Chapter 9: Chapter 9 – Library of Rejects

Sitting at the highest seats in the back, the trio of Aurora, Lia, and Koadriana were inspecting their bracelets, fiddling with their menus while waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"I found a place we should visit! It says it has the best cakes in town!" Lia whispered, sending it over to the two. Aurora already pinged it on Koa's map, who just scoffed, pursing her lips.

"Cheaters…" She grumbled, looking at the two sideways. "No expensive things, got it? None! Damn it… We should get some jobs to earn this CP thingy…."

"I agree. You are not as stupid as you look, huh?" Aurora sent back a message, receiving nothing but another glare from Koa. "There is a Mission Hall in the school. We can check that out. We can accept many kinds of jobs in the city too. Everything uses CP; there is no real money exchanged here."

"That way, nobody can influence the school from the outside! No matter where one comes from, they won't have access to their wealth!" Lia spoke up, sitting between the two. "Converting outside world money for CP is also punishable by expulsion from the Academy, and a notice is sent out to all graduated mages as to which family is blacklisted! It happened a few times in the past, and all of those families who tried it are no longer amongst us! They went broke in a few years… or worse." She explained with a prod look, watching the two's dumbfounded looks.

"And where did you learn about it?" Koadriana asked, shaking her head, not expecting that the one who told them this would be Lia.

"Here!" She raised her hand, flicking it, letting her bracelet shine a little in the rays of the morning sun. "I read it under the blanket! You two gone to sleep so early! I was bored, so I played with it! I found the Rule Book too! It was already on it, so I read through it!"

"It has something like that?" Koa flipped her wrist, returning its menus until finding it under a sub-menu. "Pft! Nope!" She closed it immediately as it was 400 pages long.

"You read it? All?" Aurora asked, writing it in the air.

"Yep! It was fun!" Lia nodded.

"Doubt that." Replied both of them at the same time.

"It was! I wanted to know it because, losing that duel, I lost 10 CP! That was a bummer…." She sighed, showing a small, pouting look, "I need to make up for that, and also, I need to earn more CP!" She said seriously. "I read everything in it! Without CP, you can't buy anything good! I read that you can take private lessons in the Tower of Water, and there is a teacher specializing in ice magic!"

"That is why you knew what they were when I asked Lala!" Koadriana snapped her fingers, already calling him the same way as his sister did.

"Noooo~" Lia stuck her tongue out, "That was simply because you are stupid!"

"You little-!" Koa grabbed her cheeks, pulling them apart while Lia just laughed, not minding it at all. "Trying to play the big girl, hmmm?"

"I afhedy hafe my mohnfly-" Lia tried to say something pretty private but was smacked on the top of the head by Aurora, giving her a double punishment with Koa still pinching her cheeks. "Kyuh?!" She yelped out, a bit surprised as Koadriana let her face go. "Nyauh… not fair!" She murmured, rubbing her now blushed face. "That was 2 vs. 1!"

"Life is not fair," Aurora answered, and before Lia could reply, the door to the auditorium closed, drawing everyone's attention to the woman who walked in.

She was around 160 centimeters tall, with a wide hip resting on thick thighs, quickly captivating most of the boys' attention in the front rows as they watched her bottom shake while walking forward. At the top, she also had a pair of tear-shaped breasts jiggling pretty freely. Even though the mature woman wore a business-suit-like uniform, her top left her with deep cleavage, swallowing all the youngsters' gazes and making them forget to speak.

"Those are some extra-heavy weapons!" Koadriana bit into her lips, amazed by what she was seeing.

"I wouldn't be able to fight with those on…." Aurora added, sending a message over.

"Her horns are cute! Lia added as she watched their teacher's face as soon as she entered.

She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties, always carrying a caring smile. Her wavy hair was bright, pinkish in color, reaching down to her shoulders. Two little horns grew from her forehead, serving as a headdress, with a thin, golden chain connecting them.

