Magic Life in the Empire

After finishing the rest of the lessons, Cyril and others gathered in the cafeteria, where they met Edmund.

"They already announced it to class III; it will start next week on Thursday. Participation is mandatory, and they actually have rewards prepared for the winners!" Edmund had dark circles under his eyes but appeared to be in good spirits.

"The top three will get some special reward, but the interesting part is that the top 10 will get an opportunity to visit the Tower!" His excited words sparked a different reaction in Cyril.

Tour of the Tower? No way... He and Myra looked at each other, and she gave a knowing nod. We'll get attacked by demons... "Although I really want to say she just knows some inside information, maybe we should prepare, just in case." Even Rhamn was having doubts.

"What's wrong, guys? Don't tell me the strongest of the class I got scared." Their prolonged silence caused Edmund to misunderstand.

"Of course not, I didn't expect you to be so excited about it. Where is all this energy coming from?" Cyril composed himself and decided to ask Myra about this later.

"I think this is a chance for me to make something out of myself. I will reach class I this year; it's a bit embarrassing to be the only one from a class III." How unusual; Cyril almost didn't recognize his friend.

"Rose, why are you so quiet?" asked Myra with concern, seeing how she was sitting there still.

"What else could it be... I am not a fighter; I don't want to be embarrassed on the field in front of all my peers." Looks like she was really burdened by this.

"Right, I forgot to tell you, starting from that competition, students are allowed to use magic during duels; surely even you can win some fights then," added Edmund with a sneer. This was indeed a big change.

"What do you mean 'even I'? With magic, it's a different deal. Be careful you don't meet me; I won't show you mercy." It's like she was never nervous to begin with.

Finishing their meal, Cyril and Myra left together, saying they have some business, causing Edmund to show them some weird looks.

They found a place near the castle with no people nearby, and he started questioning her, "My question is, how can demons even reach that far into the city?"

"Can't you warn someone?" This was the first thought on his mind; Cyril held no delusions; right now, them alone will not be enough to repel a full attack. "And how did these demons reach the Tower?"

"There is a certain issue; if we tell someone from the Tower that, we will probably get locked up and interrogated," unhurriedly replied Myra.

He couldn't follow her logic there "What do you mean?" Why would there be such a strong reaction to that? "Maybe the Empire is just that evil."

"You asked how did demons reach the Tower; they don't need to; they are already inside." Her words stunned Cyril for a moment.

"The Empire is keeping demons locked up underneath the tower for experiments." This really didn't seem like something he should know. "If that's true, I can see why they would want to silence any witnesses."

Any citizen of the Empire is taught to fear demons from a young age; if the people knew that at the center of the city there is a threat like that, they would panic.

"Then how are we supposed to deal with this? We must do something." Cyril really didn't like the idea of going there unprepared.

"From what I saw, this will not be too much of a problem." Myra indeed was not nervous about this "Remember, it's the Tower; the might of the whole Empire is concentrated there." The Knights, an elite unit under the direct command of the Emperor, are stationed at the Tower, not to mention all the mages working there.

"So we don't do anything? Everything will be solved by them? A bit too optimistic, I think," Cyril thought that underestimating demons would not lead to anything good. "Indeed, it's our life we are talking about."

"I saw you on the first day with some old mage from the academy; he looked like he trusted you. Maybe we can get his help?" He still thought going without a plan was foolish.

"That was Yeron... he might believe me, but it's better we don't try; there is a problem with him." There was a bitter expression on her face; she was reluctant to speak more.

"There are mainly ghouls and catchers there; we can deal with that; it's not an archdemon we are fighting." Myra insisted on this not being a big deal.

Seeing someone so confident did bring some comfort to Cyril, but also a slight surreal feeling. So for her, if it's not an archdemon, then it's fine? "How powerful"

Archdemons, as the name implies, are the most powerful demons one can encounter. They resemble a human to a great extent, only with horns and a tail; there are even rumors they are capable of speech.

"We do need to prepare. I have an idea. There is a place where we can get a very helpful item and some real experience in the process." Myra proposed this with excitement.

"Where do you want to go?" He was intrigued.

"I happen to know a place some thugs are using as a hideout; their leader used to be a soldier, so he is not weak, and they have some supplies we can really use, enacting justice and getting a reward for it. What do you say?" For a regular student, this was an insane idea, but Cyril thought it was a great plan. Only...

"Do you know if their group has a name?" It would be awkward if it was the same gang he hired, "Laughing Lemur. Have you heard of them?"

Thankfully... "No, alright, sounds good, let's do this." Hearing his response, Myra was genuinely happy; it looked like they agreed to go on a date. "How did it come to this even... you both are a bit too relaxed about wanting to assault some people." Despite saying that, Rhamn also looked like she wanted to see some action.

...

Saturday's lessons went by in a flash; as usual, the group sat together, talking about how the day went.

This time Cyril and Myra made a proposal to the rest. They didn't tell them about the demons, only that they think getting some real battle experience would be a good plan.

Their reaction was as expected.

"What kind of idea is that? I never wanted to become a guard; I am a research type. Honestly, you shouldn't go either; it's way too dangerous." Rose was shocked and tried her best to dissuade her friends from such a reckless action.

"I can't believe I am saying this, but it is a good method to get stronger quickly." Edmund was in favor of the idea.

"Really?! Are you kids or something? Why do you want to play hero so much?" After a long talk, Rose also agreed, saying how someone mature must be there to look after them.

Convincing them took surprisingly little effort. Not many students would be willing to place their lives in danger like that, even if they are from Ailanthus. Perhaps there is a reason these people are friends with Cyril.

"Great, now we need to think about the weapons issue. We are not allowed to take any from the academy. Where can we buy some?" There is a chance they don't have enough magic to incapacitate all of the thugs, so weapons are a must.

"Don't worry about that; I know where we can get some." With these words from Myra, they agreed to meet up later.

...

Getting off the manarail, everyone was clothed in their training gear; the ride here took some time; it was a district on the outskirts of the city, mostly filled with factories and warehouses.

Leading the way was Myra; she was calmly walking towards a particular building.

They reached a common two-floor grey house; to everyone's surprise, Myra took out a key and entered the house on the first floor.

Stepping inside, the first thing that caught Cyril's eyes was numerous small boxes placed all over, armor and equipment lying randomly on the ground; this place looked more like some kleptomaniac's storage.

Deeper in, leaning on the wall, was an assortment of weapons, ranging from a common sword to a whip.

"What the hell?" Edmund was speechless.

"Why do you have all of this?" Rose tried to inquire.

"I knew she was a maniac." Rhamn was also shocked.