sound of laughter and giggles reached the girl’s ear. Walking closer, she took an ornate fan from her maid, opened it and held it over her mouth. Then, stepping into the shaded area, she inclined her head slightly and spoke with her eyes narrowed, mouth and nose hidden by her ornament.

Greeting the ponytailed girl with the canary-yellow dress and soft brown eyes.

“What a lovely dress you have, Miss Rebecca.”

Saying hello to the girl with the blue lace skirt and short black hair, eyes as clear as the sky.

“Wonderful day isn’t it, Miss Sierra?”

The girl with a green robe and brown curls down to her waist, eyes a bright emerald green.

“Perfect hair as usual, Miss Valerie.”

And the girl with silver hair and eyes, accentuated by a dress of pure white.

“As beautiful as always, Miss Sophia.”

This group of five ladies, each one came from one of the five main noble houses of the country. The five pillars that controlled and upheld the nation of Abron through their ability and gift for magic.

Lady Rebecca, from House Planitia, specialized in Earth magic.

Lady Sierra, from House Fluvius, specialized in Water magic.

Lady Valerie, from House Ventus, specialized in Wind magic.

Lady Sophia, from House Aequitas, specialized in Light magic.

And I, Lady Alvira, from House Calesco, specialized in Flame magic.

Of course, there were many other magical elements, neither weaker or stronger than these five. It was simply that the houses behind them were different and not as powerful as ours.

We of our independent noble houses were raised and trained as possible heirs of our families. Whether or not you inherited the position was not based on age, gender, or looks. It was based purely on your abilities, how well you could manage others, how well could overcome your competitors, and above all, how well you could use and cast magic.

That was our purpose at the world-renowned Royal Institution for the Arcane Arts. An extremely luxurious academy where even the children of foreign kings came to study. Simply being admitted to the school was a great achievement dreamt of by many. This large, prestigious academy was separated into four distinguishable sections, built over four hundred years ago, and constantly being improved and renovated, four areas that would be constantly expanded.

The classrooms, where hundreds of subjects were taught by renowned professors. Alchemy, pyromancy, geomancy, and even necromancy were topics that could be learned from. Hundreds upon thousands of nobles attended these classes daily, passing through the halls on their way to class to study and learn different sigils and magic combinations.

Then there were the research towers where the professors stayed in, where numerous unknown tests and experiments were carried out. Access was strictly prohibited to students unless they were granted explicit access for assisting in experiments, and even under those circumstances, they could not talk about it. The threat of expulsion was just the bare minimum punishment. If you had signed a soul-binding scroll, which was often required for many of the experiments, even death wasn't an unlikely possibility.

Lastly, there were the two individual dormitories, one for males and females. The two of them were larger than a small village and boasted the capacity to fit over ten thousand students each. Both of the dorms were shaped in a massive ring, enclosing in a large plot of land in the center where students could socialize, practice magic, engage in sports, or simply relax. Even if all ten thousand students decided to go out at the exact same time, it would not be cramped in the least bit.

The interior was also of the highest quality. Cafeterias were active all day and night, serving rich foods and drinks. The book collections in the libraries were enormous, encompassing thousands of years worth of knowledge. And the rooms, each with a large bed and personal shower, were even better than the inns that served exclusively for nobles.

It was worthy of its title of the Royal Institution. As its name suggested, the academy was primarily funded by the royal family, though they didn’t refuse offers and donations by noble families in the least bit. Even if a noble family could not pay through gold coins, as long as a student had the potential for magic, there were other ways to pay, whether it be through services or materials.

And, as long as one graduated from this institution, they were almost guaranteed a bright future. Even if they were not the heirs to their houses, as long as they carried the title of a graduate of the Royal Academy, hundreds of groups would compete and fight to hire them for their services and skills. Even other schools would willingly hire a newly graduated student as a professor. That was simply how much the title was respected and held in esteem. A place truly fitting for the five great noble houses to learn and study magic. A place that could actually teach me useful things.

My maid helped me into a cushioned seat at the stone table, then silently stood a bit away from the seats, like all the other maids were doing. Head bowed down, just out of earshot to give enough privacy, yet being close enough to quickly assist with any issues. Most servants of nobles were slaves, but for the much higher class, servants were often chosen from the second or third child of lower status nobles, people who weren’t the heirs. After all, even servants had to be trained with some etiquette, otherwise, they would simply be an embarrassment to us in public.

As I sat down softly onto the cushion, one by one, the other ladies returned my greetings in acknowledgment.

“Miss Alvira, how do you do?”

“Miss Alvira, it’s a lovely day to be out isn’t it?”

