Chapter 39: A necessary journey

Victoria could not help but frown. It had been the greatest day of her life thus far. She, Gwendolyn, and her mother went out together for what seemed like the first time in ages. They enjoyed cuisine, they laughed, they walked, and they enjoyed themselves.

Her mother was healthy and no longer bedridden. That one fact alone filled her with a joy she did not know she was capable of. After so long, her mother had been healed; she was no longer pale and sickly. She was full of vigor like never before.

It was why she neglected the academy for today, though very uncharacteristic. But she just wanted to spend time with her mother. A smile crossed her face; she could not remember when last she was this happy. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was the best day of her life; it was no doubt much the same for her little sister and her mother.

But all good things must come to an end. She was at home, yet the message had reached her all the same. Professor Eudora was making use of telepathy to contact certain students. The range of the ability was kind of absurd, she would admit, but it was quite impressive that she could extend it so far.

But Victoria knew how the professors mental magic worked; it was a simple process of tagging one with their own mana. From there, it would be easy to pinpoint the specific person. 

("To initiate telepathy, I believe the sender must focus their intention on the recipient and visualize a mental connection forming between them. This connection acts as a bridge through which thoughts and emotions can be transmitted instantaneously. The sender then projects their message, whether it be a simple greeting or a complex idea, across this mental bridge to the recipient.

The recipient, in turn, must be open and receptive to the incoming message and tune into the sender's frequency to receive it. This requires a certain level of mental clarity and sensitivity to pick up on the subtle signals being sent. Once the message is received, the recipient can interpret it in their own way and respond back through the same telepathic connection.

Telepathy is not limited by physical barriers such as walls or even great distances. I have heard it can transcend space and time, allowing individuals to communicate with others across vast stretches of land or even more. The strength and clarity of the telepathic connection depend on the individuals involved, with some being naturally more gifted in this form of communication than others. Quite nifty.") She concluded that, when it came down to knowledge, few could compare to her in that aspect. She was even held in higher regard than most other spawn of Almeric.

("Though Professor Eudora excels in magic regarding the mind, no doubt due to being a spawn of the love goddess.") She thought it was quite amusing, though. Despite being the spawn of the Goddess of literal love and beauty, Professor Eudora was still single. Though she supposed she was not one to talk, she was pushing twenty with still not even a date.

"But so is Fiona; hmmm, new material I can use to tease her." She mused.

But back to the current situation: she was loathed to leave her mother so soon, but she had little choice. The headmaster himself had requested her, it seems. And there was simply no 'ignoring' someone like Aleister.

"Now I wonder what dear Headmaster Aleister wants with me. I doubt it's due to my absence; I'm hardly that relevant." Though she supposed there was not much use in thinking of it now, She would find out when she got there in due time.

So quickly, making her way towards a set of stairs, she walked on them and stopped midway. A simple thought crossed her mind as the area around her sprang as the stairs seemed to ascend. Though the sudden action did not seem to bother the blonde girl as the constant spinning and ascending of stairs came to a halt, walking up, she stepped onto the top level of the academy. 

From that moment forth, it was just a matter of walking down a long, expansive hallway. Wooden floors with velvet carpets draped upon them and a row of paintings depicting the previous headmasters of Luminare Academy. She did not stop to admire the sight as she advanced to her destination.

A large black oak door with golden patterns intricately woven into it, it was the headmaster's office. The one and only room within the top floor of the academy, she did not know why. Mayhap, the headmaster, wanted to remain on top by himself; she did not care.

Raising her delicate hand, she knocked on the large door. A few seconds passed before she heard a muffled 'enter'. So, not wasting time, she pushed past the door. She could not help but immediately take in the sight of such a grand office.

The walls were adorned with ornate tapestries depicting various scenes, ranging from what looked like heroic battles to noble deeds from fairy tales, while flickering lights cast a warm, golden light across the room. A large, intricately carved oak desk sat at the center of the room, its surface cluttered with piles of parchment scrolls and leather-bound tomes.

Behind the desk, a high-backed chair of rich crimson velvet loomed, its arms adorned with intricate carvings of dragons and griffins. The headmaster himself was seated there, of course, his piercing blue eyes immediately zeroing in on her as if to gauge her worth.

Further bookshelves line the walls, filled to bursting with what she could tell were ancient volumes and magical artifacts. A large, crackling fireplace cast a comforting glow over the room, its mantle lined with curious trinkets and rare gemstones. A suit of armor stood guard in the corner, its polished surface reflecting the flickering firelight.

Though, while entering, she and the headmaster were, of course, not the only two present.

She first spotted the brilliant white cascading white hair of Lucinda. Upon noticing her gaze, the girl merely sent her an awkward smile. The reaction was expected; Victoria had not long ago asked the girl to help cure her mother of Blightscurge. Yet even she could not manage it at the time, no matter how proficient she was with magic.

Healing did not work, even when it was from Lucinda. And restoration was too dangerous, as the effects of time magic were unpredictable. Alas, the spawn of Octavia felt guilty for not being of help, despite Victoria telling her that it was fine. Though she supposed it was just in the girls nature.

