Chapter 16 : Adrianne Perkins

In the middle of one of the Royal Academy's several training grounds, a young woman and her contracted beast were facing a scarecrow made of wood.

She was dressed in a dark blue robe, as is customary for Ashen Tower students.

The three silver threads embroidered on her shoulders indicated that she was in her third year and majoring in Beastmancy, like the majority of students who joined the Ashen Tower.

"C'mon Bubul, make some effort !"

"Byu ?"

At the timid response of her familiar who seemed completely lost, the lady's blue eyes constricted and the vein on her forefront bulged.

"Don't byu me and attack already !"

"Byu..."

The strange-looking beast floating next to the lady resembled a translucent floating balloon. It had no recognizable features other than a large mouth at the center of its spherical body.

It was a Mana Selkie.

With their peculiar appearance, Mana Selkies were an unusual and bizarre species that were once thought to be elemental spirits due to their intangible body and their high affinity to ambient mana.

Even in the Kingdom of Valor, where Beastmancy was far more widespread than Spiritmancy, Mana Selkies were still sought-after by Spiritmancers.

As the blonde lady ordered to attack, her familiar dashed forward and rammed into the scarecrow with full force.

Strangely, despite weighing no more than a feather, the Selkie easily tore off the wooden target as if it were made of paper.

"Noooo, not like that !"

The lady crouched on the ground, holding her head with both hands.

"Bubul, I beg you, just do as I showed you...!"

"Byu !"

Listening to the desperate plea of its master, the Mana Selkie attacked again, this time pouncing on the target with its mouth wide open.

It took a bite out of what remained of the scarecrow, and proudly came back to its master.

She could see the shattered piece of wood floating inside her beast's translucent belly.

The girl's patience was running low.

"Arghh...! For fuck's sake Bubul !"

She was on the verge of exploding.

"Don't ram it, don't bite it, just shoot a goddamn water jet ! A WATER JET !!"

"Byu..."

Getting yelled at for the second time, Bubul turned around and once again faced the scarecrow ; or rather, the broken pieces of wood lying on the ground that used to be a scarecrow.

The Selkie's body grew in size and gradually emitted a shiver of blue light.

"Y-Yes... Yes, that's it Bubul !"

The young lady was so excited to see her pet finally listening to her instructions that she didn't even notice the group of 1st-year students watching her from afar.

"Now focus, slowly take your aim, and... Shoot !"

The Selkie hovering above the ground gathered mana inside its body for a few seconds, before releasing a torrent of high-pressure water through its wide mouth.

"BYU !!"

*pssssh!*

With full force, the water jet struck the ground, causing rocks and clumps of mud to fly into the air.

Although the power of this attack was not particularly high, if it hit accurately, it could easily knock out a foot soldier wearing light armor.

Such a level of magic was a bit lacking for the familiar of a 3rd-year student majoring in Beastmancy, but it was still enough to be considered a success in the upcoming exam.

"Good job, Bubul ! Good job !"

"Byu !"

The lady jumped in joy and stroked the head of her pet—even though her hand passed through its body—, before running to the place where the water jet hit the ground.

She looked around the small crater, but didn't seem to find what she was looking for.

After a brief moment, she retraced her steps and came to a stop when she found the place where the scarecrow used to be.

"Ten steps," she muttered with a dejected voice.

She looked exhausted as she pinched her nose, realizing that her pet had completely missed the target.

"Byu...?"

Not knowing why its master was angry, the floating-ball-looking pet approached her cautiously.

"We were only twenty meters from the target, yet you somehow missed by ten steps... I don't understand."

"Byubyu...?"

"Byubyu my ass ! We're definitely done for... At this rate, there's no way we'll pass the next exam !"

The lady cursed so much that the 1st-year students watching from afar mistook her for a commoner.

'This crude attitude can't be that of the noblesse', they thought.

Even small countryside nobles valued grace and elegance in any situation.

Although Mana Selkies, as their name suggested, were reputed for their outstanding control of mana and their great efficiency when conjuring magic spells, their species had a major flaw that no Beastmancer nor Spiritmancer had ever been able to overcome...

"Bubul, sometimes, I truly wonder how dumb you really are. Every time I think it couldn't be worse, you find a new way to prove me wrong. That's just incredible, it can be considered a real talent at this point."