"Welcome!" She said, her voice kind and mellow, caressing everyone's ears with a motherly feeling as her pink eyes looked around the students. "My name is Dayen; I am going to be your Homeroom Teacher! While attending the Academy, you can come to me with any troubles you encounter! I am here to guide you and help you out!" She said, even bowing a little. Her voice alone conveyed how caring she was, and her bow showed respect towards them as young geniuses, but everyone could only think about her cleavage that was out on display at that moment.

"Damn…" Koadriana said while Aurora repeated the same word with her hands.

"Hmmm…" Lia tilted her head to the right, crossing her arms, displaying a pondering look.

"What?" Koa whispered, elbowing her, curious why the serious face.

"I was thinking how Mom would look with boobies that big!" She answered honestly, making some of the students in their vicinity flinch.

"Like a freak!" Koadriana answered immediately. "Your Mom is smaller than you! Damn, I still don't know how she survived carrying one kid into the world, not to mention four!"

"Magic," Lia answered, winking at her, shutting up Koa as she couldn't find an argument there.

"As your homeroom teacher," Dayen continued, "I will also teach you the basics of casting magic! I already read all of your files and memorized all of your names!" She raised her hands, tapping on her own bracelet, and soon around 60 youngsters' artifacts let out a short beep. "You are all going to attend my elementary course as I help you teach you how to meditate, draw the mana from the air into your bodies and help you learn your first spells based on your elements!"

At that moment, many of those who came from a prestigious family, already having a basic understanding, and reaching the 1st rank, clicked their tongues simultaneously.

"The rest of you will sign up for one of my other courses related to your element, where I will teach you in bulk!" Dayen said, looking around, raising his hand, writing in the air, leaving behind glittering words. "Monday mornings will be fire, the afternoons will be water! Tuesdays will be Earth and Nature! Wednesday will be Air and Metal! Thursdays will be Darkness and Light! Every Friday, I am going to host a lesson in the morning where we are going to discuss some unique and quirky fun things! I hope to see you there too; I promise it will be fun!"

As she was explaining it, everyone's bracelet was beeping, and they saw how their calendar was recording their classes, where to go, and when.

"I'd be delighted if you attended my classes, but it is not mandatory!"

"Yes…" Koa whispered, already relieved.

"But every year, we have two tests!" Dayen warned, raising one finger while watching her new students, "One after New Year, that measures your knowledge. It is a written test with questions from my lessons on your element! If you fail it, you receive a strike that lasts until the end of your school year! The second test is at the end of the semester. It will be hosted by the eight leading teachers of the Academy, and you will be given a random test that you need to complete! Failure means you repeat your year and receive a permanent strike!"

As she was saying it, many of the students gulped while Aurora eyed Koadriana, warning her silently that she should take this seriously. It was their House's name on the line. The only one who indeed took it seriously was Lia, not even looking at the two, concentrating on what Dayen was saying. She opened her bracelet's projection like a book, writing on it with a virtual feather.

"...?" Aurora blinked her eyes, noticing it, but she had no idea how Lia did it. Maybe she read more than just the school's Rule Book?

"Between classes," Dayen clapped, easing the tense atmosphere, squishing her breasts together as she interlocked her fingers before her stomach, "You can do whatever you want! Many opportunities exist here, in the city, or around the island! You can take up jobs, learn practical skills, attend special lessons, and form study groups; there are no limits! You can do as many things as you have time for! We believe in our Headmaster's motto! Experience is the best teacher!" She chuckled, closing her eyes for a moment. "Now, everyone who is not a beginner, you are free to leave and explore the Academy! The rest, follow me, and we will visit Meditation Hall, and I will let you enjoy your first time!" She laughed innocently, not even noticing that what she said was something that everyone misunderstood at first.

Those who were indeed beginners happily hurried after her, following her out of the classroom. The rest only woke up after she was gone, while Koadriana stretched with a satisfied moan, leaning back.

