As the carriage entered the Nobles' Borough, Baron Auguinare looked outside through the gap of the black curtain and heaved a deep breath.
"You should've told us about your plan, lad. I thought we were done for." His voice contained a trace of anxiety.
"But how did you know that a Mage would come to rescue us?" This time, Helena asked in confusion.
"I heard that casting any offensive magic spell inside the city is prohibited. So, I used it to my advantage. As for being selected as an academic mage, even I didn't expect such an outcome." Abium lied shamelessly, turned his gaze towards Helena, and asked.
"Now that you've achieved your goal, what are you going to do, Helena? Are you returning to your hometown?"
Before Helena could respond, the fairy seated on her shoulder suddenly stood up and shouted.
"I don't want to go back!"
Meanwhile, Helena showed a wry smile and shook her head.
"Do you hate our parents that much, Camilla?" She knew very well how stubborn Camilla was and sighed.
"Haa, what should I do with this kid?" After some thought, she made up her mind and spoke.
"We'll stay in this city for a year or two before going back." While saying so, she shifted her gaze towards the treasure chest placed on the opposite seat and added.
"I'll give back the bidding amount once we reach Lord Baron's mansion."
"Okay." Abium nodded his head, shifted his gaze towards Baron, and spoke.
"Leave us near the Commoners' Borough, My Lord. I'm planning on renting a small house for a year or two-"
"What are you saying? Once the Royal Banquet ends, I'll be returning to the Dust Gate town. So, you guys can stay in the mansion all the time." Baron interrupted his talking and continued.
"Moreover, you are a mage from tomorrow onwards. So, stop talking like living in the Commoners' Borough."
'He is right, lad. You need to upgrade yourself from now on. First, you clearly need some good clothes before going to the academy. Second, you lack Noble Etiquette and basic manners. Also, stop calling that Baron 'My Lord' all the time. From tomorrow onwards, your position will be much higher in the kingdom.' Azolla said in his mind.
'Ugh, I'm still learning.' Abium grumbled inwardly and started listening to Azolla's advice.
While talking, the carriage entered the Nobles' Borough Road, made a few turns, and soon arrived in front of a three-storied mansion house.
The carriage entered the compound gate within a minute, drove through the lawn, and finally stopped at the main building's entrance.
After that, Abium and others walked out of the carriage one by one and soon looked around.
A middle-aged man with a butler uniform welcomed them at the entrance. He appeared to be around 60-years-old, with greyish white hair and a handlebar mustache.
As Abium and Helena carried the treasure chest from the carriage seat, Baron Auguinare looked at the butler, took out a small pouch, and gave it to him before speaking.
"Buy some expensive clothes for this young man, James."
"Yes, My Lord!" Butler removed his hat, caught the leather pouch, and bowed his head.
Meanwhile, Baron Auguinare turned his gaze towards Abium and added.
"Go and have some rest, young man. My butler will take care of your necessaries."
"Okay, Lord Baron."
Abium nodded his head and noticed that it was already around 2 P.M.
Under the butler's guidance, Abium and others entered the main hall and were deeply astounded by the interior designs. The main hall looked more like a palace interior. A candle chandelier was hanging from the ceiling while illuminating the main hall in yellowish light. Abium also saw bifurcated stairs up ahead and heaved a deep sigh.
"My Lord, please this way!" At that moment, the middle-aged butler said solemnly, walked upon the red-carpeted stairs, and guided them towards the second floor.
They reached the second-floor corridor within a few seconds and soon arrived near the guest hall section.
As Abium was stunned by the beauty of the architecture, the butler named James took out a silver key from his pocket and gave it to him.
"This is your room key, My Lord." He spoke politely.
Meanwhile, Abium caught the key, looked at Helena and Kuran, and asked.
"What about you guys?"
"We have our room key, lass," Kuran said calmly and walked ahead.
"We came here more than two weeks ago, Abium." While speaking, Helena also stepped forward and started walking in the narrow corridor.
Within a few moments, Abium noticed that a row of rooms appeared in his sight.
But before he could step forward, Butler James suddenly bowed his head and spoke.
"If you need any help, just ask one of the maids in the guest hall, My Lord. They will help you." Butler James said politely and soon walked away.
