When Morrigan entered the classroom, she saw familiar faces, all of whom had achieved great success during the ceremony. Her class was filled with people like Adrian, Alice, Prince Julias, Harvey, Richard, Rachel, and Marcus.
The first lesson on Monday was with History Professor Lord Elian Caradoc. It was a shared class. Lord Elian was known as an irritable man, unpopular among students, and also a fanatic about Arthurian legends. Morrigan had even heard of this man’s reputation.
As Morrigan entered the classroom, all eyes turned towards her. Rachel and Richard were sitting next to each other, while the Prince and Alice were, as usual, close by. Marcus and Harvey sat near their own group of friends.
Morrigan looked around for a seat and found that the only available spot was next to Adrian. When she sat down beside him, Adrian showed no emotion.
"I really feel sorry for Adrian," Harvey said in a mocking tone, breaking the silence in the room for a moment. "I bet she’ll come back with lice tomorrow."
While the nobles laughed, Adrian remained silent. Morrigan bit her lip, restraining herself from responding; she didn’t want to invite more trouble.
Although Adrian glanced at Harvey out of the corner of his eye, he made no move to defend Morrigan.
"You’re just whining because Adrian didn’t want you beside him," Rachel’s sarcastic voice made Harvey’s face flush with anger. "Are you complaining again, you barbarian!"
"Please, let’s not argue. I have a headache," Alice said. When Harvey wanted to reply to Alice, she was silenced by a stern look from the Prince. With a click of her tongue, she looked away.
For the first time, Morrigan agreed with Alice; she feared might speak harshly if Harvey continued.
Unlike Harvey, Marcus was more relaxed when it came to mocking. After he smiled at Alice and he looked at Morrigan. "My Prince truly is a womanizer. He broke off his engagement with the Dark Magic user, and now he’s toying with the Saint."
Even Adrian sighed at the man’s stupidity, and Alice looked surprised as the Prince’s stern gaze fixed on Marcus. Like Harvey, Marcus shrank back into his seat, and Rachel laughed.
"What are you laughing at, woman?!" Marcus said angrily. Richard sighed while Rachel looked at Marcus with mockery. "I’m laughing at your mother."
As Marcus seethed with rage, the classroom door opened. The person who entered was an old man with long white hair and a beard, carrying four large books. His blue eyes were stern yet soft like those of a scholar.
"Instead of fighting like children, learn some manners first," He said, glancing at Rachel before turning to Marcus. "Then, learn respect for the Royal family."
Marcus and Rachel fell silent, and a confused Alice found relief in the quiet that allowed a fuming Morrigan to calm down.
A hint of approval shone in the History Professor’s eyes as he walked to his desk, placed down his books, and began speaking in a formal tone.
"My name is Elian Caradoc, and I will be your History teacher from now on," Elian said, then looked at Alice briefly before turning his gaze to Morrigan.
A complex expression appeared in his eyes, but he hid it. The old Professor then opened a book and began speaking calmly. "Today’s topic will be the founding of the Albion Empire."
"Which family founded the Albion Empire?" Hearing the old Professor’s question, Marcus sneered and raised his hand. "Arthur Pendragon."
"Fool, you’re just repeating what every ignorant person says," Elian scolded, and Marcus sat back down. The Professor’s eyes scanned the students one by one. "The correct answer is Morgana Le Fay."
"But how is that possible?!" Marcus objected, and the Professor’s blue eyes looked at Marcus with disdain. "History is not learned from general knowledge alone, Marcus."
"Many people do not study history in detail; they merely boast about what they’ve heard," the old Professor said, and Richard found himself agreeing with the Professor’s words.
"King Arthur did not establish the Empire; he took over all of Albion after defeating Morgana," Elian said, turning his gaze to Morrigan. "With the help of many brave knights like Gawain, the ancestor of the Thornvile family, Morgana was defeated, and the Continent was saved."
Alice’s eyes were on the verge of closing from exhaustion; she found the lesson incredibly boring. She wanted to go outside with the Prince instead.
Morrigan, however, was listening attentively, as her training with Thomas had instilled in her a great love for learning.
