“Good morning.”
I hesitated for a moment, then let out a small cry.
“Kiiing.”
Good morning.
Of course, it probably didn’t sound that way.
Elysia nodded as if she had understood my answer.
“You must have slept well.”
I gave my tail a slight wag.
Honestly, I had.
The bed was soft, and the room was warm. Compared to yesterday’s storm, it was literally heaven.
‘At this rate, life as a baby fox isn’t all that bad.’
The instant I thought that, I snapped back to my senses.
No. I couldn’t admit it wasn’t bad.
I still hadn’t fully accepted this situation.
Probably.
Elysia sat up.
After carefully stroking my head for a moment, she got out of bed.
“I have to go to the academy today.”
My ears perked up.
I knew it.
“I’m going to show you to a professor in the Department of Special Familiar Studies. I need to get confirmation that you’re not dangerous.”
‘I hope this professor person isn’t strange.’
I muttered quietly to myself.
There was no way Elysia could know what I was thinking.
She calmly began preparing for school.
First, she fixed her hair.
After combing her golden hair neatly down, she tied it back so it wouldn’t get in the way of training or classes.
Her movements were practiced and tidy. Like a habit she had repeated every morning, there was no hesitation.
Next, she put on her academy uniform.
Unlike the uniform that had been soaked by the rain yesterday, the freshly taken-out one was neatly maintained.
A top of white and navy, a modest skirt, and a short cloak that wouldn’t hinder movement.
Near the chest was the crest of Exelia Academy.
A sword, a star, a cogwheel, and wings.
It was the same crest I had seen at the city gate yesterday.
Lastly, Elysia picked up her sword.
It was a well-maintained sword.
She ran her hand once over the scabbard, then gripped and released the hilt.
Even that brief motion was enough to tell.
It was a tool she held every day, swung every day, and used every day to test her own limits.
After fastening the sword at her waist, Elysia stood before the mirror.
Her posture was straight.
Her gaze was clear as well.
Unlike the gentle expression she had shown last night, the Elysia before me now was both the young lady of House Valerion and a student.
But I could still feel the discordant flow inside her body.
An overflowing amount of energy.
And yet, a current that could not gather in one place and instead collided with itself.
On the outside, she looked composed and strong, but inside, something was constantly clashing.
‘What a waste, really.’
I thought as I watched her from atop the bed.
A river that had taken the wrong path.
A flower of the sword that had failed to bloom.
If that flow was properly set in order, Elysia would become completely different from how she was now.
Of course, there wasn’t much I could do right away.
No, if I tried, there was actually a lot.
But that wouldn’t be Elysia’s growth.
‘I’ll have to watch slowly.’
I quietly curled my tail around myself.
After finishing her preparations, Elysia turned back to me.
“Haku.”
I raised my head.
She picked up a soft cloth bag that had been placed beside the bed.
It seemed to be a bag meant for carrying small familiars or animals. The inside was lined with fluffy cloth.
“You might have to stay in here today. There are a lot of people at the academy.”
“Kiiing……”
I wanted to say no, but considering the situation, she was right.
The academy would have many students, many professors, and many familiars.
There might even be spirits.
And above all, a baby fox with a silver-pink hue like me would stand out no matter how anyone looked at it.
‘I’d rather not draw attention from the start.’
I obediently climbed into the bag.
It was surprisingly comfortable.
The cloth inside was soft, and it wasn’t bad for curling up into a ball.
I also liked that the opening was left slightly ajar so I could see outside.
After confirming I had settled in, Elysia carefully lifted the bag.
“Tell me if it’s uncomfortable.”
I looked up at her.
Tell her?
If I could speak, I would have done it already.
“Kiiing.”
Perhaps taking that as affirmation, Elysia gave a small smile.
“Good. Then let’s go.”
The door opened.
Beyond the hallway, the mansion in the morning came into view.
The servants were moving busily, and outside the window, the rain that had fallen through the night had stopped.
Morning sunlight was settling over the wet garden.
I poked only my head out from inside the bag.
Today was the day I would go to the academy.
And probably, the day I would be officially seen by people for the first time in this world.
‘Please let it pass quietly.’
But somehow.
I didn’t think this world would flow quietly the way I wanted it to.
Elysia headed to the academy by carriage.
To be precise, it was a carriage engraved with the crest of House Valerion.
A golden lion biting a sword.
The crest carved into the carriage door carried a pressure that made it difficult for even those who didn’t know what kind of family this was to approach carelessly.
With only my head poking out from the cloth bag Elysia was holding, I looked around outside.
The inside of the carriage was quieter than I had expected.
Perhaps because it was an ordinary carriage rather than a magic carriage, I didn’t feel the nausea I had felt on the road yesterday.
It shook a little whenever the wheels passed over the stone road, but it was bearable.
‘Thank goodness. If it had been a magic carriage, I might have fainted right away.’
I placed my small forepaws on the edge of the bag and looked out the window.
The academy city in the morning was different from last night.
There were many students in uniforms on the streets.
Students with swords at their waists, students holding staffs, students carrying large book bags, and students walking with familiars at their sides.
‘……There really are beastkin.’
Yesterday, I had wondered if that might be the case, but now I could know for certain.
Humans were not the only ones in this world.
That fact brought me a little relief.
If beastkin existed, then even if fox ears remained when I was in Hakua’s form, it might not be a completely impossible sight.
Of course.
‘Walking around with that appearance is a different problem.’
I recalled myself in yesterday’s mirror and quietly folded my ears.
That had been less like a beastkin and more like a bewitching creature that would ruin the life of any passerby.
