Chapter 47: Elemental Studies
Chloe gave a slight nod. "I want to become strong. I must protect you."
The memory of Vlad getting injured in Barton City because she was too weak to protect herself was something she could never forget. They were family. She must protect him as he protected her. It was what Vlad had told her and what she had engraved in her heart.
A soft smile formed on Vlad’s face at her words. "Oh my piggy, I’m really happy to have you."
He playfully extended his arms towards her for a hug.
What he received in return was a merciless elbow straight to his guts.
"Stupid Vlad."
She stepped inside the classroom while Vlad was still groaning outside, holding his stomach.
"H-how come each time her attacks become more lethal?" He muttered as he stepped forward.
The classroom was massive, structured like an amphitheater with rows of dark mahogany desks rising toward the ceiling. Dust motes danced lazily in the shafts of sunlight slanting through tall arched windows.
The frantic chatter of dozens of students instantly died down, their heads turning to the entrance from where Vlad walked in. A few whispers lingered for a moment before being swallowed by the heavy silence. The room seemed relatively empty due to the low number of students present.
Chloe had already taken a seat at the very first desk. Vlad slid into the seat beside her, their thighs slightly brushing as he settled in.
"Sit somewhere else," Chloe said, immediately moving away from him.
"I will sit wherever I want," Vlad shrugged his shoulder, leaning back.
Chloe gave him a silent stare. The thought of changing seats had only crossed her mind when Vlad said,
"I will follow you wherever you sit."
"..."
The stare was longer than before this time. "I will stink you since I’m piggy. Stay away from me."
Vlad leaned closer, took a sniff from her shoulder and said, "Your lavender fragrance is as lovely as always. You are a clean piggy."
A sound of knuckles popping echoed as Chloe clenched her fists tightly. The air around them seemed to grow heavier with her rising fury. This was followed by a loud bam, cutting through the voices of the students.
At the front bench, Chloe was sitting straight and beside her, Vlad sat with his head resting on the desk before him, a crack spread outward where his head lay.
"Th-that scared me. It sounded like something exploded."
"It came from the front where the Crownbearer is sitting."
"I’m not sure if I saw it clearly but the girl beside him just slammed his head onto the desk."
The students murmured, shocked from the sudden loud noise.
"Ch-Chloe, I-I was just kidding," Vlad said, his voice barely above a whisper as he held his reddened forehead that had suffered the full blow of the impact.
Chloe didn’t reply. Her eyes were fixed on the front of the room, where a massive black slate was hung on the wall, a podium placed on the slightly raised platform before it. She was clearly angry at him this time. How dare he play with her little heart like this?
A moment later, a beautiful woman with long dark-brown hair entered the classroom, carrying herself with the grace of a professional. Her mature figure was clad in formal attire: a grey shirt tucked into a knee-length pencil skirt of dark blue. A blazer of matching color was placed over the shirt. Her high-heel sandals echoed through the classroom as she reached straight towards the podium.
All the students including Vlad and Chloe stood from their seats. The faint rustle of clothing and shifting of feet punctuated the sudden hush that fell over the room.
The professor took a quick glance at the student before her with her black eyes before saying, "Sit down."
Once the students were settled, she said, her voice professional, "I’m Camille de Valloire. You may address me as Professor Camille. I will be teaching you Elemental Studies for this semester and all those to follow."
A brief silence followed.
"I think that’s enough of the introduction," she said, placing both her hands on the podium. "You all must already be aware of the elemental affinity you possess. So let’s begin the lecture with a simple question.
What determines our affinity toward certain elements?"
Nearly all the students raised their hands in excitement.
Camille pointed at a random girl in the class.
The girl stood from her seat and answered, "Our genes." Her voice was clear and confident.
Camille gave a slight nod before gesturing for her to sit.
"Anyone else?" Her gaze swept across the room.
No hands rose this time. A few students exchanged uncertain glances.
Camille’s eyes reached the front bench where Vlad and Chloe sat.
"The Crownbearer, would you like to say something?"
Vlad was a bit taken aback by the sudden call out. The coat that he wore was certainly doing its work to bring attention whether he liked it or not.
Vlad rose from his seat and answered, "From what I have read, genes are what majorly define our affinity to the elements. I might be wrong but I have one more factor that I observed."
"Enlighten us."
"I think the environment in which we grow and our nature also plays a role."
"Your reason?" Camille asked, keeping a straight face. Her dark eyes betrayed no emotion.
"I have an affinity to both Umbra and Electro," Vlad revealed.
His words created a hush of whispers among the students. Dual affinity was in fact a rare occurrence.
Vlad continued his explanation, ignoring the whispers. "My father had an affinity to Electro so I must have received it from there. But my mother’s affinity is to Pyro. It doesn’t make sense for me to have affinity to Umbra unless other factors played a role."
"And you concluded that you received the affinity to Umbra because of the environment you grew in."
Vlad said neither yes nor no. He simply held the professor’s gaze. Camille gestured for him to sit down and revealed,
"The Crownbearer’s observations are spot on. Recent studies have found that apart from the genes of your parents, the environment in which you grow also helps you grow closer to a certain element. Like a child who lived his whole life in a forest might become closer to the Dendro element, or someone living close to water might awaken the Hydro element.
Nevertheless, the genes still have more impact than the environment."
Her eyes were fixed on something on the podium as she said, "Two credits to Miss Nicole."
The girl who had given the answer before Vlad beamed. A bright smile formed on her face as she stood from her seat and exclaimed with a bow,
"Thank you, Professor Camille."
Once she seated, Camille continued, "Three credits to The Crownbearer."
Vlad also thanked her from his seat, but he kept his composure.
Camille continued her lecture on the elements for a straight thirty minutes, giving a briefing on the nature of each element. Her voice flowed steadily, occasionally rising to emphasize a key point. The students listened intently, some jotting down notes on parchment.
"Now, I will teach you how to form your core to manipulate the element of your affinity."
