A Joyful Reunion

[Stella POV]

Ding Ding Ding

*yawn*

Hearing the bell ringing signalling my final class of the day, I walked into the classroom where there already were a couple of students sitting down ready for class. Finding my seat on the side of the classroom, I sit down and pull out my textbook.

With everything ready, I look outside to see the sky start to turn a beautiful evening orange. Over the past year and a bit, I've been studying in this academy with a scholarship. Not to brag or anything, but I'm considered a genius of sorts. I'm currently learning material one year above my class. Every day, whenever I had free time, I went to either the library to learn or the training range to practice my mana control.

In this world, mana is a source of energy that appears within everyone. It's the energy source used to power most skills and all magic spells. For mages, they draw their inner mana, called their mana pool, to manipulate and affect the mana present in the air to perform magic. Mages use different types of magic based on their affinities. With the most basic four being known as the elements.

Fire

Water

Earth

Wind

While individual people may have different unique combinations of different affinities that they might process. Most affinities are limited to one's race. Some races will have a general combination of affinities that suit their environment and adaptions while others may unlock specialized affinities only available to their race. Someone can only use magic from their affinity or magic that requires no affinity.

When looking at someone's magic potential, affinity is just one aspect of it. Another aspect is talent. Talent is something that is less talked about as there is no real way to quantify it. Talent refers to a person's natural ability to understand mana and their ease of control over it. Within the textbook, it is often described as how much mana loves you. If it loves you a lot, you can move it around and it will follow you. If it hates you, it will actively try to stay in place and not move. So those that have very high talent are called having Mana's Blessing.

Thankfully, I fall into the category of being loved by mana. Thus allowing me to use my abnormally large mana pool to already cast some basic spells.

"Hey, Stella. The teacher just came in!"

Feeling a pinch on my cheek, I turn around to see my only friend that I've made since arriving here. Long white hair with an almost blank expression, only the slight curl of the sides of her mouth giving away her emotions.

"Oh, thanks, Sophia."

Given a slight nod in response, Sophia sits right next to me as the teacher arrives at the front desk and begins giving the lesson. I met Sophia around the second week that I arrived here. Before that, due to being younger than almost everyone in my class as well as everyone else belonging to higher level nobles than I, I found myself cast aside by myself. But, obviously, I can't let the loneliness pull me down, I was the one who commanded the town during the mutated S.T.A. So I took to look for a friend myself.

There were some people who naturally didn't form any small groups and Sophia was one of them. Sitting all alone on the side of the classroom, I heard rumours from others saying that she hated talking to anyone and anyone who tried to would simply get ignored.

So I decided to walk up to her and after many attempts and talks, we managed to become friends. After getting to know her, Sophia was definitely a nice person, a little cold and unexpressive but definitely a nice person

...

Soon, another lesson about magic history was over and I was ready to get something to eat.

"*Yawn* Another day of classes, so tiring. Sophia, let's go get some food, I heard of this place that sold delicious noodles."

"Ok."

Hearing a very Sophia reply, I take her hand and we walk out of the academy.

"We got to get there quickly, I heard that it gets really full at dinner ti- AAHH!"

"URgg!"

As we walked out of the main entrance of the academy, I walked face-first into someone causing me to fall to the ground.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't looking where I was goi-"

"Stella?"

After being pulled onto my feet by Sophia, I dust off my uniform while apologizing until I hear a voice that I haven't heard in some time. Looking up, I see a teasing smirk and a very punchable face.

"JAQUE! What are you doing here?"

"To visit you, of course. But I got to tell Alfred. Imagine hearing that his 'Young Lady' could actually act a little ladylike! HA ha ha ha!"

"Don't you DARE!"

Balling my hand into a fist, I go and give that face the punch that it deserves.

Bang! Tsk!

I click my teeth as I see that my fist gets caught by Jaque. Looking straight at him, I notice that his face was right next to mine.

"You're not the allowing that's been training Stella."

I feel my face heat up before I pull my fist out of his grip and back up.

"I-If I went serious, you would've been dead meat. So why are you really here?"

"Arius is going to do the test to become an official Craftsman."

After Arius' name was mentioned, I noticed the cute boy beside Jaque. He has grown a bit taller now, being around the jaw of Jaque. He's as cute and adorable as always but it seems he's a little angry right now.

"Hey, Arius. How have ya been? You seem a little stressed out right now."

"Yeah, it's been a rough day."

"Aww, it's alright. Sophia and I were just about to go to this noodle place for dinner, you guys can come along."

After introducing Sophia to Jaque and Arius, we quickly made our way to the noodle place. I didn't want to wait another hour to get a spot. Thankfully, our little reunion didn't seem to take that long as when we arrived there were still plenty of spots for us.

Taking a seat at a table, we quickly order a few bowls of noodles, all recommendations from the lovely waitress who took our order. As we waited for our food to come, we started talking again.

"So, how do you think of the city so far?"

"It's fine, clean I guess."

"The people are nice but there are some people I don't like."

After getting a typical answer from Jaque, my curiosity is sparked by Arius' answer.

'Haven't they just arrived, what could have happened for Arius to not like a few people?'

"Who don't you like Arius?"

"The son of the Count, Kaiser LeMonc."

Hearing the name of the Count's son coming out of his mouth was definitely not something that I expected, even Sophia had a pretty violent twitch after hearing that name.

"How in the world did that happen?"

With that, Arius, with the help of Jaque, begins narrating what had happened to them less than an hour ago. As the story got narrated, my emotions went from confused, to scared, to angry, to helplessness.

"*Sigh* Yeah, that's just like the rumours I've heard from the locals as well.

...

Well, it's already over. Let's not try to make one experience dictate the entire journey. How are you feeling about the test tomorrow?"

As I tried to shift the topic, I see a bit of curiosity appears in Arius' eyes about the test.

"I don't know, I think I'll do good but I don't know what it's about."

"Well, if only there was someone who could explain."

In a sarcastic tone, I stare directly at Jaque which causes Arius and Sophia to stare as well. I see Jaque give a wry smile before shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

"Fine, I'll tell you. It would have been a lot more fun if you just went in blind... So about the test, it may be different now because I took my test quite a few years ago. I don't remember much but it's pretty easy. Just make something like you've been all this time and you'll be fine."

"Hmm, ok."

Seeing that Arius got his answer and fell into thought, I open my mouth to ask a question but, suddenly I smell a fragrance in the air as the food arrives in front of us. Questions for later, food for now.

...

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Jaque Fun Fact: After a few months of doing quests as an adventurer, I am proud to say that I've become a Steel-Ranked adventurer.