章節 73: Ch 57 - The Royal Academies (Part 2)
The atmosphere around the Ivory Tower was lively and energetic, with a sense of camaraderie among the members. It was evident that they welcomed anyone who had the strength and the thirst for battle, regardless of their background or status. Over the years, the Ivory Tower had produced numerous famous transmutation and elemental mages who were known for their rugged and wild personalities, much like the current retainers of the Ivory Tower.
Their grandmaster, Ajax, was a reflection of the academy's values and personality. He joined his people in their noisy celebration, without any care about the other people. It was clear that the Ivory Tower was a force to be reckoned with, and their presence in the ascension ceremony was a testament to their strength and reputation as the Guard Beasts of the Kingdom.
I had heard that even commoners who join the Ivory Tower academy quickly adapt to their culture. Unlike other royal academies, they do not place as much emphasis on etiquette and manners, which is a relief for many students. Additionally, there is no discrimination in the Ivory Tower, and they welcome anyone with a thirst for battle and the strength to match.
Despite its welcoming nature, the Ivory Tower has the highest number of casualties during battle compared to other royal academies. The survival rate of the academy is quite low, which may explain why they accept all candidates during the ascension ceremony. They even started accepting young psychic mages, despite the lack of experienced instructors to teach them properly. This shows the extent to which they are desperate for new candidates.
It is admirable that the Ivory Tower values strength and courage above all else, and is willing to give anyone a chance to prove themselves. However, the high death toll also serves as a warning to those who are considering joining their royal academy.
As I looked at the students of Ivory Tower, I couldn't help but feel like this academy would be a perfect fit for me. I never really cared much for etiquette and the formalities that were so highly valued by other academies. The battle-hardened mages of Ivory Tower seemed more like my kind of people, with their rugged and wild personalities.
However, I had heard that despite their acceptance of all candidates, Ivory Tower students had to deal with a lack of resources from the Kingdom due to their high number of students. This could potentially make it difficult to fully develop my skills and reach my full potential.
Furthermore, there were concerns about the quality of the teaching instructors at Ivory Tower. While they were undoubtedly strong veteran mages, there were doubts about their ability to effectively teach and guide the students. It was possible that I might struggle to learn as much as I could with a more qualified instructor.
Overall, despite the potential challenges, I was drawn to the idea of joining Ivory Tower if no other academy would welcome me aboard. I shall keep it as a last resort.
On the other hand, the Starlight Nexus caught my attention with its well-dignified people seated beside Grandmaster Hamanthra. Known for producing powerful warriors in the fields of elemental and transmutation magic, the academy had a reputation for being one of the top academies. However, it was evident that etiquette would be essential here, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to adapt to their strict teachings.
Grandmaster Biswaq, Gunther, and Pierre had stationed some dignified people as well, giving off an intimidating aura that conveyed that their academy was not to be trifled with. Their academies, Biswaq's Radiant Sanctum, Gunther's Sapphire Citadel, and Pierre's Iron Will academy were also well-balanced academies of Elemental, Transmutation, and Psychic mages which also contained some powerful famous mages like the rest of them. They were also good academies that I would join if I could.
As for Grandmaster Harnold's retainers, they were all muscular old men who seemed more interested in mumbling and chattering among themselves than paying attention to their grandmaster. They were clearly blacksmiths, and it was interesting to hear that they were associated with Arcane Forge, a clan that trained mages to create mana weapons and artifacts. It was well-known that Arcane Forge was capable of creating weapons of mass destruction and had armed the entirety of the kingdom with their weapons.
I learned that Arcane Forge was the only academy that required candidates to clear exams and written tests to join. If you were a craftsman and a magic nerd, Arcane Forge was the perfect academy to join. They did not discriminate based on status and welcomed only sharp minds. However, they tended to prefer students with a fire element as the fire was the basis of all forging, and they trained young fire element-based mages to create the perfect weapons and artifacts.
While I found the concept of Arcane Forge interesting, I had no interest in forging myself, so there was no point in joining their academy. Nevertheless, I learned that a student graduating from their academy would be highly sought after and could even become the blacksmith of their country.
The most enigmatic academy of them all was undoubtedly the Mind's Eye Academy, headed by the elusive Grandmaster Messindra, also known as the Black Raven of the North. Her face was always concealed by a hood, and no one had ever seen her visage. The retainers at her side were also shrouded in dark clothing, emanating an eerie and desolate aura.
Mind's Eye academy was renowned for its psychic mages, boasting the highest number of such mages in the kingdom. Some rumors even claimed that these psychic mages possessed enough power to bring destruction to entire nations if they were to unleash their full potential. However, such rumors were likely exaggerated. Nevertheless, the academy was known to possess some of the most potent psychic skills, which allowed its students to unlock the mysteries of the mind.
