In the corridors of the Academy, a young woman was making her way to the teachers’ room. Holding four cups of coffee in her hands, she was struggling to not burn herself as the hot liquid threatened to spill at each of her steps. Arriving at her destination, she gently kicked the door a couple of times to announce her arrival as someone came to open up.
“Oh my, Mrs. Olga! Let me help you with that.”
Finally off-loaded of her extra cups of coffee, the young teacher came to grab a chair at the table, where most of her colleagues were already seated.
“So, did I miss anything?” She asked, going right to the point.
As a new teacher in the school, Mrs. Olga felt really pressured into giving her best for her students. Because of that, she often spent her Friday afternoons providing support sessions for pupils in difficulty. Despite this, she was still very interested in the duels’ outcome, as they could sometimes be very unexpected. As soon as her last session ended, she headed straight to the teachers’ room, as she knew her colleagues would be there, discussing the students’ performance.
“This time was spectacular!” A male teacher exclaimed, as he extended his arm to reach for one of the cups of coffee. “You’ve really missed something, Mrs. Olga. There were so many surprising outcomes!”
“Really?” This is what she had been hoping to hear. “What happened?”
“Well, to be exact, out of all the duels that were held today, only two of them were very unusual,” the male teacher explained.
But it was still two times too many, so Mrs. Olga’s interest didn’t decrease one bit.
“The first fight was a duel between mages. Both students were from Mrs. Borge’s class and one of them was the best in his class.”
“And he lost?” Mrs. Olga guessed.
Her colleague nodded.
“Not only did he lose, but the way he lost was really strange!”
“How so?”
The male teacher brought a hand to his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Well, I’m not sure,” he admitted, his gaze wandering on the table. “I’m only a math teacher so I’m not really familiar with magic, but… We didn’t see anything.”
Mrs. Olga frowned at his explanation.
“What do you mean, ‘you didn’t see anything’?”
“It’s just as you heard, the girl casted a spell, but we couldn’t see anything. Her magic was invisible.”
The young woman frowned even further. Support spells were often invisible, but when it comes to invisible offensive spells, only one kind of magic crossed her mind. Dark magic. However, it shouldn’t have been possible. Not only did this school not teach anything about it to its students as it was a forbidden art, but only demons were known to use dark magic. And there were no demons in the Academy.
As she was thinking this, Mrs. Olga turned her attention to Mrs. Borge, who had stayed silent until now. If anyone here could be able to tell what really happened, it would be her, a teacher from the intermediate classes, specialized in magic. Moreover, this concerned her student. She was the best one to know about her abilities.
“Did that really happen?” Mrs. Olga inquired.
But Mrs. Borge only gave her a long sigh as an answer.
At that moment, the door opened as the head-teachers entered the room. The duels had long ended now, and after finally closing up the event, it was time for them to consult each other about it. As usual, they decided to hold their usual post-event meeting in the teachers’ room.
“Mr. Glenn,” the two female teachers greeted, as they noticed their superior coming in.
“Oh, I see that everyone is already here!” Mr. Glenn noted. “Please don’t get up. It will be quick.”
The head-teachers all took a seat around the table. With most of the school’s teachers present, the room was now almost full.
“Let us begin,” Mr. Villin, the head-teacher in charge of the swordsmanship department, said, not wasting a single second. “I believe everyone agrees that some duels today were a bit… surprising.”
As the professors exchanged agreeing looks, a voice suddenly spoke up.
“Did someone use dark magic?”
Mrs. Olga’s unexpected interrogation caused a little commotion to rise in the room as all eyes turned on her. Her assumption wasn’t irrelevant. Not everyone here was familiar with magic, but they all understood to some extent that the student named Vivian of Lorns used an abnormal spell.
“Alright, alright, please, calm down everyone. No dark magic has been used,” Mr. Glenn immediately assured before turning his eyes on Mrs. Olga. “What made you think that, Mrs. Olga?”
