Leo was currently sitting in front of Brenda while she lectured on. He had started taking classes after the wedding and the fiasco of that day. Everything was put on hold, but it didn't change the fact that everyone treated him differently now. They didn't bow or curtsy, they didn't call him majesty or anything, but there was a measure of respect in their words and actions that wasn't there before. They would also come to him for advice on certain matters as if they needed his help. Thankfully things were different in his classes.
Because there was a priority for him to learn about Aletera over being a monarch, it was apparently decided that Brenda and Thomas would act like they always have during lessons. Brenda would teach information about magic, and the history of the various races. Thomas would teach about the recent events going on in the outside world. Leo was very attentive due to the fact that, while on earth most of what you learned would never be used outside of the classroom, the things he learned here would contribute to wether or not he lived in the future.
As he sat there, Leo's mind wandered to Iris and what she was currently doing. While he sat inside and had classes everyday, she was still going out and hunting. He turned his attention back to the lesson and continued paying attention. The day's lesson was about the different magic ranks.
"Magic as you know is split up into three different categories,
Mana, which uses your own internal energy to influence outside forces.
Chi, which uses your own internal energy to manipulate your own body, or weapons.
And energy, which is the manipulation of power outside of your body. This is considered the hardest of the three to master, and is mainly used by necromancers, craftsmen, and those who specialize in stealth. "
Even though this was mostly review for him, Leo paid close attention, any detail he missed could cost him his life someday.
"While there usually isn't any restriction on what ones you could learn, people usually only study one type of magic to master it, instead of trying to focus on all three at once. There are also three ranks for magic users, beginner, adept, and expert. These are also split up in three categories of low, middle, and high ranks. Due to the influence of Arthur however, no person has been allowed to advance to expert rank in a thousand years. There is no real official way to determine ranks however, as they are mostly used a guideline. The general labeling is,
Beginners, those who have started using magic and haven't developed the proper power, or control to advance.
Adepts, those who not only have power, but can use it almost at will. They may also start using it in their daily lives.
Experts, ones who are recognized as officials in terms of magic. They are able to help and guide others on the use of magic, and they are the go to for any issues involving magic."
As Leo learned this new information, he started wondering where in the rankings he would be. Knowing the question would be on his mind, Brenda said,
"You are considered a high level beginner. You are almost at the level of being an adept, but you need to focus on your control a bit more since most of what you do is throw your power around." Leo listened to her words with high amounts of contemplation. He was glad for her honesty, since he had seen in shows and books people lying to superiors to make them feel special. He didn't consider himself to be theirs, but they didn't seem to realize that. Grateful for the advise and honest review, the lesson went on.
"The military of the various kingdoms require for their soldiers to be at least high level beginners. If they wish to advance, they need to increase their rank in whatever field of magic they pursue. Most choose the style of chi fighters for direct confrontation, few others however choose to be mages. The use of magic, especially on the battlefield is far different between the adept and expert levels. As such there are only a handful in each army, and their main purpose is to answer any unexpected situations that might arise. The use of energy in the military is almost non existent.
When a person in the expert rank continues growing stronger, there is another level beyond it for them to achieve. It was the goal of all who aspired to reach the peaks of magic, master rank. Master rank magic users were akin to natural disasters, they could move mountains, or crush them completely. When they were still active, it was a requirement from the gods that anyone in the rank of master be unable to participate in military affairs, due to being able to level entire kingdoms overnight. At the moment however, there are no master ranks. The two most common theories for this are that Arthur killed them all, or that they went into hiding to escape his attention."
When Leo heard about the possibility of masters in hiding, he was reminded about one of the times he had spoken to Artemis. The annoying goddess had taken to giving him periodic lessons during his sleep. It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that he would be in her hut almost immediately after being with Iris. He sometimes thought the goddess did it on purpose just to piss him off.
His mind was drawn to their last encounter when she was informing him about the world related in terms of earth. Leo was quite surprised to learn that Aletera was several times larger than earth. When Artemis told him he tried to figure the difference, only for her to pull the information to compare out of his head. According to her, Aletera was roughly the same size as Neptune! He became amazed at the difference, before several questions came to his mind. Of course the goddess sent him back at that moment, before he could ask about things like the gravity difference and so on. Finding out exactly how big the world was, only made Leo more excited to explore it some day.
At that moment there was a small commotion outside, informing them of the hunters return. The lesson was ended, and Leo went out to welcome his wife, only to freeze at the door. When he opened the door the he was hit with the smell of iris's blood.
Leo had long learned that people had their own scents. When he became familiar with the smell of blood, he realized that the smell was the same, except with a heavy copper metallic smell. He also learned that there was a difference between the smell of animal blood, and human blood. That was why when he smelt iris's blood, rage flooded his mind.
It was normal for a person to occasionally get hurt during a hunt, but with iris's blood he could smell another persons that he hadn't met before. This meant she was attacked, and both of their blood was spilt. He stormed over to the hunters, where they quickly parted to let him through. He then found Iris standing there, the leathers on her leg were torn, and Leo could see that was where her blood was. The other persons though was covering her arm, and part of her body. She looked ashamed when he approached, and he could only get out two words,
"What. Happened?!" Before Iris could speak, Natalie stepped forward.
"We were attacked, by a small army that appeared to be looking for us." Leo looked around, and asked,
"Why is Iris the only one hurt?" Iris looked as if she was disgusted, and explained.
"The one in charge, he ordered his men to prioritize bringing me to him, alive." That was all Leo needed to hear to understand what happened. Along with the rage, there was a chilled calm as well. He wouldn't forget the one who had injured, and tried to shame his wife; but he wasn't going to lose himself in the process of seeking self satisfaction.
Leo started giving orders to the surrounding people to prepare for the attack. The whole time he never noticed how he just took control. Even though they were preparing for combat, the villagers couldn't help but smile at the fact that there was a leader to direct them into battle.