Chapter 19

Badump, badump, badump.

My heart was beating rapidly as Rydel finally made his leave from the training session. While he had been nice enough to let Magister Carthwright work entirely with me, I could still feel his penetrating stare on my back.

Pausing, I just try to calm myself before taking in the last few minutes of class.

Chuckles.

Seeing my pause and the way I am now holding my hand over my superbly beating heart, all I am left with is the chuckles of Magister Carthwright.

“What?” I ask, though I am pretty sure I know his response.

“Nothing, just fun to see young love when it comes into full bloom.” Magister Carthwright states, with a hint of nostalgia to his voice.

“I’m not,” I begin to protest.

“Oh, sorry, sorry. I forget how no one can know your true feelings at this time.” Magister Carthwright states, a clear smile to his face. “It seems that my pairing you two together wasn’t entirely a bad idea after all.”

“What? You planned this?”

“But of course, that and it was the only free time I had left in my schedule to work with you two independently. So I just happened to double book you two.” Magister Carthwright noted.

“Double book us? So he wasn’t overstaying his welcome?” I ask, as my mind tries to catch up with this new knowledge that has been provided.

“What? Of course not. Though he did stay an extra ten minutes over his allotted time, but I think most of that was to see your casting form.”

“Yeah, definitely wasn’t to see the chunky girl.” I protest.

“Oh come now, one day, when these people mature they will come to appreciate a lady such as yourself.” Magister Carthwright states.

Hearing that, I do feel a bit better, though I know most of why everyone will look at me now is solely due to my potential prowess and capabilities, which is fine, but should be something that I get in my head before I get burned by a relationship. Also, I am too young, too poor, and too insignificant for anyone to take me seriously here. Which is why having Rydel Drakerton stare at me so intently is so disappointing, as I know he wouldn’t look at me in that way.

Still, the idea of being power leveled by him and being able to visit the higher rated lands because he was my guide was an appealing opportunity, one that I should take advantage of.

“Right, but unfortunately, he will never be one of those that sees me that way.” I reply.

“Oh, so you know?” Magister Carthwright asked.

“Unfortunately, though do you think he would mind grouping up with me?” I ask.

Magister Carthwright just grins to himself, as if he is the slyest of matchmakers and grand planners. “I thought I would have to talk you up, but judging by his reaction and the fact that he was content to sit back and watch your casting abilities, I’d dare say that you spoke loudly for yourself without my involvement.”

Nodding.

At that, I just nod. From my memories of Rydel, he always seemed willing to join someone to see how powerful they were and how far they could go. Then after truly understanding your true capabilities, and realizing your limits he would go, so long as he considered himself stronger than you.

Though, he was the only one who would willingly provide the Spell Fusion Skill, which was a complete game changer at later levels. Especially for a Spatial mage as it meant that every spell I cast that normally requires direct skin contact can be done from a distance, that the distance portals that I had up to cast my Bolt spells would be able to cast at the same time for just one mana each thanks to my bonuses.

With that skill, I would be unstoppable.

This was why, I knew exactly how I would reply, when Magister Carthwright asked me, “so what would you like to focus on first?”

Now was my chance to begin my self-guided work on improving my spell casting related skills past the C Rank and truly begin to specialize.

Originally, I had wanted to begin with either Focused Casting, or Mana Exertion Casting. The reason behind these two choices was simple as they were the best skills to have as a solo explorer. However, the idea of being able to group with Rydel Drakerton changed things.

Pausing for a moment, I mentally recalculate my approach and instead focus on another important skill, but one that I felt I could hold off on for the time being.

“I would like to work on Multi Casting,” I reply, automatically denoting the way that I would want my current skill Dual Casting to evolve and improve.

For a moment the old match maker wannabe just stares at me, before a faint glow seems to shine in his eyes. This is likely his use of Precognition or Prediction magic, but no one was ever able to confirm either of these. All that was known is that the Magister seemed to have a great eye for the future and always had the same knowing smile as he seemingly grouped random people together at odd and inopportune times, only for them to be perfectly placed to meet a particular objective or event.

No doubt he is seeing that my Dual Casting skill at the C Rank is already high enough to learn Fusion Casting from Rydel, but that at this very moment I think improving to Multi Casting is the best way forward for me. Particularly as it means I can be ready for the next time there is an invasion, which should be within the next nine months to year and a half if my memory of those linked CRET storylines are to be remembered.

“Hmm,” Magister Carthwright hums to himself, as he strokes his beard in contemplation. Then after a moment’s pause, he nods to himself and seems to come to a conclusion, “very well, let us begin by expanding your mind.”

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And like that, my training as an arcane master truly began.

