Chapter Forty-Eight: Anfrida Academy
Daniel walked through the crowd as passersby jostled around him in the narrow street and vendors shouted their wares in loud voices, as if the world cared nothing for the secrets and calamities he carried in his head.
(There are things Sanjay said that matter: Lucas's hand was severed, so his claim that Lucas is alright must be true, and that he is in danger. That too confirms that whoever ordered the prince's murder did not come from another kingdom; these are political matters within the realm.)
(It was good I could speak with Sanjay without telling him I am Daniel; there is also an Eira that detects lies, and the Order Knights will surely question him about me since I vanished — he is the closest person I have now in the kingdom. And if Lucas is in danger, then I am in danger too.)
(I must keep hiding; I know nothing now, and I have nothing to do.)
He lowered his head further and slipped out of sight as dusk bathed the city in pale orange hues, as if ushering in a heavy night to come.
Two months passed. That morning the sun's thin rays slipped through the battered window that barely held its pane and fell across Daniel's face as he slept in his small room in the poor quarter. The smell of damp wood mixed with the scent of hot bread drifting from nearby alleys, and the milk-seller called outside in a hoarse voice. Daniel woke, sprawled on the old bed that had lost most of its stuffing, and realized this would be the last time he would live there.
He rose slowly, washed his face with cold water from the small copper ewer in the corner, then sat for a moment on the edge of the bed and offered a short smile — neither joyful nor mournful, but a mix of memories.
Daniel's appearance at that time was his true one, with no Eira-altered guise. When he had passed the landlady in the few previous visits he had shown himself as he really was. When he first rented the room he had been in his natural form; in the recent period he had given her all the outside errands, and she, in turn, fetched for him everything he needed — food and drink, mana stones, and false hearts — in exchange for payment she received as soon as she completed each task.
In those two months Daniel had advanced greatly through the First Circle; the money in the spatial ring had served him in ways he had never dreamed. He managed to complete the First Circle entirely, yet when he tried several times to breach the bounds of the Second Circle he failed. He did not know why, and the mystery fueled his anger.
That morning he prepared to leave, gathering all his belongings, even the small things no one would notice. He placed on the battered table a large bundle of coins — three gold pieces in all — along with a letter addressed to the landlady.
He wrote in clear handwriting:
"Do not show this money to anyone, neither in the quarter nor beyond. On the second day you will find yourself robbed or killed. Take the money and buy a house in the public districts, far from these filthy people here. Open a shop or any business you like, but remember: always remain in the shadows, never reveal what you have, trust no one."
He folded the letter tightly and left. The woman was out at the time, on an errand to fetch his breakfast.
Daniel moved away, and in a narrow corner of the street he changed his appearance to another, safer guise. He walked with steady steps to the homes of Risha's and Malik's families. He knocked, handed them the same sum and a similar letter, then departed before anyone could ask who he was or what he wanted.
He knew the two families had received special care due to their closeness to Niral, so he chose this moment — when things had quieted around them — to visit swiftly.
After that he headed straight for Anfrida Academy, the kingdom's most famous academy, his primary goal for the day.
A full year had passed at the Academy.
The city buzzed with activity; it was the time to admit new students. The massive gates opened to all who wished to apply. Hundreds of youths gathered: some in fine clothes, others looking as if they had sold their last possessions to buy new garments. The vendors along the approaches filled the air with cries — the candy seller, the maker of small armors, even sellers of talismans who claimed to bring luck for the entrance examinations.
Daniel stood among them in the guise of a twenty-one-year-old: bluish-blond hair and cold, dark eyes, wearing the uniform of the academy's students.
Having realized his great weakness — and that journeys to stronger kingdoms would be long and dangerous for him — he thought the best way to develop was to join the Academy. This school awarded scholarships to the outstanding, sending them to an academy in the kingdom of Drafon, a first-tier realm in the empire, whereas this kingdom did not exceed Level Three. There were many academies in the kingdom now, but most were of far lesser standing — like the one Risha attended or the one Niral had mentioned. Given the kingdom's population of roughly twenty-five million, many schools taught Eira, skills, and alchemy, but each academy had its rank, and without doubt Anfrida Academy was the highest in the land. Why? Stronger masters, more advanced curricula, and training beyond compare.
The gate of Anfrida Academy was like the gate of an entire city: its ornate stone arches rose more than ten meters high, carved with ancient symbols. In front of the gate lay a broad paved esplanade of gleaming grey stones, their surfaces shining under the sun as crowds streamed from every direction.
New students arrived from all over the kingdom — some with heavy leather satchels, some pulling small carts stacked with boxes, others carrying nothing but a sword at the hip and confidence in their eyes. There were also luxurious carriages drawn by matched white horses and simple wagons covered with shabby cloth, a scene where poverty and wealth met in a single place.
Daniel, standing a few meters from the gate, took out his worn leather map and spread it before him. At first glance the academy resembled a city within a city, composed of dozens of large, spaced buildings: the great hall with its vaulted roof tiled in dark green where theoretical subjects were taught; vast training yards with circular arenas ringed by spectator stands; glass-domed chemical laboratories; large workshops for crafting weapons and armor; specialized research facilities for studying monsters, filled with iron cages and thick-glass rooms; student residences ranked by level, from simple single beds to full wings; a soaring library said to contain all the kingdom's knowledge; a public dining hall; a medical wing stocked with the latest healing apparatus; and a garden before the great hall planted with mana trees whose leaves shimmered at night.
As Daniel drew nearer to the gate he found himself in a long queue stretching to the outer wall. Ahead and behind him the murmur of voices filled the air, and the sound of feet on stone blended with the cries of vendors on both sides selling tools, books...