"Magnus, hurry up! I don't want to be late and miss the first match," Celia said, her excitement practically bubbling as she made her way down the dorm building hall, with Magnus trailing close behind her.
"Chill, we have plenty of time to get there," Magnus said with a nonchalant tone, ignoring Celia's urge for him to walk faster. In all honesty, he was looking forward to watching the Live Examination as well, but when compared to Celia, whose interest in the supernatural bordered on obsession, he seemed almost mellow.
Seeing how relaxed Magnus still was about the whole thing, Celia's thoughts went back to when he first came back from the preliminary matches.
I still can't believe he managed to pass through his preliminary matches without a scratch. I was expecting him to come back with at least a couple of bruises or something, but he looked like he had just gone out on a leisurely stroll. Maybe battles between first-year students are super tame, or Magnus is just really strong.
Based on what she knew about him, she was definitely leaning toward her second guess.
As they set out from the dorm area and headed towards the Academy Arena, they found themselves joining up with a large stream of students. It was completely different when compared to the last time Magnus left the dorms, since at that time he had left a lot later than the other students.
Some students were walking in groups with the other members of their factions, while others walked alone or were accompanied only by servants or slaves—the latter mostly belonging to the students who were eliminated from the Live Examination, and could now only spectate from the sidelines.
There were also Adept-level students who couldn't participate in the Live Examination and were going instead to see if any first-year students would be joining their ranks.
Celia's gaze lingered on some of the slaves following behind the various noble students, her eyes swirling with a maelstrom of emotions. Not every slave she saw was human; in fact, a majority belonged to a multitude of non-human races, some being soldiers who were captured in the midst of war and others who were simply unlucky.
In a way, at least to her, it was a testament and a reminder of just how much power nobles held. No matter how much revulsion Celia felt towards it, that feeling was utterly engulfed by the sense of resignation carved into every citizen within the kingdom—the understanding that nobles stood above them.
Although it was technically illegal for a noble to have an innocent person killed, and nobles typically wouldn't do so outright, as to avoid a bad public image, that didn't mean they couldn't do it; just that they would have to be discreet. The same went for matters such as enslaving people.
The inherent fear one felt when realizing such individuals existed was one thing; meeting them, however, was another matter entirely. That's why, within Takerth Academy, Celia always did her best to steer clear of other students. It was the only thing she could do in a place teeming with nobles capable of upending her life on a whim.
It was also why the common folk went out of their way to avoid even walking past Luden's carriage back when they saw it in the city, and why Celia was so distrustful when she met him. In this world, citizens lived their lives like mice around nobles, who were giant cats in comparison.
The only thing they could do was try not to stand out enough to pique a noble's interest.
However, Celia was not just a citizen; she was a maid. She knew how to act around nobles and understood how her reactions could reflect on Magnus. Despite her feelings about the sights around her, she didn't let them show physically. Instead, she fully submerged herself in her role, blending in with every other servant and appearing perfectly dutiful.
She had blended in so well, in fact, that Magnus only realized something was amiss when he noticed Celia had stopped talking to him. Looking over to his right, he saw her trailing slightly behind, wearing a familiar look on her face. It reminded him of how she acted when they first met.
"Hey, you've gone awfully quiet. What's up?" Magnus asked, looking at her with hints of bewilderment clearly displayed on his face.
"I'm still technically here under the pretense of being your maid, Magnus. I have to be careful. If I offend any of the nobles here, things could take a turn for the worst, especially if they contact the Head Maid, which would get the Major General involved," she whispered back, cautious not to draw attention. Magnus furrowed his brows as he listened to her reasoning.
"Are you sure you're not just worrying over nothing? It's not like anyone has called you out on your behavior so far," he replied, but Celia simply shook her head.
"That's because we're alone most of the time. You'd be surprised at how often small incidents flare up when it comes to nobility. Their behavior can change at a moment's notice," Celia murmured, still speaking cautiously to avoid being overheard. However, that hope was dashed as a voice came from behind them, chiming in on their conversation.
"She's right, Magnus. Different people create different environments, and that, in turn, sets different expectations." Glancing to their left, the two of them were surprised to see Luden appear out of what looked to be nowhere.
"Luden, where did you come from? Shouldn't you be with our- I mean, the rest of your faction?" Magnus asked.
"Oh, I already sent them ahead. I was planning on joining them after observing the crowd a bit when I noticed you two. Oh, and apologies for eavesdropping," Luden said, offering a polite nod to both Magnus and Celia before continuing to speak.
"I just wanted to impart a little friendly advice. In a place like this, trying to stay under the radar is pointless. Everyone's eyes are always on everyone else, and I'm sure some students are keeping tabs on you as well, Magnus, even if you don't notice it. It's just how this type of playing field is, and if you want to avoid your weaknesses from being exploited, it's best you hide them when you can. Celia here was clearly trained well if she realized that so quickly," he commented, glancing over at Celia, who didn't so much as shift in her pace or behavior, even while being openly spoken about.
