Reincarnated with an SSS-rank Tamer System: My Harem of Villainesses-Chapter 28 – First Day

The academy’s hallways were completely empty as Adam walked through them; his footsteps echoed faintly against the floor while he searched for his classroom.

All the other students had already been in their respective classes for a while, which made his walk considerably more solitary than it should have been on a first day.

It wasn’t exactly the impression he had planned to make.

When the opening ceremony ended, one of the academy staff members had approached him to inform him that Headmistress Brookhaven wanted to speak with him, so while all his classmates headed toward their corresponding classrooms, he had ended up in the headmistress’s office.

The reason for the meeting had been precisely what he suspected: his uniform, or rather, the absence of it.

Adam explained without beating around the bush what had happened to him during his journey to the academy, including the ambush by the noble hunters, the destruction of the carriage along with all his belongings inside, and how Evelyne Ravenshade had helped him reach Thornwick safe and sound.

The headmistress listened with serious attention, her expression hardening slightly when Adam mentioned the group that had attacked him, though she did not interrupt him at any point while he spoke. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"And the leader of the group?" Acelina asked when he finished speaking. "Did you kill him?"

"He escaped," Adam admitted without sugarcoating it. "He was pretty badly injured, but he’s still alive."

The headmistress nodded faintly, processing the information. "Very well, if those are the reasons, I understand the situation. We will verify the story with Miss Ravenshade to confirm, just as a matter of protocol."

She then rose from her desk and walked to one of the side cabinets in the office and took out a perfectly folded uniform, which she extended toward Adam.

He took it, somewhat surprised to notice that it was exactly his size, so he looked at the headmistress with a raised eyebrow.

Acelina smiled slightly. "We always take preventive measures in case something like this happens. It wouldn’t be the first time a student arrives without their uniform due to circumstances beyond their control."

Then, before Adam turned to leave, she added, "Did you inform your brother Dorian about what happened?"

Adam shook his head while tucking the folded uniform under his arm. "I didn’t have time. Although Evelyne sent one of her escorts to notify my house, so they most likely already know."

Acelina nodded, satisfied with that, before gesturing toward the door, indicating that he could leave without further preamble.

And that was how Adam ended up walking alone through the academy’s enormous hallways wearing the new uniform while searching for the classroom assigned to him.

The uniform was black with gold details along the edges and the Arcanis emblem embroidered over the left side of the chest, considerably more elegant than the clothes Evelyne had bought him, though both suited him well. At least now he wouldn’t stand out for the wrong reasons.

He finally found the classroom after spending several minutes searching the halls. He stood in front of the door for a moment, listening to the muffled murmur of a voice from inside before letting out a quiet sigh.

Late. He arrived late on the first day to a classroom full of heirs and high-ranking nobles.Without overthinking it, he knocked on the door.

After a few seconds, he heard footsteps approaching and the door opened slightly, revealing a tall man with dark hair graying at the temples, probably in his forties, who looked him up and down with a bored expression.

"Adam?" the man asked.

"Yes."

The professor looked at him for a second longer before turning toward the inside of the classroom.

"You’re late. Come in."

Adam had barely stepped inside when he became the center of attention for all the students present, who turned their heads to look at him.

Some observed him without much interest, others with curiosity, and a few murmured among themselves with smiles they didn’t try very hard to hide.

He ignored them all equally and scanned the classroom for an empty seat until he caught movement to his right.

Piers had his hand raised and was pointing to the empty seat beside him with a wide smile, as if he had been waiting for that moment since he arrived.

Adam could only sigh under his breath before starting to walk toward him down the aisle between the rows of desks.

As he made his way up, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Isolwen Ashveil, who was watching him attentively from her seat in the row. When their gazes briefly met, she smiled calmly at him, and he returned it with a nod, more out of respect than anything else, before continuing forward.

Piers greeted him with an enthusiastic "hello" while extending his hand, and Adam shook it without much thought before taking a seat.

Practically immediately, Piers leaned slightly toward him and murmured in a low voice, trying not to draw the attention of the professor who was watching them from the front.

"Why did you take so long?"

Adam kept his gaze forward with a neutral expression. "Clothing," he replied in the same low tone.Piers blinked before looking at him properly and nodding slowly. "Ah, right. Though the uniform suits you well, honestly."

"Did the professor say anything important while I wasn’t here?"

"He just introduced himself," Piers murmured. "And that he was waiting for someone."

Adam considered that for a second. Most likely, they had been referring to him.

The professor observed them both for a moment with an expression that suggested he was perfectly aware they were whispering, though he chose not to interrupt what they were doing and continued walking slowly toward the center of the classroom, where he stopped in front of everyone.

"Now that we have everyone present," the man said, glancing briefly at Adam, "I will introduce myself again for the one who arrived late."

There were a few restrained laughs among the students, which the professor ignored.

"I am Professor Aldwin Vane," he announced in a clear voice while sweeping his gaze across everyone present. "Throughout this year, I will guide you in the study and practical application of elemental magic, with special emphasis on how to control it to achieve the greatest possible efficiency in combat and everyday use."

He paused while walking slowly across the front of the classroom, allowing his words to settle before continuing.

"That being said, I want it to be clear from the very first day that knowing a spell is not the same as mastering it. Anyone can cast fire if they have enough mana, but turning it into something precise, economical, and truly useful in real situations requires a deep understanding of how elemental magic works at a basic level."

He then stopped and pointed toward the board behind him, where several diagrams had already been drawn showing flows of magical energy.

"Another professor will, in parallel, be responsible for teaching you how to concentrate and control your mana more efficiently, so that when you cast spells you do not expend more mana than necessary."

"In other words," Professor Vane added, looking at the entire class, "you will learn to do more with less. And I can guarantee that this will make a greater difference in your performance than simply accumulating raw power."

Adam listened to all of that with intense attention, immediately recognizing that this second topic in particular was exactly what he needed.

His mana control remained his weakest point despite the progress he had made over the past few weeks, so having specific instruction in that area was an advantage he had not anticipated.

’Maybe this academy isn’t as useless as I thought.’ he reflected while Professor Vane continued the explanation of the basic foundations of elemental magic with a clarity that made it evident he was someone who truly knew what he was talking about.

Adam felt Nox within him as if he were also paying attention, though that was probably just his imagination.

Or maybe not.