FIRST DAY

A few days later-

It has been a few days since we arrived in Xyrus, and life in the city is vastly different from the quiet town of Ashber. The bustling streets are filled with people, and the air is charged with the magical energy of the city. The towering buildings of Xyrus cast shadows over the streets, and the constant hum of activity creates a vibrant atmosphere.

Our new home was a modest house attached to an appraisal shop and a small blacksmith workshop. Dad wasted no time in finding work, and he seemed content with the prospect of starting a new life in the city. Mom, on the other hand, continued her work as an appraiser, occasionally muttering to herself about the rarity of certain magical items.

As for myself, I currently stood in front of a large manor that served as the Helstea family residence. Dad had managed to secure a meeting with Vincent Helstea, an old friend of his, who held significant influence in the city.

The Helstea manor was an impressive sight, surrounded by well-manicured gardens and guarded by imposing statues. I walked up the flight of grand stairs leading to the entrance and pressed the door bell.

The dull clang of metal on metal rang quite loud, echoing through the grand foyer as I heard faint pitter-patter sounds followed by a childish voice. "Coming!"

A maid opened the door, with a little girl standing next to her. Immediately upon seeing me, the child hid behind the maid. The maid looked at me curiously, evidently surprised to see an thirteen-year-old knocking at the door of a noble's estate.

I cleared my throat. "Hello. My name is Anos Voldigoad. My father, Gusta, arranged a meeting with Vincent Helstea. Is he available?"

The maid blinked, seemingly taken aback by my introduction. "Oh, uh, one moment, please."

She closed the door, leaving me standing in the grand entrance. After a brief pause, the door swung open again, revealing an elderly man with graying hair and a dignified air. He wore a well-tailored suit that spoke of his status as a butler.

"Ah, Master Anos Voldigoad, I presume?" the butler inquired with a polite bow.

I nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, that's correct."

The butler gestured for me to follow him. "Master Vincent is awaiting your arrival in his study. Please, this way."

I followed the butler through the expansive halls of the manor, my footsteps echoing in the spacious corridors. As we approached the study, the butler announced my presence. "Master Vincent, Master Anos Voldigoad has arrived as scheduled."

"Come in," a deep voice resonated from within the study.

The butler opened the door, and I stepped into a lavishly furnished room. Vincent Helstea, a kind-looking man with brown parted hair, with a small, brown beard on his chin and reddish brown eyes, sat behind a massive mahogany desk. He wore a fine suit that accentuated his wealthy stature.

"Ah, Gusta's son. Anos, was it?" Vincent greeted me, offering a warm smile.

I returned the greeting with a nod. "Anos Voldigoad. A pleasure to meet you, Vincent Helstea."

"Please, call me Vincent. No need for formalities here," he said, gesturing for me to take a seat.

I obliged, settling into one of the plush chairs in front of his desk.

"Your father spoke highly of you and mentioned your desire to attend Xyrus Academy," Vincent began, leaning back in his chair.

"Yes, that's correct," I confirmed.

Vincent nodded thoughtfully. "Although I am acquainted with the Academy's director, securing an enrollment is no small feat. You would either need a huge amount of money or show exceptional magical talent. I'm no mage, so I can't exactly know your mana core level, but Gusta mentioned you possess remarkable magical abilities. Care to elaborate on that, Anos?"

I showed my open palm, and a pale blue flame danced atop it. "That should suffice, shouldn't it?"

Vincent's eyes widened as he observed the flame. "Yes, that is quite remarkable. I heard that blue flames are only achieved by mages with advanced control over fire magic. Most students would only be to conjure ordinary flames at your age."

It was only natural that I could cast this level of magic effortlessly. After all, blue flames are not even the hottest type of flames one can produce. But, for the sake of impressing those who lack the knowledge of my true capabilities, it served its purpose.

Vincent leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Impressive, indeed. If you possess such talents, attending Xyrus Academy would be a valuable opportunity for you to hone your skills. However, the academy requires quite significant financial resources. I'd be happy to sponsor you, but its not a risk I'm willing to take for now."

I shook my head. "Money is not a problem..." I conjured a storage circle and took out thousands of this country's currency, laying it on the table. The gleaming gold coins piled up, reflecting the ambient light in the room. "I just need your connections with the director to secure my enrollment."

Vincent's eyes widened at the sight of the substantial wealth before him. "That's... quite a lot. Where did you get all of this gold?"

"I have my ways," I replied cryptically.

