"We have an appointment to meet with the administration," Ameliyn said to the gate guard. It wasn't the same person they had run into the other day, but luckily, after checking the appointment book, he nodded his head. He motioned for them to follow him, and he led Ameliyn and Refix into the campus. Kailey and Riley had stayed home for the meeting. They were interested in gaining enough Experience to reach Tier 2 as quickly as possible, but it had been a sort of esoteric goal when they first started. Now that they had begun making the actual flower crowns with higher TIer materials and recognized the challenge, they were fully engrossed in the project. It wasn't just about getting the Experience anymore. Now they were trying their hardest to create new and unique things. It had always been their favorite thing to do, long before they even had their first Tier Class. It was the main reason they were going to Reach Tier 2 while still only 11 years old. Most children, even when actively gaining Experience instead of just the passive Experience gained from the monthly calculations, took nearly the entire three years to reach Tier 2. It's not the same as having a Tier 2 Class while still in Tier 1, but Leveling up so fast must be some kind of record, Ameliyn thought, chuckling to herself as she thought about the reason for her daughter's absence. I told them that if Reivyn was found during the meeting they would be able to meet him quickly, but I don't think they heard me. They were so focused on their task. They probably think that they'll have all the time in the world to spend with Reivyn, anyway. The gate guard led them down the main path. Off to either side was beautiful scenery. There were flowers, plants, walkways, fountains, and all sorts of flowering trees. Ameliyn could feel the Mana oozing off of the plants. Not only the plants, but the paving was full of Mana, as well. Ameliyn had grown up in such an environment, but years outside of Tier 4 Regions had desensitized her to it. Even the time spent in Quron, the Tier 4 Region that was ultimately over Garoq where Reivyn and the girls had been born, hadn't been enough to get her used to it again. The wall of Mana floating about in the Atmosphere upon walking across the threshold into the campus hit her in the face. It wouldn't have mattered either way, though, as the ambient Mana in Wispan, and especially the campus of the Magic Academy, was so pure. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that they were on the border of a Tier 5 Region. She had never formally entered the Magic Academy of Vynn, so she didn't know it was unique to here or if it was common for the Magic Academies to be so saturated. She and Refix didn't show surprise on their faces, though, and they calmly followed the guard. It only took a couple of moments to walk the length of the main road to the administration building. The most magnificent building in the center of the Academy was where the main offices were located, so they didn't need to travel all over the campus to find it. The admin offices related to student admissions and records were on the first floor. The foyer was a large, open space with statues and busts of famous graduates and instructors. There was a Runic pattern inlaid into the bricks of the floor, but Ameliyn didn't know what it was for. She had never received a formal education on Runes, so she only knew a little bit about them. The walls contained tapestries of amazing feats of Casting, and they seemed to tell a story of an empire building itself up into the prosperous nation it was today. She didn't let herself get distracted by the glamour of the ostentation, but she did take note of it. The guard led them to an office clearly labeled. After motioning for them to enter with his hand, he stopped and stood next to the door. He was clearly not going to leave them unattended on the campus. Ameliyn walked up to the counter where a student was manning the position. She gave the young girl a gentle smile. "Good afternoon," Ameliyn said. "We have an appointment. Ameliyn and Refix." The young girl pulled out a folder and opened it. After just a couple of seconds, she found the names and returned the gentle smile. "Of course, ma'am," she said. "The director is waiting for you in his office." The girl pointed to an open doorway behind the counter. Ameliyn thanked the girl and gave her a small nod before turning to walk around the counter. Many students were working in the admin office, and they were all busy ruffling through paperwork. Ameliyn stepped into the office. It was well-lit and fully furnished with all sorts of knick-knacks. Well, knick-knacks to me, Ameliyn amended. They might be precious to him. There were bookshelves full of books. Paper was everywhere. They were scattered on the books on the shelves, and on the desk, and there were piles of them littered on the floor as well. It was not a very tidy office, though the man sitting behind the desk was apparently hard at work at whatever he was doing. He looked up as the two entered, and he set his pen down to indicate for the two of them to take a seat. "Welcome, welcome," he said with a genial smile. "Ameliyn and Refix, I presume?" Ameliyn nodded her head. "I've been told that this has something to do with a student here. I wasn't given the full story, just that there was some sort of discrepancy." "Our son transferred to this Academy from another one several months ago," Ameliyn stated. "The Headmaster of his old school received a System Notification about the transfer, and so we