The Distant Trail Of Ciara Badvia

The Saria Magic Academy
Part 4: Magical Talents

ART STUDIES

When Tyril set foot in the cafeteria for the first time, she gasped in shock.

The place was larger than any classroom she’d ever been in before. The tables were arranged tightly alongside benches that could, at a glance, seat around three hundred people. Chatting freely while having their meals, the current crowd in this vast expanse might even exceed that number.

Even in the most popular restaurant in Lily, Tyril had never seen so many people gathered at once. She could never have pictured such a large number dining together.

“Look, there’re empty seats over there. Let’s take that spot.”

Oblivious to Tyril’s awe, Vanilla quickly found an available seat and gently pushed Tyril toward it. It was in the corner of the spacious cafeteria, right between a group of four women and a pair of a man and a woman. The two of them settled in, but Vanilla rose right back up as soon as they did.

“I’ll go get our food, okay? What do you like?”

Tyril had no menu in hand and couldn’t answer immediately. Vanilla seemed familiar with the place, so, not wanting to waste time pondering, she left the decision to her.

“I’ll leave it to your recommendation, Vanilla.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mhm, go ahead. It’s my first time here, so I don’t really know what’s good.”

Vanilla started toward the kitchen area with a smile, while Tyril reviewed her notes from the class during the wait. Her new friend took quite a bit of time to return, perhaps because of the crowd.

“Since you left it to me, I ended up getting us the same thing,” Vanilla said, placing a tray of croquettes filled with mushroom and cheese—a cream croquette—in front of them. “Is this fine?”

“Thank you. It looks delicious.”

“Yeah, it really is. This is my favorite.”

“Oh, right, the money…”

“It’s fine; you can pay later. Let’s eat before it gets cold.”

With that, Tyril also picked up her spoon. The cafeteria’s croquettes weren’t exceptionally delicious, but they had a comforting taste that reminded her of dishes her father used to make.

She listened to Vanilla’s stories during their meal. It turned out that her new friend hadn’t come to the academy with the goal of improving her magical knowledge and skills, but for her art. After studying art at the church in her hometown of Fort City, she’d come to Saria to further refine her skill with the brush.

“I visited Saria once with my family as a child. I saw Delzarta’s ‘Feast of Saints’ at the cathedral, and I fell for it instantly! I started wanting to create a painting that could move someone like I had been someday.”

“Is that so?” Tyril replied. She’d never seen that painting, so she couldn’t relate to her emotions. However, she did strongly admire Vanilla herself for discovering her dream at such a young age.

“Professor Fermarl teaches in this academy. He’s famous for his studies in the arts, and that’s why I decided to enroll here. Oh, and because Delzarta also left many of his works in Saria in his later years.”

“I see… You’re quite something. I feel like I didn’t come here with as strong a purpose as you do…”

“That can’t be true. I’m just here doing what I want to do. Isn’t it the same for you, Tyril? You even transferred during a different period than most regular students.”

Tyril answered that with silence. What I want to do…? She had just been dragged along by Well’s influence. She hadn’t achieved or discovered anything yet.

“I…” She tried to squeeze out an answer, but couldn’t. Vanilla, meanwhile, was waiting for her, her head slightly tilted and with a soft smile. Pressured by her unspoken expectations, Tyril simply dodged the question.

“I came here on someone’s recommendation. I don’t dislike studying, and right now, I’m still blown away by the atmosphere here and the many people I’ve been meeting. What I want to do… I haven’t found it yet.”

Vanilla’s eyes suddenly widened. Tyril wondered why but eventually decided she didn’t want to know.

“Anyway, we need to hurry and finish eating already, or we’ll be late for our next class.” She ended the topic there and began moving her hands.

“Oh! Wow, it’s already that time. Sorry, I got carried away talking.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I don’t have many friends here yet, so it’s been a while since I had lunch with someone. It’s a lot of fun.”

And so they ate and conversed in between bites. The croquettes were delightful, and the time spent with Vanilla even more so. Tyril hoped that Vanilla would be willing to go out for lunch together again, despite the bit of awkwardness towards the end.

With their meals finished and the dishes brought to the counter, they left the cafeteria.

“Tyril, what’s your next class?”

“A practical class. Professor Raknag’s ‘Practical Exercises on Summoning Magic.'”

“I see. I don’t have a class next—I’ll be working on a project under Professor Fermarl. Well then, let’s do our best!”

Tyril nodded cheerfully, then parted ways with Vanilla in the hallway. I made a friend! She was so elated that she could hardly believe it.

However, in the next class…

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MTL/N: You eat croquettes with a spoon?

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