The orientation hall was a cavern of echoing footsteps and murmuring voices as the students began to disperse. I remained seated for a moment, letting the initial wave of bodies move toward the exits. My eyes tracked the front of the room, specifically the spot where the top five students and the prince had been standing.
Valerius Thorne, the prince, was the first to leave. He didn't look back. He didn't shake hands or exchange pleasantries with the other top scorers. He simply walked toward the side door, his massive frame parting the crowd like a ship cutting through water, and vanished into the corridor.
"Arrogant," I muttered under my breath, my voice barely a whisper.
I watched as Kaelen Virenth and Zarethis Darkroot exchanged a brief, competitive glance before heading in opposite directions. Lyra Solis offered a polite wave to the room before following the prince at a respectful distance. Sylas Whisperwind slipped away quietly, almost vanishing into the shadows near the door.
But Elara Vane remained.
She stood near the podium, speaking quietly with Professor Onlnor. I watched her body language, her shoulders were tense, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She nodded at whatever the professor was saying, but she didn't smile.
She's interesting, I thought. Unlike the others, she doesn't radiate effortless confidence. She's calculating.
I stood up, smoothing down my pleated skirt and adjusting the strap of my satchel. I needed to get to my dorm room and perhaps begin planning my physical training regimen. I turned toward the exit, my pink hair swaying behind me.
I had taken only three steps when a voice cut through the ambient noise.
"Hey!"
I froze. The voice was sharp, authoritative, and coming from directly behind me.
My heart skipped a beat. Is she talking to me? Did I do something wrong? Did I look at her wrong?
I slowly turned around, my movements stiff. Elara Vane was walking toward me, her grey eyes locked onto mine behind her round spectacles. She moved with a purposeful stride, her silver hair catching the light.
"H-hello...?" I stammered, my voice coming out softer than I intended.
She stopped in front of me, standing much taller than me. She looked me up and down, her gaze analytical and intense. I felt my cheeks heat up under her scrutiny.
"Who are you?" she asked, her tone clipped and direct.
"I... I'm Bell," I managed to say, clutching my satchel tighter. "Bell Ashford. It's nice to—"
"Interesting," she interrupted, not bothering with pleasantries. She reached into the folder she was carrying and pulled out a sheet of parchment. "I didn't see your name among the top five physical scorers, yet you're here."
I blinked, confused. "I... I didn't make the top five. My physical stats are... well, they're not great."
"Obviously," she said flatly. "But that's not what I'm talking about."
She thrust the paper toward me. I hesitated, then took it. My eyes scanned the list of names and numbers. It was a breakdown of the entrance exam scores, separated by category.
Physical Assessment: 1. Kaelen Virenth, 2. Zarethis Darkroot, 3. Lyra Solis...
Mana Sensitivity: 1. Lyra Solis, 2. Sylas Whisperwind, 3. Elara Vane...
Theoretical Knowledge: ...
My eyes widened as I read the last line.
1. Bell Ashford: 100/100
2. Elara Vane: 98/100
3. Lyra Solis: 97/100
I stared at the paper, my mouth slightly open. I knew I had done well on the theory portion, I had spent years studying the mana circulation systems of this world, but I didn't realize I had scored perfectly.
"Top score in theory," Elara said, crossing her arms. "A perfect score. So, I ask, Bell Ashford. How did you do it?"
I looked up from the paper, meeting her grey eyes. Panic flared in my chest. How could I explain it? Oh, well, I'm a reincarnated soul from another world where I studied physics and chemistry, so I applied those concepts to magical theory. Yeah, that would go over well.
"I... I studied," I said vaguely, handing the paper back. "A lot. In my village, there wasn't much else to do."
Elara didn't take the paper. She stared at me, her expression unreadable. "That's it? 'I studied'?"
"Yes," I lied, trying to keep my voice steady. "Just... reading books."
She narrowed her eyes. "The questions on the exam involved advanced mana topology and dimensional arithmetic. You don't learn that by reading books in a backwater village."
"I had a good teacher," I improvised.
