Paladins

|Arthur|

The remaining morning class after Practical Mana Manipulation ended swiftly, and before we knew it, lunch was upon us, followed by yet another meeting of the Paladins.

Sylvie was napping on my head, already tired even though there still quite a bit of school left.

Alistair and I made our way towards the grand Paladins' main room, which dwarfed even the spacious DC.

The Paladins' main room spanned across two floors, much like the DC room, connected by a grand staircase.

On the lower level, a vast expanse of space awaited, with individual training rooms for each of the seven members of the group, marked with their names.

Ascending the stairs, we arrived at the upper floor, where the meeting room was expected to be located. The air of anticipation grew stronger as we approached, with every step bringing us closer to our fellow Paladins.

"Ah, you're finally here," Gary greeted us with a warm smile, turning towards us as we entered the room.

"It's good to see you again, Gary," we responded, returning the gesture with our friendly smiles.

Gary laughed lightly, dismissing the formalities. "No need for such pleasantries. Take a seat, the others have been waiting for you."

As we settled into our seats, Gary took charge and initiated the meeting. "Firstly, let's start with proper introductions. It's important that we know each other's fighting styles, beast will, core stage level, and other relevant information."

Gary led by example. "My name is Gary Whiteborn. I am 12 years old and use a single-edged curved sword as my main weapon. I am at the mid silver stage and have affinities with lightning, wind, sound, and illusion magic. I do not possess a beast will."

Lancelot followed suit, "I am Lancelot Orbel, also 12 years old. I rely on three different weapons: a double-edged sword, a halberd, and a bow. I have a contract with the wind spirit, Sylph, and am at the initial silver stage. My affinities lie with wind and gravity magic."

Kathyln stood up and bowed respectfully before introducing herself, "I am Kathyln Glayder, also 12 years old. I am a conjurer who uses a bow as my weapon. I am at the light yellow stage and have an affinity for ice magic. I do not possess a beast will."

Tessia spoke next, "I am Tessia Eralith, 13 years old. I am a conjurer who also uses a sword. I am at the solid yellow core stage and have affinities with wind, water, and plant magic."

Rachel introduced herself, "My name is Rachel Glidesburn, 12 years old. I am a conjurer who uses wands as my weapon of choice. I am at the initial silver stage and have affinities with water and earth magic. I am also contracted with the water spirit, Undine."

It was then my turn to introduce myself. "My name is Arthur Leywin. I'm 12 years old and I'm an augmenter who uses a single-edged sword as my weapon. I have a powerful beast will of unknown class, and a bond as well, although it's not particularly useful in battle."

I pointed to the top of my head where Sylvie was resting, eliciting some gasps from the girls.

"I'm currently at the light yellow stage and have affinities with all four base elements, as well as ice, lightning, and gravity magic deviancy through my beast will's second stage." I continued before finishing.

Alistair, sensing the surprise among the group, quickly took his turn to introduce himself. "My name is Alistair Eralith. I'm 12 years old, and like Arthur, I'm an augmenter who uses two swords to fight. I don't have a beast will and I'm currently at the initial silver stage. My affinities lie with wind, fire, and lightning magic."

"A dual-wielder?" Gary commented under his breath. There was no shock apparent on his stoic face, likely because he knew most of this already.

Gary handed each of us a badge adorned with silver angel wings, the symbol of the Paladins. "Wear this badge at all times," he instructed. "It signifies your authority as a member of this group and serves as a warning to others not to mess with you."

He then continued, "I have assessed each of your strength levels and have posted the rankings on the board. If you believe there has been an error, you may challenge the person above you in a practice duel to prove your worth. You will have access to resources such as elixirs and your own training room, which can be accessed by storing your mana signature. Feel free to use these resources as you need them."

Curious, I turned to look at the leaderboard and scanned the rankings.

1. Gary Whiteborn

2. Lancelot Orbel

3. Alistair Eralith

4. Arthur Leywin

5. Rachel Glidesburn

6. Kathyln Glayder

7. Tessia Eralith

As I scanned the leaderboard, a soft voice whispered into my ear, "You should be ranked higher, but I understand why you don't want to reveal the full extent of your aether just yet. However, keep in mind that these rankings will be put to the test during the upcoming tournament."

