The office has never been so noisy and “fun”. Writing instruments, pages, dust from the cabinet, and even splashes of saliva flew into the faces of intractable opponents. The rector of the Academy of Wind and Storms, Escher Felsen Schwartz, the onyx dragon, watched this disgrace with a stony face. He had held his position for almost a hundred years, but he had never witnessed such a commotion before.

– Enough! – he couldn’t resist and slammed his fist on the table. Having dispelled several whirlwinds accidentally created by the debaters, the rector delivered a verdict: “It will be as I said, and this is not discussed!”

His words fell like black blocks into the depths of the sea.

“Excuse me, Asher Schwartz, but I…” the dean of the Faculty of Natural Arts, Richard Blackrock, did not want to calm down.

He was unceremoniously interrupted by Estella Krieger, head of the Department of Household Magic, the only woman among the deans:

“But from the very beginning, only boys studied with us!” We are simply not ready to accommodate girls here! You will need separate amenities, a separate house! How will they shower after training? They'll have to run to campus! Surely you haven't even thought about this? So what should we do? – she added sarcastically and hit the nail on the head!

But she didn’t manage to win over the rector with this.

– There’s still a whole month before the adepts arrive, eshsheri. I am sure you will cope with arranging your home. After all, that’s what you teach, isn’t it? Don't disappoint me!

– Pfft! – the Magess snorted arrogantly and turned away, folding her hands on her lush chest.

The quarrel almost flared up with renewed vigor, but the rector kicked everyone out of the office, ordering them to calm down.

– We’ll continue tomorrow, when you’ve cooled down and can absorb the information, but now everyone is free! Free, I said!

Felsen Schwartz pronounced the last phrase with palpable pressure. Yell after that “Vooooon!” I didn't have to. The dissatisfied deans, sensing the smell of something fried, gloomily reached for the exit.

– Blackrock, stay! – the rector suddenly stopped one of them.

When the door closed behind the others, and he and the dean were left alone, the onyx dragon openly showed dissatisfaction with his colleague:

“And from you, Duke, I expected support, and not such fierce resistance.” It seemed to me, or you are personally interested in preventing changes in the academy. I'm right?

The dean hesitated, looked around the room, but still met the rector’s gaze and answered:

“It seems like a waste of time to me.” We'll just cause confusion.

– Richard, I already said that the idea was not mine. The order came from the Bishop’s office, and who are we to contradict? The union of your eldest daughter with Rengold Hallward and the healing of the northern dragons from the Scourge has shaken up the dragon community throughout Balaria. The tradition of marrying true ones has returned to fashion, but you know what?

– What? – Blackrock asked.

– The number of marriages has sharply decreased. For two years, dragons have been regularly visiting the Valley of the Spring Primroses, but, as you know, there are almost no elementals of the required orientation there,” Schwartz shared a secret.

– Is that why the Bishop ordered the creation of a women’s faculty? “Blackrock showed glimpses of understanding.

– Right! It's enough to hide girls in closed boarding houses. You can’t organize a show there, it’s a violation of all foundations and rules. But, as you know, not only dragons have problems, but also magicians.

– What are these? – The dean frowned.

– Elementals are degenerating! Don't you notice this? – the rector flared up, angry at the denseness of his colleague and one of the most skilled elemental magicians. – Every year we receive fewer and fewer students with above-average potential. And all because in these boarding houses of yours they teach dancing and dressing up, and not how to control the weather and pacify hurricanes! A gift that is not in demand dries up as unnecessary! Take your wife, for example,” Felsen Schwartz couldn’t resist making a quip.

The Duke spoke, choosing his words carefully.

“You see, Felsen,” he addressed the rector as if he were an old friend, which he allowed only in private and then rarely. – My youngest daughter Mirre is studying in one of these boarding schools. She is making some progress, but…

– If she is successful, she will definitely be chosen. Don't worry so much, we will easily solve this issue.

The dean's face contorted for a moment as if he had been offered a sip from the latrine. But he immediately pulled himself together and, sourly thanking the rector for his help, left the office.

Felsen Schwartz leaned back in his chair with relief.

It turns out that Blackrock was simply embarrassed that his daughter was not a strong enough magician. There were rumors about the dean's wife: she was beautiful, but the magic was barely there. It is not surprising that my daughter’s gift awakened only at sixteen – four years later than usual. And what kind of gift is that? One name, most likely…

But the rector was not particularly worried. He hoped that all the adepts would quickly find grooms and leave the academy early. Even if they return to their boarding houses, most importantly, already engaged. For the dragons, it didn’t matter at all how strong the magician the true couple was. Everything is arranged differently for them.

So Felsen Schwartz, with a calm soul, promised to place Blackrock’s daughter in an academy closer to daddy. Since the mediocre Crystal Princess grabbed the whole duke and the best elementalist, then their daughter will also look after her future husband. And then, lo and behold, she’ll get married even before finishing her studies. It is not at all necessary for her to study well.

Mirre Blackrock, a pupil of the capital's Boarding House for Noble Elementals named after Teresa the Magnanimous in Verlore, Onyx Rocks

Having settled down on a wide window sill in our shared bedroom for twenty pupils, I placed a book under a sheet of paper and hastily wrote a letter to my older sister. My neighbors and the girls from the room opposite gathered with us, sitting on the beds in twos and threes, to admire the lucky one, that is, me, and at the same time express to her, that is, to me, a collective “Fi!”

Fortunately, there were those here who rejoiced at my luck. Unfortunately, they found themselves in the minority, or rather, alone, so skirmishes broke out in the room every now and then. Quiet and even relatively polite. For others, we would be punished – it is not right for noble eshsheri to behave like market women.

Therefore, the girls whispered animatedly and sighed enviously, every now and then glancing sideways in my direction, but they did not allow themselves more than poisonous statements.

– Lucky you, Mirka!

– Still would! Her father is a dean at the academy. It's no surprise that she was chosen.

– That's it! So, did your father bother? I see…

– What are you talking about! I seriously didn’t know?!

– The first time I've heard!

– Don’t be jealous! Or have you forgotten what score Mirre received on testing last year? – my only friend Samantha sarcastically reminded. – A hundred out of a hundred! And Grymza said that she would have made an excellent battle mage if she had been born a boy. So there’s nothing to talk about!

The discussion went in a new circle, but I didn’t listen anymore. During the two years that I spent at the Boarding House of Teresa the Magnanimous, who during her lifetime was still such a bitch, I managed to become completely disillusioned with both local teaching methods and the noble eshcheris in general, which is why I was glad with all my heart that I was leaving. Another dream coming true!