After arriving in his room, Solomon checked his schedule for the week before going back to planning. Judging from his interactions alone, it was clear his title would only carry him so far. Since he was known as an anomalous magician, he could use the excuse of not being accustomed to standard magic as a front. However, that didn't change the fact that he needed to actually do something to prove himself.
Analyzing his classes, there was a good chance he'd be forced to show off his abilities soon. He needed to prepare. After double-checking his schedule, he grabbed a book filled with his own practical magic tricks.
Ember Out of Nowhere!
An eye-catching title, plastered in various colors and fonts, filled Solomon's vision. The cover featured a rabbit in a top hat and suit, snapping its fingers as embers danced from its hands. Despite the childish illustration, Solomon took it seriously. He read through the contents, the tricks, and the materials required to perform them.
"Steel wool? What's that?" he murmured, staring at an illustration of a small clump of metallic strands glowing with a fierce heat.
As he pondered the nature of steel wool, the sudden chime of the room's clock dragged him out of his stupor. It was already midnight; he had completely lost track of time while studying. Deciding to put it off for now, Solomon went to sleep.
...
The next morning, he arrived at the dining table once more. Unlike yesterday, however, Hael was already sitting there, eating in silence and paying no attention to anyone else. As Solomon stepped into the room, Apollo immediately greeted him.
"Hey man, get some nice sleep?" Apollo asked with that infuriatingly familiar smile. "I saw you at the canteen yesterday, sitting all by your lonesome. I mean, with that scary 'anomalous magician' title you're parading around, it must be quite hard to make friends with the lesser commoners." He chuckled mockingly.
"Well, maybe you'll be good friends with this bastard, Hael. He's a royal, yet he doesn't seem to be worth much—maybe even less than those nobodies you tried to talk to." Apollo grinned, not even batting an eye toward Hael as he insulted him.
Hael, for his part, simply stood up, picked up his plate, and left the room without a word.
Kath sat attentively, watching the expressions of everyone involved. Although she could have easily stopped the situation from escalating, she wanted to see more. Specifically, she wanted to see Solomon's reaction.
"Oh, is that so? I honestly thought they were of pretty good temperament," Solomon snarked casually, focusing on the food being served rather than on Apollo. "It's not every day you meet people with such sparkling personalities. Certainly not a daily morning occurrence, anyway."
"You're quite good with your words," Apollo laughed, picking up a spoon. "Well, for someone who's all talk, it would be a shame if you were bad at it."
"I could say the same to you," Solomon replied with a sweet smile. "For someone who relies on mana so much, it seems you can't fathom strength existing outside of it."
"Ahem... I think that's enough," Kath finally interjected, breaking the tension. "I don't believe it's healthy for dormmates to speak to each other like this."
"As you say, Lady Duchess," Apollo replied with a mock bow. He left the dining table without finishing his food.
"I apologize for that, Mr. Weise. He's quite the character," Kath said, her voice cold yet enchanting.
"You don't have to apologize. It's not like you had anything to do with it," Solomon replied, maintaining a controlled smile.
"I'm afraid I do. Despite his attitude, he is still the destined king of this empire," Kath said, placing down her utensils and removing her napkin. "As the representative of the Magic Tower, I hope that's something you keep in mind while interacting with him." She stood up from her chair. "Well, I must go now. I hope you all have a wonderful morning," she added, giving a slight wave as she exited.
...
As if nothing had happened, Solomon continued eating with a calm expression. Inside, however, he was far from calm.
Fuck... he cursed internally.
Not only was he being constantly targeted by Apollo, but now even Kath was warning him to tread lightly. As much as he wanted to just swallow his pride and accept the painful words, his heart wouldn't let him sit completely still.
"Wow... to be so calm after all that. You're quite amazing, aren't you?" Selene, who had sat silently throughout the entire ordeal, suddenly broke the deafening quiet.
"Huh?" Solomon jumped, pulled sharply from his thoughts.
