“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sell asked worriedly. Her hands were fidgeting as she wanted to grab Adion’s arm and look at the wound. But she held herself back as there were people around who could see the intimate act.

“I told you it’s nothing,” Adion said with a smile, “You’re very cute when you worry, though. Maybe I should get injured more often.”

Sell looked up at Adion with a pout and a slight blush, “You better not. If you do, I’ll yell at you.”

“That might be good, too,” Adion nodded thoughtfully.

“Then I’ll just ignore you,” Sell countered.

“That would definitely be bad,” Adion said, “I guess I’ll not get injured again.”

“Good,” Sell nodded with a pleased smile.

Adion had been put up against Sell at the end of the fighting class, just like he expected. Professor Magner didn’t forbid him from using his Gift, but he agreed with Adion’s decision not to use it. He was there to learn, after all.

Unfortunately, even if he was a Silver mage, he couldn’t defeat Sell with just his fire. His Silver strength didn’t give him any advantage except a stronger Will to control fire with, and he couldn’t use his Authority in front of so many people.

If he could, he might have been able to grab hold of Sell’s fire and use it against her, but as it was, Adion had to fight using his own, much weaker fire.

He didn’t just give up, though. He wanted to try his best to defeat Sell even with all those handicaps, but that only resulted in him getting pretty severe burns on his right arm. Fortunately, healing bandages and healing pills were available, so he wouldn’t stay injured for long.

“Alright, you can hop on this carriage here,” An elven man said as he pointed out the carriage to Adion. “The driver already has his instructions.”

“Thanks,” Adion nodded and started walking toward the carriage with Sell.

He had decided to take a carriage to his grandfather. It was a long way to go by foot, after all. Besides, the cost was pretty cheap for someone like Adion, who received 1000 credits every week.

“Do you want a ride?” Adion asked Sell as they arrived by the door to the carriage.

“My dorms are in the wrong direction,” Sell said, shaking her head.

“I don’t mind taking a longer route,” Adion said.

Sell smiled at him and said, “You shouldn’t let your grandfather wait longer than you already have. Besides, I have some stops I want to make along the way.”

“Alright,” Adion said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” Sell smiled.

Adion noticed she started to turn away, but before she could, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in for a quick kiss.

“You,” Sell said with a blush, looking around quickly, “What if someone sees?”

“No one is around, don’t worry. And even if they were, it would be worth it. Bye,” Adion said with a smile, opening the carriage door.

“Stupid,” Sell muttered with a smile and walked away, still looking around, not taking Adion’s word for it.

What does she expect me to do if we can’t ride in the carriage together?

Being alone in the carriage with Sell had been his main reason for renting one.

With this, I guess I can hold on until tomorrow at least.

The carriage took off and Adion leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes. He started meditating as he saw no point in wasting his time.

But he soon got pulled out of his concentration as the carriage came to a halt, followed by a knock on the door.

Adion opened the carriage door to a Gold mage in what appeared to be his thirties. He had blonde hair and a clean-shaven face.

“Adion Remori?” The man asked.

“Yes?” Adion hesitantly answered.

“My name is Eugen Derf. I am a disciple of Elder Kilth and have come to you on his behest,” Eugen said as he handed Adion a letter. “He gave me this letter to give to you.”

“Oh, thanks,” Adion said. He thought the man would go away, but he didn’t move from his spot. “Should I read it now?”

“If you would,” Eugen nodded.

Adion opened the letter and started reading. It was short and to the point. Elder Kilth wanted Adion to come to his workroom to answer some questions.

Is this about my Silver strength? Or about my Gift? Either way, I guess I have no choice but to visit him.

“Alright, would you tell Elder Kilth that I’ll come visit as soon as I’ve finished my business?” Adion asked.

“Er,” Eugen hesitated, “You are a new student, so you might not know, but Elder Kilth is a Hard Soul mage. I would suggest you make your way over immediately.”

A Hard Soul mage? And I have to answer questions from him? That might be a problem. Well, it’s not like I didn’t see this coming. I can just refuse to answer anything I don’t want to answer. And if he notices that I don’t have a fire core, I can make up some kind of excuse.

