"Ummm…" Mori started to ponder: should he tell them or not, as it would reveal some secrets.
But after thinking things through carefully, he decided to tell them. Firstly, it wouldn't matter much to them as they were still too young, and he had nothing to do anyway as not many people were present in the library.
"Yes, I indeed have witnessed such an event with my own eyes." Mori took a seat beside them and started telling them the story. "One hundred or so years ago, a genius was born in a duke's family. No, we can't call him genius; he was a monstrous prodigy that was feared by many, old or young. No one could beat him at anything, and no one tried to go for his life because of his father's protection. "He is a free beast roaming among weaker predators." That was what everyone would say about him."
Reminiscence could be seen flashing before Mori's strict eyes. "However, this also became his bane. This made him wild, careless, and mainly arrogant. He would do any kind of thing without thinking of the consequences that would come after."
"So, in the prying eyes of everyone, he declared to kill a god when getting into a quarrel with a priest. This instantly brought out the anger of the god and his believers. A purge occurred that left the duke hopeless, and on top of that, he didn't get any support from other dukes or the king himself." Mori started shaking his head, as if he didn't want to recount the unfortunate event. "The believers of the god placed that genius head right below his statue, where the main temple was located. The god has cursed his head to no decay in the flow of time, and every year they would water the head with the blood of the dead geniuses."
Gulp
Lily and Ana couldn't help but take a gulp of their saliva, not expecting the story to get this dark. They looked at each other with eyes full of horror.
"That is why I am saying to be careful when you talk about them. Try your best not to say offensive words." Mori once again warned them, trying to engrave this in their hearts.
Ana couldn't help but think of Asher, who seems to harbor some sort of hatred towards the gods. 'Why isn't no one targeting him, or is there something going on in the dark that I am not aware of? Maybe he is better at hiding his intentions, but that doesn't make sense, as he told us, to strangers, about his malice.'
While Ana was contemplating deeply, Lily again asked, this time with her voice lowered. "Professor Mori, who is the god that the genius offended?"
Mori stared at her eyes silently for a few seconds before replying. "Do you want me and you to die?"
"Uhhh…" Lily became stupefied by that answer, as she was having a hard time understanding. But that didn't take time, as she only needed to calm her mind. She rapidly shook her head and said. "No, no, no….Professor, I am sorry. I will keep my mouth shut from now on and not even utter anything!"
"Calm your voice down. People are quietly reading." Mori quickly notified her, glaring at her.
Lily could only bite her tongue at such a mistake.
Tringgg!! Trinnnggg!!
Suddenly, the academy bell began to ring, alarming every student and teacher. The classes for the first year students mostly start after the third and second-year students are done with theirs. The second and third years classes would begin early in the morning. There would be just two classes that were one hour long each. After they were done, it would be the first year's turn, during which the senior years would take a break.
"Professor, our classes will begin now. We will be taking our leave." Ana stood up and said it respectfully.
Still sitting down on the chair. Mori gave a surprised look at Lily and Ana. "So, you guys are first years. That explains why your faces seem so unfamiliar."
Mori had a sharp memory that is praised by everyone in the EverGreen Region, so it wasn't hard for him to memorize every student. However, not everyone could remember and identify each student, so the academy had to find a way to easily identify what year the students were in.
The formal dress for the academy was a white scholar's robe with green borders and embroidery. To recognize which year a student was in, you had to look at their collar. Each year's collar was different from the other. The first year had one single green stripe with three petaled Bethlehem flowers on both ends. For the second year, there were two stripes and six petaled Bethlehem flowers. For the third year, there were three stripes and nine-petaled Bethlehem flowers.
However, Ana and Lily weren't wearing their scholar robes, or else Mori could have recognized them easily.
"Yes, we are. Professor, take care of us whenever you take classes for us." Ana and Lily left in a hurry after bowing to Mori.
"Ahh.." Mori was stumped, as he wanted to ask which section they were in, but they left him in a rush. "Well, forget it; I will find it out myself in a short moment."
Then Mori's eyes landed on the book that Ana was reading, which was called "The Benevolents and Unfathomables". It was a book about the gods and goddesses of the world that was written by Luthor, who roamed the entire earth in search of these unreachable beings.
'It has been so long since someone came to search for gods after entering the academy. It looks like this girl has some backstory.' Mori picked up the book and went to put it back in its place.
After he was done, he headed towards the exit of the library. 'Now, let's see which section I will be assigned to this year.'
…
The girls dormitory.
"Hurry up, this is the first day of our class. We can't miss it no matter what." Lily quickly changed her dress and went to grab her comb.
While Lily was panicking, Ana, on the other hand, calmly undressed herself and picked which dress she would wear in a pensive look. "Lily, there is still time. I know you are eager after not doing anything for one month but roam around the campus and daze off."
Yes, this was their first class session after coming to the academy. This past month, they couldn't do anything but familiarize themselves with the campus as the teachers were busy examining the commoners who had to enter the academy with nothing but pure skill.
After putting on their scholar robes, they happily strode toward their classroom. Each batch of the year had four sections, and they were further divided into two. The four sections of the first year were: crimson, azure, emerald, and gold. These sections were divided into bright and dim, for example, bright crimson and dim crimson.
Ana and Lily were at Bright Emerald together. Their room was in third place, which didn't take much time for them.
Without further ado, they entered simultaneously, taking a deep breath. Instantly, their eyes met with the usual big hall with seats curved upwards, letting students from all corners to see the professor and the board easily.
Students of every color and shape could be seen sitting or chatting with their classmates. Ana and Lily didn't know anyone here, so they didn't waste any time and went to look for their seats. The seats were already planned, so it didn't matter who came first or late, they had to sit on their designated spot.
It didn't take long for them to find their seats, as they were right at the top of the middle row.
However, there was an issue: a few people were already occupying the spot.
Ana and Lily looked at their invaders with unfavorable eyes. Four people were taking their seats, and from the looks of it, they were all together. There were three boys and one girl. The boy and the girl were sitting together in the middle while the other two were on the corners, as if they were guarding them.
Ana ignored them both in the corner and just focused on the girl and the boy. The girl had long, red, wavy hair and a pair of red eyes that were filled with disdain. The boy, on the other hand, had dark brown, short hair, properly combed. He had brown-colored eyes, and he had a calm yet arrogant face that was somehow different from Asher's, which Ana couldn't explain herself properly.
"Why are you sitting in our seats?" While Ana was analyzing them, Lily finally asked why they were here.
The red haired girl looked at them and said, raising the corners of her mouth. "Can't you see? We will be using this seat from now on."
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