“Well, I’ve heard a student used invisible magic, so…”
“Wait a second,” someone abruptly interjected. “If no dark magic was used, then how do you explain Vivan of Lorn’s victory? As far as everyone knows, she has always been mediocre. How could she have won against Lucius Bain, who is considered the best in his class?”
Without waiting for a reply, the man shifted his gaze on Mrs. Borge.
“Mrs. Borge. They are both students of your class. What do you have to say? Do you think it is possible for Vivian of Lorns to beat Lucius Bain?”
“No,” the female teacher immediately replied, without even having to think twice about it. “It shouldn’t have been possible.”
Her arms crossed in front of her, she was displaying a hard expression.
“Why the jaded look, then, Mrs. Borge? Isn’t this a good thing?” One of her colleagues noted. “A second-rate student defeating a talented classmate is something to be praised! She’s your student, you should be proud of her.”
However, the female teacher seemed to disagree as she let out a long sigh.
“I would have been if she had defeated him with her own abilities,” she muttered loud enough to be heard, disappointment showing on her face.
Several teachers frowned at her revelation.
“Are you suggesting that she didn’t defeat him by herself?”
Mrs. Borge didn’t utter another word. However, that was enough for the others as they took her silence for a yes. A clamor of indignation was raised in the room as the possibility of cheating was being considered. Duels were meant to oppose two challengers for their real worth. Any form of external aids were thus absolutely forbidden. If a student resorted to the use of a magic item or something of the likes to assure her victory, then it would be absolutely scandalous.
As the commotion grew in the room, only one person did not seem to be surprised by the unexpected revelation.
“Mr. Glenn,” someone called out. “Do you know anything about that?”
The head-teacher was displaying a large smile.
“Naturally,” he admitted.
During the event, he had been the first one to notice that Vivian was being helped. As the one in charge of the magic department, it was easy for him to detect the mana of a third party involved in the fight. However, he had been unable to pinpoint its source.
“As you all know, magic can be a bit tricky,” Mr. Glenn began to explain. “It can be cast at a long distance and the source of its power, mana, is not visible. This means that it is very easy for a third party to intervene without anyone knowing.”
The teachers began to gossip as Mr. Glenn presented a small object resembling a stone on the table.
“Which is exactly why we use this,” he continued.
“That’s a magic item!” Mrs. Olga immediately recognized.
“Indeed,” the head-teacher confirmed with a smile. “Each time a competition is held, I distribute this to some of the teachers under my wing before scattering them through the stands. It allows me to keep an eye on everyone and prevent external intervention. This wonderful device is able to detect mana fluctuations, you see?”
As a few eyes widened at this information, one professor in particular did not seem thrilled at the sight of the magic item.
“Please, don’t give me that look, Mr. Villin,” Mr. Glenn joked as he noticed his colleague’s disapproving glare. “I have, naturally, obtained the headmaster’s permission to use these. As you know, our school has a strict policy when it comes to cheating, so we considered it to be necessary.”
“I have never heard about this before,” Mr. Villin noted, his eyes narrowed.
“The responsibility of preventing magic abuse was mine so I didn’t deem it necessary to share this information with you,” the head-teacher explained, “especially since, so far, it hasn’t been of any use. No one would care to cheat for a duel after all. They aren’t even an official competition.”
Mr. Glenn marked a pause, the smile on his face widening.
“But I guess today was a different story!”
The head-teacher pressed his body against the back of his chair, his fingers intertwined neatly on his lap.
“So, did any one of my little spies catch a naughty student in the act?”
The teachers started to exchange silent gazes, waiting for someone to come forward.
“I did,” Mrs. Borge then spoke up, as all eyes turned on her.
Mrs. Borge had been attending duels for as long as she could remember. As one of the established mages of the school, Mr. Glenn often counted on her to supervise the event from the stands. She didn’t mind it. Not only was it one of her responsibilities as a teacher, but it also allowed her to see how students coped with a battle situation. She was particularly delighted this time to hear that some of her students would be participating. Yet, this expectation was soon pushed aside since, for the first time in a few years, her magic stone reacted.
