“Team up with you?” Nicole looked at Lily from head to foot then back again. “Are you sure? From what I can see, you’re strong enough on your own.”
“Hahaha! I wish that was true, Nicole.” Lily giggled. “Everyone knows that you’re the strongest of the Pillars for this school year.”
“Heh~ You’re playing the pig so you can eat the Tiger,” Nicole replied. “You’re scarier than you look. You even purposely failed the Initiation Ceremony, so that others would overlook you among the Pillars.”
Lily shook her head helplessly before shifting her gaze to Ethan and grabbing his hand.
“Nicole is talking nonsense,” Lily said. “I’m not as strong as she says I am. Although I admit that I’m not as weak as I look, she’s praising me too much. How about it Ethan? Want to team up with me? We can become the best Duo in the Acade–ack!”
Chloe pried Lily’s hands off Ethan and pulled the blue-haired boy behind her back.
“Ethan and I are already partners,” Chloe stated. “It will only be the two of us as a Duo.”
“Eh?” Lily looked at Chloe from head to foot, similar to what Nicole did to her a while ago. “Well, I did hear that the two of you are cousins. It is really a shame. I believe that Ethan and I would have been a wonderful pair, isn’t that right, Ethan?”
Lily gave Ethan a wink, which made the latter blush. This reaction made Chloe pinch his waist, making the blue-haired boy cry out in pain.
Nicole and Lily both giggled after seeing this scene, but decided to not say anything.
“How about it, Nicole?” Lily, who could no longer make Ethan a partner, shifted her attention back to the pink-haired beauty, who was labeled as the Strongest First Year. “We will definitely be the best team ever!”
“Your offer is tempting, but I have to pass,” Nicole replied. “I prefer to go Solo.”
“Hah… such a shame. All the strong and good looking people are taken,” Lily sighed exaggeratedly before walking away. However, after taking just a few steps, she turned around and winked at the three teenagers and gave her parting words.
“If the two of you change your mind, you know where to find me!” Lily said. “I don’t care how many people are in my team. The more the merrier!”
Having said what she wanted to say, Lily finally left.
“The two of you should be careful around her,” Nicole stated. “I wasn’t lying when I said that Lily is strong. She’s strong enough to go solo, but it seems that she is determined to play the damsel in distress. Take whatever she says with a grain of salt, and never, ever, trust her to guard your back. You might just find yourself getting stabbed before you know it.”
Ethan and Chloe both nodded their heads.
The blue-haired boy had plenty of experience fighting against wild animals who tried to attack their goats and sheeps. Although Lily was cute, Ethan could sense a feral side to her that was similar to a Panther that would ambush you when you least expected it.
After arriving at the Dining Area, Nicole and Chloe once again sat at the table reserved for the members of the Dud Manor.
This earned her a few stares from the Eques Manor’s Dining Area, causing the other First Years to start whispering to each other.
“Are you sure about this?” Ethan asked the pink-haired beauty in a hushed tone. “You’ll get alienated by your own Manor if you continue to act like this.”
“Oh, I’m sure of it,” Nicole replied. “Besides, I don’t need them. If they really escalate this issue, I’ll just go to the Headmaster and have him sort it out.”
“Wow,” Chloe commented. “Is this how a genius from a Noble Knight Family acts? You’re really full of yourself.”
“Lions don’t lose sleep over the opinions of sheep.”
“Uh… I feel sorry for the First Years of Eques Manor.”
Chloe no longer bothered Nicole and started to eat. It was perfectly fine for her to stay in the Dud Manor’s dining area because the entire school now knew that she and Ethan were “cousins”.
Because of this, no one found fault with her actions, and even thought that she was actually a very kind and caring person.
Taking care of a Dud was not an easy task, and some of Chloe’s Manor Members even told her that she could count on them if she and Ethan ever needed help clearing their Practical Exams, which were often called Trials or Missions.
“What do you think the first Practical Test will be?” Ethan asked. “Will it be as hard as the Initiation Ceremony?”
