We were told during class that mana beasts weren’t monsters and instead, creatures naturally embraced by mana. They varied in size with even the tiniest inflicted terror when met in the wild, as did the one I encountered while crawling out of Tartarus.

However, things changed nowadays. I was no longer the same powerless kid even when faced with a monstrous bear that moved unexpectedly quickly for its size. How could I fear what I believed I controlled? My ego wouldn’t allow it.

It charged at me with ferocious intent, teeth and claws aimed to maul me to death. Fortunately, my barrier easily withstood its formidable might, or at least it did before mana empowered it.

“Blink!”

I had no choice but to teleport, narrowly escaping being torn to shreds by a single attack that ruptured the ground upon impact. The resulting fissure stretched a few feet and spanned at least a dozen inches.

“He really can teleport backwards with just Blink, huh?” Ollie sure sounded impressed, likely because the spell typically required a direct line of sight of where one wished to appear. Fortunately, sensing the place worked just fine for me.

Aymon simply watched. Not hard when he’s not the one it kept its eye on.

The beast then devoured the surrounding mana, unleashing a deafening roar that caused a shockwave to ripple far beyond where I stood, devastating the landscape as it tore through the thick trees. Yet, once again, the barrier I conjured at the last second held.

Thanks to Penelope and her recent tutoring to make up for lost time, Alice and I were able to cast a few of our spells, such as Shield, without the need for verbal incantations. It was convenient, as it allowed for more margin of error when dealing with incoming attacks, given that chanting was often time-consuming.

“Intense. . .” I muttered, my annoyance growing by the second as I had to fight with an audience.

Then Aymon called out my name. “Alexander.”

“Sort of in the middle of something!” I retorted, keeping a close eye on the bear that was contemplating its next move. Failing to get me a few times must’ve taken it by surprise as the creature fixed its intense gaze on me.

“Take back what you said and swear never to talk to Alice again. Do that, and we’ll help. Otherwise, you’re all on your own.” He was serious.

Scoffing at his request, I couldn’t help but shake my head. Truthfully, their presence was severely limiting my ability to fight, so them fucking off worked in my favour. Dragon Speech wasn’t something I wished to show off just yet.

Then there was the sword Penelope taught me how to summon from a pocket dimension, the same way she conjured her spellbook and other items. Unfortunately, I could only manage one since I lacked her unique gift.

As for Aymon, I gave him the one finger salute.

He wasn’t happy.

“Then die like a dog,” Aymon said while gritting his teeth before looking at Ollie. “Let’s go. . .”

“Finally,” Ollie said, walking off together.

“Fuckers–” I muttered as the beast ran out of patience, charging toward me again. “Blink.”

I teleported back again, creating more distance. Now they were far enough.

As for the bear, it never stopped. And other than the distance, nothing else changed as I was still in its line of sight. Not even three seconds passed before it already caught up.

It was now or never.

“Kill them instead.”

Mana resonated with my voice commanding the beast to a halt as it processed what it heard. Its reaction was no different from the lizard back at Hamlet.

It was working.

“Now!” I commanded, and soon the bear looked back at Aymon and Ollie. Considering the distance, there was no way for them to have heard me since I kept my voice down.

The second the beast took off, I knew I’d done something wrong. Things weren’t the same as with Dustin since Aymon hadn’t done anything yet, nothing I could prove at least other than threatening me. Sure, the two decided to abandon me, but I would’ve likely done the same. After all, he hated my guts, and I his.

Still, I couldn’t help but smirk, not caring in the slightest. Fuck anyone that wanted me to stay away from Alice.

However, just as the bear was about to reach them, Aymon turned around and flicked his wand, conjuring vines out of the ground as he did in Thysa during the Moonshine Festival.

Violently bursting out of the ground, they ensnared the beast and pinned it to the ground. It couldn’t even budge as Aymon’s spell got significantly more powerful than before, a testament to his growth.

The fight was over before it even started.

“Tsk. Just my luck.” I sighed.

Enraged, the beast struggled to the best of its ability. Sadly, that wasn’t enough.

“Ollie, don’t!” Aymon yelled, reaching to grab him, but he was too late. Ollie flipped, pulling out a dagger and charging toward me.

“Great. . .” I mumbled, bracing for a fight.

“Haste!” Ollie chanted, causing mana to sweep through him before being absorbed and making him twice as fast.

He was coming at me in a straight line, probably thinking he could blitz me when the time was right, a decision I hoped he’d soon regret.