Vincent, though visibly taken aback, couldn't deny the allure of the wealth presented before him. "Very well, Anos. I'll use my connections to help you secure a place at Xyrus Academy. Your father has always been a trustworthy friend, and I'm happy to assist his son."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Vincent," I said, offering a confident smile.

Vincent chuckled, "You're quite a direct young man, Anos. I appreciate that. I'll contact the director immediately and make the necessary arrangements for your enrollment. You'll receive a formal invitation from the academy soon."

I nodded in understanding. Vincent stood up from his desk, extending a hand for a handshake. "Wishing you the best of luck, Anos. May your time at Xyrus Academy be both fruitful and enjoyable."

I shook his hand firmly. "I look forward to it."

With the meeting concluded, I left the Helstea manor and headed back to our new home.

—————

-A few weeks later-

I stood outside the gates of a large white building covered in thousands of runes etched on its surface. The many people around me were entering the gate one after another.

"Do your best, Anos!" mom called, chipper as ever.

Despite me assuring them it was unnecessary, both mom and dad had insisted on seeing me off at the gate when it was their son's first day of school.

"A-Anos! R-R-Remember to stay c-c-calm!" Dad was stuttering profusely.

"Perhaps you should calm down too, dad."

"R-Right. Sounds like you'll be fine."

"Yup, yup! Our little Anos is already so reliable at one month old. He's sure to pass!"

Of course, none of the other students had come here with their parents. The gazes of those around us bored uncomfortably into me.

"I'll be going now." I turned on my heels and made my way over to the line of humans before the gate.

"Go, go, Anos! Fight, win, Anos!"

'Hmm. Perhaps that's a little too much, dad...'

So this was what having human parents was like, huh? It wasn't so bad, actually. Just a little embarrassing.

(A/N: This is literally from the novel. Anos does get embarrassed, if only barely.)

I walked inside the building, walking alongside the other students attending this school for the first time. Once inside, I noticed how loud it was. Thousands of excited students chattered away, some with friends they had come with, others with people they were meeting for the first time.

I took a seat in the crowded auditorium, waiting for the opening ceremony to begin. I looked around, observing the diverse crowd of students. Most were humans, but there were many elves and dwarves as well.

'So those are the dwarves...' I thought to myself, recognizing their short and sturdy stature. 'And those must be the elves with their elegant features.'

When I grew bored of looking around, I focused my attention on the stage, which was still empty except for a single podium. Just then, a blurred cloud came into focus and I saw the form of an elderly woman with gray hair and brown eyes standing behind the podium. She wore an elegant white circlet that matched her white robe, indicating her position of authority. She was this academy's director, Cynthia Goodsky.

Her eyes were closed, but when she opened them, she seemed to be peering straight at another student. The student was a young teenage boy with auburn hair and azure colored eyes, with a small little creature on sleeping on his head. Smiling, the director raised her hand slowly while her eyes remained locked onto the student.

'To put so much attention on a single student... Interesting.' I peered into the student's abyss with my eyes and noticed four elemental affinities—fire, water, earth, and wind. An unheard-of quadra-elemental, it makes sense now.

That student is the only mage in Dicathen able to control all four elements; it would make sense why the director would pay special attention to him.

I then moved my focus away from the student and onto the director herself. I used my eyes again to peer into her abyss. 'High Silver stage, impressive for this era's standards. She could be a good subordinate in line with mid-tier demons.'

She then noticed my gaze and met it with a fearful and intense stare, her eyes narrowing. I could feel a hint of hesitation and wariness in her gaze, but it quickly shifted as she regained her composure. It seemed she tried to peer into my own abyss, but it was so deep that even someone of her caliber couldn't fully grasp its depths. The corners of my lips curled into a slight smirk as I maintained eye contact.

By this time, many more of the incoming first-years had noticed her. They began talking even louder, some cheering, but when the director's hand reached the level of her head, everything instantly fell dead silent.

Looking around, I saw expressions of surprise on everyone's faces, because although everyone's lips were moving, no one in the audience was making a sound.

'Sound magic... It's similar to Badrom, but it completely suppresses sound rather than weaken it. Perhaps there is some use to Core magic after all.' I mused.

"Excuse me for my rudeness, but I do hate speaking up. Not good for my throat; no, it is not," she said in a pleasant voice which, though soft, was clearly audible, even from my place in the back row.

