Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

If there was one fault that could be presented in Kraelonia Academy's education system, it was this—being a high-leveled Swordsman or Mage does not mean that one is also an accomplished Professor. They had the talent, the battle experience and all the horrible trauma that goes along with being a veteran, but not the ability to teach.

Unfortunately that was a lesson in and of itself.

"For today's lesson, I think we should…" Professor Uriel sat down on the grass and rubbed his face. "We've all sparred last time, haven't we? Yes, the potion and people who had to give a light scratch. Nobody made much progress. But I guess it's time for me to tell you guys another story from my time back then as an Adventurer—"

Somebody raised their hand.

"Questions after the story, Calum." The Swordsman eyed the Archer with some slight reproach. The man crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, "Now which one… Of course, we've already discussed me during the dungeon raids at Fifane."

One will not have to discuss or even mention the pitiful levels that Swordsman Uriel had as a Professor. And one doesn't even need to point out that the Battlemage Howard Carnus has the penchant for driving out Students that were too troublesome for him to teach. Even the Wizard Lavelda who was more scholarly than her peers had the frequency to suddenly go off the rails during a lesson—

At this very moment, the woman was discussing the possibilities of where the mandrake came from. "Mandrakes, no—we're not going to discuss the etymology of this." The woman tapped her rod on the table. "This plant did not occur during the Human Drake Wars of the last centuries. But it does look like a man, or a baby—"

Even Timothy had to draw a line on what information he had to absorb and which one was just fluff for his ears. It was awkward coming to the Class late but the Professor was thankfully too unattentive or just didn't care that he came in late—although the looks he received from his classmates, especially as he made his way to the back of the room was mortifying.

After an hour, the class would come to its end and what soon came after it was what everyone was looking forward to.

Lunch.

.. .

Han was almost sure that Sir Leon de Harrington would nag him once the class was over, but instead, they had a thoughtful and even pensive look on their face. The man had almost forgotten that it was lunch time until Lady Angelika spoke up, "I do not know about you guys, but I'm going to meet up with my sister and have lunch."

A smile crossed on the Noble's lips, "Well, don't forget about us, Lady Angelika." Sir Leon de Harrington who most often dictated the flow of their group and entourage was distracted. He was looking around the corridors as they all walked together towards the dining hall. 

It was a little worrisome to Han, especially because didn't know what was up with the guy's mind—but that was totally fine for him. He didn't care that much, he was just relieved that they were not thoroughly invested in 'congratulating' him as they said earlier.

But if there was something a little more bothersome. There were more people who were tagging along with them. Although he didn't want to seem like an antisocial person, maybe Timothy made the right choice of eating lunch back at his own room? The young woman with the pole stick was talking with Donovan, and Han couldn't still remember their name. While Lady Angelika had to entertain at least two more people, Sir Leon de Harrington was still walking quietly… and the Archer was following them about three feet away. Which was pretty weird. 

Somehow, now it kind of felt like he was the odd one out.

Which was ironic since the group was much bigger in a way. Han had to try actually talking to other people didn't he? He still wasn't feeling up to it, but he noticed that the guy with the gauntlets was just bumping his fists together. Han stepped closer to them, "Do you never take those off, Milo?"

"...It's Diov, but I guess it's useless to remind you." The man sighed and walked.

Han wanted to cough and if it was actually possible to spit out blood during this time, he would have done it. His face was quite thin—truth be told, Han didn't have a thick skin. "My bad, but doesn't those spiked gauntlets make it really hard to eat?"

"Not really. I do take them off when I eat." Diov gave Han a look. "You were kind of there the last time?"

"Haha, was I? I kind of left." Han rubbed the back of his head.

Yeah, he kind of felt like an idiot. Maybe there were only a certain kind of people that he managed to get along with, presumably those who didn't do well with other people—he hadn't seen Timothy nor Ellynn coming into the dining hall of Kraelonia Academy. Did their class get too caught up in something?

"Mhmm." Diov nodded and continued to walk, the guy didn't even look interested in talking with them. But didn't they look kind of pitiful just walking… or maybe Han was just thinking of himself.

Han cleared his throat, "By the way, why is the archer...er, Calum just following us?" This guy he at least remembered because Professor Uriel just called them earlier. He couldn't help it but toss a look in the boy's direction. They really were in a strange circle now and the other people were just going along with it with no questions asked.

As if this was completely normal.

Diov raised his head and looked back at the boy, "I didn't know he was there. What are you standing there for?"

"Bird's view."

It was official for Han, the sort of 'cool' group consisting of Nobles and Donovan had been overrun by new weirder people. People that were much weirder than him—that point has to be acknowledged by him. Han really wanted to run away, but for now, he nodded at them and moved towards the dining hall's doors.

It was time to eat. 

.. .

There were three people seated together in the dining halls of the Kraelonia Academy. And all of the eyes of the Students arriving were on them— the second-year and up Students were quick to point them out and tried to look like they weren't looking at them, but it was the first years who were ignorant.

"Hah, it has been awhile since we've visited this place." A young man clad with white robes tapped his fingers on the table. Regardless of what year level one was, the serving of the food was quite the same. Especially when they came unexpectedly. 

The woman placed her harp down gently on the table and shrugged, "I guess."

"It can't be helped, we've been busy." Their third companion answered as she looked around. "But it's truly uncomfortable when everyone is looking our way." She sighed and pushed back her hair behind an ear. A fine line visible across her neck and collarbone. 

"Oh, I didn't notice." The man tilted his head left and right and raised his brows. He caught some girls looking at him but then he stopped and stood up from the table, "Wait, I'll be right back." contemporary romance

"Hah, he never does stop doing that, does he?" A soft sigh came from the blonde woman's lips as she watched their friend approach a group of younger Students. One of the young men seemed to have a bandaged chest, and they were still recovering from the injury. Their friend would definitely volunteer to help out. 

The other woman's brows knitted together, "We had troubles while fighting those goblins, but at least he managed to heal the people who were attacked in the nearby villages. I didn't know that the goblin population had grown so much."

"And you got stabbed in the neck." The blonde woman eyed her friend.

Azura raised a hand and rubbed her neck, "It didn't hurt."

"Seriously—"

A playful smile curled on the blue-haired girl's lips, "You did start playing on your harp back then and that numbed the pain, Xanthe."

"While you were bleeding out and fighting—" 

"It didn't hurt as much as when Roux got hit in the back of the head by that Innkeeper." A soft giggle escaped Azura's lips. It was a short reaction before she sighed and rested back on her chair, the expression on her face turning serious. "It does feel weird seeing these new Students, you have a cousin who just enrolled, right Xanthe?"

"...We don't talk about that."

"Is he cute though?"

Xanthe's brows furrowed together, "Are you seriously asking me that now? I haven't seen him since a decade ago—but considering our family, of course he would look gorgeous." Shaking her head, "I don't know how he managed to enroll while keeping their name though."

"What do you mean?"

"I've already mentioned it before, most Nobles think it's terrible to gain another Class beside their own." She sighed and tapped her fingers on the table, "We might see him, but I'm not sure if he's going to be eager to meet with us."

Azura nodded, "I see…" She could at least tell that the woman across from her didn't want to talk about it. Instead, she paid attention to the dining hall—until the doors swung open and a new group of Students came walking in. One of them caught her eye.

done.co