"It sounds like our headmage is very amazing." The vice-president muttered in awe.
"No kidding. She's a certified magician, a princess, and a beast tamer. Isn't that something you can only find in a novel?"
"Yeah. I'm surprised how she got the other adults to do what she told them to do. But, does she have to be so strict with the others?"
"Do you think it has anything to do with the rumored gang members hidden in the city? I heard that yesterday's private hearing uncovered that." A student whispered.
Rollo remained calm as the other muttered nervously, "Where did you hear about that?!"
"It was online."
Rollo frowned upon hearing this. However, before they could respond, the baker's wife spoke up in a whisper, "You guys shouldn't go on the dark web whenever you want. My best bet is that the gang put the news on there to attract curious minds like yours. Once they see you for the second or third time, they might try to catch you then. If you are unfortunate, they might catch you right away."
"It really wasn't the dark web..."
"Well, I dunno about that." She shook her head, "Best be careful. You too, you hear me?"
She gave her little kid a light pinch playfully much to his dismay. He turned to them eagerly, "You're all from the magic school, right? Can you teach me magic?"
Before they could respond, Rollo spoke up as he wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, "That's not possible."
"Aw. Why not? It looks like so much fun and I can use magic too!"
"You need someone licensed to teach you magic." He explained, "Without them, you could hurt yourself or worse."
"That's true..." His assistant hesitated, "When I was little, I remember hearing a kid lost his life because he lost control of his magic and he was only trying to protect himself."
Rollo froze as the boy's eyes widen in surprise, "Really?"
There was an awkward silence to which Peony's voice cut in, "To learn magic, you need someone licensed, so that they can teach you the right way to learn magic and the rules that comes with it."
Peony walked in much to everyone's surprise and she folded her arms in dismay, "You all have strong guts to be talking about something disturbing while eating. How do you boys keep your food in?"
"Headmage!"
She stepped in with a sigh, "Everyone was so loud, I thought the entire block might've heard you."
The baker's wife laughed, "Haha! That's just how boys are."
"True. Id be more worried if they didn't start sticking their neck in places they shouldn't be in." Peony huffed in disappointment, "Another bag of croissants. Same number."
"That would be twenty thaumarks."
As she used her card, she warned, "You boys better remember not to stick your noses in the dark web either. There are a lot of times when authorities sneak in there to scout for suspects. I'd rather not have to deal with the authorities for criminal cases again."
"Has it happened before?" A student looked to her in bewilderment.
"I have a non-profit school running in the outskirts of Afternoon Savannah's capital. Some students there are also ones who are trying to break cycles or get out of a dangerous path. I often had to speak with the authorities on what we can do. Because I am a foreigner, the school will be under another citizen's name instead. So there are a lot of complicated process that goes with it."
Rollo looks to her in bewilderment. He had no idea she ran another school aside from this one. Peony opened her mouth and made her personal order before continuing, "I had already studied everything and taken the necessary exams prior to doing what I want to do. It's better to study what you will have to go through to reach your goal before you run into them."
"But why a school?" The assistant raised a brow, "It's merit worth but wouldn't it be better to build a non profit hospital? Or donation?"
"If you travel to Afterglow Savannah, I think you will get a clearer picture from talking with everyone." Peony pointed out before receiving her order of a mini pack of mini croissants.
A student hesitated, "But travel is…"
"Expensive…" the other finished.
She raised a brow, "Go on your own time if you want. I have already made arrangements with officials from Shaftland's capital. For your fourth year, I've arranged for you to intern in other countries."
Rollo nearly chocked on his coffee in surprise upon hearing this, "Is that really all right?"
She nodded, "I've spoke with the president and former headmage. Although you can choose to also intern in this city, we're going to open the boundaries. After a week, the school will be sending out notice for interns. It won't be flashy such as Night Raven College or Royal Sword Academy, but the main goal is for all of you to be able to better understand how to use your knowledge in society. If that works out, then we can start working on other plans. So, if you want to intern in other countries, that's up to you. Stop looking like the world is going to end, Flamme. I've looked over and recalculated the school's finance. This will work. Your teachers will also be coming in next week. I've already confirmed the matter with them."
"I'm not giving such a look." Rollo frowned.
"Anyway, future talk aside, I've already secured the school. Everyone will also take shelter underground. I'll have to leave the roll call to you, Student Council Members. The remaining professors will split up. Some will be there with you and the others will help me keep the school grounded against the swarm tonight."
"What about the guests?" Another student spoke up.
"They will be joining everyone tonight." She shrugged, "For some reason, the divine Gate was adamant on staying behind."
