Chapter 41: Chapter 39: A necessary journey
[Luminare Academy]
Victoria could not help but frown. It had been the greatest day of her life thus far. She, Gwendolyn, and her mother went out together for what seed like the first ti in ages. They enjoyed cuisine, they laughed, they walked, and they enjoyed themselves.
Her mother was healthy and no longer bedridden. That one fact alone filled her with a joy she did not know she was capable of. After so long, her mother had been healed; she was no longer pale and sickly. She was full of vigor like never before.
It was why she neglected the academy for today, though very uncharacteristic. But she just wanted to spend ti with her mother. A smile crossed her face; she could not rember when last she was this happy. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was the best day of her life; it was no doubt much the sa for her little sister and her mother.
But all good things must co to an end. She was at ho, yet the ssage had reached her all the sa. Professor Eudora was making use of telepathy to contact certain students. The range of the ability was kind of absurd, she would admit, but it was quite impressive that she could extend it so far.
But Victoria knew how the professors ntal magic worked; it was a simple process of tagging one with their own mana. From there, it would be easy to pinpoint the specific person.
("To initiate telepathy, I believe the sender must focus their intention on the recipient and visualize a ntal connection forming between them. This connection acts as a bridge through which thoughts and emotions can be transmitted instantaneously. The sender then projects their ssage, whether it be a simple greeting or a complex idea, across this ntal bridge to the recipient.
The recipient, in turn, must be open and receptive to the incoming ssage and tune into the sender’s frequency to receive it. This requires a certain level of ntal clarity and sensitivity to pick up on the subtle signals being sent. Once the ssage is received, the recipient can interpret it in their own way and respond back through the sa telepathic connection.
Telepathy was not limited by physical barriers such as walls or even great distances. I have heard it can transcend space and ti, allowing individuals to communicate with others across vast stretches of land or even more. The strength and clarity of the telepathic connection depend on the individuals involved, with so being naturally more gifted in this form of communication than others. Quite nifty.") She concluded that, when it ca down to knowledge, few could compare to her in that aspect. She was even held in higher regard than most other spawn of Alric.
("Though Professor Eudora excels in magic regarding the mind, no doubt due to being a spawn of the love Goddess.") She thought it was quite amusing, though. Despite being the spawn of the Goddess of literal love and beauty, Professor Eudora was still single. Though she supposed she was not one to talk, she was pushing twenty with still not even a date.
"But so is Fiona; hmmm, new material I can use to tease her." She mused.
But back to the current situation: she was loathed to leave her mother so soon, but she had little choice. The headmaster himself had requested her, it seems. And there was simply no ’ignoring’ soone like Aleister.
"Now I wonder what dear Headmaster Aleister wants with . I doubt it’s due to my absence; I’m hardly that relevant." Though she supposed there was not much use in thinking of it now, She would find out when she got there in due ti.
So quickly, making her way towards a set of stairs, she walked on them and stopped midway. A simple thought crossed her mind as the area around her sprang as the stairs seed to ascend. Though the sudden action did not seem to bother the blonde girl as the constant spinning and ascending of stairs ca to a halt, walking up, she stepped onto the top level of the academy.
From that mont forth, it was just a matter of walking down a long, expansive hallway. Wooden floors with velvet carpets draped upon them and a row of paintings depicting the previous headmasters of Luminare Academy. She did not stop to admire the sight as she advanced to her destination.
A large black oak door with golden patterns woven into it, it was the headmaster’s office. The one and only room within the top floor of the academy, she did not know why. Mayhap, the headmaster, wanted to remain on top by himself; she did not care.
Raising her delicate hand, she knocked on the large door. A few seconds passed before she heard a muffled ’enter’. So, not wasting ti, she pushed past the door. She could not help but imdiately take in the sight of such a grand office.
The walls were adorned with paintings of all shaped, ranging from what looked like heroic battles to noble deeds from fairy tales, while lights cast a warm light across the room. A large carved oak desk sat at the center of the room, its surface cluttered with piles of parchnt scrolls.
Behind the desk, a high-backed chair of rich crimson velvet lood, its arms decorated with carvings of dragons and griffins. The headmaster himself was seated there, of course, his piercing blue eyes imdiately zeroing in on her as if to gauge her worth.
Further bookshelves line the walls, filled to bursting with what she could tell were ancient volus and magical artifacts. A large, crackling fireplace cast a glow over the room, its mantle lined with curious trinkets. A suit of armor stood guard in the corner to add further glamor.
Though, while entering, she and the headmaster were, of course, not the only two present.
She first spotted the brilliant white cascading white hair of Lucinda. Upon noticing her gaze, the girl rely sent her an awkward smile. The reaction was expected; Victoria had not long ago asked the girl to help cure her mother of Blightscurge. Yet even she could not manage it at the ti, no matter how proficient she was with magic.
Healing did not work, even when it was from Lucinda. And restoration was too dangerous, as the effects of ti magic were unpredictable. Alas, the spawn of Octavia felt guilty for not being of help, despite Victoria telling her that it was fine. Though she supposed it was just in the girls nature.
Now she also took note of Princess Mirabella; the girl just looked annoyed to be here.