The Mind's Eye academy was highly selective, accepting only a limited number of mages whom they found interesting. While they did admit elemental and transmutation mages, the latter was much rarer than the former. The academy was shrouded in mystery, and very little was known about its inner workings. However, those who were fortunate enough to be admitted to the academy spoke highly of its teachings and the unique perspective it offered on the world of magic.
In the unlikely event that I was to become a psychic mage, I would only consider joining the Mind's Eye academy. Despite their reputation for being creepy, I have worked with demons in the past who were far more unsettling. I am certain that the Mind's Eye academy is not as eerie as those wild demons from the demon realm.
I am confident that I would be an elemental fire mage, as my hair is red, and my mother was also a fire mage. However, I have already ruled out the Mind's Eye academy as well as the Arcane Forge from my list of potential academies to join.
There is another academy, Celestia's Mercy, which is ranked last among the nine royal academies. As I gazed upon Grandmaster Casia, the leader of the academy, I couldn't help but notice her beauty. Her retainers, all beautiful females with silky-smooth skin, were sitting in the stands like curious children. Though they appeared harmless and cute, they were actually part of the revered support mage class of the Healer class.
Celestia's Mercy is known for its healing techniques, and it has produced some of the best healers who have helped many adventurers and heroes in battle, leading them to victory. The academy is reputed to have some of the most powerful healing techniques in the world, capable of treating any disease or injury. There are even rumors that the academy possesses a secret skill that can revive the dead. While I suspect that these rumors are exaggerated to attract more students, they do speak to the academy's reputation for healing.
Celestia's Mercy primarily invites candidates who have an aptitude for life energy mana, also known as healing mana. Even if you are a psychic, transmutation, or elemental mage, if you possess a healing attribute, Celestia's Mercy is the ideal academy to learn everything there is to know about healing. However, the majority of the students are said to be female, as there are more female healers than male ones.
Personally, I find the idea of joining a healing academy unappealing. Learning how to bandage and treat injuries during a fight is not my idea of a fulfilling role. I wouldn't want to be a supporting character who stands behind during battles. I despise the concept of the healing class itself. In the demon realm, there was no such thing as healers. Only the brave and the fierce fight without a care in the world.
In conclusion, Celestia's Mercy is another academy that I have added to my list of academies to avoid.
As I arrived at the last and most prestigious academy, the Bloodfire Academy, I couldn't help but feel intimidated when I saw the infamous Grandmaster Travis himself come to represent his academy. Despite his ill-mannered behavior and antics, I had heard that he was a powerful transmutation mage who could control fire with great proficiency. However, his elder brother was the more well-mannered and shrewd-minded person and was next in line to become the academy's heir.
Bloodfire Academy had many noble and aristocratic students with powerful abilities in elemental, transmutation, and psychic magic. The academy had produced some of the most renowned and skilled mages who were now instructors in their academy. Additionally, I learned that the Bloodfire clan had close ties to the royal family and possessed powerful elemental techniques passed down from the legendary phoenix clan. The academy also arms its students with various potent artifacts and offers more benefits than any other royal academy. It was said that the quality of the students in Bloodfire Academy was so exceptional that they could outshine the students from all the other eight academies combined.
I couldn't help but wonder why they had chosen Grandmaster Travis to represent the academy. As I looked at him and the dignified and sensible retainers of Bloodfire academy standing beside him, I noticed a stark contrast between them. While the retainers exuded power and elegance and didn't ogle at women obscenely, Grandmaster Travis was still eyeing Celestia's Mercy retainers who were beautiful women.
As I observed the Bloodfire retainers, something caught my attention. One of the retainers standing beside Travis was a man in his forties with long hair, a black fedora hat over his head, and a cane with a hawk-shaped handle with an intricate design in his hand. He wore small circular glasses placed on his nose, and he looked like a typical gentleman from a picture dictionary. At that moment, he was staring right at me.
It was none other than Bervice Grate, the wagon manager of our ceremony train wagon. He was the one who had given the golden passes to my parents and had sent Keith to escort me and my parents to his mansion. I was surprised to see him standing next to Grandmaster Travis as his retainer, which meant he was actually related to the Bloodfire clan all this time. I stared at Bervice in disbelief, and our eyes met.
Bervice then leaned towards a woman standing beside him and whispered something in her ear. I was surprised once again when I looked at her. The woman was strikingly beautiful with red hair and green eyes, and she wore a bright red dress that exuded a feminine charm that was hard to resist. For a second, I had mistaken her for my mother, but she looked relatively younger. She bore an uncanny resemblance to my mother, and at that moment, she was looking right at me with a charming smile.
It turned out that Bervice Grate was treating the woman with the utmost respect as he presented himself, and it looked like he actually worked for her. I was puzzled as to what was going on, but one thing was for sure: I definitely wanted to join the Bloodfire Academy. With Bervice as a retainer, my chances of getting accepted should increase even more.
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