Chapter 3 - Academy Mission

*Knock knock knock*

"Major, may I enter?"

"Please."

The black haired youth gripped the bronze doorknob and turned it lightly. Its metal surface felt cold to the touch. Its no surprise however, as it is already in late September when the seasons start to change and the weather gets cooler.

Within the room was a smiling brown haired man and two other people.

One was a handsome butler with long black hair that went to his shoulders. He wore a form fitting dark blue suit and he wore plain white gloves on his hands. He stood in one corner of the room with his back straight and his right hand on his chest and his left at his back. His posture, movements and gestures were all graceful and clean. He was the picture of an ideal butler.

The other was a gentle looking middle-aged man. Streaks of silver lined his dark brown hair. He wore an expensive looking black suit with a blue tie which makes him seem like a rich businessman.

However, that is very clearly not the case. Floating around his shoulders are glowing yellow embers, like those that fly above a raging flame. Simply by standing next to him, you could feel the temperature of the air change by several dozens of degrees. On his side, one could see the golden hilt of a sword. It may look luxurious, but one could subtly tell that it was not some mere ceremonial blade to be worn for design. On his wide shoulders was a large black cape, adorned with beautiful golden embellishments. His shoulders had shoulder pads with an insignia of a golden sword and a golden grail with a dragon engraved in the center, symbolic of the descendants of King Arthur.

Overall, he looked incredibly powerful, like the power contained in a massive bomb, or the flames of a dragon's breath, prepared but yet to be released.

"Raiden, I believe you should already know Duke Aurestius. He will be your employer and benefactor. Give him your greetings. " Braham gestured to the Duke. Raiden then knelt on one knee with his right hand on his chest as he spoke respectfully.

"This humble servant meets your majesty. I hope that I will be able to meet your expectations and am looking forward to serving you."

Duke Aurestius, seeing the perfect act of courtesy that would be nearly impossible to see in this modern age, nodded his head in appreciation and admiration.

"Very well. I look forward to your performance. You may rise. " He then looked at Braham with a big grin, "You really got lucky with this kid you old rascal. From the massive amount and density of his mana, as well as his perfect control, he has already changed so much from when I last saw him. As of right now, he is definitely one of the most incredible young magi I have ever seen in my eighty years of life.

Not only that, but his performance score is incredible. I can't help but believe you if you told me that he was actually a scion of one of the biggest kingdoms and empires out there. Good show." The Duke was not stingy with praise for the young man. Considering his background, this kind of praise would not be taken lightly.

"The brigade really got lucky." Braham chuckled, "So, what kind of work are you going to give him?"

The Duke smiled and looked at Raiden who had already stood up straight. "This time, you're going to be a guardian for my daughter in the Archmage Association's Academy, tentatively for the next six months. The forty-first International Congress is coming soon, which means that times won't be peaceful for my, and any other royal or related household. Add on to that the eighth Magus' Gathering, I believe my daughter would be unable to peacefully continue her studies if she were to be bothered by flies that get past the Association. I would also be unable to sleep well if I knew that my beloved daughter was somewhere I couldn't protect. My enemies would take any opportunity to gain leverage over me if it was worth it. Peaceful times are fragile now after all."

He then gave Raiden an envelope with a cobalt blue seal. The youth looked at the envelope with interest.

The envelope was not made with ordinary paper, but rather with a mesh of manatite, carbon and sodium silicate. Though not obvious at a glance, engraved on the seams of the 'paper' were small symbols, runes. Each rune glowed very faintly with a subtle blue light. The scent of mana was present in those symbols. Those runes were used to place anti-surveillance and espionage magic on the envelope, as well as to enhance its toughness. The carbon nanofibers were strengthened enough to be stronger than mortal steel, but still be as flexible as normal paper.

The seal was naturally not ordinary as well. On the surface, it looked like a beautifully carved gem of sapphire, but within those lines were incredibly small runes, much, much denser than on the envelope itself. If anyone other than the intended receiver were to attempt to open the letter, it would immediately destroy itself into a burst of flames. Any spies would be hard-pressed to do anything to this letter without causing any form of damage, and even then, the letter is strong enough to withstand the shock wave of a kilogram of dynamite from point blank rendering delicate low-power seal openers ineffective.

