After the event had concluded, the headmaster was given the results of the test together with the name lists. He looked at the group who had managed to pass the tests and was pleased to see that the numbers had risen from last year, counting 63 new recruits.
"Congratulations, cadets of Rouclier. Now that the entrance exam has concluded, we will split you into four grades, according to your performance at the second test. Do not worry, this procedure has been established to ensure that those with less talent receive additional training, so all can reach the same standard of knowledge and skill needed to pass the graduation exam at the end of your 4th year at the academy, which will make you soldiers of the empire.
Do not worry, you are free to choose if you want to remain in the military after your graduation or pursue different work, but if the need ever arises, you are expected to protect the empire and its people from all danger.
After you have been sorted, you will be given a map of the premises, which will show you the location of the classrooms and the dormitories, where you will live during your stay at the academy. Additionally, you will be given a list of items and books you will need during your first year, as well as the specifications of your uniform, which you can forward to any tailor in the city.
Lastly, you will be given a calendar of your first week, which depicts the classes you will have to attend to, as well as their locations within the buildings. You have one month to prepare everything you need, until then, you should have already moved into your room in the dormitories. To find out which room you have been assigned to, you just have to ask one of our receptionists working there from 0600 to 1800. Any questions?"
Just like before, nobody came forward, causing the headmaster to continue.
"Alright, let us begin with the first group, the ones among you who have shown exceptional talent, and thus will be attending class A! If I call out your name, please take one of the envelopes from Lady Karm and return to the group. Please do not leave until I say so.", he said while motioning towards the disciplinary teacher to his left.
"Adelaide, Mira!"
The red-haired girl he remembered from the first test limped forward while looking fearfully at the disciplinary teacher, who could not help but grin slightly at the sight, as the girl had been fighting against her in a mock-battle during the exam. The girl quickly snatched one of the envelopes and hastily hobbled back to the group, while those, who had gone through the same test as she did, threw sympathetic looks at her.
Eight more future cadets had joined class A, including Eleonora Boreas and Martin Crevier, in the following minutes, until-
"Rhedi, Corvo!"
He could hear the cheers of his entourage as his name was called out. Corvo could not believe it! Not only did he manage to pass the exam, he was also in the same class as those who had passed with the highest scores!
"Mr. Rhedi, today, if you don't mind!", the headmaster reprimanded him, as he had just stood there without moving for an entire minute, completely flabbergasted. His initial shock quickly turned into embarrassment, as he quickly ran up to the disciplinary teacher, took his envelope, and returned to the group, all the while hearing the people around him chuckle at his daydreaming. Following his group were B, C, and D, each of which gained about the same number of cadets. After each had received their envelope, the headmaster addressed them one last time.
"Now that everyone has been sorted in, I want you to know a few ground rules. First of all, you are now representing the academy, meaning that you are not allowed to do anything inside of outside the academy building which would discredit Rouclier in any way. This includes committing crimes or conducting duels outside the permitted areas, as well as disrespecting your superiors. You are now not just students of a school, you are part of the very same military that protects this nation and all that inhabit it, do not forget that! I look forward to you joining us, young cadets! Dismissed!"
After being sent off with a quick salute from the headmaster and the other teachers, the group dispersed, and Corvo made his way towards his parents.
"Congrats, my little sunshine!", his mother, Kira Rhedi, exclaimed while hugging him. Kira had long, brown hair and green eyes, and wore the black robes of a retired priestess, as she had stopped working as a cleric after Corvo was born.
"The
"Damn, Class A? I just barely made it into class D because I was barely able to hit the target with a curved
"Oh yeah, Corvo, before we forget, we were thinking of moving away from Serena as well.", his father mentioned while they all sat down, eating their ice cream and enjoying the scenery of birds playing in the spring fountain, before getting chased away by a group of laughing children.
"Hm? Why though?", Corvo answered surprised.
"The village's gotten pretty peaceful lately. There's just nothing to do there for a bunch of former mercs anymore. Remember Paul? He told us that monsters near his home in Zilia were starting to get riled up for some reason, so he asked us to help him out over there. The pay would be good, and it would kind of be like the old days, where we all used to delve into all kinds of trouble together.", he replied, his mind clearly wandering back to his days of adventuring at the end.
