The Castle Town Encounter

"Relax, Arthur. The exam is still more than a day away."

As the teleportation mana disperses, I step out with Cake at my side. No longer is she adorned in tattered clothes, but has been clothed in a blue silk dress with blue ribbons, and soft, blue leather shoes.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we at least get to the waiting area before you get sidetracked again?" Arthur huffs with his arms folded, but I can see that his excitement greatly outweighs any negative emotion I may have triggered.

He looks toward the town we have just arrived in, then his gaze lingers on the distant castle that lords over the land. The air was filled with the smell of brackish water, briny and balmy to inhale. Cake takes a deep breath, and even Arthur sucks deep and releases a pleased sigh.

"This is the Castle Town, Cake. It belongs to the College of Magic Arts, where we will be attending."

Cake gasps and repeats the words, 'Castle Town' as she looked around with keen interest. I let go of her and allow her to run ahead; Arthur and I follow behind, making sure to keep an eye on her.

By the look of it, the town appears to be divided into districts. On the outskirts are nothing but flowery scenery, scant structures for leisure time, and a number of interconnected dirt roads. A body of water separates the inner town from the outskirts, with a single stone bridge leading in.

While admiring the scenery, Cake runs toward the bridge. I can see two people stationed there, but upon closer inspection I realize that those 'people' are actually empty suits of armor.

"Puppeteer magic? I thought society had regressed in that aspect..."

Arthur catches wind of my soliloquy and snickers, "General knowledge is one thing, but there's no way they'd publish any accurate information regarding something like the College. There are even some of the more influential families that are not subject to ordinary schooling."

Arthur's words subvert my understanding, and I am forced to ask him to repeat.

"You mean you really thought that the state of things had gotten worse after ten thousand years? How does that make any sense?"

I shrug, "Because I wasn't around to teach them?"

"No, you buffoon! The only thing that has gotten worse is the desire of the higher ups to keep things to themselves. The general public sinks further and further into ignorance, while they exercise the power they have to keep the populace under control. That's Conspiracy 101!"

I realize where my thinking had gone wrong, and plant my face into my palm. I had been thinking of things too simply, and had not considered the possibility of unfair treatment. I would not treat my subjects unfairly, so it was understandable that I did not think of it in the moment.

"I see," are the only words I can think of to say to Arthur. He eyes me strangely and sees that Cake has been stopped by the suits of armor. A few other people have also gathered on the bridge alongside her, and they seem to be speaking to her.

A golden light flashes in my eyes, and I urge Arthur to pick up the pace.

"Let's go."

...

"Where is your master?"

Two suits of armor stood before Cake, blocking her path into the town. There were a few other young people behind her, waiting for her to be dealt with- albeit impatiently.

"My... my master... I don't have one..." Cake backed away slowly, turning around. She was searching for Rachel and Arthur, but before she could find them one of the people behind her spoke up.

"Come on, hellspawn. Get out of the way."

Cake looked at that young man and bit down on her lower lip. "I-I'm waiting for Rachel and Arth- Ah!"

Grabbing her by the arm, the young man tossed Cake to the side, causing her to lose her balance and fall.

Before she could hit the ground, though, a cloaked someone rushed out from the back of the group, exposing their identity in the process.

Long, sky blue hairs performed a graceful dance as that person grabbed Cake and put her on her feet. Looking into her saviors eyes, Cake was speechless for a short while. They were silver, and distinctly so.

The young man with blue hair and silver eyes let go of Cake, then glared at the one that had pushed her.

"That's quite enough."

Gasps sounded out amongst the few that were gathered, and they began their mutterings.

The boy that had mistreated Cake frowned. "Are you seriously defending that ...thing... Silver?"

"I am," the blue haired boy replied. He looked to the others, seeing two new arrivals rushing forward past the small crowd. "Her kind has lost their status, their homes and their dignity. They already suffer enough without your input."

Of course, the two new arrivals were Rachel and Arthur. They were a tad bit late, but early enough to see what 'Silver' had done.

When Cake saw them, she all but leaped toward them with excitement and relief. Rachel hugged her close and apologized for being late; the others all stared at her with various weird expressions.

"Are you her Master?" Silver broke the silence.

Rachel looked at him, then at the others, and took a breath. "This is Cake," she pointed at Cake, "and this is Arthur."

"They are my retainers, and they will both be attending the College alongside me. Any who object can come forward now."

Of course, Rachel knew that this group of examinees had no authority to speak of. Her words were really meant to inform them, and to get the attention of whoever was controlling those suits of armor.