“Got you!” He switched to Common when he got within a few feet of me. However, his plan was far too simple. “Dagger Arts: Vic–”

But before he could finish infusing mana into the blade, he went blind. Darkness engulfed us both as I subtly cast the spell.

Deprived of sight and confused, he left himself wide open for me to step in and put my all into a gut shot by throwing a left hook. It wasn’t the cleanest punch I landed, but with Ollie weighing close to nothing, it was enough to send him tumbling across the ground until he left the dark sphere surrounding us.

Sensing vines enter the darkness, I dismissed the spell and jumped back, barely avoiding being impaled like the ground on which I stood. Despite being a restraint-type spell, it had no issues penetrating the hardened soil.

Even if he was just trying to save Ollie, who was busy spitting blood and holding on for dear life after taking a hit, it was still an attack and justified whatever I decided to do next. And considering that merely manifesting the lower core allowed me to crack a wall using a person’s back, it was hard to imagine he’d get up easily after almost a year of training added to it.

“Bastard. . .” Ollie gruellingly muttered, somehow pushing himself back on his feet. Impressive. “Heal.”

Translucent green mana surged through his body, allowing him to take a deep sigh of relief.

“Don’t play coy. We both know you were the ones who sent the beast after me,” I made a bold claim, looking at their reactions more so than paying attention to their response.

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Aymon stayed unphased, resisting the urge to follow up on his attack while making his way over. It made me reconsider counterattacking straight away despite initiative being to my advantage.

“Same could be said about you, bastard!” Ollie snarled. “How’d you do it?”

“I warned you not to underestimate him. Our King wouldn’t train someone just on a whim.” Aymon sighed as he got close, grabbing hold of Ollie’s shoulder. “You alright?”

“Yeah. But had it not been for Arcane Armour, his spell or whatever would’ve left me incapacitated for good.” He clicked his tongue. “Whatever. I say we waste him before he becomes a problem.”

“Are you going to be the one to do it?” Aymon asked.

“Why not? I bet it’s just like killing a monster,” Ollie guessed, his gaze drifting toward me.

But I just listened, still pretending not to understand a word said.

Despite neither looking worried, they were on guard same as me, looking out for any tricks up our sleeves.

“Why do you love being so edgy?” Aymon sighed again, partially covering his eyes while shaking his head in disbelief. “Look. You’re not a murderer. None of us are. So let’s just let this go and head back to camp. Okay?”

Surprised, I decided to stay quiet for once. I’d proven I wouldn’t sit idly and listen to others command me around, declared Alice as mine, and even got to punch one of them. It wasn’t Aymon, but it was enough to make the trip worthwhile.

Still, to think Aymon showed such restraint.

“Sorry, Aymon. An eye for an eye–” He smirked right as I sensed a small object flying toward me from behind.

It was the dagger he dropped. He must’ve used a spell to propel it toward me.

Engulfed by mana, my barrier likely couldn’t stop it. My only option was to dodge–

BANG.

The dagger got intercepted by a purplish cluster of mana fired from the tree line, knocking it god knows where, while our attention fell on its source.

“Amelia?” I mumbled, surprised to see her standing with her rifle pointed at us.

Flanking us from the right while barely out of reach for me to sense her, I figured she followed us and overheard the whole thing. If on my side, at least now I had a witness.

“Great. . . More trouble,” Aymon muttered, tightening the grip around his wand.

“We can take them,” Ollie insisted.

“Quiet. Let me think.” Aymon kept calm but couldn’t look away from her because, unlike Ollie, Amelia’s cold stare left an eerie impression.

No wonder Alice always found her intimidating to the point where they only exchanged a few words outside their room, and even then, they talked little since Maya and Amelia were arguably best friends. Thought that begged the question, why was she here?

“Alright, we’re done here.” I sighed, looking over at Aymon. “Keep him in check.”

Then I turned toward Amelia and started walking over. I figured it’d be best if we grouped.

“Where do you–” Olie wanted to protest, but Aymon just pulled him by the shoulder.

“Enough,” Aymon said, noticing Amelia lowered her rifle. “We should head back.”

Amelia complicated the situation, getting Aymon to switch to Common in hopes of de-escalating the situation. However, before we even had a chance to disengage from this amateur shakedown, a loud roar almost ruptured our ears as the beast broke free from its restraints with sheer strength alone.

Then it suddenly turned, unleashing yet another, more powerful shockwave toward Aymon and Ollie.

Aymon swiftly positioned himself in front of Ollie, conjuring massive tree roots that formed a formidable barrier against the attack. The sheer destructive force, however, sent debris scattering in all directions.