It will be complicated, but I should be alright. Even if he is a Hard Soul mage, he shouldn’t be able to do whatever he wants.

But I really feel like I should visit Grandpa first if I can. It will give me some time to think things through.

“I didn’t know that,” Adion said thoughtfully, “But I’m on my way to my grandfather, and it seems rather urgent. Is Elder Kilth’s matter with me something that needs me straight away? Otherwise, I would rather take care of my family business first. I’ll make my way over straight away after that.”

Eugen hesitated slightly before finally nodding, “Alright, I’ll let him know. Just don’t be too late.”

“I won’t,” Adion said, “Thank you.”

Eugen stepped away, and Adion closed the door again, soon feeling how the carriage continued on its way.

Hopefully, it’s nothing much. I am sure that someone like that doesn’t want to just take Dean Lukas’s word for it and wants to hear everything straight from me.

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But I shouldn’t forget that this man is a Hard Soul mage, and I know nothing about him or his motives. I have gotten a little relaxed from being in the Academy, but even if being a student here protects me from people outside, people inside could still cause a lot of trouble for me.

It took a while, but Adion was finally brought out of his musings as he arrived in front of his grandfather's manor. Marli brought Adion straight to his grandfather in his study, where he found him going through a few documents.

“Adion,” His grandfather looked up with a smile, “You have caused quite the commotion in just a few days.”

“Yeah,” Adion sighed, “Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine,” His grandfather said, “I think it will be good for you in the end.”

“I think so too,” Adion agreed, taking a seat opposite his grandfather. “So, what did you call me here for?”

“I wanted to talk about our new situation,” Adion’s grandfather said, “Have you been approached by anyone in the Academy?”

“Lots of people,” Adion said, “But other than Dean Lukas, no one has called me for a meeting yet. Well, except Elder Kilth. He summoned me just as I was making my way over. I’ll have to go pay him a visit after this.”

“Elder Kilth?” His grandfather asked, “That makes sense. He is researching Gifts at the Academy. I’m sure he would have wanted to talk to you even if you weren’t a Silver mage. But with the recent news, he might be even more curious than before. Do you have any idea what you will do if he notices you don’t have a fire core? The chances of that are very high, I’m afraid.”

“Hopefully, he won’t think to look,” Adion said, “He has no reason to examine my aura for my element. But if he does, the only excuse I can think of is that I practice my aura control by hiding it.”

“He will still be able to tell that you don’t have a fire core,” His grandfather said, scrunching his eyebrows slightly. “Even I can tell that much.”

“Right,” Adion said slowly, “I guess I’ll just have to decline to answer? I mean, it’s not like he can know what my element is even if he figures out it’s not fire. Not even Fellion could do that.”

“That’s not good,” His grandfather muttered, “I’m afraid he won’t be happy with that at all. And I’m sure he is far from the only elder who will want to have a talk with you. Do you think you will be allowed to keep a secret like that when all the elders of the Academy want answers?”

“That…” Adion didn’t know what to say. He knew that the Academy was far from that idealistic. If the people who controlled the Academy wanted something, even while bending a few rules, they would make sure to get it. “Do I really have no other choice but to reveal everything?”

“Maybe not,” His grandfather muttered, scratching his beard in thought. “Well, like you said, it’s not sure he will notice. And it might take a while before there are consequences. But eventually, no matter how this meeting goes, someone will notice. And I’m afraid they’ll want answers.”

“Damn Academy,” Adion muttered, “I thought that Soul mages didn’t get involved in what the students were up to.”

“Your Gift would have always garnered some attention,” His grandfather said, “And you are far from any students even without that ability. But is it so bad to reveal your element? You are a Noble now, and the whole Academy knows about you. It would be difficult for anyone to force you to do much.”

“I honestly don’t know anymore,” Adion sighed, “But if I reveal it, I want it to be my own choice, not something forced upon me. Besides, I’ve been hiding it all this time, not only to avoid getting noticed by someone with nefarious intentions, but also because it will let me get away with things. If everybody knows I can teleport, suddenly that power becomes a lot less useful, people might start thinking about guarding themselves better, and I would be blamed for every unexplained theft.

