ã€ŠThe Adventures of a Dhampirã€‹


 Prologue - The Fated Night

    In the middle of the night, the sound of a crying baby could be heard.

    ***

    I trudge along a road I¡¯ve gone through countless times, the familiar hollow feeling in my chest accompanying me as I wearily sigh.

    I suddenly feel the chain in my hand become taut and speak out without bothering to turn around.

    ¡°Hey, keep walking¡± I morosely say, ¡°These chains aren¡¯t that long you know.¡±

    I wait reasonably long enough for the chain to become slack but am only met with stubborn silence, I let out another unhappy sigh.

    I turn and look at the bedraggled thief whose crime was attempting to rob one of the Lords in this town.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you lot know better by now than to commit a crime against a royal vampire?¡± I chidingly ask him

    To which the lowlife¡¯s already resentful face darkens even further as he sneers at me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act so superior¡± he says through gritted teeth ¡°you don¡¯t understand what it¡¯s like to be born nothing and never even have the chance to change your fate¡±

    His fierce expression conveys his great anger, but I know better.

    The almost overwhelming dejection and frustration at his own situation is obvious to me even under the resentment at people who were born more blessed than him, especially the royals.

    I almost slightly pity him until he finishes with ¡°But at least I kept my dignity and didn¡¯t stoop to becoming the dog of royals!¡± after which he stops speaking and looks determined to stay that way the rest of the trip

    I breath in through my nose and then exhale the same way while trying to not let what the thief said get to me¡­ But ever so slightly his words struck a chord in me.

    It might seem weird to others for I, a highly respected vampire knight to be bothered at all by what a lowly thief says about me, but the truth is I understand him much more than we both would like.

    Because I know the despair and hardship that being born a ¡°regular¡± person can bring.

    I know what it¡¯s like better than anyone. For almost 300 years now I¡¯ve struggled through the throes of poverty and oppression of rank.

    Why me? Why was I born a member of the rank and file? I don¡¯t know how many times I asked myself these questions and envied the fortunate.

    However, instead of turning to crime I raged against the system by tirelessly training.

    Our society may be hierarchical, but we value the strong, so I trained and trained until my hands bled and my bones cracked but I kept training.

    Then finally just when I started feeling it was all pointless my hard work got recognized, 50 years ago I was chosen to be a vampire knight for the ruling Duchess of this province.

    At first, I felt incomparably gratified and enthusiastic, but the feeling didn¡¯t last forever.

    50 years of dealing with and apprehending people that are mirror images of my former self and noticing that I¡¯ve spent my whole life just to climb one rung on the social ladder didn¡¯t break me, but it sure came close.

    No¡­ What broke me was returning to a cold, empty home every day and slowly coming to the stark realization that I¡¯m completely, utterly alone.

    I absentmindedly pull along my prisoner like a dog on a leash while thinking,

    Just what was it all for? To apprehend scum like this day in and out only to have no one waiting for me when I return home?

    Did I work hard all those years to obtain power just for a life of solitude?

    Maybe I should be more like Fino and socialize more, but considering my age¡­ Oh forget it. For now, let¡¯s lock this one up and get something to eat.

    Today¡¯s job is going to take a little longer than usual so to make it back on time I¡¯ll have to take a shortcut home through the forest.

    Not that anyone will be waiting for me. I thought bitterly.

    Exiting the town eastward, I quickly make my way through the forest. As a vampire, I am blessed with enhanced senses in the night so it¡¯s unlikely that I¡¯ll get lost. The dark solemn silence of the woods seemed to mimic my very soul. It was then that something broke that silence.

    ¡°Huh? I heard something. Someone out here in the woods?¡±

    This forest area is part of Duchess Babylon¡¯s personal property. No one dares come out here without permission. Better check just to make sure.

    ¡°mmaah! Mmaah!¡±

    ¡°A¡­Baby?¡±

    As I closed in on the sound, I clearly heard the cry of a baby coming from a basket floating along the stream. It was stuck to a branch of a fallen tree, must have floated in from the main river. For now I should check on the baby¡¯s condition. I quickly thought.

    ¡°mmaaah! Mmaah!¡±

    ¡°Aghh okay okay, calm down, it¡¯s okay!¡±

    ¡°au?...Mmaaaaaaah! aaaaah!¡±

    ¡°What?! What¡¯s wrong?!¡±

    I don¡¯t have time for this. I thought, but I can¡¯t just leave a defenseless infant out in the wilderness.

    ¡°Damn it, what am I going to do with this? Haa. Maybe I should just drop it off at the orphanage¡­¡±

    At that moment, the memory of my own life at an orphanage came to me. It felt as if I was reliving my whole life.

    A life of solitude, struggle, and grief. This child is...all alone. Just like I was. I¡¯m such a hypocrite. I sneered inwardly.

    After all these years, here¡¯s my chance to finally do some real good, something of value, and I was about to let this child go down the same path I went down, or worse.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°mmaah! Mmaah!¡±

    ¡°Shh shh, there there, It¡¯s okay now, I¡¯m here. And I¡¯m going to protect you.¡±

    ¡°mmaah! Mmah¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, finally tired out huh? Well, let¡¯s see here¡­¡±

    The blanket surrounding the bare baby was damp with splashes from the stream. I better replace it quickly before the cold causes an illness. I removed the prided symbol of my status, my knight uniform without a second thought.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get you warm...Oh no. A¡­human? What is a human baby doing all the way out here?! We¡¯re in the middle of Noctus!¡±

    This is nowhere near where any humans live.

    ¡°Fuck and it¡¯s a male. What am I going to do? Duchess Babylon would never allow a human male to live on her property.¡±

    I think furiously of a solution but come up empty.

    ¡°There¡¯s no use trying to hide him, it¡¯ll only end badly for the baby and myself.¡±

    There¡¯s only one way.

    ¡°I have to get her permission.¡±

    I gaze down upon the sleeping baby once more. A mixture of impatience, fear, and hope filled my heart, and then I solemnly prayed with all my being.

    ¡°Oh Belmont, please grant me your blessing.¡±

    After I made up my mind, I took the sleeping baby wrapped in my jacket and started my trek to the main residence of Duchess Babylon. Coming up on the main gate, I see a familiar face, my friend Fino and another guard standing at attention.

    ¡°Oh! Sir McDowell, what are you doing here at this time of the night?¡±

    ¡°I wish an audience with the esteemed mistress, I have something important I wish to request of her. Would that be possible?¡± I say while still holding the baby in my arms.

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty late, but I can at least announce your arrival. Why don¡¯t you wait in the main hall in the meantime?¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Fino,¡± I say gratefully.

    I entered the mansion as Fino led me in. Once we were inside, Fino left to go upstairs to announce my arrival. As I stood in the main hall that served as the connection point to various parts of the mansion, I felt as if the world weighed on my shoulders.

    Previously, I had only personally met with Duchess Babylon on few occasions after I was knighted, as I usually received my missions via a messenger.

    Serah Babylon. A ridiculous existence who holds the power close to the realm of legends, an 8th tier mage.

    Even among the other Dukes and Duchesses in the Kingdom of Noctus, she was very well known.

    An average vampire lives for about 5 centuries but Serah Babylon will be coming up on her 1248th birthday this year, without any sign of her age catching up with her.

    She is heralded by the other nobles living in this province as a wise and just ruler, however, she held a notorious hatred for human men. It is rumored that it had something to do with her first love, but whatever the reason, I have to stand my ground for the sake of this child...and myself.

    While distracted in my own thoughts I didn¡¯t notice the arrival of the Duchess until she greets me.

    ¡°Good evening, Abel.¡± the Duchess Babylon says.

    I look at her while she¡¯s still descending from the stairs above. Her room is located on the upper floor and the highest point of the mansion.

    ¡°I am sorry to intrude at such a late hour, Duchess Babylon. However, I come bearing an important request.¡± I asked as I knelt down on one knee, carefully minding the baby in my arms.

    ¡°Abel, I¡¯ve told you before after I knighted you didn¡¯t I?¡± she said in a chiding tone. ¡°When we¡¯re alone feel free to call me Serah.¡±

    Although she says that, I am very hesitant to, she radiates absolute power and majesty without even using her magic.

    The pressure she gives off just standing close to me makes my bones creak and I fear for all my training she could swat me like a fly. I gulped as I kept my gaze fixated at the ground.

    ¡°I fear that would be improper of me...¡± I say cautiously.

    ¡°Hmm, is that so? Well, at least drop the title, I hate the formality.¡±

    ¡°Yes, Lady Babylon,¡± I say politely.

    Her presence makes me almost forgot why I¡¯m here until she reminds me.

    ¡°Well then, I hear you wish to request something of me? Is it perhaps regarding that male human?¡±

    I grimace at the sudden hostility in her voice.

    ¡°Urgh, yes, my mistress. I understand that you do not wish for such a presence in your esteemed residence, however, I beg you to pardon this innocent child. I would give anything at all if you could allow me to raise him as my own.¡± I said as I lift my face in earnest.

    Her expression suddenly hardens and her eyes turn cold.

    ¡°Hmph, this is a rather bold request, isn¡¯t it, Sir Abel?¡±

    Compared to before, it felt as if the weight of her presence was nothing.

    I can feel Lady Babylon¡¯s displeasure in the air as her mana leaks out from her body and shakes the very air itself. It feels so suffocating I can barely breathe.

    My knees start shaking and I can tell that I¡¯m sweating profusely. Then perhaps because of the disturbance from Lady Babylon¡¯s anger, the baby starts crying again but that doesn¡¯t stop Lady Babylon.

    I must make my stand!

    ¡°Please! I beg you!¡±

    I kneel deeply and press my forehead on the ground while being mindful of the child.

    ¡°I would give anything!¡± I say with all the sincerity I can muster.

    I stay kneeling with the baby still crying the whole time.

    It feels like an eternity before I hear the sound of a sigh escaping Lady Babylon¡¯s lips, along with a sudden release of the pressure from my body.

    ¡°Haa. Very well, if you are willing to go this far for a human baby then so be it. I will permit the child to live in my territory. However, under a few conditions.¡± She says sounding resigned and exasperated.

    Hearing those words, I couldn¡¯t help but feel a smile excitedly form on my face.

    ¡°Thank you! Thank you, mistress! Yes, of course, anything!¡±

    However, her next few words soon rob me of my elation.

    ¡°First. I will not permit a ¡®male¡¯ In my residence. You will raise him, no, her from now on as your daughter.¡±

    ¡°Lady Babylon?¡± I say in bewilderment but she continues as if she didn¡¯t hear me speak.

    ¡°And second...She will be turned into a Dhampir at the age of 10. I will only permit a human male for that long.¡± She says with finality in her voice.

    After registering through the intense shock of the implications of the first condition I could only despair upon hearing the second.

    Dhampirs are a rare variant of our species.

    Any member of the races can mate with each other and sometimes half-lings are born but vampires do not appreciate such an existence.

    For starters, the chance that a child would be born a half-ling is already pretty rare, usually turning them into ostracized existences.

    And most importantly, Dhampirs cannot obtain a blood imprintment from their parent vampire. It is the defining trait of our species to be able to pass down a portion of our power to our offspring and the Dhampirs cannot receive that sacred right.

    An artificial Dhampir is much more frowned upon. Not only does the ritual to create one require a sacrifice of a living vampire, the created Dhampir would be cursed to require blood from their non-vampire half every week in order to survive.

    If they do not receive at least a small dose, they will suffer raging pain until eventually given the release of death.

    Normal vampires do not require blood at all, contrary to human beliefs, normal food will do.

    Blood is more of a delicacy of the nobles. Sucking blood is a sacred act that requires trust from both parties involved.

    There are those that defy this tradition and prey upon the other races but they are all hunted down personally by noble vampires.

    I grimaced under the proposition given to me by my mistress, as I know what this would entail for the child, and myself.

    ¡°Do you have any objections, Sir Abel?¡±

    ¡°...No, my mistress. I volunteer myself as the sacrifice for the ritual. But I beg you, allow me to secure the child enough blood so he, no she can survive long enough to lead a happy life.¡±

    I resigned to my fate. However, I feel a strong emotion bursting out from within me, something deeper than all the hatred that fueled my training, something stronger than the pride I felt when I was knighted. It was the resolve to protect someone important to me.

    The Duchess looks deeply into my eyes then nods with a satisfied look on her face.

    ¡°...Mm. Good eyes, you are indeed a good man, Sir Abel. Very well, you pass.¡±

    ¡°...H-huh?¡± I ask in shock.

    ¡°Worry not, Sir Abel, I was simply testing your resolve for this child. If you are willing to go that far, I trust that you will be able to raise her properly as a proud citizen of my territory.¡±

    After hearing that I feel hope and start to say,

    ¡°T-then, the ritual-¡±

    But she already knows what I¡¯m going to ask and mercilessly interrupts me.

    ¡°Of course, I will still be going through with the ritual when she turns 10. You should know that I hate human males. However, with my magic, there won¡¯t be a need for a sacrifice, some of your blood will suffice. Also, although I cannot resolve the curse of the Dhampir, I can minimize the effects by making it so she only needs blood once a month.¡±

    I finally let out a sigh of relief upon hearing the Duchess¡¯s words.

    ¡°Thank you, my mistress. I promise that I will work harder than ever before to meet your expectations.¡±

    ¡°Haa. Don¡¯t be so dramatic, what you¡¯re doing now is enough. Continue to serve me and maintain the peace of my land, Sir Abel.¡±

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am!¡±

    ¡°Alright then, maids! Provide Sir Abel with some apparel for his new ¡®daughter.¡¯ Also, Mary, you¡¯ll be in charge of helping him teach that child, I trust that you won¡¯t let me down?¡±

    A middle-aged maid stepped forward and bowed, this was one of the senior maids under service to Duchess Babylon, Mary Stockwald.

    ¡°I understand, my mistress. Please be assured that I will educate the young miss into a proper member that won¡¯t disgrace the Babylon name. Sir Abel, I look forward to working with you.¡±

    ¡°T-thank you. You too.¡± I say slightly numb from all that happened.

    ¡°Okay everyone, I¡¯ve given you your orders. I will be retreating back to my room now. Abel, if you any more questions, Mary will answer them for you. Alright, good night everyone.¡± She says while walking back up the stairs without looking back.

