Chapter 18 - Wesley's First Day

Wesley continued reading for a short while after the three men from the central government left, then he left the study and headed toward the kitchen to look for something to eat.

The maids in the kitchen were currently just sitting around relaxing. It was around four in the afternoon, and it seemed like they had finished most of their work. With the renovation work starting to slow down, there was not much left for them to do.

The moment Wesley walked in, the four maids immediately stood at attention as if they were soldiers, but they had no idea what to do. They were all hired by Lane, making him their boss, but everyone knew that Wesley was the true master of the house. Wesley just ignored their confused looks and started looking around the kitchen for something to eat.

While Wesley was rummaging around the kitchen, the four maids looked at each other. After a short moment of silent conversation, one of the maids stepped forward and spoke:

"Master, do you need help with anything?"

Wesley, who was starting to get flustered at not finding food, looked up at the maid who spoke. She was an elderly woman, around fifty if not older. Her face was full of wrinkles, but her eyes shone with a youthful luster, giving her an amiable and kind air. Wesley straightened himself and spoke, trying to hide his frustration:

"I was looking for something to eat, but I couldn’t find any."

Wesley was really trying his hardest to save some dignity in front of these maids, but he failed miserably as his words came out sounding childish. One of the three maids behind the old maid snickered at Wesley's words but was met with glares from both the elder maid and Wesley. The elder maid turned back to look at Wesley and spoke with an apologetic expression on her face:

"Master, it is still too early for supper, so there is no food prepared yet. We will prepare something for you now."

Wesley was really embarrassed, so he didn’t want to spend any more time than necessary in this kitchen.

"No need, I'll eat when everyone else is eating. Have Lane inform me when it is supper time. I'll be in the basement."

The old maid was surprised at Wesley's words. They were all told by Lane when he hired them that the study and the basement were not to be entered at all. She somewhat understood why the study was off-limits, but why the basement?

Wesley immediately left the kitchen with haste. He really hated situations like this where people looked at him like a child. But it couldn’t be helped, so he didn’t get angry—just embarrassed.

'Damn, I hate it when things like this happen.'

Wesley walked into the basement and locked the door behind him. He then went to the center of the basement and started refining. He never really bothered to put any lamps or light sources in the basement since they would be extinguished when he invoked his Dark Globe. So the basement was naturally dark and gloomy. However, when combined with his Dark Globe, the basement became even darker. This darkness was beyond words, like looking into a bottomless abyss where you knew something was there, but your eyes simply couldn't register anything.

Wesley continued refining for about five hours. A knock on the door nudged him, causing him to immediately cancel his Dark Globe. He then walked to the door and opened it, only to find a pale-looking Lane standing there.

'Hmm, I wonder if he felt my Dark Globe.'

"Lane, what is the matter? You look pale."

Lane, who appeared to be in some sort of daze, looked up at Wesley with eyes full of confusion and said:

"Master, the basement... Such a cold feeling was coming from it. What...?"

Lane managed to restrain himself before finishing his sentence. He knew that there was a reason Wesley told them never to enter the basement, but for him to feel such an intense cold from simply standing outside, he couldn’t imagine what was going on inside. Furthermore, the moment he knocked on the door, the coldness disappeared, meaning that it was Wesley who controlled it.

'Ho, I wonder what Lane's affinity is for him to be able to feel my Dark Globe. Probably light or fire.'

"Lane, do you know what your elemental affinity is?"

Lane, hearing Wesley's question, seemed to have understood something. He looked at Wesley with excitement visible on his face.

"Master, I have an average affinity for fire. How about you, Master? What is your elemental affinity?"

'Average affinity with fire, huh? Too bad it’s not enough to become a mage, but it is still enough to feel the expulsion of fire elements caused by my Dark Globe. Interesting.'

"That is a discussion for another day. Let's go, Lane. I am starving."

Lane was slightly disappointed that Wesley didn’t tell him his affinity, but he didn’t mind too much. Affinities were, after all, a personal matter, and his master seemed to prefer using swords, meaning that he probably didn’t have a high elemental affinity. But what was the bone-chilling coldness he had felt?

"Yes, Master."

Wesley and Lane walked toward the main hall, where a dining room had been set up. Wesley noticed that the three brothers and little Sala were already there. The four maids were also present, but they were standing near the wall.

Wesley sat at the head of the table while Lane sat on his right. Surprisingly, little Sala was sitting on his left, looking at the food in front of her greedily. Wesley laughed inwardly at this. He then turned to the elder maid who was standing to the right.

"You guys can go eat as well. There is no need for you to just stand there."

The four maids looked at each other with confused expressions. Everyone knew that it was common etiquette to wait on the masters of the house while they ate, so they could provide anything if needed. Lane simply sat there unconcerned with the maids, while the other four were each sitting there, unsure. The five siblings, although nobles by birth, grew up as urchins, so being waited on was hardly a necessity.

"Yes, Master," the eldest maid replied, then promptly walked out of the dining room, followed by the other three.

