Ted leaned over excitedly, filling him in on the headmaster's background. That old man was the direct descendant of Roy, the hero of wind.
The name Roy sent two hundred years of memory flooding back. They had fought side by side, close as brothers, and together they had brought down the demon king. But what had come after was something Abel had no desire to revisit.
The headmaster's speech dragged on and on. Ted was still flipping through the orientation booklet, trying to share more interesting tidbits. Abel's mood had grown complicated, and he responded only with cold, short replies.
The ceremony finally ended, and they followed the crowd in search of their classroom. Ted noticed he seemed low and asked with genuine concern. Abel shook his head, saying he was fine, but the words had barely left his mouth when his whole body tensed.
Ted was even more confused, unsure what his master had sensed this time.
Abel scanned the area warily, a deep unease rising within him. A strange gaze had settled on him. It wasn't the look of a living creature. It felt more like the prying eye of a magic tool.
Had someone already caught wind of his hidden true identity? Who was investigating him?
Back in the classroom, everyone was already talking about him. A green-haired student was dismissing the previous day's humiliation, insisting that they had simply been knocked away by the defensive inscription on the uniform. Alyssa listened to all of this, her expression growing more and more irritated.
The door opened and Ted and Abel walked in together. Nearly every pair of eyes in the room snapped to them in an instant. Ted could feel the strange atmosphere and fidgeted with discomfort. Abel, however, had long since grown accustomed to this level of scrutiny and whispered commentary. A few familiar faces from the day before were already shooting hostile glances their way.
Just then a man in slippers walked in. He dropped his books carelessly onto the lectern and ran a hand through his messy hair, but that alone sent a ripple of barely contained excitement through the room.
Ted was instantly lit up, recognizing who had just walked in. This was the most powerful mage of the current era. Abel recalled reading this man's papers. His abilities were genuinely worth acknowledging. Ted added that the difficult question on the written entrance exam had come from him. Abel understood now, though the man's unkempt appearance was somewhat unexpected.
Teacher Emerson skipped roll call and launched straight into the lesson. A student boldly raised their hand, questioning whether he was too busy with research to bother teaching. Emerson didn't flinch, openly admitting it. He was only there to secure research funding.
The student pressed further, asking why he had made an exception to take on this class as its homeroom teacher.
Emerson's expression shifted, and he swept a serious gaze across the entire room. He said it was because there was something in this class he needed to verify for himself.
The moment those words were out, his eyes landed directly and precisely on Abel.
Every alarm in Abel went off at once. There was no mistaking that look. It was the same gaze that had been watching him through a magic tool. It had come from this man.
And so Abel's school life began under the shadow of that uneasy feeling. His days settled into a rhythm. Classes, the library, back to the dormitory, the occasional quiet conversation with Lilith, routine to the point of monotony.
The hardest thing to endure was the long, mind-numbing stretch of class time. Ted was always squirming in his seat, groaning about how difficult the lessons were, but for Abel the material was so shallow it was almost physically painful to sit through. He had no choice but to use his own paper and pen in class to work on new magic of his own.
One day the teacher finally turned an impatient gaze in his direction. He called Abel up to the front to solve a problem. The intent couldn't have been more transparent, nothing more than an excuse to make an example of this inferior-eyed student and assert his authority.
Abel stood calmly, holding just as little regard for this teacher. The man taught straight from the book, having students copy notes verbatim. Abel decided to show his own condensed approach instead. He stated up front that his answer might differ from what was in the textbook. Then he walked through his method, demonstrating how to cut the convoluted process down by ten steps.
The teacher on the stage was completely frozen. The students below erupted in stunned disbelief. The teacher, his dignity in tatters, swallowed his fury and told Abel to sit back down.
As Abel turned to leave, a snide remark cut through the air. The same group from yesterday, every word dripping with contempt. Abel acted as if he hadn't heard a thing and walked straight back to his seat. He had no interest in spending any energy on this.
Within the academy there were five libraries in total, large and small. The large one had an enormous collection but far too many people. He usually borrowed books there, then went to read in one of the quieter, smaller ones.
One day, while he was absorbed in reading, a familiar voice broke the silence. It was Alyssa. He was mildly surprised. He hadn't expected her to come to the library to study.
She asked whether he had finished the day's coursework. He admitted honestly that he could finish those assignments before bed. After that the two fell silent and drifted back into their own books.
Alyssa got stuck on a difficult problem and sat for a long time without writing a word. She was still debating whether to ask when Abel's voice came first. Without looking up from his book, he pinpointed exactly where her thinking had gone astray. Alyssa blinked in surprise, startled that he had been paying attention while reading. She followed his suggestion and tried again, and soon had the answer.
Abel quietly noted to himself that her ability to grasp things was miles ahead of most people.
When they left late that night, Alyssa thanked him for his guidance. She asked curiously whether he spent every day like this in the library. When he confirmed that he did, she couldn't help but suggest he go out and see the world a little. City life was full of excitement and new experiences, like the restaurant everyone was raving about, or the rare exotic fruit desserts.
Abel immediately pointed out that every example she had given was food. She scrambled to add that there were also second-hand bookshops to browse. That caught Abel's interest at once. Alyssa seized the moment and cautiously extended an invitation, wanting to thank him for his help. Abel figured he had no particular reason to refuse, and agreed.
Just at that moment a grating, sarcastic voice came from behind them. The same trio, dripping with passive-aggressive mockery, taunting him for being popular with the ladies.