Meanwhile, Abium moved towards his allocated room and entered.
The room was very spacious and looked luxurious. Unlike normal bedrooms, this one had two tables on both sides, wooden chairs, a winged bed at the center, two cupboards, a wardrobe, and even an attached bathroom placed on the rear side of the room. Many portraits were drawn on the walls and ceiling and looked more beautiful. After looking at those portraits on the shining walls and ceiling, Abium shifted his gaze towards the luxurious wooden bed and heaved a deep sigh.
'Finally, I can take some rest.' But he soon frowned a bit as he sniffed his clothes and moved toward the bathroom.
After fifteen minutes, he walked out of the bathroom bare naked and then wore a black nightgown.
After that, he moved towards the wooden bed and lay on it while facing the ceiling.
His eyes turned blurry after a minute, and soon he fell into a deep sleep. A few hours later, Butler James knocked on the door and gave him a few important things like formal dresses, shoes, robes, and many other things. But Abium didn't check them due to him being half-sleep and returning to his bed again.
...
By the time he woke up from his deep sleep, it was already early morning. He stood up from the bed with somber eyes and began to get ready. He first brushed his teeth using a herbal cream, took a long bath, and even put an expensive perfume on his body.
Following that, he wore a white shirt, black pants, a long black overcoat, and even combed his hair neatly.
After an hour, Abium walked out of his room in his formal dress and went to the first floor. He soon saw a few chefs and servants as he stepped into the main hall and noticed that they were preparing breakfast in the kitchen. After thinking for a moment, he walked over there and asked a servant to prepare some food for him.
He then went to the dining hall and sat on the chair while placing the napkin on his lap.
The same servant walked into the dining hall within ten minutes while holding a plate full of different dishes.
After arriving near Abium, he bowed his head politely, arranged the dishes in order, and started serving the food.
Once he was done, he politely bowed his head and stood behind Abium.
'This is the basic etiquette, huh.'
Abium thought for a moment and quickly dismissed the servant. After all, he didn't want a random servant to see him eating in a bad manner and badmouthing behind his back.
Once the servant walked away from the dining hall, he picked the loaf from the basket using the cloth and sliced it using the nearby knife. After that, he placed the bread on his table and put some butter. Then, he picked it up and ate it quietly.
He also tried cakes, milk toast, creamed Beef, etc., and almost got tempted by all the luxurious food items.
Thankfully, he restrained himself from overeating and ended the morning breakfast.
Abium went back to the second floor, told Helena and others to take care of themselves, and walked out of the main building.
Baron had already told him not to worry about Helena and Camilla, so he became reassured inside.
'Well, this is all I can do for my best friend.' As he was in muse, he suddenly saw the black carriage at the entrance and soon noticed that it was Richard who was seated in the driver's seat.
Noticing his arrival, he greeted him by waving his hand and spoke.
"Teacher told me to drop you at the Northern Tower. Get in, Mister."
'How thoughtful.' Abium didn't say anything other than nod and entered inside.
In the meantime, Richard whipped the horses and started driving the carriage out of the mansion house. The carriage then drove past many nobles' houses, entered the main road, and reached the Commoners Borough's white street around 9 A.M.
Soon, Richard parked the carriage right next to the Northern Tower's entrance and spoke.
"We reached our destination, Mr. Abium."
Abium also opened the carriage door and stepped out of the carriage at that moment.
"You can go back to the mansion." He said to Richard and then looked at the tall cylindrical tower.
'Kaummiths Magic Institute!' Joining such a famous magic school was a dream even for the noble kids.
'But here I'm!'
In truth, Abium only heard of Kaummiths magic institute in the past and never saw it with his own eyes.
The tower was a hundred meters tall and dyed with black color. A large wooden gate appeared before Abium as he moved closer to the building.
At that moment, he also noticed that a humanoid figure with an eye patch stood outside the entrance gate and seemed to be waiting for him. He looked strangely eerie and covered almost every part of his face and body with a long black robe.
Noticing his arrival, he took a step forward and greeted him.
"Greetings, Mage Abium. Professor Zivior informed me about your arrival." He paused for a moment, turned around, and added.
"Please follow me."