Chapter 167 - The Truth About the Human Empire

I was in the classroom with a severe headache. Since that day when I used the Aspect of Time, the pain had returned and had been bothering me quite a bit. The Celestial Aspects had their limitations, and while I knew how to use the Aspect of Time, the Aspect of Soul, and the Aspect of Body, I hadn’t fully mastered any of them yet. The Aspect of Time, in particular, was very limited in what it allowed me to do.

I couldn’t make many changes to the physical world while I was in the blue dimension. What I could do with relative freedom was walk, which I already considered a great achievement. Before, I could barely enter that mode without feeling like my eyes were about to burst from my face due to the pain. Over the years, I gradually increased what I could do. In battle, I could move without my opponent noticing, and to them, it would seem as if I had teleported. However, there was the risk that the Aspect of Time would leave me defenseless afterward. Each second in that blue dimension consumed a large amount of my mana; it wasn’t a power that allowed me to use it many times or for very long. So, it wasn’t very practical for me to use this power in battle.

Besides consuming a lot of mana, there was the risk of damaging my Special Eyes and temporarily rendering them inactive, which reduced my elemental versatility. If I activated the Celestial Eyes while my golems were active, they would be automatically destroyed.

I also developed a secondary ability: taking someone with me into the blue dimension, as long as they were within my field of vision. They would face the same interaction limitations as I did, and even our spells would be deactivated. The only thing I could activate in that place, for now, was the Aspect of Soul, and if I tried to use the Aspect of Body, I would be immediately expelled from the blue dimension.

“I had class with Professor Beatrix yesterday too. She’s really tough on us,” Chloe commented.

“She’s famous in my kingdom. An elf with an important position in the army, and she’s never lost a duel in pure swordsmanship,” Syvis said.

We were chatting while waiting for the professor to arrive.

“I’ve been trying to kill her for years,” Thyra said casually.

She’s speaking normally again. Maybe her speech changes when she uses parts of her bestial powers?

“I don’t think you should be trying to kill a professor…” Syvis murmured, visibly uncomfortable.

“She told me I’d only be a good warrior if I defeated her, so that’s the only efficient way I’ve found,” Thyra responded, determined.

We all looked at her, and I could see Syvis rubbing her temples, clearly trying to process what she had just heard.

“Maybe you overinterpreted it…” Syvis murmured again.

The classroom was crowded with all the students, as this was a special theoretical class, and we could all attend together. The room we were in was similar to the place where I took the test; it was a massive space that looked like an amphitheater, with our desks arranged in a semicircle.

“I don’t want to go, Sebastian!” a voice shouted at the entrance.

We looked over and saw an irritated female student walking in. Behind her, another uniformed student was following, and I recognized him as a member of the student council.

“My dear, it’s just a small event,” he tried to argue.

She turned and drenched him with water using magic. The knight was soaked.

“Is that who I think it is?” Chloe asked.

“I think so,” I replied.

“All right, Alice… I get your answer,” he said, turning and leaving.

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Chloe moved closer to Syvis.

“How terrible, throwing water on someone like that,” Chloe said, clearly uncomfortable.

You did that to me all the time! I thought, but kept the comment to myself.

Everyone watched as Alice approached a chair and sat down, visibly irritated.

“It must be a lover’s quarrel…” Syvis whispered, trying to make sense of the situation.

“A couple?” Chloe asked.

Thyra and I leaned in to listen better, and even Athena drew closer, curious. I glanced at the goddess, surprised by her reaction.

“What? I love a bit of gossip. Strategy is born from information,” Athena said with a mischievous smile. I ignored her, trying to focus on the conversation.

“I heard they’re engaged because of an arranged marriage,” Syvis explained. “The royal family wanted to tie another knight family to them, so the two were betrothed.”

“That’s tough… imagine being forced into an engagement with someone? I wouldn’t want that,” I commented, thinking about how complicated that must be.

Chloe blushed immediately.

