There weren’t many things that truly scared me. I’d faced horrid monsters, and villainous mages survived experiences that should have been the death of me and all who had been with me.

But almost nothing compared to the horror before me now.

“The expected wait time is how long!?” I all but lost it, smacking my forehead in exasperation.

“Sorry, Sir, but to ensure the safety of the event, all attendees must first be cleared through security.”

I could only wilt as I stared at the queue ahead of me, the line never-ending, wrapping around an entire block of the city.

By the gods and lords above, I will die if I must wait through this.

I’d woken up and gone about my morning, never considering how long just entering the procession grounds would take. By the time I’d finally arrived, I’d been greeted with the sight of nightmares, a queue that would take hours to pass through.

Won’t the procession event have ended by then?

I glanced further down, my sight enhancing as I channeled just enough mana into sharpening my eyesight without alerting any of the mages that were certain to be on guard for suspicious mana spikes in the area.

There.

Further ahead, there were several figures, official-looking mages working as security, flanking a gate that led to what I assumed was the main venue area, where the procession would pass by for the first portion of the day’s events.

I wonder…

They were well off in the distance, a distance which I’d never specifically tried what I was about to do, but…

But there’s no harm in pushing the limits, is there?

I closed my eyes for a brief second, more so out of habit than any real need at this point with how well-practiced I’d become at opening my mana sense. There was the initial rush as the world gained a dimension that didn’t exist before, but I’d long sense grown past being amazed by it, much less distracted.

I’d honed my mana sense over the years, developing it further and further, able to look deep enough to see the very bonds between mana itself. Yet, I’d never really practiced extending the sense, at least not specifically.

It can’t be much more challenging than what I’ve already mastered.

It was a distance of at least four hundred meters, but I didn’t let it phase me. Pushing my sense outward, I quickly noted the mana levels around me, predominantly made up of the countless people waiting bored in line.

Well, not a lot of magical development.. oh hey, that kid has some promise.

The objective wasn’t to scan the crowd, though.

It was to scan the mags themselves, from a distance further than they could hopefully sense.

Still pushing my mana sense outward, it wasn’t until the two-hundred-meter mark that I found myself beginning to struggle, my ability to expand my mana sense further beginning to strain.

Good to know, but I have zero intention of calling it quits.

Perhaps it was because of the relatively harmless nature of what I was doing, but I found myself thirsting to test just how far I could push it, push my limits. If I failed, no one would be hurt. No one would die.

It was refreshing.

So often in my past, when I’d found myself struggling to push my limits, it was do-or-die. Now, it was simply a hobby.

Still straining, my perception began to crawl. Each extra meter worth of ground gained was a mental strain I hadn’t struggled with since I’d first worked on achieving my foundation ring.

Speaking of which, I haven’t really put much thought into those recently.

Before everything had gone south in Songhold, I’d been looking to deepen my understanding of mana before I attempted to manifest my next sage ring. While I felt confident that with the aid of the mana matrix within me, it would be of little trouble, it was a matter of wanting to get the most out of the process.

A process which, as I mentioned, I’d largely left alone for some time now.

In my defense, a lot has been going on.

I was at three hundred and sixty meters when two things happened.

First, I felt my sense brush up against another, and for a split second, I could feel rather than see as I drew the sudden attention of one of the mages in the distance.

Whoops.

The second was even shorter-lived. Spreading my perception to such a far range, something I hadn’t expected, caught my attention.

Mana. Or, rather, the feel of the mana was what caught my attention. It was complex, dense, and refined in a way that the rest of the environmental mana couldn’t compare to.

No way.

Opening my eyes, I drew my mana sense in instantly, whispering under my breath as I did.

“Null.”

To an outside observer, nothing appeared to change, but to someone with an exceptionally refined sense of mana, it would have appeared as if I went from having a small reserve of mana to none.