"Um, not trying to be mean, but I don't like those students." A student hesitated, "Yesterday, one of those students pushed me away when those flowers came and called me bait."
"Yeah. When they first arrived, I came to greet them but they asked for the headmage." The assistant frowned.
"Ah, so that's explain why Flamme ended up greeting everyone instead." Peony nodded, "Well, this will be interesting."
"Huh?"
Peony shook her head, "You're going to see why eventually. For now, forget about them. If you see them, stay with the staff and my attendant. She will be staying in the shelter with all of you. If you are uncomfortable with them, keep a distance. The moment they bother you, remember to call for help. Don't tackle advances on your own… Or you can call for Flamme to come save you."
"Huh?!" Rollo looked to her flabbergasted.
"That's true! He did stop those flowers from spreading and saved the city that night!"
"The president is amazing!"
As they praised Rollo, he covered part of his face with a handkerchief with disdain. JUST WHAT IS SHE PLANNING NOW?!
The wife gave a sigh and whispered, "So much for acting like an adult. By the end of the day, you're also a kid too."
"Well, I have my reasons." She huffed and ate another piece of mini croissants, "On the other hand, thank you kindly for allowing the students to dine here this afternoon. How much is it?"
"It's nothing to worry about. It's on the house today." The wife smiled.
"Are you sure?" She looked to her in disbelief, "Feeding sixteen teenage boys won't be cheap. You're being very generous but at least let me cover half of it."
"It's quite all right." She smiled wide, "We have been very thankful to you. Had you not asked us for help. We would've never gotten the chance to reconnect with the child again. Since last night's hearing, my husband has been over the moon. He started baking the boys' favorite croissants since he came back."
"That's impressive. Looks like he's not here now-"
"Yeah…" she wore a dry smile, "He kind of lost his composure and is stuck in the closet with his tissues again."
"Oh dear." Peony chuckled, "Looks like you've hit the jackpot. Will he be okay, though?"
She nodded, "Thank you. He'll come back out after the next couple of days. Haha… He hasn't been like this since our boys were born."
"Is the first child all right?"
She nodded, "After you gave us the heads up, we made sure all of our cameras in are position and that we had a way out or hide. Our son came back early from school too. He made sure not to waste any time."
"Good." She nodded feeling a little at ease.
"Will you two and the headmage come by again soon?" She questioned hesitantly, "That other boy too. If there's anything to worry about, it'd be him. I just can't believe something so terrible happened to him."
"Perhaps when our teacher regains enough strength to come. Now that he can walk with his cane again, he doesn't like using the old wheel chair. This morning, he claims he can walk just fine and wanted to see how the students are doing. If his son and I weren't there, he'd have gone back on the wheel chair sooner."
The wife laughed, "Ah, it's good to see he's still as resilient as ever. I remember how he'd be so stubborn that time when he insist that his friend go see the dentist over a cavity. You didn't know this, but the old friend of his was a stickler for everything being in order. When he got the cavity, he swore he was all right and that he simply chipped a molar. My goodness, which was more serious? A chipped molar or an aching cavity."
Having heard this from afar, Rollo looked to her in surprise, "What happened after that?"
"Oh? Well, the old headmage had to drag him to the dentist where he ended up having to face the reality that he didn't have perfect teeth after all." She answered.
"Seriously?" The assistant hesitated, "I can't imagine that old headmage capable of dragging anyone around with his cane in hand."
"Ah, well, that's just how close they are." She chuckled, "His old friend was his rival. Despite that, he wouldn't hurt a fly and anyone weaker than he was. He'd say they weren't friends, but you'd see them walking in and grabbing a coffee and croissants. My, the two would even debate over their usual meals. The headmage was an adventurous eater while his friend only wanted his usual coffee and two baguette! They'd be arguing which was better until their headmage came in and dragged them back to work. Even then, they wouldn't stop and blamed one another for being late. You'd think they'd stop being friends that day, but they'll both come back the next day together. According to my mother, they stayed connect and even their wives had to pull them back home by the ear for being late for dinner. I remember when they both went on an expedition but neither wanted to leave their wives home alone. I was a kid and was certainly confused, but my husband knew what was going on. He got my parents to take me home early and next thing I knew, my ma was gossiping over how their wives were scolding them while packing their bags. It wasn't till I asked my husband years later what happened that I learnt their argument was over this extra ticket they have with them and both wanted to bring their wives with them. They got so upset that they kicked up a fuss in the bakery. Both wives were fed up and agreed to have their spouse split the bill for an extra ticket between them. Everytime they charge in, I always feared they'd break the door before they break the two's ears."