Slyvein was a big city, but finding the magic academy was a piece of cake. It was enormous, and its students did not need to leave, as they had all sorts of services within its vast courtyard.
The magic academy did not have a great wall like the city but had magic arrays, which proved more effective than crude walls. Even though magic protected it, guards still roamed around, and no one unauthorized was allowed to enter.
Aurora and Joshua were standing in front of the magic academy gates. They talked with Khali before leaving the inn, and he promised to protect Aurora and teach her magic to help her learn faster. Joshua could not thank him enough, but Joshua still felt that something was amiss. Khali changed after he saw the necklace Aurora had, and Joshua would try to find some clues about it in his adventures.
"Halt!" a man wearing a robe said.
Guards patrolling the city usually used weapons, but inside the academy, things were different. Most of the guards were powerful mages that graduated from the academy itself.
"What business do you have here?" the man said.
Joshua poked Aurora, and she quickly understood what she had to do. She handed the recommendation letter to the guard.
The guard had a look of surprise. Someone with a recommendation letter was rare; not everyone could have one. After seeing that, they let them in.
"I'm sorry, but our president is not here today. But you can talk with the vice-president of the academy." They lead them inside the main building of the academy. The place had many students, and they all gazed at Joshua and Aurora.
"New students this time of the year? The recruit time ended three months ago," a student said.
"Shh. These are people we can't touch," another one said.
~~~~
It was a good thing that they had the guard leading the way. The magic academy had many halls and stairs. Anyone could get lost inside there.
After some time walking, they arrived in front of a well-adorned double-door. It had details of pure gold, and Joshua could not understand what the symbols carved in it meant.
"This is the president's room. He's not there, but the vice-president is using it for the time being,"
"She's called Lilia. Please, I know you are esteemed guests, but treat her with respect. Due to the president being out, she's handling everything. Don't make her angry, or else your time here will not be as good."
They understood the point. The vice-president could turn the life of a student upside down. With that in mind, they entered the room.
A woman sat behind a desk. She was wearing a fine magical robe, and her hair was as bright as the sun.
[??????]
[??????]
The woman was strong. She had an aura of oppression, and it was evident that she was a powerful wizard.
"Please, sit," Lilia said, pointing at the chairs in front of her. They scanned the room a bit before sitting. It was all filled with books, and it even had some statues.
"What brings you two here?" Lilia said.
As they did not want to make her angry, Aurora promptly handed her the recommendation letter.
Lilia grabbed it and started to read. She did not mutter a word while reading, and even after she finished it, she still kept quiet for some time.
Both Aurora and Joshua waited for her to say something. For what it seemed, a recommendation letter was something big, as everyone treated them with respect after seeing it.
"All right. Are you Aurora?" Lilia said, and Aurora nodded in response.
"It seems this letter only applies to you. So, who are you?"
"I'm Joshua. I'm only here to keep her company," Joshua said.
"I see. Well, you two can say goodbye outside, and when you are ready, I'll show Aurora the academy."
The worst moment came. And it seemed that Joshua and Aurora would not have much time to say goodbye. They've become one last night, and Joshua promised that this goodbye would not last forever.
Outside Lilia's office, Joshua and Aurora hugged each other.
"This is not a goodbye, Aurora. We will meet again," Joshua said. He had fought many battles but holding his tears was the most difficult.
"Promise you'll see me every time you pass by Slyvein?" Aurora had tears streaming down her face, and before she noticed, her lips touched Joshua's.
"I promise."
Their moment last minutes. Joshua went inside the academy with her but now had to walk out alone. It was a heartbreaking moment, but one that had to happen. Aurora wanted to learn magic and become strong. The magic academy of Slyvein was one of the few places that taught her that. And Joshua, on the other hand, had to become strong in case the demon lord tried to conquer the world. There was also the Crow's Nest that he promised to rebuild.
"I know we will meet again," thought Joshua, looking down with teary eyes.
~~~~
While Joshua faced a difficult situation, Leo was inside the room anxiously waiting for him to return. The thought of going out on an adventure was something he wanted badly. Leo stayed in that mine for many years, so exploring the world was his dream.
Joshua had barely opened the room's door, and Leo was already jumping.
"Why took you so long?" Leo said.
"We had to say goodbye, all right? Calm down!" Joshua said.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot about that."
Even though Leo met Aurora not long ago, he still saw her as a friend. Parting ways was never easy, but sometimes that is the only option.
Khali reassured them that he would teach her magic and make her stronger. Joshua wanted Aurora to have the strength to protect herself.
Leo annoyed Joshua for them to go out on their adventure, and Joshua felt that he did not have anything else to do at Slyvein, so he left. This time the goodbye had been easy for both of them.
Before leaving, Khali gave them a magic poach he found in the middle of his stuff. That was what he needed to store the Aetherium he got.
Joshua talked with Khali about how they would share it. Khali got a small part of it, claiming that he wasn't a fan of money. Leo and Joshua felt grateful. Not only did he give them a magical poach capable of storing a large number of things, but he also got a small share of the Aetherium.
"Thank you for everything," Leo and Joshua said.
"Khali, I'll give you a part of my share so that you can give it to Aurora for me later." Joshua did not want her to have a hard time while he was away.
"Don't worry about it. Have a safe journey, my friend."
Joshua tried to store the Aetherium inside the magical poach, and it worked perfectly. It was extraordinary, to be more precise. It was a small poach, but it could store a lot. More than the crate they've stolen. Joshua realized that magic could do amazing things. Why wasn't he a legendary mage? Or rather, could he become a legendary mage too?
After they stored the Aetherium, Joshua and Leo left the inn.
~~~~
Two men left the capital that day.
"So, where is the city we are heading to?" Leo said.
"Hum," Joshua took the paper containing information about the mission and said, "it is called Lightside."
"Lightside? I have never heard of it. Do you know where it is?" Leo said
"I don't."
"You don't? How are we supposed to find it?"
"Wasn't you the explorer? Let's go find it."
"..."
~~~~
Joshua had the money to pay for most things, but they still left the city without camping gear. They would have to sleep in the wilderness once again. It was not a problem for Leo. A Lich did not have to sleep anyway.
"So, where should we start?" Leo said.
"Honestly, I don't know. Let's follow the road and find a city nearby. It should not bring us any trouble if we keep walking," Joshua said.
The sound of horses galloping entered Joshua's ears. No one would be crazy enough to attack someone close to the capital, right? That was what both Leo and Joshua thought.
A group of people appeared. They wore clothing armor and had scars all over their face. At first glance, they did not seem friendly. Some people had chains around their hands and feet, locked inside a small carriage. It was as if they were prisoners of that group of people.
"Look, we found two more. What a lucky day," one of the men said.
Joshua saw that most of them had levels between 5 to 15, but they had at least two hundred people. Joshua was strong, but that was way beyond his skill.
The thought vanished as soon as the chief of them appeared.
[?????]
[?????]
"What do we do?" Leo said.
"For now, nothing..." Joshua could not believe he was that unlucky.