Our break ended swiftly as we made our way back to the academy, and I dragged my tired body straight to my bed, Macaron following closely behind, looking equally drained. My mind, however, was flickering back to the previous night, and I couldn’t help but smile at the memory.
The cruise ship had been a whirlwind of laughter and joy, and last night at the karaoke room was a highlight I’d never forget. Although all I wanted was to sleep, my friends had insisted I stay awake and join in on the fun. I had initially agreed, thinking I could just enjoy the performances instead of participating, but that plan quickly fell apart.
As I sat enjoying my iced tea, I watched them sing and dance their hearts out, laughing at their silliness. I was enjoying watching them that it felt impossible to leave. They sang one by one and the only ones left were me and Edge. Of course, they couldn’t force Edge to sing or else they’ll end up swimming in the middle of the sea. Yet, when it was my turn, their encouragement turned into pestering and I found myself cornered into picking a song. They watched me with eagerness.
I sighed. Here goes nothing.
"Let me be the one—" I began, but before I could continue, Christian swooped in like a hawk, snatching the mic away from me.
"I think you don’t know the lyrics yet," he said sheepishly, scratching his head. "I’ll sing it for you instead so you can sit down."
"But I only sang the first verse!" I protested, trying to grab the mic back, but Christian held it out of reach with a forced grin.
"N-no, it’s okay," he insisted, looking a little flustered. "We’re sorry for pestering you even though you’re tired from our exam."
I shook my head vigorously. "I’m a fast learner! Once I know the tune, I can sing it perfectly. Here, I’ll sing another song." But before I could begin again, Christian swiftly covered my mouth with his hand. "Mmmpf!"
Frustrated, I turned toward the others to ask what’s wrong with him. But they were trying to hold their laugh. Rex, unable to contain it anymore, burst out laughing.
"Is there something funny?" I asked with a serious tone, but his laughter only got louder.
"You!" Rex answered however, the others slowly stopped laughing.
"And why’s that?" I said, slowly crossing my arms.
"Are you chanting a spell right now?" Rex began, oblivious to the way the others were sneaking away. "I know you’re a witch but heck, even the cries of a baby are more soothing to listen to than you screaming instead of singing—guys?"
Soon, everyone but Rex vanished from view, leaving him sitting on the long sofa alone.
"Say that again?" I asked, my smile creeping into a look that felt both mischievous and downright terrifying.
Rex’s smile faltered as he stammered, "Ahh... hehe... I mean your voice is great?"
Without missing a beat, I grabbed him by the collar and swiftly tied him to a chair so he couldn’t escape.
"W-wait, where did you get a rope out of nowhere?!" he exclaimed, eyes wide.
Ignoring his protest, I turned the karaoke machine on full volume and typed in the song numbers.
"Why am I the only one tied up? I wasn’t the only one who laughed at you!" he whined, panic evident in his voice.
The rest of the group was gathered in the corner, watching with equal parts interest and dread, but they quickly fell silent under the weight of my glare.
I smiled sweetly at them. "Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. You all will be my audience while I sing my heart out."
Their collective shudder was almost comical, and just then, I saw Christian bolt toward the door in a desperate attempt to escape, but it was locked tightly no matter how many times he rattled the handle.
"Christian~" I called softly to him, raising the key that opens the door in a teasing manner.
They all paled as the music began to play from the karaoke machine, a prelude to the chaos that was about to ensue.
"N-No wait!" they shouted in unison, rushing toward me to cover my mouth, but it was too late. I belted out the words with all my might, while they flinched and curled up, desperately trying to cover their ears.
"STOP! Give me a chance to cover my ears, you witch!" Rex screamed, tears brimming in his eyes, and I nearly burst into laughter. "So unfair! Why was I the only one tied up?!"
My memory of last night faded as I was slowly lulling to sleep but my smart watch suddenly jolted me awake with a persistent beeping.
I groggily threw the watch across the room, muttering to myself about checking it later. But my respite was short-lived, as the watch continued to ring out three more times.
With a grumble, I reluctantly got out of bed and searched for my wayward watch. I opened the first email:
This is to inform the first year students that today at 8 P.M., various guilds will be releasing their lists of chosen cadets for the Guild Orientation Program. Selected cadets will be contacted via their smartwatch. We hope you’re one of the chosen cadets!
I groaned. It was exactly what it sounded like. The program lets cadets, who didn’t have much else to do over their summer break, to observe experienced heroes working in their perspective guilds.
As I scrolled through the rest of the notifications, my initial annoyance turned to surprise when I saw that not one, not two, but four guilds had invited me. I frowned as I read through the messages, my eyes settling on a familiar name: Royal Dominion.
Remillia Lockhart, this is Royal Dominion and we would like to invite you in visiting our guild. You can choose to ignore this offer but if ever you choose to accept it, please go to this location written down below:
We hope to see you tomorrow any time!
I couldn’t help but wonder if Whitney was behind this invitation or if it was her guild. Shrugging off the thought, I decided to deal with it tomorrow. For now, I just wanted to get some rest.
With a final glance at the watch, I tossed it onto my nightstand and climbed back into bed. The guild orientation program could wait; my sleep was far more important.
The next morning, I woke up to the sun streaming through the curtains, illuminating my room. As I lay there, the thoughts about the guild orientation program whirled around in my mind as I stroked Macaron’s feathers. Should I choose Whitney’s guild? What about the others? Or maybe I should just ignore all of it and sleep through the summer break instead?
[Won’t you join the program instead of doing nothing?] The system’s voice suddenly broke through my thoughts.
"System?" I muttered, barely opening one eye.
[Do you have someone talking to in your room?]
This system is still feisty as ever.
"Why are you here anyway?" I asked, attempting to bury my head under my pillow and shut out the world.
[I got bored so I came here to pester you.]
"Get lost," I grumbled. "I’m just gonna sleep this whole break and I deserved it."
[Oh? But I remember you saying in the first place that you wanted to become a hero. Why don’t you join this program to see how heroes do their jobs?]
That comment hung in the air, and I couldn’t shake it off. Ignoring the system’s taunts was harder than I anticipated, especially since I remembered that I indeed said to myself that I’ll become a hero.
Because of the system, I’m beginning to get curious as well. Since I messed up some of the plot, I need to go to make sure that some of it haven’t changed. Content orıginally comes from novel•fire.net
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the imposing Royal Dominion building. It was magnificent—towering and regal, with gleaming glass reflecting the sun’s rays. A wave of trepidation washed over me as excitement bubbled beneath the surface.
[Good luck on your orientation!] the system chirped before falling into silence again.
I went straight to the lobby and asked the receptionist.
"Good morning, I’m Remillia Lockhart, and I was invited to be a part of the guild orientation program."
The receptionist raised an eyebrow at me when she heard my name and muttered under her breathe, "Bootlicker."
Now’s my turn to raise an eyebrow. Even though it was a whisper I can clearly hear it because of my ability. Me? Bootlicker? What did she mean by that?
"Just go upstairs, tenth floor." The receptionist was smiling although I can tell it was fake. I didn’t answer her as I went to the elevator. I was waiting for it to open when someone talked to me from behind.
"I’m glad you accepted the invitation."
I saw Whitney wearing a formal attire and her hair in a ponytail. This is the first time seeing her dressed .
I nodded. "I might as well accept rather than doing nothing."
"Let’s go," she gestured me inside the elevator. "I think the other one will be coming late so I’ll roam you around first."