The students parted enough for me to walk through. Judging from the disappointed looks on some faces, they were probably hoping to corner me and ask more questions.

Honestly, Professor Veyra had just saved me from a headache.

"Lucky timing for you, huh?" she said once I reached her. "Another minute and they would’ve buried you alive with questions."

"Thank you, Professor Veyra."

"I keep telling people not to call me Professor." She shut the doors behind us as we stepped back into the building. "I teach Combat Disciplines. Why in the world would I need a title that fancy?"

"I... don’t know."

"Exactly."

The hallway was much quieter compared to outside, though students were beginning to leave classrooms for their break periods. The further noise of conversations slowly spread through the academy halls.

"Um... ma’am?" I asked carefully. "You said I was needed somewhere?"

She nodded and pointed toward the upper floor.

"Mr. Marble is looking for you."

I looked up.

The Headmaster stood at the railing above, both hands resting calmly on the polished wood. He stared down at me with his usual unreadable expression. The moment our eyes met, he gave a small nod before pushing himself away from the railing and disappearing from view.

Well. That couldn’t be good.

"I probably shouldn’t keep him waiting," I said.

"You probably shouldn’t," Professor Veyra agreed. "Go on."

I nodded once and headed for the stairs.

The academy hallways were getting more crowded by the second as students poured out for their break. Groups gathered near windows, others sat against the walls chatting or eating snacks. Normally, I’d probably be doing the same right now.

Instead, I was apparently being summoned by the Headmaster again.

Wonderful.

After climbing the stairs, I made my way down the corridor and stopped in front of Mr. Marble’s office. I knocked lightly.

A few seconds later, the door opened.

"Uh... hello, Mr. Marble."

"Mr. Walker," he greeted calmly. "Come in."

I stepped inside while he closed the door behind me. As usual, the office smelled faintly of old books and ink. Mr. Marble walked back behind his desk and sat down, gesturing for me to approach.

I did, though somewhat reluctantly.

"The Queen is waiting for you," he said without wasting time.

My stomach sank instantly.

"You are excused from the remainder of today’s classes. Return to your dormitory and change out of that uniform." His eyes briefly scanned me. "It’s full of holes."

"I... yeah."

"You cannot appear before her dressed like that," he continued. "Do you own anything better?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

"Clothes, Mr. Walker."

"Oh." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "Not really. I have another set, but it’s basically the same quality."

"That is unfortunate," he muttered. "Still, it will have to do."

He opened one of his desk drawers and pulled out a folded sheet of paper before handing it to me.

I unfolded it slightly.

It was an official academy pass stating that I had permission to miss class, signed personally by Mr. Marble himself. Considering attendance here was treated almost like a legal obligation, I wasn’t surprised these existed.

"If any city guards stop you," he explained, "show them that document."

"Thank you, sir."

"Return to your dormitory immediately and change. A carriage will arrive outside the boys’ dormitory in half an hour."

I nodded quickly. "Understood."

"You may go."

"Thank you again, Mr. Marble."

I gave a respectful nod before turning and leaving the office.

The moment the door shut behind me, I let out a long breath and crumpled the paper slightly in my hand before stuffing it into my pocket.

A meeting with the Queen. Fantastic.

That was bad. Really bad.

She obviously wanted to see me because of the whole Ambly-blessed situation. But did she also know I was an F-rank student? The lowest possible rank in the academy? And worse, she’d probably ask questions. Lots of them. Questions about my life.

Questions I didn’t have safe answers for.

"Damn it..." I muttered while walking down the hallway. "Great. Just great."

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

I looked at myself in the wardrobe mirror and let out a quiet breath. This was the best I had.

A plain tunic with faded stitching around the collar. Brown trousers that had gone soft from overuse. Worn shoes with dried mud still stuck along the edges despite me scraping them clean earlier. The fabric around the knees looked thinner than the rest, and one sleeve had a rough patch sewn onto it with mismatched thread.

The only thing that looked remotely decent was the pair of fingerless gloves on my hands.

"Yeah..." I muttered. "This’ll have to do."

Not exactly the kind of outfit someone should wear while meeting a queen.

Maybe I could improve the gear later through the system somehow. Upgrade it. Enhance it. But right now? I had nothing to work with. No rare materials. No silver. No magic ore or whatever fantasy games usually threw at people.

Just cheap clothes and bad luck.

I stepped away from the mirror and grabbed the edge of the tunic, trying to flatten the wrinkles. Didn’t help much.

There was still some time before the carriage arrived, so I decided to grab something small to eat first. My stomach had already started complaining.

I left the room, walked through the corridor. The dormitory was quieter than usual now that most students were at the academy. Only the occasional footsteps echoed through the halls.

Once I reached the dining hall, I immediately realized it was closed.

The long tables were empty. Chairs pushed in. No workers behind the counters. Even the cooking fires in the back looked dimmed down.

"Right," I muttered. "Makes sense... guess I’ll take some fresh air."

The moment I stepped out of the dormitory building, cold air brushed against my face. Not freezing, but chilly enough to make me pull slightly at my sleeves.

The circular street stretched quietly around the dormitories. During the evenings, the place was usually crowded with students talking, eating, arguing, or just wandering around. But now, with classes ongoing, it felt strangely empty.

The boys’ and girls’ dormitories stood opposite one another across the curved stone street. Between them were a handful of small shops built directly into the lower floors of nearby buildings.

A tailor shop sat farther down the curve of the road, colorful fabrics hanging behind its front window. Beside it was a bakery with its shutters half-open, warm air spilling faintly out from inside along with the smell of bread. Closer to the girls’ dormitory stood a compact blacksmith shop. The metallic clanging coming from inside told me someone was still hard at work.

The entire place had this calm, lived-in feeling to it.

Like a tiny town hidden inside a much larger city.

"Brr. Kinda cold..." I muttered.