traveled all the way here. It took us well over a month using the portal system between empires, and when we finally get here, his name wasn't on the student roll at the front gate." "Hmm, yes, I can see how that would be frustrating," the man said. "Just let me check real quick..." He pulled out a book from inside his desk and flipped it open. "What was the name of your son, and what year is he?" He asked. "Reivyn, and he's most likely a second-year." The man paused in his search and looked up quizzically. "Most likely?" He asked. "Our son disappeared in a Dungeon three years ago when he was a first-year," Ameliyn clarified. "I don't know if his transfer was one-for-one or if he was advanced a grade or anything." "I see," the man said. "We'll just have to check them all, then. It's not much of an imposition. The names are in alphabetical order and updated every month." He flipped to the first-year portion of the student roster and scanned the contents. He didn't find what he was looking for there, so he continued to the next year. He flipped through the entirety of the book, and just like the gate guard a couple of days before, he finished without finding what he was looking for. "You say the Headmaster of his previous school received a System Notification about his transfer?" The man queried. "That's right," Ameliyn answered. "Ok. Then I'll take a different tack." He put the roster away and pulled out another folder. "You said it was several months ago?" He asked again. Ameliyn answered in the affirmative. "Alright. I'm going to check the transfer documents." Just to be safe, he went back five months from what Ameliyn could tell from the title of the folder tab. There weren't nearly as many pages within the transfer folder as there had been in the roster, so the man moved through them very quickly. Finally, upon reaching the third tab, he stopped and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Aha!" The man declared. "Reivyn transferred from Garoq Magic Academy to Willowan Magic Academy. Recommendation: Sophia..." The man's eyes bulged, and he spluttered on the name. "Sophia Willowy - gulp - Approved by Headmaster Rupert." Headmaster Rupert? Ameliyn thought. Was that the man who tried to recruit the girls the Headmaster? He was strong enough to be. And who's this Sophia girl? Ameliyn's hand clenched without her noticing. "Ahh, there's a special note here at the bottom," the man said, calming down. "'Will not be added to the student register until he arrives to check in.' That explains it." "I'm sorry, what was that? What explains what?" Ameliyn asked. "It says he won't be added to the student roll until he gets here. He hasn't checked in yet, so that's why he's not on the roll." The man shrugged his shoulders. "He's not here yet." "He's not here," Ameliyn repeated back in a deadpan voice. Her lips drew a severe line in displeasure. "Then how was he transferred to this Academy if he's not here?" "It says right here," the man pointed at the piece of paper. "'Recommendation: Sophia Willowy." "And who exactly is Sophia Willowy that she can get a student transferred to the Academy without their presence?" Ameliyn continued to ask. "Willowy is the name of the Imperial Family," the man answered. "So that would be Imperial Princess Sophia Willowy." "Imperial Princess!" Ameliyn was shocked. What is that boy doing?! We've been worried about his well-being, and he's been out here seducing little girls. Ameliyn grit her teeth. We'll just have to figure out a way to meet this Sophia. "Since this involves my son, how do I get an appointment with this Sophia?" Ameliyn asked. "You don't," the man answered. Ameliyn quirked an eyebrow at the answer, and he continued. "She's no longer a student here. This transfer was signed by the Headmaster himself, which means that he was personally involved. The Headmaster isn't usually the person who approves the transfers. You can meet with him, but you'll have to wait another couple of days while we schedule you an appointment." Ameliyn turned to look at her husband. He looked back at her with a gleam in his eye. Ameliyn frowned and elbowed him in the ribs. He just chuckled. This no-good man... "Oh, right!" Ameliyn suddenly remembered something. She pulled out a card she had received a couple of hours ago and handed it across the desk to the man. "We met a student who gave me this card saying I could use this to meet with her through this. Would it be possible to get into contact with her or one of her teachers to try and speed things up?" The man glanced down at the card, and his eyes once more bulged. He instilled some Mana into the card to verify the claim and then choked on his tongue. "Kefira?" He looked up at Ameliyn with a strange look in his eye. "You met with Kefira?" "Yes? Is there a problem?" Ameliyn was taken aback at the response. "Kefira Willowy? The younger sister of Sophia Willowy?" "What?!" Ameliyn was shocked as well. She had had an inkling that the girl was a member of the nobility, but she hadn't guessed that she was one of the Imperial Princesses. "Well, if there isn't another girl named Kefira who's a student here, then that would be her. Auburn hair with ruby-red eyes?" "That would be her," the man said, inclining his head. "She doesn't live on campus, obviously, and if you just met with her, she's not attending any kind of classes today. I can get you in contact with her mentor, though." "Let's do both," Ameliyn answered. "Let's get an appointment to meet with the Headmaster at the same time. If one doesn't pan out, the other might." "I