I thought that my self-paced training was impressive, but it had nothing on the mad professor who seemed hellbent on ensuring that each and every drop of mana I had ever produced was squeezed out of me in the most exhausting way possible.

I began with simple casting of Far Vision, followed by shooting a Bolt with my Far Vision. From there, the great Space Mage helped me learn not just my first magic specialization. Or rather my second Magic specialization, the first one that didn’t involve Arcane Repair.

With Magister Carthwright’s aide, I generated my first Spatial Rift spell. This is the one thing a Master can show you, and how it is easier to learn spells from a true Master.

In this case, Magister Carthwright took me, standing behind me, he placed his left hand on my left shoulder, while guiding my right arm with his right arm. From our close connection he then channeled his mana through my own. This isn’t to say that he truly pushed his mana into my body, rather he sent a string of mana through my body that was then used to guide my own mana.

Following the path of his mana, I created a loop from my left side, through my core and out my right hand where I then opened a barrier. Magically speaking, this was the same thing as coloring in a children’s trace by number image, where you link missing dots together with lines and create an image. In this case, I did the same, following his pattern from one connection point to the next. Then finally I created a spell.

It was odd, for when I cast the spell, I didn’t feel like I had truly done it. Which in a way, I hadn’t. Rather it was clear that the spell I had cast was the one drawn up by the Magister. That if I truly wanted to learn this spell and this specialization I would need to figure out how this spell worked and how the spoken words of the spell gave power to the mana being cycled.

From there, I then Dual Cast two such Spatial Rifts directly across from each other, where one would open up and point directly towards the other. From there, I had to focus and cast a Bolt perfectly into one of the Spatial Rifts, where it then created an endless looping effect for the Bolt to travel through over and over again.

That was it, just those three spells, and then the constant focus on keeping all three spells up and running for as long as possible. Honestly, I lost track somewhere after the thirtieth or so loop. By the fiftieth loop I felt my mind blurring from sheer boredom and the tedious nature of the task that I was performing.

Then finally after what felt like hours, but was apparently only thirty minutes, I felt something snap, in my mind as suddenly the entire process made more sense.

Somehow Magister Carthwright seemed to understand that moment too as the moment that the tension in my mind snapped was the exact moment that he moved away from assisting me in keeping the three spells active.

From there, it was just a mind-numbing tedious task of focusing on keeping the three spell forms going in perfect unison and harmony.

Drip.

Somewhere in there the condensation and moisture of my constant breathing into a mask caused my nose to release liquid. For a second, I thought it was blood, but then a quick tongue flick later showed me that nope, it was just snot. At which point I almost lost track of the spells again, but fortunately managed to snap myself out of my own delirium, despite having just disgusted myself by my own actions and reactions to my body’s apparent exhaustion.

Garbled.

“What, huh?” I ask, only after a second realizing that Magister Carthwright had spoken to me.

Chuckle.

The old man just laughed and then stated, “I believe that is enough practice for one day. Besides if you go to the meal hall now, you might be able to pick up a light snack before you are to go back to choir practice.”

Stop.

At that, I cancel all three spells at once. There is no gradually slowing down, no pausing to see if I can get another lap, just pure exhaustion taking over before I stop the spells and almost think about collapsing on the ground for a quick nap, rather than going to the meal hall as suggested.

That said, I realize that I need to get my mana weight back up, as I have been pushing myself pretty hard these last few days.

Seeing the out for what it was, and the need to improve my natural mana reserves, I nod exhaustedly and proceed to the meal hall so I can eat, and hopefully get rid of some of this fuzzy fog that has settled over my mind over the past hour.

***

By the time I got to Choir practice, I managed to eat and drink my fill, making me feel oddly bloated from all the rich food that is served here at the University.

While the food was enough to make me start to regain some of my mental capacity, I did feel that there was still somewhat of a fog clouding my mind. Which was likely why I was completely unaware of my surroundings and caught completely off guard by the fact that an energetic stranger managed to move their way next to me, while in our rows.

“Hey there,” the voice of Marie De’Claire states, as a slight smile fills her lips while she stares at me.

It is at this point that I finally realize the trap. No, not just my left side either, as apparently Rydel Drakerton’s younger brother Daren Drakerton, has completed the pincer move and is now standing on my right-hand side.

With their two bodies around me, I am pinned in and clearly unable to move. Well I could move, but it would likely cause a lot of tension. Especially as one is a Prince, or a person considered to be favored among the Drakerton Prince candidates. While Marie is the Saint candidate, meaning she is on a hair trigger before she goes nutso and falls hard down the Dark Saint path.

If I didn’t know any better, I would swear that this was a party layout, as this would be how these two would normally group up with Princess Claudia Von’Roseblade, particularly as the easiest way to get Daren Drakerton to fall for you, would be to use the Saint candidate as a conversation broker.

