Alina II

"Your luck... I don't even know what to say," Johnny sighed and said.

"I know. It's really weird. A young girl left her home to become a magician but ended up becoming a Vampire. It's really an interesting story," Alina crossed her arms and nodded.

"Anyway, now you will be living with us, right?" Johnny shook his head; his sister might have turned into a Vampire, but she's still the same silly big sis of his.

"I can't. Now I work at the Celestaria academy. Lily is enrolled there; her family pulled some strings, and I became a teacher there. I teach about Ice-related stuff to first and second years, also about some combat techniques to them," Alina shook her head and said.

"You work at Celestaria! It's great! My children are going to enroll there," Johnny happily exclaimed, momentarily forgetting any dissatisfaction about Alina not living with him.

"Didn't you hear me? It's very hard to enroll there. Even with our family techniques, they might only achieve a Blue Mana core if they are as talented as me. But Celestaria Academy only enrolls those with Violet grade cores," Alina explained.

"I know, but..." Johnny began explaining only to get interrupted by Alina.

"I am sorry; I can't help. It's only a year before they can enroll. Even if I give them a better Core refinement technique, they won't be able to achieve a Violet core by then. And I don't have any treasures that can aid them or turn them into vampires," Alina stopped Johnny, thinking he wanted her to aid his children in achieving a Violet core.

Johnny looked at his sister, who was constantly mumbling and thinking. "Listen, they have already achieved Violet core," Johnny said.

"Don't worry; I will help them... What did you say?" Alina exclaimed.

"Humph, now who has the slow reaction... Arghh," Johnny tried to get back at her but got smacked again.

"Now again repeat it for me," Alina demanded.

"They have achieved Violet Core, a King rank Alchemist is living in seclusion here; he started teaching them and two other children. Jake is one of them; his father is a knight. He teaches children about various weapons while Tom teaches them about magic. Then Jake's mother is a Rune master; she also taught them about Runes. Due to the combined effort of all of them and better refinement techniques that Tom has given them, they have already achieved Violet rank," Johnny explained.

"You are not lying to me, right?" Alina asked for confirmation.

"No, I am not. It's true; you can check their training. Why don't you just stay here for some time?" Johnny suggested.

Alina nodded, and for the next few days, she watched them train.

------------------------------------------- 

"She then left, leaving a letter, which included her contact number and also she told me to inform her when they will be going to the Academy," Johnny finished explaining.

"Your sister is Duke rank. Are you sure you two are blood related?" Reynold rubbed his chin and then remarked.

Johnny's lips visibly twitched hearing Reynold's remarks; he refuted, "She is now a Vampire, you know."

"Still, according to you, She fought SSS rankers despite being S rank herself," Reynold continued.

Johnny just ignored him and didn't say anything.

Seeing this, Sera and Nina giggled.

Suddenly, the carriage door opened, and an old man in butler clothes stepped out of it.

Everyone fell silent seeing the butler; this butler was giving off some dangerous vibes after all.

'An Earl rank Vampire,' Reynold thought seeing the butler.

"I am here to escort Young Master Jimmy, Jake, Mark, and Emily. Mr. Raymond, forgive me for not identifying you; Lady Alina just told me to come and say these names," the old butler said, looking at the crowd.

Johnny, along with Nina and Jake's parents, walked over to him.

"Hello, I am Johnny Raymond. Lady Alina is my big sis," Johnny said as he extended his hand.

The old butler glanced at Johnny's hand, then ignored it. Instead, he respectfully bowed and greeted Johnny, "It's my pleasure to meet you, Sir Mr. Raymond."

Johnny scratched his head and said, "You don't have to bow. I am only a C rank after all, much weaker than you."

"Even if you were unawakened, our positions would not change. I am just a servant, and you are my master's little brother," the old butler replied, shaking his head.

"Whoa, cool carriage! Dad, are you sure it's for us?" just as Johnny was about to speak, the excited voice of Jimmy reached him.

Turning their heads, they saw Jake, Jimmy, Mark, and Emily standing near the carriage with their bags.

The old butler, with a formal bow, introduced himself individually to Jake, Mark, Jimmy, and Emily. "I am Alfred, at your service, Young Masters and Miss. Lady Alina has entrusted me to ensure your safe journey to Celestaria."

Jake, Mark, Jimmy, and Emily exchanged glances, a mix of excitement and curiosity written on their faces.

