The three girls were escorted away while the Cæ took Vloria away as a member of the student council.
Of course, she was also a member of the student council, but that didn't matter all that much for the moment, because she only got in because of her talent and the fact that she was the honors student.
"You're stupid."
That was the first thing he said to her when they were away from the scene of the incident.
She glowered at him with a frustrated expression. "Fuck you."
Cæ heaved a sigh. "I'm going to say it again. This place does not work like the slums. Picking fights and lashing out with words alone is not going to work. You need to shift your mindset."
He understood where she was coming from.
He had gone through a phase of shifting his mindset when it came to words and when it came to his interactions with other people when he moved out of the slums for the first time.
The difference was that he was a lot younger than she was, and more able to change his demeanor, his interactions, and his language, under the almost parental guidance of the Selvigs when they took pity on him and gave him a waiter's job.
She was already eighteen years old, and while that hardly meant that she couldn't change, it did mean that it was harder.
The reason she lashed out was that it was a defensive mechanism that served people well. Not tolerating nonsense and making it more trouble than it was worth to pick a fight with her was the best way she could deter people from harassing her.
Here in the Elendir Institute of Magic, however, she needed to learn the art of simply ignoring.
It would be one thing if the Elendir Institute of Magic were very partial towards affluent students or inept when it came to handling disputes, but that was not the case. He already knew that there was going to be a disciplinary hearing about her actions, and she would likely experience a credit penalty as Silian had when he attacked Cæ.
"Listen," he spoke to her sternly. "You want to leave the slums? You want to make something of yourself and get yourself the people you love out of the slums? Then take this seriously. Do not raise your hand against anybody unless in self-defense. If you do fight back in self-defense, make sure that your response is proportional. If word gets around that you have a short fuse, there will be plenty of people who will try to get you suspended or even expelled."
In fact, this incident was enough for that to happen.
Cæ could already picture the girls, young as they were, triggering her with their venomous words. For some reason, teenage girls had the most fearsome and vicious tongues, and they were often eager to use them.
They had even tried that on him, although their juvenile attempts were too transparent for him to possibly fall for it. Vloria was simply too out of her depth in an environment that was so immensely different from the slums that it may as well have been an alien world.
"…I don't want to go back to the slums."
Her tone was determined.
She clenched her fists.
"I will remain here no matter what."
Her desire to utilize this boon of an opportunity to break out of poverty was genuine and sincere.
Compared to the prospects of gaining mastery of magic and becoming a powerful mage with enough magicapita to live a good life, it was everything for her.
Just as it had been for him once.
In fact, he suspected that the only reason she agreed to join the Student Council was the income they made working for the Elendir Institute of Magic. It was certainly one of the reasons that had led him to work there, in addition to his deal with the Headmistress.
"It's good that you have that resolution," Cæ replied with a simple nod. "Remember those words the next time you feel the need to raise your hand. Let me tell you something good. Once you get good enough at magic, you can start combat magic training. In it, you can legally beat your opponent up with magic, in particular. There you can get all the revenge you want."
Vloria's orange eyes lit up with ecstasy at those words. "I will definitely do that."
Her motivation became more organic once she learned of this outlet for her desire to pummel the obnoxious students in school.
"Just grow stronger," Cæ told her. "Do that, and everything will fall in place."
She nodded at him with appreciation.
"Thanks."
She walked away, determined to get good at combat magic as soon as possible so that she could let off some steam.
"…Scary," Melia murmured with a fascinated tone. "That is the kind of person that comes to mind when I think of people who have an affinity to kill."
Cæ shook his head.
"You have a childish image in your head. And…" he turned towards her with a knowing glance. "You're wrong. Her anger is real, but her lashing out is simply what works in the slums. She is a product of her environment. Once she spends more time in this environment and learns how the rules work and what the incentives are like, you will likely see her calm down significantly and become more composed, if cold."
Melia grew thoughtful at his words.
"Covert assassin…"
Cæ huffed. "Don't take it too seriously, it was just a thought and a suggestion. If you want to do something else, that's completely fine. But for now, just focus on building a good foundation. That is the most important."
She nodded eagerly. "I intend to do just that."
Cæ glanced at his watch. "My free period is almost over. I need to get to my next class."
She raised an eyebrow. "What do you have next?"
Cæ's eyes lit up with interest. "The Six Elements."
Cæ truly looked forward to this one.