    Almost everyone knows that Duchess Babylon usually spends her time studying magic, trying to break into the 9th tier of mages.

    Her managerial duties were usually left to her head maid and the five senior maids that work under the head maid. She only ever comes out to meet in person people she trusts.

    (I am truly glad that I am able to work for such a noble master.)

    After collecting a couple of items such as clothing and a baby bottle, I made my way back home with the senior maid Mary.

    My home that was given to me when I got knighted was just a few minutes away from the main Babylon residence. I thought to myself as I walked,

    (To think, even though I¡¯ll be 300 years old soon that I could still be frightened like a child as I was today...though I guess in front of Lady Babylon, most people seem like children.)

    As I approached the gates of my humble abode, I once again looked upon the sleeping baby in my arms.

    ¡°Welcome home.¡±

 Chapter 1 - 5 years old

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s bedtime now, Selene.¡± Abel beckoned to the 5-year-old child who was stubbornly refusing to sleep while clenching onto a new book she had just received.

    ¡°Aww, but papa...¡± Selene begs sweetly.

    ¡°We have an important meeting with Lady Babylon tomorrow, don¡¯t you remember?¡±

    ¡°Ooh! that¡¯s right! But I¡¯m not tired yet, papa!¡± Selene says while jumping up on her bed.

    ¡°Alright, how about this, I¡¯ll tell you a bedtime story until you fall asleep okay?¡± Abel says with a soft smile.

    ¡°Yes! Can you tell me the one about the king again?¡± Selene answers excitedly.

    ¡°That one again huh, you sure do like it. Alright.¡±

    As Abel goes to bring in a chair from the living room he bumps into an old shelf on the way back and something falls out.

    ¡°Huh? I still had this?¡±

    Abel places the chair down and reaches to pick up the fallen object. He stares at the item that he thought had been lost a long time ago. An old pocket watch, covered in dust.

    (Just how many years has it been. I thought for sure I threw it away or something. A memento from my past huh¡­)

    Abel slightly reminisces about his past. These 5 years had been some of the toughest of his life, but it has also been the 5 happiest years of his life. He silently thanks the senior maid Mary Stockwald as he remembers all the difficulties he faced while raising Selene. Then he once again looks at the dusty old pocket watch.

    (Guess I¡¯ll keep it. It¡¯ll serve as a reminder of who I used to be.)

    ¡°Papaaaa, hurry up!¡± Selene yells from her room.

    ¡°Ah, sorry, on my way!¡± Abel apologetically responds.

    After Abel tucks Selene into her bed, he picks out a book from the bookshelf in Selene¡¯s room. It was her favorite story, ¡®The Legend of Kyran Emrick.¡¯ He settles down in a chair next to Selene¡¯s bed and begins reading.

    ***

    Once upon a time, there existed a brave and strong vampire, his name was Kyran Emrick. He was born a healthy boy with a compassionate nature. On the day Kyran came of age, he slew a large and ferocious beast that preyed upon the village¡¯s people. The villagers were thankful and thus named him chief at the tender age of 12. Kyran didn¡¯t know it then, but the god Belmont had many plans for him. By the time he was an adult, he had built his tiny village up into a full-scale city. The people were prosperous, more and more soon came to seek sanctum within Kyran¡¯s bustling city and soon, he would be named King. Kyran was a simple man, he only wished for the happiness of his people, that compassion drew in people who would become his lifelong friends and loyal retainers. But that bliss did not last forever, for an evil force was growing in Elderant and soon destiny came knocking at his doorstep.

    ¡°King Kyran, King Kyran! Terrible news! An unknown army of beasts has invaded the kingdom!¡± A soldier hurriedly reports.

    ¡°What manner of beasts dare to threaten my people? Very well, come my friends, the time for battle is now!¡± Kyran gallantly states.

    What Kyran saw on that day would change him forever. Large humanoid beasts with a twisted face and pure black bodies. They tore through men like paper with their bare hands and commanded magic never seen before. Truly the reckoning had come for the demons have risen.

    Forced to retreat, Kyran learned that these monsters had been rampaging not only within their kingdom but all over the world, under the command of their god Malour. Left with no choice, Kyran united with the representatives of the races and began the largest scale war the world has ever seen. But even with the combined might of the 5 races, it wasn¡¯t enough. On the edge of defeat, Kyran prayed and begged his god Belmont to give him the power to save his people, and the god answered.

    ¡°Take this spear, child. Use it to defend your brothers and sisters and bring an end to this madness.¡±

    Empowered by his new weapon, Kyran drove back the forces of evil and banished them from Elderant once and for all. However, the toll of the battle was unforgiving. Kyran was fatally wounded and with little time left, he imprinted his power unto his children. He sealed away the sacred weapon, the Spear of Belmont, in hopes that it would never have to be used again. Within the year, he soon passed away, leaving behind a legacy that would be taken up by his children to build a peaceful kingdom.

    The end.

    ***

    ¡°mmm...¡±

    ¡°Oh? Finally asleep huh?¡± Abel quietly says.

    ¡°See you tomorrow.¡± With a kiss on Selene¡¯s forehead, Abel retreated from the room and made his way back to his own. Where he too soon came under the grasp of exhaustion.

    ***

    ¡°Papa! Are you ready yet?!¡± Selene shouts while standing in front of the house.

    ¡°Just a sec!¡± Abel hurriedly answers back.

    ¡°Come on! Mary is gonna get really scary if we¡¯re late!¡± Selene follows while stomping her feet.

    Abel soon found himself hurrying to put on his uniform and made sure it¡¯s nice and tidy. He spies the pocket watch from yesterday on his desk and decides to put it in his pocket.

    ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m ready. Are you prepared my dear?¡± He says while running outside.

    ¡°Yeah! I even learned how to do a curtsy from Mary, see?¡±

    Selene performs a small curtsy by pulling her left foot back and slightly lifting her skirt while bending down and bowing. She was quite proud of it as Mary had previously praised her for picking it up so quickly.

    ¡°Oh! That¡¯s good, good job!¡± Abel says while patting Selene on the head.

    ¡°Ehehe~¡±

    While amused by his daughter¡¯s sense of pride in her curtsy, Abel took her hand and the two departed for the main Babylon estate.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ***

    As the father-daughter pair close in on the entrance gate to the main Babylon estate, they¡¯re greeted by one of the two guards.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Good morning, Sir McDowell! And this young lady must be Selene right?¡± Fino says while saluting.

    ¡°Yes! we¡¯re here to see Duchess Babylon!¡± Selene excitedly answers.

    ¡°Haha, is that so? Okay, miss¡± Fino says cheerfully then gives a short nod to Abel ¡°the mistress has been expecting you.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, Fino, so did your date pan out?¡± Abel humorously asks while already having guessed the answer.

    And as he expected Fino¡¯s expression turns dejected.

    ¡°Haaa, 5th time. it¡¯s the 5th time this month that I got stood up Sir Abel, life is so cruel.¡± Fino answers with tears in his eyes.

    ¡°Ahaha, well don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out for you soon. Anyway, we best be on our way, can¡¯t keep the mistress waiting.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go announce your arrival now.¡±

    As Abel and Selene walk into the main entrance hall, various maids can be seen walking around performing their daily tasks. The day to day operations of the province were overseen by the head maid so the Duchess herself can remain carefree in her magical research. Selene then spotted Mary who was carrying a stack of papers out of a room on the second floor.

    ¡°Hey look, papa, it¡¯s Mary!¡± Selene points out.

    ¡°Ah, yeah. Right now she¡¯s working so let¡¯s leave her alone for today, okay?¡±

    ¡°Kayy.¡±

    After a short while, a familiar figure can be seen by Abel descending the stairs. The mystical aura that seemed to surround her feels as if it could attract and keep the attention of anyone in her vicinity, but the maids of the residence seemed to have already accustomed themselves enough to her visage to be able to work unhindered by it, although a few still gave brief side glances. Behind her followed Mary Stockwald, one of the five senior maids.

    ¡°Woow! What a pretty lady!¡± Selene whispers to Abel while staring with starry-eyes.

    ¡°Ah-haha...¡±

    Abel could only let out a nervous chuckle while scratching his cheek as he remembered the pressure that nearly crushed his soul the last time he was here. However, he remained thankful to the Duchess for giving him the opportunity to raise Selene. As Serah Babylon drew closer, Selene went to hide behind Abel¡¯s leg.

    ¡°Hello Abel, it¡¯s been a while. Doing well I hope?¡± The Duchess asks while brushing a strand of her long red hair behind her ear.

    ¡°Yes, my mistress. These past five years have been amazing due to your grace.¡± Abel answers with a bow.

    ¡°Fufu, always so stiff. Well, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re happy. Anyway, who do we have here?¡± Serah says looking at the young child behind Abel¡¯s leg.

    Abel urges Selene with his eyes to step forward. He was slightly surprised that the usually energetic child could be so timid. Selene then came out from her hiding spot and did a nervous curtsy.

    ¡°Y-yes, pretty la- I mean Duchess Babylon, my name is Selene.¡± She says nervously.

    To which the Duchess softly laughs.

    ¡°It¡¯s very nice to meet you Selene¡± she kindly says ¡°Also¡± Serah adds with amusement ¡°I don¡¯t mind going by pretty lady.¡±

    Whether it was unintentional or not the Duchess¡¯ warm expression and soft tone of voice drained the tension out of Selene and she releases a sigh of relief to herself.

    (I thought she would be scarier) thought Selene.

    ¡°Well, anyway, today I¡¯ve called the two of you here today to test young Selene¡¯s magic nature. It is necessary for me to customize the ritual of the Dhampir.¡±

    Selene tugs at Abel¡¯s jacket upon hearing the unfamiliar word.

    ¡°Papa, what¡¯s a Dhampir?¡±

    ¡°They are vampire half-lings, my dear.¡± He answers patiently.

    ¡°Am I a Dhampir? Is mama not a vampire?¡± she asks innocently.

    Abel inwardly flinches at his daughter¡¯s seemingly harmless question and the Duchess¡¯ slight inquisitively raised eyebrow.

    ¡°Uh, I¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re older okay? For now, why don¡¯t you go over to the Duchess? She¡¯s gonna find out how strong you are. You want to be strong like the king in the story, don¡¯t you?¡± Abel answers while carefully dodging the question.

    ¡°Okay!¡± Selene says with excitement.

    As Abel watches Selene walk towards his mistress he feels guilty and pathetic for being too scared to tell Selene the truth (what-if she starts hating me and doesn¡¯t call me papa anymore?), those feelings become more pronounced when he feels a piercing glare and looks around to see where it¡¯s coming from and spots Mary giving him a look that seems to say ¡®you¡¯re hopeless.¡¯

    While that¡¯s going on a maid walks over and hands a crystal ball to the Duchess.

    Selene stands in front of the Duchess while looking up at her with starry-eyes. Her slightly puffy skirt and a big red rose accessory attached to her blouse beautifully contrasted her golden hair.

    (Hmm. you sure are a cute one) the Duchess absentmindedly thinks.

    ¡°Now, just relax and leave everything to me, okay?¡± The Duchess says while inquisitively eyeing Selene.

    ¡°O-kay!¡±

    The Duchess Babylon then hovered her hand over Selene with one hand while the other held the strange crystal ball. Selene then started to feel a warmth slowly surging from within her torso.

    ¡°Ngh. Lady Babylon, I feel funny.¡± Selene says while slightly clutching her chest.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t hurt. Just relax and let the warm feeling come out.¡±

    As Abel¡¯s eye twitches at the easy-to-misunderstand words Selene does her best to heed the Duchess¡¯s words, without warning something suddenly burst out from within.

    ¡°Aaah!¡± screams Selene in surprise and pain.

    An explosive amount of mana washes over the main entrance hall of the Babylon residence, and in the center of that storm, lays an unconscious Selene. Before anyone can react to what happens the storm of mana leaves as abruptly as it appeared.

    ¡°Selene!¡± Abel shouts while running over to pick up his daughter.

    ¡°Astonishing...¡± Serah Babylon mouths.

    ¡°Mistress, what happened?!¡± Abel impatiently asks while moving Selene to an upright position.

    The Duchess Babylon comes over to check on the condition of the sleeping child.

    ¡°Calm down, she is simply unconscious from the sudden release of mana from within her core. A short rest and she¡¯ll be back on her feet again.¡±

    As Abel releases a massive sigh of relief Lady Babylon continues with an almost awe-filled tone.

    ¡°More importantly, this mana purity and nature at such a young age, it¡¯s utterly marvelous.¡±

    ¡°Selene¡¯s is?¡± Abel asks in shock.

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Abel, your daughter is going to be something special one day. Perhaps it is fate that she was found by you.¡± The Duchess says with seriousness.

    In response to his mistress¡¯ words, Abel turns pensive but ultimately looks up at her and says with eyes filled with resolve.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it was fate or coincidence that brought Selene to me, Frankly I don¡¯t care either way, as long as she¡¯s alive and happy that¡¯s all I care about.¡±

    The Duchess silently stares at him with an unreadable expression then continues to eye the sleeping Selene, before suddenly speaking up.

    ¡°Abel, I have a proposition for you.¡±

    Serah Babylon held a serious look on her face as she stared into Abel¡¯s eyes. Abel flinched at the sudden increase in pressure, it felt different from the time five years ago, however, not knowing what was going to come next, he gulped nervously.

    ¡°A proposition?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. Abel, allow me to train the young Selene. I wish to make her my first and only pupil.¡± The Duchess replied.

    Abel¡¯s thoughts seemed to slow down as he tried to understand what the Duchess had just said.

    (Her pupil?)

    Serah Babylon spent her whole life engrossed in magic and built herself a strong standing within the royal entourage with that power. She never once took a disciple as she thought they would slow her down in her pursuit of the 9th and 10th realm of magic.

    (Is Selene¡¯s talent that great?) Abel wonders.

    Abel knew what this meant, and knew what it could mean for Selene to have such a being as her protector and teacher.

    ¡°Yes! Of course! That would be the greatest blessing!¡± Abel answers excitedly.

    ¡°Now, now, listen until the end first, Abel.¡± Serah sighs.

    ¡°Anyway, I will teach her, but I have a condition, this decision will also be something that will change her for the rest of her life, are you prepared to bear that burden? Abel McDowell.¡± She gravely asks.

