Chapter 04 : Silver Lotus Academy

A month passed.

Angelus, who has been severely injured by the Million Pandora Box, was finally able to stand up on his own.

Thanks to the constant care of Mirthal, the Duke's shaman, his injuries healed at a rapid rate. Despite his constant recovery, the bite and claw marks caused by the enraged souls were still visible on his snow-white skin.

Angelus' face, once as beautiful as an angel, was now stained with profound scars. Only a small part around his left eye kept its former grace, as the skin on the rest of his visage has been tanned by the soul that entered his body. His handsome face lost its pure white color.

Angelus' look drastically changed in a single month : he still had the natural charm of the high-elves, but now, he looked more like an experienced soldier than a refined noble.

"How do you feel today ?" Mirthal asked, while preparing the usual medicine for the young master.

"Much better. When can I leave the church ? I have been stuck in bed for more than a month now..." Angelus was visibly frustrated about not being able to leave his bed yet.

"Very soon young master, don't worry. You know how protective is your father, right ? If not for me, he would have forced you to stay in bed for a whole year." Mirthal chuckled. Duke Vermillion was indeed too protective of his son.

After he finished cutting, crushing, and mixing different plants and ingredients, he gave Angelus a small vial filled with a lime green liquid.

"As usual, drink it in one gulp."

Angelus frowned when he received the stinky potion. Drinking this horrible concoction every day for an entire month already numbed his sense of taste.

He didn't know which ingredients Mirthal used to make this potion, but he would rather eat a goblin alive than drink one more of these.

"bleurgh!.. I swear...drinking this...is a torture !" Just like every single day since he got injured, the young master almost puked when the disgusting green liquid slid down his throat.

"Did you give this to the injured soldiers during the war ? By Arthemil's breasts, I now understand why even the northern regiments call you Mirthal the Wicked... They probably preferred to die rather than get treated by you." Angelus cursed. He endured this for a month, but he was on the verge of exploding.

"This recovery potion is Arthemil's blessing. The worst it taste, the better it is for your body young master." Mirthal smiled and didn't seem to care about Angelus' ranting. He got used to it.

His job was to heal the young master, not to please him.

As the birds chirped and the servants woke up in the mannor, the cold morning breeze passed and soft rays of sunlight shone through the thick stained glass of the church.

Angelus was lying on his bed and looking through the window thinking about his last conversation with his father, when someone knocked on the door.

"Young Lord, it's Vestan. May I come in ?"

"Yes."

The bulky knight slowly pushed the door open and knelt in front of Angelus' bed, before saying.

"My Lord asked if you've made your choice."

"sigh... Yes, I did." Angelus answered without even turning his head to face the knight.

The first day Angelus woke up, his father told him that he had to become active after his recovery. He needed to experience the world if he wanted to awaken his newly acquired power.

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Since this day, his father has pestered him every time he came to visit him, urging Angelus to make a decision.

He hoped Angelus would follow his steps and join the Crimson Knight Order.

The Duke had recently become incredibly busy and could only visit his son once a week. Because he couldn't come as often as before, he instead sent Vestan every single day.

The Duke didn't want to pressure Angelus, but he still wanted him to make a choice as soon as possible. He was afraid his son would get harmed by his new soul if he doesn't have a clear goal set in his mind.

Unknowingly, not only did Angelus have no plan to enter a knight order, but his father's stubbornness pushed him toward a completely opposite path.

Thanks to his mom's inheritance, Angelus has been blessed with a mana heart, which is extremely rare on Lunaris. It is said that a young teenager blessed by mana is already worth more than a thousand foot-soldiers.

Despite possessing a mana heart, Angelus never learned any spell after his 1st circle naturally formed. His father always forbid him to learn magic until he became an adult and passed the Olympiades.

"Tell Father to come when he has the time." Angelus was annoyed. He mumbled, still looking through the window.

"Y-yes, young Lord !" Vestan was excited, he thought Angelus finally decided to join the Crimson Knights.

Little did he know that Angelus planned to enter the Silver Lotus Academy instead.

After Vestan left, Angelus closed his eyes and tried to imagine the face her mother would do after he told his father he wanted to become a knight's nemesis : a mage.

Since being a kid, Angelus saw countless paintings of his mother, but has always been frustrated for not having the chance to see her face with his own two eyes.

Because his mother died while giving birth to him, Angelus never met her. He had no attachment to her.

Everything he knew about his mother was either from his father when he drank too much wine, or from Aura who has been his mother's maid for decades.

He wasn't sad when thinking about her. Instead, he felt guilty and responsible for her death. That's why he decided to follow her steps and pursue magic.

He wanted to redeem himself by granting her last wish. If she wanted her son to join the Silver Lotus Academy and become as renowned as a court magician, then he would achieve her dream.

It was his way to thank his deceased mother for giving birth to him.

When Angelus was a kid, his father always said that she was watching over them from Arthemil's Heavenly Palace.

In that case, he would do his best to make her proud, so she may rest peacefully.

___

When the three moons gently chased after the bright sun over the horizon, Duke Vermillion entered Angelus' room.

He silently came to his bed, before asking.

"Son, what did you decide ?"

Angelus looked at him, and said.

"Father, before I answer, will yo..."

"I know what you are about to ask, but don't worry. As long as your choice doesn't go against our family credo and my principles, I'll respect it." The Duke cut his son off while smiling.

Angelus was relieved to hear that, as he feared that his father would blame him for his decision if he didn't choose the Crimson Knight Order.

Angelus wasn't afraid of walking alone toward his dream, but he was afraid of losing his father's support.

"Thank you, Father. I thought about it a lot, and to be honest... I always wanted to enter the Silver Lotus academy. I know you hate mages and you would have preferred me to join the crimson knights, but... I feel like I have to pursue Mother's path."

The Duke was a bit disappointed, but at the same time, he was secretly relieved that his son was so resolute to accomplish his deceased wife's wish.

At least, Angelus didn't ask him to become an adventurer. The Duke didn't know what he would have done if his son wanted to join these punks.

"You know that comprehending magic is much harder and slower than mastering the blade ?"

"Yes."

"You didn't learn any spell, while everyone else in the academy has been taught since their youth. They will all look down on you."

"I'm prepared for it."

"Inside a mage academy, there is no status advantage and the Silver Lotus is very far from our estate. You'll be on your own."

"I know."

When the duke saw his son's determined gaze, he couldn't help but sigh. He knew that no matter what he says, his son wouldn't change his mind.

"sigh... Alright, you won. I'll register you for the next admission. If I remember correctly, the Silver Lotus entrance is scheduled to open in around six months. You will have plenty of time to recover."

"Thanks, Father." Angelus had a wide grin, he couldn't hide his excitement.

The exhausted Duke stood up.

"Mages Academies allow only two servants to follow their 1st-year students. The only one who majored from the Silver Lotus in our estate is Aura, that's where she met your mother. She knows how things work and she is used to dealing with these arrogant bastards. I'll tell her to follow you." Even if his son wanted to become a mage, it didn't change the Duke's opinion about these freaks obsessed with magic.

For him, all mages are just cowards. Through the years, the only mages that earned the Duke's respect are the Yellow Mages from the Xanthic Academy. They are the engineers and inventors that improve the living conditions of nobles and ordinary people alike, all around Lunaris.

"What about the second one ?"

"I'll personally choose and assign you a loyal guard, don't worry about it. We will continue our discussion tomorrow."

"Thank you, Father."

Angelus smiled and closed his eyes, as the Duke exited the room.