The rising sun dyed the brick houses lining the streets a soft amber.
The scent of food wafted from a mansion on one side of the street, mingling with the chill in the air.
This was Protos Royal Magic Academy.
Lanchi sat on a garden swing, his lowered eyes still carrying a hint of drowsiness, as if he were half-awake and half-asleep. He held a small amount of unprocessed grain in his hand, feeding the little birds gathered around him.
After arriving here, quite a few more small animals from around the campus had begun seeking him out.
Inside the mansion in the distance, Zestira stood quietly before the windowsill, watching the small animals gather in the courtyard. They looked as if they had always been hoping to nestle up against him.
"Teacher, are you really human?"
Zestira muttered in confusion.
It was not just her—even the animals could sense his pure goodwill.
Starting Sunday evening, Lanchi's teacher, Luo Qi McCarthy, had temporarily moved from the inn into the academy.
The residential area was divided into communal dormitories and private residences, meaning apartments and small villas.
Ordinary students lived in apartment dormitories.
Nearly all noble students, however, had their own small mansions. One could basically tell a student's status by the kind of dormitory they lived in.
In addition, the small mansions for noble students came with courtyards, and the courtyards contained attached units—fully equipped, single-story apartments for their attendants.
Viscount Francis had registered a private residence for Zestira in advance, and the fees had already been prepaid along with her tuition.
And so it was.
Only after Zestira saw that Lanchi had nearly finished feeding all the grain in his hand did she finally open the door and walk across the garden to him.
As she approached, all the