And then there was a woman with raven hair and lilac eyes. With an impossibly large bosom, which she did not envy. She had rather large mana reserves, so she must have been soone of importance, which is why the lot was called no doubt.
And there was another blonde present—the Gregory heir and prodigy, she presud. She had the sa nasty glare as her dear father, said glare being directed towards soone in particular who leaned against the wall.
Victoria could not help but have a genuine smile cross her features as she took note of that eerily grinned mask. Mikoto, the one to whom all her gratitude was directed. He was responsible for saving the life of her mother when no one else could. Her heart could not help but swell with joy; it was just a dream co true.
The masked boy threw her a glance as he nodded his head in acknowledgent. She would have liked to converse, but Headmaster Aleister spoke up.
"Good, everyone is present." He started, his eyes scanning over everyone present. "I’m sure so of you are wondering why you were called."
"Obviously." Mirabella rather crudely replied. "And what’s this hag doing’ here?" She questioned as she gestured to the lilac-eyed woman.
"Co now, little Mirabella." Guinevere rely smirked despite being called a hag. "We’ve not seen each other in a while, so why so crude?"
"Because I don’t like you." The princess rely spat, electing a mock look of hurt from the court mage.
"So hurtful and savage as always." Guinevere responded.
"Wh-" Before Mirabella could retort, Aleister spoke up once again.
"This is court mage, Guinevere. She is part of the reason you were summoned." Aleister clarified.
"What would the king’s personal sorcerer want with us?" Agatha spoke up with a frown.
"We will be getting to that in a mont, but I’d like to ask you sothing first." The headmaster stated: "Would you all consider yourselves strong?"
"Ah? What’s the point of this question?" Mirabella questioned.
"It’s just for curiosity sake." Aleister answered with a smirk. "I’d like an honest answer." Suffice to say confusion was found with most in the room.
("Quite the random question.") Victoria mused. ("But it is linked to why we were called for. So is this a test, mayhap? To see if we are qualified for sothing? Or is it really just to satisfy the headmaster’s curiosity?") It was hard to tell what was going through the headmaster’s mind; his eyes were as blank as his face.
("Hm, I think I might have the gist of what is going on.") Lucinda’s eyes montarily darted to Guinevere. ("Lady Guinevere is here, so this is no doubt about the festival next month; they’re here to recruit more contestants.") The few here barring Mikoto certainly were a good enough choice, but they were too young and inexperienced safe for Victoria. ("But knowing Aleister, he has already thought of sothing; his strange question is no doubt him wanting to gauge their character.") She surmised.
("What’s with that dumb ass question?") Mirabella thought with a frown. ("Does it even matter if we think we’re strong? At the end of the day, results matter, not what soone thinks of themselves.") The princess concluded.
("What is the purpose of this question?") Agatha ntally humd as her eyes bore into the headmasters; his gaze was blank, yet they held an intensity to them. Though different from her father’s, she did not feel intimidated. ("I just feel so insignificant when I gaze into his eyes. His gaze holds power, different from that of the Chaosmaw. Does he hold true strength?")
("I could go for so chocolate.")
Sigh
Aleister sighed with slight disappointnt as he shook his head.
"So long to answer a simple question, that simply will not do. Fine then, I’ll pick." His gaze all but latched onto Mikoto’s lithe fra as he smirked. "Mikoto, was it? How about you answer my question? Do you think yourself strong?"
The others gazed at him as they too awaited an answer. Suffice it to say that everyone in the room had a keen interest in the masked boy.
Agatha knew he was more than ets the eye; she had briefly battled him after all. And despite having conversed several tis, she could not discern the enigma that was Mikoto Yukio.
Mirabella just wanted a chance to properly puml him, as she never got a chance. Then again, she would be lying if she said she was not curious about the masked boy. Especially based on what his mug might look like, he was probably hideous, hence the mask.
Lucinda just found him overall odd; who could bla her?
Victoria actually knew how powerful he was. She knew he was the one who destroyed the entire forest after all. But she did not care about that; Mikoto was an angel in her eyes. A mysterious force that helped her in her ti of need.
While Guinevere, well, she was just interested in Mikoto’s absurd mana reserves.
"I’m pretty strong." Mikoto answered casually.
"A straight and honest answer; I like it." Aleister grinned. "But how strong?"
"It depends on what I’m doing."
"I see." Aleister murmured before continuing. "Let’s see, if you and I were to battle, do you see yourself winning?" The answer for most people in the room was obvious. Aleister, while not an Inheritor, was still powerful all the sa.
After all, he used to be a general for the Galadriel military force. On top of being the spawn of Aragorn, He was even hailed as the kingdom’s most powerful sorcerer on so occasions. A first-year academy student obviously had no chance, realistically.
"Well, you’re a spawn of that destruction, God, and you have so serious mana reserves." Mikoto stated. "So it might cause
a little trouble."
"But tell
honestly, Mikoto. If we were to have a battle to the death, would you lose?" Most could not help but be confused by the strange turn of events. It was as if he were mainly targeting Mikoto for whatever reason.
But despite that, Mikoto answered without hesitation.
"I would win."
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