Quest of Automata King

First Day of School

“What are you doing, Julius?” Challender looked to the one that grabbed his shoulder from the corner of his eyes. It did not bother the student with hair as black as the night, in fact, Julius also looking at Challender with the same eyes.

“It’s not worth it to make a ruckus right now,” he said. If Julius is just one of his butler or random classmates, Challender would punch him in the face. But because they are have known each other since they are little, There is an air of camaderie from both of them.

Challender staring at Juilus, and then to that Devil. He clenched his teeth angrily as inaudible growl is escaping his mouth.

“Everyone already seen what happened between you and him at the station. Probably even the teachers too. Let’s wait for a while, and observe how he doing with the lesson and this school,” suggest Julius.

“And then what?” Challender started to calm down, he returned to his position, but his fist is still clenching.

“Imagine, a kid from backwater countries with no apparent formal education beforehand. Wht do you think would happened in the class? He would be the clown of his class,” Julius’s words are starting to intrigue Challender.

“When that happened, We’re going to ‘help’ him learn how to become a student of Grand Magusica. Maybe he’ll even reconsider his place in this school,” said Julius, a devilish tone can be heard on that suggestion, but for Challender that is a good idea.

He would have to wait, but to see another day where he can land his fist into that dirty Devil’s face again, he would let it slide this time.

***

“Crap he saw me... Crap, he saw me...” Like a mantra, Mui replied it times and times again. It’s a mistake to looking for the restless person like Challender, especially since he have been saved by Emmellia who supposed to be Challender’s fiance.

“Why did every five seconds of my life is filled with misery?” Said Mui to himself, while letting out a deep breath.

“Alright then, Class F, glad to meet you all! My name is Otto Maximus, your teacher for the ‘Basic of Magic and It’s Appliance to Everyday Live’.”

Once again, Mui’s attention is switched to the voice in front of the line of his class.

“Today we will start this class at the open field of the school. Without much delay, please follow me!”

The line of class F is starting to move. Mui did not expect that their class is the first one to leave the room. At least this mean he would able stay away from Challender... For now.

That teacher guide the class through corridors and many other classrooms, they passed the garden and get into another building located at the right wing of the academy. Finally, they get inside one room with circle shapes and three big windows.

There are nothing in that room, except for one hanging ornament, that for some reason glowing with blue light.

Everyone get inside the room, and the door automatically locked. Otto then turn his body and smiling friendly toward his students.

“A surpise question!” said him while placing both of his hand to his back. “Where are we know?”

All of the students are mumbling and murmuring, they looked at each other with confusion, just like Mui.

“Um... Sir, didn’t you say that we are going to take our classes outside?” Karas raise his hand and asking. Everyone looked at him, and they are have the same question.

“Too bad, that is the same question that I’am asking. To understand about the class that we are going to do today, we have to know first why we’re indoor where we are supposed to be outdoor,” said Otto. His eyes are scanning the students, waiting for another person to take initiative.

Suddenly from the very right side where he is standing, a hand is lifted.

“Finally! Miss Novreyi!” said him, as if waiting for this moment to arrive.

Emmellia stepped forward, she looked at the marble floor and noticed something that they miss all of this time.

“This place is a teleportation post, and we’re here to go to the place that will actually be our class,” said Emmellia. “At the floor, you could see that the marbles color are meant to be the magic circle, and at the top of us is a magic artifact that will help to calibrate mana and the post’s coordination of the other place.”

Explain Emmellia. The students automatically looking at their feet, and notices that the floor have some part that written with colorfull runes.

“Excelent explanation, Miss Novreyi! And there you go. A teleportation posts made by the staffs as one of the attempt to revitalize this school. In total, there are ten of this posts in the same building, but each of them are leading to different place across Foumoda.”

“Across Foumoda? Isn’t that mean we can go anywhere else as long as we used this post right?” asked one of the male student.

“Correct! But don’t get your hopes too high! This post is only accesible for the teachers, and each of them have to file a reservation request one week before. It have two-ways teleportation function, but each time it being used, a magic machine will take notes of it.”