"It is not as bad as I first thought it would be! Most of the time, I don't need to wake up early, huh? Yey~”

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"You still owe us lunch." Aurora quickly reminded her, "And when you are going to be out of CP, don't come to us because you were lazy~."

"Don't worry!" She winked at her and then looked around at the dozens of horny boys still here, trying to 'stand down' before standing up. She could feel it in the air, especially as their teacher's overwhelming, mature aura still lingered around them. "I already have multiple ideas on how to make a bank!"

"I want in on it too!" Lia flinched, returning from her thoughts, but Aurora flicked the back of Lia's head before Koa could nod.

"Owie! What?!" She grumbled while her older sister shook her head.

"No chance I would let you accompany Koa in that! I promised our mother!"

"Uuu… But Koa is already an adult! She should know some tricks!" Lia protested, drawing a proud grin onto her cousin's face.

"Do not even dream about it!" Aurora signed with her hand, and her purple eyes were commanding while empowering her gaze with her aura.

"Let's stop it here for today!" Koadriana chuckled, standing up as many of the first-year students had already left the auditorium. "I know we made a bet about lunch, but what do you say if we meet up at six instead? Then we visit that cafe or cake shop you looked at!" She asked while fixing her clothes. "I'm planning to look for a place to swim a little! There has to be a pool or lake here! Something!

"Sounds good." Aurora agreed, following suit, "I'll look for some jobs in the meanwhile that are combat oriented. I don't want to get rusty."

"I'll explore the city then!" Lia added, raising her head, not wanting to be left out.

"Just come back by eight!" Koa said, rubbing her head with a smile.

"Okie-Dokie!" She laughed, and after exiting the school's main building, they all went their separate ways.

Leaving the Academy's premises, Lia quickly arrived in town, opened up her map, and looked around the points she had already marked the previous night. She had multiple shops pinpointed out, selling potions, ointments, gear, books, and even some that offered different services.

Walking through the busy streets, her shoes clopped against the cobblestone streets, surrounded by many other students and people living there. She had never seen so many people in one place before, making her a bit dizzy, turning her head left and right when someone walked past her. She followed her map's directions and was thankful for it as she felt she would already be lost amongst the many intersecting, winding streets and alleys.

Finally, she arrived at a corner store, her first destination, a bookshop. It was situated on the bottom floor of a three-story building, made out of red bricks, its black, a bit faded, wooden doors sitting in an angle of the junction of two streets. A dozen or so books and codexes were on display in its windows, some even dating back a thousand years. Looking up at the sign plastered above the door, it read: Library of Rejects.

"Perfect!" She smiled victoriously as all of the books, at first glance, were tomes about magic. Or related to magic. Spells, formations, or simply general knowledge. Pushing in the heavy door with a multi-colored glass embedded into its middle portion, a wind-chime echoed above her head as she stepped over the doorstep. "Not a popular place, huh?" Lia thought to herself, looking around as she was the only customer inside. "Where is everybody?" She looked again because she did not see any employees either. She even opened the door a second time, checking for signs that it was closed, but nothing. "Well… maybe the name of the place was not that good of a choice?" She shrugged, walking in, noticing a black cat lying atop multiple stacked books on the lonely counter, lazing around with a bored expression. It only raised its eyelids a little, checking out Lia when the chimes waked it up. Its yellow eyes glowed in a golden hue for a moment before returning to normality, and it just yawned, lowering its head.

Lia was unbothered by the silence; she even preferred it. Nobody was here to bother her browsing, no others to fight for a book that she may find interesting, but someone else wanted to buy it; it was the perfect outcome. She hummed happily as she looked around the display shelves, where books were seemingly put on randomly. There was no rhyme or reason they were there, and some of their titles were weird.