"Sounds pretty cool! I'll make sure to go visit you all there during summer vacation!"
"You forgot to tell him the other reason we are moving to Zilia, honey.", his mother noted, causing his father to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment.
"I did, didn't I, hehe..."
"What is it?", Corvo asked, confused about the situation.
"Well, you see, you're going to be a brother.", his father exclaimed, which almost caused Corvo to drop his ice cream cone in shock.
"WAIT? REALLY?", he yelled out in surprise.
"Yep, we're moving to Zilia so your mother won't have any trouble delivering the child, seeing as they got a proper clinic there.", his father explained.
'I can't believe it! I'm going to be a brother! ' Corvo thought to himself, completely forgetting in the process that he was holding an ice-cream cone, which started to melt all over his hand and then drip on his pants.
"Oh, come on!", he yelped and jumped up as he noticed the puddle forming on his pants, causing his parents and Sean to laugh.
"Oh, and remind me to write you our new address on a piece of paper once we get back to Mike and Silv's home!", his mother added once they had calmed down again, and they continued to finish their frozen treats.
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Meanwhile, quite some distance away from the group, in a rundown building hidden away in the housing district, another 'family' was in a less celebratory mood.
"HOW. THE. FUCK. DID. YOU. GET. YOUR. SELF. CAUGHT?", a tall, hooded man shouted, venting his anger by punctuating every syllable of his sentence with a hard kick against the demon lying in front of him. The demon gasped for air, coughing up blood in the process, but remained unresponsive otherwise. It was the same demon that had tried to gain access to Rouclier under the name Elmar Barateo. The irate man kneeled before the wheezing and coughing demon, and forced him to meet his glare by grabbing one of his horns.
"I told you to blend in, not to prove that the magic item was indeed a relic capable of seeing through any illusion. I thought you demons were supposed to be smart?", he hissed at the demon, slowly increasing the pressure to his horn to a point where it would be easy for him to just snap it in half.
However, instead of snapping his horn, he just threw the demon back to the floor and slowly stood up. The man pointed at one of his goons, who had watched the scene before him with indifference and bellowed the order to heal the demon at him, which was immediately followed through without another word.
"Don't worry, an illusionist of your level not yet taken in by some country is hard to come by these days, so I won't let ya die. However, one more fuck up and I'll harvest your organs and throw ya in a ditch, ya hear me? And you'd better pay me back the money I had to bribe the guards with!", he yelled after the demon, who was dragged out of the room by the one who had healed him. Feeling satisfied after having let out his anger at the demon, he decided it was time to address the other person kneeling in front of him, the girl known as Eleonora Boreas, and immediately changed his demeanour to a more friendly one.
"But you, you did your job perfectly. Well done, El!", he praised her in an almost fatherly tone, a stark contrast to how he had dealt with the demon only seconds before.
"Thank you, master!", she responded without raising her eyes from the floor.
"Now that your are in the top-class, it shouldn't be a problem for you to find out where they stash their magical items. But remember: Dark Taipan wants the mirror within the next 3 months, don't try to get it on your own, just give us the signal once you located it and got used to their schedules. If you screw this up, I won't be as merciful with you as with Varus, you hear me? Ever since my old men croaked and I became boss I've been in need of some cash so I could leave this shithole, and I know a lot of loaded assholes going crazy over mixed-bloods.", he remarked, while approaching her, lifting her face so her nervous, blue eyes met his own bloodshot, black eyes.
"Your father's debts will be cleared, one way, or the other, understood?", he hissed at her, causing her pupils to shrink to pin-pricks.
"Of- of course!", the frightened girl assured him.
"Good, good. Now don't make us wait for too long, hear me?", he chuckled as he let go of her, before slowly walking past her.
She could not answer verbally, causing her to nod instead as her voice became stuck in her throat out of fear at what his words had implied.
Shortly after, he left the room together with the rest of his men, leaving the fear-struck girl behind.