"I mean, yesterday you seemed so unfamiliar with noble life," she said, chewing her food thoughtfully. "Yet today, you act like you've been living as one your entire life. You're more of the mature type, like Miss Kath, rather than a child."
Feeling exposed by the sudden observation, Solomon's mind went blank. "Uhhh... I see... Well... thanks for the compliment."
"I have to go now, though. I need to get to, uh, class," he said hurriedly. He quickly stood up and left the room, wondering frantically if his identity was slowly unraveling or if Selene was just incredibly observant.
"Fuck!" he exclaimed in annoyance the moment he safely entered his room. Apollo was making things harder than they already were. But as he thought about Kath's warning, the more he realized just how reckless his judgment had been. Still, there was an inkling in the back of his mind that even if he hadn't responded, Apollo would have just kept messing with him anyway.
He truly needed to grow strong, one way or another. As much as he wanted to feel involved in Ars, his current situation made it far too difficult to make allies. If he couldn't figure this out, he would have to leave Ars altogether.
...
After finishing his morning preparations, Solomon made his way to class. He glanced toward the training grounds on his way out, and sure enough, Hael was there, finishing up his morning routine and getting ready for classes himself.
Checking his phone, Solomon pinpointed the location of his first schedule: Beginner Mana Collection SP1. Although special classes were typically scheduled for the weekends, the free time created by the chaotic first-week enrollment had opened up slots to take them earlier.
Curious about the schedule, Solomon grabbed his academy booklet to read up on the differences in his classes. Unlike the normal curriculum, SP classes were taken by students from various specializations under the same school. Their primary purpose was to help late bloomers catch up, or to assist students intending to shift into a different magical specialization.
Reading this, Solomon's stomach churned. It meant he would be surrounded by an entirely different mix of students.
A few minutes later, he arrived outside the classroom. Wanting to rest his weary legs, he headed inside early. Thankfully, there weren't many people there yet, so he comfortably picked a good seat.
As more students filtered in, an unexpected but familiar face appeared. A blond boy, wearing a steady, unwavering expression that poorly hid his underlying uncertainty, slumped into a seat. Hael Allflame.
Huh? Solomon questioned his own eyes. Remembering Jarius's explanation of the world's basic power systems, there were only two primary types of energy: Mana for magic, and Ki for warriors. Considering Hael intensely trained his body with weapons meant for Ki users, Solomon had assumed he was purely a Ki user. Why was he in a Mana class?
"That bum is here. Isn't that perfect, Young Master Jay?"
Snapping Solomon out of his thoughts, one of three frail, frivolous-looking boys nudged the slightly taller boy leaning against a desk. The boy addressed as Jay had bright red hair and snake-like eyes framed by long lashes. If it weren't for his short hair and firm build, he could have easily been mistaken for a girl.
Scoffing at his lackey's words, Jay turned his head toward Hael. He made sure his voice was loud enough to carry across the room, ensuring his blatant provocation reached everyone's ears. Instantly, it sparked a chain of murmurs.
"Jay's at it again. I heard he's extra annoyed this time because Hael got into the royal dormitory instead of him, despite Jay being royalty too." "Well, Hael is an imperial royal. Jay is just a regular royal." "That's exactly why he picks on him. Hael is only imperial by name. Ability-wise, he's the easiest target here, and he clearly doesn't care enough to defend the title. People who actually work for it should replace him..."
Thanks to the class's loose lips, Solomon immediately understood the dynamic between the two. Hael really had it tough. In one room, he was targeted by his own family; in another, he was targeted by lesser royalty. If Hael wasn't acting as a natural bully magnet, perhaps all that trouble would have found Solomon instead.
"Yeah, if anything, I'm more interested in that guy."
A quiet whisper echoed near Solomon's ear. Though there wasn't much context to the words, a sinking feeling in his gut told him exactly who the whisper was pointing to.