like the way you think," the man said with a smile. He handed the card back to Ameliyn. "Ok. Just give me a few moments to pencil you in, and then I'll escort you to Magus Farril." "Thank you," Ameliyn said with a smile. "We really appreciate it." "No problem, no problem," the man answered back. "Normally, I would get one of the students to take you, but since it involves the Imperial Family... You understand." "I certainly do," Ameliyn replied. Her smile turned sardonic. The admin officer quickly made the appointment note for Ameliyn and Refix to meet with the Headmaster. He got up from his desk and motioned for them to follow him. He handed the note to the girl at the counter and told her to make a copy and give it to the receptionist for the Headmaster. If there had to be any changes to the time of the appointment, the receptionist would let him know, and he could tell Ameliyn before they left the campus. He walked them out of the administration building, dismissing the gate guard on the way, and took them deeper into the campus. There were more buildings all over the place, each one connected with various walkways. Students roamed about the grounds. They didn't just walk, though, and Ameliyn witnessed several groups practicing Magic. There wasn't any offensive Magic being cast; that was all reserved for the official training grounds. The admin officer led them to a building near the library and headed straight in. Magus Farril, Kefira's mentor, was on the fourth floor, and they quickly ascended the stairs to arrive in front of his office. The admin officer knocked on the door, and a reply came for them to enter. "Magus Farril," the admin officer greeted an older man sitting behind a desk. There was a youth around Reivyn's age, maybe a few years older, sitting in one of the seats. "Ahh, Mage Caris, what can I do for you?" Magus Farril said. "Well, not so much for me as these two," Caris motioned toward Ameliyn and Refix. "They've come here to find their son." Magus Farril assumed a skeptical look at the statement. "I know, I know, but here's the deal. He was transferred here from a different Magic Academy with Princess Sophia as the sponsor. He's not actually here yet, and they wanted to meet with her to find out what's going on." "I see," Magus Farril said, nodding his head. "And you want me to ask my student Kefira to get them into the palace? Is there any reason she would agree to such a thing?" Ameliyn handed over the card once more. "We've met her already," she said. Magus Farril did the same thing that Mage Caris had done. He infused his Mana into the card to verify its authenticity. Once he was satisfied, he handed the card back. "That certainly makes things easier; however, she's not on campus today," Magus Farril said. "She was originally supposed to be training with me today, but my disciple came in early after his expedition, so I've been dealing with him. I gave her the day off." "Everything has to be complicated, doesn't it?" Ameliyn muttered under her breath. Refix noticed her shoulders slumping, so he reached out and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. "That being said, I have an official position in the palace," Magus Farril continued with a smile. "If you're willing to wait a little while, I can take you there to meet with Sophia." "You would do that for us?" Ameliyn perked up. "Certainly... after you subject yourself to a lie detector. Nothing fancy. You just have to state your purpose in the visit in the presence of someone with the Skill at a High Level, and I can let you in." "Great!" Ameliyn exclaimed. "We'll do anything we need to to put your mind at ease in letting us into the palace." "Master, why don't we go now?" The young man spoke up for the first time. "We're basically done here, and I can go meet with Kefira since we weren't able to spend too much time together today. She's going to be my fiancée soon, anyway, so I should really go see her." "Sure, I don't see why not." Magus Farril nodded his head with an indulgent smile for his disciple. The two of them got up from their seats. "Since Magus Farril is going to take you to the palace directly, do you want me to cancel your meeting with the Headmaster?" Mage Caris inquired of Ameliyn. "Yes, I don't think it will be necessary now," Ameliyn said. "Thank you so much." "You're welcome. Since you're going to be going to the palace with Magus Farril, I'll let him escort you off campus." With that, the admin officer took his leave. Ameliyn and Refix filed behind Magus Farril and his disciple and headed toward the exit of the campus. Magus Farril turned his head and addressed Ameliyn. "So, out of curiosity, why are you using such a roundabout method to gain entry into the palace?" He asked. "What do you mean?" Ameliyn was confused. "Why don't you just use your diplomatic standing?" "Diplomatic standing?" "Well, yes. Aren't you from an Imperial Family of another empire?" It was Magus Farril's turn to be confused. His disciple was slightly taken aback and gave her an appraising look. "Why would you think that?" Ameliyn asked. "Come now, I've been a Court Magus for a long time," he said with a chuckle. "While I don't recognize the exact Affinity that has so seamlessly fused with your aura, I can tell it's one of rulership. A quite sophisticated one, at that. Along with your bearing and mannerisms, it isn't too hard to put the pieces together." "Well, I don't see any harm in telling you," Ameliyn said with a shrug. "It's... complicated. You've guessed right. I am from an Imperial Family of another