Now she also took note of Princess Mirabella; the girl just looked annoyed to be here.

And then there was a woman with raven hair and lilac eyes. With an impossibly large bosom, which she 'did' not envy. She had rather large mana reserves, so she must have been someone of importance, which is why the lot was called no doubt.

And there was another blonde present—the Gregory heir and prodigy, she presumed. She had the same nasty glare as her dear father, said glare being directed towards someone in particular who leaned against the wall.

Victoria could not help but have a genuine smile cross her features as she took note of that eerily grinned mask. Mikoto, the one to whom all her gratitude was directed. He was responsible for saving the life of her mother when no one else could. Her heart could not help but swell with joy; it was just a dream come true.

The masked boy threw her a glance as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. She would have liked to converse, but Headmaster Aleister spoke up.

"Good, everyone is present." He started, his eyes scanning over everyone present. "I'm sure some of you are wondering why you were called."

"Obviously." Mirabella rather crudely replied. "And what's this hag doing' here?" She questioned as she gestured to the lilac-eyed woman.

"Come now, little Mirabella." Guinevere merely smirked despite being called a hag. "We've not seen each other in a while, so why so crude?"

"Because I don't like you." The princess merely spat, merely electing a mock look of hurt from the court mage.

"So hurtful and savage as always." Guinevere responded.

"Wh-" Before Mirabella could retort, Aleister spoke up once again.

"This is court mage, Guinevere. She is part of the reason you were summoned." Aleister clarified.

"What would the king's personal sorcerer want with us?" Agatha spoke up with a frown.

"We will be getting to that in a moment, but I'd like to ask you something first." The headmaster stated: "Would you all consider yourselves strong?"

"Ah? What's the point of this question?" Mirabella questioned.

"It's just for curiosity sake." Aleister answered with a smirk. "I'd like an honest answer." Suffice to say confusion was found with most in the room.

("Quite the random question.") Victoria mused. ("But it is linked to why we were called for. So is this a test, mayhap? To see if we are qualified for something? Or is it really just to satisfy the headmaster's curiosity?") It was hard to tell what was going through the headmaster's mind; his eyes were as blank as his face.

("Hm, I think I might have the gist of what is going on.") Lucinda's eyes momentarily darted to Guinevere. ("Lady Guinevere is here, so this is no doubt about the festival next month; they're here to recruit more contestants.") The few here barring Mikoto certainly were a good enough choice, but they were too young and inexperienced safe for Victoria. ("But knowing Aleister, he has already thought of something; his strange question is no doubt him wanting to gauge their character.") She surmised.

("What's with that dumb ass question?") Mirabella thought with a frown. ("Does it even matter if we think we're strong? At the end of the day, results matter, not what someone thinks of themselves.") The princess concluded.

("What is the purpose of this question?") Agatha mentally hummed as her eyes bore into the headmasters; his gaze was blank, yet they held an intensity to them. Though different from her fathers, she did not feel intimidated. ("I just feel so insignificant when I gaze into his eyes. His gaze holds power, different from that of the Chaosmaw. Does he hold true strength?")

*Sigh*

Aleister sighed with slight disappointment as he shook his head.

"So long to answer a simple question, that simply will not do. Fine then, I'll pick." His gaze all but latched onto Mikoto's lithe frame as he smirked. "Mikoto, was it? How about you answer my question? Do you think yourself strong?"

The others gazed at him as they too awaited an answer. Suffice it to say that everyone in the room had a keen interest in the masked boy.

Agatha knew he was more than meets the eye; she had briefly battled him after all. And despite having conversed several times, she could not discern the enigma that was Mikoto Yukio.

Mirabella just wanted a chance to properly pummel him, as she never got a proper chance. Then again, she would be lying if she said she was not curious about the masked boy. Especially based on what his mug might look like, he was probably hideous, hence the mask.

Lucinda just found him overall odd; who could blame her?

Victoria actually knew how powerful he was. She knew he was the one who destroyed the entire forest after all. But she did not care about that; Mikoto was an angel in her eyes. A mysterious force that helped her in her time of need.

While Guinevere, well, she was just interested in Mikoto's absurd mana reserves.

"I'm pretty strong." Mikoto answered casually.

"A straight and honest answer; I like it." Aleister grinned. "But how strong?"

"It depends on what I'm doing."

"I see." Aleister murmured before continuing. "Let's see, if you and I were to battle, do you see yourself winning?" The answer for most people in the room was obvious. Aleister, while not an Inheritor, was still powerful all the same.

After all, he used to be a general for the Galadriel military force. On top of being the spawn of Aragorn, He was even hailed as the kingdom's most powerful sorcerer on some occasions. A first-year academy student obviously had no chance, realistically.

"Well, you're a spawn of that destruction, God, and you have some serious mana reserves." Mikoto stated. "So it might cause me a little trouble."

"But tell me honestly, Mikoto. If we were to have a battle to the death, would you lose?" Most could not help but be confused by the strange turn of events. It was as if he were mainly targeting Mikoto for whatever reason.

But despite that, Mikoto answered without hesitation.

"I would win."