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PLAYGROUND ARC
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Ellevythrane's PoV
Nakasakay ako sa iisang kalesa na sinasakyan ni Haring Astro. He sat on the opposite seat as mine. Nakakuyom lang ang kamao ko habang nakatitig ang mga mata ko sa sahig.
"I know that the Knight Grand Cross told you to spy on us. Alliance is just a temporary peace between kingdoms but it never means na pinagkakatiwalaan namin ang isa't-isa," panimula ng Hari pero hindi ako gumalaw ng bahagya kahit pagiwang-giwang ang kalesa.
"Elle, our kingdom had many professional assassin and spies."
Ibig sabihin, wala akong silbi sa kanila. They only played part para sa sinasabi nilang alliance.
Inangat ko ang paningin ko sa hari at sumalubong sa 'kin ang malamig niyang titig. "Then, allow me to ask you. Why did you take me with you, Your Highness?"
"I previously planned to dispatch you once we reached Astriane but I decided to keep you. Seeing your dull eyes, you might be perfect for this mission but let me remind you, don't push yourself too hard. You also have to enjoy your youth."
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"Take your keys with your dormitory number. Once you arrive, you'll know who will be your dorm mate," sabi ng babaeng nakasuot ng polo at pants habang inabot sa 'kin ang susi na may tag.
She is the Headmaster of Astraine Academy and the person in charge of the academy's arrangement. Kung may spy mang nakapasok, lahat sila dumaan sa kanya. The spies were loyal to their organization so they must had their logo on their skin.
To identify the spies before, I looked for the dragon mark on their skin. Pero kung nakapasok sila, without the higher authorities knowing, they must have removed it. That would be. . . unless. . .
"Welcome to Astraine Academy. We hope for your growth, Miss Flamarie," nakangiti niyang saad.
Yumuko ako ng bahagya saka tumayo ng maayos. "Thank you Miss Ai."
"Since sa healing class ka nag-enroll, allow me to give you some tips. . ."
Pagkatapos ng ilang tips na binigay niya, I went out from her office that almost had the bookshelves as its walls. Nang nakalabas na ako sa silid, hinigpitan ko ang hawak sa mga susing nasa kaliwa kong kamay.
I didn't brought a sword with me since anything that was unrelated to our magic were prohibited during the entrance test. I got high scores on healing kaya do'n ako itinapon ni King Astro. Na-miss ko tuloy 'yon.
Bumuntong-hininga lang ako habang nagmamasid sa paligid.
Maaga pa naman at sa mga hallway na nadadaan ko, may mga estudyanteng kanya-kanya ang ginagawa. One of them might be a spy. Though, sa rami ng mga mag-aaral dito, it'll be hard to hunt them one by one. And considering that I could only count on myself, this won't be easy.
I paused when a guy ran few centimeters away. Sinundan ko siya ng tingin pero parang wala siyang pake sa paligid. Nagpatuloy lang siya habang tumatawa.
"Bumalik ka rito! The class isn't over yet," sigaw ng babaeng hawak-hawak ang baywang.
Dahil nasa ikatlong palapag kami, the guy jumped past through the railings. "See ya, later, class rep!"
The lady held her forehead and shook her head. "Ang tigas ng ulo."
"What should I do now, Class Rep?" tanong ng babaeng nasa gilid niya na may hawak ng isang bakanteng papel.
"Mark him absent. Who cares if he'll got expelled. Siya ang may dala ng kahihiyan sa household niya."
This school was just so beyond my anticipations. Akala ko kasi, may mga manners ang mga estudyante rito. But look at that. Not even those at the village would do that inside a prestigious academy.
Nagpatuloy lang ako sa paglalakad hanggang sa dinala ako ng mga paa ko sa harap ng isang pintuan. Above the white wooden door with coral patterns was a rectangular metal. On it, my dorm number was carved.
"What a-Oh?" Lumingon ako sa babaeng maikli ang kulay asul na buhok na may dalang isang kahon. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you here before." tanong niya.
Tumango ako. "I just got enrolled."
Ang walang buhay niyang asul na mga mata ay bigla na lang kumislap. A curve also formed on her lips. We have almost the same height kaya malinaw na malinaw ang reflection ko sa mga mata niya.
"And you're standing in front of my door. Could it be-"
Her door. "I'm your new dorm mate."
Mas lalo pang lumawak ang ngiti niya. "You came to soon. Yesterday, may mga gamit silang dinala rito and so, it was yours?"
Tumango ako. Dahil si King Astro mismo ang nagdala sa 'kin dito sa Astraine Kingdom, he fixed everything I needed. Including my family status, my name and everything.
Nasa labas na ako ng vault but I still lived as someone I wasn't.
"They said galing ka raw sa Astraine Z. You're a daughter of a merchant close to the King?"
Tumango ulit ako. Every Kingdom has divisions in it. A to Z. Each of the divisions are governed by Barons under the decree of the King. But a part of it is a Dukedom ruled by a Duke. But they told me to act like I came from Astraine Z because it was the place where merchants usually resides.
"But your accent is a bit off," aniya.
Ngumiti ako ng bahagya saka tumango. "I went with my father to Frethurna Kingdom and stayed there for three months. Nahawa siguro nila ang accent ko."
"Oh, yeah. That's a common case," natatawa niyang sagot.
I looked at the doorknob and entered the main door key. I swirled it and pushed it open. May binubuhat siyang box kaya mahihirapan siya. "Then, we'll be living in the same roof for a while."
"Yes, but you're my first dorm mate though," aniya saka pumasok at dumeretso sa may lamesa. She placed the box on it and gazed on me.
Pumasok na rin ako saka isinara ang pintuan.
"Really? Is this a VIP dorm or something?" Iginala ko ang paningin ko sa paligid. The walls were painted with emerald green. May mga lime green din na kurtina. It wasn't extravagant but still mesmerizing. Saka ipinako ko sa kanya ang paningin ko.
Umiling-iling naman siya saka humalakhak. "No. Tanging ang limang 'yon lang ang may access sa VIP."