After an uncomfortable meal, they made their way to the next class—one that Melody seemed rather interested in. Perhaps if he hadn’t heard her monologue in the dorms earlier about the Bloodmend phial, Michael might have been surprised.
The trio walked into the classroom, a dimly lit and musty room that felt a few degrees hotter than outside. The first thing that assaulted them was the pungent smell of magical herbs—but they were not pleasant.
It was a sulfur-like scent that seemed to tickle the back of one’s throat.
There were rows of tables set up, each space with a black cauldron atop it and a space with various ingredients. At a glance, Michael counted around fifty—meaning they would likely have to partner up with another student for this class.
"Let’s go find a seat quickly," Melody said, grabbing Rudy’s arm and directing him to one of the front rows.
"Huh!? Let go of me you unchaste woman~" Rudy pulled back, almost sending the girl that was a head shorter than him flying.
Clearly taken aback at being rejected so openly, Melody was left stumped, while Michael almost lost it laughing. His hand flew up to his mouth, preventing the belly-rumbling laughter that threatened to escape.
Rudy however looked horrified, turning to Michael as if to explain. "Look man, I didn’t touch her—she grabbed my arm herself. Maybe she thought I was you for a moment." He hurriedly spoke, clearly wanting to set the record straight.
But it was the panic in his expression that caused Michael to lose it, his laughter finally escaping his mouth. The sound drew the eyes of all the students filtering in, followed by murmurs and whispers among each other.
"Don’t worry man, she’s just excited for alchemy class," Michael said, patting his friend on the shoulder, his laughter now barely under control.
He leaned in and whispered, "Melody doesn’t have many friends, and she doesn’t know how to make them. I know you’re not pining for her, so in future you don’t need to make a big scene." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel(ꜰ)ire.net
A look of understanding appeared on Rudy’s face as he accepted the explanation, nodding along slowly. "It all makes sense now..."
Without another word, Rudy walked over to Melody and wore an apologetic expression, "Sorry about that, I reacted on impulse," he said, sincerely.
Melody’s expression changed slightly, and it seemed that she was going to accept his apology—or at least that was the case until Rudy opened his mouth again.
"I know you don’t have any friends other than Michael, so I’ll be happy to be your friend." He said, flashing her a brilliant smile and extending his hand.
The girl’s smile froze, her expression darkening visibly.
Michael felt danger, but his body was so tense from trying not to laugh that he could not run away even if he tried.
"Um, could you please all take your seats..." a small voice called from the front of the class—barely audible above the chatter of the students.
Michael was too absorbed in what Melody was about to do to hear the voice either.
Yet as the girl was preparing mana on the palm of her hand for whatever punishment she was about to dish out, the woman at the front of the class fished out a vial from her robe.
The glass vial’s contents were green and looked rather harmless, at least on the surface. Without a word she tossed the vial into the air and towards the empty space between the front desks and the professor’s desk before placing a finger in each of her ears.
In the next moment, the glass shattered upon the stone floor—but the sound was dwarfed by the loud explosion that sounded like a thunderclap within the classroom. Plumes of gray smoke billowed out from the site of impact, both blinding and deafening anyone nearby.
Some of the student’s screamed in fright, but their voices sounded muted thanks to the ringing in their ears from the explosion.
Michael felt discombobulated, having no knowledge of who or what had attacked them. The gray smoke filled the room, making it so that he couldn’t even see his hand in front of his face.
He could already imagine the panic in the class at this moment.
Are we under attack? Who would dare to do this in Arcadia? Are they not afraid of the Headmaster?
His mind raced as certain possibilities flitted through his mind, each more outrageous than the last.
In the next moment, a strong wind began to blow, causing the gray smoke to move, clearing up his vision. It was then that he noticed a glowing green magic circle hovering in front of a small figure at the front of the class.
All those present looked towards this figure with a mix of apprehension and confusion. Could this be the culprit of the attack?
She was small in stature, almost shorter than Melody at a glance. Her long brown hair was tied up into a high bun and she wore large round glasses that seemed to take up half of her face.
The woman seemed rather meek, not someone who one would think to cause such a disturbance. She opened her mouth to speak, yet no one could hear a thing, still affected by the loud explosion that had rattled them earlier.
"Ah fuck, I messed up again..." she cursed, clicking her tongue with annoyance.
She waved her hand behind her and a piece of chalk began to move along the board, writing in neat script.
"I am professor Mia, please take your seats. Class will begin in a few moments."
Many of the students looked at her incredulously, clearly still stunned by the recent explosion. Michael too was suffering from tinnitus, his mind lagging behind.
Professor Mia gave a frustrated look before waving her hand again—the chalk moving so fast on the blackboard that it started to smoke.
"Your ears will recover, now hurry up and sit down before I explode another vial."
This time, the effect was instant. Even those who were affected the most by the blast quickly got their butts moving, finding the closest available seat in record time.
Michael found himself seated with Rudy on one side and the red-headed Lilly on the other, his gaze moving to the unassuming professor—a hint of fear in his eyes.
This woman is dangerous... Maybe even more than professor Quinn, he remarked in his heart.