“Miss Alvira, you do have to get me one of those lovely little fans sometime.”

“Miss Alvira, I hope fortune has been smiling on you recently.”

One by one, they greeted me back, slowly, in the soft, lilting voice that was so ‘trendy’ of noble ladies nowadays. Really, it made them all sound like grandmothers with stuffy noses. How time consuming, how bothersome the culture of nobility was. Instead of sitting here pretending to be friends and sisters, I would much rather be out and studying magic sigils. That would be so much more productive.

Why aren’t I then? Why am I here then? Why don’t you leave then? It was simple.

It was all for the sake of making「connections」.

We, and many other students were not guaranteed to become the heirs of the house. We were just possible candidates, one of the many children of our noble houses, which sometimes even reached the double digits. To each and every one of us, our peers from other noble houses were less of a threat than our siblings. Any noble which could offer us support would be important to us, who were only students in the present. Even if I was the child with the greatest proficiency in magic, my inheritance would not be assured if I did not create alliances.

Perhaps some of the sons and daughters of the other noble families would insist on one of my siblings being the successor, attracted by ‘benefits’ and ‘gifts’ that they had been promised.

Or perhaps some misfortune would befall me and I would end up critically ‘ill,’ too sick to move and be the head of the family.

Or maybe I might be involved in an ‘accident’ at some remote place, tragically dying to a group of lowly thieves who would then be found, caught, and brought to justice to be beheaded by my ‘family.’

I have no intention of dying like a dog.

No intention of being used like a tool.

Nor any intention of falling behind.

Therefore, for the sake of my future, I engaged in these childish squabbles of manipulation and these games of ‘politics.’ Trying to make allies, trying to steal your sibling’s allies, trying to get the support we needed to win this race to power of ours.

Hm? Did the parents not care about the lives of their children?

Oh no, of course they did, if you were a commoner and accidentally bumped into one of their sons or daughters, you could most certainly be put to death for it.

It was just,

If you actually managed to die from something as simple as this, then you obviously weren’t fit to be a noble child. If a noble could not handle scheming of this level, they might as well die now since they would obviously just die in the future.

‘Well, not like any of the five of us here would let ourselves die so easily.’

Today, I had three specific goals to accomplish, three things I had to do before this ‘tea party’ ended. The first was to find whether or not Miss Sierra had indeed betrayed me and come to an agreement with one of my older brothers, Sir Erik. She was currently constructing a tier two water-based staff, and I had heard a rumor that he had offered her quite a few valuable magic crystals for her support. If that was true, then it was likely that several of her followers had also betrayed me.

The second was to bring Miss Sophia to my side, and if possible, do it without my brother knowing that he had been betrayed. Miss Sophia had two supporters that were siblings of Miss Sierra, so she would likely be bright enough to readily agree to my proposal. After all, even if you had supporters, you had to pay a certain respect and amount of attention to their own wants or they would betray you without a second thought for their own gains.

The third was to see if Miss Valerie would be inclined to provide me a base wind sigil in exchange for me leaving her younger brother’s camp and joining hers. Although many people didn’t know it, wind and flame magic integrated quite well with each other, as ridiculous as it seemed. Most people would believe that wind would put out fire, but after a long analysis and several experiments, I had found several situations in which air currents could actually bolster the magnitude of the flames and increase the heat and temperature. I could’ve asked her brother, but it was likely that he would also betray me and join Miss Sierra’s camp as his interest aligned more with hers than mine.

That was why I approached Miss Valerie with my offer as quickly as I could. If he had betrayed me before I made my proposal, then my worth to Miss Valerie would decrease as it would seem like she was helping me more instead of the other way around.

After everyone had greeted me, I took a sip from the porcelain cup of tea a handmaid had set in front of me. It would be a long while before we dispersed, and I would rather not have my voice sound like a sick animal when we finished.

‘Well then, let’s get started.’

In the middle of a beautiful garden, under the cover of a stone veranda, five noble ladies sat, gossiping.

The trip back to my village had taken a bit longer this time as I had seen signs of a monster in the woods. There had been several large claw marks on the trail that I came from, and no ordinary beast in the forest with talons would be heavy enough to create those footprints, so I took a detour and headed on a circular route. Because of that, it was on my eighth day before the trees started thinning away and I entered the area that the village elders deemed relatively safe.

From here on out, I would no longer be in dangerous and unfamiliar territory, but in the woods that I roamed in during my hunting trips. Looking around, I could already see one of the few dozen locations I had marked in case someone got lost, a tree with a crudely carved arrow pointing towards the village. From here on, it would take less than a day to get back assuming I went as fast as I could.