His proficiency with voiceless casting was impressive.

Engulfed by mana, the beast charged at us with malice gleaming in its eyes. Part of me wanted to end things using Dragon Speech, but then I’d be proving Ollie right.

However, before having to make a decision, right as the beast was about to reach them, Amelia stepped up to me and grabbed my hand, forcing me to look at her.

Amelia’s eyes, a delicate shade of rose pink, shimmered with ethereal light as mana surged within. Next thing I knew, my vision got distorted along with my stomach turning before we both warped to another spot in the forest.

We must’ve been far away since I couldn’t hear them anymore.

“Where are we?” I asked as she let go of my hand.

I was just thankful I stayed on my feet after teleporting.

“About a mile away from camp,” Amelia said, already making her way over there by heading west.

We could hear the river running to the north, along which we settled.

“What about those two?” I asked, watching her suddenly stop.

Despite what happened, she seemed relaxed. Completely unphased by the sight of combat.

War must’ve taught her much.

“You care?” She raised an eyebrow.

It was a fair question. Even made me chuckle.

“Guess not,” I admitted, unsure of what to think of her quite yet.

She looked like the quiet type, but whenever she spoke, her words were loud and clear.

Without saying another word, Amelia began walking again.

“Hey. Mind if I ask you something?” I followed after her.

She didn’t say anything; just turned her head and waited.

“Why’d you help me?” I asked, walking side by side.

She took her time to think, gazing into the distance as the piercing sunlight made her fair skin glow. However, as I observed her, my gaze couldn't help but be drawn to the rifle now strapped to her back.

It looked intricate; the barrel long and thin, an oval shape made of pure silver with an abyssal-coloured mana crystal fitted in the chamber. Runes ran across both flanks, connecting to the wooden stock.

From what I’ve gathered, the rifle worked similarly to a crossbow. With superior range and projectile speed, such a weapon would massively change the battlefield if mass-produced. Not to mention that the arcane energy fired had enough power to deflect a mana-infused blade propelled with magic.

“You’re close with my roommates,” Amelia finally said, pulling my attention. “And those guys looked like they had something against you, so when I saw you walking with one of them, I figured I should follow.”

“Aren’t you good friends with Maya?” I asked, a bit confused still.

“I’d like to think so. Why? Because of Alice?” She glanced toward me.

I wasn’t sure what to think of her.

“Kind of. I mean, Maya kind of hates her–”

“Who said that?” Amelia interrupted, stopping in place again while turning to look at me.

“Amm. . .” I mumbled, a bit lost for words.

Maya’s actions spoke for themselves, yet the way Amelia was staring at me prompted me to genuinely reconsider.

It felt strange standing there, acting as if almost nothing happened just a few minutes ago.

Amelia sighed.

“She doesn’t hate Alice. She’s just annoyed with her,” she explained. “Look. You don’t have to believe me, nor is it my place to explain, but I told Maya to ease up a bit, and I think she will. She usually listens to me.”

“Did you know each other before the Academy?” I asked, although worried it might be a bit too personal.

“We met about a year ago, and I decided to bring her with me to the Academy. Sorry for the trouble she caused.” Her gaze dropped, yet her expression remained unchanged.

“Not your fault.” I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. Perhaps it was time to cut it as it had grown more than I’d like, almost covering my eyes when left alone. “Let’s just hope the two find common ground.”

“I’m sure they will,” she said, glancing up. “Alice is the friendly type. She’ll forgive whatever nonsense Maya does so long as she doesn’t cross the line. If there even is one – I’m sure there is, family and such.”

“Don’t let her pretty face fool you. She can bite,” I warned, hoping Amelia’s right about Maya easing up.

“You’ve become quite open about liking her, huh?” she asked.

“Hmm?”

“Sorry. The girls talked a lot about you. It’s hard not to overhear when in the same room,” she explained, turning toward the camp. “You two together yet?”

“No. . . not yet.” I hesitated.

“I see,” she said, taking another good look at me. “Well then, shall we head back to camp?”

“Wait, so you helped me just because of that?” I asked, realising I’d miss the chance to understand her better if we simply went back in silence.

Not every day presented me with an opportunity to get to know the Notish Princess, even if our history was tainted by the invasion. And if the Empire’s behind our ambush, it would just bring me one step closer to unravelling the truth.

Moreover, she wasn't the type I could’ve approached effortlessly.

“Do I need a better reason?” She furrowed her brows. “Come on. Let’s get back to camp.”

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.