empire, but I don't have any diplomatic standing. Not here." She paused and looked Magus Farril in the eye. "Not anywhere." She let a little melancholy enter her voice. "Ahh, I think I understand," Magus Farril said. "I apologize for prying." "It's fine," Ameliyn dismissed his concerns. "It happened a long time ago." Magus Farril led Ameliyn and Refix, along with his disciple, through the streets of the capital toward the palace. They climbed the slope of the tallest hill in the city, and Ameliyn laid eyes on a familiar yet unfamiliar scene. She hadn't had much reason to seek out the palace in Quron, so it had been many years since she had laid eyes on an Imperial Palace. This one was just as magnificent as any she had seen, and it brought forth many memories. Most of them were pleasant and filled her with wistfulness, but some were not so pleasant. It had been many years since she had thought about the evening she and Refix escaped her home. Refix, always the attentive husband, once more sensed her mood and squeezed her hand in comfort. They made their way to the front of the palace, where they were stopped by some of the Imperial Guards. The guardsmen's bodies stiffened when they laid eyes on Refix, but they didn't reach for their weapons. They could clearly tell that Refix was a significant threat. Magus Farril gave Refix a thoughtful glance before addressing one of the guards. "Sergeant Lencet, good day," Magus Farril greeted. "I have here a couple who are acquainted with Princess Kefira, and they wish to meet with Princess Sophia about an issue with the Magic Academy. I told them I could arrange it if they simply spoke the truth where someone could tell. If you don't mind, sir?" Sergeant Lencet gave a brief nod before focusing his gaze and intent on Ameliyn. The other guard never took his eyes off Refix. I guess they can tell that I'm a threat, too. "Our son was transferred to the Magic Academy with Princess Sophia's sponsorship, but he hasn't arrived yet," Ameliyn simply stated. "We wished to meet with her to find out where he is." Sergeant Lencet stared at Ameliyn for several seconds before turning to Magus Farril. "She speaks the truth. Not only that, but there are no hidden motives behind her words," Sergeant Lencet said. "Her focus is almost entirely on her stated task. So much so that if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have thought it was possible to be so focused. Everyone usually has something else weighing on their minds, but this lady does not." Ameliyn was surprised at the answer. She had expected a simple, "yes, she's telling the truth." The sergeant had gone into great detail to extinguish any suspicions for her, though. Why would he do that? She didn't have time to wonder, though, as Magus Farril thanked the man and led them into the foyer. "Wait here for one moment, please," Magus Farril said to Ameliyn and Refix. There were several groups of older gentlemen standing around discussing various topics of politics. Magus Farril crossed the foyer and entered the open double doors, where Ameliyn could see even more people before a man and woman sitting on a pair of simple thrones. Magus Farril's disciple spotted someone he was acquainted with and took his leave, as well. Ameliyn didn't have time to look around much more as one of the older gentlemen detached from his group and approached them. He walked up with a smile on his face and gave a short half-bow to the couple. "Good afternoon," the man said. "I saw that you were escorted by Court Magus Farril. Are you attached to the Magic Academy, or...?" Ameliyn smiled at the friendly older gentleman. "No, sir, we are not," she replied. "Count Magus Farril has taken it upon himself to help us with a personal matter." The older man's smile slowly turned into a frown as he looked back and forth between Ameliyn and Refix. He didn't seem like he was getting hostile or annoyed with them, so Ameliyn didn't press him on his expression. "The two of you seem awfully familiar for some reason," he said. "My name is Bellefrent. Have we met somewhere before?" "No, sir, we've just arrived in Wispan not long ago. Just a couple of days, in fact," Ameliyn answered. "I see... I wonder what it is, then?" He tapped his lip in concentration. He didn't have long to ponder the issue, though, as Magus Farril came back out of the room and approached them. "They'll see you now," he said. "Princess Sophia is already in attendance." "Thank you," Ameliyn said. "Don't mention it." Ameliyn nodded to the older gentleman, who responded with a wave. She and her husband walked across the foyer and entered the petition hall. Many people were standing on either side. Some of them watched the pair approach the thrones, where another young lady had appeared standing next to the seated woman, but most of them ignored them. Ameliyn and Refix stopped at an appropriate distance from the seated pair. Ameliyn glanced at the younger girl standing next to her mother, for who else would be seated there but the empress? Her brows furrowed before her gaze moved to the empress, and their eyes immediately locked. There was a sense of electricity in the air as they stared at each other. "Are you the ones looking to meet with my daughter?" The empress asked. "Yes," Ameliyn answered with a simple nod. "Though looking at her now, she seems... average." All sound in the room immediately ceased. All eyes were focused on Ameliyn, but she paid it no mind. "I'm sorry; what did you say?" The empress slowly stood up from her seat. "Did you just say my daughter is... average?"