After finishing reading the curriculum, William turned to Lía. "Interesting subjects. I guess we won’t have many days off for a while." With a small laugh, Lía replied, "You’re too used to being free. On the ship, you were always training in other places, and I know you’re a genius, but you shouldn’t neglect your studies, you know."
"I’ll be very careful, I assure you I’ll be the best in all classes. But we should probably leave now, we’re a bit far from the dorms, and tomorrow will be an interesting day."
William and Lía walked back hand in hand, while other people passed by, staring at them, visibly uncomfortable.
"William, I’m worried about you. Tomorrow, I’m sure they’ll mock us or even try to attack us... You must promise me you won’t act like you usually do and try to be more peaceful."
William took a deep breath, thinking about the possibilities. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t considered it, but all this time, he hadn’t found a favorable answer. Letting himself be intimidated would be a mistake, as it would not only fail to stop the fights but also make them more continuous to the point where he would become a slave to the nobles.
On the other hand, if he defended himself, he would most likely end up offending the most powerful families in the school, and despite not being afraid, he didn’t want to drag his loved ones into it, which put him in a dilemma.
"I promise you that if they don’t try to lay a finger on you, I won’t kill them. But if anyone tries to get clever, I’ll make them regret it for life."
Although it wasn’t the answer Lía expected, at least she had a promise that he wouldn’t seek out trouble himself, though in his mind, it sounded ironic: "either way, trouble always comes looking for you."
Upon returning to the dorms, both said goodbye, agreeing to meet the next day to go to classes together.
Classroom 3B of the academic building was full minutes before the bell rang.
According to the announcement, the bells would ring at 6:00, and they should already be in their classrooms awaiting the teacher.
The walls had a golden color, as if they were made entirely of gold. Additionally, within the walls were symbols written with reinforcement magic, which helped the walls absorb the echo of conversations. The tables were arranged in a semicircle that grew taller as they moved away, similar to the amphitheaters of William’s past life. Each table in the central part was carved from black stone with golden details, giving it an extremely luxurious appearance.
The difference with the outer tables was enormous, as they seemed to be made only of simple wood, as if they couldn’t be bothered with those tables.
William and Lía sat in the center of the room, near the professor’s desk. Their newly issued uniforms already showed some differences. The fabric was the same, but the silver embroideries of the noble houses stood out excessively. Although they had walked all over the academy, they had never seen anyone dressed so extravagantly, which caught them by surprise.
The faces of these students were haughty and confident; even when they turned to look at William and Lía, they showed undisguised expressions of disgust. Some of the female apprentices covered their noses as if the presence of the two tainted their classroom.
Despite everything, no one came to remove them from this area. Even some of the apprentices with less flashy adornments sat on the wooden benches, all thanks to the two stripes William had on his arm, showing his status. Nobles could be haughty, but they weren’t stupid; they perfectly understood the difference in levels, as they had been taught about mage levels since childhood.
A harsh voice cut through the murmur.
"Silence." The professor appeared, carrying a black book that seemed made of leather. She was tall, slender, wearing a black tunic with golden details and carrying a staff. Her arm had no stripes, but on her chest, a silver star adorned her low-cut magical robe.
There was no need to display her power; that star alone made everyone silent, not daring to say anything or even look at her neckline. The professor neither greeted nor welcomed them and simply walked to the blackboard where she wrote her name.
"I am Professor Elnara Venn, Doctor of Magical Structures specializing in Pure Theory. This class is Fundamentals of Magic. If you are here in my class, it’s because you still know nothing. It’s very likely that you all just blindly followed your elders’ instructions like parrots, which means you only have that level in your brains. During this course, we will try to change that. If you can’t, you will be discarded." Her eyes swept across the classroom, only pausing slightly on William before continuing to survey her students.
"Now let’s begin. Mana is the vital energy that surrounds and nourishes us; it can be compared to the vital food that the planet grants us to exist. We resonate with mana, which allows us to attract and absorb it."
"I see that everyone has at least the rank of Level 1 Apprentice, so I won’t waste my time explaining empty things. The exam you took when you entered, where they gave you your affinities, is the analysis of magical resonance. The stone you used is called a pure mana resonator and was discovered by J. Thompson more than 500 millennia ago. On one of his journeys, he accidentally fell into a cave and found an entire mine of that material. While trying to get out, he realized that the stone changed color depending on the person who touched it, discovering for the first time the property of resonance in magic."
As Professor Elnara continued to speak about the theory of mana resonance, a group of three noble students occupying the central seats closest to William and Lía began to whisper among themselves. Their robes bore the seal of well-known houses: one of them, a red-haired boy with slicked-back hair and a crooked smile, constantly looked towards Lía.
"Nice hair for a peasant," he muttered loud enough for both of them to hear.
Lía tensed her jaw, without turning her face, keeping her attention focused on the professor’s lecture while the noble who had spoken chuckled softly, continuing his provocation.