The next several days passed without incident, and I remained in my room most of the time. The Duke never sent for me, and no one ever came to visit. Even Girem did not seem interested in speaking to me, not that I was surprised about this.

During meals, I would eat with the servants, though none of them seemed interested in talking to me, after which I returned to my bedroom. I was not used to eating alone after months of having at least one other person for company, and I found myself missing the company more than I expected.

Despite this, I did not spend my free time idly sitting around. I spent most of my days practicing Iron Forging, usually while performing my physical exercises. Sig would have my head if I returned out of shape and unable to keep up with his expectations. Whenever I felt I needed rest, I continued practicing telepathy, focusing heavily on the defensive techniques.

Now that I was returning to the Academy, learning to block out mind magic was possibly the most important thing for me to master. I doubted Master Julian would expose me, but there was no point in leaving myself vulnerable. More advanced techniques could wait, but keeping myself alive and safe was paramount to changing my future.

The night before our departure, I heard a knock on my door. I was midway through a set of handstand pushups, only recently gaining the balance and strength to perform them correctly and swore under my breath at the interruption. Flipping down to my feet, I rotated my shoulders, feeling the tight muscles relax before opening the door.

To my surprise, I found Sophia standing in the hallway, dressed in a simple shirt, pants, and boots. She did not greet me, instead pushing past me roughly into the bedroom before turning back toward me.

"We need to talk," Sophia said, only the slightest tweak of her eyebrow betraying her surprise at my flushed body.

I remained quiet, dropping my breath into the rhythms of Iron Forging and sending mana slowly throughout my body. I was still not sure what she wanted, and her unexpected appearance set my nerves on edge, but showing stress or surprise was disadvantageous. Thankfully, I found that the repetitive action of cultivation calmed my mind, and after a few seconds, the tension in my body relaxed.

"My lady, about what?" I replied, deciding to play dumb. Better to let her speak, rather than show my hand.

Sighing, she sat down on my bed and crossed her legs while continuing to stare at me.

"As I'm sure you've realized, I begged for mercy from my father on your behalf. He agreed, deciding that since you would be our advisor, rather than his, the final decision would be in our hands. We decided to spare you from punishment, in the hopes that you would learn from your mistake, and that this was just a temporary lapse in judgment."

"You are correct, my lady. Girem informed me of this, and I must thank you for your mercy. I want nothing more than to help your family and repay the debt I owe you, and I can only hope to regain your trust. " I replied, smiling and bowing my head.

Sighing, Sophia sat on my bed silent for a minute. I felt sweat build on my forehead, and had to stop myself from fidgeting in place. She had a way of setting me on edge, and I debated probing her emotions with my burgeoning telepathic abilities. Before I could decide, Sophia began speaking again.

"Frankly, I did not always agree with my father and Girem for deciding to train a magical advisor. I felt that Leon and I could learn all that we needed, which left your position unnecessary. When we began training at the Academy, you did nothing to change my original position. It was not until a few weeks ago that I rethought my opinion, after you managed to think of a half-dozen methods of strengthening my magical skills with only a semester of training. Your knowledge of alchemy, enchanting, and theoretical combat left you conscious of approaches to magic that I had not considered."

I bowed my head, replying, "It was my pleasure, my lady. I want to help you and Leon improve as mages, and help your family prosper. After all, I owe my education to your father, and this is the duty I have training for my whole life."

Snorting, Sophia nodded and said, "Keep that thought close to heart. I did not help you entirely out of kindness, though I will admit I do not dislike you. But more than that, I need your help."

She paused, looking down at her lap for a few seconds before speaking again.

"As I'm sure you know, noble families maintain their power and position through several means, including arranged marriages. Eligible children are married to one another to share magical knowledge and form alliances to further our causes. The Esttons are no exception, and my father expects both Leon and I to fulfill our duty when the time comes. While you know all of this, you might not know that my father is already considering potential matches."

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I mentally chuckled, recalling that Leon had told me of this exact situation months ago. He had mentioned that his father was meeting with other nobles to find Sophia a husband, and Leon's date to the Harvest Banquet was a potential wife. At the time, he seemed to feel it was a distant event, not an immediate worry, but Sophia seemed to disagree.

Gripping the sheets in her hands, I saw her knuckles turn white.

"I hate it. I have no interest in marrying a stranger, spending my life listening to nobles prattle on at parties, and pretending to care about what they have to say. Or sucking up to others in the hopes they will help my family grow stronger. I have my own dreams for the future, but as long as I remain the way I am, I cannot accomplish them. My father dislikes the system, but he feels it is a necessary evil, and Leon is willing to cave, but I am not. I want to make my family strong, become a powerful mage, and start my own family, but on my terms. And there is only one way I can think of to make that a reality."

