11. A New Anxiety
"Hey, did you hear? Apparently, there's a human among this year's new students!"
Sophia suddenly brought up the topic.
"Huh? Really?"
Emma tried to keep her expression neutral, but she felt her heart leap. For a moment, she feared Sophia was talking about her, but Sophia continued.
"Yeah. My brother is a student at Arcana Academy of Magic, and he heard it from a professor."
"Are human students really that rare?"
When Emma asked, Sophia widened her eyes in surprise.
"Of course! Arcana Academy of Magic is the most prestigious institution in the magical world, with a long history. It has produced countless famous figures. I don't think there's ever been a human student before."
"I see…"
Emma averted her gaze slightly, hoping not to draw attention. She realized that it was only a matter of time before people discovered she was human. However, seeing Sophia talk about it with curiosity rather than hostility or prejudice made her feel a bit relieved.
As Emma looked out the train window, the scenery outside was once again enveloped in mist. Watching the swirling white veil, a passage from a history book suddenly came to her mind.
(Approximately 800 years ago, the "Cardia Clan" ruled the human world using ancient magic. They believed that wizards should reign over humans and plunged the world into war. The ones who stopped their rampage were the Faldion family…)
Emma took a quiet breath, listening to the steady rhythm of the train.
(I don’t know yet what I can accomplish here. But surely—)
Beyond the mist, the view outside gradually brightened, and the silhouette of Arcana Academy of Magic began to take shape.
