Infinity in the Void – Freedom in the Abyss

There are three helmets in the trunk, one for me, one for the passenger, and the small one for Charles. So, the ridiculous appearance of a girl riding with a maid, and a cat, going through the street of Darkovah was a sight to behold.

"The diner is on the left.", she instructed.

I turned to the left on the cross-intersection. Having Enna is good, her photographic memory is useful in these types of situation where she needs to keep her dress from blowing up in the wind.

"See that place, 'Albion Sheep Diner', that's the one."

I parked right in front of the diner, which has outdoor tables. A waiter came up to us.

"Excuse me, is there a place I can park my bike?", I asked.

"You can park on the roadside.", he replied in a professional manner.

Enna get off first while I go park my sportbike, I could see the waiter giving her a strange look but eventually gave up, not bothered why she was dressed like a maid.

Taking off Charles' helmet, they hopped onto my shoulder like always. Locking everything up nice and tight, I made my way to Enna, who had already gotten a seat for us. Charles hopped off my shoulder to take a seat, curling up in a ball and began to sleep. The waiter was kind enough to get me another seat, what a swell guy.

The waiter then delivered our menu. Hm, the selection is pretty wide. But I'm a complicated girl with simple demands.

"Lamb chops and a side dish of fried mantis abdomen. For drink I'll have milk tea.", I ordered.

"The same as... my lady, please.", she blushed a bit.

There goes again that strange look.

"Anything for your cat?", he kept the professional front up.

"Hm, some raw lambs would do it.", I said.

The waiter nodded, "Your orders will be prepared in a few minutes.", and left.

"So... my lady. Did you find out anything about your school?", Enna started a conversation.

I leaned back on the chair, nodding, "Of course, I did my research."

The academy has a dorm, where I would be staying in depending on the situation. I.e., living with a psychopath. Sociopaths and psychopaths don't mix that well together. The Babel safehouse in Darkovah is a bit far from the school, but it's manageable.

Then the courses, about fifty courses for everything. Mitsuki is a Demon Slayer, the part-time would change to full-time once she graduated, she's probably in the course related to dealing with demons and ghosts. The Otherworldly Suppression Course I believe.

For me, Issac wants me to go for the Human Study Course. Because he just wanted me to make more friends.

"I'm taking the Human Study Course and...", I can have multiple courses going at the same time, so I choose...

"Magic Study Course.", because it sounds fun.

The two magic systems in the world, are the Earthly Edict and the Heavenly Edict. They are a bit complicated to get into, so I took up the challenge to learn it. Turned out, I have no capability for either of them. Only a small percentage of the population can perform magic, and it's not determined by genetics.

But it's always great to learn more, especially how to deal with mages.

"Hah... I can't keep an eye on you, you know? Just don't cause too much trouble.", she sighed.

"I do what I want.", I replied with a smile, "Nobody in this world can control me."

"Yeah yeah, miss high and mighty.", she rolled her eyes, "I got it."

The food was brought out before us right after a few more exchanges of words. From then, we ate in silence because Enna knew I don't like speaking when eating.

The lamb is tender and flavorful, though a bit on the salty side. Then with the dish of mantis abdomen, savory and sweet. Eating them together balanced things out nicely.

I really enjoy this. And I savored the flavor to the last bite. Oh, and Charles is eating too, munching on the lamb like a ravenous beast.

After we all finished, I paid for our breakfast with a scan. I like professionalism, it's easier to deal with.

"Charles, you have some blood on your mouth.", I said as I took a few tissue papers. I wiped their face, "You are a messy eater, be cleaner next time."

They growled and ignored me.

"Let's rest for a bit. And prepare for whoever is in Ataraxia.", Enna suggested.

I nodded, agreeing with her on this. With Mitsuki as an example - a bloodthirsty swordswoman - I don't have that much of a high bar for the sanity these people held. 

And also, the academy's teachers are also of my concern. There is Tachibana Orin, with her Epithet being Azure Tiger. Abert Gerandel, the Insect King. Just to name two from the public list on Ataraxia's official website... they are weird.

Actually, I saw one of the teachers right here. Wearing a red trench coat, red wide brim hat, and red tinted sunglasses. He sat right at the table behind us, ordering food.

"The "special" lamb chop, please.", he ordered.

"Of course, sir. Do you want anything else?", the waiter asked.

"Red wine with a heavy iron taste.", the man said.

"Your order will be ready in a few minutes.", the waiter bowed and went back into the store.

huh.

I lock my gaze with Enna, "We are going now."

She nodded and stood up, patting her maid clothes then held my hand, getting me up even if I don't need it.

I walked past the man, not even giving him a look despite his dapper clothes. He will be my teacher soon...

Putting back on our helmets, we ride away at full speed, getting away from the man as fast as possible. I don't really want to expose my personality to a teacher, yet.