Standing, Sophia walked up to me, stopping a few steps away.

"I want you to make me into an Archmagus. If I reach that stage of power and prestige, no one can demand anything of me. I will be free to make my own choices and seize control of my destiny. But I cannot do all of that alone."

This was unexpected. I knew Sophia was ambitious and skilled mage, but she never gave me the impression she felt unhappy with her position, or the system Ferris employed. After all, the Estton family was powerful and well connected, with only a handful of families higher in power and wealth. But it seems Sophia, and I have more in common than I realized. Her dream, however, would be challenging to achieve.

According to most research, only a single mage capable of becoming an Archmagus will be born every few decades. Alexandria is in her late fifties, Elden, his thirties, and I am a few weeks from sixteen. If this conventional wisdom held true, it was unlikely at best that Sophia could reach that status.

But nothing would be gained by admitting as much, especially when I still did not fully trust Sophia's words. It sounded reasonable, but plenty of people had learned that trusting too easy was the path to tragedy. Leon, Simon, and Amelia were all trustworthy, but Sophia not so much. I would need to keep a careful eye on her moving forward.

Outwardly I smiled, replying, "It would be my honor to help contribute to the rise of the next Archmagus. Anything you need from me, please ask, and I will provide it. It is my duty, after all."

"Excellent. I have several family tomes that I would like you to read and study when we return to the Academy. They are all lightning-magic focused, so I suspect you will find them more difficult than most works, but I think a fresh eye such as yours may provide me with inspirations. My cultivation method is effective already, but if I want to become an Archmagus, I must improve it further."

This arrangement may yet turn to my benefit. Lightning magic was decidedly different from Aether, but all magic was rooted in the same foundational principles. If nothing else, it sounded like stimulating reading, particularly compared to my usual reading materials. There were only so many books on alchemic preparations that one could read before growing bored.

"Of course, my lady. I will make it a priority and inform you of my findings as soon as possible. With the Grand Library's resources, I am sure I can help you improve your skills."

Nodding once more, Sophia turned and walked out of my room without another word, seemingly satisfied. As soon as she left, I released a slow breath, narrowing my eyes and staring at the wooden door. Sophia's actions were confusing, and the nagging feeling that I was missing the whole story hit me again. Still, there was nothing I could do at this point.

The next morning, I met the Esttons down at the stables, where a small group of soldiers waited to escort us back to Volaris. In addition to the main cart for the Esttons to ride, there were several additional caravans filled with trade supplies, for family friends in the capital. I had dressed in my leather armor and travel cloak, slipping on thicker clothing than usual. Winter had reached Ferris, and the eastern plains were particularly frigid, with the wind biting into exposed skin.

As they entered their carriage, Sophia paused, locking eyes with me and nodding once. I sighed before sitting in the back of the supply cart near the end of our entourage. There was just enough room for me to sit comfortably, and I decided to take the time to cultivate. Iron Forging was growing easier by the day, but I should take any opportunity to improve when I have the chance.

Our journey passed quickly, and soon we arrived at Volaris, which looked nearly unchanged from when we left. The nights in Volaris were far milder than the eastern plains, and as we rode down the street, I pushed my hood down, inhaling deeply and noting the traces of mana in the air. Volaris laid on top of multiple ley lines, and the concentration of ambient mana was higher than almost anywhere in Ferris. I had not noticed it before, but every day my sensitivity to mana grew.

Slipping off the cart, I looked to the Esttons, who approached me after exiting their carriage.

"Glad to be back?" Leon said with a smile.

"Yes, sir. I want to get back to my studies before I fall behind."

"I don't blame you. I can't wait to try and put your ideas into play and see how good I can get after some practice." Leon said, a determined glint in his eyes.

Nodding, I smiled and replied, "I would recommend speaking to Simon. His family are experts in enchanting and crafting magic items, and I am sure he could give you a good deal."

"I will certainly have to talk to him. If he does good work, I will pass on a recommendation to my father. We have connections for the family, but we are always in the market to forge more." Leon said, smiling and turning towards Sophia. I felt a twinge of hunger, but I decided to head to my room first and check in on Fortuna. And I wanted to take care of some preparations before Sophia came by, and gave me her assignments.

Giving my goodbyes, I moved through the front entranceway, feeling for other mana signatures as I walked. There were still several days until the start of the second semester, and the hallways were mostly empty. Slipping into my bedroom, I walked over to my window, breathing in another mana-rich lungful of air when I stopped.

It was good to be back in Volaris.