Most of the time, the initial conversations would begin around Daren’s love for singing, and to be heard singing about things he loves. It should also be noted that Daren is the only one of the paramour candidates that you cannot enlist Marie or Karen to help entice via the fake singing scene.

Now this makes sense, particularly with how close we all are and how it would be easy to distinguish someone who is in choir class everyday.

“Hello,” I respond even going so far as to give a slight nod of my head to the Saint candidate. I want to make sure that when or if she eventually goes off the deep end that she thinks fondly of me and will allow me to leave the area before she summons forth a literal Hell on Earth, or Dastionia, the name of this planet.

With my reply Marie smiles brightly, and I can’t help but wonder if this is an odd lingering thread of her wanting to be tied to me from our time as Claudia’s retainers.

Then brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear, she continues, “um, how are you…” she begins, but is quickly cut off as Daren Drakerton cuts in almost immediately from my right.

“Hey, welcome back.”

At that, Marie’s face slightly scrunches up as she looks up in a cute but flustered way at Daren. Her cheeks even puff out like a squirrel with too many nuts as she just stares at Daren, who for his part doesn’t seem to register the interruption.

“Thank you,” I say to Daren, then not wanting to create undue tension for the Saint candidate, I turn back to her. “You were saying?”

“What?” Marie asks, suddenly confused as she realizes that I quickly cut Daren off and turned my full attention back to her. Again, trying to avoid doomsday scenarios here.

“You were going to ask me something?” I pose.

“I was?” Marie begins, but then catches herself as she continues, “oh wait, I was.”

“Silence,” at that High Priestess Palmyra decides that now is time to finally take control of her classroom. A fact that I am all too thankful for as it means that I will not have to try to interact with the ultra-light duo of Marie and Daren.

“Today, we will once again work on our signature piece, but today we will work on three-part vocalization harmonies. What I want you all to do is to break up into teams of three and begin by first breaking the song down into different stanzas, then finding ways to harmonize all three of your voices on that stanza.”

Dang it, this was never in the game. Though I guess it sort of made sense as Claudia could never sing, making this part nearly impossible to add. Was this another thing that only Karen could accomplish, and only if she went the loner route?

Oddly enough I seem to get stuck with the same two people as I would almost expect from a playthrough. Again, this adds more credence to the idea that this is just a long hardcore mode difficulty that is impossible to log out from. Or, I don’t know. Maybe there was more content that we were never exposed to, due to Claudia’s constant involvement in the plot?

Hard to say for certain. All I can say, is that a quick look around makes it so everyone seems to stare at me, but it is clear that both Marie and Daren are keeping the others at bay.

“You want to be my partner?” They both ask in unison.

Then hearing them talk over each other they protest, also in unison, “hey!”

A pause, “hey! Stop that!”

Silence.

Then finally the two seem to lock gazes with each other and come to some form of unspoken agreement. Nodding to each other, they turn from staring around me and looking at each other, to then directing their attention towards me.

Marie is the first to speak, “so do you want to go first?”

With that, I am about to sing the first stanza by myself and wait for the others to join in, when Daren cuts in. “No, she needs to be the final leg, as her voice on the last stanza was by far the best.”

“Which is why she needs to lead us from the beginning and we will match her passion and tempo.” Marie stated.

And like that, I realized that this class was going to be annoying. Hopefully there was an interesting new skill available from this, otherwise this entire process would be me practicing my Patience, which sadly isn’t a skill. That or if it is, it isn’t one that is given any sort of value.

They bicker for a few moments, which is fine as it means that we don’t have to sing for that many minutes, a fact that I am fine with. While I apparently can sing with this new body, it is not something that I am in any way accustomed to yet, which is why I am more than happy to sit by and watch this play out.

Finally, after a few minutes of the two going back and forth, neither one giving in an inch, Marie asks “What do you think?”

I am lost as I clearly stopped paying attention a while ago. But then I pause when I see Daren look up to the audience. Or in this case to the rows upon rows of open pews that anyone can come to sit in, even during choir practice, so long as they are quiet and respectful.

There sitting among the pews, is someone who causes me to instantly feel flustered.

Badump, badump, badump.

“Shit, what is he doing here?” Daren asks, his words mirroring my own, but now it is clear that he is asking for an entirely different reason than I am.

“What?” Marie asks.

“One second, I need to go take care of this.” Daren states, as he begins to walk towards his brother, our new guest for the practice.

“Who is the muscle bound oaf?” Marie asks, her voice a bit defensive.

I can’t blame her, as this entire time Rydel, Daren’s older brother is just staring at me, despite his brother going up to confront him.

Yeah, this is going to be an interesting class, apparently.