- After -


    Stralo Fort is a highly technologically advanced city. Instead of the usual european centric buildings that Aki was used to seeing, here there were skyscrapers that closely resembled those back in her original world. However, what was different were the neon lights that ran through the buildings and the flying cars, spaceships, carriages and more that populated the sky.


    Aki was seated on top of Cadbury with kitkat nestled in her coat as the cold wind blew. They were flying high up in the sky, getting an amazing aerial view of the city.


    After Cadbury and Kit Kat rushed back to Axel, they were desperate trying to convey their meaning to the boy, of how Aki was washed away by the sea. However, no matter how they tried to gesture or bounced their fluffy self, Axel did not understand.


    When they were at the edge of exploding, Aki thankfully returned back to camp herself. After cuddling with Aki for a whole night with lots of chocolate, Cadbury and Kit Kat were then willing to let Aki go on another Hunt.


    The herb that Aki is hunting this time round is at the outskirts.


    Cadbury flapped her wings and landed with a thump, sending dust and little scraps flying. The area was filled with failed creations of the city, with towering disposed mechanical parts and lacked any signs of life besides them.


    The herb that Aki needed was called the Helianthus. It was a mutated flower which had incorporated digital parts into its own body, a natural half bot and half plant.


    The Helianthus contains electric essences that are good for refining a pill that could boost magicians with electric magic.


    Aki looked down at her smart bracelet and then at the pile of digital debris in front of her. Cadbury and Kit Kat had already disappeared and were up to their usual shenanigans.


    "Let''s just get this over with."


    Aki rolled up her sleeves and started sieving through the remnants of inventions piece by piece.


    ~~~~~~~~~~


    - Before -


    In a quiet room, Aki was gently brushing through Kit Kat’s fur with a special comb that was once again gifted by Rory before they left as a farewell gift.


    It had been a month since she left Colkirk and arrived here at Forthmight, the capital of Valticand kingdom and where the Royal Castle and Academy was located.


    Since Aki was already here, Misha took the liberty to assign Aki quests that were near the capital. After a month of hard work, Aki had raised her rank and became an A rank Hunter in no time.


    Kit Kat purred against Aki’s skillful hand as she sorted out his tangles and knots. This was simply a royal treatment.


    A ringtone sounded and Aki looked at her smart bracelet.


    “HEY AKI! LONG TIME NO SEE!”


    Picking up the call, Takeshi''s voice boomed through the room. Aki smiled at the energetic Takeshi across the holographic screen. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    “Move Takeshi, you are too close to the camera. Hi Aki, how are you doing?”


    “AKI I HAVE GOOD NEWS! Hear and be amazed! We have an open house event where we can bring in friends or family to experience life at the Royal Academy!”


    “Yeah, come over Aki, we can hang out in school. We had not met since a week ago.”


    ”Hmm… But I still have some upcoming quests that I-”


    ”Come onnnnn!!! You just became an A rank! You need a break!”


    ” Yeah,  take a break from your Hunts for a day and come join us. Weren’t you curious about academy life before?”


    -


    Aki stood in front of an open gate as people trailed past her. In front of her was an oddly modern building among medieval aesthetic buildings. Streams of colorful banners and balloons floated in the air, welcoming visitors in.


    It was like a school festival. But instead of games, visitors were oddly here for… lessons.


    “AKIIII!!!!”


    From afar, Takeshi was waving as she ran towards Aki and gave her a bear hug, lifting her up. Aki chuckled as it''s been a while since anyone lifted her up like this. And as always, Heiki was not far from Takeshi.


    “Let’s go, Aki!! we''ll bring you to our class!”


    ”Your seat has also been prepared.”


    ”There’s also a uniform! Would you like to try it on?”


    Aki looked at the fellow students around her. The guys like Heiki and Takeshi were dressed in a white blazer and white pants with red patterns lined on the uniform. The girls were wearing a white blazer with a red checkered skirt.


    Looking at their thin clothing where any knife could easily cut through, Aki wanted to reject Heiki directly.


    But Aki paused.


    Now she was not on a job and was here to experience a school life which she never had.


    -


    Sitting in the classroom filled with people and noise, Aki felt out of place with such bright and eye-catching attire. Students, too, kept taking glances at her as she sat between Heiki and Takeshi.


    Although Takeshi wasn''t a very proficient magician, both of them were still ranked the top 5 most handsome in the entire school and were often at the center of attention in class. And in between them was a beautiful girl which they had never met before.


    “The first class is a magic lesson which I think you will enjoy Aki.”


    Heiki said and smiled gently at Aki.


    “But it’s so boriiiing. It''s about the philosophy of magic. I want to practice magic instead!”


    Takseshi complained as he laid spread out on the table. Aki looked at the digital display in front of her which said “Introduction to philosophy in Magic”. Just as she was about to ask Heiki more about it, the door opened and an old professor walked in.


    “My name is Cayden Bartam. You can call me Professor Bratam. Now, when we talk about the fundamentals of magic. We all know that we draw in mana from our surroundings and convert them into magic with our intention.


    But what is mana and what role do we play in this magical phenomenon? A popular school of thought presents mana as the god’s power and we are the messengers of god. I am more inclined, however, to believe that Mana is energy from the universe and as we too are part of the universe, we are able to mold this energy into the universe creations, like fire, water, lightning, or even space and time.”


    Aki was enraptured by the lecture and her eyes sparkled in interest. So much that she leaned forward in her seat, wanting to absorb every single information that was presented to her.


    Unbeknownst to her, a man with a scar on his left eye was leaning at the back of the classroom, looking at her with an amused smile.


    Even though Aki had the bearings of a skilled Hunter, it was times like this that her innocence shines through. As if she had never experienced the dark and filthy things humanity was capable of. She still had a pure curiosity, and treated the world and people with such sincerity.


    “... Okay that’s all for today’s lesson. I hope that through this short lecture, you have gained something from it. Class dismissed.”


    Before the professor had the chance to leave the classroom, Aki was standing before him, eyes glittering with questions. Stunned at Aki’s appearance and before he could say a word, Aki launched into a torrent of questions for the professor. As he listened to Aki’s questions, he was drawn into her way of thinking and started a discussion with Aki.


    “Wake up Heiki. It’s time for lunch.”


    “Uhh?... is it lunch time already? Where’s Aki?”


    Gesturing to the front, Takeshi saw two passionate people launching into a long debate that doesn’t seem like it’s ending soon. The hot atmosphere between the professor and Aki was hard to break into.


    “Should... Should we stop them?”


    “You think you can? I think it''s more realistic to pack some lunch for them.”


    A beep rang on the professor’s smart bracelet.


    “Oh no. Looks like we had missed lunch. I''m afraid we must stop here."


    Looking at Aki''s passionate eyes turning downcast, the professor felt a sense of panic.


    "How about we add each other on our smart bracelet. We can continue this conversation anytime.”


    Perking back up, Aki remembered Takeshi and Heiki and turned to look at the seats. Heiki and Takeshi were waving a packed lunch at Aki. After giving a portion of the packed sandwiches to the professor, Aki walked with Heiki and Takeshi to their next class while munching away.


    “So was that fun Aki?” Heiki asked as he passed her a drink as well.


    Finishing her sandwich in mere bites, and downing her drink in one go, Aki nodded repeatedly.


    “Yes, so much!”