"I would like to welcome you all—the future leaders, scholars, and powerhouses of Dicathen—to this humble academy. I am Cynthia Goodsky. Please call me Director Goodsky, and do not be afraid to say hello when you see me around campus. I am no good with speeches. I stand here before you today not to bore you with a long, wandering, self-congratulatory presentation, but to introduce to you the student council that represents this academy and takes part in making important decisions along with me. Please give them a warm welcome." She waved her raised hand and, one by one, members of the council started walking out.

A tall boy with blonde hair entered first, walking confidently, looking straight ahead, his pretty-boy face eliciting a wave of shrill screams from the girls in the audience. After the previous silence, the sudden noise was like being woken in the dead of night by felines fighting outside your bedroom window. Behind him, a very playful, cheery guy came out, waving at the audience and beaming a bright smile.

Following them was a bright brown haired girl walking calmly towards the center of the stage, where she gave small bows in each direction. Behind her came a tall student with long, parted bangs. His face was frozen into a stern grimace with a sharp gaze that seemed to be looking down on everyone, giving him a rather pompous appearance.

Finally, the last to arrive actually made the crowd fall silent. The unmistakable gunmetal silver hair reflected the lights in the auditorium, giving her a serene glow, and swayed behind her as each of her dignified steps echoed throughout the silent auditorium. Her peaches-and-cream complexion made the boys around me gape, and when she turned to face the audience, her round turquoise eyes captured the hearts of every boy in the crowd. Her posture made her seem bigger and grander than everyone else on the stage. Taking a deep bow, she straightened up, tucking her hair behind her pointed ears, her face emotionless as a doll's.

"My name is Tessia Eralith, and I am honored to stand here as this academy's student council president."

—————

"My name is Tessia Eralith, and I am honored to stand here as this academy's student council president."

'An elf... And based on her surname, Eralith, a princess at that. Interesting choice for a student council president.'

When she bowed and introduced herself, a roar of applause erupted as all the students in the room cheered with admiration. Next to me, a scrawny human boy spoke excitedly to his friend beside him.

"That's the Princess Eralith I was talking about. My brother said she's been on campus since last year as a direct disciple under the Director and will start formally attending this year with us." He had leaned into his friend in an attempt to keep the conversation between them, but the volume at which he spoke betrayed him.

"That means she was the first non-human to set foot on this campus. Wait… she's only a first-year and she's already the student council president? Is that even possible?" His friend, whom I couldn't see, spoke louder and louder with each word.

"Yeah, I've heard of her as well. She's supposedly some sort of super-genius, right?"

"She's so damn pretty, and talented as well? This isn't even fair..."

"I wonder what I would have to do to get her to even look at me."

The audience was filled with chatter about the princess; for the boys, it revolved around what an unobtainable star she was, but for the girls, it was a mixture of admiration and envy.

As the crowd settled down enough for Tessia to start speaking again, Director Goodsky silently disappeared.

Tessia spoke eloquently enough to surprise even me. She was only thirteen, yet she had the ability to draw the crowd's full attention with her words—which, while simple and direct, were filled with maturity. She spoke about the principles of this academy, how this was a holy ground where students should feel safe to walk around freely. Tessia emphasized that anyone who hurt another student outside of a consented duel would face strict discipline, her voice firm and unwavering.

"While I am also a first-year, like all of you, I have had the privilege of being inside the academy a year longer. This has made it all too apparent to me that there is deeply embedded discrimination against the scholar mage students. I, for one, will not tolerate any sort of aggression or bullying based on the trivial fact that one is a scholar mage instead of a battle mage."

The crowd grew a little restless at this statement; everyone present had heard rumors of the hardships scholar mage students could face. I, myself, am a scholar mage as well, although I'm not particularly worried of the bullying.

"The uniforms and advanced courses will continue to be different. Starting this year, general education courses containing both scholar mage classes and battle mage classes will be mandatory for the first two years, to foster stronger integration of students in both focuses and allow you the opportunity to build relationships with your battle or scholar mage counterparts. After the two years are up, students may choose to switch their education specialization by taking a test, although it will be quite a difficult one."

This last statement drew a dissatisfied murmur from the crowd. Most students, regardless of background, had to test for either a scholar mage or battle mage position, myself included.

To get in as a scholar mage, an incoming student only needed a basic foundation of magic, which was mana gathering. While they had to take a written exam to assess their mental acuity, the practical portion of the exam was much simpler. Battle mage students, however, had a much stricter practical exam and actually performed basic spells or techniques, depending on whether they were a conjurer or augmenter.

The tall, stern-looking student stepped up next, silencing the crowd with a wave of his hand.

"That's the firstborn son of the famous Graves family," the boy next to me said. "Make sure you don't get on his bad side." The volume of his 'whisper' defeated its purpose.