Listening to Luden's words, Magnus knew that, as unfortunate as it was, Luden was speaking the simple truth. As it stood, he was hiding his capabilities behind the masked figure known as Cain, but he wouldn't be able to do that forever. Once the truth was out, Magnus's weaknesses would become Cain's.
Even if Celia didn't fully understand how things worked within the academy, she still grasped that she couldn't act too friendly with Magnus in front of certain people.
"But in the end, it doesn't matter how many weaknesses you have if no one has the courage to exploit them, right?" Magnus said, his question causing both Luden and Celia to turn their attention to him, both puzzled by his remark, though only Luden seemed to grasp just what Magnus was trying to imply.
"Oh? Well, I suppose that's true," Luden said with a slight chuckle, his voice laced with a hint of amusement.
"In that case, how about the two of you sit with me and the rest of my faction during the examination? Suddenly, I'm looking forward to this even more than I was before." Celia became even more bewildered by Luden's sudden shift in tone, but without even questioning it, Magnus agreed to the invitation with a smile.
"Sounds good to me. I was hoping Celia could get a front-row seat to see the action anyway."
And so, the trio made their way to the Academy Arena together. As students began to flood into the arena, seats were being taken up just as quickly. The Academy Arena had no assigned seating for students, so in that way, it seemed to be first come, first served.
However, even if the academy didn't care much for it, the students had crafted their own system where status was one of the most important things. As such, it was only natural that the most powerful factions and students got the best seating to view the field, and no one questioned otherwise.
Of course, that included Luden's Faction. As Magnus, Luden, and Celia made their way to where they would be sitting, the first one to notice them was Syrna.
"Oh, there you are; we were waiting for you. Did you manage to find Ca-" She stopped mid-sentence, expecting to see Luden being accompanied by Cain, but instead, she saw two unfamiliar figures behind him—people she didn't recognize. As the others turned their attention to the newcomers, both Seraline and Blair recognized Magnus.
"This is Magnus Wright, a classmate of mine, as well as his maid, Celia Stoneworth. I invited them to sit with us and watch the Live Examination," Luden introduced, all while Magnus feigned ignorance as if he hadn't just seen them all just a few days ago.
"Magnus, I didn't expect to bump into you again so soon," Blair said with a friendly smile.
"If I'm being honest, same. I just happened to run into Luden on the way here," Magnus replied while taking a seat to the left of the group. As Celia went to sit down as well, Blair turned his attention to her.
"So, your name's Celia, right? Your hair's quite striking. Does your family come from a specific region?" Blair's tone carried a hint of curiosity and something else undefinable, but Celia remained unfazed, responding simply.
"Thank you for the compliment. My hair is a gift from my mother's side; however, she's no longer with us, and I never learned where she lived before Arlcliff City." Blair's expression dimmed slightly upon hearing this, offering his condolences. Meanwhile, internally, Magnus was taken aback; he hadn't realized that Celia's mother had passed away.
Now that I think about it, she's never really mentioned her parents before, or her family in general.
It was definitely a bit odd when he reflected back on it, especially given how much time they had spent together talking about random topics. In the end, it had just never come up, just like the stressful relationship she had with her brother.
"Huh, and here I thought Luden didn't have any friends," Syrna teased, causing Sylas, who was sitting next to her, to nudge her in the side while giving her a look. Still, as Luden took his seat to the far right of everyone, he seemed unaffected by the jab.
"Of course, I have friends. Sadly, though, most of them live outside of Arlcliff City, so I haven't been able to see them. Still, I would say me and Magnus have managed to get along, right?" Luden looked towards Magnus, who nodded with a smirk.
"Yeah, you've definitely made my time at the academy more interesting. Speaking of which, Seraline, I'm definitely surprised to see you here. I didn't expect you to be a member of Luden's Faction." Seraline offered a curt nod at Magnus when he spoke to her, replying to him in a formal manner as she always did.
"It has been some time since we last saw one another. Will you be participating in the Live Examination?" To answer her question, Magnus let out a sigh and shook his head with a rueful smile.
"No, I had the misfortune of going up against Pseudo-Adept level students right out of the gate in my preliminary matches." That was, of course, a lie, but to everyone beside Luden and Celia, there was no reason to doubt his words, as unfortunate as the scenario that they painted.
"Wow, you really did get unlucky," Syrna responded while looking at Magnus with a slightly sympathetic look, her brother silently nodding in agreement.
"That's unfortunate. I was interested in seeing your capabilities, but I suppose there is always the next Live Examination." Magnus was a bit surprised to hear that from Seraline. Honestly, they hardly knew each other, so he didn't expect her to have any interest in him at all.
Everyone in Luden's Faction continued to talk amongst themselves, with Seraline and Celia remaining relatively quiet unless directly engaged. Meanwhile, the seats in the Academy Arena gradually filled up until all the spectators, including the academy staff, had arrived.
