18 A New Encounter

As Michael walked away, he looked at the big clock tower to know how much time he had left.

'Hmm, two and a half hours passed. In about an hour, I should go to the admission center and see what number is currently being tested,' thought Michael while he sat on a bench with a lake as a view and once again drifted into his thoughts.

'Okay, let's think of how I came into this world. Again! I died in my previous life, and I remember most of my time there, but I don't remember how exactly I died, just my final moments. Also, from the moment this body's memories came to me, I also saw through his memories his life experiences but can't remember how exactly he died or did he not die, and my soul just awoke at that specific moment. Let's try and focus on the moment that I died back on earth,' Michael thought, and soon took a deep breath and closed his eyes, letting his mind guide him to the final moments before his death.

'I just can't focus on that specific time. Let's try and walk through the whole day. Woke up, ate, and left the house to stroll at the beach. The sky soon turned cloudy, so I started walking back to the house. The first raindrops started falling, so I ran a bit faster to avoid getting wet. After that, it's just a blur, and then are the memories of my final moments. Huu, after I get admitted to the academy, I should go to the library and find books related to potions, elixirs, or even herbs that could stimulate my subconsciousness,' after the trip down to memory lane, Michael opened his eyes, feeling that thinking anymore about all that might drive him crazy.

As he was sitting on his bench, finally relaxing, not wanting to think anymore about the candidate protagonist or his existential crisis, someone approached him and broke his peace.

"Excuse me, can I ask you for directions to the dormitory?" asked a pretty good-looking girl with brown eyes and hair, one of the most common shades around the commoners and not-so-wealthy merchants.

'She is dressed like a commoner, but her face is above average. Is she maybe related to the `protagonist`?' thought Michael, as there were many studies that suggested that people who were born from commoners were below average not only in terms of appearance but also in their build, so Michael's trail of thought could make sense or it's just that he may have become a little paranoid after what transpired earlier and suspected that maybe everyone could have a relation with the `protagonist.`

"Yeah, sure, but why are you looking for the dormitories? Shouldn't you be a first-year student as well?" asked Michael while standing up and facing the girl.

"I just passed the first test, and the examiners made an announcement that the first exam will take two days instead of one due to the massive amount of applicants this year, so whoever passed the first phase could stay in the free rooms that are being provided this year," replied the girl.

"Ahh, I see. I am Michael Dacre, by the way. Come with me. I can guide you there since I'm waiting for my turn for the test," said Michael with a smile on his face trying to get a reaction from the girl.

"Oh, I'm sorry for the late introduction. I'm Elina, and thank you for guiding me," replied Elina, too, with a smile on her face, not phased at all by Michael's.

'No last name, so definitely a commoner, but how could a commoner just talk this casually after learning that I'm noble and not even phased by my smile? Not to sound narcissistic, but even the princess blushed seeing it. Is she a noble in disguise from another kingdom or just truly a commoner who is probably fated to be by the side of the `protagonist`?' thought Michael, even more confused but he didn't let it show on his face.

"I have a sister, and she told me that the first exam was a written one. Now that they changed the procedure can you tell what they asked you there?" inquired Michael.

"Ahh, that's why you knew where the dormitories were because I asked other people too, but they didn't know. Anyway, I can't tell you that because the examiners told us not to disclose to anyone what they were asking us, and if we told anyone, that had a way of knowing that we did it. Even if they are bluffing I don't want to take any unnecessary risk," replied Elina with an apologetic look on her face.

"Haha, don't worry I was just curious since they changed many things related to the admission test the last two years," chuckled Michael a bit while answering her.

"I didn't know that. What else did they change?" asked Elina.

'If she were noble in disguise, she would probably know this, but what if she is just fooling me?' thought Michael before answering, "They added another test where every passing candidate will have to test their future potential. They say it's a new invention, so they added it last year. But weren't you informed about this? It is not a secret," said Michael while still trying to get a reaction from her.

"No, I wasn't informed about this. I come from a commoner background, so any information about the academy or any information in general regarding mana is not easily obtained," replied Elina.

"Oh, I see. You don't seem worried about the new test, though. Are you that confident?" asked Michael smiling, making it seem like he was joking.

"Haha, no, no, it's just that since I came this far, what's the reason for worrying about it anymore?" replied Elina while laughing at Michael's 'joke'.

"Ahh, I see. A good perspective to have in life," replied Michael.

'Am I overthinking things? No, that can't be. No commoner can come up and have a conversation with a noble without stuttering or just being anxious. I should keep an eye on her together with the `protagonist,` and maybe I'll learn more about them.

After some more walking, the duo arrived outside a building,

"This is the dormitory. Once you go inside, you should ask the person in charge to show you where your room is," Michael informed Elina.

"Thank you very much, and sorry for disturbing you earlier," said Elina.

"No, it's okay. I have a lot of free time before my test begins. Anyway, good luck with your future tests," said Michael.

"Still, thank you. I wish you luck too, and maybe we'll see each other again in the next rounds," she said with a smile and turned her back, entering the dormitories.

'Yeah, don't worry we'll see each other again,' thought Michael while leaving.