Chapter 3
"Young students?"
Ralth looked at the black-robed magus and his heart was filled with shock. Ralth's eyes widened as he tried to understand.
Is this magus also an apprentice like them?
The thought seemed impossible, yet the way the other magi greeted him made Ralth wonder. He glanced at the other children floating beside him, seeing the same confusion on their faces.
But before he could think about it any further, a hole appeared at the bottom of the airship with a mechanical grinding sound.
The metal plates slid apart smoothly, revealing a warm light from inside. The opening reminded Ralth of a hungry mouth waiting to swallow them.
The black-robed magus led them inside with a graceful wave of his hand, and as soon as they landed on the wooden floor with a soft thud, Ralth heard a deep female voice echo through the cabin.
"Seven apprentices! You're lucky, Trakk." The voice was rough but carried a hint of amusement. Ralth's ears rang slightly from the change in air pressure, making the woman's words sound distant at first.
Ralth blinked as his eyes adjusted to the brighter light inside and looked closely around the spacious cabin.
He saw a fierce woman who was two meters tall and as strong as a bear standing near a pile of bags and chests. Her arms were thick with muscle, and her face bore a scar that ran from her right temple to her jaw. She was holding a nearly two-meter-long door panel sword in her hand as casually as a farmer might hold a rake. The sword was engraved with dense symbols that glowed faintly blue in the cabin's light, which looked very fantastic against the polished metal.
"That's a real battle sword," Ferris, the blacksmith's son said. "My father could never even dream of forging something like that. He'd have to be crazy. "
Next to the woman, Ralth saw a black-robed skeleton with blue flames coming out of its eye sockets. The sight made his blood run cold, and he had to fight the urge to step back. When the skeleton saw them all enter, it waved its bony hand in a fluid motion and the hole at the bottom of the cabin closed automatically with the same grinding sound, sealing them inside the airship.
"Seven apprentices, you all have to treat me to a meal when you return this time," the woman said to the black-robed magus who had brought them up. She grinned, showing teeth that seemed unnaturally white in her weathered face. "You can't afford less than 100 magic stones." She patted the magus on the shoulder hard enough to make him stumble.
The black-robed magus changed his ferocious attitude towards the nobles on the ground and joked with the magi in the cabin in a very happy tone. His entire demeanor shifted, as if he'd shed a heavy cloak.
"Buzz off, fifty magic stones, come if you want." He laughed, a sound that seemed strange coming from the same mouth that had been so formal minutes ago. "And only if these seven pass their entrance exams."
Mina inched closer to Ralth. "I've never heard a noble speak like that," she whispered, her eyes wide.
"I don't think he's a noble at all," Ralth whispered back. "Just someone who acts like one to those he sees lesser than himself."
The skeleton magus came to the apprentices with a crystal ball that glowed with an inner light. Its bones clicked softly as it moved, like dry twigs snapping. It began to count their names and mental powers in a voice that sounded like wind whistling through an empty cave.
"Name?" it asked Ralth, the blue flames in its eye sockets flickering as it stared at him.
"Ralth, sir... magus," Ralth stammered, unsure how to address the undead being before him.
The skeleton brought the crystal ball close to Ralth's forehead. The ball glowed brighter for a moment, and Ralth felt a strange sensation, as if someone had dipped a cold finger into his thoughts.
"Mental power: 16. Acceptable," the skeleton said tonelessly before moving to the next child.
After the statistics were completed, the skeleton magus took out one bag after another from under his black robe as if performing magic. The bags seemed to appear from nowhere, materializing from the dark folds of its garment. Ralth wondered if the skeleton had a hidden pocket or if this was some kind of magical storage. Each bag contained a feather pen, a bottle of ink, a roll of white paper, a metal number plate, and three books with worn leather covers.
There was no explanation, no dialogue, and the skeleton magus acted completely differently from the other two magi who were chatting nearby about places Ralth had never heard of. The skeleton handed out the materials with efficient movements, its joints moving in ways that seemed both impossible and graceful.
It seemed to have abandoned all human emotions, embracing calmness and rationality both physically and mentally. Its blue eye flames never flickered with excitement or boredom - they simply existed, casting an eerie glow on the faces of the children as they received their bags.
"These are your admission textbooks, which record the introductory courses and admission rules of the magus academy," the black-robed magus Trakk explained, seeing the confusion on the children's faces. He pointed to the metal plate. "That number plate is your room number. During the flight of the airship, there is no need to stay out of the room." His voice had taken on a more professional tone, somewhere between his formal ground manner and his casual attitude with his colleagues.
"Why can't we stay out during flight?" asked the merchant's child, named Pell.
"Because at high speeds, the magic protecting the ship becomes unstable in the corridors," Trakk answered. "You could be thrown against a wall hard enough to break bones if you're caught in the wrong place when we accelerate."
Seeing that the Skeleton Magus didn't say a word despite the questions, Magus Trakk who led them up had to continue explaining. "The blue book is your basic magical theory. The red one is the academy rules. The black one is a magical language dictionary. You'll need to learn at least the basics before we arrive."
"Now hurry up and find your own rooms," Trakk said with a dismissive wave. "You can have some fun while the airship is in flight, but don't let anyone get killed." He smiled as he said this.
"What does he mean by that?" whispered Mina, clutching her bag to her chest.
"I don't know," Ralth replied . "But I think we should be careful."
The cabin photo of the airship has only one aisle, with neatly arranged rooms on both sides. The corridor stretched far into the distance, curving slightly with the shape of the vessel. The walls were made of polished wood with brass fixtures that glowed with a warm light. Each room door had a number plate made of what looked like bronze, and each room is for four people according to the small symbols next to the numbers.
Ralth counted the doors as they walked and found that if the airship had fifty rooms and was fully loaded, it should be able to carry at least two hundred passengers. That seemed like an impossible number to him - more people than had lived in his entire village.
"Fifty rooms, two hundred people," he murmured to himself. "The fantasy world is indeed fantastic. Even an airship can be so amazing." He ran his hand along the smooth wooden wall, feeling the slight vibration of whatever magic powered the massive vessel.
"We came from different parts of the territory," said Ferris, who was walking beside him. "I wonder if the others are from even further away."
"Probably," Ralth nodded. "We might be picking up more students from other places."
Walking along the corridor to the end, checking the numbers against his plate, Ralth finally found Room 225, which temporarily belonged to him. He slid the key into the lock, hearing a satisfying click as it turned.
"Hey, friend, I'm Charlotte from Enhi."
As soon as he entered the door, Ralth saw a girl greeting him. She was sitting on the lower bunk bed, her legs swinging slightly as she looked up.
The girl had long light brown hair and light blue eyes that reminded Ralth of the summer sky. Although there were a few freckles on her face, they only added to her youthfulness. She wore a simple brown dress, but it was made of finer material than most farmers could afford. She seemed to be eighteen like him.
"Hmm? Is this room divided wrong?" Ralth was a little confused and turned around to go back and ask the skeleton magus. He had expected to share with other boys, not a girl. His face felt warm with embarrassment.
"My friend, don't ask," Charlotte called after him quickly, her voice tinged with what sounded like worry. "Someone has already asked, and Magus Rosen said that there is no mistake."
Ralth stopped with his hand on the doorknob and turned back to face her. "Magus Rosen? The magus who looks like...a skeleton?" He couldn't keep the disbelief from his voice.