“I hope not,” Chloe shuddered after remembering the hardships she encountered fighting the Zombies that actively pursued those who use magic inside the Dungeon.
“We’re still First Years, so they wouldn’t let us do something too dangerous,” Nicole replied. “But, there is a chance that we will act as support to the Second Years in their Practical Exams. I heard that it is a very common occurrence here in Brynhildr Academy.”
“You’re quite knowledgeable, Nicole,” Henry, the Prefect of Dud Manor, commented. “It is as you said. Usually, First Years only do minor quests, like going to places and delivering stuff. Of course, there will also be times when you will be commissioned to help the Second Years with their own missions, giving you bonus Merit Points once it is successfully completed.”
Henry then glanced in Ethan’s direction and grinned.
“Actually, it is best that you form good connections with the other Manors,” Henry advised. “If you do, they can take you on their missions, and allow you to earn easy Merit Points by simply accompanying them.
“Of course, not everyone wants a Dud in their party unless they are there to carry stuff. I’ve had my share of those experiences as well, but the thing is, if you are able to get along well with the other Manors, many opportunities will open up for you.”
The other senior students of Dud Manor nodded their heads in agreement. Some of them even actively told Ethan whom to talk to if he ever needed the kind of help that a Manor specialized in. For example, when he needed healing, or needed some antidote to counter poisons, he could go to their friends in Terra Manor, where the best Healers in the Academy could be found.
The talk went on until lunch ended, allowing Ethan to learn many things. He was quite thankful because his Seniors were very kind, and helped him learn a thing or two about getting along with the other Manors in the Academy.
A few minutes later, the three headed to their next class which was the Spell Casting Classes.
It taught the basic theories, principles, and actual practice of Spell Casting. Although most Wizard Families taught their children a variety of spells as they grew up, the Spell Casting Classes aimed to strengthen everyone’s basic understanding of magic.
Perhaps, this was the class that Ethan was looking forward to the most. As someone who was dying to learn how to use magic, this was a lesson that he didn’t want to miss out on no matter what.
“All Wizards, and Witches, are born with their own Origin Magic,” the beautiful Professor, who had given Ethan the Moulding Ball during Initiation Ceremony said with a smile. “I will not go as far as to say that all Origin Magic is unique in every person, because history has proven that there are some people who have had similar Origin Magic in the past.”
Her name was Professor Violet, and he was Ethan’s, Chloe’s, and Nicole’s teacher in their Spell Casting Classes.
“So tell me, what measures how strong a person’s magic is?” Professor Violet asked as she gazed at her class, looking for someone to answer her question.
“Um, the Appraisal Stone?” a chubby teenager replied. “Back in the ceremony, the Appraisal Stone reacted strongly to the Pillars with the exception of Ethan Gremory. I think it is safe to say that it is a good tool to measure magic, right Professor?”
Professor Violet smiled. “Well, you’re half right. The Appraisal Stone has the ability to measure a person’s ‘current’ Magical Power. The Pillars have stronger magical powers than most because they had been trained by their families from an early age.
“Of course, there are exceptions when someone, who hadn’t been trained in the past, can make the Appraisal Stone react strongly, similar to what happened with the Pillars. However, this is not the answer I am looking for. Anyone else have an answer? What measures how strong a person’s magic is?”
Since someone had already answered first, the class was emboldened and immediately gave their own answers.
“The quality of their magic!”
“The ability to cast strong spells!”
“If they are able to solo missions!”
“If they have many lovers their magic is strong!”
All the students gave an answer. Some held logic in them, while some didn’t. They were just going with the flow, and Professor Violet allowed them to say whatever they wanted.
“Anyone else?” Professor Violet asked. “How about you, Mr. Gremory? You still haven’t given your answer yet.”
Ethan, who had now become the focus of attention, stood up and said his answer.
“Magic is the power that lies within a person’s heart,” Ethan replied. “The bigger a person’s heart is, the stronger their magic is.”
There was a brief silence before everyone, with the exception of Chloe, Nicole, and Lily, who was also in the same class, laughed after hearing Ethan’s reply.
