Let’s Block the Ruined Route in Advance

“You’re all here, right, Faculty of Magic? Now you can get your schedules according to your majors. General Defense is by the fireplace. Paraphernalia, come to the window, and Specialized, come to my side.” 

The common room of the dormitory with a blazing fireplace. 

 

Daniel, the second-year prefect who had been guiding the new students since their arrival at the Academy, was sorting them, a large stack of papers floating in the air.

 

Knighthood. The Academy was divided into administrative departments, and even within the administrative departments, the majors were divided into sub-departments.

 

Eileen’s department consisted of the General Magic Department, which taught life magic and combat magic; the Magical Tools Department, which specialized in the creation of golems and magical tools; and a handful of specialty departments that required specific talents, such as healers and elementals.

 “There are basic liberal arts such as history and theology that overlap with other faculties, and there are majors that overlap within each faculty, such as understanding mana, so it can be a little difficult in the first year, but if you don’t understand something, ask. And…” 

Daniel stopped talking and turned to the girl who had been standing at his side, a tall girl with flaming red hair who stepped forward.

 “Ah, the Elementalist!” 

Eileen’s eyes widened. A small fire elemental poked her head shyly through the hair of the older girl who called herself Emma.

 “The specialties that are too few in number, such as Healers and Elementals, will be integrated with the specialties of the other faculties. This time, the specialties of the Faculty of Radiant Magic are five in number. Quite a bumper crop, huh?” 

She smiled cheerfully, but Daniel nudged her to introduce herself.

 “Oh, right, right. I’m Emma Burton, the second-year prefect of the Specials Department, and I’m here to look after the chicks while the third-years are busy with their internships.” 

One eye crinkled mischievously, and she began to call her by name.

 “Eileen. Ah, Elementalist, we must see each other often.” “Yes!” 

Emma waved lightly at Star, who was watching over Eileen’s head, and then spoke again.

 “Rosa, Abel, Jean, and Laquerta. You four are healers. You have a bright future in the medical field!” 

Eileen’s face hardened for a moment.

 

‘Are my ears weird…’

 “Rosa, Abel and Jean are here, and… Laquerta! Who is Laquerta?” 

One by one, Emma introduced the newcomers, turning to Laketa last. Soon a small voice came from the shadowed side of the wall.

 “It’s me.” 

The students’ jaws dropped as they turned to find the source of the voice. A grim-faced man stood in the darkness.

 “Are you…, the Healer?”

Emma asked, her voice trembling with panic. 

 

Laquerta nodded wordlessly. Her hazel eyes glowed fiercely over her shadowed face.

 

‘He’s a healer! It’s the same class!’

 

Eileen bit down hard on her cheek to keep a sob from escaping her mouth. She hadn’t expected him to use healing with his size and strength.

 “Is there a problem?” “No! No problem. Welcome.” 

Emma smiled, her demeanor quickly returning to normal. That was the end of the shocking schedule assignment in more ways than one.

 “No classes this week, just a quick introduction to the course. It’s been a long day, everyone, get some rest.” 

The bell rang for 9:00, and soon after the seniors left the room. Eileen looked at her schedule. Tomorrow’s first period was at 10:00.

 “Ouch.” 

Eileen was about to smile with satisfaction at the amount of sleep she’d gotten when she heard someone yell.

 “What the hell, it’s Suyin!” 

A boy looked at Laquerta and made a face.

 “Suyin?” 

All the eyes of the students still in their seats turned to Laquerta.

 

The Suyin. Said to have existed before the Empire unified the continent, they were the race closest to the beginning of time, with the blood of the Ancients running through their veins. A special race of humans with both human and animal forms and powerful bodies.

 

But because of their animal-like appearance, they were always persecuted.

 

They were so despised that they were openly traded as objects until slavery was abolished 150 years ago.

 “You’re crazy, a Suyin , to go to the Academy. How far has Verotanis fallen?” 

It didn’t look like much, but on closer inspection there were some scaly marks on Laquerta’s neck.

 “Is he a reptilian?” “Oh, aren’t they one of those races that can’t recognize their own children?” “Ugh. I don’t like snakes.” 

Laquerta’s voice grew fiercer and darker as the crowd in the hall began to stir.

 “Shut that mouth!” “Those eyes! You can’t help the instincts of the beast, can you?” 

The dark yellow eyes that had seemed so normal were now incontinently slit with narrow pupils. 

