Chapter 14 Bandits

The fresh air outside, the warmth of the sun, the flowers and the drops of water from the fountains that were everywhere. The drops of water reached my face, but I did not feel happy seeing such a pleasant and calm environment. Why am I not feeling joy?

I was not happy to see such a beautiful place like this huge garden.

"Maybe it's because it's not my garden," I thought.

It could be the answer, but would that even be possible? I didn't feel comfortable in this place and I didn't experience any joyful emotions from being here.

"Let's sit there," Luna mentioned.

We sat in front of a fountain. The bench looked like marble, but upon closer inspection, I noticed that it was not; It was simply painted white, imitating marble.

I looked at Luna. She seemed to want to tell me something.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Eh... I don't have anything to..."

"Your face says otherwise," I interrupted her.

"Well, you know that tomorrow we will arrive in the city and I was wondering if..." she left the question in the air.

"..."

"Sigh"

"Say it once and for all, don't be nervous."

"I... It's okay. In the imperial city there is an academy called 'Laosa'. It's a wizard academy, so I was wondering if you would like to go."

An academy... I have seen this somewhere, of course, in the history of my past life. The protagonists usually start in a magical academy, although sometimes they do so after a few chapters. So, it's that kind of academy.

If so, it would be very good to continue growing on the path of the magician, but...

"It is not an academy for nobles."

That's the problem. Being an academy, it would be more than obvious that it is only for nobles.

"You're right, but there is a way you can get in."

"Which is it?"

"You saved Gloriana, she is the princess of the kingdom. The King will reward you for what you did, so he intends to use that reward as a pass to the Laosa academy," Luna mentioned.

It's certainly a good idea, but what happens if it's not and my request is rejected? Furthermore, I am the one who can choose the reward. If so, he could ask for something else, such as living away from society and receiving training from Encrid, an ancient wizard from an unknown era. So what would be the point of entering an academy?

"Accept what they offer you, child," Encrid said suddenly. "If you don't, I won't teach you my knowledge."

"..."

"Sigh"

"Okay, but what if they reject my request?" I asked Luna, leaving Encrid aside.

"Don't worry, you saved the princess. Therefore, the king will ask you what reward you want, and that's where you ask for entry to the Laosa academy," Luna mentioned.

Honestly, Luna was very scary. Her intelligence is far superior to that of other common children. She would dare say she is a genius.

"So, how about..."

Suddenly I felt a gaze directed towards me, a very familiar sensation. I looked around and sure enough, it was Edmund. He was coming towards us, although he tried to hide it. His steps were fast, but she could feel a threat emanating from him.

"I should at least try to hide my anger from him," I thought.

Edmund finally approached and spoke in a calm tone trying to hide his anger.

"They are having fun?"

"..."

He looked at me, but I was trying to hide his anger towards me. It was very clear that he couldn't even hide those emotions, but as a former assassin, he knew that he was trying to hide his anger from him.

He couldn't fool me. It was so obvious, even Luna would realize what Edmund was up to.

I looked at Luna. She was frowning.

"Do you need anything, Mr. Edmund?" Luna asked with a frown.

She had already realized what was happening from the look on her face.

"N-no, if you need anything, just tell me."

"It's not necessary, but if you could let us talk to Asher alone..."

Her face contorted and a vein appeared on her forehead. I was angrier, perhaps because Luna, a noble, was defending me from him.

"S-sure, Miss Luna," he said as he ground his teeth, trying to hide his anger from her.

"What was...?"

I raised my hand and interrupted before anything went wrong. Luna seemed to be getting angrier, so...

"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Edmund," I said, trying to calm the mood. Even though it was all my fault, it was the only thing I could do.

I couldn't afford to have my first enemy now. If I manage to enter that academy, all the nobles will be my enemies, but it is better to avoid conflicts with those of higher status.

That's why I intervened before something went wrong.

Finally, Edmund walked away, but he was so angry that he could see it even from behind him. It seemed very stupid of him to come just to annoy and end up even more annoying himself. The mind of a nobleman is very absurd, or perhaps there is something more.

"Sigh"

"..."

When I looked at Luna, she was staring at me, trying to ask me something. She seemed very uneasy, so I spoke up.

"What do you want?" I asked for.

"..."

"How can you use it...?" Luna mentioned.

"..."

"..."

What does she mean by how can I use it? What do you want to tell me with that? I have no idea, but when she was going to ask, she spoke.

"How can you use magic at such a young age, and above all, what is that black and purple magic I saw?" she asked.

"W-well, would you believe me if I told you I don't know either?"

"..."

"Okay, if you don't want to tell me, no problem... But you should trust me more," she said, grumbling.

I sighed.

I also wanted to know what kind of magic he had, but all I knew was that it was dark magic. To me, it was normal, but how would other people see it? What would it mean to them? Would they see me through different eyes or just as something normal? I didn't know it, but I left it at that and returned to my dirty, dusty room.

***

—Change of scene.

Muffled sound.

We left the Duke's mansion this morning. We were near Mengrana City, the imperial city of the Agrona continent.

"How much left?"

"We'll arrive in five hours, don't be impatient," Luna responded.

