Magic Life in the Empire

"Yeah, the same Arken from our class. Don't worry, they won't find out it's us, trust me." Since she appeared to have the situation in control, Cyril didn't pry further.

They searched the place and took any valuables they could find, and after making sure they didn't miss anything, they left the warehouse.

Cyril carried the box with necklaces himself.

Since it was already dark outside, Myra proposed to spend the night on the second floor of the house she owns; no one objected to the idea.

On the road under the moonlight, Cyril remembered that he initially saw only seven bandits, but there was an additional body where Rose and Edmund were, so he decided to ask about that.

"Oh yeah, that was dangerous. I was so focused on the thug Ed was fighting that I didn't notice someone came in from the outside." Rose responded with some lingering fears.

"I would have been gone if not for Ed; it's like he had eyes on the back of his head. Despite being in a fight, he noticed it and warned me in time. Then I activated the bracelet and cast a lightning shock spell behind me, sending the bandit unconscious."

"You say it so easily; when did you even learn that spell? It was damn powerful." Edmund also joined in and described his bout with the bandit in detail; During this talk the tension within the group started to disappear.

After reaching the house and climbing to the second floor, everyone was more relaxed, and fatigue started catching up to everyone.

This place was cleaner than the one downstairs; there were enough bare necessities inside for a night, but there was only one bed.

"I'll go bring some sleeping bags." Upon noticing this, Myra decided to go to the storage.

"I'll go with you," thinking about how calmly he felt in the face of murder made him worry; something was clearly wrong, and he wanted to ask her if she knew anything about his situation—about Rhamn.

Leaving their two tired friends, they descended downstairs and quickly found what they were looking for.

"There is something I need to tell you." He was afraid that he would change even more in the future; maybe she could help him figure out what's happening. "Please, consider what I am about to say for a moment. Do you not think that Myra is slightly suspicious?" Before he could begin, Rhamn appeared in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.

"She says that she only saw some vague visions of how the world will end, while at the same time she can pinpoint exactly where and when a random shady deal is going to happen. She also knows more spells than what her intellect or age would suggest." She was standing face to face with him; he could even see his reflection in her bright red eyes.

"You already believe that she saw the future, but I think she lies about the extent of what she saw. She is not honest with you." She was looking at him with a deep, loving stare. "Please, I am not trying to hide. You've told that healer about me, remember? I just want us to be careful."

"Uhm... Cyril? What did you want to say?" From Myra's perspective, he called her, only to stay silent for some time.

"Right, sorry, it's just you've said before that I might encounter something special." Rhamn stood aside, but her gaze never left him. "...My body seemed to have changed a lot lately. I am stronger, can hear better, and even the wounds I get during training heal faster. Could it be related?" In the end he didn't tell her the whole story, "Thank you."

"That is indeed a very special thing." To his surprise, she knew something. "When people come of age at 18 and their body is fully ready to start learning magic, some get a... how to put it... an enhanced growth spurt. Aided by mana, your body can become stronger and faster. It's very rare, and few people know about this." Something tells him his case is different.

"I've heard it's related to bloodlines or something; I was never too interested in this. Anyways, this is probably not what we are looking for." She sounded confident in that.

"Can it affect your mind in some way?" He decided to find out, just in case.

"Not at all... Are you worried about the bandit leader? If it helps in any way, I don't think you are heartless. The fact you are worried about it is proof enough; don't let it get to you." She quickly understood why he asked her this.

"Come on, let's go; any longer and the others will start thinking something weird." She finished with a smile and motioned to leave.

Cyril didn't have anything else to ask, so he simply followed her back upstairs.

"Finally they are here; those were some heavy sleeping bags, huh?" What first greeted them was this accusation by Edmund; it seems they weren't fast enough.

Taking a look at their faces, Cyril could tell that they felt much better; there was no longer any remnant of that sickly pale colour on their faces.

Thinking about it, an ordinary student might have been traumatised by seeing someone killed; maybe they were just different, or maybe this was not as big of a deal as Cyril thought initially.

Through the window the moonlight was illuminating the old furniture; they were huddled closely together, an unexpectedly cosy finish to their day. Rhamn was, of course, lying next to Cyril.

"Well, it really was a good way to get stronger; I feel more confident in the coming class competition already." Edmund was already back to his old self.

"Tell me about it. I wonder how many of our classmates were in a real fight before." Rose's tone was getting more drowsy.

"Cedric definitely was. Remember how the academy was buzzing with how he stopped 'Lapis'?" Myra's words reminded everyone about that incident.

At the beginning, even Cyril wanted to have a duel with the famous guy, but he got distracted.

"Indeed, I've never duelled him before; I am starting to look forward to it a little." He was always occupied fighting Myra; aside from a challenge by the prince, he hadn't fought any of his classmates yet.

They talked to each other for some time before slowly falling asleep.

"Good night, Cyril."

...

A few days have passed.

During this time, their combat instructor properly introduced the competition rules to them.

Everyone in the academy was excited to participate in something like this; some were even betting on who the winner will be.

The competition will last 3 days in total; opponents will be chosen at random. Cyril didn't quite like this setting, but thankfully, that wasn't all.

On the third day, there is an option to initiate a challenge by yourself; if the difference in points between the opponents is less than or equal to 2, you'll have a chance at an official duel once.

A single victory will give you one point.

Lately Cyril's been hearing more and more whispers from the students; everyone was discussing how they would tackle fighting him.

This was a novel feeling for him, and he quite liked it; of course, similar discussions could be heard about other students in class. I, Myra especially

Over this short period, she already garnered the reputation of the strongest of this generation; a lot of people even joke that to gain the qualification to fight her, one must first pass through Cyril, the current second strongest.

Overall, everyone wasn't too optimistic about getting the first three places, but different friend groups still gathered together to discuss the possibility of attaining a spot to enter the Tower, a place of dreams for every mage.

One such group was in the cafeteria at their usual spot.

They talked about strategies one can use and notable players to be wary of.

"How are you all feeling? The competition is tomorrow." Myra acted as a coach for today, figuring out a way for her friends to win.

"I am aware, thank you. Well, I've trained to the best of my abilities, but... let's just pray luck will be on my side." Despite saying this, Edmund looked quite confident.

Cyril at first wanted to convince Rose and Edmund to take it easy and not strive to enter the top 10, going to the tower would endanger their lives after all; however, Edmund insisted on participating no matter the cost.

They have heard that based on the results of this tourney, one could advance to a different class; apparently, this was very important to Edmund.

In addition, Myra insisted that even if they went, no harm would come to them, so he decided to trust her on this.

"In that case, good luck everyone, even though some of us don't need it. I hope we can all visit the Tower together." Rose was similarly ready and willing to win.

After they disbanded, Cyril decided to go home and rest for the day. "This will be easy."