To Eli of Velmond,

  It is with great honor that we extend our warmest welcome to you to the Holy Academy of the Church of Life— a sanctuary of learning reserved for only those chosen by their talents and devotion in the magical arts.

  After careful consideration of your aptitude and character, a committee of carefully chosen examiners have confirmed your place among the incoming class of Initiates. This is a prestige that is only granted to the most talented of individuals. This year, there were over fifty-thousand applicants who applied— a record-breaking number for our academy— and an estimated two-thousand made it through to the entrance exams.

  Out of those two-thousand, three-hundred-and-fourteen talented candidates were accepted to walk the halls of our hallowed institution, and you are one of them.

  As an Initiate of the Holy Academy of the Church of Life, you shall be taking the first step into becoming the [Paladins], [Clerics], or [High Mages] you were destined to be. You shall be learning in the same classrooms where Grand Mages first opened up their minds, training in the same fields where Inquisitors and Holy Knights alike forged their souls.

  Your uniform and crest will be delivered to your address within the next week, alongside further information about your classes and your curriculum. We eagerly await your arrival at the College of Luminosity, where your journey shall begin.

  Stand proud, young Eli. The path before you is noble, and may the Goddess of Life guide you with her light.

  With divine blessing and fervent expectation,

  The Warden of the Holy Academy

  Headmaster Kaelen Angelus

  I read through the letter of acceptance, internally sighing in relief. While the Reverend Mother of the Luna Gez Sect had guaranteed my entry to the Holy Academy, I had only just met her, so I didn’t know the full extent of her influence, and a small part of me even doubted whether she could actually deliver on her promise.

  As of right now, it seemed like she was capable of keeping to her word. At least, that was ostensibly the case. I wasn’t sure how much her meddling factored into my acceptance, as opposed to my own merits, or even the influence of the man standing in front of me.

  Archdeacon Emmett.

  He had been one of the examiners for the entrance exams, and he had even pulled some strings to let me skip some of the prerequisite processes that I hadn’t taken beforehand. Now, he had personally come to my inn to deliver my letter of acceptance with a wide smile on his face.

  Looking down at me proudly, he said only a single word, “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you.” I bowed my head back at the elderly man. “Honestly, I couldn’t have gotten into the Holy Academy without you. So I am forever in your debt.”

  But Archdeacon Emmett just waved a hand dismissively. “Nonsense, I did nothing except give you a chance to show your potential to the other examiners— your enrollment was entirely due to your own merit.”

  He drew back as he chuckled. I simply smiled back at him, although I didn’t prod him any further. If I took him for his word, then it meant his opinion didn’t have an impact on my application. So my acceptance was either a result of my own performance during the entrance exam, or the Reverend Mother of the Luna Gez Sect’s interference.

  For now, I was going to err on the side of caution in regards to our alliance and assume it was not because of her. And if she did play a role, it was a minor role at best.

  “Now, let’s get you packed and ready to go,” Emmett said as he swept his gaze over my room.

  But I stepped forward and patted a hand on the bag slung around my shoulder. “I have everything I need right here, so we can just get going.”

  That was technically a lie. While I had some of my belongings in the Bag of Holding I was carrying, most of my important possessions were actually stored inside of the ring I had on my finger. Since it was a Dimensional Storage Unit, not only could it hold a lot more than a mere Bag of Holding, but it was extremely discreet due to its size and unassuming appearance.

  And there were quite a few things I had on me that I didn’t want anyone discovering, such as my Lesser Death Dagger or the hundreds of gold coins I brought with me to the Capital. Meanwhile, all I had in my Bag of Holding were a few books, some change of clothes, and a couple of silver coins.

  “If you’re ready, let’s get going,” the archdeacon ushered me out of the room.

  He led me across the city of Lux— to the side that was closest to the noble district of Albus. This was a quieter and less crowded section of the city state, where far fewer pilgrims or [Traders] wandered about.

  We arrived at the gates of a large palatial structure. I had almost thought it was a castle or palace of sorts, considering its design. But the elderly man smiled at me as we both strode through the open gates and into a vast courtyard.

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  “Welcome to the College of Luminosity,” Archdeacon Emmett said as he swept his gaze over the various vast towers that were rising up all around us. “This is the main campus of the Holy Academy. And this is where you will be spending most of your time learning and training over the next four years.”

  He looked towards the leftmost building of this palatial structure as he explained, all the while I just nodded along.

  “You will be staying at the west wing of the campus. That is the House of Initiates, where first year’s like you will be dorming and attending your classes.” The elderly man cast his gaze forward toward the largest building in the area. “The north wing is for both Acolytes and Adepts— second and third years. It is the Main Quarters of the campus.”

  And finally, he gestured towards the rightmost building— the smallest section— of the College of Luminosity.

  “Lastly, the east wing is reserved for the Disciples. It is called the Sanctum of Champions, although as fourth year students, much of their time will be spent outside of classrooms, learning practical skills out in the field to prepare them for their graduation. Because of this, you will scarcely see them on campus compared to the Acolytes and Adepts.”

