Chapter 358: Assembly Hall
The letter was dropped and Jonathan pulled out the draw to take out the guidebook. He skimmed through the entire book and did not see anything out of ordinary.
"Let's wait and see."
After that, Jonathan walked out of the room and to the end of the aisle. He was going to take a bath since the first-years were not allotted rooms with attached bathrooms or toilets. They have a set of bathrooms and toilets built at the end of either side of the aisle.
While walking towards his destination, he could hear a rustling sound from the rooms. Apparently, the students had thought that there is an encoded message in the guidebook, Jonathan thought.
The journey to the bathroom and back to the room was about 5 minutes after including the time spent at the bath. The refreshing sensation that he acquired after washing himself was invigorating.
Let's try the uniform.
Without wasting a moment, Jonathan slipped into the fresh pair of clothes and he was utterly surprised. It was perfectly fit for his dimensions and was not uncomfortable at all. It was as if the one who tailored this uniform already had his measurements.
Jonathan relished this feeling as he stood there while running his fingers over the fabric. There was an undecipherable sensation that veiled over him like a cloud of fluffiness.
Then his eyes caught the sight of the letter resting on the table and he was pulled out of the trance. Quickly stuffing his bag with the water pouch, pen, notepad, guidebook and the letter, he closed it and hung it diagonally over him.
There was a small pocket on the inside of the jacket where the identity card sat comfortably. The badge went to its assigned spot and Jonathan was ready for his first day at the academy.
Though the triple bell rang, he didn't go for breakfast. For some reason, he was not feeling hunger. While all the students dashed to finish their food as quickly as possible, Jonathan walked towards the academic building.
Even from a distance, Prima Equilion's academic building appeared splendid. Jonathan knew not that he had already neared the building as he was staring at it without blinking.
The seven storeyed building was the tallest on the campus. Though it was only a storey taller than the library, the difference in the height was almost three storeys. This was because each floor of the academic block was more spacious and taller than the floors of other buildings.
The ground floor was where the assembly hall and the faculty office are situated. The first floor is for first-year students. There, they have their vast classroom and a miniature library with all the necessary books for their learning. There are empty rooms for specialised purposes and sparring practices.
The second floor belongs to the second-year students and it goes till the fifth floor where the final year students sit and modify and improve their skills. Above that is the restricted floor where the principal's office is located. As the name says, no student is allowed to enter that floor under any circumstances. The rest of the floor is for some undisclosed purpose.
Jonathan stepped through the front door and he turned to walk to the assembly hall. The detailed layout was given in the guidebook, so he did not make a mistake in finding the room. He also doubted whether the warning-like words written in the letter were for introducing the assembly hall's position.
The door was open and Jonathan peeked in as he could not hear any voice from the inside. To his surprise, there was none inside the gigantic assembly hall. At a glance, he deduced that the seating capacity could touch the limit of 500 students.
Jonathan's eyes skimmed across the hall and fell over the stage. It was a magnificent platform made of wood and there was a lectern at the centre of the stage. The symbol of the Prima Equilion was engraved on the metal plate attached in front of the lectern. His eyes also detected the lack of chairs on the stage.
Then he observed the five rows of seats. He deduced that each row is for each class and went to the lowest row to have a seat. Sitting at the corner-most chair, his eyes again scurried through the assembly hall.
Almost a minute had passed when his acute auditory senses picked up many footsteps from the outside of the assembly hall. It was disordered and chaotic with feminine voices. Jonathan assumed the identity of the people even before they appeared at the door.
And his assumption was correct. A bunch of girls emerged through the door and their eyes scanned the entire room and saw the lonely sitting boy. One of them shrieked as they noticed the pointy ears of Jonathan. With whispers of curiosity and wonder, they neared him with caution.
Jonathan was resting his chin over his crossed fingers which were supported by his elbows planted on the desk. When the footsteps came towards him, he turned his head slowly and his pupils saw the bunch of girls.
Seems troublesome.
Jonathan saw a multitude of expressions on those girls' faces. Some had a disgusted expression while some displayed an urge to call him out for a duel. A girl expressed her curiosity with a vicious grin and another had a pride smug on her face.
But before they could get close to him, someone entered the assembly halls with firm steps. The echo resonated in their ears as they realised that the person is walking to the stage. Aged mid-forties, the man stared at the girls as they saw him standing on the stage with an unwavering attitude.
Something told the girls in their heart that proceeding to the elf would not do good and they retreated. Though they found seats in the same of Jonathan, their eyes were still stalking him and their mouths chatted ceaselessly.
A few minutes passed and an avalanche of students erupted into the assembly hall.