"Conspiracy?" Blaze questioned calmly.
"But I don't think it's possible though," Cherry added.
"Maybe it's part of the training," Aurora interjected.
"That's why we need to stick together to get out of this place," Cherry said but added after, "But if it's a dark conspiracy, then you will need my help to navigate your way across the academy."
"So, it's just a guess?" Blaze asked before resting his back on the tree behind him.
His actions surprised Cherry. She thought he was going to leave after finding out that it was merely a guess.
"It surprised me that you would call the Princess of another kingdom to your aid instead of your sister. Well, that's not my business anyways," Blaze muttered, remembering the complications about Princess Cherry, Yvonne told him. But he knew it wasn't the right time to get involved. Changing the topic, he asked, "What's a Grand Mage?"
"The rank after the Awakened Mage – the real genesis of mage," Cherry replied.
"So, Awakened Mage is the cover of the book or outside the book if we haven't reached Genesis?" Blaze asked.
"Typically, Awakened Mage is not considered a mage, because we can't cast Tier-2 Weapon Spell freely. The amount of our mana increases when we get to the Grand Mage level. We could also fly and unlock the Seal of the Bloodline if there is one," Aurora explained this time around.
"How powerful is a Grand Mage on a scale of one to ten?" Blaze asked.
Priscilla interjected, her voice eager to contribute to the conversation. "In terms of destructive power, a solid core Awakened Mage is considered a one on the scale. However, a peak Grand Mage ranks at a formidable ten. If that Grand Mage possesses a powerful bloodline, their rating increases further to fifteen. It's worth noting that a single Grand Spell from a Grand Mage can deliver a devastating blow, overpowering an Awakened Mage a hundredfold."
Blaze nodded and closed his eyes. Aurora and Cherry did the same to recover their mana.
"Why didn't you shoot the arrows early?" Priscilla's voice made Blaze open his eyes before closing. She was talking to Olivia.
"I…I…" Olivia stuttered as usual.
Priscilla's frustration only grew, and her tone became stern. "If you had shot your arrows earlier, perhaps we wouldn't have found ourselves in this disastrous situation."
"But you…I…" Olivia could only continue to stutter as she shrank into her body.
"That's why we would have—"
"Enough," Blaze interjected calmly, immediately silencing them. "She saved your life when the bear was about to trample you. The least you can do is show some gratitude. Now that you're aware, can you please refrain from making any more noise?" Blaze enunciated unhurriedly.
"I…you…" It was Priscilla's turn to stutter.
"I don't see any difference between you and your sister except that she's stronger. You've got no attack power other than making a foolish static wall. A small hit from the bear and you passed out for eternity. Any more noise, and you can go and join your sister," Blaze finally spoke coldly as he criticized without holding back.
Slowly, Blaze rested his head and was about to relax, not minding Priscilla's ugly expression. Suddenly, he felt a shadow over his face and a hand moving towards his body.
Blaze's eyes snapped open with a sudden intensity, his hands darting forward like a striking serpent. He swiftly intercepted the hand that had come perilously close to his scarred uniform, preventing any further encroachment.
"I want to heal your wounds?" Sophia said with a tiny voice.
"Your help is not needed. You should reserve your strength. Tomorrow is going to be hectic," Blaze said calmly before releasing her hand slowly.
Aurora was watching from the side before returning to her meditative state.
After two hours of total silence from them, they all recovered their mana.
'Looks like my mana veins are healed. Tomorrow, I have to sneak out of the academy,' Blaze thought as he silently made calculations.
"How the hell did you almost fill your liquid core?" Cherry was the first to break the silence.
Blaze opened his eyes and stared at her for a moment before closing them.
A resounding snore, impossible to disregard, jolted everyone from their surroundings. All heads turned towards the source of the disturbance, only to find Robin blissfully immersed in a deep slumber, emitting snores reminiscent of a contented swine.
"Robin, stop snoring in capital letters." Aurora punched Robin, making him wake up drowsily.
"I'm pretty sure I'm snoring in small letters," Robin mumbled sleepily, before promptly drifting back into slumber.
The perplexing exchange between Aurora and Robin left the faces of the onlookers twisted in a bewildered expression, struggling to comprehend the nature of their interaction.