Which was all well and good as I saw a mage, most likely the mage I’d accidentally brushed my mana sense against hers, came marching over, a slightly downturned frown on her face as she drew closer.

“Is something the matter Chief Magus?” The patrol I’d spoken to earlier bowed slightly to the woman as she said nothing, still staring around, eyes darting about.

That explains a lot. No wonder she could sense my own mana from so far away.

Chief Magus. In terms of magical capability, I’d heard she could have been likened to that of at least a nizeium-level adventurer, granted the bare minimum, given she worked as the chief magical expert for the royal crown.

You may be wondering why a monarchy that generally sided against magic would employ people of supernatural origin, and the answer would be, why wouldn’t they? It would be the height of foolishness to leave themselves so vulnerable by simply choosing not to.

“No. Carry on.” The woman finally said, slowly shaking her head before returning to her post further ahead.

Sure she was no longer actively searching for me; I released my breath, releasing null simultaneously. Just having mana wasn’t likely to have been an issue, but I figured it was easier to simply hide it entirely.

Now that the issue of that is aside...

I silently mulled over what I’d accidentally sensed when pushing the bounds of my mana sense.

Mana, of what could be considered the ‘deviant’ archetype. While it was true that there technically was no ‘unique’ mana, all mana was simply different forms of bonds and ‘mana particles,’ the latent mana that existed and permeated the world around us took the form of simple mana types, what could be considered primal mana. Composite mana could also be found, albeit in significantly more negligible traces, such as metal mana around iron deposits.

Deviant mana was an entirely different beast. To find deviant mana would be like looking for a specific grain of sand on an entire beach. For some time, I’d been trying to hone my mana sense to where I could pick even the tiniest trace amounts out, but it had primarily been a practice in futility.

To have spotted some, even as briefly as I did, not while trying to look deeper but wider, was entirely unexpected.

Something that demands further contemplation.

Was it that extending my sense outward made something as complex as deviant mana stick out like a blade of red grass amongst a field of green?

No, for now, I shouldn’t get carried away. I’ll keep it as a thought worth pursuing, an interesting theory, but nothing concrete.

I shook my head, satisfied. While I hadn’t managed to directly gauge the generalized ability of the mages up ahead, just learning that the Chief Magus was amongst them was enough for me to know better than to try any tricks of using magic to sneak past somehow.

And I’d also stumbled upon a lead in a place I hadn’t expected.

There was still just one issue.

“This bloody line.” I groaned, staring overhead in agony over my circumstances.

“Mr. Koor?”

Jumping like a startled cat, I turned to my side, where a small cab pulled by some oversized chicken had stopped mid-process of being waved along, likely belonging to some V.I.P who had already been cleared earlier.

“Director?” My agony turned to surprise, staring at the woman as she smiled briefly.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Mr. Koor.”

“What, like I wouldn’t attend the ceremony?” I raised an eyebrow at her, unsure what she could mean by that.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“No, I didn’t expect to see you right here.” She said, pointing to the ground beneath my feet.

“Ohh. Well, I didn’t expect the length of the queue.”

“Well, if that’s the case, come here.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said come here before I change my mind.” She waved to the open spot inside the cab next to her. “I’m meeting with several others from the academy for the procession ceremony, might as well use it as an opportunity to introduce you.”

I looked up at the sky, a lone tear trailing down the side of my face.

“You do exist.” I prayed, thanking my glorious saviors who had brought the Director before me.

“Are you okay, Mr. Koor?” The Director was looking at me strangely, so I quickly nodded.

“Uh, yeah, perfect, actually.”

“Well then, climb in.”

As instructed, I left the line behind, feeling the hateful gazes of those envying me as I stepped inside the cab.

“Alright, you may proceed once more.” The Director spoke to the cab driver, who ushered the oversized chicken forward.

“Where exactly are we going anyway?”

“Well, we’ll be waiting at the end of the parade, where the speeches and all that fun ceremonial stuff will take place.”