Wesley then turned to the siblings and spoke:

"Well, let us eat."

"Yes, Master," they all replied together and started devouring their food.

They continued eating for another half an hour. After everyone was done, Wesley told them to take their dishes to the kitchen and clean them, as he really didn’t want them to start behaving like nobles. Although the siblings were surprised, they didn’t mind, since only a few days ago they had been starving on the streets. The ones who were really surprised were the maids; they didn’t know what to do with these odd employers.

When the siblings returned from their chore, they sat around the table and started chatting. Wesley had something on his mind, so he turned to Lane and asked:

"Say, Lane, do you know what affinities your siblings have?"

Lane thought for a moment, then replied:

"Stein and Wannel both have average affinities for fire like me. Lavar has a high affinity for wind. As for Sala, we don't really know since the attack happened before we were told by our parents."

'High affinity for wind. That is not too bad. And little Sala, I wonder what her elemental affinity is.'

Wesley turned to Sala and said:

"Little Sala, come closer. I want to check your affinity."

Everyone at the table looked at Wesley with odd expressions. The other three were simply curious about Sala's affinity and how Wesley would check it, but Lane was surprised. He had thought that Wesley didn’t have a strong affinity, but to be able to check another's affinity, one needs to be a mage.

"What is that, Master Wes?" Sala had no idea what affinities were, as she was only three at the time.

"Haha, little Sala, affinities are what kind of magic you can practice. Now come."

Wesley reached toward her and placed his hand on her forehead. He then muttered something under his breath, and his hand lit up with a bright light that instantly dimmed down.

'Hmm, seems like she has a high affinity for light. Impressive.'

Checking affinities was not a complicated procedure. One only needs to pour a small portion of their mana into the other person's body, and depending on how the mana reacts, it is easy to figure out the person's affinity. For example, if it's a light affinity, and the tester's mana is darkness, then the two will reject each other. As for the strength of the affinity, that is completely dependent on the strength of the reaction.

"Little Sala, it seems you have a high affinity for Light."

Wesley was all smiles. Of course, he would have liked it if she had a darkness affinity so he could teach her, but the chances of that were really too slim. Getting the chance to observe and study his natural opposite was not a bad thing. The other four siblings, however, had their mouths hanging open. A high affinity for light was no simple matter; after all, light magic is hailed as the most noble and powerful of the affinities.

"What is that, Master Wes?" Sala still had no idea what was going on.

"It means you're a little genius. Don’t worry."

"Master, could you possibly teach Sala and Lavar?"

Lane was the first to ask, now convinced that Wesley was a powerful mage. However, he didn't consider that Sala and Lavar had different affinities. Wesley only laughed at Lane's words and spoke with an amused tone:

"Haha, Lane, the two of them have different affinities, and neither of them has the same affinity as me, so I can't teach them. But don’t worry, we’ll find them some good teachers."

Wesley's words caught Lane’s attention. He really wanted to know what his own affinity was, but since Wesley didn’t want to tell him, Lane naturally didn’t ask again. Seeing Lane’s face, Wesley sighed inwardly.

'I would really hate to have to kill you, so you'll have to settle for not knowing.'

"Anyway, time to get some sleep. Lane, tomorrow I'll be going to school, so you'll need to hire those guards. Also, make sure they are trustworthy and capable."

"Yes, Master."

Wesley then got up from the table and headed toward the stairs to get some sleep.

-- -- -- --

The next morning, Wesley woke up at four. He wasn't expected at the academy until six, but he still felt slight anxiety and woke up too early. Wesley’s anxiety wasn’t caused by the fact that it was his first day of school; rather, it was caused by a completely unrelated issue.

'Ugh, I really don’t want to meet those old freaks again, especially that second elder.'

Remembering the dread he felt when the second elder had gazed at him made Wesley question whether he should even go. But his master had told him that being at this academy would benefit him, and he would never dare disobey his master.

Wesley immediately put on his uniform. The uniform consisted of a shirt and pants. He could have chosen a robe, but that would make him look like a mage, and that wasn’t a good idea. The light blue clothes matched his similarly blue hair, and coupled with his slender yet tall stature, they gave him a majestic appearance sure to draw attention. The only thing that stood out was the dark-colored satchel that hung from his shoulder and the dark sword on his left hip.

After getting ready, Wesley walked out of his room. The house was quiet; everyone was probably still asleep. The first thing Wesley did was head down to the kitchen to find something to eat, but once again, he couldn’t find anything.

'Where the hell do they hide all the food in this damn kitchen?'

Since he couldn't find anything to eat, Wesley simply left and headed outside. It wasn't too dark outside, but the sun hadn’t come up yet, so it was hard to see very far. Still, Wesley could feel some eyes on him.

'It seems I will be watched constantly from now on.'

Ignoring the eyes on him, Wesley continued down the road. The academy was located in the Central District, about an hour's walk away. He needed to get some breakfast, so he headed toward the Sixth District to Michael's Inn.