Elara stared at me for a long moment, her gaze piercing. I felt like a bug under a microscope. Finally, she sighed and took the paper from my hand.
"Fine," she said. "If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. Yet."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Thank god. "Thank you," I said, offering a small, nervous smile. "Is that all?"
I turned to leave, but a hand shot out and pressed a rolled-up scroll against my chest, stopping me in my tracks.
I looked down at the scroll, then back up at Elara.
"Wait," she said, her cheeks flushing faintly. "I didn't say you could go."
I looked at the scroll in my hands. It was made of high-quality parchment, bound with a violet ribbon. I unrolled it slightly to read the header.
THE ELARA VANE DISCUSSION SOCIETY
I blinked. Then I blinked again.
"Is this... a club?" I asked, looking up at her.
"It's a society," she corrected sharply. "For the advancement of magical knowledge and strategic dominance."
I looked at the name again. The Elara Vane Discussion Society. The narcissism was staggering.
"You named a club after yourself?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Elara's face turned a bright shade of red. "It's not narcissism! It's... branding! My father is the Head of the Magic Tower. It's a recognizable name!"
I looked at her, then back at the scroll. "Right. Branding."
"Are you going to join or not?" she demanded, her voice rising slightly.
I hesitated. On one hand, joining a club run by the daughter of the Tower Head gave me access to resources and connections I wouldn't get otherwise. On the other hand, the name was ridiculous.
"I... I suppose I could," I said slowly.
"Good," she said, shoving a quill and ink pot into my other hand. "Sign here."
I looked at the membership line. There was only one signature on it so far: Elara Vane.
I dipped the quill and signed my name: Bell Ashford.
"Excellent," Elara said, snatching the scroll back and rolling it up tightly. "Follow me."
"Where are we going?" I asked, hurrying to keep up with her brisk pace.
"To the club room," she said over her shoulder. "We have matters to discuss."
We left the orientation hall and navigated the twisting corridors of the Magic Tower. Elara walked with confidence, her footsteps echoing on the marble floors. I trailed behind her, my pink hair drawing glances from passing students.
We took a spiral staircase up two floors, then turned down a quiet hallway lined with oak doors. Elara stopped at the very end, in front of a door marked with a small, polished brass plate.
She unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping inside.
"Welcome to the headquarters," she announced.
I stepped in after her and stopped, my eyes widening.
The room was... impressive.
It was a circular chamber with high ceilings, lined from floor to ceiling with bookshelves. The shelves were packed with thick tomes, leather-bound scrolls, and stacks of loose parchment. A large wooden table dominated the center of the room, covered in maps of the kingdom and diagrams of magical circles. A fireplace crackled warmly in the corner, and a large window overlooked the sprawling city of Luminara.
It was a researcher's dream.
But as I looked around, I noticed something else.
The room was empty.
There were no other students. No chatter. No movement. Just me, Elara, and a room full of books.
I turned to look at Elara, who was busy organizing a stack of papers on the table. A realization dawned on me.
"Elara," I said slowly.
She looked up. "What?"
I looked around the room again, then back at her. "Did you make me vice-president because no one else joined your club?"
The silence in the room stretched.
Elara froze. Her face went from pale to crimson in a split second. She opened her mouth, then closed it, her hands gripping the edge of the table.
"N-no!" she stammered, her voice cracking. "Of course not! There were plenty of people who wanted to join!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Plenty?"
"Yes!" she insisted, her voice rising in pitch. "Dozens! Hundreds! But... they were... they were scared!"
"Scared?" I asked, tilting my head. "Scared of what?"
"Scared of... of the workload!" she blurted out, waving her hands frantically. "The intellectual rigor! The high standards! They knew they couldn't keep up with me, so they... they backed out!"
She crossed her arms defensively, looking away from me.
I stared at her. The daughter of the Tower Head. The girl who had walked onto the stage with such composure.
I looked at the room again. The massive table, the empty chairs, the silence.
"Elara," I said gently.
She looked at me warily. "What?"
"You wouldn't happen to have... social anxiety?"