The others scoffed, muttering and whispering.

Silver's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. He walked to the entrance and passed through after stating that he was there to take the exam.

At the front of the group, a particular ginger-haired freckle-faced pompous-looking young noble spat on the floor in open protest to Rachel's declaration.

"As if I'd ever go to school with some disgusting hellspawn. You're mad if you think I'll allow it."

The others made way for him to pass through, and he stood before Rachel, Arthur and Cake with a look of composed confidence.

Rachel pointed at him, and Arthur moved.

"Come back when you're worthy of saying those words."

Arthur dashed, crossing a distance of a few meters and arriving on the ginger's right side. He swung his arm, leaving a single finger outstretched that blue mana gathered upon.

In a motion too fast for most others to keep up with, Arthur thrust forward with that single finger, halting his action right before it touched the boy's face.

A large dent was made in the left side of the ginger's face, and he was sent flying off the bridge and into the water with a massive splash.

All were amazed and rushed off to the side to see the state of him. A few of his friends were about to stand up for him but, when they saw Arthur raise his finger, they piped down.

They could only watch their friend float in the water like a corpse, calling out to him, "Ferdinand! Ferdinand! Wake up, Ferdinand!"

The suits of armor both had a similar reaction of rubbing their chins, meaning that the one in control had reacted the same way.

"At least a threefold enhancement, and in a split second as well. Impressive, this one." Atop one of the castle's towers, a red-eyed man with a slightly interested look on his face scratched his neck and chuckled.

"Hector, what was it in the rules about students bringing servants and attendants with them?"

Hector cleared his throat and said, "Um, well, since performance in the exam dictates the abode assigned, an above average performance would allow for a home that can comfortably house more than one person. Depending on the performance, these things can be decided by the examiner's discretion."

Sir Thornwel nodded slowly, then sent a message to Rachel through the suits of armor.

"It can be allowed, but only if you, as Lady, pass the exam for Second Mage. Your retainers would also need to pass the exam for First Mage, else I will not allow them to attend alongside you. However, if they fail the exam, they will be permitted to stay at your abode and attend you there."

Rachel smirked and waved her hand. Arthur stepped back and remained at her side, then she stepped forward. When she was directly in front of the two puppet armors, she folded her arms and said, "Red eyes, huh? You must be from the Flying Continent."

Hearing this, the puppet armors reeled in shock. Rachel had looked beyond them and found their puppeteer, something that wasn't, in any way, simple.

Sir Thornwel gasped, stroking his chin with heightened excitement and interest.

"Indeed I am."

"Fun. Our examiner is to be a god; the College lives up to expectations."

"I would hope so," Sir Thornwel nodded. "Tell me, what spell have you cast that allows you to see me? Also, when did you cast it?"

A golden light flashed in Rachel's eyes, and she smiled wide. Arthur and Cake blinked cluelessly, appearing quite adorkable.

"If you truly think that me seeing you is the result of a spellcast, then you are a disappointing god- to say the least."

The puppet armors were silent, then suddenly burst out laughing. Not only Arthur and Cake, but all others present were at a loss.

Ferdinand's friends were just fishing him out of the water, so they were even more lost.

"Good, yes. Interesting indeed. And you, personally, have taught both your retainers?"

"Arthur, yes. Cake, on the other hand, I will begin instructing today."

The armors were motionless and silent again. They looked at Rachel, denoting that Sir Thornwel was staring at her intently, trying to find a flaw in her confident smile.

Rachel yawned.

"In that case, how about a bet?"

Hearing that, Rachel was finally interested in hearing what he had to say. "I'm listening."

"If both your retainers pass the First Mage exam, I'll grant all of you Prime Alumni status."

By his words, some of the others deduced that the man controlling the puppets was confident that Rachel would pass the Second Mage exam. They looked at her and her retainers, unsure of what expressions to wear.

"Very well. Prepare to have three new prime almuni for your college."

The armors made way for the three of them, "The waiting area is in the center."

Rachel, Arthur and Cake entered the inner town, leaving behind a bunch of shocked onlookers. Ferdinand had woken up, soaking wet and bleeding from the left nostril; the dent was still in his face.

He looked at the three departing figures and glowered menacingly, clearly unwilling to let the matter slide.

...

"The New Runia teleportation circle has been eradicated and, according to the sensory team, two people were killed as well."

In the teleportation hub, a number of soldiers were gathered around two sharply dressed women.

"Get them to inspect the lingering mana," one of the women narrowed her eyes and crouched, picking up a tiny, purple-tinted ice crystal.

"I want to see what happened here."