    Abel feels shocked that the free-spirited and authoritative Serah Babylon would ask for his consent on the matter.

    (This must be something that will have an enormous impact on Selene¡¯s future) he thought.

    However, Abel has already made up his mind.

    ¡°...Lady Babylon, I¡¯ve already said this earlier, but I¡¯ll say it again. all I want for my daughter is to live a long and happy life. I would never let anything hurt her.¡±

    As Serah is in the middle of opening her mouth to say something she stops after hearing Abel¡¯s ¡°but¡±

    ¡°I know I won¡¯t always be able to protect her,¡± Abel said with not a little frustration and hands clenched into fists.

    ¡°and in the world we live in, strength is the only thing that you have to decide your own fate,¡± he says with old bitterness in his voice.

    The Duchess stays silent and doesn¡¯t disagree with him. They both know how much strength, especially in vampire society, matters in deciding your worth.

    ¡°If she had you as her teacher, I know she will gain what she needs to decide her own fate.¡± The now calm Abel says slowly then abruptly bows at a ninety-degree angle.

    ¡°Please take Selene as your student, no matter the consequences I¡¯ll accept them without complaint.¡±

    The Duchess nods approvingly.

    ¡°I knew I didn¡¯t make the wrong choice when I knighted you, Sir Abel. Very well, my condition for teaching her is...this!¡±

    The Duchess takes out a red bracelet with many rune carvings around the outside. Abel did not know what it did but even a simple warrior like him could feel its power.

    ¡°A... bracelet?¡±

    ¡°Not just any bracelet, my dear Abel. This is my greatest creation, as well as my greatest secret. Truly a marvel of the possibilities of magic, ohohoho!¡± The Duchess boastfully laughs.

    ¡°What does it do?¡± Abel inquisitively asks.

    ¡°It will increase the beauty and femininity of its owner to an almost unheard-of level,¡± she says proudly.

    ¡°...Excuse me?¡±

    ¡°Furthermore, the bearer of this bracelet will be bound to it, so none can steal it¡± Serah Babylon confidently continued.

    Perhaps it was due to the amount of surprises that kept coming at him today, but Abel feels as if his brain could no longer comprehend anything. Just what is the Duchess talking about? He thought.

    ¡°Come now Abel, you can¡¯t expect me, Serah Babylon the Frenzy, to teach a male can you? Especially a human one. How can I show Selene to the world as an un-cute male? Ah, but right now Selene is pretty cute already, good job Mary, you make me proud.¡± Serah says as she turns around to give her maid a thumbs up.

    ¡°It was my pleasure, mistress,¡± Mary answers with a smile.

    ¡°Now then, this bracelet and the spells used to create it were custom-made by myself after years of research, it¡¯s two of a kind you know? Rather than a condition, you should count this as a blessing, my knight. Even the materials used to create it are rare, the base is formed using orichalcum and it is very sturdy. I mine them personally from the Brutus fire mountains. Afterwards...-¡±

    Abel sighed slightly in his heart as the Duchess rambled on about her magical creation. Somewhere deep down, he knew that Serah Babylon was this kind of person.

    (Selene, my daughter, all I can hope is that you will be able to enjoy your life as a female.)

    ¡°-And with the final spell, I was able to put this bracelet together. Anyway, worry not Abel, I¡¯m not so cruel as to remove your daughter¡¯s manhood. However, with this, I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯ll have more luck with men, ohohoho!¡± Serah boastfully laughed.

    ¡°...Haaaa.¡± Abel finally sighed.

 Chapter 2 - 6 years old

    Last year the Duchess, I mean, teacher made me her student! I''ve been having fun learning magic ever since! Today we are practicing spells outside in the big backyard.

    ¡°Alright Selene, remember what I¡¯ve taught you. Focus on the mana in your core. Draw it out and guide it through your body and up to your head. Then in your mind visualize as clearly as possible the runes associated with the spell. As I¡¯ve taught you, these are the three steps in manifesting a spell.¡± Teacher says while pacing about the field with a book in hand.

    ¡°Yes, teacher! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± I say earnestly.

    I see Teacher¡¯s stern face loosen for a moment, but it turns back so fast I wonder if I was mistaken.

    ¡°The spell we are practicing today is a 2nd tier darkness spell, ¡®Shadow Walk.¡¯¡±

    ¡°You can find the runes for this spell on this page here.¡± She says while pointing to the page she was currently reading.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show the activation of it to you once.¡±

    Teacher then walked over to a tree and stood in its shade. Suddenly, her whole body seemed to melt into the ground and then a blur swiftly glided along the shade of the tree up the bark, until finally, she reappeared sitting on top of a large branch.

    ¡°Wow! That was amazing!¡± I praise loudly.

    And as always when I compliment her Teacher¡¯s face turns smug.

    ¡°Fufu, though this 2nd tier spell can only be used in the shadows, the mana limitations are low, and it is an easy first spell to learn. If you can perform this spell, you will take the first step to becoming a 2nd tier magician.¡±

    ¡°O-kay!¡±

    I run over to the tree that teacher was sitting in and closed my eyes. I remember the basics that teacher has been lecturing me on for the past year. It was tough leaving my papa¡¯s home at first but everyone here was nice. I also get to see Mary every day now instead of once every three days when she came over to teach me various things. However, now Mary is giving me lessons almost every day, I¡¯m happy but I¡¯m not happy¡­ whoops, better focus on the spell.

    I don¡¯t really get all the stuff that teacher tells me when she teaches me magic, but when I concentrate and look at the runes, I somehow feel like I know how to do it. I close my eyes and try to remember the image of the rune in the book.

    Almost instantly I feel my body start to melt into the ground. It feels strange, but I instinctively understand how to move about with no problem. I make my way up to teacher¡¯s branch and positioned myself to climb on her back before exiting the spell.

    ¡°Gotcha!¡± I say while latched onto her back, my legs wrapped around her waist, covering her eyes with my hands.

    ¡°My, what a naughty child. Misbehaving children get punished you know~ Like this!¡± She says while grabbing me.

    ¡°Ah, ahahaha, I give I give!¡± I giggle while trying to escape her grasp.

    Once again, I fell victim to the tickle attack. Truly, a scary move¡­

    After the tickle attack, she jumped down from the tree while holding me, and then gently set me down on the ground.

    ¡°Anyway, as expected of my disciple, you learned that spell instantly.¡± Teacher proudly says while patting my head.

    ¡°Ehehe~¡±

    ¡°Well don¡¯t get too cocky, remember, there¡¯s always someone greater.¡±

    ¡°Even you, teacher? There¡¯s someone stronger than you?¡± I ask my eyes wide.

    In response, her face shows slight surprise then she says.

    ¡°Ah-hem, well. I¡¯m an exception.¡±

    ¡°I knew it! Teacher is the strongest!¡± I say with excitement.

    ¡°Ohoho! Now then, today we¡¯re going to have a little break. A friend of mine is coming to visit and she¡¯s bringing her child along, it¡¯ll be good for you to play with someone close to your age occasionally.¡±

    ¡°Alright, go with Mary and wash up, we can¡¯t present you in these sweaty clothes.¡±

    ¡°O-kay.¡±

    We walk over to a set of chairs where Mary stood waiting. Once we arrived Mary handed teacher a drink, along with a towel.

    ¡°Okay, Mary, I¡¯ll leave the rest to you. I trust you know what I want?¡± Teacher asks.

    ¡°Of course, mistress,¡± Mary says with a knowing smile.

    Teacher and Mary seem to have a weird gleam in their eyes, that usually means that they got me some new clothes! I follow Mary into the mansion and we head for the large bath. The tub in teacher¡¯s residence is huge, it¡¯s like a small lake!

    As we enter, I take off my clothes in the dressing room and run into the bathing area. I settle in on a stool and as always Mary softly washes my hair for me. After the washing, I start to run towards the large pool that is the bath, but Mary stops me.

    ¡°Hey, what did I tell you, no running in the bath! Also, today we have special guests who will be arriving soon so we need to finish your bath quickly to get you dressed for the meeting.¡± Mary sternly tells me.

    ¡°Awww, okay...¡± I dejectedly mumble with my lips in a pout.

    ¡°Urgh, maybe just a little bit okay? 10 minutes at most.¡± Mary says while pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

    My downcast face instantly turns into a sunny smile

    ¡°I love you, Mary!¡± I say as I hug Mary by the waist.

    ¡°A-hem. Just 10 minutes okay?¡±

    ¡°Kayy.¡±

    ***

    After about 10 minutes later I got out of the bath and follow Mary into a dressing room and sit down on one of the benches as she dresses me in a white blouse and red skirt. It has pretty lacing in a rose pattern that I think is cute. My hair has been getting longer recently, it¡¯s almost halfway down my back like teacher¡¯s!

    ¡°Okay, perfect. Now for your shoes.¡± Mary says with a satisfied expression.

    ¡°Mhm! By the way, who is teacher meeting with?¡± I ask with a curious expression.

    ¡°An old friend of the mistress. They frequently meet for tea and to gossip with each other. Usually, she comes alone but today I hear she¡¯s bringing along one of her sons.¡± Mary says as she finishes putting on my long socks and red colored slippers.

    ¡°A boy? I hope we can be friends.¡± I say somewhat worriedly.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Mary tells me with a confident smile.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Mary¡¯s confidence makes me grin and I reply with.

    ¡°If you say so, Mary!¡±

    She grins back at me then taps me on the knee before standing up and offering me her hand.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go.¡±

    I nod then get up and take her hand.

    The two of us exit the dressing room hand in hand and Mary leads me back to the main entrance hall. I see a couple of people I¡¯ve never seen before, about 6 vampires wearing the same kind of uniform as my papa. Are they all knights too? I pull on Mary¡¯s skirt to get her attention.

    ¡°Mary, who are those people?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Those are royal knights. They¡¯re here accompanying the mistress¡¯s friend.¡± She answers as we continue walking.

    ¡°Are they different from papa?¡±

    ¡°Kind of. The royal knights serve the royal family of Emrick and are an elite unit of fighters.¡±

    ¡°Emrick? Like the king?!¡± I excitedly ask.

    ¡°That is correct. Now you know who we are meeting today. Make sure you don¡¯t forget your manners, we mustn¡¯t embarrass the mistress.¡± Mary sternly lectures.

    ¡°Mhm, I got it!¡±

    The two of us approach a room on the third floor. If I remember right, this is the room connected to the balcony. Sometimes I see maids looking at me from there as I train with teacher.

    When we got to the door I could hear teacher along with the voice of another person I didn¡¯t recognize, although I couldn¡¯t clearly hear what they were saying. Mary proceeded to knock on the door then put her hand down and patiently waited, not long after we clearly heard teacher answer.

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    After Mary opened the door, I see teacher sitting on the sofa. Opposite facing her on the other sofa was a very pretty lady. She has silver hair and wore a long white one-piece dress. Moving my eyes across the room, it was then that I saw a boy about my age reading a book by the balcony.

    ¡°Perfect! Come over here, Selene. Mary, would you mind serving up some tea?¡± Teacher says while beckoning me to come sit with her by patting the seat next to her.

    I walked over as instructed and climbed on the sofa next to my teacher.

    ¡°Aura, this is the one I told you about, my one and only student, Selene.¡±

    ¡°Oh my, I had wondered what kind of person they would be. As expected of you Serah, you¡¯ve got quite the adorable student there, ufufu.¡± The lady says with a light chuckle making me blush a little.

    I felt quite nervous when I heard that we were going to be meeting with someone from the royal family. But that manner of speech and familiar atmosphere, she feels just like the Duchess.

    ¡°Well go on, don¡¯t be shy Selene, introduce yourself.¡± Teacher nudges me.

    I hop off the sofa and hastily try to introduce myself.

    ¡°H-hello! My name is Selene McDowell. It is very nice to meet you!¡± I say as I perform a curtsy.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you as well, little Selene. Let¡¯s get along okay? Feel free to call me Aura!¡± She says with much enthusiasm.

    ¡°Yes! I want to be friends with you too!¡± I answer with the brightest smile I can muster.

    For some reason, Mrs. Aura¡¯s expression turns strange after I say that.

    ¡°Mmm. I want her. Can I have her Serah? At least for a week.¡± The lady suddenly says looking intently at me.

    Though I¡¯m not sure why I get shivers up my spine from her expression and choice of words, I turn and look nervously at teacher.

    ¡°Ahaha, no way, this one¡¯s mine.¡± She says nicely yet firmly.

    I relax and put out a small sigh while holding onto my chest. I love it here where papa, teacher, and Mary are, so I don¡¯t want to leave!

    ¡°Aww. All I have at home are 2 stoned-face boys. All the big one does is train with his retainers, while the small one over there does nothing but study. I want someone to dote on!¡± The lady named Aura starts slightly fussing about.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your husband for a daughter?¡±

    ¡°I already tried that! Do you know what he said?! He told me ¡®We already got two excellent children, why would we need another?¡¯ with a completely oblivious face, men don¡¯t get it at all!¡± Aura complains.

    Although she was complaining I felt like she was somehow cute, different from my cool teacher. I found the part where she was mimicking the voice of a man pretty funny, but I tried not to laugh.

    ¡°I figured as much. Really, I wonder what you saw in him. Oh well, let¡¯s just enjoy today between us two ladies, shall we?¡±

    ¡°Totally! Hey, the newest cosmetics from Jotum! Those humans are geniuses at making this stuff, I tell you!¡±

    Aura then reached into a small bag that she had beside her and started taking out various things. How does that little bag hold all that stuff? I wonder.

    ¡°Oh, before we begin, how about we have the serious boy over there play with Selene in the meantime? She doesn¡¯t have any friends close to her age, so I think this will be a good opportunity.¡± Teacher suddenly says.

    ¡°Ah! That¡¯s a wonderful idea! That little bookworm needs to learn how to play like a child.¡± She replies with a delighted face.

    Aura then stood up and walked over to the balcony, she spoke briefly with the boy and then confiscated his book. The two of them walked back over, although Aura had a delightful smile as always, the little boy, had a displeased expression. I could tell he was unhappy.

