After walking for more than a kilometer, we arrive in front of a sky-touching staircase.
Now it looks like a staircase all the way to heaven.
Damn it! How could I forget about these stairs?
I say with a smile, "Princess Iki, I forgot to count the bananas I bought earlier. Have a wonderful day, you two."
I turn around and am about to walk away when Iki grabs my collar from behind and says, "Not so fast. You're coming with us."
- "I went to the market, bought bananas for you, and now you want me to climb to the sky! Let a man live, Dainii."
- "I don't like the sound of that word. What does 'Dainii' mean?"
- "A kind-hearted lady?"
Riki says, "Don't worry, Dhruv. I can get us all the way to the top without climbing the stairs."
Oh! I nearly forgot. Riki can use gravity magic.
Iki is giving me suspicious side eyes. I guess she isn't satisfied with the meaning of "Dainii" I gave her.
Riki holds both our hands, and we start levitating. We slowly rise into the air like an elevator.
Unlike Iki's explosive fireball, this magic is actually helpful.
Wait! I know this feeling.
I say, "Hey, I can feel someone watching me."
Riki says, "Oh! That's probably my familiar, Lilo. She is sitting on my right shoulder."
But I can't see her.
Riki says, "Lilo, show yourself."
A creature sitting on Riki's shoulder slowly becomes visible. It's very similar to a cat.
Too cute!
I wave at it. "Hi Lilo."
Lilo immediately disappears.
Ah!
Riki says, "She's a bit shy."
We soon pass the stairs.
A large field stretches ahead of us.
Different kinds of creatures are walking and resting on the field. I remember some of them from yesterday. They're familiars.
I ask, "Princess Iki, why are they on the field without their masters?"
Iki replies, "Maybe their masters are in class. Students can't bring their familiars into the classroom."
- "So I should blend in with them until your class ends? That's cool. Maybe I'll get some interspecies gossip. Assuming they don't think of me as food."
- "No. You'll be coming with us. Sir Ruka said you can join the class."
- "Alright then."
We step inside the academy.
We walk straight for a moment, then take a turn and enter a classroom.
It's a large classroom, somewhat similar to a modern college lecture hall.
At the front stands a female instructor, giving a lecture. Students sit on benches arranged around half-circled tables.
Iki drags me by the hand and makes me sit at the back.
The instructor is teaching about how to properly care for familiars and build strong bonds with them.
There are a lot of students here.
Since the back row is higher than the others, I can see everyone's heads.
All that blonde hair makes me feel like I'm sitting in a mustard field.
I don't have a watch, but I can confidently say the class lasts for more than four hours.
My body is slowly becoming one with the bench.
After class ends, we head back outside.
I am about to run like an ostrich.
Iki says in her Dainii voice, "What? Where are you going?"
- "To the dormitory. Where else? I don't plan on sleeping here until tomorrow morning."
- "Not yet. We have a practical class."
- "Practical class?"
- "Yes. It happens once in every ten days."
And that's today!
Good! Excellent! Marvelous!.....mmmm....Beauticulus!
Wait! That's not even a word.
All of a sudden, I get a strange feeling.
I look around.
Near the center of the field, a Shera is lying on the ground. A boy is sitting beside it.
Something seems wrong.
I immediately start running toward them.
Iki asks, "Hey, where are you going?"
I don't answer her. She follows me.
The Shera is bleeding from one of its legs.
I ask the boy, "What happened?"
He looks at me and politely replies, "A thorn got stuck in one of Shishi's legs."
I can tell from his expression that he's using every ounce of self-control not to cry.
Iki kneels beside the Shera and gently pats its head.
"Ah! She's bleeding too much. We need to do something."
So Iki does possess empathy. I never would've guessed.
I kneel down and say, "Let me pull out the thorn."
Iki asks, "You can?"
I reply, "Yes. Bring water and a cloth."
The boy says, "I can provide clean water. I know water magic."
"Then wash the wound. I can't see anything because of the blood."
He uses water magic to clean the wound. Now I can clearly see the thorn.
