Once upon a ti, there was a princess. Her cage was so beautiful that others saw it as a splendid castle. She was weighed down by many responsibilities that seed to define her every day... blah blah blah. One day, she longed to see the outside world and asked her father, the King, for permission. The King agreed, but on one condition: she must return to her castle before nightfall. Tempted by the freedom she found, the princess beca greedy and decided to stay outside a little longer...
"Ahhh... Why are we even studying this stuff?" Mathilda grumbled, her frustration evident as she sat in a building that looked precariously stacked atop another. It was a library, though it slanted slightly, giving it an unstable look.
"It’s the story of the founding mbers of Starfire Academy," GG explained patiently. "It’s best to know this, because they might ask about it during the final interview."
"Grizzy-chan, it’s not like they’re definitely going to ask these questions, right?" Mathilda asked, leaning back in her chair with a huff.
"Grizzy-chan?" GG blinked in surprise at the sudden nickna, but after a mont of consideration, she decided she liked it. "Alright, I’ll allow it. But seriously, what are you interested in?"
"Take to the Alchemy Lab," Mathilda said with a glint of excitent in her eyes.
GG let out an awkward laugh. "Uh... the Alchemy Lab was actually flipped upside down... outside."
Mathilda sighed, her disappointnt palpable. "Seriously, how is this Academy even surviving?"
GG shrugged. "There is an Alchemy Departnt in the main Starfire Academy. If you pass the entrance exam, you won’t have to worry about these things."
"But I wanted to blow sothing up today," Mathilda muttered under her breath.
GG chuckled thinking that she is just joking around.
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Inside the lab, Tyler sat amidst a sea of scattered books, each one more complex than the last. He was deeply engrossed in the pages, trying to make sense of the theories, formulas, and blueprints that were a staple of the Elite Academy of Magic and Technology. It had been three days since he and the girls had arrived at this forgotten, run-down academy branch, and while the place appeared to be on its last legs, Tyler found it fascinating.
Next to him, Serena, the head of the academy, lay in a reclining chair with a helt on her head, her eyes closed as if napping. The helt was connected to a set of robotic arms that moved and assembled components with quiet efficiency. Tyler was intrigued by the machinery, but he decided not to involve himself too much just yet. He had resolved to learn about the technology and chanics behind these machines once they entered the main academy, where he could properly dive into his studies.
Serena stirred, removing the helt and rubbing her tired eyes. She placed a pair of sleek glasses on her nose and tapped her watch, bringing up a holographic screen that displayed various feeds and data streams. One of the images showed a vehicle moving quickly across the barren landscape toward the academy.
"Are there caras in the desert?" Tyler asked, peering over at the screen with curiosity.
Serena sighed, her eyes clouding with distant mories. "Only a few still work. Three or four, maybe. But it wasn’t always a desert." Her voice softened as she spoke, her thoughts drifting back to a ti when the area surrounding the academy was lush and full of life. "There used to be gardens, flowers, trees... It was beautiful once. Now it’s all just dust."
Tyler glanced at her, sensing the weight of her words but not prying further. Instead, he focused on the approaching vehicle. "Looks like a delivery guy. Did you order sothing?" Serena asked, shifting the conversation back to the present.
"Yeah, I asked GG to order so terminals for and the girls," Tyler said with a nod, not taking his eyes off the screen.
Serena raised an eyebrow. "Terminals, huh? They’re pretty useful—communication, productivity, data managent. Good choice. So models are affordable, though their performance is lacking. Which ones did you get?"
"Yeah, they’re cheap. Just 150,000 Lydia ." Tyler replied casually, returning to the book he was reading.
"See pretty affordable. That’s why everyone has a Terminal with them-- ..."Serena froze, blinking in disbelief. "Wait... 150,000 Lydia? For all the terminals?"
Tyler shook his head. "Nope, for each."
Her jaw dropped slightly. "High-end model... I didn’t know you were this rich."
Tyler shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s not a big deal. I needed sothing reliable, so I just got the best ones available."