I turned to see who had spoken, but no one was there. 'Such a high mastery over sound magic,' I thought to myself.

I couldn't help but feel impressed by the accuracy of the rankings. They were exactly as I had predicted and seemed to reflect each member's true strength.

Feeling satisfied, I turned to the rest of the group and said, 'These rankings seem pretty accurate to me. I'm looking forward to the tournament to see how they hold up.'

Gary nodded in agreement and added, "Remember, these rankings are not set in stone. If you believe you can beat someone ranked above you, you have the opportunity to prove it in a practice duel."

He then gestured towards the badges of silver angel-like wings that he had given us earlier and said, "And always remember to wear your paladin badges. They give you extra authority and show that you are not to be trifled with."

"Then, I would like to take this opportunity to challenge Kathyln," Tessia said in a confident voice.

Tessia's bold statement caught everyone's attention, and Gary couldn't help but add a touch of humour to the situation. "As much as I would love to see two princesses go head-to-head, we can't let our academic responsibilities slide. We can always come back to this later."

Tessia nodded in understanding, her competitive spirit clearly on display. "Of course, we have to make sure we excel in all areas, not just combat. We'll have plenty of time to battle later."

With that, the group dispersed, heading off to their respective upper-division classes. But the excitement of the challenge hung in the air, and everyone knew that there would be plenty of opportunities to prove their strength and skills in the future.

_____________________________________

|Arthur|

As we made our way towards the classroom, I couldn't help but feel surprised at the fact that all of us had been enrolled in the same upper-division class: Team-Fighting Mechanics I. It was a course that focused on teaching students how to work effectively as a team in combat situations, which made sense given our roles as Paladins.

As we approached the classroom, I noticed that it wasn't a traditional classroom at all, but rather a large open field with various obstacles scattered throughout. I couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of training in such a unique environment.

I saw some students had arrived before us, talking to each other, and I immediately noticed some familiar figures.

As we caught up with our friends, Curtis excitedly told us about the new techniques he had been practising with his sword and with his bond, while Claire showed off her improved control over her fire magic. Clive, the arrogant noble, was afraid of even catching Gary's eye as he scuttled away from his gaze.

Sylvie seemed happy with Clive's behaviour as her eyes scanned the unfamiliar room.

'How you feeling, Sylv?' I asked her mentally.

'Fine, Papa. Just tired.' she replied in a sleepy voice.

It was nice to see familiar faces and catch up with them, even though we were all in different classes and had our own schedules to follow.

As I scanned the crowd of students, I recognized some familiar faces: Curtis, Claire, and Clive. They warmly welcomed us, and Claire playfully wrapped her arm around my neck.

As we mingled, I noticed Lucas Wykes, a powerful mage from the infamous Wykes family who had already reached the light yellow stage. However, his reputation had been tarnished after his actions in the Dire Tombs.

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed over the field, interrupting our conversation. We all turned to see a massive hawk-like mana beast hovering above us. It was at least 4 meters long with a wingspan well over 8 meters. As it descended, it revealed a well-toned woman with a giant sword strapped to her back standing on its back.

"Good! Everyone's here!" the woman exclaimed. "Welcome! My name is Professor Glory, and I will be the one teaching all of you brats! This Flare Hawk is Torch, my precious bond."

As she made her way around the group of students, I couldn't help but notice her strong mana core. She was at the solid yellow stage, lower than Professor Geist, but still a formidable opponent. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected the students in her class, trying to gauge their mana core stages. However, she seemed to struggle with identifying the levels of my fellow Paladins.

"Congratulations, Paladins, you have set the bar high for the other classes," Professor Glory declared after unsuccessfully trying to inspect Gary's mana core. She took a bit more time to inspect the disciplinary committee and the student council members, nodding in approval every once in a while.

"We're going to start this semester off with a game," she announced excitedly. "What kind of game, you ask? How about capture the flag?"

Gary raised his hand and suggested, "For the teams, it should be 4v4. Lancelot, Tessia, Lucas and I versus Arthur, Alistair, Kathyln, and Rachel."

"Excellent idea!" Professor Glory exclaimed, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "The eight genius freshmen. This will be a great opportunity to see your abilities in action." With that, a pile of what looked like exercise gear dropped to the ground out of Professor Glory's dimension ring.