"My name is Clive Graves and I am your student council vice president. As the president mentioned, this year will bring many changes. Along with the integration and freedom to switch between the two student types, there will also be a change in the criteria for graduation.

In the past, students could expect to graduate from the academy after four years of attendance. However, it is becoming more and more apparent that many graduating mages' capabilities are less than satisfactory. Therefore, the director has declared that graduation from Xyrus Academy will no longer be determined by attendance alone; students must meet certain standards, and pass a graduation exam.

While the conditions for graduation have become many times harder, the academy will allow up to ten years for a student to meet those criteria. In that time, we fervently hope to produce top-class mages in both theoretical and combat fields. We welcome you all—humans, elves, and dwarves alike—to Xyrus Academy." Clive bowed, the rest of the student council following suit.

After the ceremony, all the new students were dismissed to their dorms. Filing out of the auditorium, I continued observing the dynamics among the students as they left the auditorium. The mention of changes in graduation criteria and the extended time frame seemed to have left an impact on many faces.

Outside, the trees arched over the marble walkways, producing small showers of brightly-colored fall leaves. The students were all excitedly chatting to one another, getting to know their peers. As I walked deeper into the campus to where the dorms were, a few female students passed by me, doing a double-take to look back at me and giggling with their friends.

Hmm. What was that about? I pondered as I continued walking.

Just as I was about to enter the dormitory, a boy stood in my way. He was dark-skinned with a rock-hard physique, and his white hair was cropped short. He looked to be about fourteen years old, and he smirked wickedly as he looked down on me.

"Aww, did the little scholar mage get lost? This is where the big kids stay. You might want to turn around and head back to the kiddie section," he said.

Hmm. What kind of opener was that?

The crowd around us began to stir.

"Hey, isn't that..." someone whispered.

"Ah... This is bad. Zepes has set his sights on them. They're not getting away from a jackass like that in one piece..."

It seemed he had quite the reputation. I simply ignored him and walked past, unfazed by his attempts at intimidation.

"Hey! You— Hey! I'm speaking to you, jerk!"

The voice was so noisy, I turned around. The man from earlier was glaring at me.

"Hmph. Finally faced this way, huh?"

Good grief, this human certainly has no manners. Perhaps a little discipline was in order.

"My bad," I conceded. "Your magic was so weak, I didn't see you."

"Wh...at...?!" The man's eyes widened in fury. "Are you knowingly insulting me, the heir to the Ducal Family of Indu, Zepes Indu?"

"Duke Indu...? Doesn't ring any bells. You're famous?" I raised an eyebrow, genuinely unimpressed by the title.

Oh, I see. It must be another noble family within this kingdom.

"You bastard... This is your last chance to apologize."

What a cold voice. Zepes clenched his fist, a hostile look in his eyes. Particles of magic gathered around his fist. When Zepes opened his fist, a jet-black flame of condensed darkness flickered in his palm.

"Wha...?"

"Ha! Surprised? Fine, let's hear you beg for your life. Get on your knees and kiss my feet if you don't want me to erase you from existence," Zepes declared with an arrogant smirk.

Wh... What...

What low-level spellcasting! He needed to put on such a show for a simple threat? Even I had been expecting something bigger than a spark after such an arrogant buildup.

"I have no interest in picking on the weak."

I let out a small huff of air. With that, the flame on Zepes's palm went out.

"What the... That can't be! It's impossible!" he yelled in shock. "Y-You bastard... What the hell did you do?!"

"Why the surprise? I blew out the light of your match."

"You're comparing my flame to that of a match!?"

From the outset, the way Zepes and I used our magic was fundamentally different. Zepes had to desperately gather it just to cast a simple spell. If I were to cast the same spell, the power to supply it would come to me naturally.

Being unable to do this in the Mythical Age would have meant certain death... Had complacency in this peaceful world really made magic regress so far? Well, I guess that just meant this was a good era to live in—especially if it allowed humans this weak to talk so big.

"You... Don't think you're getting away with this alive..."

That aside...had this guy still not realized the difference in our strength?

"Declare a duel you bastard!" he shouted.

Oh? He wanted a duel? Interesting. I calmly looked at him, assessing the situation. "A duel, you say? Very well, but you do it. My name is Anos Voldigoad."

Zepes placed his hand on a metal badge pinned to his blazer and chanted, "I declare a duel between me, Zepes Indu, and Anos Voldigoad!" The metal badge on his chest began to glow, as did the pocket watch worn by me, his opponent.