It is obvious from how the letter was made and how much security was put on it that its contents were incredibly important.

Raiden put two fingers on the seal and infused it with his some of his own mana. After a few seconds, the seal made a small popping noise as it loosened itself from the envelope. He pulled it off and opened the envelope, seeing the contents within.

Inside were two letters and a pendant carved from a green gem. One letter was addressed to himself. It was from the academy that the Duke said he was going to be enrolled into. The contents of the letter were long and used jarring and tiresome words. Summarized, the letter congratulated Raiden for his enrolment into the greatest magic academy in the world. The academy was also happy to be able to acquire such an incredible talent as he. It briefly explained the school facilities and introduced the important members of the faculty such as the headmaster and the Dean. It also explained that, since he enrolled in the midst of the semester since the school year had already begun, he would have a harder time adapting to the classes or getting along with the students. He could avail of the supplementary lectures so that he wouldn't fall behind, but with the matter of relationships between students, the school wouldn't intervene.

The second letter was to be given to the Duke and to Raiden's caretaker, Major Braham. Raiden politely didn't peek at the letters contents and passed it to the two. What was left was the emerald green pendant with a subtle verdant glow.

The glow was a signature of magic. It was what would identify Raiden as a special student enrolled at the academy. The academy uses magic pendants carved with its school seal as a form of identification. Laymen who see the pendant hanging from a student's neck would know immediately that they were a student of magic, and that they held a high status. Those who have an aptitude for magic and those who are more knowledgeable would be able to see that the pendant also represents the student's class, their grade and their affiliation.

Raiden's pendant shows that he has special liberties in traversing the school grounds and accessing classes and facilities. He can patrol school grounds after curfew and he can listen to lectures of classes in other grades. Of course, he wouldn't just be allowed to abuse such privileges wildly and there are some other rules added in.

Normally the academy would never allow just anyone to hold these kinds of privileges. They would have to be youths specially selected for their loyalty and ability. Raiden is an exception because he was recommended by high ranking officers for his ability and his adaptability. The head of the Aurestius family had even personally vouched for him and so he was given the emerald pendant.

"Thank you for your graces, Duke." Raiden bowed to the Duke once more, this time not only for formality but also sincere gratitude.

"It's fine kid. Just make sure to keep my daughter safe. I won't forgive you if even a single strand of her hair gets cut a little shorter" The Duke was slightly embarrassed by the amount of sincere gratitude the 'kid' gave as he waved him off.

"The boat for the academy leaves tomorrow afternoon. Your bike will be brought along so that you can get around easier." Braham spoke as he gave Raiden a card and a folded document, "This is your driver's licence. Try not to go over speed limits too much."

"Thank you, sir." Raiden could no longer stop himself from making a wide smile. His anticipation was now evident from his look of glee. Although he is already a veteran soldier who has seen and dealt with death hundreds of times, at this moment he seemed like a child of 'his age'.

"Alright, go back to the party and console your drunken colleagues. Make sure you're ready to go by tomorrow. I and the Duke have other business to discuss." Braham urged Raiden out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Raiden ran back to the party room with more pep in his step. Upon entering, he saw the two young men sprawled on the counter top, dead drunk on hard liquor. He could only smile wryly at Emily who looked mildly miffed by the two.

....

"What's the extent of the damage?"

"Four acres of buildings were destroyed. Despite taking multiple shots to the head, the perpetrators didn't fall and continued to mindlessly destroy their surroundings. Four agents are dead while thirteen more are critically wounded and temporarily cannot return to duty. Raiden had taken down their warehouses but there are around a thousand units unaccounted for. These should count as part of the missing units."

"Do you know who did this?"

"We have nothing concrete yet but we have some evidence that shows the Persians may have had a hand in this. We are performing further investigations."

"So it's really happening huh?"

"It can't be helped old friend."