Wesley reached Michael's Inn in about ten minutes and was greeted by an excited Michael. After eating breakfast and chatting with Michael for a while, it was already five o'clock. Wesley decided it was time to leave. After saying farewell to Michael, he walked toward the academy.

Since it was nearly time for the day to begin, there were many more people on the streets than earlier. Most of them stared at Wesley as he walked past. A student from the Royal Academy walking among them was sure to attract attention, and factoring in Wesley's appearance, it wasn’t surprising that so many people noticed him.

Wesley simply ignored the stares and briskly walked toward his destination. After almost an hour of walking, he finally reached the gates of the academy. A few students stood outside, chatting. Wesley wasn’t interested in such things, so he just walked past them. Of course, the students noticed him and murmured in hushed voices.

The moment Wesley stepped inside, he was greeted by an older youth, slightly taller than Wesley, wearing a red robe.

'He must be an upperclassman.'

The youth appraised Wesley with a scrutinizing look. When his eyes landed on Wesley’s sword, a look of disappointment flashed across his face. He then spoke in a calm voice:

"Please head to the left. The new student welcoming ceremony will start soon."

'It seems people don’t like swordsmen in this school.'

"Thank you."

Wesley gave a simple reply and headed toward the place he was directed to. After walking for almost a minute, Wesley reached an open courtyard with marble floors. Inside the courtyard, at least two hundred students in blue uniforms stood in five orderly lines, facing a raised stage. The stage had a short podium, and behind it were twenty-one chairs, with the center chair being larger and more impressive than the others.

'That must be the headmaster's chair. Meaning there are twenty teachers at this school.'

While Wesley was observing the courtyard, a red-robed girl with dark hair approached him. As soon as she was within speaking range, she spoke in an annoyed, irritated tone, extending her hand.

"Your identification tablet."

Seeing her attitude, Wesley simply smiled back at her. He reached into his satchel and pulled out the rectangular blue tablet he had received when he was admitted. The girl almost snatched the tablet from his hand, looked at the number, and then handed it back to him while still speaking with an annoyed tone:

"The first line."

Wesley immediately walked away without replying. There was no need to respond to someone clearly being rude. However, the black-haired girl, seeing Wesley’s attitude, felt an overwhelming anger well up in her chest. She considered beating him senseless but restrained herself, instead shooting him a hateful glance.

The lines each had about forty or so people, and each person stood at attention. Wesley joined the first line and stood quietly.

'I hope this won’t take too long.'

Fortunately for Wesley, they had to stand there for thirty more minutes before a large gong captured everyone's attention. As soon as the gong sounded, twenty blue-robed individuals walked to the stage and took their seats. Out of the twenty blue-robed people, five had swords, while the rest didn’t. After a closer look at the ones who had swords, Wesley noticed that the second elder he had encountered during the first test was among them.

'Great. That old monster is also here.'

Wesley felt apprehensive about being close to that elder. But before he could start wallowing in regret, a luxuriously dressed old man walked onto the stage. This old man wore a white robe with blue and gold patterns. His face was covered in wrinkles, and his hair was entirely white, with not a single dark strand. He exuded an air of nobility and appeared to be surrounded by a faint light. Everyone in the hall focused on this elder as he simply walked to the podium.

The elder stood before the podium without uttering a word, staring at the students. Then, he spoke up, his voice filled with a tremendous amount of authority as it echoed throughout the entire hall:

"Welcome to the Four Moons Royal Academy."

The entire hall was silent after the old man's words. Not even a breath could be heard as everyone directed their complete attention to the stage. It was as if time itself had slowed down in that moment.

'This old man must be even stronger than that second elder. What tremendous presence.'

Wesley was initially surprised by the monsters that existed within this academy, like the second elder. But now, he realized that the second elder was not as intimidating as the old man standing before them. To possess such a presence with just a few words was no simple feat.

'No wonder Master wanted me to come to this place. Compared to all these freaks, I am afraid I am no more than dust.'

"I am the Headmaster of this Academy, and on behalf of all the elders, we welcome you to your home for the next few years."

The Headmaster paused again, seemingly adding to the suspense that already filled the room. Then he spoke once more:

"You are all talented youths from all over the world. Harness your talents, train your bodies, and strengthen your minds here at the Academy. You will never get another chance like this to meet and learn from the masters present, so relish it and take full advantage of it. Do not for a moment believe that your talent is special—look around you. There are hundreds of others as talented as you, and hundreds more who are even more talented. But if you work hard, if you persevere, then one day, you will leave a legacy, and your name will be etched on these walls. I have no desire to give a long speech, so I’ll leave you with these words of wisdom: This Academy has no need for the mediocre. You will either be the best, or you will spend the rest of your time here in obscurity."

Having said his piece, the Headmaster walked off the stage, followed by the other twenty elders. Everyone in the hall stood in silence, contemplating the Headmaster's words.

'It seems this Academy will be fun.'