    ¡°Mary, go ahead and supervise these two, we¡¯ll be okay on our own. Take them out back for them to play.¡±

    ¡°Understood, mistress.¡±

    The three of us, Mary, the boy, and I then exited the room and started heading down to the first floor. I walked next to Mary while the boy followed a little bit behind us. When we reached the first floor, Mary told me to wait a bit while she talked with the royal knights. I take this chance to occasionally peek at the boy around my age, he has silver hair like his mom, it¡¯s pretty. He idly sat on the stairs while staring off into space, I wonder what he¡¯s thinking about?

    After a while, Mary came back with two of the knights.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, Selene. Master Alex, if would follow me please.¡± Mary politely said to the boy.

    (So his name is Alex.) I thought.

    It seems he was completely distracted because he¡¯s really surprised when Mary calls out to him.

    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± He answers.

    The three of us, now joined by the two knights, exited the mansion and made our way around back.

    Once we arrived, the boy started to check out the scenery. I haven¡¯t talked to anyone around my age before so I¡¯m kind of nervous to speak up. It was then that he turned around and walked towards me.

    ¡°Uh, sorry, I¡¯m not really used to talking to people, but my mom wanted me to play with you. Well um, what¡¯s your name?¡± He asked with a slightly awkward tone and facial expression.

    ¡°Hehe, you really aren¡¯t good at this¡± I agree with a chuckle.

    He clearly looks confused, so I continue.

    ¡°If you want to know someone¡¯s name, you have to tell them yours first! That¡¯s what my papa taught me!¡± I say confidently.

    His confused expression gives way to understanding.

    ¡°Oh, uh, I¡¯m Alex. Alexander Emrick.¡± He says earnestly.

    ¡°My name is Selene McDowell, nice to meet you, Alex!¡± I say with a smile.

    ¡°Y-yeah. You too.¡± He echoes while scratching his cheek.

    Papa does the same thing from time to time. I tried asking Mary about it once, but she just told me it¡¯s cause he¡¯s hopeless. I don¡¯t really know what that means but I find it funny that he¡¯s doing the same thing as my papa.

    ¡°So, how old are you Selene?¡± Alex asks.

    ¡°I¡¯m 6 years old, what about you Alex?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m turning 8 soon...I think.¡± He says slightly unsure.

    ¡°Fufu, what¡¯s with that? You don¡¯t know how old you are?¡± I say with amusement.

    ¡°I spend all my time reading books, so I¡¯ve been losing track of time,¡± Alex responds while scratching his cheek again.

    ¡°Oh yeah, you were reading a book earlier too! What was it?¡± I excitedly ask.

    It¡¯s like he turns into a different person because of his drastic change in expression and mood.

    ¡°That one was ¡®The basics of Trade,¡¯ it¡¯s a great introductory book in a series of economics books written by a famous human in Jotum, it provides detailed personal accounts of how travel traders make money all around the world,¡± Alex explains passionately.

    I don¡¯t really understand anything he¡¯s talking about, but it looks like he¡¯s happy.

    (He must really love books) I muse to myself.

    ¡°I like to read too; my favorite book is ¡®The Legend of Kyran Emrick.¡¯ Have you read it?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Oh! You like that one too? It was my favorite bedtime story! I want to be like my ancestor Kyran one day, he built a large and peaceful city in under 10 years! I really wish they had more books about how he did it.¡± Alex answers quickly.

    ¡°I want to be strong like him, the way he used his spear to defeat all the demons was awesome!¡± I say while throwing an imaginary spear from my hand.

    ¡°You want to be as strong as Kyran Emrick? I think that might be tough for a little girl like you...¡± He says to me carefully.

    ¡°What! No way! My teacher says I¡¯m gonna be super strong one day! I even learned a tier 2 magic spell today!¡± I say proudly.

    ¡°A tier 2 spell? Are you sure you didn¡¯t mistake a tier 1 spell for a tier 2?¡± He asks me with obvious doubt.

    I frown slightly at the unintentional jab at my intelligence then grin and say.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you.¡±

    I quickly close my eyes to concentrate without bothering to wait for a reply or his reaction. Since I¡¯ve already done it successfully not that long ago it doesn¡¯t take long for me to visualize the Rune for ¡®Shadow Walk.¡¯

    I turn into a blur that circles around Alex then I deactivate the spell while behind him and tap him on the soldier.

    ¡°Whoa!¡± he says as he spins around in complete surprise.

    ¡°That was the tier 2 darkness spell ¡®Shadow walk!¡± he says shock written all over his face.

    ¡°Who taught you to be able to use that?!¡±

    I say with pride ¡°The Duchess Serah Babylon!¡±

    His face turns even more shocked before it turns into an expression of understanding.

    ¡°For someone like her to finally take a disciple...Just who are you? Come to think of it, you don¡¯t look like a vampire...¡± Alex mumbles.

    ¡°That¡¯s rude! My papa just says my fangs won¡¯t grow in till I¡¯m 10 for some reason.¡± I chided.

    ¡°Huh? Can that actually happen?¡± Alex asks dumbfounded.

    ¡°Yeah! My papa would never lie to me.¡± I answer with folded arms.

    ¡°I don¡¯t really know much about biology yet, maybe I should learn more about it.¡± Alex thinks out loud.

    ¡°Selene. I have a request for you.¡±

    Alex took my hands and looked into my eyes with a serious expression. I feel my face getting a little hot for some reason. I look over to Mary for help, but she has an amused expression.

    ¡°W-what is it?¡± I awkwardly ask.

    ¡°Please Selene, can you teach me magic?¡± He says with a serious tone.

    ¡°I, I don¡¯t really know how to teach magic.¡±

    ¡°Please! I beg you!¡±

    Alex grips both my hands with a firm grip. I beg Mary with my eyes for help and she gave a sigh and came over.

    ¡°Now, master Alex, Selene¡¯s a little young to be taking on disciples. Also, I believe this is something that you have to request from the mistress as well.¡± Mary says.

    ¡°Ah...right.¡± Alex dejectedly says and then lets go of my hands.

    I don¡¯t really know why Alex wants to learn magic so badly but seeing his sad expression somehow makes me feel uneasy.

    ¡°Alex, how about we ask my teacher together!¡±

    ¡°Really? You¡¯d do that for me?¡± Alex responds with hopeful eyes.

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll work out!¡±

    ¡°...Thank you, Selene.¡±

    Alex gave me a soft smile, I¡¯m happy to be able to help my new friend.

    ¡°But you have to promise to come over to play with me more okay?¡± I add.

    ¡°Of course!¡± He happily says.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s play! How about tag?¡±

    ¡°Sure!¡±

    ***

    Meanwhile, up on the balcony, Serah Babylon and Aura Emrick were enjoying their afternoon tea. In the corner of their eye, they catch the two children playing tag with each other.

    ¡°Oh my, that little bookworm is playing tag? That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen him do anything other than read books in years.¡± Aura says with a surprised expression.

    ¡°Fufu, careful Aura, if young Alex falls for Selene, he¡¯ll be in for a world of disappointment.¡± Serah chuckles.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Aura inquisitively asks.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll keep that a secret for now,¡± Serah answers with an amused tone.

    ¡°Aww come on, tell me!¡± Aura whines with a childish tone.

    ¡°Noope~¡±

 Chapter 3 - 8 years old

    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re doing it all wrong!¡± I yell at Alex as he tries to perform the 1st tier spell, ¡°Shadow Bullet.¡±

    ¡°It needs to be a big ball and spin!¡± I lecture as I walk over from doing my own training.

    Today we¡¯re doing individual training to perfect our spells. At the beginning, Alex was totally clueless and could barely even summon up his mana, our practice has helped him improve tons.

    As for me, I enjoy Alex¡¯s company, he¡¯s my first friend that¡¯s close to my age. Compared to when Lady Aura first brought him here, she has been coming much more often lately.

    ¡°Sorry Selene, I¡¯m just a little distracted,¡± Alex says apologetically.

    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll show it to you again. Like...this!¡±

    A ball of darkness forms in my hand and starts spinning rapidly. I direct it towards a target dummy that Mary set up for us and as soon as I release it, the dummy is quickly obliterated.

    ¡°See?¡±

    ¡°Ah-haha...¡± Alex nervously laughs.

    ¡°Alright, remember, a big ball okay?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, okay,¡± Alex says with little enthusiasm.

    For some reason, Alex has been distracted all day today. From time to time I can see him staring at me while we were doing individual training. I wonder if he¡¯s getting frustrated at his progress? He seemed a little weird two weeks ago when he came over but today, his expressions are way less happy.

    ¡°Um, just take it slow okay, Alex? Like you said, all you need to know is five spells to be qualified as a 1st tier mage. You already built up your mana over the past two years so now, you¡¯re almost there!¡± I say to cheer up Alex.

    At first, his face turns blank with surprise but then Alex says with a soft smile ¡°Thanks, Selene.¡±

    Satisfied with cheering up Alex, I head back to my area to continue practicing. I could feel his eyes on my back as I walk, I really wonder what¡¯s with him today?

    Anyway, I need to finish learning the tier 3 spells teacher gave me. It¡¯s been taking me awhile to learn the ¡°Shadow Spike¡± spell the way teacher uses it.

    (I need to try harder) I thought.

    As I began to focus on my training, I hear Mary chat with Alex for a bit but can¡¯t make out the contents. After a while, Alex suddenly runs off into the mansion. Curious about what happened, I walk over to ask Mary.

    ¡°Mary, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Master Alex is taking a break. He instructed me to tell you not to worry and continue your training.¡± Mary says in a relaxed manner with a smirk on her face.

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s weird. Alex never takes breaks.¡± I thought out loud.

    ¡°Worry not, Selene. Even the young master requires rest occasionally. Besides, I think you could stand to practice ¡®Shadow Spike¡¯ some more.¡± Mary lectures.

    ¡°Urgh, okay...¡±

    I resume my training while wondering what was going on with Alex today.

    ***

    (A few moments earlier)

    Alex stares at Selene¡¯s back as she returned to her training. He felt conflicted at his current predicament, a crossroad sat before him. One path leads to safety and ignorance, the other, a possible loss of someone dear to him.

    (Lord Belmont, just what should I do?) Alex wondered as he scratched his head.

    While he was lost in thought, the senior maid Mary suddenly spoke to him from behind.

    ¡°Master Alex, even if you stare at Selene all day, nothing is going to happen. Why don¡¯t you tell her your feelings?¡± Mary asks with an amused tone.

    ¡°Whoa, Mary, where did you come from... and, my feelings...?¡± Alex thought out loud.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been here the whole time, as per usual.¡± Mary mildly chuckles while saying, ¡°Yes, your feelings for young Selene. Fufu, Though I suggest you investigate her feelings first.¡± Mary continued with a slightly smug expression.

    ¡°Selene¡¯s feelings...¡± Alex thought out again.

    (Yes! That¡¯s it! What matters is Selene¡¯s feelings!) Alex realized.

    ¡°Thank you, Mary! I¡¯m going to talk to the Duchess for a bit, tell Selene not to worry and continue training!¡± Alex says while sprinting off.

    ¡°Oh my, a sudden proposal already?¡± Mary whispers to herself.

    As Mary watched Alex run off in amusement, Selene walks up to her.

    ¡°Mary, what happened?¡±

    ***

    Alex ran into the mansion and made his way up the stairs to the third floor. Various bewildered stares came his way towards his urgency. As Alex approached the room his mother and the Duchess Babylon were chatting in, he took deep breaths to calm himself down and then knocked on the door. After a short pause, he heard the Duchess¡¯s displeased voice call out.

    ¡°State your name.¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s Alex.¡± He answered with a slight hint of fear in his voice.

    ¡°Oh! Come in dear!¡± Aura said.

    Upon hearing his mother¡¯s voice, he slowly opened the door and walked in.

    ¡°My, if it isn¡¯t the serious boy. So, what is it that you need?¡± The Duchess asked with a more relaxed tone.

    ¡°Before that, could you summon Selene¡¯s father? There¡¯s something I want to talk to the both of you about regarding Selene.¡± Alex says reluctantly.

    Though he was hesitant, a strong conviction could be heard towards the end of his request.

    ¡°Oh my, I knew this day would come, am I finally getting a daughter? Ufufu¡± Aura giggles.

    ¡°Hmm, that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case... I suspect I know what¡¯s really going on.¡± Serah says with a tired tone while scanning Alex¡¯s face.

    ¡°Very well. I shall call Abel, it should only take a moment.¡±

    As soon as the Duchess said those words, everyone in the room felt a huge surge of mana that pulsated from her body. The wave of mana ran through them and continued moving outside the room, till it covered the whole premise. Selene sensed the familiar mana. Impressed by its power, she gained further motivation for her training.

    This was the 5th tier non-elemental spell ¡°Sense Presence.¡± However, the size of Serah Babylon¡¯s spell was easily three times the size of regular magicians. After she found Abel, she used the 4th tier darkness spell ¡°Shadow Whisper,¡± which allows the caster to send a message over a short distance. The Duchess softly blew out a dark smoke that slithered away to find its target.

    ¡°Abel will be here soon. For now, let¡¯s enjoy some tea.¡± Serah urged.

    ¡°Come sit over with mama, Alex!¡± Aura continued completely ignoring everything that happened.

    Alex started to regret his decision. However, upon remembering who he was doing this for, he steeled his resolve.

    ¡°Yes, mother.¡±

    ***

    After a few short minutes, a knock could be heard from the door.

    ¡°Enter.¡± Serah said sternly.

    Upon receiving permission, Abel McDowell entered the room and knelt on his left knee, with his right arm placed across his chest.

    ¡°Your majesty, your highness, lady Babylon. My name is Abel McDowell, at your service.¡± Abel respectfully says.

    ¡°Punctual as always. Alright, you may rise now Abel.¡± Serah praises with a pleased tone.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, there isn¡¯t a need for formality. Feel free to call me Aura as well! We¡¯re here on an unofficial visit after all.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, Lady Aura.¡± Abel corrected, still maintaining a respectful tone.

    ¡°Now, the reason for your visit is the young prince here. He has something he wishes to speak with us about Selene.¡± Serah says gravely.

    Under different circumstances, Abel might have interpreted a boy inquiring him about his daughter in a different manner. However, the Duchess¡¯s tone clued Abel in on what the contents of this conversation will probably be about.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°I understand. So, what is it that you wish to talk about, your highness?¡±

    Although Abel¡¯s manner of speaking remained the same, the tone was now completely different compared to when he answered to the Duchess and the Queen.