“So, who was it?”
“Lynett Maedis Whiteheart.”
The revelation raised a new commotion in the room. This name was familiar to everyone here. Lynett was not only a transfer student, she also a chosen one, and the sister of Aoban Whiteheart. She was also one of the students involved with the legendary magical beast incident. But that wasn’t all. For most people here, Lynett was also the one other student who had unexpectedly won her duel this afternoon. They had all expected to move on to her later on, but they hadn’t expected her to be mentioned twice.
In the growing agitation, only Mr. Glenn remained unfazed. Although he had not expected it, he was not surprised one bit to hear her name coming up. The young girl had already caught his eyes a few days ago. Like most people, he was initially interested in her because of her golden eyes and her relationship with one of this school’s best students. But when he met her, he quickly understood that she was probably even brighter than her brother.
At her age, it wouldn’t have been weird for her mana core to be unstable. It usually took years to form, after all, and decades to mature. However, hers was nothing like that. Her mana core showed absolutely no signs of irregularity. It was actually even more stable than most confirmed mages. And when he saw her using magic, it was clear that the girl was no beginner at all. Mana was a wild power that could never be completely tamed. It would normally take years for someone to have even the slightest control over it. Yet, the girl controlled her mana as easily as if it were a part of her body. She could focus it in an instant, adapt its abundance to her will, and even suppress it mid-spell. Yet, she didn’t seem willing to show all the extent of her powers, so it was hard for him to determine her real level. But now, Mr. Glenn was even more convinced that the girl was at least at the level of an established mage.
Despite what he said, it was actually not the first time someone tried to cheat during a duel. A lot of students had tried before her, but she was the first one to succeed. The magic devices, after all, didn’t just detect mana. They also created interferences by generating a mana field. No normal mage should have been able to cast a spell in such conditions. Yet, the girl did it without a problem.
“I knew something wasn’t right with that child,” a voice suddenly spoke up. “She must have cheated in her duel as well! Otherwise, there is no way she would have been able to defeat Aoban Whiteheart.”
A couple of heads nodded at the statement.
“Moreover, aren’t they siblings? He must have gone easy on her.”
“Please, people, do not assume such things,” Mr. Glenn requested. “The outcome of the duel between Vivian and Lucius may be debatable, but Lynett’s victory is, however, completely legit.”
Most teachers weren’t completely convinced about that. Not only did a mage defeating a swordsman in a duel not make sense to begin with, but the swordsman was also Aoban Whiteheart, one of the best elements of this Academy. For him to lose against his younger sister, it was unthinkable.
It was not enough to doubt Lynett’s victory though. The girl didn’t use any weird spell. In fact, she only used some of the most common ones. But considering how many magic attributes she used in a single fight, it was understandable. Most people would have a high affinity with only one or two attributes. Some people could control more, but the more affinities you had, the less powerful your attacks with each one of them would be. If anything was strange, it was how the girl kept casting one spell after the other, without depleting her mana pool.
“I agree with Mr. Glenn,” the head-teacher in charge of the swordsmanship department added. “Aoban Whiteheart is one of my students. I taught him the way of a swordsman myself. He would have never done something as shameful as going easy on his opponent, even if said opponent was his own sister.”
“Thank you, Mr. Villin.”
With the opinions of the two head-teachers agreeing with each other, the other professors had no choice but to accept the situation.
“Besides, didn’t you guys see it yourself?” Mr. Villin went on. “He was exhausted. He fought his best, although…”
Although he did exhaust himself at an unusual rate. Mr. Villin did not finish his sentence; but he had trained the boy personally, so he couldn’t help but to have noticed his weird condition during the fight. However, thinking back about the duel between Vivian of Lorns and Lucius Bain, he quickly connected the dots together. Mages were known to have a poor physical condition, yet, Vivian demonstrated endless endurance and great agility during her duel. Whatever Lynett did to help, it was probably a passive spell, and she must have used something similar on her brother.