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The rest of the month passed in a blur, as Corvo prepared for his first day at the academy. The room which was given to him in the dorms was only a fraction of Sean's, in which he had stayed for the last 3 months, but on the upside, he finally had a room of his own. Today would be his first day at the academy, so he put on the black military uniform, and affixed the wooden magic-staff, which he had bought for the academy, to his belt as one would with a sword. It was a simple staff about the length of a longsword, which was carved out of oak. It was made for beginners, as it was engraved with runes that made it easier for the caster to channel their arcanum. This, however, came with the drawback of the staff not being able to handle spells above the 5th-Tier without getting destroyed in the process, and an overall lower durability. Nonetheless, Corvo did not see this as a problem, as he doubted that he would learn even one spell above the 2nd-Tier during his first year. All in all, he had to spend almost the entirety of the money he was given by his parents on his equipment and books, as well as on a leather bag, in which he now carried the books he would need for today. He double-checked if everything was in order, and made his way towards his first lesson of the day.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
First lesson of the day was orientation, which lasted 2 hours and was attended by all groups, from A to D. It was held in the great assembly hall of the academy. In this lesson, the general rules they had to obey during their stay were discussed, as well as the subjects they would be taught in in the next 4 years, including those from which they would be able to choose from next year.
In their first year, they would attain general knowledge about the world, including human and military history, magic theory, flora and fauna of the Empire, basic arithmetic, weapon and armour maintenance, and magical history, as well as basic training which would improve their physique.
The second year would decide their future career path according to the subjects they chose in addition to the mandatory advanced lessons from previous subjects. These lessons included first-aid, combat, and military strategy, as well as information gathering. They would also receive training in their individual classes for the first time.
Third year students would be divided into teams of five and trained in survival and the subjugation of monsters and dangerous beasts. As healers were the rarest class to attend Rouclier, Feublan would usually provide young acolytes to join these teams and gather some on-the-field experience. In the middle of the third year, one would be allowed to fight at the Cloud-Festival, they would engage in mock-battles against teams of the other 3 major academies in Caelum, as well as students of the Feublan Monastery, to further the relationship between the different academies and to show off the next generation of young talents to the Empire and its guests.
During their fourth and last year, they would be considered fully fledged soldiers, and sent on their first real missions. After successfully finishing their missions, they would then become able to decide if they wanted to continue working in the military or pursue a different career.
As Corvo had already known about all of this information, which was told to him by Sean, he decided to take a closer look at his classmates.
He recognised the girl in front of him because of her bright red hair, Mira Adelaide, which currently tried her hardest not to fall asleep. To her left sat Eleonora Boreas, who he recognised due to her still wearing her hood over her head. To Mira's right sat Martin Crevier, who seemed to be just as disinterested as Mira and Corvo himself, as did most of the rest of the first-years, some of which even started to chat with each other.
Suddenly, the teacher stopped talking, just as Corvo looked at her to see if she had finished her speech, a loud crack could be heard throughout the hall, snapping everyone's attention back to the front of the room. Lady Karm had stomped on the floor with all her might, which left sizable crater where she had planted her foot.
"Now listen hear, and I hope you listen good. As you already know, I am not only a combat instructor, I am considered this academy's disciplinary teacher as well. I do not care in the slightest about any of you already knowing the information I am conveying right now, but I will not tolerate any disrespect shown to me during any of my lectures. This academy is part of Merdelum's military, and as long as you are here, you are not mere students, but military cadets, and I am one of your superiors. Just like in the barracks, you will not just be given a slap on the wrist and sent to the headmaster if you are caught breaking one of the rules or showing disrespect to your superiors, which includes instructors. I am in charge of deciding the severity of your punishment. I am also permitted to give you extracurricular sparring lessons if I find your resolve to attend this academy to be lacking, and those of you who attended my entrance exam know what that entails, am I right?", she said with an eerily calm voice, causing some of her audience, mostly those who attended her exam, to cringe in fear at the memory.
"Good... Now back to what I was saying. The other academies of Caelum, which will join the tournament are Jaunpée, Verchet, and Lanceur, with only Lanceur being affiliated to the empire's military, similarly to Rouclier. It will be held in the form of 3 versus 3. Each participant will receive-", she continued as if nothing had happened, this time without any interruptions. After the introduction was concluded, the 4 groups split up and made their way towards their next class. For group A, this class was going to be Magic Introduction. On their way to the classroom, Corvo heard Mira sigh in relief at the class being over, and he decided to inquire further.