    Alex felt a pressure emanate from the two figures before him. On his right, the kingdom¡¯s strongest mage, and on his left, her knight. He seriously began to question whether he should go through with his plan until the Duchess herself finally gave him nowhere left to run.

    ¡°Now then, Alex. What about my student has you so curious?¡± Serah asks with authority in her voice.

    The young prince gulped, and then looked to his mother, who showed her usual carefree smile. Left with no other option, he mustered up all his courage and spoke.

    ¡°I, I know that Selene is not what she thinks she is.¡± Alex nervously said. He surveyed the two figures before him for a response before continuing but was met with only stoic silence.

    ¡°S-she told me she was a vampire, but her fangs haven¡¯t grown in yet. That is simply impossible, of all the books I¡¯ve read, there has never been an instance of a vampire taking longer than a year for their fangs to fully grow.¡±

    As Alex¡¯s spoke, he remembered his extensive research and his feelings for Selene, giving him more confidence.

    ¡°Based on that and Selene¡¯s other features, she is undoubtedly not a vampire, or even a dhampir, she is a normal human.¡±

    Alex once again looked for a reaction. Compared to the stoic silence before, this time, Selene¡¯s father Abel showed a slight twitch in his expression. Curiously enough, Alex¡¯s own mother showed no reaction at all towards his revelation.

    ¡°However, she went on to say that she will have them when she turns 10. I don¡¯t see a reason for you guys to lie to her about something that would be so easily foiled as she ages. There¡¯s only one possibility for you to tell her that specific lie, and that is you guys plan to turn her into an artificial dhampir.¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    No one said anything, but the answer was clear based on Abel¡¯s frown.

    ¡°Abel, your poker face is terrible. There¡¯s no use hiding it from the boy now that it¡¯s come to this.¡± Serah sighed.

    ¡°Duchess Babylon, I understand that your magic is powerful and that the chance of the ritual succeeding will be high. However, I can¡¯t ignore something like this as a prince of Noctus, as a friend of Selene. I don¡¯t know much about dhampirs, but what I could find out cannot be considered good. The sacrifice of a live vampire, and a curse that will plague her all her life.¡± Alex sadly says.

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t go through with-¡±

    As Alex tried to plead, he was met with the hand of the Duchess Babylon signaling him to stop, along with a heavy barrage of mana.

    ¡°Urgh.¡± He groans from the pressure seeking to crush his body.

    ¡°Child, you know nothing of my magic. Do not underestimate Serah Babylon. A dhampir ritual without a sacrifice is trivial. Even the curse can be removed completely if I use all my power.¡± The Duchess says with a flat tone.

    ¡°Hey! Serah! Bullying Alex is no good!¡± Aura says as she cuts through the storm of mana with her own.

    ¡°Hmm. So you haven¡¯t slacked all these years, Aura. Well, anyway, now you understand. There won¡¯t be any problems with the dhampir ritual,¡± Serah continues with a more relaxed tone.

    Alex truly felt for the first time the reason why ¡®Serah Babylon the Frenzy¡¯ was the most respected, and strongest mage in all Noctus. Experiencing just a small portion of her power was enough to convince him of her might, and that what she was saying was true.

    (But still!) Alex said in his mind.

    ¡°The life of a dhampir won¡¯t be easy. She might end up isolated to no fault of her own. As her friend, I still think this is a bad idea.¡± Alex said with conviction.

    ¡°Now, Alex. I think this is something that Selene should decide for herself, right? Though she seems like a strong girl, so I think she¡¯ll be fine even if she does decide to go through with the ritual!¡± Aura interjects with her cheery voice.

    Alex thought about what his mother said. He realizes she is right. Caught up in his own thoughts, he had forgotten his original goal, if he wants to consider Selene¡¯s feelings, that means she must decide for herself.

    ¡°...You¡¯re right mother, I apologize for overstepping. I will not speak another word of this ritual if you guys agree to tell Selene the truth. She deserves to know.¡± Alex resolutely states.

    There was a subtle silence between Abel and the Duchess. Abel had resolved to bear any burden, any consequence for the sake of Selene¡¯s future. But what the young prince said was true, no matter how much he wants to protect her, she deserves to know the truth.

    Deep down, Abel knew, but he couldn¡¯t find the courage in himself to act. What made this worse for him was that it took a boy not even 10 years of age yet pointing it out to him for him to do it.

    ¡°Lady Babylon...¡± Abel sadly says.

    There was a brief silence for what felt like an eternity to Abel, who knows well of Serah Babylon¡¯s wrath. Finally, the Duchess gave in and sighed.

    ¡°Haa. Fine, do what you want.¡± Serah said with folded arms as she sat back down with a displeased expression.

    Alex felt relieved that his plan worked, he still worried whether he was doing the right thing. But for the sake of his dear friend, this was something he knew had to be done.

    ***

    After a while, Alex came back from his break. He looked more tired than when he left. Meanwhile, I had just finished perfecting teacher¡¯s ¡®Shadow Spike.¡± It took a couple days longer than I thought to get the speed and angle right, but I think it turned out exactly like her spell.

    ¡°Hey Alex, look!¡± I excitedly beckon.

    I concentrate on the spell and try to repeat what I just did. As I start to visualize the runes, several spikes come up from the shade of the dummy and pierce it mercilessly.

    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡± I say while waiting for my praise.

    ¡°Amazing, using ¡®Shadow Spike¡¯ out of the shadow of your target, just what kind of ridiculous move is this?¡± Alex said in a surprised tone.

    ¡°This is one of teacher¡¯s specialties, she customized the runes herself!¡± I boast.

    ¡°I believe it. Such is the power of Serah Babylon...¡± Alex said with a fearful expression.

    ¡°What happened? Did you get scolded?¡±

    ¡°N-no, it¡¯s not that. Anyway, I think your dad is looking for you, Selene. The Duchess also told me to tell you that you¡¯re free for the rest of today and should take a rest.¡±

    Alex seems weirdly nervous about something, maybe teacher was picking on him as usual. Either way, I hope he cheers up soon. He can¡¯t go to the royal academy next year being all gloomy! I¡¯m starting to worry about Alex¡¯s future.

    ¡°Okay, well, guess this is goodbye until next time,¡± I say somewhat reluctantly.

    Even though I see Alex almost every week now, I still hate saying goodbye.

    ¡°Oh, my mom is staying over for the night, so we won¡¯t be leaving until tomorrow afternoon. I¡¯ll be here for you tomorrow, Selene.¡±

    ¡°Awesome! Okay, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow!¡± I cheerfully say.

    I run over to Mary to tell her the situation. She had a curious but understanding expression. Then afterward we leave the backyard training ground to go get changed. Although, my training outfit doesn¡¯t really differ from my regular outfits.

    I feel like they¡¯re not quite meant for this kind of stuff. The short skirt waves around when I use movement spells, it¡¯s a little embarrassing, but teacher seems to really like it.

    After we enter the mansion, I see my papa waiting for me.

    ¡°Papa!¡±

    ¡°Hey there.¡± He answers with a soft tone. Then he briefly looks at Mary and nods his head. Mary nods back with a stoic look.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to get changed with Mary, wait just a bit okay?¡±

    And with that, I run off into a room on the first floor while dragging Mary along. At first, she would always scold me for doing something like this, but after training sessions she usually lets me do what I want.

    Mary was silent in the dressing room.

    (I wonder if it has to do with why papa got off early today) I thought.

    After I got changed into my regular white blouse and red skirt, we exited the room and met back up with papa.

    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready to go papa!¡±

    He didn¡¯t say anything but simply smiled. Then he turned to Mary, who in turn hands him a basket she got from a maid, and then papa gave his thanks.

    ¡°Thank you as usual, Mary.¡±

    ¡°You can thank me by doing it properly.¡± Mary sternly answered.

    ¡°I got it.¡± Papa responded with a solemn tone.

    Unsure of what they¡¯re talking about, I patiently wait.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home, Selene.¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡±

    ***

    Exiting the premise, we said our farewells to papa¡¯s friend Fino and headed home. I skipped along the familiar path that I¡¯ve walked through every day now for the past 3 years. The journey was short but sweet, as I can¡¯t wait to get home and tell papa about the spell I mastered today. I love it at teacher¡¯s mansion, but I also look forward to going home with papa every day.

    Once we got close enough and were able to see the entrance to our home, I ran forward to the gate that surrounded our house and waved to papa.

    ¡°We¡¯re home, papa!¡± I excitedly yell out.

    ¡°Yeah, we are.¡± He answered.

    Papa opens the gate and hands me the key to the house. I then run forward to open our door. The small but quiet house feels as if it greeted me in with a slight creak of the door, upon entering I let out a sigh of relief.

    After taking off my shoes, I head into the kitchen to wash up and prepare for dinner. Papa and I always eat together when we come home, though usually, it¡¯s food that Mary cooked for us. As I prepare the table, papa comes in and calls out to me.

    ¡°Selene, can we talk for a moment first?¡± He softly but solemnly asks.

    ¡°Sure papa, anything.¡± I cautiously respond.

    We sat down at the table and for a while, papa didn¡¯t say anything but simply held his hands on the table. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s on his mind but from his expression, I can tell that it¡¯s serious.

    ¡°There¡¯s something I haven¡¯t been quite honest with you about, Selene. It¡¯s something I should have told you a lot sooner.¡± Papa said with a sad expression.

    I could only wonder as to what papa wanted to tell me about, but somewhere in my mind, I feel like I know.

    ¡°The truth is, I found you in a basket floating along a stream when you were a baby. I¡¯ve never had a wife and... we¡¯re not blood-related.¡± He finally said while looking down.

    ¡°I¡¯m...not papa¡¯s daughter?¡± I ask half confused, half scared.

    ¡°No, no. You are my daughter. In this life you, Selene, will be my daughter no matter what happens. You are the light of my life, and I will never ever abandon you.¡± He answers without any hesitation and a loving expression on his face.

    Papa looks me in the eye with conviction. I¡¯m shocked to hear that I¡¯m not papa¡¯s real daughter but as I remember his soft smile as he read me bedtime stories and sitting here every morning laughing with him before going our separate ways, I know that my papa loves me. I blinked away tears that formed in my eyes and gave Papa a reassuring smile.

    He looks relieved at my reaction but only briefly as his face goes back to being grim.

    ¡°There is a reason why I¡¯m telling you this today, and it has to do with the circumstances of how I found you.¡±

    ¡°That night, I was taking a shortcut through the woods from town to get home after a long workday. It was dark and cold, not a place for a child to be, but there you were. Alone in the forest. Until then, I had always been living in solitude, that night, you gave me a second chance at life and every day since then I¡¯ve been thankful.¡± Papa continues with a nostalgic expression.

    ¡°However,¡± He said and then paused shortly before saying with resignation.

    ¡°There was a problem.¡±

    Papa held a conflicted and a genuine expression of fear, something I¡¯ve never seen on him before.

    ¡°You were born a human...and a male.¡±

    It hit me like thunder. Suddenly, I start to remember the time I asked Papa why I don¡¯t have fangs like him. The curious look from the maids. And Alex¡¯s words that day when we met. It all started to make sense to me, like a fog that I had never noticed before but has always been there is clearing up. However, when I reeled back and remembered the second part, I became even more shocked.

    ¡°I¡¯m...a boy?¡± I say with several layers of confusion.

    ¡°...Yes. You see, when I brought you to Lady Babylon, she would not allow for a human male to live on her property. But I was desperate, meeting you gave me a chance to have someone in my life, and I couldn¡¯t allow you to go through the orphanage like I did, especially since you are a human.¡± He desperately explained after seeing the lost expression on my face.

    ¡°Under the condition that I would raise you as my daughter, Lady Babylon allowed us to be together. However, that wasn¡¯t the only condition. When you turn 10, you were to be turned into a Dhampir using magic. This was something that will affect you forever, and yet I selfishly decided it all on my own due to my loneliness. I¡¯m so sorry, Selene.¡±

    Papa stood up and bowed to me, I could tell he was scared, just like I was just a few minutes ago. I was scared that papa was no longer going to love me, and now, it¡¯s the same for him.

    There¡¯s a lot of things I don¡¯t know, and much more that I¡¯m bad at. Mary is always strict with me during her lessons she teaches me. But there is one thing I know for sure.

    I move my hand to pat papa¡¯s head as he usually does to me. He looks up with an unsure expression after I do so, and I say,

    ¡°Papa...I don¡¯t care that I¡¯m not papa¡¯s real daughter, or that I¡¯m a boy. Because you found me, I was able to meet you, Mary, and teacher. I know you all love me very much, even teacher, although she tries to hide it. There no need for you to be sorry papa, what I want, more than anything, is to be here with you.¡± I say with a gentle smile.

    Before I can react, he hugs me and cradles my head to his chest while saying with a trembling voice.

    ¡°Oh Selene, thank you. Thank you so much.¡±

    I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him back as strongly as possible.

    After we calmed down, papa reluctantly let me go and took something out of his pocket.

    ¡°Selene, you may not be of my blood, but you are my daughter. I want you to always know that. That¡¯s why, I want you to have this.¡±

    He revealed his pocket watch that he always has on him. I remember him going to get it fixed last year when it broke.

    ¡°This is something that the orphanage gave me when I left to become independent. I kept it as a motivator during my youth to work hard and become strong. I thought I lost it when I started working for Lady Babylon, but 3 years ago I found it again. This is a reminder of who I am, and who I¡¯ve become.¡± Papa explains reminiscently.

    ¡°I want you to have this, so you will always know that you are Selene McDowell...daughter of Abel McDowell.¡± He finishes with a smile.

    ¡°Thank you, papa. I love you.¡±

    We give each other one final hug and then papa lets out a big sigh of relief and pats me on the head. I give him a big smile and then for a brief moment, we simply enjoyed this moment together, it had been a while since I got to relax with papa.

    ¡°Okay, how about we eat dinner now. And then, we can talk some more after?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! I¡¯m hungry! Also, I want to know more about papa when you were young!¡±

    ¡°Haha, younger me huh? I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be very exciting, but alright.¡±

    We open the basket Mary gave us and found some of my favorite dishes in here. Basil pasta, baked chicken, and an egg sandwich. Once again, I realize how truly loved I am.