The Apprentice Program in the Elendir Institute of Magic was merely meant to build a foundation in magic.
It did not make the most of his polyelemental affinity and talent for that very reason.
His talent was beyond the limits of basic foundations.
He looked forward to learning how to harness all the elements to their fullest power. What he didn't particularly know was that he had his limits even in this regard. While he used conjuration and manipulation along with the six elements, he didn't have the best understanding, yet, of how to use them.
The Senior Program was meant to be a comprehensive program where students would choose to specialize in their strengths, causing apprentices to diverge significantly from each other in this program.
He bade Melia farewell as he headed to his next class quickly, weaving through the corridors briskly.
By the time he arrived, the class had almost begun.
The class was half full.
Not nearly as popular as healing magic, but certainly far more popular than magiconomics. The Six Elements course was generally for students who had two or more elements to master, or were extremely keen on mastering their one element.
Generally, the more elements of affinity one had, the more of an incentive one had to go for the course.
Cæ could not not choose the course, with that rationale in mind.
STEP
The moment he set foot in, he drew the expectant gaze of all the other mages in the magicademy. His polyelemental talent was known, making it very easy to predict that he would have undoubtedly chosen to specialize in this particular field.
"Cæ."
His eyes lit up as he spotted none other than the Student Council President waving at him at the door, with a friendly smile, before gesturing to him to sit beside her. Her golden eyes directed an amicable look at him as she swept a tuft of her green hair behind her ears.
Cæ gazed at her for a moment.
He found her willingness to maintain a friendly relationship with him to be rather curious.
Why would the heir of the Karjakin Family be willing to be so chummy with him if she had the interests of her family in mind?
He could only conclude that she couldn't possibly be operating as an agent and representative of her family at all times. Even though many of the other heirs of rich and powerful families certainly were.
He sat next to her on the circular benches in the spacious lecture hall.
"Hey," Cæ greeted her nonchalantly. "I didn't expect to take a class with you. Actually, I didn't think you even took classes."
She chuckled at those words. "Why do you think I'm in this magicademy, silly?"
Cæ shrugged. "To be a full-time Student Council President? Every time I have ever seen you, it has been in the Student Council, after all. I feel like you're a full-fledged employee of the administrative wing, almost."
"As if," she laughed his comment off. "I try to be as diligent and involved in the Student Council as possible, but my main purpose in this magicademy is to cultivate my magical skill and power, just as it is with you and all of us."
"I believe this is your last year, is it not?" Cæ wondered thoughtfully. Coincidentally, it is also the same year as the Magic Contest."
She nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, the first time around it came, I didn't even manage to qualify, because it was my first year as an apprentice student. The second time around as a senior, I failed to qualify because I had just become a senior student. But this year…"
Her eyes grew determined. "This year I'm driven to achieve great victory."
"…Well, good luck," Cæ replied lightly.
"We might end up as competitors if we sign up for the same events," she remarked with a friendly, competitive smile. "I won't go easy on you if that does happen."
"That does sound scary," Cæ huffed. "I don't think I stand a chance against someone who has studied magic for many years."
She shook her head.
"No, you are strong. I have never seen any mage become as incredibly strong as you in combat magic in the very first year," she continued with a tone of admiration. "It's almost as though you have been training your entire life for that, and the absence of magic was the only hurdle holding you back. You even managed to beat the prodigal genius Silian. I think you will do well with the combat event, but…"
She shook her head.
"I don't see anybody else getting nominated as a contestant except for Virlyd," she informed him with a serious tone. "He has dedicated everything to combat for nine years of magic now. Of course, his talent isn't remarkable among elites, especially compared to a monstrous prodigal genius for combat like you. But…"
She directed a serious gaze at him. "…his accumulation in combat magic is immense. He is extremely strong as an apprentice mage and probably isn't too far from hitting the threshold needed to qualify as a senior mage, at this point."
"…I don't have as high an opinion of myself to truly believe that I can defeat someone who has been training in combat magic for nine years," Cæ replied honestly. "They say that his talent isn't great, but that is only by the standards of the Elendir Institute of Magic. The fact that he still managed to get in means that he still counts as an elite talent. It would be pure arrogance for me to think that I can match that with just a year of training in magic and some field experience."
That didn't mean that he wasn't willing to try, however.
He knew that he was dealing with a seasoned combat specialist, meaning that his affinity for combat was not going to serve as a decisive advantage by any means.
He looked forward to that.