“Did you hear that? He said Magic comes from the heart! Hahaha!”
“The bigger the heart, the stronger the magic is. Bro, tell me, is my heart big?”
“Your heart is big; as big as your belly. This means your magic is strong as well. Hahaha!”
“As expected of someone who can’t even do magic properly, he is able to say a bunch of nonsense.” The handsome blonde, Langston, sneered. “Magic comes from the heart? If that is true then everyone can learn magic.”
Ethan, who had been laughed at by others, felt his cheeks burning, so he decided to sit down and lower his head. Deep inside, he was feeling very embarrassed for the answer he had given.
For some reason, he remembered the time when he was listening to his Grandma’s story about Wizards and Witches, and she told him in passing that a person’s magic came from their heart.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Professor Violet clapped her hands to quiet the rowdy students.
However, none of them were paying attention to her, so she decided to take out her wand and lightly tapped her neck with it.
“Silence!”
The next time Professor Violet opened her mouth, a deafening roar escaped her lips making everyone cover their ears, with the exception of Ethan, Chloe, Nicole, and Lily.
Professor Violet’s shout had scared her students silly, making them all quiet down.
“Your answer is correct, Mr. Gremory,” Professor Violet said, shocking the students who had made fun of Ethan earlier. “The strength of one’s magic depends on how strong the conviction in their heart is.
“Like I mentioned earlier, the Appraisal Stone is a good tool to measure how strong a person’s ‘current’ magic is. However, even that strong magic can weaken, once they feel fear in their hearts. The moment they lose hope, the moment they succumb to negative thoughts, their magic will weaken, regardless of how powerful a Wizard or Witch is.”
Professor Violet then drew a heart symbol on the blackboard, and lightly tapped it with her wand.
“Always protect your heart,” Professor Violet stated. “Because it is in your darkest moments that cracks appear in it, allowing negative emotions to break past your defenses, and weaken your resolve, which will then weaken your magical power.
“There might come a time when you face helpless situations when you are doing your missions. If you let yourselves be swept away by negative emotions, the power behind your magic will lose its strength.”
Professor Violet then wrote the name of a spell on the blackboard before facing her students with a smile.
“Now then, since you already understand how Magic works, allow me to teach you the first spell that you will need in order to survive in the world,” Professor Violet raised her wand above her head. “I’m sure that the majority of you already know this because it is the most basic of all basic spells.
“However, make no mistake. Even the simplest of magic can save your life when used at the right moment. Now, repeat after me.”
“Lux Aeterna!”
An orb of light appeared above Professor Violet’s head, giving off a radiance that made Ethan feel as if something warm was spreading inside his heart.
“““Lux Aeterna!”””
All the students said the spell that Professor Violet taught them, and before long, the entire room was filled with soft light. It wasn’t enough to blind anyone, but it was enough to illuminate the entire room, casting dark shadows on the floor.
“When there is light, dark will also be there,” Professor Violet explained as she pointed at her feet, where her shadow could be seen. “That’s why, we should always be vigilant because there is darkness in every person’s heart.
“Sometimes, this power can be harnessed to do great things. But, no matter how miraculous, or how powerful you become with this power, never, ever, let it consume you. Because, when that happens, you are no longer a person. You will become a devil, whose sole purpose in life is to extinguish the light of others, in order to temporarily regain what you have lost in the darkness.”
The Professor then taught the students how to freely control the orb of light that hovered in the air, creating a fun activity for everyone.
However, amidst the smiling faces, a blue-haired boy sighed in his heart.
He had already set his expectations very low, but everytime he saw someone use magic, that faint hope in his heart would flutter every now and then, only leaving him to be disappointed once again.
Ethan’s expression didn’t escape Professor Violet’s gaze. But, she didn’t do anything about it.
This was the Fate of all Duds, and they had to find a way to overcome this obstacle before they could have a fulfilling Academy life, and be able to more fully explore the world where Magic ran wild and free.
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