Magic Life in the Empire

"Good morning, Cyril." As usual, these were the first words he heard upon waking up.

"Good morning..." Do you stay conscious when I fall asleep? What do you do the whole night?

He slowly got up from the bed.

"No, I am sleeping; I just wake up faster than you." That's good then.

After getting ready and eating breakfast at home, Cyril now had the whole day to do whatever he wanted.

He and Rhamn sat together before a desk studying various subjects. Cyril found out that it was way easier to study than in the past now that he has a partner with better memory and patience.

They spend most of the day like this, only taking a break to eat in the Academy's canteen.

When evening came, Cyril went to the training hall to practice with his spear.

That was how he spent his free day, engrossed in self-improvement, eager to get stronger.

...

The next day was lessons as usual, and the first one was demonology. From what Cyril had heard, this was already the favorite subject of most students.

"Today we will talk about another common type of demon, Catchers. Visually, they resemble the magic creature storm eagles to a great extent, only, similar to ghouls, they are deformed and possess little of their counterparts abilities. As the name implies, they attack by carrying humans to a great height and then dropping them to their death." The cold voice of the professor paused here, allowing a question from the students.

"It seems like all demons share a resemblance with already existing beasts; does that mean that demons came from ordinary creatures being corrupted by something?" This question was asked by the intelligent-looking girl in glasses; Cyril remembered that her name was Rose.

"This is indeed one of the theories, but no one has been able to prove it yet. Demons themselves don't spread anything malignant that could cause a similar effect; perhaps deep in the heart of the demon-infested territories exists something capable of corruption, but humans are not able to explore that far yet." Upon seeing that there were no more questions, the cold and beautiful professor continued with the lesson.

After a while she ended the lecture and left the auditorium, leaving behind students who immediately began praising the lesson: "Just because the professor looks slightly above average, they are so excited. How typical."

Cyril didn't have any opinion on the matter and prepared to leave when someone beside him asked a question.

"What do you think? Can demons corrupt others to become like them?" Since that gathering, Myra became more active in talking to Cyril; now she directly sat next to him during the lessons.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? Maybe you saw something about that." He said that more as a joke than anything; before there was actual proof of her words, he was not going to believe her, no matter what his gut was telling him.

"I've got nothing like that, but I feel like knowing where they come from will be important." Her tone indicated that she did not treat this as a joke but actually considered this attentively. "How serious"

The next lesson was the last first introduction, Potion Making. It taught students how to concoct useful remedies using various materials from magic creatures or plants one could find in the wild.

Aside from that, it also taught first aid, how to find food in different elements, how to properly build a shelter, and similar things. I don't think Potion Making is an accurate enough name. "It should be called Survival Training or something."

Looking at the occasional recipe inside of the potion-making book, Cyril was reminded of the fact that he was prescribed a medication before, but to this day he never took it.

The professor for this subject was tall and imposing, built like a bear; maybe he can even wrestle one, which further muddied Cyril's perception of this lesson. "At least it's useful."

After some finishing trivia about how to build a shelter in winter, the professor dismissed the students and left with loud footsteps.

With this lesson, Cyril was now introduced to all of the subjects of the first year and knew the full schedule. That's not much at all; we are going to have a lot of free time. "Yeah, that's suspiciously generous; maybe they have something unusual in store."

All that remained to this day was history; today they went through how the first emperor found the largest mana vein humans have ever seen and decided to build a city over it. An old backstory about the foundation of their city, Cyril had heard it all before and wasn't too interested, and neither was Rhamn.

At the end of the lesson, the students were told to gather for an announcement; it seemed important, and the staff member telling the news looked nervous and excited.

Having a premonition about what it could be, Cyril, along with others, went towards the hall where they were told to line up in rows and wait before the entrance.

"There's no other group of students here; it's something related to class I? It can't be... " They didn't have to wait for long; eventually, the dark wooden doors of their academy were opened, and two people came in.

One of them was their professor of spell making, with no particular emotion on his face, followed by a young man around Cyril's age. He had blond hair and green eyes, a common trait of the nobility of their city; he carried himself with an air of calm and elegance.

"Today, our academy has gained the privilege of teaching the young prince Clayton Fairfax. He will be enrolling in class I, of course, so from now on you'll be studying with royalty." His voice didn't carry any of the implied joy; it sounded as if he was simply giving away homework.

To the students, however, it was indeed exciting news; many of the people present were taught from a young age that the royal family was extraordinary and deserving of respect.

Cyril was also stunned, but in a different manner. Is it really true? Myra saw the future... "Don't be so hasty to make conclusions. What sounds more probable: that she was gifted with the divine ability of foresight or that she knows someone on the inside, who just told her the news?" Rhamn's words made sense; this was not enough to definitively prove anything, but doubts kept creeping in.

Cyril turned to look at Myra nearby; obviously she was not surprised like the others; instead, she was looking at him with a hopeful look, awaiting a reaction.

"It's too early to tell; I'll wait for that tower tour before deciding anything." With a lowered voice he made his stance clear; this didn't disappoint Myra; she gave an understanding nod and turned away.

"Nice to meet you all. Please treat me like you would each other; in here I am only a student, no different from any of you." The prince's voice was fresh and full of confidence; he will definitely be a popular figure in this academy.

After this, the professor quickly left, leaving the job of showing the prince the academy grounds to some volunteers; it turned out to be most of the class, so they left together. Clayton didn't seem annoyed with all the questions asked by his classmates and calmly answered everyone.

Cyril wasn't too interested in the royal family, so he went to the training hall. His face was dark, and the thought of 'What if the world is ending soon?' lingered on his mind.

Myra didn't follow him. She was talking at another girl; it was Rose from their class. She looked annoyed by Myra but didn't shoo her away.

He grabbed the wooden spear and started practicing; Rhamn stood nearby and thought on his behalf.

"Let's be positive; it won't be of any help if we start panicking about the end of the world. Again, she probably was informed by someone about the prince; don't let this weigh on you."

Cyril felt like his prowess with a spear was improving by leaps and bounds lately; his pride pressured him to greater heights.

After a few rounds of strenuous exercise, he was tired and covered in sweat but visibly more relaxed.

You don't have to say that; I was just a bit surprised earlier, that's all. I feel better already; let's go home; we need to study for a math class tomorrow. Why do they even teach this here...?

"Just leave it to me! You are the brawn, and I am the brains; together, nothing can stand in our way." Alright...?

And so they continued their regular school life.