A new day dawned, sunlight streaming into Art's cabin bedroom, rousing him after a twenty-five-day sleep.
He'd spent the night contemplating Cecilia's situation. Keeping her near was safest for her, but without her aid, his chances against powerful enemies dwindled.
"Hahh..." He sighed in resignation.
Art rose from bed and reached for the door. A soft click announced someone on the other side.
"!"
"Good morning," he said. A woman stood before him.
"Good morning," Cecilia replied, a smile on her face, devoid of any sadness.
"Shall we eat?" she asked. The sun was already high, indicating he'd slept quite long, and Cecilia had already prepared food.
"Sure," he agreed, following her to the table. Art stared, dumbfounded, at the spread.
"....." He was speechless.
The food was glowing...
"?" Noticing his reaction, Cecilia looked at him with confusion.
"Koalian brought this food," she explained. "I just cooked all of it earlier. We can talk about it while we eat; please sit down." She gestured to a chair beside him.
Art, still staring at her, sighed and sat down.
"This looks delicious," he said, his eyes fixed on the table.
"Please, let's eat," she said, smiling. They both began to enjoy the meal Cecilia had cooked.
Woah... this tastes delicious. Art's thoughts complimented the food as he took a bite of the medium-sized meat.
He'd never seen this kind of food in the modern world he'd lived in. Art figured it was probably from Cecilia's world—something akin to one of the world's wonders.
"You look like you're enjoying it," Cecilia said as she, too, took a piece of meat.
"This is delicious," he said, complimenting her cooking skills. He'd never known Cecilia was such a great cook.
"Mhmmm..." She tried to utter a word to Art but failed, her mouth full.
"Don't talk while eating," he said, glancing at Cecilia. Her cheeks were tinged with pink; it seemed she enjoyed his compliment, Art thought.
Cecilia just nodded, unable to say anything, and continued to eat. They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before finishing their meal.
Cecilia smiled, holding her belly like a child who had just finished eating. Art closed his eyes, unable to bear the sight.
There were still many things to discuss, but Art decided to let Cecilia rest for a minute.
"Are you sure about this?" An old man with long white hair, holding a metallic staff in his right hand, stood before a table laden with papers—information on special admission letters and upcoming assistants.
"They're at the level of a prodigy... or even above genius," said a figure covered by a huge white curtain, her voice angelic.
"If that's so, I have nothing to say," he replied, his face serious. "I'll leave now." He walked toward a large door, twice his height. Suddenly, the door moved on its own, opening the way out of the massive room.
The academy would soon begin, and the academy professors still had many things to finalize.
"Professor Luna, what do you think?" A small dwarf, the size of a little boy, asked the woman in front of him.
"I cannot fully say anything until I meet him in person," she said, though her grinning face suggested otherwise. Because of this, the dwarf simply stared at her blankly.
The dwarf had been talking about Art, who was going to start as Professor Luna's assistant at Arcanena Academy. But judging by Professor Luna's reaction, there seemed to be no problem with it.
"....."
"Is there more you want to say?" she asked, facing a huge mirror that overlooked the inner part of the academy.
"That's all I need to hear." The dwarf headed outside Luna's office, closing the door behind him.
"What kind of person have you sent this time, Principal?" she whispered, her voice full of mystery.
Art had decided to let Cecilia accompany him to the academy. The decision was made yesterday, and today was the day they would depart.
Arcanena Academy was an advanced magic technology academy, boasting a vast amount of magical-based technology—something very rare on their continent, found only in the most prestigious academies.
Floating on the distant horizon, an airship covered by a thick layer of clouds began to descend toward the mountain cabin. The airship was massive; to Art, it seemed somewhat similar to a blimp from his modern world.
The colossal airship stopped a few meters above the ground. A person wearing the Arcanena Academy professor uniform appeared in Art's view—it was an old man with a long beard.
"...." Art just stared at him. He knew this person.
It was Anthony Xerven, one of the academy enrollment instructors. Art felt like grinning; he never thought he'd see the old man face to face.
"Come on, let's go."
Art quickly followed him and jumped off, carrying only essential items and his belongings. Everything fit inside his backpack, though it was a bit old.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. I am Anthony Xerven," he said after they entered the huge airship, extending his arm to Art.
"I'm Art Devion, nice to meet you," he said with a smile.
They shook hands. After entering the main hall, Art couldn't help but be amazed by the airship's interior. Layers of wood and metal combined, with traces of gold embedded in the walls.
Woah. As he walked down a hall, he saw paintings and vases placed as decorations.