...Mana Selkies had very low intelligence. The depth of their stupidity was unparalleled among magic beasts.

"Why do I bother attending the Royal Academy when I could make a fortune working in a circus ? Or, should we start a street performance perhaps ?"

"Byu..."

The first person who discovered Mana Selkies was Kurious Knuckl, the most renowned explorer who ever existed on the continent. He was a strange gnome who left his tribe at the age of ten to roam the surface world.

In his memoirs, he wrote this about his first encounter with Mana Selkies : 'Dese odd bubbles are dumber dan my kidz.'

Coming from a gnome, whose race viewed people with two-digit IQ as great sages, it was very self-explanatory.

___

While the young lady and her Mana Selkie were training, the group of 1st-year students watching her from a distance were discussing among themselves.

"Isn't this funny how this senior struggles so much to control her familiar ?"

"Haha, you're right !"

"And it's only a Mana Selkie, an early Keter-class at that. What a shame..."

"We can't expect much from those lowly commoners. I would never understand why a respected institution like the Royal Academy keeps accepting these worms."

As the young girls criticized their senior without an ounce of respect, the one who seemed to be their leader clicked her tongue in displeasure.

"Tsk. Laura... She's the same fool as ever."

"My Lady ?"

"It's nothing. Let's go."

The graceful woman, who seemed to be of much higher status than her followers, turned her head with a grim expression and left the training ground.

"What are you waiting for ?"

The girls looked at each other, before following her in a hurry.

On their way to their next classes, a heavy silence fell on the group. The girls were afraid that they may have badmouthed someone their leader was acquainted with.

One of them mustered her courage and asked.

"M-My Lady, did you perhaps know this 3rd-year ?"

"..."

The slender woman leading the group, Lady Adrianne Palia Perkins, came to a sudden halt when she was asked this question. Her long dark hair fluttered in the wind as she turned her head to face her followers.

With her keen black eyes fixed on them, she took her time to respond.

"She... was my late brother's fiancée."

"W-What...?!"

The girls shivered when they realized the terrible mistake they had just made.

"Contrary to what you thought, she is not a commoner, but the sole daughter of Viscount Greenhall. You're lucky she didn't hear you, or your heads would have rolled on the floor."

Although Laura Greenhall attended Beastmancy classes and looked incompetent at first sight, Adrianne knew all too well how talented she really was.

The Greenhall family was traditionally a House of Knights, and the clumsy Young Mistress of said House was already a 2-star Blade Adept when she got engaged with Adrianne's brother a few years ago.

Achieving this level of skill at such a young age was beyond the scope of just being talented ; Laura was undoubtedly a prodigy when it came to wielding a sword.

Adrianne had no idea why Laura, the heir of Greenhall, decided to join the Ashen Tower and pursue Beastmancy rather than enroll in a Knight Order.

Since her father permitted it, she assumed that Laura had her own reasons for doing so.

"..."

Adrianne's eyes remained fixed on the group of girls before her, her expression cold and unyielding.

She was as composed as usual at first, but when her thoughts drifted to memories of her late brother, the torrent of emotions she usually kept in check resurfaced briefly.

Anger, guilt, shame.

Unconsciously, these negative emotions made her release a portion of her hidden power. A chilling aura filled with murderous intent briefly emanated from her body, causing the other girls to shrink back in fear.

"Gasp...!"

The girls were so intimidated that none of them dared to say anything.

It lasted for just a second, yet the pressure they felt was enough to freeze them to the bone.

Not only the fact that the senior they badmouthed was Viscount Greenhall's daughter was shocking, but she was also the former fiancée of Adrianne's beloved brother.

Everyone in the capital knew the tragic story of House Perkins' young master, Arthur.

He, who was once considered to be one of the most talented geniuses of his generation, died miserably not even a year after his admission to the Royal Academy.

At the time, the poisoning of the heir of a prominent Southern noble House within the Academy's grounds generated an outrage of such magnitude that it almost led to a rebellion of the Southern nobility.

The Royal Academy was supposed to be one of the safest locations in the kingdom. Even if political disputes between noble Houses regularly happened behind the scenes, they never went as far as assassinating young heirs attending the Academy.

