Many pairs danced in the centre of the hall. Some were siblings, friends or acquaintances but most were couples. Believe it or not, most nobles above sixteen years of age were either betrothed or married, which made Max and the people Adam talked to, somewhat outcasts, it was also one of the reasons they were at the table as a group in the first place.
They danced flawlessly, many years of learning didn't go for nothing. Despite the overall ability to dance, among the nobles, some cached Adam's eye, trained to spot rabbits in the grass, but also good for other things. Those were mainly males, but not exclusively. Adam found them to be even more fluid than the rest, they were gracious, confident and knew exactly what they were doing, they also had an amazing sense of space, knowing where pairs were around them.
At the time, the young mage was sitting on a chair beside Sylvia, who also wasn't very fond of dancing. They were left alone after Feers and Cesar took the twins to the dance floor, Eloy and Heloy respectively.
"Are they aura users? I haven't seen one of them dance, but they move way better than the others, so..." Asked Adam.
"Yes, they are." She replied. "I know a few of them, some of them are even in the Intermediate realm already. Few of them though, only reached elementary a few days ago. " She pointed at a guy dancing awkwardly in the corner of the dance floor, his partner didn't seem to mind, she was probably proud of him.
Silence ensued, as Adam and Sylvia watched couples dancing on the floor.
"Why won't we dance? I can even keep to myself that I asked you, not the other way." Asked Sylvia after a moment of deliberation.
"I'm sorry, but I must decline. I would only make you and myself a laughingstock." Adam decisively declined. "My experience with dancing doesn't go further than watching girls dance during Warm Hearts Day."
"Warm Hearts Day?" Inquired Sylvia, after a moment of silence, acknowledgement of Adam's inability to dance.
"The celebration at the end of the first week of the year." Explained Adam.
"Ahhh! I know it as Ascension Day, that's what we call it in the capital. As in ascension to adulthood." Explained Sylvia.
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Adam talked with Sylvia through the whole dance period. It turned out that she was born in the capital and somewhere else, the name of which Adam forgot in moments. As a daughter of a marquess she had everything she wanted, but would be given to some other noble as a bride, to expand their friendship.
That's the essence of being a daughter of a noble house, in this kingdom at least. Beautiful life, but not one you choose.
Everything changed on the first day of the new year She was taken to a mage to test if she had any possibility of becoming a mage. Inside her family, that just became a fruitless tradition, as they had no magical legacy.
Despite the odds, she showed potential, a large amount of mana and an affinity to the fire element. That was a game-changer for her.
In this aspect, Sylvia was no different from Adam. She had to thread the magic path on her own. And after becoming a mage, her biggest fear disappeared. She could now decide her fate.
However, when Adam intended to create his own technique, Sylvia told him she was already in the process of searching for a master. She wasn't in a hurry yet, as she had a lot of time before she reached the peak of the first realm, but the question of whom to serve stayed in the back of her mind all the time nevertheless.
They talked about a lot of different topics, from their backstories to the folklore of their homes and local traditions. It turned out that most of the traditions were very similar, with tweaks here and there. Their upbringing was completely different though.
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Adam was sitting at the table with his chatting group, Feers, Cesar and the twins had long since returned from the dancing floor and have been talking with Adam and Sylvia about various subjects for a while now.
"Did you guys hear about the gangs' increased activity lately? There are also rumours of forest bandits around the capital, though I am inclined not to believe them." Asked Cesar.
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"Yes, my dad is worried that our caravans will be attacked. He said that for mountain bandits to exist, they have to have a powerful leader or a wild beast would just eat them all in a jiffy." Interjected Feers, who frowned with worry.
"Max told me about those gangs, shouldn't everyone there be somewhat crippled?" Inquired Adam, curiosity marked his face.
"I heard some of the adventures just end their career prematurely and become bandits. How can they do something like this?" This time it was Heloy, her eyes shone, excited about the whole situation.
"~Do you think they will do something bad? Then a hero will take them down and take me as a reward!~" Adam overheard Eloy excitedly whispering toward her sister. The twins definitely read too many fairy tales.
"Hey! Don't joke about something like that!" Cesar scolded them, apparently everyone heard them, as he sat at the opposite end of the table.
