Just as Merias had said, the trip to Calystria finally became a reality

An official notice had been posted on the bulletin board in the academy square, attracting the attention of many students

Kaiser and Amelia walked over, blending into the crowd that was gathering to read its contents

The highlighted text on the notice quickly caught their eyes:

“The royal family of Calyst, located on the continent of Calystria, has extended an invitation to all students of the academy, offering an opportunity to visit this continent. During the trip, you will have the chance to explore famous landmarks and experience the unique culture of Calystria. In particular, some students will be selected to visit the Calyst royal castle - the symbol of the continent's supreme power”

Kaiser raised an eyebrow with interest

“Invited to the royal castle, huh? Quite generous”

He continued reading further down

“This is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the two continents. We hope you will participate. The trip is scheduled to take place in a month, with all travel expenses covered by the royal family of Calyst”

“They really seem to be generous, huh? I’m starting to consider joining the Calyst royal family. They’ll probably pay me a lot” Kaiser laughed, turning to Amelia, his voice teasing

Upon hearing that, Amelia immediately furrowed her brows, a few lines forming on her forehead. She crossed her arms and huffed lightly before turning her face away

“Go ahead, try it. There’s no Amelia Zephis in Calystria”

Kaiser chuckled at her reaction

“Good point, I didn’t think of that” Kaiser chuckled at her reaction

The atmosphere lightened for a moment. After a while, Kaiser suddenly tilted his head, looking at Amelia

“By the way, have you heard anything from your family? How is it that something so good just came out of nowhere?”

Amelia sighed softly, her expression turning a little more somber

"Actually... there is something good like that can come out of nowhere”

She hesitated a little before continuing

“I went to visit my father and older brother the other day. They both seemed very tense. They spent a lot of time looking for any inconsistencies in the royal family’s offer, but in the end... they couldn’t find anything suspicious”

She turned her gaze back to the notice, her eyes filled with thought

“It seems like, this time, they really don’t have any hidden motives”

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Kaiser was silent for a moment before nodding

“Hmm, that makes sense”

After that, the two of them left the square together, heading towards the lecture hall to prepare for the next class

—

After their first training session, Kaiser and Mary continued to maintain their habit of training together. Kaiser pointed out mistakes, and Mary listened, trying to improve

Over time, Mary became more proactive in their training sessions. Where she had once silently absorbed his feedback, she now asked questions and sometimes even challenged his views if she didn’t find them convincing. Occasionally, she would tease him when he made mistakes in identifying illusions - a thing Kaiser never imagined Mary would do before

One afternoon, as the sun began to set behind the academy’s buildings, the two finished their training as usual. Mary sat down on the grass, taking a light breath and stretching her arms in a relaxed manner

“I think I did better than last time, right?” she asked, her sharp eyes shining with anticipation

Kaiser stood with his arms crossed, observing the illusion Mary had just created - a version of himself. The way she shaped it had improved significantly, from the posture to the details on the face. At a quick glance, it would be easy to mistake it for the real thing

“You did a lot better today” he said, his voice calm but sincere

Mary lowered her head slightly

“Thanks,” she replied softly. But after a brief hesitation, she added

“It’s thanks to your help that I was able to spot my mistakes”

Kaiser smiled lightly

“It’s nothing. I’m not an illusion expert, though. I just point out what I see”

A gentle breeze swept through, carrying the scent of grass from the academy’s garden. Mary remained silent for a moment, as if deep in thought. Finally, she spoke slowly

“Kaiser… do you like taking care of flowers?”

The question was somewhat sudden, and Kaiser paused for a moment. He wondered how she knew he took care of flowers

“Huh? Not exactly” he replied after a few seconds

“I just help Helen. She’s the one who really enjoys it”

“The girl from before…” Mary said, her eyes quietly looking down at her hands. A brief moment of contemplation appeared on her face

“And what about you?” Kaiser suddenly asked

“Do you have any hobbies?”

Mary hesitated for a moment but then answered

“I like observing the sky… especially the stars at night”

Kaiser was a bit surprised by this answer

“Stars, huh?” He tilted his head

“I didn’t expect that. I thought you’d like something more practical”

Mary shrugged lightly

“It’s practical, too. If you know how to observe, you can find directions, forecast the weather… plus, some astronomical phenomena are even related to magic”

Kaiser nodded

“That does sound interesting. Do you stargaze often?”

Mary was silent for a moment before softly saying

“Not too much… but recently, I’ve started paying more attention to it. There’s a place at the academy where I think you can see the sky most clearly”

She looked up, her eyes thoughtful, then gently added

“Tomorrow, if you’re free… could we go there?”

Kaiser was a bit surprised by this invitation. Mary wasn’t the type to ask anyone to go anywhere. But looking at her eyes, which held a bit of hope, he simply smiled and nodded

“Sure, I’m not too busy”

Mary blinked, then smiled faintly, a very light smile, but not hard to notice

“See you tomorrow”

She stood up, adjusted the hem of her coat, and turned to leave, leaving Kaiser sitting there, watching her figure disappear into the sunset

He leaned back and mumbled to himself

“Maybe I should learn about the stars before I go”