Mui nodding to hear that explanation, he have seen teleportation magic used by Miss Chiro, but don’t know that it can be used as a landmark like this.

“Alright class, today we will go to Hanging Stone monument. Please don’t get out of the room mid-teleportation, or you might lose your head!” Otto chuckling, but none of the students find that joke is funny.

Ignoring the bland reaction, he stretch out his arm to the hanging artifact. Otto focuing his mind and channeling mana into the artifact, making it glow even brighter.

“Mot, locus, memoriae! Locus quam ego desiderans!” said Otto, the magic circle at the floor are also glowing with blue light, and students are seeing the wall of this room is blurring out. Slowly, their surrounding goes dark, as if the day suddenly turn into night with a blink of an eye.

“Right now, we are at the ‘teleportation corridor’ that connecting this post to another. Because the spot to each place is pretty far, it takes a little bit of time!” said Otto. “Oh, and I suggest for all of you to cover your eyes. When we arrive at our designation, the sun will be strong. You don’t want to be blind aren’t you?”

Suddenly bright light comes through the darkness of this place. All of the students are gasping, including Mui and his friends as they quickly lift their hand to protect their eyes.

After that, Mui could feel a warm of the sun and the wind that blow slowly. His eyes eventually  regulate with the light of this place. When he opened his eyes, Mui great see green field until the end of the horizon.

All of the student also look around, amazed. This place is outside of the school, but the marble floor with magic circle is still under them. The difference this time, is that the artifact is placed at middle of the floor.

“This place is the Hanging Stone,” Otto did not waste any of his time, and introduce the place where they are standing now.

All around them, are giant stones that are placed in circular formation. Some are bigger than the other, and some are evenly shaped.

“Magicians believed that this is the place where Miracullius found his ability to perform magic at the very first time. The reason lies upon this stone.”

Otto moved outside of the circle toward one of the boulder.

“This stone is called menhir. According to the geologist, this stone are not likely to appear here naturally, instead they are the type that being unearthed from the cliffs and mountains. On the other hand, the magicians are able to feel the huge flow of mana leyline that passing through this monument, making this place to be one of natural spring for the magicians to perform magic.”

Students are hearing that explanation cautiously, while Mui trying hard to digest all of the information told by Otto.

As long as Mui knew about magic, is from the local shaman that using incantations while she brew potion, and some kind of praying song whenever a little kid is sick. He also learn one or two tricks, such as the spell to make cattles to move wherever the caster wanted, or the one that makes bird stay in place, so they will be much easier to hit.

“Alright! We should move to our actual lesson this time! I want you to take a personal place from each other, and trying to channel your mana into one of common magic element.” said Otto.

Listening to that assignment, the students are starting to separate themselves one to another. They stepped out the magic circle, and each of them starting to focus on moving the mana around their body.

“Oh, please wait, Miss Novreyi,” Otto stopped Emmellia before she could stepped out of the floor. “I have heard your request, and how can I say this... It’s a little bit hard for me as an educator to let it slide right away. I have to know what else can you do, since I already know how talented you are,” said Otto.

Emmellia didn’t answer, he just lift his hand in front of Otto, and from them, a cold wind current appear. It freezes the air at the top of her hand, until it create a snow nugget.

Emmellia then goes even further, she infused the snow with magic, and transform it into giant snowflake with beautiful shape.

“I wanted to apologize for my selfish request sir,” said Emmellia. “But in my opinion, I could help students in this class with their study. This will also serve as training for me, at the time i’m going to become a queen.”

Otto put his hand on his chin and thinking. He tried to find a middle way to fulfill the princess’s request.

“Alright then.” Said Otto finally. “You’ll be the teacher’s assistant for class F. With that, you can review the abilities that you have learnt all this time, and also train your soft skill, just like what you requested.”

Emmellia give her thanks by bowing. She moved to other place, while the teacher only starring at her back.

“With this, I won’t get into the trouble either,” chuckle Otto.