“Are you all right, Haku?”
Elysia asked quietly.
I lifted my head and looked at her.
“Kiiing.”
I’m fine.
Probably.
Thinking I had answered, Elysia smiled softly.
“We’ll arrive soon.”
The carriage gradually entered a wider road.
The scale of the buildings visible outside the window changed.
The shops and houses dwindled, and in their place appeared high walls, orderly roadside trees, and enormous stone buildings.
And finally.
The carriage stopped.
“We have arrived, my lady.”
The coachman’s voice sounded.
Elysia carefully held the bag and stepped down from the carriage.
I naturally looked outside as well.
And froze.
‘……What is this?’
The academy was far larger than I had expected.
Even the main gate was different.
A gate so high one could believe it was a castle gate.
White stone towers erected on either side.
And the crest engraved upon them.
A sword.
A star.
A cogwheel.
Wings.
Exelia Academy.
Beyond the gate stretched a plaza so vast its end could not be seen.
At the center of the plaza was a fountain whose streams of water rotated in circles through the air, and countless students were coming and going around it.
‘A school?’
I stared blankly at the sight.
This was less a school than a small city.
Perhaps noticing my reaction, Elysia adjusted the bag to make it a little more comfortable to hold and spoke softly.
“Everyone is surprised when they see it for the first time. Exelia Academy isn’t simply a school.”
I only poked my head out a little from inside the bag.
Looking at the buildings spread beyond the main gate, Elysia continued her explanation.
“It’s a place where the children of the empire’s major families and talented students gather.
The Department of Magic Knights, the Department of Elemental Magic, the Department of Magic Engineering, and the Department of Special Familiar Studies.
All four departments are here together, and each department has its own lecture halls and training facilities.”
‘So that’s why it’s this big.’
I muttered inwardly.
As if I had understood, Elysia quietly added,
“It’s not a place that only raises knights or mages. People who will lead their families,
people who will work for the empire, and people who research familiars or spirits all study here.
That’s why there are many students, and many different races.”
Just as she said.
On the right, I could see a wide training ground where knights would likely train, and on the left, a building belonging to the magic department rose like a crystal tower.
In the distance was a huge building fitted with cogwheels and steam pipes. That was probably the Department of Magic Engineering.
Lastly, Elysia spoke in a slightly lower voice.
“And in this place, one’s family name, talent, and familiars are all evaluated.”
I flattened my ears slightly.
‘It would’ve been nice if you’d told me that beforehand.’
Of course, it didn’t come out in words.
“Kiiing……”
As if telling me not to worry, Elysia lightly stroked the top of the bag.
“It’s all right. I’ll be with you.”
I looked up at her for a moment, then turned my gaze back toward the academy.
Small flying familiars were flitting through the sky, and along the roadside, I could see all sorts of creatures walking with students.
A bird with wings as transparent as glass.
A dog wearing small armor over its body.
A spirit like a lump of light dozing atop a book.
A lizard dangling its tail from a student’s shoulder.
And the students.
They were not all human.
A student with ears long like an elf’s.
A student with wolf ears and a tail.
A student with small horns.
A student whose skin had a pale gray tint.
A student with feathers mixed into their hair.
Countless people and races, familiars and spirits were mingled together.
‘There are so many.’
Too many.
For a moment, I felt overwhelmed.
They were different from the animals I had seen in the forest.
Every being here could see me, judge me, and speak to me.
On top of that, my fur color was sure to stand out.
A silver-pink baby fox.
Even in a place with many familiars, it couldn’t be a common sight.
‘No.’
I quickly pulled my head back into the bag.
Flump.
The world went dark.
The inside of the bag was warm and soft.
It was much safer.
‘I’ll stay on standby until Elysia takes me out.’
I curled my body into a ball.
Outside, the voices of students continued to drift in.
“It’s Lady Valerion.”
“She’s early again today.”
“What’s that bag she’s carrying?”
‘I didn’t hear anything. I’m an ordinary ball of fluff.’
I held my breath.
But as if mocking my resolve, someone’s voice came from outside.
“Elysia, what’s in that bag?”
Footsteps drew closer.
I flattened my ears hard.
Please just pass by.
Elysia’s hand carefully covered the top of the bag.
“A child I brought in yesterday. I’m going to have him appraised today.”
“A child?”
“Yes. He still seems frightened.”
Elysia’s voice was calm.
I felt a little relieved.
Yes.
This was how things should go.
We would quietly go to the professor in the Department of Special Familiar Studies, get examined, and receive a verdict that I wasn’t dangerous.
Nothing needed to happen.
At that moment, a very small light seeped in from outside the bag.
Then an excited voice rang out.
“Small!”
Another voice.
“High!”
I opened my eyes.
Through the gap in the bag, a small lump of light was poking its head in.
No, should I call it a head?
It was a sparkling low-level light spirit.
The spirit stared intently at me inside the bag, then spun around excitedly.
“Small and high!”
‘I’m doomed.’
I covered my face with my forepaws.
The murmuring of the students outside grew louder.
“Small and high?”
“What’s in there?”
“A spirit reacted?”
Elysia seemed to hesitate for a moment as well.
Inside the bag, I curled up even tighter, trying my hardest to act like I was nothing at all.
‘I’m not here.’
‘I’m just a fox.’
‘I’m an ordinary baby fox.’
But the light spirit clung to the opening of the bag and cried out in a bright, clear voice.
“Small and high and warm!”
Please.
Be quiet.
My first day at the academy did not seem like it would be starting quietly at all.