Chapter 18

Whoever they were, they were strong.

There was one hand around his neck, pressing down on his windpipe. The other hand was pressed against his mouth, muffling any scream he might have let out.

He was then pushed up against one of the trees. Immediately, he felt the excited buzzing intensify and the feeling of a soft something being pushed against himself. It was a strange feeling … feeling the strong tree on his back and yet feeling himself pressed up against the tree. He couldn’t explain it even if he tried to.

He clenched his teeth. Not the time. Stop, please.

It was like the feeling retracted from his mind. Or … his mind automatically detached the feeling from itself. He panted softly against the hand still blocking his mouth and finally looked up to see who it was that had pulled him. He couldn’t hide the hint of panic and fear in his green eyes as they met the reddish brown ones staring down at him.

“Don’t you dare scream,” the boy with dirty blonde hair rumbled.

Now that he was seeing him up close, he actually realized how much bigger than him the boy was. Evan loomed a few inches taller than him, broad shoulders blocking out the view behind him completely, and his hand was big enough to cover almost Emilio’s entire head. The calluses on his hands told stories of years spent in either manual labor or close combat. Perhaps both. This was a dangerous young man, the kind you avoided when you saw him on the streets. Perhaps a commoner. He did not know of an Evan Family in Aeloria. Evan was probably his first name. He could be from another country, but his local accent placed him firmly onto Southern Aeloria.

“I’ll let go now. If you try to scream, I will punch your throat and leave you here to die. Understood?”

Emilio felt incredibly small.

He did not know how serious this person was but he did not want to find out. He nodded, and after a moment, Evan let go. Emilio gasped for air and coughed, pressing a hand on his chest as he glared at the boy.

“What is the meaning of this?” He asked hoarsely.

“So? How much did your noble father pay the Professors to make sure they treat you like the spoilt brat you are?”

“Excuse me?!” He couldn’t help but exclaim indignantly.

“Don’t fucking try to pretend to be innocent in front of me,” Evan growled. “Two of the Professors singing your praises. And now you just impressed the entire Herbology class by somehow reading about the exact plant she was supposed to show today? When you arrived just yesterday?! Don’t make me laugh! The Professor told you beforehand, didn’t she? To make sure you look good in class in front of others. You fucking nobles, always trying to change everything to suit you. Let me tell you, that will never happen. You will forever be the retarded Laik you are!”

Definitely a commoner, judging by the tone of disdain he adopted when speaking about nobles.

Emilio’s eyes darkened. Truly, he was starting to get annoyed by these tactless people. Still, this one was far better than those who pointed at his back and gossiped behind their hands covering their mouths.

“I am well aware,” he said frostily. “I am not here to look good. I am here to try and learn something new. That’s what students are supposed to do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a class to get to.” He turned around to leave.

“Don’t fucking turn away from me, you bastard!” Evan growled and grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

Emilio gasped and stumbled back a bit, before turning to look up at the man. He gritted his teeth and had to hold back his anger, knowing that he couldn’t go up against this person and win. Heck, he couldn’t even go up against his little brother, let alone Evan.

He tried to jerk his arm out of the boy’s grip but it was too strong. “Let go of me!”

“No.” Evan pulled Emilio closer and leaned down to look him in the eyes, so close that their noses were almost touching. “Not until you tell me what you did to get in here? Did you pay the Professors? Beg your dad to help get you a spot in here? What, just because you’re nobility, the rules of being a Laik don’t apply to you?” A nasty smirk spread on Evan’s lips, rage and hatred coloring it. “Or were you so desperate to get into the Academy that you spread your legs for the Archmaster, pretty boy? Maybe you did so for all the Professors. No wonder they are all doting on you. You must have given them a good time.”

Fuck it.

His fingers were clenched into a fist and pulled back before he was truly aware of what he was doing. The training with Captain Killian made itself known as he placed a right hook with as much force as he could muster. He then kicked his shin and twisted his arm out of his grip as soon as it loosened when the boy stumbled back a bit. Emilio had a feeling that it was more due to surprise than anything.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“How dare you!” The voice that came out from his mouth almost sounded guttural. “No matter how much you hate me or my presence, it does not give you the right to spew nonsense to insult me! I am here because I need to be here. Your words are a slap to everything the Academy has been standing for all these years.”