  “I see, I see.” I tapped a finger on my chin as I followed the elderly man to the House of Initiates. While I had spotted the occasional teacher or cleaner walking through the main courtyard of the College of Luminosity, I hadn’t spotted a single other student here just yet. “But isn’t it quite empty for the main campus of the Holy Academy, huh?”

  “The school semester starts in a month from now. So most of your fellow students are back home spending time with their families. And a majority of your classmates have yet to even receive their letters of acceptance.”

  There was a pause as Archdeacon Emmett led me through the gilded halls of the House of Initiates. He placed a hand on his chin, before continuing slowly.

  “...although, I believe that your roommate might be arriving soon.”

  “My roommate?” I blinked.

  And the elderly man shook his head as he brought me to a room at the very end of the hallway. “His circumstances are a little bit… ah, unique, just like yours.”

  “Oh?” I raised a brow curiously. “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well… I believe it would be better for you to get to know him yourself whenever he arrives. Anyway, for now, welcome to the room you’ll be staying in for the next year.”

  Archdeacon Emmett spoke as he unlocked the door and stepped to the side. The dorm room I had been given was slightly larger than the room I had been staying in at the inn. However, there wasn’t a single large bed at the center of the room. Instead, there were two opposing beds across from each other, with a single long desk and two chairs placed towards the very end of the room.

  I set my stuff down on the bed to the right as I turned back to face the elderly man. “Thank you, once again.”

  He smiled at me, handing me an envelope that was sealed by an intricate sigil of a shield. “This will be your class schedule for the semester. Your uniform will be delivered to your room in a few days. For now, just make yourself at home.”

  “Will do.” I nodded back at the archdeacon.

  Clearing his throat, he stepped out of the room. “I have a few administrative matters to attend to, so I will be taking my leave now. But I will be checking up on you over the next few days to make sure you’re settled in nicely.”

  I waved goodbye to the elderly man as the door swung shut behind him. And with that, it was now just me in my room. I sat down on my bed as I opened the envelope, looking through my schedule.

  From what Frida told me about the Holy Academy over the last week, I knew that each year, every batch of enrolling students were split up into four classes— the Class of Caelrix, the Class of Solarin, the Class of Noctis, and the Class of Viridane.

  These classes were named after the Four Great Generals who had served under Lux the First [Hero] Ordained by the Goddess and Founder of the Church of Life.

  It seemed that I was in the Class of Solarin, alongside seventy-three other students. The main subjects we were going to be studying this semester were the Fundamentals of the Arcane, Combat and Consecration, Education on Elements, and the History of the Church of the Life. I could also choose one of two required electives between the Sacred Art of Spirit Summons and the Basics of Enchantments.

  For the electives, they were held in a larger class than usual, with students from all four classes gathered in a single lecture hall.

  Right now, I was planning on taking the class on the Sacred Art of Spirit Summons, since I was quite familiar with demon summonings from my past life, so there would be some carryover there. But I didn’t have to make a decision until at least the week before the semester started, up until the first week or classes.

  After all, it was still possible to change the electives even after the first session.

  But I didn’t think anything was really going to change my mind about taking the class on the Sacred Art of Spirit Summons. I already knew basically everything I needed to know about enchantments, and I had no reason to learn more than I knew.

  Besides, there is… a theory I’ve been wanting to test about that… my thoughts trailed off as I recalled something that Zerek the Archnecromancer— one of my closest advisors and friends in my past life— had told me.

  But my thoughts were interrupted as I heard the wooden door of my room creak open. Glancing up, I rose to my feet to greet the figure standing at the doorway.

  “Ah, you must be my roommate—” I started.

  And then I paused when I caught a glimpse of the young man standing there. He had bright green hair and hazel eyes, and he was dressed in brown robes like the ones [Monks] would wear at their monasteries. He stood just over a head taller than me— looking like he was maybe fifteen or sixteen years old at most.

  However, I saw his unnaturally pale skin, before my eyes drifted to the protrusions coming from the sides of his face. And I knew he wasn’t the age he seemed. I knew that he had to be in his early-twenties. Because he was no human. He was—

  “An elf?” I blinked at him.

  And he just scoffed as he strode into the room, dumping his bag onto his bed.

  “What an astute observation— what gave it away? Was it my pointed ears? Don’t tell me it was my pointed ears. Nobody ever notices them because they definitely don’t stand out at all!”

  He rolled his eyes as I just scratched the back of my head.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean any offense. I just didn’t expect an elf to be here in the Holy Academy, you know?” I shook my head apologetically and proffered a hand to him. “My name is Eli, and I take it we’re going to be roommates for the next few years.”

  The elf eyed my outstretched hand for a moment, before he sighed. He shook my hand as he spoke brusquely, meeting my gaze.

  “I am Saint Cecilius of Tyonotus, but you may simply call me Cecil.”