บท 129: W
C229 - Identities
"I would like to enter."
At that moment, Leonel stood outside another library of sorts within the Mage Academy. But, this library was much different as it was the place that housed the Magic Arts of Camelot.
Of course, by now, it was obvious to Leonel that the 'Magic Arts' of Camelot were the very same Force Arts he was used to. The only difference lied in the fact that the Force Art language of Camelot allowed them to directly draw their Magic Arts in the air.
The downside of this system was that their Magic Arts — or rather, Force Arts — were weaker than the ones Leonel was used to. This only made sense. After all, a Force Art written on a proper medium like a precious ore, for example, could draw on much more power and produce much more strength.
However, when drawn directly into the air, the Magic Arts were fleeting and thus weaker. In addition, they had to be completed within a certain period of time or else they would begin to dispel before the Art was even completed.
Of course, while there were downsides, there were upsides as well. For one, they were much more convenient to use.
Within the Joan of Arc Zone, Leonel had to carry around planks of wood just for a simple fire Force Art that was only useful against normal humans. Also, due to the common nature of the medium he used, the power of the Force Art was obviously also limited as a result.
So, while this Magic Art system had its downsides, it also had its positives as well.
The guards of the Magic Art Tower were known as Deacons. They were students who had already graduated and thus took up positions within the Academy to continue reaping benefits.
The tower was located within the Academy, making it look quite odd. After all, it was building built within a building. However, its majesty was no less grand.
It was within a greenhouse of the Academy grounds. Up above, there was a large dome of glass and all around one could find lush grass and well-tended gardens.
The tower itself was quite tall. From the outside, one could see that it had ten floors and stood at about 50 meters in height. It had a very simple stone design to it that radiated an ancient air.
The two Deacons stood on opposite sides of the door. Both were women and each wore an odd armor crossed with robes. It was quite a unique style of dress that was reserved for those with Deacon titles.
Since this place was so important, it wasn't a surprise that the Deacons tasked with guarding it were quite powerful and as such, equally as haughty.
However, their arrogant expressions faltered when they seemingly noticed Leonel's robes. Originally, they hadn't even looked Leonel in the eye but now they found it difficult to even speak.
"… Can I?"
Leonel thought that he had maybe done something wrong. He had only learned that this tower existed after overhearing a conversation. Elys had yet to introduce it to him, so he really wasn't sure if he was allowed to be here. He only felt that it was more weird that the area around the tower was so vacant.
Though there were many students around this greenhouse, many of them were several tens of meters away from the tower and seemed content with socializing within its vicinity.
For a place that Leonel thought should be popular, this was indeed weird behavior.
The two Deacons snapped awake and were about to usher Leonel in, a bit embarrassed by their previous actions, when their expressions suddenly changed once again.
Leonel raised an eyebrow and turned back to follow their line of sight. When he saw what it was that had caught their attention, he nodded his head in understanding.
Coming toward him, there was a small group of three people — two men and a woman.
In the middle of them, there was a man. The man and woman to either side both wore the deep blue robes of Three Star Official Mages while the man in the middle wore the pale violet robes of a One Star Magus.
What was curious was that the two Three Star Official Mages didn't have any embroidery on their robes, making it impossible to tell what branch of magic they followed. Now that Leonel thought about it, he hadn't seen any embroidery on Elys' or Aliard's robes either. He wasn't sure whether this was a stylistic choice or if there was a deeper reason.
However, at the moment, none of this mattered. The reason Leonel was so understanding of the reaction of the Deacons was because the man in the middle of the two of them did have embroidery. And… That embroidery was identical to his own.
There was only one young man in Camelot that was simultaneously so young and could wear golden embroidery like Leonel… Lionus Pendragon!
Lionus was a tall man, just as tall as Leonel. He had flowing blond hair and piercing sky blue eyes that made women swoon. His shoulders were broad and he had a kingly disposition between his brows. Even with the amiable smile that hung on his lips, he had a dignified air to him that made him well suited to be on a throne.
Lionus met Leonel's eyes and a pleasantly surprised look flashed within his gaze when he noticed the familiar embroidery. What surprised him even more, though, was that Leonel's disposition, although somewhat more reserved than his own, didn't seem to lose out to him in momentum at all.
He could tell that Leonel was a leader of men, but he could also tell that Leonel maintained a humble facade on the surface that limited his overall leadership ability. It was simple for him to tell that this was a flaw of Leonel's.
It could only be said that Lionus was truly the Crown Prince of a Kingdom, to be able to see through Leonel with just a glance like this made his abilities clear.
Lionus smiled and closed the distance between himself and Leonel.
The two Deacons were startled awake and kneeled down to one knee in salute.
"Prince Lionus!"
"Ah, there's no need for this. Please rise!"
Leonel smiled lightly, crossed a hand over his chest and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Prince."
Leonel hadn't been born in a culture where there was a heavy stigma against bowing or kneeling. So, he didn't really have an opinion about doing it one way or another. He wouldn't have minded kneeling at all, the only reason he hadn't and only slightly lowered his head was because he heard Lionus say that there was no need to.
Maybe had he been born elsewhere, or maybe in a different era, Leonel would rather die than kneel. But, this wasn't the life he was born into. That said, whether this would continue to be true in the future was a matter yet to be determined.
Lionus smiled brightly. "I've heard a lot about you. Leonel is your name, correct? It's great that our Camelot can have another Holy Son. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, but I heard that you were injured."
Seeing Lionus' genial approach, even Leonel couldn't help but feel a bit warm. It seemed this Crown Prince's charisma wasn't small.
"It's good that you're here, actually." Lionus continued. "This way, we can enter the tower together. Ah, forgive me for my lack of manners.
"This here is Official Mage Theybul, son of Sir Gawain of the Round Table. This is Official Mage Mary, daughter of Three Star Magus Tilda. They are very close to their Magus Ascension, so they've come to visit the tower one more time."
The two politely greeted Leonel with nods and smiles.
Leonel's brows raised in surprise.. It seemed that none of these three had lackluster identities.
To be continued
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