Step by step, dragging his feet, Dorian slowly walked down the street towards Arcanic Church Academy. Reaching the crossing, he looked left, then right, checking if there were any carriages, cars.
"Yo! Dorian!" A familiar voice rang out, making Dorian freeze in place.
Turning back, he saw Ezekiel. As he was running, his UmbraBat's coat almost reached the ground, threatening to get in his way. The boots were clearly made from dragon leather, and the pants with the shirt were probably from ShadowSpider's silk.
SNAP
Dorian reflexively snapped his fingers as the urge to snap and send this kid to the moon appeared. Unfortunately, his mana reserves right now wouldn't teleport Ezekiel even a couple of meters. Dorian sighed.
"Sigh… What do you want, Ezekiel." Dorian asked coldly.
Ezekiel caught up and threw an arm over Dorian's shoulders, walking side by side without paying attention to Dorian's displeased growl.
"So… what classes are you planning to take?!" Ezekiel asked, a satisfied smile on his face.
"We don't even know if we'll pass the test." Dorian said.
"Of course we'll pass, I'm sure! haha!" Ezekiel laughed, and with his free hand lightly punched Dorian's shoulder. "Come on, come on. Say it. What classes will you take?"
Dorian raised his eyes to the sky, thinking. No need to hide it, he thought, and answered him.
"I think, I'll study close combat."
"?!" Ezekiel suddenly stopped and since he was holding onto Dorian, he almost made him fall.
"What's wrong with you?!" Dorian asked, raising his voice.
"Uh… You said close combat?"
"Yes, and let go of me! Fuck sake!"
Dorian knew that Ezekiel was from another planet… However what the Yellow-eyed god didn't tell him; was that Ezekiel in the past really liked books… aka Novels. And the world they were in now, was described in one. Ezekiel was perfectly informed about the events of the world.
"You… You sure?" Ezekiel asked.
"Yes." Dorian said and then looking forward, saw kids running, rushing to take the exam. "Let's go or we'll be late."
Ezekiel nodded, confused, then shrugged it away. Probably not everything was written in the novel, he decided.
Reaching the massive gates with a rune symbolizing 'wisdom', they stopped. A teacher came up to them and handed them an electronic mana measuring device, which like a watch was worn on the wrist, and then showed them where to go to the exam stadium.
"Woah!" Ezekiel raised his hand, admiring the mana meter.
"First time seeing a mana meter?" Dorian raised one eyebrow in surprise.
"Yes!" Ezekiel said and then saw the stadium. He pointed at it. "We're here!"
Together, the duo entered the stadium, where hundreds of teenagers had gathered. Some were dressed worse, like Dorian. Others wore full high-level gear or armor.
'Nobles.' Dorian thought, staring at a group of boys in full wyvern leather outfits. Dorian clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tsk. I'll have to tolerate these fucking mockeries again."
"Did you say something?" Ezekiel turned to him but Dorian shook his head. "Okay."
DING DONG DING
A bell rang from the tower, signaling the start of classes. In the middle of the stadium field, an explosion appeared, from which fireballs shot into the sky like fireworks. As the fire and smoke cleared, four people appeared, whom Dorian recognized instantly.
Academy director Miraaz, with long pink hair tied into a ponytail. A short school uniform that made Dorian think 'What the hell is this idiot doing dressing like a student?'. She looked like a teenager, even younger than the applicants, but Dorian knew this witch was almost 300 years old. Then the head of security, Valdim. An old man, but with a bodybuilder build. His right palm strategically placed on his sword, and his left hand shoved into his pocket. He wore the academy instructor uniform. Dorian remembered from his past life that this man's skin was resistant to blows like a dragon's, he barely managed to kill him.
The director's assistant, Elvyra Bricks. Black hair, with glasses. Dorian had no information about her, because in his previous life she was already dead before Dorian became an Outlaw and massacred the people of this kingdom.
Finally, Liza Battleford. This instructor was a tricky case because her ancestor was a hero who defeated the demon king, Belzeboss, and pushed the demon race out of Arcazar continent. If Dorian wasn't mistaken, this snake inherited almost endless mana capacity and talent for controlling fire and lightning magic. Also, she was the youngest instructor in the academy, started teaching last year when she was only eighteen. This year, she's 19. "Hehe. If she wasn't a noble, I'd ask her out."
"Aw? Someone has a crush on a teacher?!" Ezekiel laughed and poked Dorian's side with his elbow.
Dorian's eyes widened. 'Did I say that out loud?!' slowly his face, keeping that horrified expression and wide eyes, turned towards Ezekiel. 'If… instead of mana I used lifeforce… I could probably get rid of Ezekiel and the witnesses.' the thought continued while staring at Ezekiel.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ezekiel laughed. "The pink-haired one isn't bad either."
Dorian almost choked from laughter hearing that.
"Didn't know you liked grandmas. HAHA!"
"What?" Ezekiel frowned in confusion.
Then Dorian pointed straight at the director.
"That woman is about 307 years old."
Suddenly, goosebumps ran down Dorian's back. His gaze met director Miraaz, it seemed she wasn't happy that someone knew her age.
"She heard…" Dorian and Ezekiel said in unison.
Director Miraaz placed her palm near her lips and in front of her appeared a green rune symbolizing wind magic.
"Oh shit." Feeling how much magic she put into the rune, Dorian quickly clicked his tongue.
CLICK
"Ehem. Test… Test…" Miraaz spoke, her voice echoed through the entire field so loudly that all the test participants had to cover their ears, and some poor mages even fainted.
Director Miraaz kept staring at Dorian and Ezekiel. "Test… Test…" it was obvious she intentionally used too much magic to punish Dorian. But unfortunately for her, the boy she most wanted to affect, couldn't hear her at all. Spatial magic made the sound pass straight through Dorian.
"Future students, I want to welcome you as you take your first step into the study of magic." Director Miraaz began her speech.
The nobles listened with interest, while the common people were confused why a 'student' was giving the speech. But no one dared to interrupt her or talk among themselves.
"Each of you came here with a desire and hope to become mages, scholars or maybe even knights. And believe me when I say, I hope each of you will fulfill that wish. Magic in the past was miracles; the realization of the impossible. So even though statistically it is almost impossible for all of you to enter, from the bottom of my heart I believe that your class, the 308th of this academy, will be the first to achieve a miracle and enter."
Ezekiel watched with amazement in his eyes. To him, the director looked like a dream girl; beautiful, confident, definitely a powerful mage. 'A real… real waifu… Oh my GOD!! She was my favorite character in this novel!" Suddenly, he pulled out from his coat a calendar with her half-naked posing on a beach picture and a pen. 'If I play my cards right, she'll give me an autograph!' he thought.
Meanwhile, Dorian, as if reading his thoughts, looked at Ezekiel with disgust, frowning, twisting his lips and wrinkling his nose. The only thought in his head was: 'This guy… this perverted grandma fetishist… killed me?'