Cartagena

Cartagena was a massive city with a long history behind it. The discerning man could hear the stones whispering tales of the exploits and tragedies they had witnessed. The splendid buildings were so numerous here that it was impossible to admire them all in one day. There were also many squares, gardens, monuments, and fountains that one should not miss.

It had been founded by the brave general Hasdrubal, brother-in-law of the mighty and wise Hannibal, destroyer of the formidable Remusa, but had only been the capital of the Empire for three centuries. The sublime Cartagena had equipped itself with everything necessary for a capital worthy of the name and had caught up with all its rivals. The residents were very proud of their city. We boasted here of having built a city even more beautiful than ancient Carthage at its peak. Since the destruction of the previous capital, it has been said everywhere that there was no city more beautiful than Carthage between the Pillars of Heracles and the confines of the Persian Empire. Of course, the great kingdoms and empires known disputed this fact.

There were refined theaters, immense libraries, majestic temples, highly frequented centers of magical research, and an imposing senate. At the heart of the city was an academy of considerable dimensions designed to accommodate all the young people who had awakened within the Empire in order to train them.

Two days after leaving the small town of Niers, two carriages passed through the gates of the capital. Unlike merchants and other travelers, the occupants of these two coaches did not need to present their papers and pay taxes. The presence of two magi was more than enough to spare the group this inconvenience. The guards even saluted them as they passed.

Marcus and Annabelle, who were inside the first carriage with Helen Capu de Brouges, watched with fascination this new city that could not be compared to Niers. The streets were cleaner, more colorful, and more crowded as well. As for the buildings, from their point of view, they resembled palaces. The young magus smiled gently at seeing their reaction, as her reaction had been the same when she had discovered the capital twenty years earlier.

Almost all the buildings in this street, wide enough to allow two carriages like theirs to pass easily, were made of stone. Some were three stories high with balconies, while others displayed columns and elegant arcades. If it hadn't been for the windows separating them from the outside, they could have smelled many aromas mixed with much less pleasant odors. Despite its splendid appearance, hygiene in the capital left much to be desired, just like in other cities on the continent. One only had to venture a little away from the main streets to find infamous and dangerous neighborhoods where the inhabitants were dying of hunger and disease.

Unaware that there was such a gap between the neighborhoods in the capital, the two children admired the view and constantly wondered what this or that building might be.

Finally, the two carriages stopped in front of a vast complex of white buildings with high colored windows isolated from the rest of the city by a wall slightly lower than the one surrounding the city.

"Here we are, children. The Imperial Academy of Magic. This is where you will receive your education."

The old coachman got off his seat and opened the door on the left side of the carriage, where the beautiful magus was sitting. A slender leg emerged from the wooden vehicle decorated with golden floral motifs and shiny runes, followed by the rest of the influential magus. She nodded to the coachman and stepped aside to let Marcus and Annabelle, with their wide-eyed eyes, get off.

Their gaze was fixed on this immense building on which, most certainly, the best architects and workers of the Empire had worked. If one looked closely at the facade of the main building, one could distinguish a multitude of moldings so detailed that one could believe that miniature plants and animals had simply been transformed into stone.

Is... Is this really an academy?! It looks like a palace!

As if she could read his thoughts, Helen Capu de Brouges addressed Marcus.

"Magnificent, isn't it? It is certainly one of the most beautiful buildings in the Empire if not the world. The prestige of our glorious empire is at stake, naturally we could not train our elites in a building that is not up to par."

Silently, as Marcus was too shocked to speak, the young man nodded. Meanwhile, Annabelle spun around like a top as she struggled to keep calm in the face of so much beauty.

A group of young people dressed in strange clothes designed on the same model left the tall building and walked past them, greeting Helen Capu de Brouges and Charles-Henri Marcelo de Gariga, who had just approached. However, they only glanced briefly at the two young people accompanying them. Although they had taken a bath at an inn on the first night, they still wore their ragged clothes.

"We will give you a uniform similar to theirs soon," said Lord Gariga, adjusting his sober but elegant attire. "It is the uniform of the Imperial Academy of Magic. The shape of the pockets, the color of the cockade on the tricorn, and the color of the cuff indicate the student's level of study. The color of the jacket and pants for men does not change, regardless of the student's level. While students wear imperial blue, teachers wear purple. In the case of young ladies, the level can be determined by the type of dress, of course, but also by the hairstyle. Makeup and accessories are free to choose. The wealthiest use this freedom to wear artifacts. This also works for boys."

Annabelle's mouth hung open as she saw the sophisticated and dazzling dresses, hardly daring to imagine herself in a similar outfit. She had spent her whole life, like Marcus, being grateful to have only enough clothes to cover herself, especially during the winter, and to possess a pair of shoes. In her eyes, these young ladies were all dressed like queens! On his part, Marcus was more critical. Both men and women wore powdered wigs, which he found simply ridiculous. As for their clothes, they seemed extravagant and uncomfortable to him.

"Well," began Helen. "Come with me. We will proceed with your enrollment."

The two children followed the two magi into the immense main building, which only had two floors. The interior was just as splendid as the exterior, as the floor was made of pink marble and the columns of blue marble. The imposing capitals inspired by what was done in Greece during its golden age were golden and represented fantastic animals.

The main hall was very spacious and bathed in light filtering through the tall windows decorated with gold leaf. Many statues seemed to stand guard on either side of the room, representing men and women with dignified faces. These were extremely faithful representations of great magi who had marked the history of the Empire and who naturally had passed through this academy.

Marcus quickly noticed an imposing scaffold on one side of the room to allow a team of workers to access the gigantic vault. Several men and women were busy painting this impressive surface with human, divine, and animal figures with frightening precision and realism.