Melissa found herself buried in the taxing task of ranking the academy's students. With no help from her fellow professors, she painstakingly analyzed, compiled, and sorted the data alone. At last, with the report finalized, she headed straight to the principal—the Great Sage—to present the results of the tests. She also needed to discuss a peculiar matter regarding the academy's top-performing student, Rae Vermont, and the strange symbol that had appeared during her mana capacity evaluation.
"Good morning, Great Sage," Melissa greeted politely upon entering his office.
"Good morning, Melissa," he replied with a warm smile. "How are you faring?"
"I'm managing well, sir," Melissa answered. "I've just finished compiling the rankings report, and I'm here to deliver it."
"Excellent," the Great Sage said, leaning forward. "Please, give me the details. I'd like to discuss them with you right away."
Melissa nodded and began. "This year, six hundred students registered for the evaluations. Out of those, four hundred and eighteen participated in the combat evaluation, and three hundred and ten passed. Of the successful candidates, forty were nobles, while the rest were commoners."
The Great Sage listened intently. "That's not bad. Please continue."
"In the magic division," Melissa went on, "two hundred and ten students participated, but only forty passed. Of those, thirty-five were nobles."
The Great Sage nodded knowingly. "That was to be expected, I suppose."
Melissa continued, "As for the royal evaluation, thirty nobles participated, but only five qualified."
"And who claimed the top spot this year?" the Great Sage asked, his interest piqued. "Particularly in the magic division?"
Melissa smiled slightly. "A girl named Rae Vermont."
"A girl?" The Great Sage raised his eyebrows. "That's new. It has been ages since a girl held the top position."
"Yes, sir. The last time was your daughter."
The Great Sage's expression softened with nostalgia. "Ah, my prized pupil and beloved daughter... Merle. The most eccentric, yet brilliant magic prodigy I've ever seen. It has been far too long since I last spoke to her. I miss her every day." He cleared his throat, returning to the matter at hand. "But back to the rankings—were there any notable feats during the tests?"
Melissa hesitated before answering. "Actually, that's why I need your help, sir."
The Great Sage leaned forward, intrigued. "What do you need help with?"
"It's about Rae..." Melissa began, choosing her words carefully. "Her performance was... extraordinary."
"Go on," he urged.
"She was the first to finish the combat duel," Melissa explained. "And not just finish—she completely overpowered Mr. Arnold... at his full power."
The Great Sage's dark eyebrows shot up. "Oh? That's impressive."
Melissa shook her head. "That's putting it mildly. During her aptitude test, we measured for all the tangible elements, and she can manipulate every single one of them."
"Every element?" he echoed in disbelief.
"Yes," Melissa confirmed. "And during the mana capacity test, the machine displayed... this." She pointed to a hastily sketched symbol in her notebook.
The Great Sage's expression grew grave. "Are you certain the machine displayed that symbol?"
"Yes, sir," Melissa replied firmly. "What does it mean?"
The Great Sage exhaled deeply, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "It means her mana capacity was undetermined. Her reserves were too vast for the machine to measure."
Melissa's eyes widened. "That's... incredible. But there's more, sir. Rae can perform chantless magic."
The Great Sage froze. "What did you say?"
"She cast spells without vocalization," Melissa clarified.
The Great Sage muttered under his breath, his tone laced with unease. "Is she one of them? If she is... the kingdom's nobles must not find out. It would lead to chaos, just like the civil war a century ago."
"Sir? Are you all right?" Melissa asked, noticing his troubled expression.
The Great Sage straightened, regaining his composure. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Did you notice anything else?"
"One more thing," Melissa added. "She passed the royal evaluation as well."
The Great Sage's face darkened. "A royal, too? Could she have inherited it...?" He shook his head and turned back to Melissa. "I want to meet this Rae Vermont."
"I'll arrange a meeting immediately, sir," Melissa promised.
As she left the office, Melissa couldn't help but feel a growing sense of curiosity—and unease—about the remarkable student she had just reported on.
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Rae was getting accustomed to the dorm house that had been provided for her. She went the extra mile to make it as modern as possible, ensuring there was running water, a heating element, and improved waste disposal systems. The plumbing technology was far ahead of its time, and even the waste disposal mechanisms were impressive. The water was available at a watering point at the back of the house, near the outdoor bathroom. While the bathroom itself was decent, it inspired Rae to create an open-air bath, as she loved soaking in hot water. The task would have been difficult without her earth and water magic, but fortunately, she had both at her disposal.
Creating the open-air bath was simple. Rae dug a pool about seventy centimeters deep and placed bedrock beneath it. She then created a spell to draw water from underground. However, her fire magic was still malfunctioning, making it difficult to heat the water. The underground water was warm, but it wasn't hot enough for a proper hot spring.
Eleanor approached Rae, sensing her frustration.
"Is there anything I can help you with, my queen? I can sense your frustration, and I would like to ease it in any way I can."
Eleanor's caring nature never ceased to amaze Rae. Their vampiric bond allowed Eleanor to pick up on Rae's emotions, and whenever Rae was in distress, Eleanor was there, ready to assist.
"I wish you could. The only way you could help is if you could use fire magic."
"I'm sorry, my queen," Eleanor said, disappointment evident in her voice. "I wish I could, but unfortunately, I cannot use any magic."
"Don't worry about it," Rae replied. "I'll find another way. And please stop calling me 'my queen.' We've known each other for a long time, and you're older than me."
"But I can't, my queen, because you are my queen."
"What about calling me how you used to, before the duel?"
"Ahhh… Okay, my lady."
"Much better," Rae said with a smile. "For now, we'll use science since magic isn't working."
"Science?" Eleanor asked, confused.