    ¡°Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Tomorrow we must go talk to Lady Babylon about a couple of things, relating to the topics we just discussed tonight. Sorry to have to bring it all back up so quickly, Selene.¡± Papa apologetically added.

    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s okay papa! Let¡¯s eat!¡±

    As I eat, I wonder what tomorrow has in store for me. Teacher must have been worried like papa was about this, so I hope I can cheer her up tomorrow. After dinner, papa and I spend our time leisurely together for the first time in a while.

 Chapter 4 - 8 years old (cont.)

    ¡°Wake up, Selene. It¡¯s morning.¡±

    I hear a familiar voice pull me from my deep slumber. Yesterday, I was able to enjoy a long night of talking and playing with my papa, so I was pretty tired.

    ¡°Haaaaaa-ah.¡±

    With a big yawn and stretch, I try to get up out of bed. However, the moment I start to sit up, I feel the inviting comfort of my bed call me back into sleep, to which I could only fall back down.

    ¡°Hey, we have a meeting to uphold. I¡¯ll go make us some breakfast, so get up soon okay?¡±

    ¡°Okaay.¡± I answer unenthusiastically.

    ¡°Heh.¡±

    After papa left the room, I spent another 5 minutes in bed battling against the sleepiness, before finally forcing myself to get up. I roll out of bed and put on my slippers. I then lazily and slowly trudge my way out of my room and to the bathroom to wash my face. I start the hear the sizzle of cooking coming from the kitchen, which helped me to move my feet.

    Passing the kitchen on the way there, I hear my papa call out to me.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up. I¡¯m cooking breakfast now, so go wash up.¡± Papa said and then turned back to his task.

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    Once I got into the bathroom, I splashed water on my face and wiped out the sleepiness from my eyes with a towel. I look in the mirror and see that my hair''s a mess. I fear that trying to tame this morning beast would take too much time, so I decide to leave it for after breakfast.

    After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I exit the bathroom and make my way back to the kitchen, where papa was waiting for me.

    ¡°Whoa. do you need a hair band?¡± Papa chuckled.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it later, right now let¡¯s eat, I¡¯m starving,¡± I complain.

    ¡°Heh, alright. I picked up some fresh bread from the shop this earlier this morning. Here have a slice.¡±

    ¡°Aaa-mh¡­!¡±

    After I took a bite, I was meet with the satisfying crunch of crispy toast along with the sweet smell of butter that filled my mouth. The inner part of the bread was soft and easily slid down my throat. I can¡¯t resist the urge to take another bite and before long, the toast was quickly demolished.

    ¡°This is amazing papa! You should buy this every day!¡±

    ¡°Really? Let me see¡­! Wow yeah, this is good. It was a new bakery that just opened too, so I decided to give it a try. Here have another.¡±

    ¡°Thanks, papa!¡±

    I enjoy a simple but delicious breakfast of toast and eggs with my papa. After we finished, I went to my room to prepare for the day. I picked up a change of clothes and walked into the shower that was built for me adjacent to my room. While in the shower, I took off my clothes, including my bracelet. I¡¯ve had it for what feels like forever now. If I ever forget it, it always suddenly appears back on my wrist.

    I spend a couple of minutes rinsing my hair before I start washing it. Mary gives me new shampoo every time I almost run out, so I always have them ready. I even have some hair conditioner from Jotum that lady Aura gave to me. After another 15 minutes, I finish washing up and exit the shower.

    Now starts my morning preparations. Using a fire and wind rune engraved device, I dry my hair before spending another 30 minutes conquering my previously unruly bed hair back to the straight perm that it usually is. Satisfied with how my hair looks, I decided that I¡¯ll try on that new dress today. A white lace blouse with a high-waist long green pleat skirt that reached just past my knees.

    Happy with how my outfit appears in the mirror I pack a few things in a small purse that Mary gave me, including my newly acquired pocket watch. After I finished, I leave my room and walk to the living room, where I see papa waiting for me.

    ¡°Oh, is that a new outfit?¡± Papa asks.

    ¡°Yeah, Mary gave it to me last week but I haven¡¯t gotten to try it yet.¡±

    ¡°You look great, Selene.¡± He says with a smile.

    ¡°Ehehe~¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head out now.¡±

    ¡°Mhm!¡±

    While papa put on his jacket, I took off my house slippers and wore my usual shoes. With one last check at each other, we gave a thumbs up and headed out.

    ***

    Papa and I made our way to the main mansion hand in hand, greeting the guards when we got there. Ever since I became teacher¡¯s student, we stopped having to have ourselves announced and can freely walk in.

    Entering the building, I see the familiar scene of maids bustling about every morning preparing for the day. We make our way to the third-floor balcony room as usual, where teacher is probably waiting for us. Once we arrive at the door, we knock on it per usual, which was quickly followed by teacher¡¯s voice.

    ¡°Enter.¡±

    Papa opens the door and when I look inside the room, there was only teacher and Mary. We walk over to the sofa where teacher was seated.

    ¡°Lady Babylon.¡± Papa greets with a bow.

    ¡°Good morning, teacher!¡± I say while doing a curtsy.

    ¡°Good morning to you, Selene, and Abel. Please, be seated.¡± Teacher nodded with a smile.

    ¡°Mary, would you serve us some tea please.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± Mary answered with a slight bow.

    After Mary gave papa and I each a cup of tea, for a while there was silence. I notice that teacher, as well as Mary, were both taking peeks at me. I know I must be the one to speak up.

    ¡°Teacher, papa told me everything last night.¡± I suddenly say while looking into her red eyes.

    ¡°Well. Is that so?¡± Teacher answers calmly but I notice her pinkie twitch slightly at my words.

    Teacher then starts to sip her tea while avoiding eye contact.

    (I didn¡¯t know she could be this nervous.) I think while smiling inwardly.

    It kind of comforts me to know that she cares enough about me to be worried about how I would react to learning the shocking news from yesterday. Reaffirming my conviction, I stand up.

    ¡°I know that I am not a vampire, or a girl, but I still want to be teacher¡¯s student! You¡¯re the best teacher in the world, I know you don¡¯t like human boys but please, allow me to stay here with you, with everyone!¡± I humbly yet desperately request with a bow.

    ¡°I ah uh, ahem, there¡¯s no need for this. I¡¯ve already decided when I took you as my student to protect you. And besides, you still haven¡¯t learned everything I have to teach you, so there¡¯s no way I¡¯d let you leave even if you wanted.¡± Teacher says while looking to the side.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    Her pretty face becomes slightly flushed, it almost matches her hair color. While comparing her current expression to its usual self, I can¡¯t help but let out a short laugh.

    ¡°Pft¡±

    Teacher gives me a bewildered look, and then, I walk towards teacher and sit down next to her to wrap my arms around her waist tightly in a hug while resting my head on her shoulder.

    ¡°I love you, teacher!¡±

    ¡°Ahem. Of course. I¡¯m your teacher after all. You should be happy and honored.¡± She shyly says while patting my head.

    ¡°Ehehe~¡±

    I look up and see Mary looking at us with a satisfied expression.

    (Oh no you don¡¯t.)

    I reluctantly leave teacher''s embrace and with a smile on my face walk up to Mary much to her puzzlement. Before she can react, I give her a hug and say.

    ¡°I love you too, Mary! You¡¯re the best! And your cooking is the best!¡±

    ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing. That much should be expected.¡± Mary says as she pushes her glasses up, patting my head with her other arm.

    ¡°Hey, why didn¡¯t you praise me that much?¡± Teacher interjects with genuine complaint in her voice.

    Mary gives me a weary smile while I silently let out a sigh of relief that everything went well. I return to my seat and gave papa a big smile, to which he returns with his own subdued version.

    Teacher gave a slight cough to get our attention and then said,

    ¡°Well, Selene, I don¡¯t usually ever change my mind but for you, I¡¯ll make an exception.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll call off the dhampir ritual.¡± Teacher finished with a serious tone.

    Papa and Mary both gave a surprised gasp, but I¡¯ve already made up my mind.

    ¡°No, I want to go through with the ritual,¡± I interjected.

    Teacher blinked in surprise at my decision.

    While everyone remained speechless, I continue speaking.

    ¡°I know that even though I am not papa¡¯s real daughter, he loves me very much. I know that teacher and Mary do as well. But still, even if it¡¯s just a half-vampire...I want to be like teacher and papa¡± I end with conviction.

    I look teacher in the eye with complete sincerity. Her surprised expression changed into a smile, and then she gave me a slow nod.

    ¡°Very well. I will accept your request, my disciple.¡±

    ¡°Thank you!¡± I smile in gratitude.

    ¡°Selene...¡±

    I heard my papa and look to him. He has a worried look on his face, I know that he doesn¡¯t want me to do the ritual, but still, I want this.

    ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind papa.¡±

    ¡°...Alright, if you decided on it with such conviction, then what kind of parent would I be if I said no? I will support you, Selene.¡± He says with a slightly sad smile.

    ¡°Thank you, papa.¡±

    ¡°That leaves just one last thing then...Ahem. Selene, do you want to live as a boy or a girl from now on?¡± Teacher asks with a weird expression.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I say with an oblivious face.

    I hadn¡¯t really thought about it yet. All I knew was that I wanted to be papa¡¯s daughter and stay here with everyone.

    ¡°If you live as a boy, you won¡¯t be able to wear cute dresses anymore you know.¡± Teacher persuades.

    I think about what teacher said with a frown on my face.

    ¡°You¡¯ll also have to cut your hair, and who knows, maybe your papa and Mary won¡¯t dote on you as much anymore.¡±

    I look at papa and Mary and they both look away, which only served to make me more worried.

    ¡°I-I want to be a girl!¡± I hurriedly exclaim.

    ¡°Fufu, good choice. As expected of my student.¡± Teacher says with a smug expression.

    ¡°I have a couple new dresses prepared for you as well, feel free to take them all home today.¡±

    After saying that, teacher clapped twice, and a couple of maids came in carrying various dresses. After laying them out, I counted nearly 20 blouses and 15 new skirts. I walk over to examine them and they all look amazing!

    (So many pretty colors and patterns.)

    ¡°Wow! Thank you, teacher, you¡¯re the best!¡± I say with a glitter in my eye.

    ¡°Fufu, looks like I didn¡¯t need to resort to plan B.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± I turn to teacher inquisitively.

    ¡°N-nothing. Anyway, is there anything else you¡¯d like? My dear pupil.¡± She quickly says.

    ¡°Anything?¡± I nervously ask.

    ¡°Of course, there is nothing that I can¡¯t get. Dresses, accessories, or perhaps you¡¯d like some beauty products? Fufu.¡±

    ¡°I... I want to go to Alex¡¯s school¡± I hesitantly answer.

    ¡°The royal academy huh...Well, it''s not like it¡¯s impossible but...¡± Teacher says with a pondering look.

    ¡°The royal academy?! That would be great! Please, allow Selene to go, I beg you!¡± Papa suddenly said with an excited yet polite tone.

    Teacher simply stared at me and papa for a short while, and then,

    ¡°Ngh, fine. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±.

    ¡°Yesss!¡±

    I jump up out of my seat in excitement and cheered. Now, I¡¯ll be able to see Alex even after he goes to school! I can¡¯t wait to make new friends.

    ¡°But! I won¡¯t allow you to go as you are. Effective tomorrow, you¡¯ll start taking noble etiquette lessons with Mary. You¡¯ll have to learn how to act like a proper lady if you want to go to the academy.¡± Teacher added.

    ¡°Aww, more lessons?¡± I whine.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be okay, Selene. If you graduate from the royal academy, you¡¯re guaranteed to have a bright future!¡± Papa says with vigor.

    I can only show a crooked smile as I think about Mary¡¯s previous etiquette lessons. Oh well, how bad can it be? I thought and then nodded.

    ¡°Okay, Aura should be waking up soon, would you two like to join us for breakfast?¡± Teacher offers.

    ¡°I ate with papa today!¡±

    ¡°Oh really? How nice.¡± Teacher suddenly leered at papa.

    ¡°Ah-haha...¡±

    ¡°Well there¡¯s going to be a special dessert today, Mary made it herself from a new recipe. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Teacher then turned to Mary.

    Mary paused for a moment while looking at teacher and then suddenly said,

    ¡°Oh! Yes. I¡¯ll be making...a souffl¨¦! With chocolate mousse topping, fresh from the elves of Ayrshire Forest.¡±

    ¡°Whaaat! Really? Can we go, papa?!¡± I beg.

    ¡°Yeah of course, why not.¡± He swiftly said.

    Teacher then clapped in satisfaction with a smug smile. Mary for some reason gave a tired sigh instead.

    ¡°Alright then, breakfast won¡¯t be served for another hour. Why don¡¯t you go talk with the serious boy, Selene? He¡¯s been brooding all morning.¡± Teacher explained.

    ¡°Alex? Where is he?¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s out back, carefully examining the same page of his book for the past 2 hours.¡± Teacher said with an amused tone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to him, see you guys soon!¡±

    With that, I dash out of the room and head down the stairs towards the entrance. On my way out, I saw lady Aura sleepily walking about so I stopped to wave to her, to which she lazily waved back. I continue out the mansion and head around to the backyard training ground, where I spot Alex sitting in the shade of a tree staring at his book.

    I silently approached deciding to prank him a little bit. As soon as I step into the shade he was in, I activated my ¡®Shadow Walk¡¯ and sneak up behind him. Once I get into position, I pop out and tackle hug him from behind.

    ¡°Got cha!¡± I say into his left ear as I wrap my arms around his neck from behind in a hug.

    I feel his back and shoulders tense up and stay that way as soon as I hug, even when he recognizes me.

    ¡°Aah! Selene! W-what are you doing here?¡± He says clearly flustered.

    ¡°Hehe¡± I smile as I held onto him.

    ¡°You looked gloomy about something, so I decided to surprise you!¡±

    ¡°I-is that so. Ahem. Well, you can let me go now.¡±

    It¡¯s only now that I notice his ears and even his neck is flushed red.

    (I forgot how easily embarrassed Alex gets.)

    ¡°Okaay.¡±

    I let go of Alex and sit down next to him.