The words hung in the air.
Elara's eyes went wide. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She looked like I had just cast a silence spell on her.
"I... I..." she stammered, her face turning a deep, mortified shade of red.
I watched as her composure shattered. The confident, authoritative girl from the orientation hall seemed to shrink before my eyes.
"I don't have social anxiety!" she squeaked, her voice an octave higher than before. "I am perfectly capable of social interaction! I am the daughter of the Tower Head! I have to interact with dignitaries and nobles all the time!"
"Okay, okay," I said, holding up my hands in surrender. "But... this club room. It's huge. And there's only two of us."
"It's... it's future-proofing!" she argued, her ears turning pink. "We will grow! I just... I prefer smaller, more intimate gatherings. Large groups are... inefficient."
She was trembling slightly. I could see her hands shaking where she gripped the table.
I sighed, a soft sound of understanding. I walked over to the table and pulled out a chair, sitting down. I looked up at her.
"Sit down, Elara," I said.
She hesitated, then slowly pulled out the chair opposite me and sat down. She kept her hands in her lap, her posture rigid.
I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. "So, let me get this straight. You created a club for this so-called 'advancement of magical knowledge and strategic dominance', but you're too anxious to actually recruit members. So, you've been sitting in this room alone, waiting for someone to stumble in?"
Elara buried her face in her hands. "It sounds so pathetic when you say it out loud."
"It's a little pathetic," I agreed softly.
She peeked through her fingers, glaring at me. "You're supposed to be the vice-president! You're supposed to support me!"
"I am supporting you," I said, a small smile playing on my lips. "By pointing out the flaw in your strategy."
She groaned and dropped her hands to the table, resting her forehead on the cool wood. "I hate this. I hate talking to people. They stare. They judge. They expect things from me because of my father."
"They do the same to me," I said quietly.
Elara lifted her head, looking at me with her grey eyes. "Really?"
I nodded, brushing a strand of pink hair behind my long, pointed ear. "I walked into the orientation hall today, and everyone stared. They whispered and judged my appearance. It's... exhausting."
We sat in silence for a moment, the crackling fire filling the space between us. The tension in Elara's shoulders seemed to ease slightly.
"So," she said, finally meeting my eyes. "You're the vice-president now. You have to help me."
"Help you with what?" I asked. "Recruiting members?"
"No," she said quickly, shaking her head. "No, we're not doing that yet. I... I need to prepare the curriculum."
She stood up and began pacing around the table, her energy returning.
"Since we're the only two members for now, we can focus on intensive study. I have access to the restricted archives because of my father. We can study advanced theory together. You can explain how you study, and I can share the practical spells I've been learning."
She stopped and looked at me, her eyes gleaming with a sudden intensity.
"We're going to dominate this year, Bell. Even if it's just the two of us. We'll be the smartest students in the tower. We'll outthink everyone."
I watched her, seeing the passion behind the anxiety.
"Okay," I said, standing up. "I'm in."
"Good," she said, nodding firmly. "Now, sit down. I want to see your notes."
"I didn't bring any notes," I admitted.
Elara stared at me, horrified. "No notes? How did you score a perfect one hundred?"
"I told you," I said, taking my seat again. "I have a good memory."
She sighed, pulling a heavy tome from the shelf and dropping it onto the table with a thud. "Well, you're going to need to write them down now. Starting with the fundamentals of mana circulation."
I watched as she opened the book, her hands steady now that we were discussing academic matters. The anxiety was still there, lurking beneath the surface, but for now, it was masked by her passion for magic.
I looked down at my own hands, small and delicate. I looked at the book Elara had opened.
The Elara Vane Discussion Society, I thought. It's just the two of us in a giant room.
But as I looked at Elara, I realized something.
I had an ally.
In a tower filled with arrogant princes and muscular warriors, I had found someone who understood the value of knowledge over brute force.
I picked up the quill Elara had given me earlier.
"Alright," I said, dipping it into the ink. "Show me what you've got."
Elara smiled, and replied, "Let's begin."