“Right, makes sense. So, we won’t be in the general crowd?”

“You would be correct.” The Director nodded. “We have a V.I.P room overlooking the plaza.”

“Oh, the procession is ending by the academy, then?”

“Where else would be a fitting place for such an event to finish?”

“Fair enough.” I inclined my head in acknowledgment. “You mentioned others from the academy would be there. Who else-”

“Student Chancellor, Rigus Thesux, he’s the man, to put it bluntly, who acts as the main ass-kissing envoy between the nobles and faculty so that I don’t have to get my lips dirty.”

“Oh, that’s.. nice.”

“Then there will be the department head of the Sciences, Isania Virtus.”

“Wait, I recognize that name.” I frowned as I heard it.

“You hopefully should. She’s a rather decorated and published scholar, spend any time in any library, and you are bound to see at least one book with her name on it.”

“Oh, that’s… nerve-wracking.”

“Relax, she’ll likely only hate you to a marginal degree.”

“Excuse me?”

“After that, we have Dante Jev the Third, the second son of the esteemed noble Gar Jev the Second, who leads the historical department.”

“Uh, should I recognize that name?” I raised an eyebrow at the woman, but she merely chuckled.

“No, but Dante will surely inform you within a minute of meeting him of his esteemed noble lineage of backwater nobility who only gained prominence through accidental success. That said, the man is rather sharp, and I’m proud to have him on staff.”

For several more minutes, the Director went on about the different members of staff who would be there, a rather long list of people, some notable scholars, other nobles of relatively high standing, others still trusted government officials who’d come out from retirement to help helm the most prestigious academy in the country.

And, of course, I’d be there as well.

“You know-” I interrupted after a while, something bothering me. “It sure sounds like basically everyone from the academy will be there.”

“Not everyone.” The Director shrugged.

“Well, at least all the department heads will be. Didn’t you mention I’d be in a department of one?”

“Yes.” If the Director knew where I was taking this, she still seemed unphased.

“Wouldn’t that make me a department head? So why wasn’t I roped in from the start.”

“Because you’re not the head of a department.” The Director said coolly. “You’re an experimental subject professor who is part of the academy largely to bring peace between bickering factions, a demand that had to be met. Don’t take this as me insulting you. I have no qualms with it, but to many, you are effectively a non-factor. It was better to leave you out of sight and out of mind.”

“And yet you’re bringing me along now.”

“Call it an act of fate.” She sighed. “While I’m not a stringent believer in such things, I won’t ignore the fact that just as I’m on my way there, who do I see but you. I believe in chance, so I figured it was a universal sign to bring you along.”

“That’s a rather superfluous reason.”

“Well, as I told you not long ago, often it is those who choose to be bold who ultimately prevail.”

“That still somehow seems backward to me.”

“Bah, do you want to get back in the line?”

“Boldness is my creed.” I swiftly said, earning while not a full-on smile from the Director, at least the corner of her mouth turned up in amusement.

“Good, because we are almost there.”

So distracted by our conversation I only just took in my surroundings. We were at the plaza just outside the academy, which-

Wait a second. If the procession ends here, that means I went all this way to the end of the line just to end up outside my doorstep anyway.

-which happened to also be just across from the lodge, which I currently called home. It was bustling with activity, which I now understood as the result of this being the parade’s destination and not simply the excited crowds of the city milling about. Around the plaza, there were several of what appeared to be fusions between large tents and sleek stone, like pop-up buildings from which to watch the ensuing ceremony.

“That one is ours.”

Pointing to our right, there was one of the hybrid tent buildings. Above it flew a banner emblazed with a symbol, which I recognized as the academy’s emblem. It was large enough that a small crowd could have fit inside without too much struggle, raised several steps above the rest of the plaza upon a stone that I could only assume was the result of several earth mages performing well-practiced earthen craft.

“Follow me, smile, wave, but try not to cause a scene.”