    ¡°So, what are you so down about? Teacher said you¡¯ve been like this all morning.¡±

    ¡°W-well, before that, what about you? You look especially cheery today.¡± Alex carefully asked.

    ¡°Hmm~ is that so? You see, my papa told me I wasn¡¯t his blood related daughter yesterday, but he still loves me anyway!¡±

    I spent the next 30 minutes explaining what happened yesterday and this morning while Alex quietly listened. I had already gotten over everything and Alex was my best friend, so I didn¡¯t mind telling him. Plus, I couldn¡¯t wait to tell him that I was going to be going to school with him!

    ¡°And that¡¯s basically what happened.¡±

    ¡°I see...¡± Alex says while letting out a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Yeah! Although, I was really surprised to find out that I was a boy.¡± I said, remembering my shock.

    ¡°Wait. What?!¡± Alex bewilderingly yells.

    ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention that part. You see, when papa found me, I was a boy! But teacher doesn¡¯t like boys so instead, papa made me his daughter.¡±

    ¡°...Are you sure?¡± Alex skeptically asks.

    ¡°Well I don¡¯t know, but that¡¯s what papa and teacher said, so it must be true!¡±

    ¡°...¡±

    Alex scanned me with an expressionless look on his face and then suddenly face-palmed with an extremely distraught expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Alex?¡± I ask curiously

    ¡°N-nothing. So, are you gonna live as a boy from now on?¡±

    ¡°No, I told teacher that I¡¯m going to keep living as a girl. I like being papa¡¯s daughter and wearing cute dresses. Teacher agrees that I should be a girl too, that way, everyone will be happy!¡±

    ¡°I see. Haa.¡± Alex sighed with a conflicted look on his face.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been sighing a lot lately, Alex. Cheer up soon, okay? Or else you won¡¯t be able to make any new friends at the academy!¡± I lecture.

    ¡°...Sorry, you¡¯re right Selene. I shouldn¡¯t be so down in front of you...and actually, I have a confession to make.¡± Alex says with a nervous expression while fidgeting.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I was the one that made your dad and the Duchess tell you that you weren¡¯t a vampire. After the first time we met, I got curious about vampire biology and found out that you were human. I knew they were planning to turn you into a dhampir without you knowing, to which I felt was wrong. Living as a dhampir isn¡¯t easy, and I didn¡¯t want you to go through that.¡± Alex desperately explains.

    Alex doesn¡¯t look me in the eyes after his revelation to me.

    (I see. So that¡¯s why he¡¯s been so gloomy.) I thought.

    I sigh and place my hand on his shoulder to get him to look at me.

    ¡°Thank you, Alex, for doing that for me.¡± I softly say.

    ¡°You- you¡¯re not mad at me?¡±

    ¡°Of course not, you¡¯re my best friend, Alex! Besides, because of what you did, I found out just how much everyone loves me, how can I be mad?¡± I cheerfully said.

    Alex stared at me in bewilderment for a short while before finally returning to his soft smile that I usually see on him. For some reason, I can feel my face get a little hot when I see him smile like that.

    ¡°O-oh yeah! Also, I got teacher¡¯s permission to go to the same school as you Alex!¡± I say to try to distract him.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to the royal academy? Earliest you can go is 2 years from now, so I¡¯ll be a year ahead.¡± Alex thought out loud while holding his chin.

    ¡°Yep! So, make sure you make lots of friends to introduce to me, okay?¡±

    ¡°I, I¡¯ll try my best, haha,¡± Alex says with a wry laugh.

    ¡°You¡¯d better, hehe.¡±

    I smile widely at Alex and then he suddenly turned away. I looked over to where he was looking wondering if something was there, but there was nothing.

    He turned back and said,

    ¡°Selene, promise me you won¡¯t tell anyone that you¡¯re a boy, okay?¡± Alex says with a serious tone.

    ¡°Sure, but how come?¡±

    ¡°Just, promise me, okay?¡± He says severely.

    ¡°Well, okay.¡± I hesitantly agree.

    Alex gave a sigh of relief for some reason, I never know what he¡¯s thinking.

    ¡°Anyway, Alex, let¡¯s go! It¡¯s almost time for breakfast. Mary is making a special dessert today! We can¡¯t miss it!¡±

    The moment I mentioned breakfast, I then heard Alex¡¯s stomach grumble a little, to which he immediately became embarrassed.

    ¡°Haha, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Alex shyly answered.

    I pull Alex up by the arm, and then we walked back to the mansion.

 Chapter 5 - The Ritual

    ¡°Good morning, mistress.¡±

    Early in the morning at the Babylon estate, a familiar scene known only to the master of the mansion and her loyal servant once again takes place.

    ¡°Ngh. Ugh, my head.¡± Serah complains.

    ¡°Here, please have some tea. This is a special brew that they say can help blood circulation.¡± Mary politely says as she sets down a cup of tea on a desk stacked high with books.

    ¡°Thanks, Mary,¡± Serah says while pinching her temples.

    After sipping the herbal tea, Serah lets out a satisfying sigh and begins stretching. As she does, she accidentally knocks over a couple of books that were on her bed.

    ¡°Aw man.¡±

    ¡°Mistress, I implore you to not ruin your room any further. The messy library that this place has become is not suitable for someone of your status.¡± Mary sternly says.

    ¡°Ah, give me a break. I¡¯ll clean it up later. I need all of this to prepare for Selene¡¯s ritual after all.¡± Serah replies flippantly without looking at Mary.

    ¡°Hm. Well, if it¡¯s for Selene then there¡¯s no other choice. However, please do tidy up soon.¡±

    ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t your priorities a little misplaced here? I am the master of this place you know.¡± Serah protests with crossed arms.

    ¡°Yes, of course. If you were to allow me to clean up this room for you, I¡¯ll have it done shortly.¡±

    Mary then bent down to pick up a book when Serah reached out to stop her.

    ¡°No no no! I need everything where it is, the new runic formation is still missing something and I need to solve it today!¡± Serah hastily says.

    ¡°Unfortunately, when it comes to these matters, I am of no help.¡± Mary flatly responds with a hint of dejection.

    Serah simply stares at Mary until the maid swiftly reverts to her normal expression and swiftly blurts out.

    ¡°Oh! I have a meeting with Ms. Angela for the monthly report. I¡¯ll be back to attend you shortly, mistress.¡±

    As Mary turned to exit the room, she was halted by the Duchess¡¯s voice beckoning to her.

    ¡°Mary, don¡¯t forget that you, along with everyone else in this estate were hand picked by me for a reason. Leave this to me and continue serving me as you have been.¡± Serah confidently states.

    ¡°...Yes, my mistress.¡± Mary answers with a smile.

    ***

    ¡°Today¡¯s the day. Are you ready, Selene?¡± Abel asks with a slight hesitation in his voice.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve been preparing for this for 2 years, after all, ~¡± Selene hummed.

    The two McDowell¡¯s are currently having breakfast in their home. Over the past two years, many renovations were done for Selene by the Duchess Babylon. Her old room was turned into a library and a new room was built to accompany her ever-expanding wardrobe. Selene was overjoyed with her new abode, as different as it may be, it still held that quaint homey atmosphere that she adored.

    The day has finally arrived for Selene¡¯s ritual. Today is the day Selene turns 10 years old. One might think that this would be a happy occasion for the entire McDowell household, but only Selene¡¯s radiant smile can be found. As the two enjoyed their simple breakfast of toast, avocado salad, and eggs, Abel could do nothing but resign and resolve himself for what¡¯s to come.

    Remembering that fateful day when he first found her, and the resolve Selene showed two years ago, Abel willed a smile back on his face.

    (Selene, you grew up to be everything I could ever hope for and more. Lord Belmont, please watch over us as we embark on today¡¯s endeavor.)

    ¡°Oh, I almost forgot. I have some berry jam that a friend gave to me. Would you like to have some on your toast?¡± Abel asked with a smile.

    ¡°Really?! Yes! Papa!¡± Selene answers practically jumping out of her seat.

    ¡°Haha, alright. It should be in this cabinet here...found it!¡±

    Abel carried over a large glass jar filled to the brim with red jam and laid it on the center of the table. As he opened it, the sweet smell of fruits and berries wafted through the kitchen, entrancing the two people as it did.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Abel says with awe and wide eyes.

    ¡°Hurry papa, I want to try it!¡± Selene shouts with excitement and sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Here, use this.¡±

    After Abel handed a table knife to Selene, she quickly spread an abundant amount of jam onto her toast from the family¡¯s favorite bakery and took a bite.

    ¡°Mm!¡±

    Leaking a satisfied voice, Selene finished the toast in an instant.

    ¡°Wow, this is so good papa!¡±

    ¡°Haha, it¡¯s from the Honeypot Bakery that we get our bread from. I befriended the owner not long after we become one of their regular customers. They¡¯re thinking about selling this jam as another one of their items, the other day they asked me to preview this product for them.¡±

    ¡°We should save some for Mary to make sweets with, I¡¯ll bet it¡¯ll be amazing.¡± Selene gulps.

    ¡°Alright, just be careful with that sweet tooth of yours, you don¡¯t want to get another cavity do you?¡±

    ¡°Geh.¡±

    Selene makes an unsightly expression and sound after remember the time last year when she got a cavity from secretly eating too many sweets. Mary banned her from even touching any snacks for months.

    ¡°I-I got it, don¡¯t worry!¡±

    ¡°Oh, do you now? It¡¯d be a shame if you were banned from snacks right after this jam starts selling.¡± Abel teases with a playful smile.

    ¡°Uuuu, papa is mean!¡± Selene pouts.

    ¡°Ahaha, Let¡¯s hurry up and prepare for the day.¡±

    After breakfast, Selene and Abel finish their morning preparations while thinking about what¡¯s to come. All they could do now is have faith in their master that the ritual will go smoothly.

    ***

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Finished at last!¡± Shouted Serah who then fell back onto her bed.

    ¡°Well done, mistress.¡±

    ¡°Fufu, thank you, Mary.¡±

    Normally, the sacrifice of a live vampire is required for the dhampir ritual because the receiver needs a total blood transfusion from the host using magic to forcefully bond with and transform the receiver¡¯s body. The newly created dhampir will inherit half the mana of the host vampire, including their affinities. Furthermore, they will benefit from the heightened senses of a vampire.

    However, up until now, there has never been a recorded ritual where the receiver and host¡¯s blood completely bonded. This left the artificial dhampir¡¯s body to thirst for their non-vampire half¡¯s blood, leading to the self-destruction of their body if they don¡¯t receive any. What Serah Babylon wishes to do is to not only use minimal amounts of Abel¡¯s blood for the ritual but to also have that small amount completely bond with Selene¡¯s body so she doesn¡¯t suffer from the dhampir¡¯s curse. To that end, she has created an entirely new ritual altogether, having worked tirelessly these past 5 years to do so.

    ¡°Though I say it¡¯s finished, without testing it, I can only assume. Mary, I want you to tell Angela to gather all personnel within the mansion and move them to the safe house out back. The protective barrier there will safeguard them from my mana during the ritual.¡±

    ¡°Understood. Should I join them as well?¡±

    ¡°No, I need you for something.¡±

    Mary held a confused expression for an instant before composing her expression and responding with a bow.

    ¡°As you wish, mistress.¡±

    ¡°Good, now, let''s finish all preparations for their arrival.¡±

    ***

    The walk to the Babylon residence was solemn and silent, however, the mood was anything but. Abel held faith in his master that she would succeed but ever so slightly, a seed of doubt subtly grew in his mind. Failure could result in Selene¡¯s death, and as Abel looked upon his daughter who he walked this path with everyday hand in hand, he finally stopped.

    ¡°Selene, can I really not dissuade you from this?¡±

    Seeing the grave expression on Abel¡¯s face, Selene simply closed her eyes for a moment, before showing a weary smile.

    ¡°Papa, I¡¯m scared as well. I know that this can kill me and it means I won''t be able to see everyone again but even so, I want this. Please, papa, let me be selfish, just this once.¡±

    Abel could tell that Selene was also worried. Her gutsy energy and bright smile were absent, and in its place, a determined look.

    (What am I doing. Can I really call myself her father if I can''t even support her when she needs me most?) Abel thought.

    Erasing all doubt from his mind, Abel then picks up Selene onto his shoulders and looked forward while saying,

    ¡°I¡¯m with you, no matter what. If it''s what you want Selene, then let us go.¡±

    Selene then let out a wholehearted cheer,

    ¡°Yeah! We''re gonna beat that ritual together!¡±

    With a smile, Abel says, ¡°Yes we are.¡±

    As the two continued to the mansion with renewed resolve, the familiar building soon came into view. Only this time, the one greeting them was Mary.

    ¡°Welcome, Sir Abel, Selene, the mistress is expecting you inside.¡±

    Upon seeing Mary, Selene hopped down from Abel¡¯s shoulder and ran to hug her. Mary simply smiled and patted her on the head.

    Abel walked forward with a curious expression and asked,

    ¡°Where is everyone?¡±

    ¡°We shall explain everything inside,¡± Mary replied with a flat tone while leading them towards the location of the ritual.

    ¡°Okay, and by the way, it''s nice to see you, Mary.¡± Abel honestly says.

    Mary paused before turning around and hastily answering back.

    ¡°You too, Sir Abel.¡±

    Selene was confused at seeing a never before shown expression on Mary¡¯s face. She looked back at her father to only find bewilderment.

    ¡°Ahem, let us go now. The mistress awaits.¡± Mary said returning to her usual expression nonchalantly.

    ¡°Yeah! Let''s go, papa.¡± Selene urged

    She took Abel¡¯s hand and together, the trio entered the building.

    Inside the mansion was a complete empty premise, save for the visage of their noble master, and a giant multilayered magic seal on the ground. The usual afternoon hustle was nowhere to be found, and the sound of their footsteps was unbearably loud in the tense silence.

    ¡°Teacher!¡± Selene yelled as she ran forward.

    ¡°Abel McDowell, at your service, my lady.¡± Abel saluted.

    ¡°Fufu, how are you, my dear student? And it is very nice to see you as well, Abel.¡± Sarah said after bending down and receiving Selene in her arms.

    ¡°I''m doing great! I''ve been practicing what you told me. I finally finished mastering the 4th tier spell, Mana Link!¡± Selene excitedly said.