We rode straight to Ataraxia, at the front gate of the academy the size of a small town. I heard that Libertas Academy in Texas is the size of a small city so my soon-to-be school isn't that big.

I was stopped at the gate by a guard... a Gem Holder too. I looked at his nametag, Sylas Ubern.

"What is your business here?"

"Enna, the letter.", I ordered.

Enna takes out from her apron the letter with the Ataraxia seal on it, giving it to the guard. He took it, gave it a look and did something strange, a misty blue glow appeared on the back of the envelope... a Rune.

"Please proceed.", he gave back the letter to Enna.

I nodded and went inside, parking in the academy's parking lot. Giving a look around, there are a few students in the academy ground. Hm, it's supposed to be school break but I guess there are some who like to stay in Darkovah.

Making my way to the main building does a very good job of embracing brutalist architecture. A French Gothic castle meant to intimidate more than an actual place of study.

The funny thing about Entrost's architectural style, it's like a mix of French and Aztec architecture with all the high Gothic castle-like buildings on top of a temple-like frame. But this leaned towards French more... I clicked my tongue a few times, using echolocation to get a layout of the building. My eyes turned to the tallest point, a clock tower, that is where the Principal resides.

We head inside, Enna walking behind me on my left, Charles walking in front of me, and me being in the middle. I'm basically being protected by two very powerful guards, an angel that could defeat a wyvern without a sweat, and the embodiment of the animal kingdom.

We passed by a few students, giving us a strange look. Well, I can't really blame them. A maid, a cat, and a girl wearing an RGB jacket are not something you see every day.

But after giving them a glance and a cool smile, no matter if they are boy or girl, they all ran away with flushed faces.

We eventually made it to the place where we can go up. We had two choices, one is the elevator, and the other is the stairs. Now, we could be lazy and all with the elevator. But I don't want to run into other people as of right now. So...

"We are going up the stairs.", I declared.

"Of course, my lady. Your judgment is wise.", Enna gave me an ego boost, being a good maid and my yes woman.

I look at the floor map to the side... the Principal's office is on the floor... 42. Damn, this place is high.

"I am Charlotte Silvi, Owner of the Akashic Records."

Enna jumped at me, "Wait! Don't use your Anima Pactum for something so trivial!!"

I leaned back, avoiding her. Now... should I consider her words.

Hm, I think I should. I played with her enough, can't have my toy broken so easily.

"Alright.", I stopped, giving her a smile that make her feel uneasy, "Enna, carry me to the top."

"Hah... yes, my lady.", she performed a curtly bow, lifting the hems of her dress and all.

She then picked me up in a princess carry and ran up the stairs with a speed close to breaking the sound barrier. Obviously, the glass windows are pretty fragile. Oh, Charles jumped onto my lap to get a free ride too.

"You should dress as a maid more often.", I commented.

"Please refrain from thinking like that, my lady.", she sighed.

We went passed a group of students who are walking down the stair. Enna just jumped to the left and ran on the wall, then perfectly landed on the steps before running up again.

"Is that a fucking maid?", one of them questioned.

Eventually, we made it to the top. Enna let me and Charles down, attempting to plop me on the ground but I'm too good for this easy trick.

Now... the door is a bit grand, it's an average door but the carving on it is very detailed, the shape of a beautiful clock depicting the entire history of humanity, each hour depicted a moment of history. The twelfth hour mark is the stone age, the first hour is the iron age, and so forth. What's interesting is the eleventh hour mark, a smaller clock... ah, The Doomsday Clock hitting midnight.

That certainly gives an impression.

Anyway, I opened the door without knocking... hm, the Principal does have a taste for dramatic moments. Seeing the bookshelves lining the two sides of the room, two sofas facing each other with a coffee table in the middle.

A work desk with papers placed neatly on both sides. Oh, and the Principal... he is dressed neatly in a business suit, combed back brown hair with a sleek look. His eyes are the main attraction, two golden clocks ticking at different times and rates.

With the back of the giant clock of the tower behind him, most people would feel overwhelmed by him and the room. Not me though.

"You must be the Principal."

He nodded, "You came earlier than expected, by a whole hour."

I sat down on the sofa, lazing back. With a snap of my finger, Enna put the letter down on the coffee table. With a wave of his finger, the letter opened itself and flew towards him.

"Charlotte Silvi, Nationality: American, Guardian: Abigail Sillarco. Is that all right?", he asked, turning towards me.

"That is all.", I nodded, staring at him back.

"Very well, then as scheduled... your study will begin in June. Or would you like to start your study right away?", he asked. But my instinct told me he already knew the answer.

"On schedule, please. But I want to have the test thingy.", I just know there is a test. The academy won't just accept anyone.

"Do you mean the Level test? Well, we can start right away since the test area is mostly empty at the moment.", he stood up from his chair.

He performed a bow, changing his clothes to a French noble.

Then it dawned on me who exactly he was.

"My name is John Titor, you may also know me as Count of Saint-Germain, The First Gem Holder."