31. Scouts

911 31 0
                                    

(The stables up above)

Xavier's POV:

My eyes widen as murmurs erupt through the hall. "Um, why do I have options?" I ask. The murmurs ceased and they looked at me.

"Ah," the headmaster starts. "If you have an extremely high mana level, you could be put in danger, as mana only grows till 20 years old. And if it was all a ruse, then I would like to save you from further embarrassment." He said.

"Oh, well then I'd like not to take the test," I said with a certainty.

We quickly shook hands and separated. Just as I was about to ask to leave, I noticed the mischievous and happy look on his face.

Da*n it. "What's the catch," I asked with a sigh.

"We will also be allowed to record any other thing, which was optional before. And you will have to participate in at least 1 national tournament each year. And at least 1 extracurricular activity." He said.

"Is that all?" I tried to confirm. "Yes," he replied. Clearly distraught, with all the other spectators gaping in surprise, I left the room. "That all seemed fairly informal," I muttered under my breath.

Arriving back at the dorm I plopped into a leather chair. "Screw life," I moaned halfheartedly. Suddenly Luka entered the room. "Xavier!" He yelled. I looked towards him, his eyes wide with....

Concern?

That doesn't make any sense. Why would he be worried? "Guys!" He yelled out. "Xavier's back!"

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs on both sides, and then got bombarded with questions.

Most being like, "what happened!", "are you okay!", "can I see your cut!" The last one I was a bit worried about. Why would someone want to see a bloody cut?

"Luka," I groaned out. "Why would you call them?!" I whisper shouted into his ear. Looking at his face he had a guilty grin. "Sorry, we were all curious what happened."

"I'll tell you later," I said. Getting up I fought my way to the dorm halls, fast walking to my room.

Luka quickly followed after, and I told him the whole story. Besides my father and the fact that my mana was way too high for the tester. Instead I told him that it slightly exceeded the limit and it was normal for the tester to explode.

He surprisingly accepted this and all was well. We took an early night after showering and dinner, and I had a dreamless sleep.

****************************

I woke up to a slight banging and rustling. Checking the clock on the wall it was only 4:00 am.

I looked over across the room to see Luka getting dressed. "Whatcha doin'?" I asked sleepily. He visibly jumped and then turned. "Sorry if I woke you. I didn't know when you got up." He said.

"Oh, why would you need to know when I get up?" I asked a little confused. "Well, um," he started while rubbing the back of his neck. A bit embarrassed from what I could I tell.

I lit the lamp next to my bed and awaited the answer while getting up. "I was, uh, wondering if I could, uh, train with you?" He said in a small voice.

Hm. I didn't know Luka liked to train. It would be a bit fun to have another person with me, but he will definitely be suspicious when he sees my routine.

"Ookay, but if you can't keep up I'm leaving you behind. I'm very strict with my routine." I said matter of factly. He nodded his head in acknowledgment while I started getting ready.

Making my way down to the kitchen I spotted more people than usual. Maybe it's because school is starting soon and people want to get into a routine.

I quickly made strawberry cremé crepes, and served Luka. "Oh my god," he moaned out while taking the first bite. "What is this?" He asked. "Crepé, like a thin pancake rolled up with fillings." I replied nonchalantly.

Walking outside with Luka hot on my trail, I saw some other people training. Wow. There was definitely not anybody training earlier. "Hey, Luka," I called out.

"Hm" he hummed. "What's going on? There are a lot more people awake than usual." I said.

"Oh, well, scouts come every other Sunday for possible recruits. If you get recommended by a scout, there is a better chance you will get a higher paying job in the future."

"Also, they just walk around campus looking for capable students." He finished. "Oh, I'm hurt," I said with mock sadness. "Luka only comes out with me today to get scout attention." I fake whined.

"No I didn't!" His face turning red while his eyes moved from side to side. "Don't worry Luka, I understand it." I said while patting his back. "Anyway, we're almost there."

I walked towards the back of the school and to the stables. "Why are we going to the stables?" he asked

"You'll see," I replied with a grin. I walked into the stables and grabbed a curry brush. Every morning I brush, feed, and clean the horses for the stable master.

One morning I saw him fall due to an injured back and have helped lighten his work load so he could still support his family. Without this job he wouldn't be able to take care of the ones he loved.

So, I do tasks that involve carrying things and bending over. I tossed Luka a curry brush and said, "we take care of the horses before anything," and started to work.

***************

Thirty minutes later and we were all done. Luka was sweating quite a bit because of the still rising sun, so I could tell this was going to be a hot day.

"You chose the wrong day to train with me Luka," I said with amusement as he dumped water onto his head.

"Yeah, I realize that now," he said while shaking out his hair. "Well, it's time for the real fun to start." I replied with a wicked grin.

Reincarnated into the world of Lecouteux (DISCONTINUED)Where stories live. Discover now