Chapter 14

Walking through the empty halls of Lux Dion's cheeks were adorned by a soft crimson of embarrassment. By his side was the famed Hero of Light and principal of Lux Lucille Oran who was currently laughing with such severity that she was worried her guts would never return to how they once were.

"Hahaha!" She laughed and laughed as they walked through the silent halls that were now filled with her boisterous joy. Normally there would be upperclassmen and staff walking around the inner areas of the school where they currently were but they couldn't even be seen.

With the famed Hero of Light from decades past's tantrum everyone in the inner area was unconscious and had long since been moved into the hospital bay. While it was unlikely they'd be harmed for long trauma may still remain.

"It wasn't that funny." Dion interrupted her laughter yet his words had the opposite effect. Rather than making her quit laughing like the sun would never rise again she burst into an even more furious laughter.

"B-But I've never seen you so confused!" Lucille explained in between laughter, her voice smothered by her fierce laughter. "T-The difference! Was too good!" She continued between strained breathing.

Letting out a sigh of irritation and slight embarrassment. He made a large deal out of nothing and it was biting him. Of course, he would do it again in a heartbeat just to err on the side of caution but the embarrassment did remain.

"Ahem. Anyways~." Lucille said willfully as they approached the large tower she called her office, walking through a thin, barely noticeable, mana field that analyzed them and their objects automatically.

Walking up to the side of the tower she pressed a few buttons that didn't truly exist on the flat wall before it just opened up. On the other side of the tower, there was a perfectly functioning door adding to the childish mystery of Lucille Oran.

Walking through the opening in the wall it silently closed behind them, engulfing the two in darkness before a series of candles were lit ablaze in a fanciful showing of wealth and sheer boredom.

"Tch." Pouting at Dion, the Hero of Light clicked her tongue at his lack of reaction before climbing the tall staircase leading to her office, a room very few students entered. To begin with, very few students ever met her in person.

Lucille Oran was somewhat famous for her lacking presence in the students' lives. The only time the vast majority of the student body has ever seen her was the inauguration speech at the beginning of the school year.

It wasn't as though she didn't want to see them it just simply didn't work out well for her. For reasons only she and the other five heroes of old knew, she did not age and that led to a few difficulties.

She liked the children she taught, she truly did, but they were in a dangerous career. While some thrived in the danger and made legends of their own, some even rivaling her own, a greater number of her precious students passed away without a grave.

Knowing her students would one day leave her was an agonizing feeling and inevitably she curled into her own shell to hide from the pain. She had known Dion for a fairly brief time but a mix of her loneliness and intrinsic care for others made her care deeply for him already.

Which would make the day he passed away much worse. She was already dreading the day he passed away, fearing for the way he would one day die, and desperately wanting to distance herself from him.

But she couldn't do that. She was a being full of compassion, she couldn't possibly leave Dion by himself in such a dangerous place. It didn't help that she quite liked the boy who reminded her of somebody dear to her heart.

"Since I know that you'll make waves that shake the empire while you're gone we need to make you as far from your current self as possible. To that end, chose whatever you want from this pile." Lucille spoke seriously, a hint of pride in her voice as she opened a door revealing a marvelous sight.

Hundreds of weapons, armor, jewels, and legendary creations, all of the highest caliber lay in the room like luxurious ornaments. There were even elixirs that could defy death and curse blades that showed immense power at a steep cost.

"Anything?" Dion questioned, clearly surprised at her abundant generosity. Some of the things in this room had mana so potent that even a child could kill somebody like him just by swinging around the weapon.

Of course, they were cursed so said child would die soon after to the weapon's curse but there was no point worrying about a hypothetical scenario. Ultimately, his point still stood. The weapons in this room were ridiculous.

"Anything~!" Lucille repeated, a proud smirk on her face. "Well, minus the super cursed weapons. Anything but those!" She reiterated seriously, a chiding look on her face and her finger raised as if she were an older sister scolding a child.

Simply nodding his head Dion looked around the room, his eyes caught on a few of the items in particular. While armor wasn't a high priority since he prioritized free movements and agility over pure defensive power there were some that fit his needs.

People with the magic attribute of enchanting have the ability to enhance weapons and grant them certain effects. It was primarily used on weapons as it was much easier but some clothing could have it and there were plenty in this room.

"Oh yeah. This one is non negotiable." Lucille spoke abruptly, breaking him free from his thoughts as she threw a small bracelet toward him. Catching it he analyzed it, interested in its effects.

It was a thin bracelet, roughly a quarter of an inch wide, without any distinct designs. It seemed to be a solid chunk of metal turned into a bracelet however if one looked closely they would notice some elaborate designs that create a masterful work of art.

"What is it?" He questioned lightly, gingerly turning it over to gaze at the bottom of it. It was clear that it was a magic item, hence why he hadn't injected his mana into it, but its effects were not clear to him.

"It's a magic object called the Body Alteration Bracelet and it does exactly what the name says. It does have the negative effect of limiting your bodily strength to that of an A- rank but your other stats will stay the same." Lucille explained proudly, her hands on her hips and a wide smile on her lips.

"A-... that'll be plenty." Dion declared simply, injecting his mana into the object with a clear image in his mind. While he never used this specific magic item these types tend to rely on a clear image to create a believable disguise.

His body slowly changed, his flesh wriggling like worms were moving underneath his skin as his body changed from the inside out. It was a painful experience to be sure yet Dion didn't make any visible reaction besides disgust as he watched the disturbing showing of magic.

His hair changed shape, his body grew a size larger, his facial structure altered beyond recognition, and his formerly thin frame was filled out and his muscles themselves rearranged to better fit his needs.

Where Dion Aster once stood was a completely different man.