"Yeah, science. We can use waste from the restroom to produce something called biogas by passing it through a biodigester. This biodigester will intercept the waste before it reaches the underground disposal tunnels and release it when it's full."
"Ah, okay. As you wish, my lady."
They set to work, and before long, Rae had a biodigester that could generate biogas. The biogas would be used to heat the rocks for the open-air bath, as well as for cooking and providing warmth during the winter.
After a long day of work, Rae finally got to relax in her makeshift hot spring. Eleanor and Ivy joined her, but it was hard for Rae to unwind with them around, flaunting their bodies. She couldn't help but notice how voluptuous they were, especially since she still thought of herself as a boy inside. Despite looking like a girl to them, she found it hard not to stare at their curves. Embarrassed, Rae soon got out of the bath. It was then she noticed that her own body had grown quite large as well. "Looks like it's time I learned about lingerie shopping," she thought to herself.
When school started the next day, Rae didn't even make it into a class before she was summoned by the principal.
"Come in, come in. Good morning, Miss Vermont."
"Good morning, sir. May I inquire why I have been summoned?"
"Take a seat first."
The principal studied her for a moment. "Miss Vermont, how old are you, if I may ask?"
"I just turned twelve years old."
"Oh, so young, yet so skilled and magnificent."
"Thank you, I suppose," Rae replied modestly, "but I'm still learning. I'm not as skilled as I want to be."
"Quite ambitious, I see. Anyway, I won't keep you long. Let's cut to the chase. I'd like to request that you share your knowledge with the school."
"What knowledge, exactly?"
"Silent casting, of course."
"And why should I?" Rae asked, her voice cool. "My teacher and I struggled hard to craft our own magic language."
The principal sighed. "You may not be aware, but there's a war brewing."
"A war?" Rae's interest piqued.
"The demon world is preparing to invade us," the principal continued. "You live close to the border, so I'm sure you're aware of the danger."
"I know all too well," Rae replied bitterly. "My mother and my teacher both died in an attack from the demon world."
"Then all the more reason to share your knowledge. We need your magic to save lives."
"Save lives?" Rae scoffed. "Where were you people when my home was attacked, not once but twice? My father asked for help, but no one from the capital even bothered to respond. As a result, I lost my mother, Crystal, and my best friend and teacher, Merle."
The principal looked shaken. "Did you say… Merle?"
"Yes," Rae replied, her voice hard. "Do you know her?"
"My… Mer—" The principal faltered, visibly distressed.
"Sir, are you okay?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry about that. I'm sorry to hear that you lost such important people. But please, for the sake of preventing this from happening again, share your knowledge."
Rae paused, then made her own offer. "I'll share my knowledge, but in exchange, I want unrestricted access to the library. And I want the assistance of someone well-versed in its contents."
"But—"
"That's my offer," Rae cut in. "Take it or leave it."
"Give me some time to think about it," the principal replied.
"Take your time," Rae said, standing up. "Come back to me when you have an answer."
She left the office and headed straight to her homeroom. By the time she arrived, the rest of the class had already introduced themselves. Rae was the last one, so she quickly introduced herself and took a seat at the nearest empty desk. Her homeroom teacher, a woman named Melissa Halrsehide, had administered their exams. Rae scanned the room but didn't recognize any faces.
Lunch soon arrived, and Rae headed to the dining hall. She was taken aback to find that there was a class-based division in seating. Commoners sat at one end, nobility at the other, and those of royal status had a reserved table. The royal factions had lavish tables filled with members, but Rae's table was small, with only Ivy and Eleanor waiting for her. As she walked toward them, Rae felt the stares of others—eyes filled with fear and hatred. She could hear murmurs of ill words, but she ignored them, sitting down with her friends and enjoying their company.
After lunch, Rae was once again summoned to the principal's office.
"I've consulted with others, and I've decided to accept your offer," the principal said. "As for your library assistant, I've found someone. Her name is Pico. She's still a student, but she possesses an incredible amount of knowledge. You'll become a part-time professor and teach your knowledge."
"Yes, I will," Rae said without hesitation.
"Good. I expect great things from you."
"Hi, Pico," Rae greeted her new assistant. "Let's have a wonderful time together."
They walked to the library, where Rae could observe Pico's skills.
"Pico," Rae asked, "Have you ever learned about resurrection?"
"No, not really," Pico replied. "If there is anything about resurrection, it would be in the forbidden section of the library. But why are you asking about this?"
"I recently lost someone dear to me, and I want to know if it's possible to bring them back."
Pico looked sympathetic. "I have an idea, but it might not be a good one."
"Just tell me."
"Well, if you raid a dungeon, you might find a dungeon treasure with the power to resurrect the dead."
"Wait, dungeon treasures can do that?" Rae asked, surprised. "I thought dungeon treasures were only weapons."
"Not exactly," Pico replied. "Dungeon treasures come in all shapes and sizes. They're powerful objects with unknown properties."
"But the chances of finding one that can resurrect the dead are pretty low," Rae said, contemplating the idea.
"What about clearing a labyrinth?" Pico suggested.
"A labyrinth?" Rae asked, confused. "What's a labyrinth?"
"No one really knows for sure," Pico answered. "It's said to be a whole new world. Dungeons are thought to be gateways to labyrinths. Legends say that if you clear a labyrinth, you can make any wish come true."
"So, if I clear a labyrinth, I can wish for my loved ones to be resurrected?" Rae asked, intrigued.
"I'm not sure," Pico said. "It's just a legend."
"Even so, if there's a sliver of truth to it, it's worth trying. So, if clearing a dungeon gets me entry to a labyrinth, then that's what I'll do."