 

The reptilian-like eyes flashed with life, and several mouths that had been chattering excitedly stopped in disbelief.

 “Was he a Suyin?” 

Eileen looked at Laquerta, his hair standing on end at the sudden turn of events. The reptilian gray skin of his neck was becoming more and more reptilian.

 “Ah.” 

Eileen’s vision flashes white as she meets his yellow eyes.

  

***

  “Laquerta, please. Please heal Jessie. She’s dying, Jessie’s dying.” 

Cordelia sobbed desperately as she clutched Jessie, who was bleeding relentlessly from her abdomen. The water from the torrential downpour, which seemed to be tearing the sky apart, was red and spreading around them.

 “No, no, no…” 

Cordelia desperately tried to clasp the wound and use her necromancy to stop the rain from falling on Jessie. But the amount of blood she had already lost only cooled her down.

 

Laquerta’s dark eyes scanned the dying Jessie.

 “Why should I heal a human?” “You’re human too! Jessie didn’t take anything from the Suyin!” “Human? Did the humans ever treat me like a human?” 

Jessie coughed for air, and a lump of blood gurgled out. It was the black blood of death. 

 

Cordelia, now half-conscious, clung to Laquerta’s legs.

 “Please, please, I’m so sorry about the children, but it’s not Jessie’s fault, please…” 

Laquerta looked down at the sobbing Cordelia for a moment, then bent down to wipe the tears from her face.

 

He stared nonchalantly at the rainwater that filled the spot, too frightening to wipe away, before turning to Cordelia, who was clinging to one last hope.

 “If I ever heal a human, it will be you, Cordelia, and only you. And don’t waste your breath, she’s already dead.” “What? No… No…” 

Cordelia pushed Laquerta away and staggered back to Jessie. There was no life in her pale body.

 

As she fell to the ground, Cordelia screamed. It was a pitiful cry, like a soul being forced out.

  

***

  

‘No, no, no. no.’

 

Eileen, snapped back to reality from the violent future, barely caught her staggering body. She could still smell the blood and gore in the air.

 “An aquatic healer? Ha, if I’m going to be healed by an animal, I might as well die.” “If you say any more, I’ll tear you apart.” 

Laquerta couldn’t stand it any longer and walked menacingly towards the boy, who was being particularly hostile. He stared at him with narrow pupils that seemed to burn with rage.

 “No.” 

Eileen was about to approach her when she saw the look on Jessie’s face overlap with her own.

 “Stop.” 

Daniel, who she thought had left the hall first, had returned and was now standing between the boy and Laquerta.

 “You’re just in time! That’s a beast!” “I told him to stop.” “Yes…?” 

Daniel, with his frizzy wheat-colored hair, glared

at the boy, Gray, with a sharp look that didn’t hide his irritation, unlike his smirking self a moment ago.

 “Gray Dolta. You get a demerit.” “What?! Why?” 

Gray’s mouth snapped shut, as if it had been glued shut for an instant, as if he were about to protest what was so unfair.

 “Equality. You seem to have forgotten the simple rule that all who are willing to learn can find a place in Verotanis’ arms. You two. Take him.” 

Daniel gestured lightly with his chin, and the two boys scurried out of the hall, carrying Gray with them. Daniel watched them go, his eyes narrowing, then looked back at Laquerta, his expression softening slightly.

 “I’m sorry, I’ve put you in trouble for leaving first. I’ll warn him again.” “……” 

Laquerta stared at Daniel for a moment, uncomprehending, before turning on his heel and walking out of the hall.

 “Well, well.” 

Shaking his head and sighing, he turned to the rest of the freshmen.

 “Come on, you’re stuck here, you’ve got to go to bed, and did you see, if you do anything stupid that’s out of line with the rules and etiquette, the prefects can give you demerits, and if you get enough demerits, you’ll be disciplined, so be careful, okay?” 

The smile on his face as he said this was different than before, causing the freshmen to swallow hard and quickly disperse.

 

As Eileen slowly made her way back to her room, she alternated between the original Cordelia, who was screaming, and the current Laquerta, who was hated by everyone.

 

Eileen opened the door in a daze. Jessie, who was brushing her teeth, coughed in surprise.

 

A vision of her coughing up black blood flashed through Eileen’s mind.

 

‘I never thought I’d see my roommate both alive and dead.’

 

Tears stung her eyes.

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