"Yes, Jimmy, this carriage is for you all," Johnny replied.

"Meet Alfred; he is the butler of my big sis. She is..." "Master, told me not to inform them of her position," as Johnny was going to inform them of Alina's position, Alfred interrupted and stopped Johnny.

"Maybe my big sis planned a surprise for you all; well, then what are you all waiting for? Hop on," Johnny said.

"Yeah!" Jimmy shouted and then ran to his parents and hugged them and then boarded the carriage.

Emily also said her goodbyes and followed suit.

Mark also went inside, after saying goodbye to Miss Daphne, the caretaker of the orphanage.

Sera, Jake's mother, embraced him tightly. "Study well, Jake, and make us proud. We'll be waiting for your letters."

Jake, smiling warmly, assured her, "I will, Mom. I'll make sure to visit whenever I get the chance."

"Jake, make sure to work hard; being lazy won't get you anywhere, and take this," Reynold said as he passed him a book and a letter.

"Yes, Dad, I will be the first Rank graduate of the academy," Jake smiled and said. He then also boarded the carriage.

Entering inside the carriage, Max saw a big interior, almost 10 times bigger than it's supposed to be. "Is this Space expansion magic?" Jake said.

"Yes, Master Jake, it is space expansion magic," Alfred answered.

Jake nodded and sat near the window seat; opposite him is sitting Jimmy, also occupying a window seat. Jake then looked around and saw, aside from sitting places, there are four more doors.

Fortunately, Alfred started explaining.

"The carriage is divided into three parts: Front, middle, and back. The front is where the kitchen and servant quarters are, the middle is seating places, and lastly, the back is composed of four rooms. Each room contains two bedrooms and a single washroom," Alfred said.

"Hmm, we have to share rooms, right?" Jake asked.

"Yes, but don't worry; each bedroom is independent and spacious," Alfred assured.

Jake and others nodded; then Alfred clapped his hands twice, and then a maid appeared with some drinks and refreshments.

"Here, please clap twice if you need anything," the black-haired maid said as she served them juices and cakes.

Then she bowed and went back to the front area.

"She was Alice, a maid assigned to you all," Alfred said.

Outside the carriage

Tom, who will be joining Jake and others, exchanged a handshake with Johnny. "Take care of yourself, Johnny. If things get too quiet around here, I might just visit to stir up some trouble," Tom teased, patting Johnny on the shoulder.

Johnny chuckled, "Looking forward to it, Tom. Don't forget to bring some of that famous wine of yours."

Reynold smiled and said, "Take care of our kids."

"Of course, I will. I am also their Master," Tom snorted and said.

Tom then too boarded the carriage; after entering inside, he said, "Let's go; we can now depart."

Alfred nodded and then went to the front area.

Soon the carriage started moving; Jake and his friends from the window waved their hands.

Jake, Jimmy, and Emily's parents, the orphanage caretaker, waved back in response and smiled as they encouraged them.

In the distance, the village houses, the familiar landscapes, and the people they had known all their lives became smaller. They looked back one last time, waving goodbye to their families and the village that had been their home for so long.

"How much time will it take to reach the academy?" Jake asked.

"If nothing happens on the way, then it's a 10-day journey," Alfred replied.

"Ten days!! We will be bored to death," Jimmy said.

"Don't worry, Master Jimmy; Lady Alina has prepared some entertainments for you all," Alfred smiled and said.

Alfred then exited the middle area and went back to the front area; he then brought four boxes along with him.

"This is called Soul Gear 5; you may all not know, but using this, you can enter an artificial world called World's End. It's a massive world compared to ours. Many youngsters used it to hone their battle abilities," Alfred said as he showed them a helmet-like thing.

"Even the Academy also conducts some tests inside World's End. This new design allows perfect immersion, which makes 100% of your abilities available to you all inside the World's End," Alfred continued explaining and then stopped only after an hour.

"Would you all like to try?" Alfred asked.

Jake and others nodded and then went inside their rooms, eager to try this, especially Jake who has read a ton of VRMMORPG novels and other stuff.

"You must be Sir Tom," Alfred said after everyone left.

"Yes, it's me. I am also an alchemist; tell your lady to ask me if any problem occurs. I will be happy to help," Tom replied without opening his eyes.

"I will," Alfred said.