“Y-you wouldn’t want it?” she asked, clearly nervous.

“Of course not,” I replied without hesitation.

“W-why not?” she pressed, looking away.

You yourself spent your first five years dealing with engagement issues, so I think you already have enough reasons on your list.

“Just because,” I said, ending the topic. “And what about you, Syvis? Will you have any responsibilities like that?”

“Not me!” the elf responded, her face a little flushed.

“Thyra won’t have a problem with that. When the time is right, Thyra will kidnap her husband,” the wolf girl said, excited.

“Is that how marriage works in the demi-human kingdom?” Chloe asked, curious.

“I don’t know,” Thyra replied, shrugging.

What do you mean you don’t know? Would you really kidnap someone? You’re insane.

We ignored the wolf girl, stunned by what she’d said, as we knew she’d actually do something like that.

“In the elf kingdom, marriage is normal, right? Or do you also kidnap?” I asked, teasing Syvis.

“Of course we don’t kidnap anyone! We’re normal,” she replied, looking at Thyra with a look of disbelief.

At that moment, the professor entered the room through the faculty entrance near the center of the semicircle.

“In my species, marriage is sacred, and we choose only one person for life,” said Cylla, the small cat in my lap, pointing a paw at me.

I know… you remind me of that all the time. I’m forever bound to a jealous dragon...

Marriage among Cylla’s species was a soul bond, representing an eternal tie between two beings. It was a bond of love stronger than blood, as it was the soul itself that was in love with the other. I didn’t want to ask how her species procreated, as I didn’t see her that way, and she didn’t see me like that… at least, I didn’t think so.

“Good morning, class!” the professor greeted.

The professor, with short blonde hair with shades of brown, introduced herself:

“My name is Natasha Sinclair, and I am a True Human.”

The impact of those words was immediate. All the students started whispering, exchanging incredulous glances. The term ‘True Humans’ wasn’t used lightly. It was a delicate subject, surrounded by frightening stories and ancient rivalries. Chloe and I were already familiar with the concept, thanks to Sifu, but for the other students, it was as if a monster from ancient tales stood before them.

“Y-you’re one of them!?” asked a student at the front, his voice full of shock.

“This can’t be true! This has to be a lie!” another student exclaimed, nervous.

“It’s a crime in the kingdom to joke about this subject!” protested a third student, standing up.

Before the situation could get out of control, a firm sound echoed through the room. The door opened, and an imposing figure entered.

“Is that the Headmistress?” someone whispered.

Headmistress Victoria, the wolf woman, entered the room through the students’ door, radiating authority.

“No one is joking about anything,” she declared, looking directly at the student who had protested. “In this academy, you’re going to learn about everything, even forbidden topics. Today, we’ll have two lessons in one.”

Two lessons in one?

“By law, I’m required to stay close to Professor Sinclair if she’s giving a lesson,” the headmistress continued, “and I’ll also be taking this opportunity to give my own lesson, as our topics complement each other. Professor Sinclair will talk about the History of the Human Empire, and I will give a lesson on the History of the Magic Continent.”

The students murmured restlessly as Headmistress Victoria approached Professor Sinclair. I was interested in learning about the Human Empire, even though I was already saturated with lessons on the politics of the three kingdoms over the past ten years.

“Did you think a True Human would be some sort of demon?” Professor Sinclair asked, with an enigmatic smile.

The students, still tense, nodded in agreement.

A part of me was curious about the culture of the True Humans, even though I had already learned quite a bit from Sifu. The problem with him was that, having been raised in a monastery since childhood, his knowledge of other civilizations was limited. He knew people near the border, but his most recent contact had been during the war when he went undercover to gather information about a man named Jin Sidao.

“If you thought I’d be some kind of demon because I’m from the True Human continent, know that every child there is taught to think the same of you,” Professor Sinclair said as she wrote a word on the board.

“It all started with this word here: Norse,” she underlined the word firmly, capturing everyone’s attention in the room.