“What makes you think I’d cause a scene?”

“Nothing, but you can never be too cautious with someone who lacks a background in the first place.”

“Fair.” I conceded.

Our cab pulling up to our stop, we quickly disembarked as the Director led the way to the glorified tent. She stopped a step from the front of the entrance, casting one quick glance back toward me.

“Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” I said, smiling with obviously faked enthusiasm.

“Hope this isn’t a mistake.” I heard her mutter before she led us inside.

Entering the tent from what was apparently the back, I took a moment to observe the interior. It was decorated with polished white wood; the ground was surprisingly tiled as if the earth mages had taken the time to ensure the interior looked like more than a shabby tent. Several tables were set out, lined by cushy-looking ivory-colored seats, and a wine bar was stocked with what looked to be expensive spirits. There were even caterers walking around with trays of champagne and snacks.

“Director!” I heard a voice call out excitedly before continuing a beat later with a hint of surprise. “And you brought a guest?”

Walking toward us was the source of the voice. It was a man with curly brown hair, a pair of glass frames, and his gently freckled face tanned a golden complexation as if he specifically measured his time out in the sun.

“Rigus.” The Director smiled pleasantly, slipping into an expression of practiced goodwill. “Have things been going well?”

“Ehh, Professor Jev got into a heated debate with Professor Virtus, but then that was to be expected.” The man said with a snort, his handsome face crinkling as he rolled his eyes. “That aside, you might be?”

“This would be Professor Koor.” The Director said smoothly as I extended a hand toward the man, the academy’s proclaimed ‘ass-kisser’ who kept the Director from handling uppity parents herself.

“Ahh, so you would be our magics professor.” The man smiled pleasantly, though, for a moment, I could swear I saw his eyes turn down as if forcing himself. “It’s a pleasure.”

“The pleasure is mine,” I said enthusiastically, performative enough to be convincing without ever sounding over the top.

“Well, Rigus, I will introduce Professor Koor here to the others, so if you will excuse us.”

Before the man could say anything else, the Director pulled us to the side, speaking quietly under her breath.

“Rigus, I should mention, is part of the camp against the magics position ever being established.”

“Makes sense,” I muttered. “If he is the resident ass-kisser between the academy and the nobles, I’d expect him to share views with most of that faction.”

“You catch on quick.” The Director said with a nod of approval.

“Well, considering I’ll be teaching here, you’d probably hope I wasn’t completely socially inept, wouldn’t you?”

“You’d be surprised. Brilliance doesn’t always translate into every field.”

I felt a momentary swell of pride, even if unintentionally, she’d lumped in with the likes of the most intelligent men and women in Haerasong. Even if it was within my own field of magic, it felt good to be complimented as such.

“Well, I’m going to grab a glass of champagne and begin my expected duties as Director. I would advise you to do the same, but instead of mingling, may I suggest finding a corner to hide where you’ll attract less attention?”

“Will the caterers bring snacks in my direction?”

“I’ll make sure they get the memo.”

“Then count me in,” I said as the Director snorted once in amusement.

“Good, at least you’re easy to work with.”

Separating, the Director immediately beelined toward the wine bar, and almost instantly, I could hear her voice making idle chit-chat with those who saw her.

Champagne, then corner.

Heading in the opposite direction from the Director, I managed to snag a glass of champagne without a single person saying anything to me before quickly settling into a spot out of the way, where hopefully I’d manage to avoid much notice.

And now I wait for snacks to come my way.

Waiting what felt like ages, but really couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, I finally saw someone approaching me from the corner of my eye.

Excited to finally get some snacks, however ‘fancy’ they may be, into my stomach, my smile quickly faded as I turned to face the person who’d walked toward me, someone who clearly wasn’t a caterer.

“I must say, I’m not sure I recognize you.” It was a woman who looked to be in her early thirties. She had a slight crook to her nose but was otherwise conventionally attractive by most standards. She had golden hair with streaks of slightly darker blondish brown hair and eyes as blue as the morning sky.