“Heavenly Light would also see me as a more serious threat, I’m sure. And they would be a lot harder to deal with if they knew what I could do. Do you know how much of a relief it is to have teleportation in my back pocket? If I ever get captured, I can always escape unnoticed. But that’s only because no one knows about it. If I reveal myself, all my advantages disappear.”

“I see what you mean,” His grandfather nodded, “Perhaps you could keep your teleportation a secret.”

“People would figure it out eventually,” Adion said, “And they would be ready for me to attack them using space. I gain a lot by catching people unaware.”

“It is truly a problem, then,” His grandfather slowly nodded, “If we are able to get some time, perhaps I can gain a few allies to keep some pressure off you. But allies don’t come for free.”

“That would be good,” Adion said, “As for money, I have already thought about selling an Elixir of Life. I would probably just get stolen from, but if you are the one who offers it, I doubt the auction house would scam you.”

“Oh? Are you sure you want to do that?” His grandfather asked.

“I am,” Adion said, “I won’t need all the money it sells for. You can take half of it to do whatever you need.”

“That’s a generous offer I won’t decline,” His grandfather said with a smirk, “But that is not all I meant by saying that allies don’t come for free. It is the other reason I called you here to talk. You see, I have had quite a few visitors since the news of your strength became known. Suddenly my advancement wasn’t so exciting anymore. Everyone was more interested in you.”

“Sorry about that,” Adion said with a slight smile.

“Hehe,” His grandfather chuckled, “It's nothing to apologize for. What grandfather doesn’t like to brag about his grandchildren? But while many simply wanted to make a connection and ask some questions, there were a few who wanted more than that.”

“What did they want?” Adion asked.

“To put it bluntly, they wanted our families connected by marriage. Specifically with you.” His grandfather said.

Adion frowned when he heard that.

Someone wants to marry me?

“I tried asking if I would do, but it seems like I will have to remain single,” His grandfather said jokingly.

“So, what? Some families wanted me to marry their daughter? Unless the Amyss family made the offer, I’ll have to decline,” Adion said resolutely.

“I thought you would say that,” His grandfather nodded. “But you know it isn’t a terrible idea, right? I’m sure more offers will pop up with time, from some very powerful Noble families at that. That kind of connection could help you a lot in not revealing anything you don’t want.”

“I know I’m talented, but isn’t that a little ridiculous?” Adion questioned.

“People only need to look at Dean Lukas and Termeth Hesfym to know how ridiculous it is. Even if there is a possibility that you reach a bottleneck and can’t keep your current pace, those two serve as a prime example of how far you could go in the future.” His grandfather explained.

I guess it makes sense when you look at it like that.

“If that’s the case, maybe we could even bring the idea to the Amyss family,” Adion said, slightly excited.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. You know that,” His grandfather said with a kind smile, “Sellitha is engaged to Termeth Hesfym. Even if the current you were a Pure Soul mage, they wouldn’t take that deal. This is also why I want you to think a little more about the matter. I know you like Sellitha very much…but I can’t really see how that ends well for anyone, Adion.”

Adion frowned at his grandfather’s words. “I see very clearly how it ends well for everyone except that Hesfym guy.”

“Haaah,” His grandfather sighed, “Will you at least think about it? I’m sure there are some very pretty girls who would be interested in you. You would also be able to see them openly, and their family would be able to help you. I know you have a love-filled brain at the moment, but would you at least think about it?”

“No,” Adion answered immediately as he got up on his feet. “Sorry, Grandpa, but you should give up on that idea.”

That’s it. I’ve waited long enough.

“Are you leaving?” His grandfather asked.

“I need to get something first,” Adion said. He focused on his sphere of space mana and soon found what he was looking for.

In a small room in the basement of the mansion, Adion found his case of pills hidden away from everyone but him. He focused on the space surrounding it and teleported the case over.

His grandfather just watched as Adion opened the case and pulled out a Fire Phoenix Wisdom Pill. The last one.

“For Sell? Are you sure about this, Adion?” His grandfather asked.

“Very sure,” Adion said with a smile.