"Was Instructor Karm's sparring exam really that difficult?", he asked her, which earned him a look akin to that of someone being asked why they had a nose in their face.
"You have no idea. That woman would be more fit for the role of a torturer, I tell you. Not only was she incredibly fast, she would also counter each attack with enough force to make you wish you stayed at home that day. Those that used magic during the mock-battle often didn't even get the chance to finish a spell before they were thrown out of the ring. The only good thing about it was, that she would let you pass if you manage to touch her with your weapon or a spell in any way." Martin Crevier, who had listened in on the conversation, chuckled at her lamentations.
"What's so funny?", she asked angrily.
"Oh, nothing. Just the thought of a peasant struggling during the entrance exam being grouped in with what is supposed to be the elite of this academy, is all.", he answered with a fake grin.
"Says the boy getting in because his parents own the city.", she retorted smugly, wiping the grin of the noble's face.
"Tch. I do not have the patience to talk to the lower class.", he said with a click of his tongue, and without another word sped ahead of the two.
"Looks like I hit the nail on the head, don't you think? Hehe.", she said to Corvo with a smile.
"Huh. Oh yeah, I'm Corvo by the way.", he exclaimed and offered her his hand.
"Nice to meet you, Corvo. I'm Mira. Let's help each other out during our stay, okay?", she reciprocated and shook his hand with her own.
"Sure.", he responded, and they continued on their way to their classroom.
The first two lessons of Magic Theory, which was led by Professor Lambert, consisted of a short summary of what they would be learning this year, and said that she would get into details throughout the following months:
All living beings related to Chaos, such as humans, demons, and orcs, were born with souls, which filtered the Mana absorbed by its vessel and turned it into Arcanum, the energy needed to cast spells. Beings related to Order, such as dwarves, elves, and beastkin, were born with spirits, which transformed raw Mana into Anima, the energy of nature, which was used in sorcery. Sorcery differed from the elemental spells created with arcanum, though Lambert mentioned that she would go into detail about this at another time, as her early lessons focused solely on souls and arcanum.
Arcanum was stored within one's body in 3 centres: one in the head, one in the heart, and one in the stomach. These energy-centres were connected to one another with circuits known as astral-lines, which also distributed one's arcanum throughout the entire body. Arcanum that exceeded the threshold of what could be stored within one's body would leak outside, where a certain amount of it would form an aura. If just one of these 3 energy-centres were to be damaged, one would become unable to use arcanum, and therefore lose the ability to casts spells.
Most souls were born with an affinity towards one of the 7 Schools of Magic, making it easier for them to understand spells from that specific type but significantly more difficult to master spells belonging to others. To cast spells, one had to craft a command, known as drawing a spell-circle, with runes and symbols derived from the Divine Language. This way of casting magic was more precise than natural magic, though it required a certain amount of knowledge of the intricacies of the divine language and more energy to be brought forth, as some arcanum was lost in the creation of the spell-circle itself. However, this cost was seen as negligibly small in most cases. The process of drawing a spell-circle with arcanum alone came naturally to all chaotic beings, though this instinctive knowledge did not pertain the content of the spell-circle itself.
If one managed to cast a spell successfully, it was considered learned, which means that one will be able to cast it again with considerably less effort. However, this is only true if one was not aided in a certain way while casting the spell, as one would need the same conditions to be in place to cast it again in this case. To cast the spell after it was learned, one either needed to speak the activation phrase of the spell, also known as a chant, or draw the spell-circle manually.
The first method, simply referred to as chanting, was faster, but also prone to errors due to mispronunciations and inconsistencies most people are incapable of controlling, which could result in a miss-cast, which, with weaker spells, would just cause them to fizzle out, though stronger magic would cause effects unintended by the caster.
The second method, which is referred to as chantless-casting, was more reliable, but also more time-consuming and it took a higher degree of concentration. Chantless-casting had the added benefit of being harder to decipher, as one did not need to utter a single word while casting the spell. If this was paired with some form of enchantment, which absorbed the visible light emitted by spell-circles and therefore rendering them nearly invisible before being activated, the likelyhood of spells being discovered before it was too late shrank considerably.
