I'm Stefan. I spent almost my entire life in a town just a few hours away from Natura, the capital of Ucretnight kingdom. In this town of a few thousand people, I collected many memories. Most of them were good memories for me.
But my family's financial situation worsened. If I didn't go hunting frequently, there wouldn't be enough food coming into the house. I was the oldest of seven siblings. At 19 years old, I had to earn money to support my family, and for that, I needed to go to the capital.
Fortunately, my journey to the capital went smoothly. The size of the walls was even more immense than I had expected, and behind those walls was an entirely different world. A world completely opposite to my quiet life. As I watched the city's overall portrait with a bag containing my belongings, I thought to myself, 'This place is strange! I hope I can find a good job. I heard they were looking for workers in the port area.' I started asking around to find the area I was looking for.
But some scoundrels picked my pocket on the very first day!
I chased after them. I told you I did a lot of hunting, so I was in good shape and I followed the guys who had the audacity to take my bag. The moment those guys saw me chasing them, they tried to split up but they ran into a cart being pulled by a creature that looked like a wolf but had six legs and horns. Thinking they were cornered, the thieves dropped my bag and ran into an alleyway, disappearing from sight. By that time, I had reached the cart. My lungs were burning from running. At that moment, I saw the door of the cart open and a man stepped out.
The man was Hanbel, a ritchi. My mother had told me that those extremely rich men had strange habits. But I didn't see anything strange. I was thinking to myself, 'That guy's outfit is so cool!' Hanbel noticed me, listened to my troubles and told me he would provide regular financial support for my family. What he wanted in return was for me to enter the Academy. I had never been to school and barely learned to read and write. I thought my mother was right when she said they were strange people.
But that didn't matter.
These events happened a month ago and the first day at the Academy was quite eventful for me. I met a kid named Nell. He had a bit of charisma and was quite innocent. It seemed like one of the noble girls had a crush on him but I don't think that fool even realized it. Moreover, I had learned that the girl in the disgusting rumors was actually real. Just looking at her was intimidating. I didn't find my life on the street.
Besides that, I made two more friends. One was a shy, religious girl named Iris, and the other was a curious girl named Ela. Ela was particularly interested in exploring outside the city, which is why I spent the most time with her.
After we made our class selections and sat together in a café to chat, I found myself alone with Ela.
"Is there something going on between that Nell and the snooty girl named Viola?"
She suddenly said something like that while we were walking through the Academy's streets. I had started to wonder whether that kid Nell had made Ela fall in love with him.
"What happened? Are you jealous?"
"Not at all! Nobles are untrustworthy."
It seemed like Ela had a grudge against nobles. I became curious about this and decided to press the issue.
"What's so bad about nobles?"
"That snobbish lot sees people like us as nothing but trash. I don't like their attitude."
"Is that all?"
"That's all."
Was she holding a grudge against them just for that? I had thought that one of the nobles had done something to her.
"Why are you looking at me like I'm an idiot, silly?"
"Was I really looking at you like that?"
"Of course!"
She punched me on the shoulder. Her punch was really strong. It was no surprise that it caught the attention of the trainers. Everyone was focused on Nell's struggle with that noble girl at the time.
"Not just nobles."
There was a sadness in Ela's voice as she said this.
"You know, I grew up in an orphanage. That's why this city… has always felt foreign to me. I want to find my real family one day."
Then she paused. After a moment, she continued.
"It's not just nobles; I don't like any people who are dissatisfied with their lives. I heard a story about a princess who was thrown into a pit. The pit pulled the princess into a completely different world. Until then, she had been a selfish and spoiled princess. There, she learned about friendship and truth but she is lost love and her body. One day, we will all fall into that pit. Everything that could pull me into that pit and eliminate my chances of seeing my family will draw me in. Until then, I will survive. No… I have to survive."
I had seen Ela's yellow eyes shining as she talked about her ideals. It was as if this curious girl had a will of iron.
These city people are really strange.
"Your expression looks even more silly now."
"Really? I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?"
"What else? I was thinking about taking you with me when I visit my family, of course. That way, you won't keep bothering me and Nell."
I was planning to visit my family after my written exams. That way, Ela could get out of the city. I guess I wanted to help her because of her ambition.
We returned to our rooms together. There were still classes I needed to choose for my schedule. I picked those classes, had my meal, took my shower and went to sleep to wake up to a new day.