And I would.

Because every second counted, every second was a possibility that my sister’s fever could get worse and worse.

So I ran, back to my home, my village, as fast as I could.

‘Abby, I’m coming!’

An hour later, a youth was sprawled out on the ground, panting heavily as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I’m, never, going, to do, that, again.” Calvin wheezed out between his breaths.

He had started off sprinting as fast as he could, and was able to keep it up for about a quarter of an hour. Then he started getting tired, but still, he persisted in running. Another fifteen minutes and his body got even worse, hair plastered to his forehead by sweat, but still, he kept on enduring. After three quarters of an hour, his chest, legs, and his entire body was screaming at him to stop and his clothes were soaked with sweat, but he kept persevering, telling himself that he had suffered worse before. Then after a whole hour passed, his vision actually went black for a few seconds, and he tripped and fell on his face.

That was when it came to mind and Calvin realized that it probably wasn’t a smart or reasonable idea to keep running for a whole day, at least, not when he was carrying a bow, a sword, a leather chestplate, a bag full of herbs and cloth, and a quiver brimming with arrows. So he collapsed down, taking a break laying flat down, too tired to sit up.

Laying down for over ten minutes, he finally regained enough strength to weakly take the flask from his waist and hurriedly gulped down the whole container of water. Letting his arm drop to the ground, he closed his eyes and rested for another five minutes before deciding to go.

Wincing as his sore legs supported his body once more, he started off again, this time much more rationally. Several hours passed, as he could see the sky through the branches now, and it started turning dark. He didn’t stop though, and continued on because the village was just a bit farther, indicated by the slow appearance of worn paths. The thought of being able to spend the night in an actual bed, even if it was wooden, caused his feet to move faster as he went from a slow walk to a jog.

He soon came within sight of the village’s farming plots, and slowed down in disbelief. Walking a bit closer, Calvin once again confirmed his suspicions. Not a single mark had been made on the soil.

‘It’s almost planting season now! They haven’t even tilled the land yet!’

In the entire nineteen years of his life, he had yet to remember a single year that the land had not been plowed. Even when it was raining hard, the villages would never forget something as important as this. Once, when the fields were destroyed by heavy rains right after they finished tilling, everyone came out to help, even the women and children worked to get the fields done in time for the seeds. That’s because if they didn’t there would be many who would starve during the winter. Every winter, even with the supplement of hunting, was bitter and arduous, a time when food was scarce and some people were forced to even eat grass and leaves.

The only reason which came to mind was that the fever had spread even further, to the point where even basic food was put aside as a second priority. If that was the case, then the burlap sack full of waterbloom didn’t seem like much anymore……

He hurried faster now, but didn’t see any sign of the wooden huts that were their houses, but quickly after he saw a small group of people in the distance. They were sitting around a campfire, flames and faint wisps of smoke seen rising upwards even though it was still to early to light a fire. After counting the total, there were twelve heads, but Calvin could not make out their facial features as it was too dark, so he yelled out to them and waved his hands.

“HEEEEYYY!!!”

Noticing his presence, the men turned around and looked in his direction.

In that instant, nine years of hunting started ringing and clanging alarm bells in his head, and he felt a new, looming sense of danger. He instantly dropped to the ground and heard a barely audible ‘whoosh’ from right where his body just was. Right after that, a loud thump sound came from his back, and when Calvin turned around, was shocked at the arrow sticking halfway out of the ground.

Stunned still, he stared at it until the sound of loud footsteps cause him to jerk his head back.

The men, who were originally a good hundred yards from now had already covered half the distance as they dashed towards him, getting closer by the second.

He did not recognize any of their faces.

There were only five hundred people in his village. Even if he didn’t know all of them by name, he would at least be able to recognize them. He had, after all, lived in this village for nineteen years.

But he did not know who these people were.

Scared now, he scrambled up and made a mad dash back towards the forest. In a single, clear thought, he remembered that they had a bow. Sprinting as fast as a rabbit, he started veering off the right and left erratically to throw off the aim of whoever let off that first arrow.

Urging his screaming legs on, he miraculously made it to the forest unscathed, though there were more than a few times an arrow landed close enough for him to touch. Once inside, he kept sprinting, for his only thought was to get away as fast as possible. Looking back between the tree trunks, he saw that the group of men hesitated a bit before entering the woods. He would try to lose them in the deeper parts of the forest, Calvin decided. Whoever they were, it was obvious that they didn’t have any good intentions.

Dashing in between the trees, Calvin’s body quickly disappeared from view as the trees became taller, thicker, and more crowded. A little bit after, and not a trace of him could be seen or heard.