Can this day get any worse?
Merlin stiffened, absorbing the revelation he'd just heard. And as if to answer that question of his, Nora's face became an amalgamation of pure spite and disgust. With the expression she wore, hand her a torch and she would be screaming, "Burn the wizard!" at the top of her lungs.
Still, it was weird. The president's grandson… How could he look so… ordinary? In fact, at a glance, he appeared to be just as common as the rest of them. There was no special air or the sort around him. If truth be told, Kim Yiseo gave off more of a celebrity vibe than he did.
Merlin swept his gaze over the sea of people loitering around the auditorium, some families of the students, patting them down. He was half-expecting to see men in black suits and glasses walk up behind the boy any moment. But there was none of that too.
Moreover, If the president's grandson was already here, then why were they still locked outside the auditorium?
"So?" Nora started, drawing Merlin's wandering attention back to the more important matter at hand: Stopping this from escalating into something that got out of hand. "What is this misunderstanding you want to clear up?"
The president's grandson sighed. But as he opened his lips to speak, a broadcast sounded, cutting off the conversation that was yet to ensue before it had even begun.
"ALL THE FIRST YEARS ARE TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE AUDITORIUM IMMEDIATELY!!"
An automated voice boomed, reeling the consciousness of everyone near, towards the auditorium.
"I REPEAT, ALL THE FIRST YEARS ARE TO MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE AUDITORIUM IMMEDIATELY!! THE ORIENTATION WILL BEGIN IN THE NEXT TWENTY MINUTES!!"
Merlin was glad, because he had run out of ideas on how to hold his sister from losing her screw. And even the ones he had always failed.
Nora scoffed, looking up at the speakers hanging from the stone walls of the auditorium, as the announcement continued on and on.
"Ya see, Merlin, King Arthur arrived and suddenly they've got we measly peasants time. Horseshit, me tell ya."
Now she was using him as a means for a pun. Merlin could only sigh.
The large doors of the auditorium slowly creaked open then, and the students lounging about did not leave a minute hanging. They instantly rushed in like ants swarming into their nest. Merlin realized at once that if he and Nora wanted good seats, then they needed to get in immediately.
Nora thought the same too, because she moved without him saying anything. Although, not without shooting the president's grandson one last cursory glance, perhaps as a means of telling him that he was not as significant as he thought he was, and even if he was, she didn't care.
Merlin was not his sister, so he instead waved the dazed boy goodbye and went in without making the situation any more awkward than it already was.
Maybe he would have been a lot more pissed off if he was not just glad to be here. At the moment, however, favoritism be damned. He wanted to make the most of his first day in the Academy, and he would not be letting such things dampen his mood.
Be that as it may, he could have sworn that he had seen a solemn expression on the boy's face. It was almost like he did not like the fact that there was a misunderstanding.
Sure, he had claimed to have approached them to clear it up, but Merlin had thought that celebrities really didn't care about what the average person thought of them.
He had probably just seen wrong.
…
The interior of the auditorium did not disappoint. It was a grand and ornate hall with rows upon rows of red seats arranged in a semi-circle, and a wide stage upfront. The stained windows, golden chandeliers hanging from its ceiling, and the natural light pouring in, painted it in an elegant and colorful glow that made Merlin feel like he had sauntered into a theatre instead.
He stood amazed for a brief second, jaw slack, until a rushing student shoved his shoulder.
"Move out of the way!" the person shouted. And, of course, he did just that. No one was keen on ending up on the floor with the stampede going on.
Nora, on the other hand, had her hands full with searching for a good enough spot for the both of them. But whenever she rushed to one, someone would hit her away and hiss at her.
She had never been very good at shunting.
Merlin realized that he had to be the one to take the initiative here, or else they would not be comfortable when the whole commotion had settled down. After all, by then they would have been left with crappy seats.
He pushed through the crowd, leaving Nora where she continued foraging unsuccessfully, and, not long after, he found a good spot. But his thoughts were seemingly not his alone. He locked eyes with the boy standing beside him. They both clicked their tongues at each other and dashed forward.
Merlin did not follow the stairs, as it was a mess of bodies; instead, he let go of all his sense of decorum, swerved to his side, and jumped over seats. This brought about gazes and stares from those who had begun to see him as some sort of wild animal, but he didn't mind. And sure enough, he got to his location before his competition. Perhaps his leveled up Agility was to be thanked for that.