If not for the quick intervention of the Royal Family supported by the central and northern nobles who were at odds with House Perkins and House Greenhall, a full-scale civil war would have broken out.

"P-please, allow us to apologize for this lack of manner, my L-Lady."

Realizing what they had just done, all the girls bowed at once, sweat running down their temples.

"...It's alright. It's not like I still have any ties to this witch anyway."

The girls were surprised by their Lady calling Viscount Greenhall's daughter a witch, but they didn't pry any further.

When they recalled what Adrianne did to the last person who openly disrespected the memory of her late brother, their curiosity soon turned into fear.

Despite their Lady's apparent aversion toward Laura Greenhall, she remained the former fiancée of Adrianne's beloved brother. Insulting her was akin to insulting Adrianne's brother.

It was very merciful of Adrianne to let their disgraceful conduct slide and not hold them accountable for their offense.

"T-Thanks you for your benevolence, my Lady."

"It's fine."

The girls bowed again. They were truly thankful to be forgiven by the one they swore their loyalty to.

Although they were all nobles of respectable status and their Houses were influential in the southern part of the kingdom, their families remained first and foremost vassals of House Perkins. Their rank was nothing in comparison to the elegant woman standing in front of them, especially in the capital.

Feeling grateful, the girls vowed in their hearts to never again offend Lady Perkins, nor mention anything related to her brother.

The girls were reminded of the power Adrianne held over them and their Houses as the heir of House Perkins.

With just one letter to her father, she could wipe out their entire families. The most terrifying, however, was that she could easily end their lives on her own if she wished to.

"Hurry up now, I don't want to arrive late at this snake bastard's class."

"Y-Yes, My Lady."

___

"...This brat, she could have come to say hello at least."

Laura didn't notice the 1st-year students' presence at first, but at the end of her training, she faintly sensed a familiar energy nearby.

When she looked, she saw Adrianne and her followers leaving the edge of the training ground. They were probably going to their class after having watched her train from a distance.

"This eery type of mana... Sigh, I didn't expect her to follow the same path as Arthur."

Laura was preoccupied by the short burst of mana she felt for a second, especially by the murderous intent hidden behind it.

Even though Adrianne resented her since Arthur's death, Laura couldn't help but worry for her.

Even if Adrianne hated her, Laura still had some affection for her.

It had been years since she'd seen her. The last time was at Arthur's funeral. Adrianne's current appearance was a stark contrast to when she was a kid.

"She used to be so cheerful..." Laura had a tinge in her heart when she remembered how cute was Adrianne when she was a kid.

Compared to House Greenhall which was called the Blade of the South thanks to their long-lasting heritage and the prestige of their knights, House Perkins had a much grimmer reputation.

Their House specialized in black magic, and the descendants of their direct line were known for their strange but very powerful spells that manipulated Death-type mana.

Given the abnormal death rate among the members of the Perkins family, it was no secret that the odd magic they wielded was also harmful to their casters.

Black Magic was already hazardous compared to other branches of magic—which was one of the reasons why it was banned in so many countries, but in House Perkins' case...

It was even worse.

During their childhood, the children of the direct line were secretly initiated into a series of dangerous rituals to enhance their control over Death-type mana.

Only those who survived these cruel ordeals were recognized as true heirs of the family.

Despite being from the direct line, the last time Laura saw Adrianne, she hadn't learned her family's magic yet.

Her body wasn't permeated with that distinct scent of death that the other members of her family had.

Laura always hoped that Adrianne wouldn't follow in her brother's steps and pass those bloody rituals, but it seemed like it was too late now.

"I feel sorry for your sister, Arthur..." Laura muttered with a sad expression.

She recalled the first time she met Adrianne and her brother, Arthur, when they were kids.

Since their founding, House Greenhall and House Perkins had always been at odds with each other. They had always been rivals in the South of Valor.

Even though the current heads of the two families—Laura and Adrianne's fathers—had fought in the war together and used to be good friends when they were younger, it couldn't erase the long-lasting rivalry between their Houses.

It even prevented them from acknowledging each other. Once they reached the age of inheriting their families, they were forced by the previous heads and the elders of their respective Houses to cease their friendship.