After ten minutes, Marcus, Harvey, and even Rachel were bored, but Adrian, Richard, and Morrigan were still paying close attention to the lesson.
The Prince was also focused on the lesson, though his eyes frequently drifted to Alice. She had already fallen asleep, and the Prince couldn’t bring himself to wake her.
The old Professor noticed the sleepy and tired eyes in the room but did not intervene, though there was a look of disappointment in his eyes.
Adrian glanced at Morrigan beside him; she seemed genuinely interested in the lesson. ’Maybe she’s not like the rumors say.’
Although Adrian wasn’t foolish enough to believe in rumors, Morrigan was still a frequent topic in high society.
Even though his father dismissed the rumors, Adrian wanted to observe the Lady he would serve in the future. At first, he had thought of serving Alice, but seeing what Morrigan endured had awakened a sense of justice that gnawed at his conscience.
While Adrian was lost in thought, the lesson passed quickly.
The lesson continued for 30 minutes, and when it reached 9:40, Elian left the classroom after one last glance at Morrigan.
"I feel so tired," Rachel said after yawning. Richard rolled his eyes; unlike his sister, he had enjoyed the lesson. "You’re just exaggerating, Rachel."
"Nerd," Rachel said mockingly, then went over to Morrigan. She sneered when she saw Alice sleeping on the Prince’s shoulder.
She approached Morrigan and gave Adrian a critical look. "I really wanted you to sit next to me, but this class is full of people taking up unnecessary space."
Rachel glanced at Harvey, who was proudly showing off his hair, and then at the group of girls. A smile appeared on Morrigan’s lips.
"Redhead, do you want to switch places?" Rachel said in a threatening tone. She didn’t want Morrigan sitting with a stranger. She already saw Morrigan as a sister.
Adrian raised an eyebrow but didn’t respond. Rachel sneered. "Are you playing the tough guy? Didn’t you hear what I said?"
Seeing Rachel’s aggressive behavior, Morrigan didn’t want her to push it any further. "There’s no need; they’ll be going to the Sword class soon anyway."
Rachel nodded but still gave Adrian a harsh look for ignoring her.
She returned to her seat.
The next lesson was called Mana Control. Professor Aeliana Faelan, unlike the headmaster, was a full-blooded Elf. She was a slender woman with brown hair, and it was said that her voice was as hypnotic as a siren’s.
She was an expert in Mana control and was 400 years old. She had become a professor here 100 years after the Academy was founded. Aeliana was a kind and quiet woman.
During her training with Thomas, Morrigan had read Aeliana’s books and liked them.
"Alice, Alice..." The Prince gently nudged Alice’s shoulders, and when she woke up, she was confused for a moment but quickly realized she had fallen asleep on the Prince’s shoulder.
"I’m sorry, Your Highness! I disturbed you!" Harvey watched jealously as the Prince smiled kindly. "It’s no problem; you can sleep on my shoulder as long as you like."
Hearing the Prince’s words, Alice blushed. The Prince continued, "We’ve finished the shared lesson, so I had to wake you."
Alice watched Morrigan with concern. She saw that Morrigan’s hands were starting to corrode, turning red from the pain. "She’s hurting herself; is she okay?"
"Just trust Morrigan," Rachel didn’t hesitate to show her support for Morrigan, her face showing a bit of discomfort at speaking with Alice.
"But—"
As Alice was about to speak, she fell silent when she saw Rachel glaring at her.
"I did it," Morrigan said, looking at the tissue that had stopped corroding her hand. The shadow remained on the tissue like a dark mark.
"Well done," Aeliana said. "Dark magic is usually useless outside of attack spells, but you managed it."
Morrigan nodded. Despite training with Thomas, mastering mana control in just a week was difficult.
Even though her hands were red from the pain, Morrigan felt proud of her achievement.
"Now, let’s move on to our next lesson," Aeliana said, noticing that many students had already torn their tissues. "Next week, we’ll learn about mana transformation and continue with the tissue mana control exercise."
"And those who can’t, I want a detailed thesis on Mana theory by the weekend," Aeliana said with a smile. Many students audibly groaned.
"Don’t be so resistant," Aeliana teased. "If you get used to it, you’ll enjoy it."