His competition didn't back down though.
"I got here first!" the boy who had raced Merlin argued.
"No, you didn't," Merlin sneered at him.
"And how can you prove that?!"
Merlin was caught in a dilemma there. This person gave the impression of being someone who could argue on and on for ages—until they had both lost the seats, that was.
"He got here first," a voice said from behind Merlin, inciting him to turn around. It was the person seated next to the spot he had chosen, and they were pointing at him. He was dark skinned—African, perhaps—had a taper fade cut, and was clutching a school bag close to his chest like there was gold hidden in it, and he feared for it being stolen.
"There you go," Merlin turned back to his competition. "I got here first."
The boy bit his lower lip. "W-Well there's two seats, right? Let's share."
"Sorry," it was Nora who spoke this time. The boy turned around to look at her. "It's mine."
The boy glanced at Merlin who just gave a shrug. Then with a scowl, a growl, and a kick at the seat that probably left him in more pain than the seat itself, he left and resumed his searching.
"Are you a kangaroo? Jumping up and down like that?" Nora jested as she dropped down comfortably into her seat, a deep exhale leaving her lips.
Merlin wanted to hit her at the back of her head. He had done that for both their sakes, possibly losing a lot of potential friends by now, and this was what he got?
"Learn how to say thank you," he rolled his eyes at her. "It's a particular skill that boosts gregariousness."
Nora snorted. "You talking about someone being gregarious? I must have wax in my ears."
He just scowled at her and sat down. Then he turned to the boy next to him.
"Thank you for the help," he said.
"You're welcome," the boy answered with a smile, still clutching his bag—maybe even tighter now.
"I'm Merlin," he stretched forth a hand. "A peculiar name I know."
The boy nodded and shook his hand. "Quite," he replied. "And I'm Ken. But I'd prefer if you called me Chima. I'm more used to that."
Merlin smiled. "Of course. I'm English. You?" he asked, not willing to end their conversation yet. Making friends was part of the Academy life. This was an opportunity to get a good headstart after his atrocious display.
"Nigerian," Chima answered. Merlin made an 'oh' with his mouth, inarticulating.
"It's nice to meet you, Chima."
"Likewise." There was a short pause. "Weird performance."
"Jumping over seats?"
"Yes," Chima answered. "You're very quick."
"Thank you," Merlin chuckled.
You should have seen me from a month ago. I could not race a child on a bicycle and win.
Merlin now had the chance to take a proper look at the stage. Behind the glass podium, emblazoned with the golden insignia of the Academy, were nine chairs arranged in a straight line—one, at the centre, slightly ahead of the others. And to their rears, hung banners, each bearing a distinct emblem. Only the one above the central chair was familiar to Merlin. And that was because it bore the Academy's insignia.
Filled with curiosity as to what the emblems on the banners signified, Merlin was just about to pull out his phone to browse through the leaflet the Academy had sent, when a call to rise came from the speakers.
I guess it can wait…
He rose to his feet, along with everyone else, as nine people stepped onto the stage, and took their position in the chairs. Only then were the students permitted to sit back down.
One of the people who had walked in—a lady—approached the podium. She was dressed in a classy suit of grey and black heels. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and on her nose sat rectangular glasses. She thumped the gooseneck mic on the podium as a test, and then cleared her throat.
"Hello, first years!" she started, her voice just as bright and warm as her face, and it made the murmurs that had been ongoing die down in an instant. Everyone's ears perked up. Even Nora who had had her eyes shut opened them. "First of all, I would like to apologize for the delay. There were some unforeseen circumstances."
Merlin glanced at Nora then, but she was appallingly calm. He narrowed his eyes. She was definitely plotting something. He could only pray that she would not harass the president's grandson later on, considering all the antics she usually pulled when she was angry.
"My name is Jung Seoyeon. But you may call me Professor Jung."
There were cheers and whistles at that. Merlin could even hear those seated behind him rambling on about her figure. Which, he too, agreed was quite noteworthy. But he would be mad to let that remain as his thoughts.
Professor Jung continued, "Now, as you all may know, Prestige Academy is the second ranked best Mage Academy in the world. Of course, we at the Academy are not satisfied with that. We are and will always be aiming for first. And that is what you first years should have at the back of your mind." The air around her suddenly changed, prompting the students to swallow their spits dryly. Nora remained unfazed, though. "Rubbish will not be tolerated. If you have read your leaflets, then you must know that points are assigned here in Prestige Academy, both for your academics and Cohorts. Staff have the right to deduct points whenever. If you think you can turn Prestige Academy into a playground, then I assure you, it will only take you a semester here." She smiled again. "Thank you for listening attentively."