“Alright, let’s just assume that her victory was legit. Didn’t you feel something was off? Her chants were… unusual, which is the least we can say about them,” a male teacher pointed out, still doubtful. “I believe this deserves some digging.”
“I’ll give that to you,” Mr. Glenn smirked. “I have practiced magic for my whole life, but I’ve never heard of something like this before.”
“I’m not a mage, but it did sound weird to me, too.”
“From what I’ve heard, Lynett Maedis Whiteheart has elven blood,” Mrs. Borge reminded. “It could be Elvish.”
However, her assumption was immediately refuted.
“I assure you that it’s not,” Mrs. Enrys said.
Mrs. Enrys was one of the few elves among the teaching staff of the school. She had learned the elven language as part of her legacy, and Lynett’s chants sounded nothing like it.
“Mr. Adlar?” Mr. Villin called out. “You’ve studied the ancient languages. Did it sound familiar to you?”
Mr. Adlar crossed his arms as he tilted his head, his eyes raising to the ceiling.
“Absolutely not,” he answered. “In fact, it didn’t sound like one language at all. There was absolutely no consistency between her chants.”
“So, what, it’s just gibberish?”
“It could be an extinct tongue, for all we know.”
“And how did she learn an extinct tongue?”
“Well, that is the question, isn’t it?”
As the professors debated on the subject, a hand rose in the air as Mr. Jorren suddenly remembered something.
“Wait, what about Vivian of Lorns?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” the professors shifted their gaze on him.
“We have the proof that she cheated. Are we not going to take action about it?”
“Well, technically, Lynett Maedis Whiteheart is the one who cheated,” Mrs. Borge pointed out.
“But it was her victory that was rigged.” The male teacher turned to Mr. Glenn. “Mr. Glenn, if you knew something wasn’t right, why didn’t you stop the fight?”
The head-teacher displayed a half-smile at the question.
“Because I believe that she deserved to win.”
Mr. Jorren frowned at his words, and he wasn’t the only one.
“What are you saying?”
“Vivian may have been helped, but the magic she used to win was her own,” Mr. Glenn explained. “So yes, I believe her win was well deserved.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
“Mr. Jorren has a point,” Mrs. Enrys joined the contest. “She wouldn’t have won if it weren’t for Lynett Maedis Whiteheart’s intervention.”
“Not as of now, no. But eventually, she would have. I believe this girl has potential for growth.”
The others winced in disagreement. Mr. Glenn was the best one to tell this kind of thing when it comes to magic, but it didn’t feel right to let an act of cheating go unpunished. The school policy was clear: zero tolerance about cheating. Both girls should be expelled.
“Please, ease your minds my friends,” the head-teacher said as he read his colleagues’ expressions. “It was just a foolish mistake. Which one of you never made a mistake in their youth? It would be a real shame for our school to lose some of its best elements because of the stupid mistake a teenager made.”
A few professors furrowed their brows at his statement.
“Some of our best elements?” Mrs. Borge repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Vivian?”
“Like I said, I believe that she has the potential to grow.”
This didn’t make any sense. Vivan lacked the ability to create magic out of nothing. Mrs. Borge knew that better than anyone, as she had been stuck with her for the past four years. Although Vivian’s control was top-tier, this weakness of hers made her unable to advance to other classes. On the other hand, she was there during her duel. She did see her bringing Lucius to his knees. She did see her using magic. Unknown magic.
“Are you referring to the spell she used to win the fight?” Mrs.Borge asked. “Do you know anything about it?”
An all-knowing smile spread across the head-teacher’s face.
“I may have an idea.”
The others didn’t push the matter any further. As Mr. Glenn fell silent, they understood that it was pointless to ask anything else. Ultimately, Vivian of Lorns was a student under his responsibility. If he chose to not do anything about her, then they didn’t really have a say in this. If anything happened, it was on him anyway.
The head-teacher was quite optimistic about the young girl. Her sudden progress was quite astonishing. If they gave her the chance, then she was sure to become brilliant. However, he also knew that this recent growth was not random.
“For now, let’s just keep an eye on these two girls, all right?”