It's beautiful, Cecilia's voice echoed in Art's mind. She could communicate with him telepathically.
Having telepathy with Cecilia felt somewhat awkward.
Cecilia had explained how he could use telepathy when she was inside his consciousness; apparently, Cecilia's body wasn't human, but a spiritual one.
Spiritual bodies could enter human consciousness, although it only worked with their human bonds. A spirit entering another human not bonded with them could cause huge consequences for the spirit body.
"Hmm." Dismissing his thoughts, Art walked through the massive hall, where many nobles from other kingdoms had gathered.
"Pst, look," some people began to notice his presence. Art was just a commoner and felt out of place in the hall, surrounded by people dressed in fine, formal attire.
Hearing whispers behind him, Art found it normal and didn't pay much attention.
Art... Cecilia's voice echoed to him.
Don't worry about it, he replied, continuing to walk toward another hall's exit. They were free to roam the airship, which was a great opportunity for him to see inside.
"Commoner brat." A person grabbed his shoulder as Art tried to exit the hall.
"Hm?" Art tilted his head, questioning.
"How the hell did you get in here, bastard?" The man's face tinged with frustration.
Ah yes, trouble. Art just stared at the noble in front of him, trying to think of a reason to get out of the situation.
"I—"
"What are you doing?" Before he could say anything, a sudden voice interrupted him.
"W-what." The noble's voice shivered as he saw the person who had interrupted them.
That person. Art realized who had spoken.
It was Aqua Vilgos, the eldest son of Duke Vilgos and a fourth-year S-class representative at the academy.
Do you know him? Cecilia asked, noticing Art's reaction to the man with black and blue hair, whose sky-blue eyes seemed to pierce anyone they looked at.
I don't know.
.... Cecilia quietly held back, not uttering a single word.
"This commoner, how did this type of people get here?" the noble reprimanded.
"He is an incoming assistant professor at the academy," Aqua replied, causing the noble's face to slightly turn to shock.
"H-how is that... Arcanena Academy doesn't need commoners like him!" He still didn't back down, even after learning that Art was an assistant professor at the most prominent academy on the continent.
"The Principal is the one who sent a letter of recommendation to him. Are you perhaps saying the Principal is at fault here?" Aqua's face grew even more serious. Noticing this, the noble backed down in fear.
"Come with me," Aqua said, glancing at Art, his face now smiling.
Art nodded and quickly followed Aqua to the hall's exit. They reached the airship's section where professors and assistant professors had their own rooms provided by the academy.
This is... Art looked at the majestic door, his name placed on the wall beside it.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. Aqua Vilgos, nice to meet you," he said, his face still maintaining a joyful expression.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Art Devion." As they shook hands, Art was surprised to see Aqua on the airship.
"This is your room. It was provided by the Principal, and I am tasked to guide you here," Aqua explained.
This made sense; Arcanena Academy was the most prominent and prestigious academy on the continent.
"If you need anything, there's a magic artifact on the table," he said, showing Art the artifact—a button radiating a soft white light, visible even at night.
"Got it, thank you." Art looked at the fancy room he'd been assigned. Well, he needed to prepare for a hellish but luxurious world, much like modern times.
Ring Ring.
The sound of ringing echoed through the room.
"It seems I have to go now."
"Okay."
"Please enjoy your time here," Aqua said, slowly walking away and vanishing from the room. Art was left inside with nothing to do. "Hahh..." he sighed. At least he got out without facing any trouble.
Swoosh...
A small wind swept through the room. Cecilia, who was previously in his consciousness, now appeared in her human form and began to look around the fancy room, speechless.
Art sat down on the couch and checked his stats while Cecilia continued to marvel at her surroundings. Apparently, people couldn't sense her presence since she was an otherworldly spiritual being.
Synthesize Projectix
[ ART DEVION 'STATUS RECORD' ]
Skill Points: 0
Strength: Level 50
Mentality: Level 40
Magic: Level 60
Endurance: Level 30
Swordsmanship: Level 74
Dexterity: Level 30
Unique Skills
Wisdom Eye (System): Level 2
Symphony of Endings (Gift): Level 2
Lightning Rhythm: Level 2
Unawakened: 'Reach Lightning Rhythm 5'
Element
Atomic:Starium
(Low level; unable to decrypt)
Persona
"Arceus Niva,Sphyliem"
(Low level; unable to decrypt)
Title
Low-mid tier human (System)
It was the day of the academy entrance exam, where death and survival truly began.