Monday was the least busy day of the week for me.
I had attended all my lessons and I was currently heading to the building where those whose purpose was to teach at this Academy resided. Like all the buildings, this one was huge and its architectural structure had been constructed to harmonize with the other buildings. I had heard that it catered to all the needs of the teachers and trainers. If weapons were included, there was a high probability that there was a forge inside that building. A blacksmith's heart is the forge.
I wanted to make a sword of my own. I had no problem with the axe but the more weapons I had, the better. Moreover, I was curious to see if my skill would develop. Perhaps there would be opportunities to deal extra damage with the weapons I used or to possess the understanding to create more mystical, magical weapons. There were many possibilities, and I was eager to explore them.
At least, that was my plan.
After grabbing my hammer, ingots and any other items I might need, I left my room and was walking through the corridors of the dormitory. At that moment, I noticed some commotion in front of me. As I approached the source of the movement, I saw three people there.
There were two men. They weren't from my class and their appearance didn't look trustworthy at all. One of them was wearing expensive-looking clothes instead of the Academy uniform. I wondered if they were nobles but as soon as I realized what they were doing, my expression fell.
The two of them were cornering a nalia from my class and it looked like they were bullying her. This wasn't like the role-playing that Viola had tried to do to me. I could see that the nalia was quite small in stature. Her orange hair looked disheveled. She was a nalia with pointed ears instead of horns. It was clear that she was afraid of the two men in front of her and her body was trembling as if she were cold.
"I can't believe these things are invading our kingdoms."
"I... I..."
"Don't keep telling me you're not from Quintah, you little whore. Either you come with us, or we'll make sure to take you by force."
The man in the expensive clothes suddenly grabbed the girl's arm and started to drag her away. At that moment, he saw me in front of him and stopped walking.
"Who the hell are you?! Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on things around here, Edward?!"
As the expensive clothes guy scolded his subordinate, I was glaring at him.
"You seem to be unaware of the Academy rules. Didn't they say that everyone should be safe within these walls, you pile of trash?"
When the man heard my words, his face turned a deep shade of purple. He walked toward me with his prominent jawline and unnecessarily large nose.
"Do you know who I am?"
It was now clear that he was a noble. Only pretentious nobles use such words. He was clearly trying to assert his position to assimilate me. For some reason, these snobs tend to be stupid. If I were intimidated by his position, I would have acted differently before this. It suited me that he was too foolish to see that. Most likely, his intelligence was lower than mine.
"Do I need to know? Now apologize to my classmate, you sack of trash."
He quickly got angry and attempted to punch me. I could easily pull out a weapon and scare him off but they might make the bullied nalia pay for it. Besides, I wouldn't even need to use my weapon.
In my previous world, I had learned how to defend myself unarmed. Armed martial arts were still foreign to me but at least I could use my experiences in this regard. I grabbed the incoming punch and swiftly moved behind the pretentious noble, bending him back. By not letting go of his arm, the angle of his arm was against him. I knew I could dislocate his arm with a single movement but I didn't want to do that and become a target for his family. The man couldn't find the words to say in his pain. I also kept an eye on my back. His subordinate was in shock, clueless about what to do. Most likely, he was frozen because he thought the noble was invincible.
"Alright... Now both of you get out of my sight and don't bother anyone again."
Before letting go of the man, I increased the pressure just a bit. Still, I heard the noble squeak like a hungry bird. It was clearly evident that he wasn't accepted into the practice lessons and I understood that he was someone who felt satisfied by bullying those weaker than himself. The most effective weapon to put such people in line was fear.
"Or else I will end both of your days at the Academy."
This threat would keep them in check. After all, getting into the Academy was a golden opportunity for many. Being expelled from the Academy was seen as a kind of stain and I had heard that those who bore that stain were not taken seriously socially. I waited a few seconds to confirm whether they understood my words, and I watched as they both scurried away like rats. During this entire time, I noticed that the nalia was watching me with tearful eyes.
"Are you okay?"
After I said this, she hugged me tightly. It was a strange feeling. She seemed as if he had never considered the possibility that someone would help her.
"Th… Thank you… Those lowlifes… Even though I'm not from Quintah…"
She had started to cry. I felt sad that my clothes were going to get wet but I was proud of myself for pulling her away from the bullies. My father would probably feel the same kind of pride. After she stopped crying, I gently pulled her away from me.
"It's really no big deal. Anyone would do the same... Or rather, anyone with a bit of goodness in them would do the same. I think F had said something like that."
When the girl heard me mention F, her eyes lit up. I guess I had encountered someone like Iris. She seemed like a shyer version of her in every way.
"But let's put that aside and introduce ourselves. I'm Nell Warden. You might have heard of me since we're in the same class."
Those of the nalia race usually communicated with each other. She seemed to have some reservations about humans. That's why I felt the need to point out that we were in the same class.
"Ro… Rona…"
She had only mentioned her name, but it didn't matter. She seemed to be starting to trust me. I didn't want what had just happened to turn into a trauma for her.
"Then... Let's go somewhere together. That snob and his lackey might follow you."
I thought it was foolish of them to do something like that but it was better to be cautious. Besides, I wanted her to forget what she had experienced. The only thing I was sad about was having to postpone my search for a blacksmith forge. Rona thought for a long time in response to my suggestion. Then she said in a quiet voice;
"Okay…"
Thus, I went on a sort of date with the shyly nalia. We went to a café where I had previously met my friends and ordered some drinks. We didn't talk much and whenever we did, we shared our memories about each other. Rona had mentioned that she was an orphan. In the human kingdoms, orphans stayed in orphanages prepared for them. I had learned that this responsibility was completely under the church in the nalia kingdoms. That's why I could understand why Rona was similar to Iris. Rona was from Tunlua kingdom, located further south. The church allowed a few orphans, whom they thought were talented, to receive education at the Academy. When she shared this with me, I talked about my own scholarship. We also discussed other topics. For instance, Rona told me she hated carrots. I said I hated that broccoli-like vegetable.
It was a quite enjoyable conversation and time flew by like water. Rona was now less shy. Still, I felt I needed to accompany him to his room. We returned to the dorm together. His room was two floors above mine, and we had climbed up together. When we reached the front of his room, it was time to part ways.
"Well then… See you tomorrow."
I said something like that and turned around.
But I felt my clothes being tugged. It was Rona. 'Stupid Nell! What are you doing trying to leave without listening to the girl's words?!' I scolded myself. Rona was avoiding eye contact and seemed to be blushing to his ears.
"Actually... I have something I want to tell you... Come to my room."
He couldn't even look at me when he said the last sentence. I didn't know what to say. Why had my heart rate increased? I was thinking, 'Could this really be happening?' She looked like she would be very upset if I told her I was busy. At the very least, I thought I should listen to her and not make her sad.
"Okay…"
I think I blushed too.
I entered her room with Rona. It looked just like my room. In fact, we were all staying in rooms designed in the same way. She had asked me to stand in the middle of the room. Then I noticed she was scanning the area. It struck me as strange but I didn't mind. She closed the door and came over to me. I was wondering to myself, 'I wonder which of us is blushing more?' I had been a level-headed person my whole life. I wasn't planning on doing anything as long as Rona didn't make a move but when she did take a step, I didn't know what I would do. Besides, she seemed eager to take that step.
But this was very strange.
Was it really supposed to be like this?
With a grin that I never expected from her, she asked a question that I never, ever anticipated.
"I'm just asking to be sure. Do you believe in Fall?"