42 Sophia Bennet
"Bruce, we're getting quite famous"
Deion and Bruce were walking to their class, Theory of Alchemy when they noticed that more people are started to pay attention to them. The rising fame had gotten into someone's head.
"Great, now you can get more girls" Bruce saw many girls passed by Deion winking at him.
"I have a feeling that I'll die if I try to flirt with other girls" Deion resisted waving back at the girls with every ounce of his being.
"Not even married yet and still scared of your girlfriend"
"How pathetic." Bruce smirked after seeing how hard Deion was trying to keep a cool face.
"You laugh now but I bet you that Meredith is a yandere" Deion didn't take Bruce's mocking lightly and fought back.
"Yandere? What's that?" Bruce innocently asked.
"It means that she's possessive of you!"
"She'll kill any girl who comes near you"
Bruce looked doubtfully at Deion.
"Are you sure you're not talking about Chelsey?"
"Nah, I think she'll be cool if I talk to other girls" Deion didn't think that Chelsey was the yandere type. She's a fun person to be around with not the quiet one like Meredith. It's usually the quiet one that you watch out for.
"Alright, go flirt with the girls who are waving at you then" After the latest rumors spread around the academy, Deion has gained quite a lot of fame and many girls have started to ask him out.
Deion finally let go of his rational fear and let himself go. He invited the girls to talk to them as they walked to alchemy class. Deion's decision would prove to be fatal later.
In the alchemy class, there were several empty seats in the back which Bruce liked so both headed there. Bruce enjoyed listening to the lecture while Deion scouted for pretty girls.
"Why are you even taking alchemy when you don't even have affinity with Fire?" Bruce asked while already knowing the answer.
"Obviously because female to male ratio is 3:1 in alchemy"
The reason for the absurd ratio is due to females generally having much better control over their fire elements compared to their male counterparts.
Alchemy is a very precise profession. The way you control the flame to melt and blend the ingredients in the cauldron must be accurate to produce great results. Bruce never dabbled in alchemy because he never needed pills to rank up unlike most people.
It was much more practical for Bruce to practice in artisan and runes magic to increase his combat prowess. Alchemy is just an elective that Bruce occasionally shows interest in.
As the Bruce and Deion continued to do their own things in the back, the entire class stopped talking when someone stepped into the room.
It was due to a beautiful woman in the Imperial Academy uniform. Her golden hair was mesmerizing and the veil that she wore only incited everyone's curiosity about her face. The way she walked was elegant and everyone had their eyes on her.
She looked around to find a seat and saw Deion staring at her while Bruce closed his eyes trying to take a nap before the teacher arrived. She walked toward the two and landed on the empty seat next to Bruce.
"May I sit here?" Her melodious voice rang in Bruce's ears which forced him to open his eyes.
"Absolutely!" Deion said knowing that she asked for Bruce's permission and not his.
The woman still waited for Bruce's answer before she sat down. When Bruce looked at her, he felt a mysterious connection that he cannot explain.
He couldn't see her face behind the veil, but he somehow knew that it is extremely beautiful. He smiled at her and welcomed her to take a seat next to him.
"Sure, if you don't mind sitting next to me" Bruce answered.
"Thank you" The woman sat down and stared at Bruce. This caused all the boys in the class, including Deion, to inwardly curse Bruce for his good lucks.
"My name is Sophia Bennett, nice to meet you" Sophia held out her hand to Bruce.
"My name is Bruce Pendragon, it's a pleasure to meet you" Bruce shook her hand and smiled.
"Hi Sophia, my name is Deion Wakeford" Deion stood up and went to her seat to shake her hand shamelessly.
"Hello Deion" Sophia shook Deion hand briefly before turning her attention back to the class.
The teacher walked in and was surprised to see the priestess of the Church of Light attending her lecture. She got a bit nervous and carried on with the lesson.
Everyone in class paid attention to the teacher to create a good impression in front of Sophia. After all, Sophia is known as the strongest female of their generation. She is ranked 3rd on the leaderboard. Her father is current leader of the Church of Light, who is on par with the other giant influences on the continent.
The guys never attempted to pursue Sophia because according to the Church of Light, she already has a fiancée decided for her since birth. No one knew who her fiancée was.
The alchemy class concluded, and everyone headed out. Rumors began to circulate once again around Bruce and Deion due to their interactions with Sophia. The duo will be under a lot of pressure from jealous people in the academy.
Before heading out of class, Sophia reached out to Bruce.
"Bruce, my room number is 3154."
"If you ever need any help in anything, just knock on my door"
Sophia walked away after bidding farewell to Bruce. Deion opened his mouth wide and couldn't believe what just happened.
Deion held up Bruce's collar and shook him heavily while tearing up.
"You bastard, what sorcery did you pull recently?"
"You already have the ice goddess and now you even have the light goddess?"
"Do the heavens even have eyes?"
Deion always thought that his luck with girls has been extraordinary. At that moment, he felt his luck was nothing compared to that of Bruce.
Bruce ignored Deion's ramblings and thought about the moment that he sook Sophia's hand. He wondered if she felt the same mysterious connection that he felt. He sighed and push Deion away.
"It didn't mean anything. She already has a fiancée and I have no plans to pursue her" Bruce comforted his best friend. It must be rough being around someone as elegant as him.
"Hmph, you're right" Deion realized that there was no chance of anything happening between Bruce and Sophia.
"Did you hear about the rumored mission that every Soul Manifestation student has to take next week?" Deion asked Bruce.
"Yeah, I've heard about it. It seems quite weird to have every Soul Manifestation to take the mission."
"Exactly! There are like thousands of students at that level. What kind of mission would require that many students?"
"Wait… You don't think the academy has been raising us to sacrifice everyone to a sacred beast?" Deion began to feel scared as he imagined different possibilities of the mission.
"You idiot, what kind of sacred beast eats Soul Manifestation human?" Bruce sometimes wondered if Deion's head is in the right place.
"Think about it, the toughest mission that the academy has ever assigned would require only 28 students."
"What kind of mission requires thousands of students?"
What Deion said did make sense. Bruce also wondered why the Imperial Academy is sending all its students onto this mission.
"Perhaps, it's a war" Bruce answered after contemplating for a while.
"War?" Deion was puzzled.
"War requires tons of body counts. In the last great war between the factions, millions of cultivators died."
"You mean…."
"Yes, it's possible that we'll be fighting for our lives in the mission."
The mood got heavy as the two walked back to their dorms.
"Don't worry too much about it. With me here, you're not going to die" Bruce assured his friend.
As the two walked back to their dorms, a shadowy figure stopped them in their track. The figure stepped out onto the light and showed his face blocking the duo's path.
"Hello Bruce Pendragon or shall I call you by your real identity, the Bandit of Solitude?" Edward looked at the duo with a fiery gaze and unsheathed his sword.
