Knight's Life

I walk through the main academy building as I make my way toward the Knights’ area. Along the way, I pass the magic training field, the gym, the swimming pool, the flight practice grounds, and, of course, the cafeteria.

“Uwoooh~!” *Sparkle~* *Sparkle~*

So many selections of local cuisines that I haven’t had the chance to eat and some that are from other countries brought here to increase variety.

“I can’t wait to try them all!”

…

… *step step step*

“…! Tch…”

“─?” I hear someone behind me. I look behind to see…

“… Move away will you.” Lord Chrys says with his aides behind him.

This time, he isn’t so aggressive like back then, as if he’s holding back now that he knows I’m a phoenix. I can’t quite fault him for his overthrown pride. I move away as he says since I don’t want any trouble either.

Before he does anything, Lord Chrys turns toward me with resentment in his eyes.

“Hey, I heard there was a bird when a beast was attacking the east gate. Was that you?”

“… Yeah? What about it?”

He puts on a smirk on his face with eyes full of malice, and starts shouting.

“I heard you were burning the victims so they couldn’t run! You must be really proud of yourself, Huh!”

“Wha─!?”

The crowd around us immediately ogle toward me and starts whispering among themselves.

“Eh? Was that the bird that shot an arrow at the helpless commoner?”
“I heard he was carrying the burning body so the beast gets baited away.”
“Isn’t that very cruel? Why would anyone do something like that?”

My reputation instantaneously drops to the bottom over a single sentence yelled by Lord Chrys.

(Wha… That’s not what happened! Why did you do that? You’re so cruel…!)

Before I respond back, I remember the first time when he ridiculed him.

(… Is this him trying to reclaim his dominance? I see, I suppose I should just let him have his supremacy towards the masses. I wouldn’t want any trouble with a noble anyway.)

"..." *Smile~* I simply smile at Lord Chrys without saying a word.

“W─what?! You’re gonna get mad or something?”

“…”

I ignore his taunt, and walk out of the cafeteria while feeling the gaze of Lord Chrys and his aides full of disdain, along with the glares from the masses around us.

...

I walk outside, and find the knight’s building with many commoners of various races trying out the weapons the academy provides.

I spot a boy with dark hair tinged with blue, furry ears, and a tail. Instead of using the provided weapons, he attacks the dummy target with his claws, leaping around it with surprising agility.

Despite him jumping around slashing through the dummy to no end, my instinct tells me he’s the most approachable out of all the other.

“Hello~!” I try waving at the boy and get his attention.

*Slash slash~* *Shwing!* 
He hits a trifling double claw strike and lands near me.

“Hm? What’s a magic student doing here? Want to make fun of us less magical than you?”

“W─what?! No! I’m just here to explore the place.”

He stares at me, looking me up and down. He’s only slightly taller than me, so we can see eye to eye. Yet, his sharp eyes are piercing me as he gazes upon me, before smiling after a while.

“Heh! Just kidding, I don’t see anything on you that strikes me as an arrogant guy. So, what’s up?”

“Like I said, I'm just exploring here. What’s everyone doing here? I thought class hasn’t started.”

“Oh, we’re just testing our capabilities. The knights' side is quite strict for graduation requirements since we are going to be a frontliner.”

“Ohh~, does the knight side also include physical ranged like bows?”

"Bows? I wouldn't know, I only see weapons like swords, spears and such." ‎
(Is archery really that obselete these days? No wonder the archer hero tried their best to promote archery, only for the book to go into obscurity.)

"Hmm~, so why are you not using a weapon?" ‎I ask, seeing he's the only one without a proper weapon.

"I don't need one, I'm a Lycan you see." *Stretch~*

He stretches his mouth and shows me his sharp jagged teeth, similar to a wolf.
(Lycan… Are they similar to a werewolf?)

"We hunt in packs, scratching till they're weak and bite down our prey's neck till they bleed to death, you should try it!"

‎...Over the fact that I don't even have sharp teeth, I’m not fast at all on land. ‎

For humanoids that have turned to a human form, their teeth usually resembles what they're previously were. Dragons that have sharp teeth will continue to have the same set of teeth in their human form. But for bird humanoids like a phoenix, they default back to omnivorous teeth humans have.

"If I were to hunt, I'd just swoop down from above and drop my prey off the sky." ‎I respond with something I'd usually do when I hunt.

"Hmm? you a bird?" ‎

"Yeah, I'm─" ‎

I remember the reaction when I was enrolling the academy. I should probably hide the fact that I'm a phoenix so I don't attract unwanted attention.

‎"Well, you could say that." ‎

"Ohh!! we could totally hunt together! just like wolves and crows in the wild."

‎Is... is he asking me to hunt together? like... We're close? Will I finally have a hunting partner─... No, a friend of(near) my age? ‎

(I need to make sure I pick the correct response! Think, think!) ‎

I start sweating heavily. The wolf boy get startled with how much I'm sweating from his suggestion.

“Y─you okay, dude?”

“Surof coursalutely would!”

…Damn, I fumbled my words hard.

“… Bahaha! What the hell was that?!”

S─seems like it went well.

The wolf boy extends his hands, asking me to shake his hand.

“The name’s Keshiro Hachiga. Nice to meet you, friend!”

"─!" ... *Smile!* I glow in happiness hearing him introduce himself. I extend my arm and shake his hand.

“Nn! I’m Haitora Kohaku, nice to meet you too!”

The first ever friend I’ve made after I left my hometown. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve talked to a close peer. I'd love to talk about all sorts of things, and─

“Kya~!”

*Clank clank!*

"─?!"

A knight at the opposite end has an accident, accidentally slicing into their arm and blood splatters all over the ground .

“S─somebody get a medic!”

The students around the knight try to comfort and help the best they can, but with little knowledge, they only know how to shout for help.

Hachiga glimpse at the sight, before turning away, ready to ask a teacher for help. “Well, it’s not uncommon for this to happen. This is why I don’t bite with swords. Let’s go get a teacher─.”

*Step step~* I walk closer to the wounded student, moving by instinct from seeing someone hurt. She’s a human girl, crying from her wounded arm.

“I’m sorry… father… I haven’t even started yet, and I’ve already failed…” The knight cries while holding their wound.

“Friend, what are you doing? Let’s call some─.” Hachiga try to get my attention, but is completely ignored.

Without thinking, I summon a spirit made of flame, which emerges from within me, and hurl it toward her. It flies through the crowd, weaving around the students blocking its path as though it were homing in on the person who needs it, and─

*Booof!*

The spirit erupts into calm flame, the wound suddenly closes and her bleeding stops.

“E─eh? I… I'm healed instantly?”

The rest of the folks look towards me, the one who threw the healing spirit.

“…Are… Are you a phoenix?”
“that’s! that’s a phoenix, dude!!”

The crowd suddenly rush towards me and praise me.

“Awawa~!”

How did they know I’m a phoe─.

“Friend! You didn’t say you were a phoenix! I can’t believe the first guy I talk to in school is such a rare creature, that healing spirit you called was so cool!”

Spirit… oh right, phoenix spirit is an exclusive skill to phoenixes… I've fumbled yet again.

*step step step*
A teacher comes in a rush.

“I’m here! Where’s the wounded student?!”

“Ah! Sensei, you’re late! The phoenix boy already healed the girl completely.”

“Phoenix?”

*step step* The teacher walks closer to the crowd surrounding me, and try to disperse them.

“…You! Kohaku-kun, what are you doing in the knight’s building!”

“Ah… miss Mocca… help me~~.”

I drown in the sea of crowd before miss Mocca manages to drag me out.