When it seemed that everything pushed the two mighty Houses of the South to oppose each other, an unexpected stroke of fate happened ; Arthur and Laura, rightful heirs of Perkins and Greenhall, developed feelings for each other during their teens.

It all started with Laura chasing after Arthur since he was the first friend of her age she made outside of her family. This awkward friendship slowly transformed into romantic feelings when they grew up and became conscious of each other.

They dated secretly in a small trading city at the borders of their territories for a while, before Laura's father learned about their secret relationship.

Contrary to what she feared, not only did he not punish her, but he even allowed her to spend time with Arthur. He respected her choice, and went as far as officially proposing her hand to House Perkins.

It was the perfect opportunity to forget the conflicts of the past between Greenhall and Perkins and create a bright future where the two most powerful families of the south could work together in peace and harmony.

And, most importantly, even the elders wouldn't be able to oppose a marriage between the two teens.

Arthur's father, who was an old-time friend of Laura's father and shared the same hope of reconciling both families, accepted the marriage proposal on the condition that their children would not marry before their graduation.

Some members of both families who were stuck in the past had tried to voice their discontentment, but the influence of the two patriarchs easily quieted them down.

This was how the young lovers got engaged to each other and became fiancées just a few months before Arthur enrolled in the Academy.

Sadly, the rest was history.

Arthur got poisoned during his first year at the Royal Academy, and despite the combined efforts of House Perkins and House Greenhall to find the culprit, he—or she—was never identified.

There was speculation that a rival family had commissioned a skilled assassin to prevent the two Houses governing the South from forming a connection. Some people even suspected the Royal Family to be involved in this matter.

Since the Southern Houses found no evidence—as every trace had been carefully cleaned up after Arthur's death—their wrath naturally turned to the Capital, and more specifically, the Royal Family.

The events that unfolded next were a complete humiliation for the Southern nobles.

Under the pretext of 'bringing peace back to the South', the Royal Family dispatched a colossal number of troops to Greenhall and Perkins' borders.

The Militarium, the Inquisition, the Royal Knights, and even the Court Mages... All of His Majesty's most powerful military forces mobilized and simultaneously headed south.

There were even rumors that His Highness dispatched one of the three 6-circles Archmages under His command to keep the patriarchs of Greenhall and Perkins in check.

These powerhouses were usually used as a dissuasion and deterrent to prevent enemy countries from invading ; they rarely showed themselves, even during the direst crises.

The presence of a 6-circle mage proved that the Royal Family took this matter seriously.

It may have looked like the Royal Family was afraid of an alliance between House Greenhall and House Perkins, but the higher-ups of both Houses knew what the presence of a 6-circle mage and his escort really meant : even if the entire South rebelled, they would be crushed in less than a month.

The hidden message sent by His Highness with this sudden show of power was quite obvious.

If Greenhall and Perkins dared cross the line and move against the capital, the Royal Family would raze their territories to the ground, with no mercy.

Although the Kingdom of Valor tended to be relatively peaceful compared to its neighbors, it was still part of the Central Continent ; these kinds of internal disputes for power and influence were common here.

Back from her complicated thoughts, Laura sighed.

"Now that I think about it, I might have looked like a fool in her eyes..."

"Byu byu."

"I know I'm not a fool, but guess whose fault it is if people make fun of me !"

"Byu !"

"W-What did you say ?!"

"Byubyu !"

"Come here you little grunt ! Let me show you how to respect your master !!"

If there was one disadvantage of owning a Mana Selkie, it was that no matter the effort, you couldn't catch it with normal means.

After getting exhausted from chasing her ethereal pet all around the training ground, Laura soon gave up and headed back to her dorm.

While contemplating how to train her stubborn Selkie for the next exam, an odd idea popped into her mind.

"Hold on, I believe I still have those weird items I bought from that weird pet store last time..." Laura muttered.

"How did that freak call it... Oh, yeah, muzzles !"

Whenever Laura wasn't paying attention, she had the bad habit of thinking out loud. The students passing by looked at her as if she was crazy.

"It could restrain a Thaumiel-class Cerberus, so perhaps it would also work on intangible beasts like Mana Selkies... Alright, Bubul, let's give it a try ! We still have time before the next class."

"Byu..."