5 Chapter 5 : Trying Out Magic (Part 1)

The cloak of night was lifted as the morning sun dawned.

The birds began to sing and dance in the skies, welcoming and celebrating the rising of the morning sun, their feathery wings swinging joyfully.

A thin layer of fog shrouded the morning.

The normally busy and crowded local neighbourhood market area was tranquil and deserted at this time of day. My footsteps echoed as I walked through this quiet and deserted market, past shuttered stores and sleeping homeless people on the sidewalk.

I arrived at the academy and greeted the on-duty guards.

With a loud cracking sound, I opened the large iron gate and entered the campus. I walked across the black and red brick sidewalk to the storage shed, where I retrieved my mop and bucket.

After retrieving my mop and bucket from the shed, I entered the academy and began ascending the stairs, going from floor to floor, until I reached the sixth floor. Then I walked silently, passing through the corridor rooms, until I came to a halt in front of the grey wooden door.

"I never thought I'd walk into this room."

Behind this closed grey wooden door was the academy's grand library, a place where knowledge about various topics concerning magical beasts and magic arts could be found and one of the areas of the academy I wasn't supposed to enter.

"I need to get this done quickly," I said, grasping the doorknob.

As I opened the grey wooden door, a low-pitched sound echoed down the silent corridor. I entered and was greeted by a magnificent view of the library.

Tall, finely carved wooden shelves were neatly arranged with various coloured books throughout the library room. The ceiling was adorned with a stunning crystal chandelier. Instead of candles, small candlestands against the wall held glowing white orbs. 

I searched the bookcases carefully, checking each shelf as I went, looking for the book of water magic, a cerulean-blue volume. I chose to learn water magic because it is a very diverse form of magic. It is also widely acknowledged to have healing, attacking, and defensive properties, making it an all-round element.

It also has two subforms, ice magic and blood magic, which have equally diverse uses.

Besides, it's also easy to find a believable excuse to cover it when confronted—people would find it strange and suspicious if a janitor could suddenly shoot fireballs and lightning bolts out of nowhere.

I eventually located the book of water magic on the 9th shelf, which was the last shelf of the 3rd row. I opened the book and started reading. After reading only a few pages, I put the book back on the shelf because I didn't have enough time. I then rushed out of the library, closed the door, and went to the first floor to begin mopping.

I mopped, mopped, and mopped, going forward and backward across the hallways of floors, ups and downs, ascending and descending from the stairs, as I cleaned every floor until there was no more dust.

Time flew by as teachers and students began to arrive at the academy, filling the empty corridors with their footsteps and chatter as they went. Some argued, while others simply chattered or mocked each other, but I didn't have time to hear what they were saying because I still needed to mop.

And then came the person who hated me as if it were her obsession, followed by many others who admired her greatly because of her high reputation.

Wealthy and powerful, as uncaring and ruthless as she was.

Majestic was her beauty, rotten was her personality.

Marie Marisa, the golden beauty, why do you despise me so much as if I had forcefully taken your virginity?

That's something I can't say in front of her, can I?

She'd burn me to death, and I have no intention of dying today or making my wife a widow so soon.

"Good day," I greeted her as our gazes met, but she gave me a disgusted look, cursing me with words I didn't recognise. Her mood was off; I'm pretty sure she could do something today to mock and make fun of me in front of everyone just to feel better, just like she did yesterday.

She reminds me a lot of my former self.

I just hope she doesn't overdo it too much.

After cleaning the first floor for the second time, I moved on to the second, then the third, then the fourth, until the bellboy rang, signalling it was time for a break. I went to the cafeteria to take a break from the nonstop cleaning I was doing. I arrived late, and all of the seats in the cafeteria were taken, so I was forced to sit on the floor in the corner.

As my tiffin today, my wife Jeanne prepared a vegetable curry with vegetables from our small farm, served with warm rice.

I couldn't wait to eat it.

But as I was about to open my tiffin, Marie Marisa appeared out of nowhere and kicked my lunch box out of my hands. It flew straight at the wall and smacked into it, shattering the lunch box and staining the wall and floor with curry and rice.

"This was for the disgusting morning greeting you gave me," she smirked, then poured orange juice on my head. "People like you don't deserve to eat food."

Man, now I have to stay hungry for the rest of the day.

Great job, Marie.

I sighed and rose from my seat, exiting the cafeteria to retrieve my mop and bucket, which I had placed near the cafeteria's entrance.

"Where are you running, disgusting beggar?"

"Someone has to clean that mess, right?" I pointed to the curry-stained wall and rice-littered floor.

I grabbed my mop and bucket and began cleaning the curry-stained wall and rice-littered floor. And when I had finished cleaning the wall and floor, the break period was over.

God Dammit!