William sighed for the umpteenth time as he gazed out the window of his dormitory room. Kenneth, who was seated on top of his bed, frowned as he observed the sighing boy--who seemed to be feeling downhearted.
'Just what happened inside the Dean's Office?' Kenneth thought. 'Does it have something to do with what happened inside the dungeon?'
Kenneth was very curious, but he also respected William's privacy. In the end, he decided to remind the sighing boy that it was almost time for dinner.
"Will, let's have dinner," Kenneth said as he patted William's shoulder.
William simply nodded his head and stood up from his chair. Ella decided to stay inside the room because she had already eaten.
As the two made their way towards the Dining Hall, William felt a prickling gaze aimed in his direction.
When William turned his head to see who it was, he noticed Spencer glaring at him from behind his back.
If William hadn't heard Celine's tale, he might have already thought of a plan on how to make Spencer suffer. However, right now, he wasn't in the mood to deal with him. He unconsciously touched the collar on his neck and flinched.
"The collar you wear on your neck right now was dyed with her own tears, blood, and suffering." Simon's voice echoed inside William's head.
As William continued to walk to their destination, another image appeared inside his head. It was the time when Celine was about to place the collar on his neck and William was lying on the floor, paralyzed.
----
"S-Still, isn't this unfair?" William tried to use reason.
"Since when did life become fair?" Celine asked. Her expression gradually became cold as she looked down at the boy on the floor. "Little Will, you have no idea what fairness is. Life has never been fair. There are people who have to beg in order to live, and there are those that were born with a silver spoon on their mouth.
"Both are people, but their circumstances are like Heaven and Earth. William, the only one who gets to decide what is fair or not, is the one with the bigger fist."
Celine's soft and delicate hand caressed William's cheek. "Right now, I have the bigger fist. Because I am stronger than you, I can bully you. This is the law of the strong."
-----
"Celeste," William muttered the name of Celine's twin. The one who was favored by the Elven Race, and showered by their love and affection. 'Both of them were people, but their circumstances were like Heaven and Earth.'
William finally understood Celine's hate-filled ramblings that day. She was looking at William, as if she was looking at her eight-years-old self.
Because the Elven Race was stronger than her, they could bully her. That was the law of the strong.
The red-headed boy sighed and thought about the days of his training. This continued until he and Kenneth passed through the doors of the Dining Hall
William sat on his usual dining table and started to eat. However, for some reason, the food that used to taste delicious, became plain and almost tasteless. Even so, William forced himself to eat. For he knew that he wouldn't be able to think straight with a hungry stomach.
He chewed the food properly and ate two servings of vegetables. When he felt that he was half full, he excused himself and left the Dining Hall to take a stroll outside the premises of the Martial Division.
William walked without any destination in mind. His mind was preoccupied with many things, and his feet moved as they pleased. As he wandered around aimlessly, a pair of soft hands suddenly covered his eyes from behind.
"Make a guess." a teasing voice whispered in his ears.
"The most beautiful girl in the Royal Academy," William replied.
"S-Since you already know who I am, there's no need for me to do this," the girl stuttered as she removed the hands that covered William's eyes.
The red-headed boy wasn't able to stop himself from grinning when he heard the familiar stuttering voice behind him. He then turned his head to look at the pretty young lady who was only half a head shorter than him.
"Sir William, what are you doing here inside the Magic Division?" Wendy inquired.
"Um?" William blinked and scanned his surroundings. He found himself in an unfamiliar place. If what Wendy said was true then he had somehow gotten past through the guards that were guarding the gates of the Magic Division.
What William didn't know was that Est had specifically ordered the guards to allow William and Kenneth to enter the premises of the Magic Division Class.
When the guards saw William walking towards the Magic Division Class, they thought that he had an appointment with Est, so they didn't bar his entry.
Wendy observed the confused Half-Elf and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.
"Did Sir WIlliam come to check on how I'm faring?" Wendy asked. She was hoping that this was the reason for his visit. "Don't worry. I'm perfectly healthy. The clerics in the infirmary have already healed the minor bruises that I received from the dungeon."
"I-I see," William said with a stiff smile. "I'm glad that you're doing well."
Wendy lowered her gaze as a blush crept up on her face.
The two didn't notice that a few people were gathering around them. They recognized who William was because they had seen his performance during the "exchange of pointers" in the Coliseum.
Some girls even took the initiative to greet him, which made the atmosphere very lively.
"Head Prefect, did you come here to visit me?"
"Duh! Why would he visit you? Head Prefect William came here to visit me. Isn't that right, Sir William?"
The two girls were looking at Wiliam with star-struck gazes, which made Wendy feel irritated.
"Actually, I came here to visit Wendy," William said as he held Wendy's hand. "The two of us planned to exchange pointers and learn from each other. Isn't that right, Wendy?"
"Y-Yes," Wendy stuttered. "Sir William wanted to give me private lessons and train my body-- I mean, teach me some techniques in order to fine-tune my magic power."
"Unfair!"
"That's unfair, Sir William!"
"Please, train us too! We can do it in my room if you like."
"Sorry, but my hands are already full with Wendy," William apologized while trying to pry his hand away from the two girls who had grabbed his arm.
"Awww."
"If you ever get tired of teaching Wendy, feel free to find us!"
Before William and the girls could interact more, Wendy decided to drag the popular Half-Elf away from the scene. She didn't understand why she felt uncomfortable when the two pretty girls were trying to cling to William.
William, on the other hand, was very thankful for Wendy's actions. He didn't know that he had already trespassed on another Division's premises and wanted to get away from the crowd.
Wendy brought William to the back garden of the Magic Division. Not many people came here at night, so they were safe from the prying eyes of the public.
The young lady took William to her secret place in the garden. It was a place that could be accessed by moving the hand of the statue that was blocking its entrance.
The two walked for a few minutes after they entered the secret passage. William didn't know where Wendy was taking him, but he could tell that the young lady didn't have any malicious intentions. Not long after, the two emerged from the passage. The red-headed boy's eyes widened when he saw the scene in front of him.
William saw an amazing sight. Instead of a sea of flowers, he saw a still lake where an aurora borealis floated above its surface.
Several crystal butterflies fluttered above the lake's surface as their wings reflected the different colors that passed through the transparent water.
If William were to describe this place in one word, it would definitely be the word "surreal".
A sweet smile appeared on Wendy's face when she saw William's reaction. She had discovered this place by accident, and no one else knew about this secret. William was the first person she had brought to this place and seeing his amazed expression made her maiden heart skip a beat.