When we left the mansion, I had a bad feeling, but I didn't know what it was. My instincts told me that something could happen at any moment, so I closed my eyes from time to time to see the mana in the surroundings and detect the mana of the knights or perhaps a nearby monster. I didn't know what this ability meant, but Encrid had answered me.

[Mana Detection]

An ability that allows mages to see the environment around them up to a certain distance. With this ability, mages are able to see their opponents from long distances and create a plan. Or something like that is what Encrid explained. It was a little difficult to understand, but now I am able to understand this skill.

"You truly are my descendant, child," Encrid commented.

"..."

"It was you who said that I was your descendant..."

"But your talent in magic is too much, even for me. Using mana detection without knowing it is..."

He stopped talking when the carriage came to a hard stop. Voices of the knights echoed from close by as Josephine opened the door and shouted.

"Princess, stay here, there are bandits outside."

"W-what... Why are there bandits just when we're near the city?"

"This is unforgivable. Don't worry, princess, we will keep you safe."

Josephine closed the door quickly as she unsheathed her sword. At that moment, noises of clashing swords, screams and other things were heard. It was total chaos.

"What should we do? I don't think we can be safe in here," I asked.

"Child, I feel someone's mana and it is very strong," Encrid warned.

dull sound.

Suddenly I felt like the whole world was shaking. An unpleasant feeling took over the entire place; It felt like something was crushing me, something I had never felt before. I looked at my hands, which were shaking very hard. I looked at the two girls; They were in complete shock, their eyes were lifeless, like a void that invaded them. It was a very strong fear.

"Boom!!"

An explosion rang out as a yellow light filled with fire passed right by the door. I looked out the window of the carriage, I looked out and there were many dead people. Who was to blame for this? My face began to get angry; I didn't want to see more blood.

I just hated seeing the blood. That red color bothered me so much that I never wanted to see it, but there it was: the blood of several knights. I tried to look around and Josephine was fighting with someone who looked like a magician. He was covered by a black hooded cloak; I couldn't see his face. His mana... is just strong.

Of that he was sure. He is a magician. He was fighting against Josephine, but how strong is that wizard?

"What should I do, Encrid?"

"..."

"Answer, you better talk quickly."

"Yes, yes, I heard you. I was just thinking... I have a solution, but wait and see if that gentleman loses."

"Why should I do...?"

"Just wait. When I tell you, use all your mana and give it to me."

I watched the fight between Josephine and that mysterious wizard, but did Encrid really have a solution? It's not that he was distrustful, but he is just a sword and nothing more. I couldn't tell if I could really help or do anything in his sword form, but I trusted him and waited for the fight to conclude.

I watched without blinking and stared out the carriage window.

***

—Change of scene-

—Josephine's Perspective

"Sparks"

dull sound

"He is a magician of three circles."

I looked at the wizard in front of me. He is definitely a three circle mage, a very strong enemy for me. But still, I must not let him get close to the princess. A knight's priority is to protect royalty, especially descendants such as the heir to the throne.

"Pop"

Several bursts of mana erupted around me. With my quick steps I managed to avoid them, but some bursts of mana brushed my entire body. It's not painful at all, but it's very dangerous to continue like this. The magician in front of me is covering his body and his face, hiding something that he didn't want to reveal.

I quickly ran towards him with my nearly two meter long sword. I swung the sword forcefully in a horizontal line, but at that moment the magician countered with a sound wave.

"Pop"

I retreated several meters back. I looked, but several large spears were heading towards me. Twenty-foot spears headed toward me. I got up and started running. One after another, I hit the spears with my sword, but it was very heavy and difficult to counterattack.

"Shit, he's strong, but he hasn't shown his true abilities."

I continued forward, and in an instant, the mage disappeared and reappeared right next to me, carrying a torrent of mana in his hand. He hit me in the side.

"Bom!!"

The explosion echoed, engulfing the entire ground in a curtain of dust. I was thrown into the air and fell to the ground with half my body on fire. Despite not being able to move an arm, I stood up forcefully, grabbed my sword and looked at the wizard. A smile spread across his face as he clenched my only functional fist and my teeth gritted in anger. I quickly rushed towards him.

Although he continued smiling, at that moment the magician disappeared again and appeared in front of me. He spoke a few words.

"Knights will always be weak against a true wizard."

His hand filled with mana and a white sphere of energy appeared: an electric spell. He was a formidable magician.

"Bom!!"

The sphere of lightning hit right in my chest. My armor melted and burned me intensely. Waves of energy spread several meters as I crashed into the ground, creating a large crater that radiated white rays everywhere.

"Hahahahaha…"

I screamed. The pain was unbearable. The iron and other materials of my armor melted into my body, exposing my abdomen and chest with extreme burns. The blow had been devastating, burning everything around me.

"Knights are weak, I don't understand why..."

Suddenly the magician stopped talking when a darkness invaded us. At that moment I was close to fainting when an unknown voice spoke.

"Hahaha, I can finally move."

He only said that when I saw his face: black hair, dark eyes, and a completely dark outfit. The subject emanated a strange mana with two simple colors, black and purple. It seemed that darkness invaded the entire world with just his presence, and finally I closed my eyes and ended up fainting...