Testing went on for another hour and a half. For Solomon, the time seemed to fly by.
At the conclusion of the examinations, Abel took all of the recorded data and browsed through it like a morning paper.
Two of his students brought over a desk and a chair for him to sit in while he worked. Another provided parchment for him to write with.
As he worked in silence, the rest of the cadets finally began putting their clothes back on after an uncomfortably long time in the nude.
The strangest thing about everything was how little they were bothered by it anymore. They all felt like they knew each other far too well.
"All of you, head outside for a minute and rest while I deal with this. We'll call you back in as needed." Abel waved his hand away to dismiss the class without looking up.
Slowly, the class of cadets filed out of the training hall and made their way outside.
The facility was located on a rather isolated part of campus.
A white building sat alone in a stretch of wilderness, surrounded by ankle-high grass and a low rolling mist.
The morning sun had already risen since the knight cadets had completed their examinations, but it was still early in the day.
Standing right outside the building were the attendants of most of the students.
They were waiting like dedicated little servants with towels and beverages in hand. As soon as they laid eyes on their little lords, they scampered over to them like rodents with their tails tucked between their legs.
Solomon stopped just outside the doorway and leaned against the wall.
He folded his arms across his broad chest and watched the scene of high-class snobbery unfold.
"You did well, young master..."
"Would you like a massage, or..?"
"Was it difficult..? I bet it was difficult. For everyone else but you, that is."
Solomon had to keep a careful watch on his expression. If he messed up and accidentally started snickering here, his chance of making friends would plummet.
"So... you're an elf, huh?"
Solomon's ears perked up at a conversation on the lawn.
The elven girl in their class was surrounded by three young men.
Judging by her body posture, she was far from pleased by their attention, but for the time being at least, she didn't seem homicidal.
"Is it true what they say about elves..? That you're all... lacking 'experience' in a certain area?"
"We're all quite curious, you see. We thought it might be a good opportunity for a bit of cultural exchange."
The elven girl's expression became even less friendly than before.
Solomon would have liked to watch and see what the girl would do next, but he had his own brand of negative attention heading his way.
"You there. Large man."
At the bottom of the steps facing Solomon were three young nobles.
On the surface, they appeared to be normal titan-bloods, but a closer look made them appear slightly foreign compared to the more common variants around the school.
Their appearances made them look like the spawn of gods carved from golden stone. They were more beautiful than fairies, but as cold as ogres.
They shared the same white hair cut into a low buzzcut. As if everyone couldn't tell they were related already...
Two young men stood protectively at the side of a young woman. Who, for some reason, seemed to be giving Solomon the fiercest glare.
"What's your relationship with Commander Jiaoying?" The girl asked.
Solomon blinked. "...Relationship?"
"She was unusually friendly with you. Explain why."
Solomon wouldn't necessarily say he had a problem answering the girl's question, but the manner in which he was asked made him feel the tiniest bit agitated.
"...I think you should find a better way to approach strangers if you want to know the answer to a question."
The girl's face tightened.
"Watch your mouth, dog." The left brother was the largest of the three, a born and bred brute to his very core.
"You will tell us what the nature of your relationship is with the knight commander. And you will do so while we are still being polite."
"You call this polite?" Solomon's tone was slightly mocking, but he didn't even hear it.
An unnatural glimmer appeared in his eyes without warning. The three golden siblings took it as a symbol of provocation.
The large one started to take a step towards Solomon.
He was only stopped by the hand of his sister, who seemed to be against the idea of drawing a spectacle.
"...You may hold on to your secrets for today. But I hope you do not regret your decisions when you realize that we were asking quite politely this time after all."
Solomon could feel it again. That blood-warming sensation.
He looked away from the trio first. Not because of cowardice, but because he feared that he would not have been able to resist striking them if he stared any longer.
He made the mistake of watching their backs as they trudged away. Now, he only lamented the fact that they hadn't tried anything.
"...Wow. I never thought the simple task of making friends would be too difficult for you to achieve."
Solomon glanced above his head at the familiar ghost that only he could see and hear.
"What am I saying? I should've seen this coming on day one." Raizel sighed helplessly.
Solomon chose to ignore him.
'It took you long enough to get here. Where's my cold towel and canteen?'
Raizel stared at his brother incredulously. "The fuck do I look like to you?"
Solomon chuckled to himself as Raizel floated down from his perch on the ceiling.
'By the way, I'm pretty sure we've got bigger hiccups right now than me not being likable.'
"And what could possibly be bigger than-"
'I think your grandfather is my new teacher.'
Raizel visibly stiffened.
The spirit looked both ways as if he worried someone could see him. "...Are you sure?"
'No.' Solomon rubbed the back of his neck. 'But he's an old guy covered in scars, and his name is Abel. Sound a bit familiar?'
Raizel nodded grimly, not wanting to jump to conclusions. "We need to figure out his last name before we do anything."
'The guy doesn't seem very talkative. I doubt very highly he'll just give it to me, and there's always the chance that he could be lying.'
"Well, didn't you say the dean gave you an aide? Ask her about it when you go to your next class and see what you can dig-"
Suddenly, the doors to the gymnasium opened once more.
Jiaoying poked her head outside and, upon seeing Solomon, smiled at him in a friendly manner.
"Funny how I'm always bumping into you."
Solomon smiled politely, but didn't respond.
This single, non-interaction made Raizel's jaw drop to his knees.
"...Oh. My. Shit."
'What is wrong with you..?'
"You think she's pretty, don't you?"
Solomon almost fell on his face.
"Listen up!" Jiaoying addressed the crowd and moved past Solomon.
"Master Abel would like to see the following students first: Everett Duecalion, Solomon A'Kenai, Dakota Von Valii, and Nila Greenfoot."
As the called-upon individuals stepped out of the crowd, Raizel suddenly stopped teasing Solomon and whirled around in apparent disbelief.
When his eyes landed on the young elf woman with braided hair, his eyes became full of shock and emotion.
"...Nila...?"