“Ha!” Evan scoffed, working his jaw. “Look at you pretending to be so righteous! How else does a Laik get into the Academy? Huh?”

“Did you have water in your ear yesterday?” Emilio snapped back, feeling a rare sense of anger rise in him. “I was somehow saddled with the power to talk to animals. I’m trying to figure out what to do with this power. The Archmaster was kind enough to give me an opportunity to do so and the Professors are helping me. They have been holding up this Academy for years now. You have no right to besmirch their name! You have, in a single breath, not only insulted me and my father but also the institution that has stood and guided generations of mages for the past millennium!”

This boy was lucky he was in the Academy. Had he been found insulting nobility as a commoner outside, he would have been flogged until he was near death.

"Really? And where's the proof that you can talk to animals?"

"Isn't the Archmaster’s word enough?"

"No," Evan bit out. "It isn't. He is clearly biased towards you. He must be pleased-"

"Do not finish that sentence." Emilio interrupted him, glaring. "I do not feel the need to prove myself to you. I'm here on my business and you're here on yours. It's best if we stay out of each other's way."

"Or what?" Evan stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing tightly.

He opened his mouth to speak but then a sudden, loud voice boomed across the Academy.

"Mr. Emilio Florian, please present yourself to the Staff Tower with haste. The Archmaster has called for you."

That was the voice of Assistant Asma Coden.

"Tch." Evan let go of him. "You got lucky today. You won't get lucky everyday."

He stepped back and stormed away. Emilio slumped. Gods, when would this day end? He was so exhausted.

He took a few moments to compose himself. He then took a deep breath before starting to make his way to the Staff Tower. He stumbled out of the woods and got onto the pathway out of Herbology. This time, he couldn't put any mind to his surroundings as he walked. It took him around 15 minutes to reach there and he could see a figure standing at the entrance.

The Archmaster.

"Oh you're here, Emilio! Good! Come, come! Let's be on our way." He said as soon as Emilio reached him.

"Where are we going? The Research Department?" He asked. "But you told me to come after classes."

"Oh we are not going to the Research Department just yet," the Archmaster said as he walked forward, gesturing to Emilio to follow him. "There is someone who wants to meet you."

"Meet me?" He asked. "Who?"

"Oh you know her. Aysha Clarent."

Emilio frowned at that, wondering why the name seemed so familiar. It took him a few moments to remember why.

"Auntie Aysha?" He asked.

"Correct!" The Archmaster nodded.

Aysha Clarent. His mother's sister. He had never seen her. Or if he had, he didn't remember. All he knew about her was that she had been his father's first fiancè. That engagement had been broken for some reason and she hadn't married ever since. He thought he had known vaguely that she worked at the Academy now. But with everything happening, he hadn't even remembered her existence, let alone thought to meet her.

He felt a bit guilty for that. She seemed to have remembered him just fine.

He heard the Archmaster chuckle. "Don't worry. She just wants to see her nephew."

They walked the road that took them past the Staff Tower deeper into the Academy. They came in front of a building that seemed to be made of three connected small buildings. The man led him to the one on the far right.

"Here we are," the Archmaster said. "Musical Magic Department. She's the Head, you know." He turned to Emilio. "Go to the topmost floor. The second room on your left is her office. I have to go take care of some business. The classes end in one hour and after that, we will go to the Research Department. Make your way to the Staff Tower when you heat the bell. I assume you'll be able to take care of yourself?"

Emilio nodded in answer.

"Good," the Archmaster said. "Go on now."

Emilio sighed and made his way upstairs. He was curious to see what his aunt had to say to him, when she'd had no contact with their family for years now.

He followed the Archmaster's instructions and found the room. It was a huge room with several musical instruments scattered across the room. Piano, violins, trumpets, drums, and many others, he recognized some from other countries as well, like Sitara and Guqin from the Eastern countries.

Curiously, he walked into the room and looked around. Here he couldn't feel anything in the room like he had in the Herbology Departments. But he was quite sure these were not ordinary instruments. Even though he knew next to nothing about musical magic, he knew it required infusing mana into the instruments with a specific purpose and allowing it to spread in order to induce a particular effect. It could be used to calm someone down, to excite them, to anger them, and even to give them a boost of energy in battle.

He walked forward, his hand curiously reaching for one of the violins sitting on one of the shelves against the wall. Just before he could touch it, a voice rang out behind him.

"Hey! You can't touch those!"