Lambert also mentioned that arcanum is widely referred to as just 'mana' by those who did not study magic, as people not well versed in this topic wrongly believed it to be the same thing. This belief ran so deep within the minds of the general populace, that it was deemed to be too much effort to change. Spellcasters, however, needed to be careful, as confusing the rune for 'Mana' with the rune for 'Arcanum' could have unforeseen and even dangerous consequences.
One's soul could be strengthened through the continued use of arcanum, either through continuously using skills or casting spells. This would cause the soul to absorb more Mana, forcing it to evolve to become able to process it.
The reason why humans had souls instead of spirits, despite their affiliation with the Titan of Knowledge, Scion, in whose image they had been created, was unknown, though it was believed that humanity had at some point struck a deal with the gods to gain access to arcanum, as it was less restrictive than sorcery.
At the end of her lecture, Lambert also talked briefly about skills, which could be used by both those born with spirits and those born with souls. She did not go as in-depth into this subject as with actual magic, but assured that she would pick it up at a later date.
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The other lessons went by faster than Corvo anticipated, and before he knew it, he was already on his way towards the community hall, as there would be a break until early afternoon.
"Oi, Corvo, over here!", Sean shouted and motioned towards the table he was sitting at. The hall was now filled with round tables which had benches affixed to them, instead of the chairs which stood there at the beginning of the day. The hall was filled with other students of various grades, all busy with different activities, such as eating, playing games, or chatting with each other.
"Yo, Sean! How's your day so far?" Corvo greeted his best friend as he sat next to him.
"Eh, pretty average. I still got to wait for my results of the second evaluation, which was basically the same as the entrance exam, to prove that I'm able to use my skills now, you know? And how was yours?"
"Pretty good! I even made a new friend...I think.", Corvo replied, not quite sure about the answer he had given.
"Hm? Who is it?", Sean asked, surprised about this new revelation, but before Corvo could answer him, a voice interrupted the two.
"Oh, there you are, Corvo! You could have told me that you were going on ahead! Can I sit here?", Mira inquired, to which Sean and Corvo just nodded.
"Thanks. I'm Mira, by the way.", she introduced herself to Sean.
"My, my, Corvo! First day at the academy and you already have a girlfriend?", Sean exclaimed with a smirk, which immediately turned the two in front of him red of embarrassment.
"WHAT? I mean... NO... I mean... WHAT?", the two stammered, trying to find the right words, while Sean's grin grew ever wider, until he could not contain himself anymore and started to laugh.
"Hahaha, I was just kidding. You should have seen the looks on your faces!", he said while his laughter slowly died down again.
"Hrmph, not funny.", Mira huffed and averted her gaze from the jokester, while Corvo looked at Sean angrily.
"Oh come on, it was just a joke, don't be too harsh on me. I'm Sean.", he stated and extended his hand apologetically towards Mira, who slowly turned back to him and encloses it with hers. However, she decided to have some fun of her own, and applied more pressure than was needed, resulting in a pained yelp from Sean.
"Hey, HEY! I GIVE UP! I'm sorry, okay? Jeez.", he yelled and was promptly released from Mira's death grip.
"Ohh, sorry, I can't seem to control my strength today. I wonder why...?", she announced in faked confusion, as she started to grin herself.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Let's call it quits okay?", Sean declared while rubbing his, as he would call it, almost crushed hand.
This now caused Corvo to giggle as well, prompting the other two join him in laughter.
The three spent the rest of the break with chatting about where they came from and about the entrance exam, before collectively making their way outside, as the next lesson would be in physical education.
They were told that for the rest of the year, their bodies would be trained to peak condition before they would start actual combat training, as a solid foundation was essential to becoming a proper warrior. To Corvo's chagrin, spellcasters were not spared this kind of training, as they as well could one day find themselves in a situation where they would not be able to use magic and had to rely solely on their physical fitness.
At the end of the day, Corvo was barely able to find his way back to the dormitories with the help of Sean, who had already become used to this kind of training. He took a quick shower before unceremoniously collapsing on the bed. Despite every muscle in his body refusing to listen to him, he still thought of the day as having been quite enjoyable, and he fell asleep full of excitement of what else his life at Rouclier had in store for him.