The staff had their own elevated section compared to where the students sat, giving them a clear view of the area below. Many of the professors at Takerth Academy, like Lazitha and Mulvin, who would normally be busy or off on some assignment, had all gathered and taken their seats.
At the heart of the elevated section, built into the arena's structure, was a tall, specially designed platform holding four Victorian-style seats. It was clear that each seat was reserved for an important figure in the academy, with two of them already taken.
In the seat on the far right sat Eveline, her gaze sweeping across the entire arena with keen intensity. Not far from her, in one of the central chairs, was the Vice-Headmaster of Takerth Academy, Vlaslor. While Eveline appeared excited for the upcoming event, Vlaslor looked on with a calm demeanor, his gaze hardly wandering.
Even though the Live Examination had yet to officially kick off, the buzz from thousands of students mingling with the chatter of hundreds of professors filled the arena with vibrant energy. Some students were speculating on which faction they thought would come out on top this time around, while teachers seemed more invested in scouting out the students who they already knew showed promise.
As the atmosphere thickened with anticipation, Eveline and Vlaslor picked up the distinct sound of heels clicking against stones, signaling someone was approaching from behind them.
"Oh, come now, Vlaslor, are you really going to look stone-faced through the entire Live Examination? You could at least smile at our lovely young students." Both Vlaslor and Eveline shifted their attention to the figure walking up behind them.
"Oh, you're here! Does that mean the examination can start now?" Eveline asked ecstatically, unable to contain her thrill. The Headmistress didn't answer right away, taking her sweet time to respond as she sat down. As she did, Vlaslor asked a question of his own.
"Headmistress, will Zedem be joining us?"
"No, it seems Zedem is busy, so he won't be here to watch the examination. Still, the three of us are here; that's enough." The Headmistress said this while leaning back and resting her head on her hand casually. Her eyes danced over the sea of students below her before zeroing in on one group in particular, or, to be more precise, one student.
Is that the Headmistress of Takerth Academy? What the hell… She looks almost exactly like Eveline.
Having glanced up at where the academy staff were seated, Magnus had initially been looking at Eveline and Vlaslor, but now his attention was completely focused on the woman who had just settled into her seat. To his surprise, the so-called Headmistress, whom he had only caught whispers of, looked extremely similar to Eveline, even down to their fashion sense.
The only real noticeable differences he could discern were clothing-wise. Unlike Eveline, whose clothes stuck to her figure, the Headmistress wore dark gloves, and her attire seemed to drape more loosely around her. Of course, had Magnus been closer, he would have noticed another distinct difference—their eyes.
Eveline's eyes were a soft blue, which seemed to mirror how simple and straightforward her nature was, at least in terms of motivations. In contrast, the Headmistress's eyes were a deep yet shining violet that seemed just as intimidatingly intense as they were mesmerizing.
As Magnus observed the Headmistress from afar, he suddenly saw her head shift in his direction.
Huh? Is she… looking this way?
The thought barely had time to settle as a shiver ran down his spine, and an unsettling sensation washed over him like a tidal wave. It wasn't aggressive or hostile, but it was oppressive, as if every facet of his body was being peered at all at once. The unease mirrored the exact same feeling he felt when he met Eveline for the very first time in the library.
And it was that feeling that triggered Basker.
[Master! That presence is unmistakable! That's her; she's the one who tasked me with finding you!]
Magnus's eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat at Baskers words. Almost instinctively, he averted his gaze away from where the Headmistress and the others were sitting, feeling his pulse start to race.
Ar- Are you sure? You said you couldn't tell me who sent you last time I asked.
[Yes, I'm positive. I didn't recognize her at first, but when she probed us, I could feel a sense of familiarity. It was the same presence that was there at my birth—the one who gave me my mission to go after you.]
Magnus's body tensed up for a moment before he forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.
Well, then, shit. I was hoping I would find out who sent you after me, but I never would have imagined it would be the Headmistress of the whole fucking academy. Do you think she can sense you?
[No, I don't think so. She had only probed you physically; I would be able to tell if she tried to invade your mind.]
Reassured by Basker's words, Magnus started to relax a little as he took a moment to think about the situation more rationally, pushing back the slowly creeping anxiety.
Well, that's somewhat relieving, and I guess it makes sense. If she's the one who sent you after me, then she must know who I am, yet she hasn't tried anything yet. Either something's stopping her, she's waiting for something, or she just doesn't care. I'm hoping for the far latter, but I won't hold my breath for it.
[For now, caution would be wise, Master. I believe actively trying to do anything may simply backfire.]
Magnus nodded silently in his head. As tempting as it was to do something in this situation, he still had no idea why the Headmistress had sent Basker after him or why she hadn't done anything since.
For now, I should just focus on the Live Examination. Headmistress or not, I doubt she'll do anything to me in front of the entire student body and all the professors.
Still, even with that insurance, he let out a small, resigned sigh.
Man, just my luck, huh? Here, I was hoping this whole examination thing was going to be straight foward.