"Coming back to the topic, I think you will have to deal with them when you serve in the army, Adam. That's the type of task they give to recruits."
"What? Why would they do that? Those guys from gangs could probably take down an amateur squad on their own! Even those who lost adventuring license due to an injury!" Adam was astounded by the information, he wouldn't have to fight against experienced adventurers. Right?
"I agree with you, most gang members are leagues above recruits, though some are around your power. Either way, they normally send newbies against them, to teach them humility or some other bullshit." Said Cesar with his jaws clenched.
As he was speaking, Max came to their table.
"I also heard about that, I will try to get our squad out of this mess, but I can't promise anything." From the way he talked, Adam understood that they knew each other, but that wasn't surprising. "I see you gained some acquaintances Adam, I didn't think it would be this easy for you."
"Despite my crude manners, I'd say that people flock to me." Replied Adam with a mischievous grin.
"Pfft..." Sylvia nearly spat on herself. " Ha, then you must also be an excellent actor, fooling us through all the evening."
"What can I say,... I am a man with numerous skills." It seemed that the presence of a familiar face gave Adam a confidence boost. Enough of it for him not to blush when he said these words.
"Adam,... As much as I am pained by the words that I say, we must start to leave. Tomorrow we will join the army, and I wouldn't like for my second in command to not be in perfect shape." Max abruptly changed the subject. "I will wait for you another half an hour, then I will just take you by force."
"Your wish is my command!" Replied Adam, somehow keeping a straight face.
Max however did not and had an embarrassed smile when he was leaving.
"So..., do you have some advice for a novice soldier?" Adam turned to his interlocutors.
"Don't risk your life, it's not worth it. Especially for you as a mage, superiors will at most demote you, or give you a fine if you escape from a fight." It seemed that Cesar had a lot of knowledge about it. "My older sister is in the army, and as a mage, she is treated with respect, and has some looser restrictions and punishments."
"Another thing to remember is to always keep a defence spell at ready. Being an ice mage you probably can create them easily, so use them without restriction." Interjected Sylvia, she was speaking with quite grief for a fire mage, creating defence spells was nearly impossible, and surely fighting instructors her father hired for her bothered her enough about it.
"Thanks.... what will you do after the Party?" Asked Adam everyone and no one at the same time. Everyone knew what he would do, but he knew nothing about their plans.
The first to speak were the twins. "We will go home, to the the City of Rasto in the west. There is nothing to do here, so, after the party, we will just leave."
"I'm also going to the west, but to Malmond city, where I will join my father's army." Replied Cesar. His father having an army wasn't a weird thing, all noble houses had them.
"You too? At what position may I ask?" Adam questioned, surprised.
"Yes, I will command over a few small squads, while joining a campaign against local monsters. Brolfs have fucked like rabbits for few years, the cause is unknown but there is plenty to exterminate." Brolfs were a race of monsters that looked like a mix of bear and wolf while regaining the best characteristics of both species, the strength and team fighting instincts, which made them extremely dangerous.
"Best of luck" Commented Adam.
"I for a change will stay here, however, that shouldn't be a surprise." Said Sylvia. it was true, no one was surprised, Sylvia had a deep connection to the capital. Not only was her family home here but also the capital was the best place for a novice mage to develop themselves.
"I will also stay, my father got me to oversee our business here," Feers concluded the conversation.
The group talked for a bit more, and then they went to the entrance and bid farewell to Adam, after which they returned to the table.
The party hadn't ended yet, it would go on for another few hours, but Adam and Max already left. Adam's new friends, however, decided to stay until the end, it would be a waste to leave early from a party they travelled days for. Also, they had to talk to someone else, after taking in a close group for a few hours. Meeting the prince was another thing on their list, which Adam should probably also do, but escaping early made the thing impossible.
When Adam was leaving the hall, he had seen the crown prince from afar, who still talked to the guests, changing speakers frequently. He still emanated confidence and had a lot of energy to spare, and he would need it as the party was at most halfway done.
'It's such a bother to entertain your guest for hours, only to earn their favour and not displease them.' Adam pitied the prince, for he would commit suicide rather than do something like that.