"Maybe we should leave now. Everybody has recovered—"
"Their mana, not their stamina," Blaze cut Cherry, who was giving an abrupt and foolish suggestion.
"Fine. We are bored. Can you tell us where you live? Your home?" Cherry asked. Everybody's eyes turned to Blaze attentively with gleaming eyes.
However, Blaze was not in the mood for that. Closing his eyes, he slept lightly.
"Foolish pride," Priscilla scoffed, her voice laden with disdain. She turned her attention to Cherry, engaging in a discussion. Meanwhile, Olivia and Sophia started to forge a connection, and their bond slowly blossomed. Aurora, ever the quiet observer, listened attentively from the sidelines.
Suddenly, Blaze's eyes flickered open, interrupting the unfolding interactions. His gaze settled upon the trio of friends, prompting him to query, "Are the three of you acquainted previously?"
"Yes. You've got a problem?" Priscilla snapped angrily.
Blaze's gaze swept across the faces of Aurora, Cherry, and finally settled upon Priscilla.
"Why do you stare at me like that? Do you believe that I do not belong?" Priscilla growled, her voice laced with irritation.
Without uttering a word in response, Blaze simply returned to his slumber, his mind consumed by calculations and contemplation.
—
As Blaze's eyes fluttered open once more, the darkness enveloped his surroundings. The girls remained engrossed in their ongoing discussion, prompting Blaze to ponder the nature of their prolonged conversation.
Rising to his feet, Blaze began to make his way back in the direction from which he had previously arrived.
"Where are you off to?" Aurora inquired, her voice filled with curiosity.
"Firewood," Blaze responded succinctly before proceeding on his way.
He retraced his steps until he reached the pile of splintered wood, which had been split by Priscilla's sister. Without wasting a moment, Blaze set about picking the woods.
Liam and his teammates sat nearby, keeping warm by a crackling fire. However, Blaze purposely averted his gaze, too lazy to care about them.
After picking the woods, Blaze turned and walked away. However, Blaze saw Olivia in his path.
Olivia walked towards Blaze timidly.
"What do you want?" Blaze questioned calmly.
"I just want to thank you for saving my life," Olivia said with her tiny voice like a mosquito.
"It was nothing. Just lending a hand to a helpless soul," Blaze said offhandedly.
"It was nothing for you, but it meant everything to me. I would have died if not for you," Olivia said, finding her confidence in the face of Blaze's nonchalant attitude toward everybody.
Blaze treated everybody the same, this made her confident he wasn't discriminating against her because of her background.
"What finally made you shoot?" Blaze asked after they continued walking back in silence.
"Sophia," Olivia said a name and threw her face away.
"Sophia?" Blaze questioned in confusion.
"Girls talk," Without looking at Blaze, Olivia stated.
Blaze nodded and decided not to pry,l as both of them seemed to be like-poles.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Blaze couldn't help but ask the question that had been lingering in his mind. "But how were you able to spot the bear's wound from such a distance?" But he still wore a poker face.
"I have a stupid bloodline – the Hawk bloodline. But it has granted me better sight since birth," Olivia said with a sad smile.
Blaze, unphased by Olivia's somber expression, immediately began to calculate the potential implications of her unique ability. 'What a valuable trait for a sniper! She may perceive it as stupid, but how can I harness her skills? I must convince her as soon as possible and—' His train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a well-placed kick from Aphrodite, bringing him back to the present moment.
"She's sad. Why try to use her as a pawn when she's genuine?" Aphrodite questioned angrily.
Blaze could only shake his head weakly in the face of Aphrodite's anger. He was not in the academy for friendship.
When they reached their previous settlement, Blaze arranged the firewood and Cherry lit it up with her fire.
Robin was already awake.
"Robin, follow me," Blaze said and turned, but abruptly halted.
"If anything goes wrong, Olivia, shoot an arrow with flames into the sky," Blaze added before vanishing into the darkness.
His attitude surprised everybody. Robin quickly ran to catch up with Blaze.
"Where are we going?" Robin asked with uncertainty.
"To check out the hyenas. I need to know something before tomorrow's battle," Blaze said before speeding up and blending with the darkness like a phantom.