“Professor Koor.” I reached out and extended my hand in greeting. “And you are?”

“Isania Virtus, professor and department head of the sciences.”

Oh, shit.

I knew nothing about the woman aside from being immensely talented and, from what I gathered, a somewhat ‘confrontational’ attitude.

That, and she was apparently quite a bit younger than I’d anticipated.

“So, you’re the magic guy. I’ll be straight with you; I disapprove of such topics.”

Really? You must go straight to conflict? No fake pleasantries? Just straight to the point of degrading me.

I wanted to hang my head in exasperation, but I kept my face plastered with a fake smile.

Keep it together. No scenes, remember?

“That’s unfortunate you feel such a way. Really, magic isn’t all that different from science itself.”

“Nonsense.” The woman said, crinkling her brow. “The sciences expand human potential for all. Magic is something that only a few can harness. The sciences are about facts and replicability. Magic is about mysticism and one-off feelings.”

I felt the corners of my mouth tugging downward, unable to fully resist the growing annoyance I was beginning to harbor toward the woman.

“Excuse me, but if anything, it sounds like you know nothing more of magic than gossip you’d hear on the streets.” I retorted. “While there are aspects of mystical feeling and instinct to magic, magic very much is a field about understanding and replicability as well, there are theories and practices and philosophies that-”

“Then where is the empirical data, the raw evidence to support such talk? It should be something that any could practice if that were the case.”

Lords and gods above, this must be a bad joke.

I wanted to crack my head on a wall. It was all far too cliché that I’d somehow immediately be confronted with the apparent argument starter amongst the academy staff.

This must be some divine test.

I took a deep breath, calming myself as my placid expression slowly returned, composing myself.

“While you feeling as much is rather saddening, I believe I can show you otherwise this year, and hopefully, we can reconcile our paradigms.” I smiled as pleasantly as I could before pointing elsewhere. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I require another drink.”

The woman glanced down at my only half-finished drink. Seeing the expression across her face, I quickly threw my head back, downing the rest of the glass in one go.

Her eyes widened at my rather brutish behavior, but I could deal with her no longer. Getting up, I made my way toward somewhere, anywhere else but talking to her, before finally spotting a face I hadn’t expected to see here.

“Zet?”

Idly leaning against a wall, eyes half closed as if he were tired, was a man, taller, shoulders broader, but unmistakably the same Zet I knew from years ago.

His eyes snapped open fully, widening as he saw me approaching.

“Ro-” Before he could say any more, I quickly hushed him, speaking quietly under my voice.

“What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you that.” The taller man said just as quietly back to me.

“I’m a professor at the academy now.”

“You’re a what?”

“Long story.” I sighed. “What about you? Do you teach here now too?”

“No, I’m only in town until the academy year starts. You see, I was invited here since I’m visiting my wife.”

“Your what?” I had to force my voice down, a shout of surprise almost escaping me.

“My wife.” The man smiled before raising his hand, displaying a ring upon it.

“And when the hell did that happen?” I questioned in amazement.

“Not long ago, actually. We finally sealed the deal after two years of seeing each other. I met her by chance. She happened to be passing through the town where I had opened my dojo.”

“Dojo?”

“Apparently, that’s what they call martial schools in Varana.”

“Yes, I know. I was just surprised you knew that.” I said before shaking my head. “Anyway, not the point. So, who exactly is this lucky wife of yours?”

As if on cue, Zet waved, pointing at someone approaching from behind me.

“Why, she’s right here.”

Turning around, I sucked in a breath of surprise, the surprise quickly turning to dismay.

Okay, now this is taking the piss.

Standing there was none other than Isania.

“I’d like to introduce you to my wife, Isania, professor of sciences and department head here.”

The woman tilted her head toward me, her smile icy.

“A pleasure to meet you.”