*I accept the duel." The two artifacts glowed different colors until they synced together, producing a loud 'ping' sound.

The badge on the battle mage uniform, and the pocket watch on the scholar mage uniform, acted as artifacts for the dueling system, creating a barrier around each user that could withstand a certain amount of force. When one party's barrier broke, the duel was over, and the other party the winner. It took a full day for the artifact to recharge to produce another barrier, and during that time dueling was prohibited. To keep it fair, mages weren't allowed to issue a challenge to anyone at a lower level than themselves, which was I wasn't the one to initiate the duel.

I took one, two, then three silent steps backwards and placed my hand on the barrier.

"Oops!" Zepes called smugly. "It seems like your has been blocked off. What, you scared?"

"On the contrary, I'm merely pitying you for cornering yourself. But don't worry, I'm not going to kill you."

Zepes clicked his tongue in disgust.

Hmm. There was no need for that—I was only being considerate. Could it be that he still didn't understand our difference in power? Surely he couldn't be so stupid...

"Just so you know, I'm not a coward like you. Your smug face will be a bawling mess by the time I kill you."

I couldn't help myself—I burst into laughter. "Ha ha haaa! No wait, say that again. Who are you killing? Me?"

Immediately, Zepes drew a sword from his storage ring, an item that stores items in a different dimension. A typical artifact for a mage. The blade burned with a brilliant flame, its fiery aura flickering dangerously.

"Surprised? The Magic Sword Zephrid has been passed down through the Indu family for generations. Its blade was forged in ancient flame and has the power to increase my power tenfold. No matter how weak you think I am, you've no chance in hell of blowing out this flame!"

"Hmm. Is math a weakness of yours?" I asked as he closed the distance between us.

Zepes flew into a rage. "What are you trying to say...?!"

"Ten times zero is still zero, you know."

"Shut your mouth!" Zepes burst into a run. The next moment, he appeared before my eyes, raising his demon sword. "Now die."

Haaah... Oh, I failed to stifle my yawn.

Still, he sure was taking his time. If I were the one holding that sword, I would have swung it a hundred times by now. But it would be immature of me to use my full power playing with a child. I'd do this at his level.

Fancy weapon aside, the skill of its user made it pointless to even dodge.

With a vicious horizontal slash, Zepes swung the flaming Zephrid at my throat. Distracted from my daydream, I looked up...and saw the sword properly for the first time.

Oh! I dodged the swing at the last moment.

"Heh. You're pretty good at dodging."

Phew. That was close. A millimeter closer and the faint anti-magic field that constantly surrounded me would have snapped his sword in two. He'd mentioned the weapon had been passed down through the Indu family for generations. No matter how dull a blade it was, I'd feel bad if I destroyed something so important. But that aside...

"So that's a magic sword?" I inquired.

"That's right. This your first time seeing one? This thing uses proper magic, unlike what you'll have become used to seeing today. An ancient blade infused with power. An artifact of the ancient mages. This is the Magic Sword Zephrid!"

This was a magic sword...? A twig lying on the floor in the Mythical Age would have held more power.

"Haaah," I sighed without thinking.

The flame of the magic sword flickered out.

"Wh-Whaaa—?!" Zepes's ugly screech was accompanied by the surprised gasp of the audience.

"I...I can't believe it...! He blew out the flame of Zephrid!"

"But it was said the ancient flame would burn till the end of the world... He didn't even need to use a spell!"

Zepes gritted his teeth. "You... Did you blow out my flames again!?"

"Yes, but I have an interesting proposition for you. You and I should never have been placed on the same playing field in the first place. In fact, I should've never accepted this duel."

Zepes glared at me warily.

"So, here's a handicap: I won't take a single step from this spot. I won't cast any spells, and I won't imbue my words or breath with magic. I shall defeat you without moving my arms, legs, hair, eyes—that's right, I won't even blink."

"Ha! At least make your bluffs believable. Or is that an excuse for when you lose? It seems you really don't have any offensive spe—" Blood spewed from Zepes's mouth. "No way... Wha...is this..."

"Did you hear it?"

Badump.

"The sound of my heartbeat."

The sound of my beating heart, filled with magic power, jolted Zepes' entire body.

"Guh... Aagh..."

Blood spurted from all over Zepes's body as he fell to his knees and then collapsed forward. Interestingly, the barrier protecting Zepes hasn't broken yet, making the duel still in effect.

"Hmm. This is troubling. If everyone's so weak, I'll end up killing people whenever my pulse quickens."