Iode lay on his bed with little tiredness. The day had been a bit exhausting. Shortly after the freshmen orientation at Oliver Auditorium, they were taken on a tour around the school to help them get familiar with the environment. After that, they were directed to the dormitories assigned to them.
At present, Iode resided in a studio apartment—he had a room all to himself. His supposed brother, Reggie, was in the room directly beside his. Probably because of the bond they shared, Reggie always wanted to stay close to him. Nivea, who shared that same bond, didn't seem bothered by the distance. Though she lived in the same building, her room was quite far apart. If anything, Reggie was clingy.
This lifestyle Iode was about to embark on felt eerily similar to his younger days—when he enrolled in one of the wizard tribe's academies, Rohanes Academy. He remembered his roommates back then: Hector, a fellow wizard, and Ceaser, the stickman.
Hector was a little like Reggie, except without the clinginess and mischief. He loved fun things and always seemed mesmerized by whatever Iode did—especially after learning Iode was the successor of Igor.
Ceaser, the stickman, usually acted mature. He had been Iode's mentor when Iode decided to become a magic swordsman like him. Iode smiled, reminiscing about the past.
The night didn't last long; the moon clocked out and gave the sun its morning shift. Two days later, Iode was ready to attend his first class. Opening his door, he came face-to-face with Reggie, who was waiting outside.
"Why are you at my door?" Iode asked, furrowing his brow.
"I have a class this morning too, and I figured we could go together," Reggie replied playfully.
"I don't remember choosing the same major as you. Why would we have a class at the same time?" Iode asked.
"Nah, we don't. I looked at your schedule and saw you had a class this morning," Reggie said casually.
"You looked at my schedule? You want to follow me to class?" Iode said, raising his voice.
"Lower your voice, you old fossil. I'm not following you. Like I said, I've got a special elective class too. Plus, we'll be in the same elective this afternoon," Reggie responded.
"Who are you calling an old fossil, brat!" Iode snapped.
"But you are Methuselah," Reggie said, winking his right eye.
"Tch. I don't know why you're so clingy. I don't even like you, you know that," Iode muttered, locking his door and walking off. Reggie followed him with a playful expression.
"Say, Methuselah," Reggie began, "why'd you choose medicine as your major? You could've picked history—to learn more about humans. You seemed a little disappointed when you couldn't sense any mana in them. I thought you'd be curious to learn more after I told you magic is on the verge of extinction."
During their application to Springscent Island University, Iode applied to the Medical Major, Nivea to the Art Major, and Reggie to Economics. The demon twins had chosen theirs for whatever reason—it's not like they had genuine interest in studying. Iode, however, had been intrigued by the range of medical options available.
Back at Rohanes Academy, the focus had always been on healing and magical health sciences. Seeing the variety of medical fields outlined in human academia, Iode felt compelled to learn more about human medicine.
He walked without uttering a word.
"Giving me the cold shoulder, are we, Methuselah? I'm gonna keep this grudge, just you wait," Reggie pouted.
At the exit of the dormitory building, they met Nivea. Iode sighed. Soon, they all went their separate ways. Iode walked toward a series of building blocks labeled: Welcome to the Medicine Department.
He entered the first block—a large lecture room capable of seating at least eighty people. Students were chatting, some sitting alone, others in groups.
As he moved to find a seat, he noticed a familiar figure—the brown-skinned man he and the twins had encountered two days ago at orientation. The man sat at the front, watching everyone enter.
He saw Iode and smiled warmly. Iode smiled back and nodded in thanks, remembering the helpful directions the man gave him that day.
'The vampire—or whatever that clingy brat calls him—is a student in this class too. But the way he spoke that day, it's like he's been here for a while', Iode thought. He could see the faint glow of the light red core.
As he moved away, he overheard the girls nearby.
"He's so handsome. I can't believe someone like that is a student here."
"His brown skin, jet-black hair, and hazel eyes—it's like he walked out of a novel."
"I think I'm gonna get his number after class. Or should I go now? I'm nervous!"
Iode rolled his eyes at the chatter until he heard:
"Do you see that guy with white hair? He's cute. Beauty recognizes beauty, after all. They seem to know each other. I'll try asking for both their numbers. They can't both reject me, right?"
'I hope that white-haired guy isn't me. I've got a wife', Iode groaned inwardly. He climbed to the eighth row and took a seat by the edge, sitting alone and observing the room.
'On second thought... yeah, I think that white-haired guy is me', he thought, realizing no one else had hair like his.
Eventually, the room filled up. Checking the time, the brown-skinned man stood and walked to the podium.
"Good morning, students. I trust your night was splendid. My name is John Oliver, and I will be one of the two lecturers for this course."
The room went silent. Everyone stared, stunned...