"We just want to see what the supposed S+ Rank talent can do," a red-haired boy said with a wicked smile.

"Yeah, I'd like to see what Teft's prize pupil can do," said another with blue hair.

Damion did not want to alienate his fellow students. However, these three were giving him little choice but to do something to make them backdown. If it were not for more students gathering around to watch, he might have just pushed past them, but doing so with so many onlookers would likely cast Damion as someone unwilling to stand up for himself or worse a coward.

"Damion Wells, nice to meet you," he said to the blue-haired boy as he extended his right hand.

"Yuri Martes," the boy replied as he took Damion's hand and squeezed.

Damion returned the pressure several times stronger leaving the blue-haired boy wincing in pain. After a few seconds of maintaining his grip, he was about to let go when the red-haired boy's hand shot towards Damion's chest covered in fire.

Mage Martes held on tightly to Damion's right hand, preventing him from easily escaping. Sure, Damion could sling the kid across the academy grounds, but that would still result in him getting hit with the red-haired boy's attack.

Despite the imminent attack, he did not panic. Raising his left-hand Damion cast Icy Grasp and met the red-haired boy's attack, locking their hands together. He then channeled mana into his spell, letting Icy Grasp quench the red-hair boy's flaming hand.

After a few moments with both Mage Martes and the red-haired boy were crying out in pain as Damion was applying both his physical and magic supremacy, the last of the boys called everything to a halt.

"Enough. Thorn, Martes, stop. He is more than a match for both of you," the speaker was a boy a bit taller than the others, with wispy blonde hair with features similar to Elicia's. Damion let both of the boys go and released his spell as he looked into the boy's green eyes.

"Damion Wells," he said extending his right hand to the blonde boy.

With a smile, the boy took it and shook his hand before introducing himself. "Thomas Sorin. Yuri introduced himself rather poorly, the other one is Geoffrey Thorn."

"Any relation to the former Dean Thorn?" Damion could not help but ask. It would certainly explain the boy's hostility.

"My uncle," Mage Thorn said as he rubbed his sore hand.

"We'll see you at the opening ceremony," Mage Sorin said as he started guiding his two friends away, before turning back to say one least thing. "Oh, and it is nice to see you got a decent job after graduating cousin."

At first Damion was not sure who Mage Sorin was speaking to. Then he noticed the crowd was whispering with a few pointing to Elicia, who was doing her best to look invisible as she was still wearing her exercise clothes that were form fitting and rather revealing.

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"Let's go," Damion said quickly as he moved towards his dormitory.

Once inside the dorm, Elicia sped off to her room, trying to hide her face, but Damion could see she was holding back tears. In this situation Damion was not sure what he was supposed to do. Should he follow after her and comfort her? Should he give her space?

In the end he decided to talk to her. From Mage Sorin's remark Damion inferred Elicia and Thomas were related which also likely meant that she and Headmaster Sorin were related. Damion could only guess at why Headmaster Sorin would assign a relative to be his attendant, and each guess was always rooted in the Headmaster wanting to use Elicia in some way.

For the moment Damion put his speculation aside and decided to let Elicia explain the situation to him. In the short time he had been in the school, other than the first day, Elicia had done nothing but be polite and helpful to him. He at least owed her the opportunity to explain.

"May I come in?" Damion said knocking softly on the door. Even though he knocked, he pushed the door open immediately, since he expected Elicia to tell him to go away.

Inside Damion found Elicia with her face buried in her pillow. Walking over he sat on the edge of her bed and laid a gentle hand on her back. The touch caused Elicia to jump a bit. She slowly sat up in the bed and began to speak.

"Thomas is my younger cousin. And by his last name he is related, as you have probably guessed, to the Headmaster, who is our grandfather. Since Thomas is more talented than me, he received more attention from grandfather and the rest of the family. After Thomas realized I was being pushed aside, he started to tease me and get his friends to bully me as well."

"I'm sorry," was the only thing could think to say to her.

"And now, I'm here working as an attendant. He had to make sure he pointed it out to everyone."

"Is working as an attendant some sort of punishment or dishonorable work?" Damion asked. He understood this was not her preferred job, but he did not think there was a stigma to the position.

"Attendants are typically chosen by the families of students and serve as more than just as maids and cooks."

"What do you mean?"

"Elite students are considered the future of the noble families and attendants are often used to make sure talented students do not get involved with opposing families or other undesirable partners."

"You mean attendants act to prevent young nobles from getting involved with commoners."

"Not necessarily," Elicia said. "A number of elite students, such as yourself, are commoners. Those commoners are scouted by the different families, and they send members of their families to the school to be assigned as attendants."

"Is that why you, the granddaughter of the Headmaster is my attendant?" Damion asked.

"Yes. If I can rope you into the Sorin family I can basically ask for anything from the family."

"And if I don't join the Sorin family?"

"I'll be tossed out to make my own way."

Damion sat there for a moment, pondering what Elicia told him. Elicia would be kicked out of her family if he did not let her rope him in. But he had no intention of joining the Sorin or any other family. Joining a noble family would pin Damion down and he wanted to explore the world.

"If your grandfather asks, tell him things are going well."

Elicia gave Damion a puzzled looked causing him to explain further.

"I don't intend to join any of the noble families, but I have the feeling that if you report that to your grandfather he will replace you with someone else."

"Yes, he probably would."

"Then, if it does not offend your sense of honor, feel free to report things are going well."

"Thank you for the offer. But what will I do when your time here is over?"

"Use this year to prepare to make your own way in the world. Even as a knight you can make a good living if that is what you want."

"Dean Teft already gave me some advice and I've decided I'm going to be a mage and not let anything stop me."

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