After the professor left, Morrigan looked at the napkin. Despite still having miasma on it, the napkin didn’t look too bad.
"Tell me, Alice, what trick did you use to succeed?" Harvey walked over to Alice with a mocking tone. Despite their hesitation about bullying, Harvey’s friends still stood behind her.
"I didn’t cheat," Alice said, trying to smile. Harvey laughed as if she had heard a funny joke and played with her hair. "Liar."
"Everyone saw you using Light magic," Harvey said, receiving a nod of confirmation from one of her friends.
Alice stood there anxiously, "But the professor said I passed."
A smug smile formed on Harvey’s face. "Then the professor must have made a mistake."
"Leave her alone, Harvey."
Harvey turned her head and looked at Richard with disgust. "You again? Can’t I get rid of you?"
Alice looked at Richard with a grateful smile. Richard glanced at Alice, then shot a stern look at Harvey. "If the professor said Alice passed, then she passed."
As Harvey fumed, Richard continued calmly, "If you think the professor was wrong, you can file a complaint with the Academy."
"You! How dare you—"
"I don’t know what I did to you, but I’m sorry, Lady Harvey," Alice said with a gentle smile. Harvey’s harsh gaze turned back to Alice.
"Don’t push Alice too much, Harvey." The annoying voice of Marcus made Harvey turn her head.
After glancing at Alice, Marcus looked at Harvey with a mocking expression. Eager to win Alice’s favor, Marcus seized the opportunity. "Alice did it on her own, show her some respect."
Harvey blushed with anger but remained silent, knowing she couldn’t speak against the Duke’s son. After glaring at Alice for a moment, she left.
"Alice, if you’re free, could we talk for a while?" Seeing Harvey leave, Richard felt it was the right time to charm Alice.
"Yes, that’s fine," Alice nodded, while Marcus’s furious face turned toward Richard. Without giving Marcus a chance to speak, Richard began to walk away with Alice.
"Thank you, Marcus!" Alice thanked Marcus, who was shocked and enraged, before leaving with a happy expression.
"Hahaha," Rachel’s laughter echoed in the classroom as Marcus blushed with embarrassment and anger, returning to his seat.
"Did you really think Alice would look at you?" Rachel mocked, "With your looks, you won’t make any girl fall for you."
"Shut up, barbarian," Marcus could only endure her taunts.
Rachel stopped laughing and continued her conversation with Morrigan. When the sound of a crow hitting the window echoed in the room, some girls let out startled screams.
"A crow?" Rachel looked at the crow in surprise. After hitting the window, the crow angrily pecked at it, causing Rachel to laugh. "This crow seems pretty dumb."
"No, Seth isn’t dumb," Morrigan said. Under the students’ gaze, she opened the window and allowed the crow to perch on her shoulder. "Seth, why did you come here?"
Jack’s reason for coming was simple. He had intended to drop something on the prince’s head, but after failing to find a way inside, he was late.
"Do you keep a crow?" Rachel asked. "That’s so cool."
The crow lifted its head as if proud, causing some girls to squeal at its cuteness.
"If you want, you can pet him," Morrigan offered, holding the crow out to Rachel. Rachel quickly took the crow and began to stroke its head.
Even though Jack didn’t want to, he found himself enjoying the petting, especially since it was from a pretty girl.
"You look so cute," Rachel said, her lips parting as she gazed hungrily at the crow. "I want to eat you."
"Caw! Caw!"
(Translation: "You cruel woman, release me at once!")
The crow let out a shriek and fearfully flew back to Morrigan’s hand. Rachel chuckled. "I was just joking, but I didn’t expect you to understand."
Morrigan cuddled Jack and looked at Rachel with narrowed eyes. "You can’t eat Seth."
Rachel looked a bit surprised and then chuckled. "Do you really think I’d eat your crow?"
Morrigan quickly shook her head. Rachel’s smile widened. "Don’t worry, I don’t eat crows. They don’t taste good."
As Jack let out another squawk, a look of disgust crossed Rachel’s face. "Crow meat is tough and not tasty at all."
Morrigan wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or worried for Seth. She let the crow fly around the classroom.