"Tome of Hairgrow? Book of Love… heh, Koa would like this!" She whispered under her breath, going through some of them. "Codex of Extinct Beasts, Guide to Procrastination. Gentleman's Guide to Swearing. Hmmm…” She stopped, looking around before taking the book off, flipping through it before closing and putting it back in its place. "Ugh…" She shuddered, visualizing the first few words she read in there, feeling sick. "That is not for a gentleman!" Going over to a different shelf, there were more and more books to choose from, some sounding weird but also interesting, like 'Theory of Element 9' or one that had the title of 'Theory About the Origins of the Undead' and many more.

In the end, Lia spent an hour browsing the shelves, walking to the long counter, and flipping through the open catalog of their complete inventory. When she came about, she noticed the black cat sitting next to her on the counter, watching her face as she browsed the thick inventory book. Seeing its intelligent, shining eyes, Lia immediately had the urge to bet it, but as soon as she raised her hand, the cat spoke, making her jump back.

"No touching." She said in a charming voice, yawning. "I hate to lick off the smell of humans!"

"S-s-sorry! Ah… um… Are you a Beast Folk?" Lia stuttered a little, playing with her fingers, a bit sad that she could not pet her.

"Beast Folk?" The cat scoffed, shaking her head, "I am a Magical Beast! Don't compare us to the half-breeds, okay?"

"I… Um… Aren't beasts are… beasts?" Lia mumbled, feeling lost for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah…" She stood up, stretching lazily, meowing a little in the process, "After what happened 4000 years ago… my kind suffered the most. Few of us retained our history, and few of us retained our intelligence. The world has changed, and it is now yours to rule." She said, her voice calm and even. "This is how nature works… but don't be surprised if you come across others like me. We are few but not extinct."

"S-sorry… I was just surprised!" She said, listening to her with twinkles in her eyes, fascinated by her story. She read about beasts, how there were some magical creatures, big as a mountain, roaming the wilderness, but she never read about ones that were just as intelligent as a Human or a Beast Folk.

"It happens. So…? What would it be?" She asked, watching Lia's face.

"Oh, ah! Yes, yes! I have chosen some books I'd like to buy!" She nodded her head, listing out her findings, "Fire of Noon, Ice of Midnight, Acting Cool, Basics of Potion Brewing!"

"Mhm…" The cat flicked her whiskers, shaking her body as she simply disappeared. When she was back, making Lia wait for minutes there, three thick books teleported right before her, thumping loudly on the wooden counter as they arrived.

"Acho!" She sneezed, waving away the thick dust that was blown into the air as the tomes were sitting somewhere for who knows how long.

"48 CP." The cat said, expecting some haggle to commence or sudden surprise and anger at the price, maybe even backing out of buying it altogether. To her genuine surprise, Lia just nodded, raising her hand with the bracelet, paying immediately. "Oh." The cat blinked her eyes, taking a good look at Lia. "You, I like."

"Ehehe, thanks!" She grinned, moving her hand ever so slightly as the black cat continued.

"Still, no touching!"

"Hauh…"

"My name is Cici." She said, making Lia smile with happiness as she also introduced herself. "You are the first not to start to haggle for prices for some 'bullshit' books. Good. It did not happen for 184 years!"

"Oh… that long?" Lia asked, surprised.

"Yes. Anyway… as a reward, here." She shook her whiskers as an indigo-colored speck fell onto her bracelet, opening a new tab with a cryptic message in it that was made up of hundreds of runes she had never seen before.

"What is this?" Lia scrolled through it, surprised and excited.

"A clue. Decode it, and you'll see. If you fail, nothing is lost. But to read it, you have to prove yourself. Good luck~" Cici yawned, walking back to her place and laying back on her books, which were used as a bed.

"Thank you, Cici! See you later!" Lia laughed, grabbing her books, holding them to her uniform, smudging it with grey dust, but she did not mind it.

"Sure." Cici answered, already back to ignoring her as she left the shop, going to a place she had looked up at the previous night named 'Alchemy Haven.'