Everyone could now breathe in with relief.
"She's scary," Chima said. Merlin turned to him and chuckled. "I hope she's not the instructor of my Cohort."
Me too, Chima. Me too.
Cohorts were basically Houses, apparently brought about to foster teamwork and the spirit of rivalry. There were eight of them, each to consist of twenty students, ten male and ten female, equally shared.
Like Professor Jung had said, points were assigned to Cohorts based on how the students within the Cohorts acted. But that was not all. After all, most of the points that Cohorts earned would come from practical tests. Merlin hoped that he would be able to contribute and help his Cohort to winning first prize at the end of the year. There were sweet rewards for doing that.
In the first year, the reward for a Cohort winning first prize was a sponsored trip by the Academy itself. And during the trip, the students would have the opportunity to meet with Guild Mages and Hero Mages alike. Perhaps even venture into real Dungeons if the Mages felt that they were up to it.
As for the Cohort that finished as first in the second year. The students in it were directly contacted by representatives from the top four Guilds, as well as the Consortium Guild and the Hero Guild. In other words, they would be set for life.
But the Cohort rankings was not all rosy. After all, if a student with low academic points finished in a Cohort that ranked anywhere from fourth to eighth, they would have their admission revoked.
The Cohort ranking was like a crutch for students who were below average in their studies. Merlin sighed. People like him.
"With that all said and done, I will now move on to introducing your Professors and which Cohorts they instruct," Professor Jung continued. "Starting with my humble self. I am the instructor of Cohort Spearhead," she gestured at the banner to the far end of the chairs with the emblem of a spearhead. "It will be a pleasure working with my students."
"There goes spearhead," Chima mumbled under his breath and Merlin could not help but laugh softly.
Professor Jung gestured at the next seat beside hers. "That there is Professor Dmitri Volkov. And he is the instructor of Cohort Dragon Eye."
Dmitri Volkov, who was seated before the banner with the emblem of a red dragon eye, rose to his feet. He was spindly, and had slicked back salt and pepper hair. He, too, also wore glasses, but his was round. But what made every student murmur was the fact that he had a kind of cold and apathetic feel to himself.
"There goes dragon eye," Chima added. Merlin laughed.
Professor Jung introduced the rest of the instructors, before finally coming to the man who was seated at the centre of their gathering. A visibly aged though able man with a moustache, a smile that was every bit amiable, and a black suit.
"And this is your Headmaster. Dr. Im Ilseong."
The headmaster waved. The students cheered.
"I read that he's an S-Class Mage," a student mumbled from behind Merlin.
"Me too," someone else agreed.
"You know what I read?" another joined in. This one was farther back, perhaps behind the ones behind Merlin. He still heard them alright, though. "I read that he was the one who led the subjugation of the first Dungeons that appeared during the Cataclysm."
Oh…
"Eh?!" they all exclaimed. "He doesn't seem like it, though."
"I think I'm going to be very obedient," one said. "They are all scary. Especially that Dimitri."
"Hey! Call his name with respect. It's Professor Dimitri. Get it? Professor Dimitri!"
Merlin could not have said it better. The fact that the instructors were all scary, that was.
"Now that the introductions are done. Does anyone have any questions about what they do not understand?" Professor Jung asked.
A few hands went up. She heeded them and answered whatever was asked. They were mostly just things that had already been touched upon in the Academy's leaflet, though. The questioners were just not quite sure what they'd meant.
Merlin glimpsed four-eyes among them. He was seated to the very front of the auditorium. However, his involvement had been more like a way of finding a means to ramble than actually not understanding something.
Diligence at its finest.
Well, Merlin had made use of the brief questions and answers to enlighten himself better. For that, he was grateful.
"If that is all, then the Headmaster will have a word with you all before the orientation draws to a close." Professor Jung shifted aside. "Headmaster, if you will?"
Headmaster Im Ilseong took his time rising to his feet, and everyone held their breaths as he walked up to the podium. It was then, just as the Headmaster leaned forward towards the mic, that Merlin felt his whole world spin.
"I have a question…" Nora's hand was up. "For the headmaster."