I've pulled out plenty of thorns before. I carefully begin pulling it out. When I finally remove it, I'm shocked by how long it is. Shishi lets out a soft sound and suddenly goes limp. Iki tears a piece from her clothing and hands it to me.
That's not something I expected.
I carefully bandage the wound.
The boy says in a trembling voice, "Shishi isn't moving!"
What?
I check her heartbeat and breathing. Not good. Seriously not good.
Iki reads my expression. "What's wrong?"
I hesitate. "She's....um....her condition is...." "Tell me what you need," Iki interrupts.
I think quickly. "If we could somehow give her a small electric shock...." "We can." She says. "I know electric magic. But I can't control the power very well. If I shock her directly, she might not survive."
So we need resistance.
I get an idea.
I say, "No problem. Give the shock to me while I'm touching her."
- "But, you'll...."
- "I'll be fine. Don't waste time, Princess. Give me a shock that lasts only as long as it takes to say the word 'one.'"
I quickly remove my shoes and place the tip of my right index finger against Shishi's chest.
Then I nod at Iki.
She places her hand on my left shoulder. The next moment, a painful surge of electricity tears through my body. Every bone screams in agony. My vision turns white. My head feels like it's no longer attached to my body.
But Shishi still isn't moving.
I somehow turn to Iki and say, "One more time."
Iki's eyes are filled with tears.
Am I seeing that correctly?
I touch Shishi's chest again. Iki sends another shock through me. My vision instantly turns white....
Then everything becomes completely black.
- "Dhruv!.....Dhruv!!"
Someone is calling me. I should reply.
Nah! Let her shout. I'll just keep sleeping.
Suddenly, someone punches me in the chest a couple of times. I wake up jumping.
Iki is sitting next to me, looking at me with puppy eyes. I remember everything.
I turn to my left. The boy is also sitting next to me.
I ask him, "Is Shishi fine?"
"Yes," he replies. "After the second shock."
Thank God!
I turn to Iki. "I have something to say, Princess."
"What is it?" Iki replies softly.
"Next time I lose my sense," I reply politely. "Splash water on my eyes. No need for jumping on my chest."
Iki stares at me for a moment. Then she stands up and walks away.
That boy helps me to stand up. Wait, I don't feel any damage on my body, even though I was electrocuted a moment ago.
The boy says, "Thank you so much for helping Shishi."
- "I am happy to help."
- "I am Rishi Rignior, fourth prince of the Rignior Kingdom. I am indebted to you. Tell me what you need; I'll make that happen."
- "I don't like receiving rewards just for helping someone in need. I'll be happy if you accept me as your friend, Prince Rishi."
- "It'll be my honor to have you as a friend. Remember, if you ever face any kinds of danger, just come to me. The Rignior kingdom will do everything to help you, Dhruv."
- "I appreciate that. Let's be friends then."
I extend my hand for a handshake. Rishi seems confused. Then he grabs my hand with his two hands.
Okay, they don't do handshakes here.
Rishi says, "You really came from another world, Dhruv?"
- "Yes."
- "How was your original world? Was it different than here?"
- "Yes! Way different!"
- "Is everyone born with magical abilities? Or learn afterwards?"
- "Actually, there is no magic in my world."
He gives me a shocked expression. Maybe that was my expression when I saw people doing magic here.
He asks, "Then how do people create fire, ice, light at night, and everything else that requires magic?"
- "Um....We have machines for that."
- "Machines?"
- "Yes. Man-made tools."
- "Can you hunt monsters with....machines?"
- "What? No! We don't have any monster in my world."
His eyes grow even wider. Yeah, he can't take anymore than that.
Suddenly Riki comes running to me.
I ask, "What happened, Princess Riki?"
She says while panting, "Come with me, Dhruv. Iki is about to have a duel with Prince Romi."
Duel? I think it means fight!
I ask, "But why?"
She takes a breath and replies, "Iki was mocking him for his long hair, and he got offended. Then he challenged her for a duel. She accepted it."
Why Princess? Why?