Soren bent over to pick the clothes that had been delivered to his doorstep when he saw it.
Pencil.
Three cadets stood before him. They kept pushing, and chuckling to themselves.
"How can you be A–rank and still be such a coward? Maybe that’s why you are still a clown."
"Just look at him. The only thing he knows how to do is eat. Like an apple."
"Wait. His na is Pencil, right? From now on, I’ll call you apple. Cause you are round... and I hate apples."
"Leave... leave alone. I didn’t do anything wrong."
"Leave you alone? We are just playing ping pong with you, Apple."
One of them shoved too hard and Pencil fell on the ground.
Soren moved.
"Hey, Ass wipes, leave him alone."
These cadets wore black tunic.
But the mont they saw Soren, they stopped.
A different look in their gaze.
Soren only resud yesterday, but he already had reputation for himself.
They ran off.
Soren hurried to him. "Pencil, you okay?" He helped him to his feet.
Pencil nodded. "Thank you, Soren."
Soren took a look at his friend. It was just the beginning of the day and his white was already dirty.
"You know, I saw those guys. They are just D–ranks. You are A–rank, with an incredible Shade ability. You can handle them."
Pencil nodded sheepishly.
Soren looked at him. He sighed. He really wished Pencil would stand up for himself against the constant bullying.
This place was just too unforgiving to those without teeth.
For a second, he even thought maybe he should have allowed the bullying. Maybe if they pushed Pencil to the edge, he would snap or sothing.
After all, every man had a breaking point. But just as that thought ca to his mind, he shook his head.
The thought disgusted him the mont it ford. He was starting to think like the world he hated.
Soren helped Pencil inside his room.
Pencil could not help but look around and admire. "So this is what First place gets to enjoy. It... it looks like sothing the emperor enjoys himself. "
"Is it not the sa thing with your room?" Soren asked, surprised by his friend’s reaction.
"My room!?" Pencil shook his head. "We are six sharing it. And it’s all bunk beds."
"Six!?"
Soren thought that was a bit excessive. Even prison only allowed two people to a cell.
Six was just the academy being heavy on the whole hierarchy thing. No doubt to make competition more fierce.
"You are a ss. Let help you with that." Soren said, reaching for his wristwatch.
"Are you ordering new clothes for ?" Pencil asked.
Soren nodded.
"Isn’t that like 50 points?" Pencil’s eyes widened.
"Yeah."
"NO!..." Pencil leapt for Soren’s wrist, slamming into him with his huge body.
Both of them fell.
"Don’t do it, Soren."
"Why?"
"It’s too expensive. I have worn rags for most of my life. This is nothing compared to that."
"But its just 50 points."
Pencil grabbed his chest.
He felt his heart break. "50 POINTS! 50 POINTS!!
I know you just ca. But trust , if you spend like that, you won’t have any thing to eat for days."
Soren scratched his head. It was understandable for Pencil to be prudent with cash, especially considering their background.
But one look in his friend’s eyes, and he could see true fear and care.
Soren gave a dry chuckle. How was he to explain to his friend that he had thousands of points.
This was just 50 points. Even if it was priced at 1000 points, it would not move him.
"Don’t worry. Just take it as spending on my friend. Your saw how many eldritch beasts I defeated yesterday. I have a lot of points."
Pencil nodded, "oh, in that case, thank you." Finally calming down and letting go of Soren’s wrist.
He took his seat across from Soren in the sitting room.
After which he told him that he had co to help Soren with the curriculum.
"They are a lot of subjects depending on what you want to Major in." Pencil began, clicking a button on his wristwatch that sent to Soren’s wristwatch certain information.
"School is usually busy with classes, but currently, they eased the ti table to two classes a day because of the upcoming winter gas.
Regardless, the academy totals a ti period of 5 years for learning and training all the way to becoming knights and officers of the empire."
This much Soren knew. But he still listened.
"Three years are used for mostly academy work, while the fourth and fifth year are used for shadowing officers in the field.
If you noticed, the highest in the academy are the third years.
Fourth and Fifth year cadets are currently shadowing officers in the field.
From what I heard we might never see them throughout our stay in school. Regardless, I heard they are all so... cool." Pencil’s eyes shone.
Soren raised a brow.
"And what makes them so special?" He did not ask this question without reason. While so third years like Li seed exceptional, Soren did not see the hype.
"Well, they are..."
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Their conversation was interrupted.
Soren went to open the door.
A male cadet handed him the cadet whites he had ordered. Soren rembered him from the train.
A first year cadet.
He had a horn on one side of his face.
"Oh... so fast!" Soren exclaid.
The cadet nodded, avoiding Soren’s eyes as he handed over the clothes.
A bit awkward. But Soren thought nothing of it.
All the first years have been that way to him lately.
Pencil on the other hand was excited.
He only had the whites he currently wore.
Soren smiled, "thank you." He said.
Then he turned—handing the clothes over to Pencil as he closed the door.
Soren had only taken two steps back when—
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
The knock ca again.
He paused.
Am I forgetting sothing?
He opened the door.
However, the cadet. Sa person. He just stood there.
Frozen.
And then Soren noticed the eyes.
Pale.
White.
And then like a mannequin, the cadet fell forward.
Soren instinctively caught him.
Whoosh...
Blackfield kicked in.
Soren’s head moved.
He dodged.
A thin needle whistled past his ear and buried itself into the wall behind him with a dry tick.
Soren turned in the direction the attack ca from.
A figure at the end of the hallway.
A black-clad figure.
(Author’s Note: I use gramrly for editing, but it has been bad these last few days. If you find errors, please point them out. I’ll fix them. Thank you for your patience.)
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