Serena’s tired eyes widened in surprise. She had heard about Tyler’s wealth from Hawk, but hearing it firsthand and seeing how easily Tyler spent money was a different matter. ’150,000 Lydia is cheap, huh?’ she thought to herself, half in amazent, half in resignation.
She recalled how Hawk asked them to seduce him. The academy had been struggling for funds for years now, barely able to afford maintenance, let alone upgrades. Serena quickly pushed away thoughts of how useful that kind of money would be for her own projects. She wasn’t about to ask a student for financial support, no matter how tempting it might be.
┉┈ ◈ ◉ ◈ ┈┉
Tyler and the girls received their terminals, sleek devices that wrapped snugly around their wrists. Tyler paid for them without hesitation, using his Queen Card, which caused GG’s eyes to widen in suprise.
’What kind of family is he from? Is he from a big rchant clan?’ she thought, her mind racing at the sight of the high-end card. It’s very rare to see people with those cards. For a second she also recalled the words Hawk said before. Seduce him.
GG quickly snapped out of her thoughts and proceeded to explain how to set up the terminals, guiding the group through the basic functions like communication, data storage, and how the devices could sync with the academy’s systems. The process was straightforward, and it didn’t take long for them to get the hang of it. Tyler, in particular, was a fast learner, imdiately exploring the more advanced features.
Once the terminals were fully set up, they all took a mont to admire the devices, impressed by their functionality and sleek design. However, one person hadn’t left yet—the delivery guy. Instead of heading back, he stood outside, staring intently at the direction of the lab.
"Huh... It’s you?" GG’s voice broke the silence, a note of surprise in her tone as she recognized the delivery man.
Tyler looked over at her, curious. "A friend of yours?" he asked.
"Huh... That’s Mr. Ciel, a professor from Starfire Academy. But why are you here as a delivery guy?" GG asked, her suspicion growing as she crossed her arms.
Ciel coughed awkwardly, glancing down at his feet before looking back at GG. "Huh? Did my disguise not work?"
"What disguise?" GG asked, her confusion deepening.
Ciel puffed up slightly, as if proud of what he was about to reveal. "Look, I’m wearing a fake mustache," he said, pointing at the small, clearly fake mustache glued to his upper lip.
"...."
GG stared at him, utterly speechless. Tyler, standing nearby, couldn’t help but twitch his mouth slightly in an effort to suppress a laugh. ’He genuinely believes that is a disguise?’ Tyler thought, trying his best not to show his amusent.
After a mont of uncomfortable silence, Ciel removed the mustache with a flourish. Prana, the magical energy of this world, gathered around his fingers as he put the mustache back on. In an instant, he seed to transform into a completely different person. His appearance, voice, and even his posture changed ever so slightly.
"Huh, it’s working now," Ciel nodded, his tone slightly deeper, as though this transformation had changed even his personality. He then removed the mustache once more, reverting to his original form.
GG let out an exasperated sigh. "Why are you here, Mr. Ciel?"
Ciel shifted nervously, glancing around before answering, "Well... I thought it was Serena who ordered those terminals. So, I decided to co see her... Hehe..." His awkward laugh was accompanied by a faint blush creeping up his cheeks.
Tyler raised an eyebrow, and everything clicked into place. ’Head Serena is really popular,’ he thought, amused by the professor’s obvious crush. It was clear that Serena, despite her hard-edged deanor and dedication to her work, had managed to attract quite a bit of attention from n, Ciel being no exception.
"Well, I’ll go get Head Serena for you. But I doubt she will see you." GG said, her voice a bit more resigned. She clearly had seen this kind of thing before.
Ciel gave a small, grateful nod, still looking sowhat sheepish. GG headed off to find Serena, leaving Tyler and Ciel standing in the lab’s entryway.
Only then Ciel looked at Tyler, "New student?"
Tyler nodded and said, "Hello I am Tyler White."
"I am Ciel. You can call professor Ciel." He smiled and greeted him back.
But there are sothings that is bothering Tyler. How does he knows that they ordered terminals?
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