    ¡°Good, very good. Now, allow me to explain the current situation.¡± Serah said turning to Abel.

    ¡°For the purpose of this ritual, I will be utilizing all of the mana that I have at my command. In order to safeguard my subordinates, they have been moved to a safe house hidden in the woods.¡±

    Serah scanned Abel for questions but he simply waited patiently with steeled resolve. Serah smiled and continued,

    ¡°As long as you three are in the ritual circle, you will also be protected, as I''ve added an extra layer just in case¡±.

    Finally, Abel spoke,

    ¡°Us, three?¡± he asked without hiding his confusion.

    ¡°Correct, I have modified the ritual so that there won''t be any physical blood transfusions, however, it will now require two host vampires.¡± Serah simply stated.

    Selene and Abel looked around before finally stopping their eyes on Mary, who gives them a nod.

    Abel then suddenly says,

    ¡°W-we can''t ask you to do this!¡± with a flustered expression.

    Selene also had a worried look before looking to her teacher, who patted her on the head and gave her a confident nod. Selene relaxed then walked over to Mary and took her hand.

    ¡°Mary, I''m really glad it''s you!¡± Selene said with a bright smile.

    Mary simply squeezed her hand lightly and nodded. Her expression was all Selene needed. A loving smile.

    Everyone''s attention was then pulled back by the Duchess¡¯s clap.

    ¡°Alright, here''s what we''re going to do. My revised ritual won''t use a blood transfusion, instead, we will utilize Selene¡¯s darkness affinity to link her with the two of you. Essentially we''re going to forcefully imprint your mana into Selene and use it to transform her body. Should this succeed, Selene will gain a body similar to that of a normal dhampir with one notable exception, she will receive your imprintment even without being of your blood, or using the Belmont Seal.¡±

    After the Duchess explained her plan, Abel just stood shocked. He doesn''t understand much about magic, but there was one thing he did understand. This is a once in a lifetime chance for him to pass on his imprintment to his beloved daughter.

    Mary stood by silently with a calm expression, but in her heart, she was delighted and resolved as well. 100 years she has spent tending to her noble master, always hardworking and selfless to the one that saved her from her previous life. However, Selene coming into her life that fateful night 10 years ago planted a seed in her sealed heart that has now come full bloom.

    As the two adults stood with determination and steeled resolve, the ritual finally begins.

    ¡°Now, Selene, sit in the center of the ritual. The two of you, come sit beside her.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡± nodded Selene.

    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my lady.¡± Abel formally said.

    As the three made their way to their spots, the runic markings of the ritual seal began to glow. Selene looked at Abel and Mary, firmly grasping their hand with each of her own, and gave them both a resounding confident nod. After the three sat down, the Duchess started to unleash her mana.

    ¡°Urgh¡± groaned Abel, as Mary slightly winced.

    ¡°This will not be pleasant, steel yourselves. Selene, I want you to start the Mana Link now.¡± Serah strictly says as she begins pouring Mana into the magic seal.

    Selene did not respond but simply activated her spell. A blue glow appeared on her chest and from it, 2 transparent tethers were formed. The tethers each struck Abel and Mary in their magic core next to their heart, linking the three together.

    ¡°Alright, no turning back now. Here we...go!¡±

    With that as the signal, an explosive amount of Mana shot out from Serah¡¯s body that shook the whole building.

    Abel and Mary¡¯s bodies began to glow and a red mana aura started to seep out from their core.

    ¡°Nghh!¡±

    Sweat started to roll down their foreheads as an increasing amount of pressure started to forcefully tear something out of their body.

    ¡°Don¡¯t pass out you two, this will be a lot harder on Selene than it will be for you. Here comes the second layer!¡±

    Upon hearing the Duchess¡¯s declaration, Abel and Mary both clenched Selene¡¯s hand while noticing her focused expression. Abel grits his teeth while Mary furrowed her brow in extreme discomfort.

    Then, the second wave of mana exploded, it smacked the wind out of both Abel and Mary but they held on. The red aura surrounding their core then connected with Selene¡¯s mana tether and started quickly getting absorbed into her body.

    ¡°Ngh-aaaah!¡± screamed Selene in agony.

    ¡°You have to hold on Selene, just another minute!¡± Serah yelled with a tired yet focused expression.

    The two layers of the magic seal had already taken more mana than she had anticipated however, she cannot afford to stop here.

    ¡°Brace yourselves! This is the last step!¡± Serah warns.

    And with that, Serah Babylon unleashed all of the mana in her body to operate the 3rd and final layer, causing all of the red aura that was absorbed in Selene¡¯s core to branch throughout her body.

    Suddenly, a giant explosion of light occurs.

    ¡°Ahhhhh!¡±

    All of the windows in the mansion shattered as a violent gust spawned on top of the three people in the center.

    Then, just a few seconds later, it ended. The whirlwind of mana and light disappeared, leaving behind three people unconscious in the center. Serah Babylon was blown back several feet and then collapsed to her knees, her breathing ragged. She mustered up the tiny amounts of mana she had left to send a Shadow Whisper in the direction of the woods. After doing so, she too gave into her exhaustion.

    ***

    ¡°ar***k? Se****! **ke up!¡±

    (Ngh? Am I...alive? I hear something.)

    ¡°**lene! *****!¡±

    (This voice. It''s...papa?)

    ¡°Selene! Wake up!¡±

    As I finally open my eyes, I see everyone gathered around my bed. Papa and Mary were next to me with a pained expression and eyes red. I look over and see teacher standing a few steps back looking worried as well.

    ¡°! She''s awake!¡± Mary yelled.

    ¡°Selene! My child, oh I''m so glad.¡±

    Papa grasped my hand and put his forehead on it, I can feel something wet drip onto my fingers. Papa must have been really worried.

    Teacher ran over as well to check on me.

    ¡°My student, how are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?¡± She asked with a soft tone.

    ¡°*cough* No, I''m good. A little thirsty.¡± I answer coarsely.

    Mary and teacher looked at each other and then Mary sat me up.

    ¡°Here, Selene, a cup of water.¡±

    After Mary fed me a drink of water, I felt much better.

    ¡°Thanks, Mary, much better,¡± I answer with a smile.

    ¡°Are you still thirsty?¡± Teacher asked.

    ¡°No, just a little sore now, that''s all.¡±

    After I answered, everyone let out a soft sigh of relief.

    ¡°Was the ritual successful?¡± I nervously ask.

    After the last layer of teacher''s seal was activated, I felt an intense pain as something slithered through my body. I felt my blood boiling and bones cracking as the mysterious force continued till it reached everywhere.

    (I must have passed out before seeing the end of the ritual.)

    ¡°Fufu, well here, see for yourself.¡±

    Teacher brought over a hand mirror and when I gazed in, I got my answer.

    My green eyes had turned red just like Papa and the tip of my ears was a little pointy, just like Mary. I opened my mouth and saw that I now had two sharp fangs in the top row of my teeth. Delighted and amazed, I started poking at them to confirm they were real.

    ¡°That''s not all, you also received a new magical affinity. You''ve always had darkness and wind, but now you also have water as well. Most likely because both Abel and Mary have some affinity with water.¡± Teacher explained.

    ¡°Now you are a triple elemental holder. Shame that you don''t have any affinities with fire, so I can''t teach you my specialty magic.¡± Teacher continued slightly disappointed.

    ¡°I''m just glad you''re safe, Selene.¡± Papa firmly says as he pats my head.

    ¡°Now, you should rest. Mary, you stay here and take care of Selene. I''ll be retreating to my chamber to recover my mana. Abel, feel free to take today off.¡± Teacher says.

    After she finished, she walked back to a table near the door and picked up a few things. It was then that I smelled something really good.

    ¡°Ooh! What''s in that bottle, Teacher? It smells so good!¡± I blurted out.

    Teacher gave me a surprised look and then looked back at the bottle in her hand.

    ¡°Well, why not.¡± She shrugged.

    She walked back to my bedside and hands it to me.

    ¡°Try it.¡± She urged.

    I remove the cork from the bottle and a sweet smell captivated all my senses, telling me to immediately drink it. I down the contents of the bottle and a delicate and amazing sensation fills my body.

    ¡°Wow, this is so good! It makes me want more! What is It? It''s kinda like strawberry jam.¡± I hastily ask.

    Teacher didn''t respond right away but instead had a look like she was deep in thought. I gave her a curious head tilt and then she responded,

    ¡°Hmm, I didn''t expect this to happen. Oh well, what can you do. Selene, this is blood. Human blood. I prepared some just in case your body wasn''t completely cured of the curse but since you''re not thirsty, it was a success.¡±

    ¡°This was blood? But it''s so sweet.¡±

    ¡°Although you''re not cursed, it seems the ritual left you with a side effect of having a strong taste for blood. Fufu, watch that sweet tooth of yours, Selene, blood is not easy to get.¡± Teacher mused.

    Papa and Mary showed difficult expressions but were relieved nonetheless.

    ¡°Anyway rest now. We still have something on schedule for tonight.¡± Teacher said.

    ¡°What''s that?¡± I curiously ask.

    ¡°You''ll find out then, fufu. Don''t worry, I''m sure you''ll like it.¡±

    And with that teacher exited the room. I look to Papa and Mary for answers but they gave me a look indicating that it''s useless to ask. Guess I''ll just have to wait and see.

    For now, I lay back down and simply enjoy the feeling of my new body. As I thank teacher, Papa, and Mary in my mind, I fall back into a slumber.

 Chapter 6 - Ritual aftermath

    A dark expanse is all I can see.

    Complete utter Darkness.

    (Where am I?)

    As I float around in the void, I strangely feel at ease, the darkness was comforting. Suddenly, I see the silhouette of a person in the distance.

    ¡°Hello?¡± I yell in their direction.

    The silhouette turns back to face me but I can¡¯t make out their appearance from this far away.

    ¡°Where am I? Who are you?¡±

    At first, I think they don¡¯t hear me since they just stare at me in silence so I prepare to repeat myself when I hear a male voice talk behind me.

    ¡°How peculiar. A child of mine born not from my own.¡±

    I spin around so fast I get slightly dizzy and am met with the hooded figure I was just looking at.

    (Wha- How did he get there!?)

    I hastily glance over my shoulder and don¡¯t see anyone there. I turn back and am tempted to ask how ¡°he¡± did that but swallow the query in my throat since I feel it¡¯s a dumb question.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I ask with caution.

    Again I¡¯m met with silence.

    I try to examine ¡°him¡± while waiting for a reply but can¡¯t see anything distinct besides his hooded robe.

    When I look under his hood to try to get a look at his face all I see is a blackness similar to the surroundings.

    I shiver and hastily look away when ¡°he¡± abruptly speaks.

    ¡°Interesting. We shall meet again.¡± The man promises with a mysterious certainty before he turns his back on me and slowly walks away.

    ¡°Wait!¡± I blurt for some reason.

    As I reach out to try to stop him, a bright light appears.

    And then I suddenly wake up in my bed soaked in sweat.

    I push myself up quickly and scan my surroundings only to see Mary asleep with her head rested on my bed. Papa was also napping against the wall in the corner of the room.

    (What was that weird dream?) I wonder.

    I remove the blanket from myself slowly and carefully slip out of bed. Mary and Papa stay sound asleep.

    (They must¡¯ve been really tired.) I muse.

    (The sun is just now setting, so it¡¯s only been a couple of hours since I went to sleep.)

    I stretch my body in front of a mirror stand and start studying the changes from the ritual in my reflection.

    My new deep crimson eyes stare back at me. I notice that my pure golden blond hair has got streaks of platinum in it now. Many strands of it are now highlighted white.

    Recently, I got a haircut because it was getting really long, but now it grew back to just below my shoulder blades. Also, it¡¯s a little bit curly now compared to my usual straight perm.

    My ears stayed mostly the same, except now the tips are pointy instead of curved.

    Finally, I check my fangs once more. I gained two sharpened fangs that protrude slightly from my top row of teeth. Examining it more closely, two of my bottom row teeth have gotten a little bit more pointy as well, although not as much as my top fangs.

    Happy with how I turned out, I check to see if anything else changed.

    It was then that I notice that my bracelet was gone!

    I look around hastily for it but can¡¯t find it anywhere. I send a mana pulse through the room to try to find any magic items but nothing came back.

    (Ohhh, what am I going to do?)

    I try to calm down my panic by slowly breathing and thinking calmly.

    (For now, I should go talk to teacher) I decide.

    She might know where it is or how to find it. I write a quick note and leave it on the table for Mary and Papa. Then, I carefully place a blanket over the two of them and make my way out of the room. The moment I step out, I suddenly hear loud construction noises,

    (Teacher must¡¯ve set up a sound barrier around this room.)

    Many maids are running back and forth carrying construction materials, I spot Ms. Angela giving orders to various people so I decide to go talk to her.

    ¡°Ms. Angela?¡±

    She turns around then looks down at me in surprise.

    ¡°Oh, well if isn¡¯t Selene. How are you feeling dear?¡± She asks sincerely.

    ¡°I¡¯m doing much better, thank you. Do you know where teacher is?¡±

    ¡°The mistress is currently resting in her room, I¡¯ve been told not to let anyone interrupt her but...It should be fine. Tell the guards I gave you permission.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Angela!¡± I politely thank her.

    ¡°You¡¯re very welcome, dear.¡± She responds with a calm smile.

    ¡°Now, I have some work to do, take care.¡±

    I bow to Ms. Angela and make my way up the stairs. Teacher¡¯s room is the only room on the top floor, it can be immediately seen at the end of a short hallway. After I reached the top of the stairs, I see two maids standing guard. I tell them that Ms. Angela gave me permission and they let me through. I thanked them and a short walk later, I reached the double doors to teacher¡¯s room.

    The door has a special magic seal that will only open to certain people. After I became teacher¡¯s student, I was allowed to operate this door.

    After placing my hand on the seal and pouring in my mana, it opened. I peek through the opening in the door to see teacher meditating on her bed. I quietly make my way in and softly close the door behind me. I take a seat on a table near teacher¡¯s bed since it would be bad if I interrupted her meditation. Teacher¡¯s room is messy as always, the floor is flooded with books on magic and runeology. Teacher studies all aspects of magic, including magic inventing.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I skimmed through a book on advanced runeology research as I wait. I really can¡¯t make out the contents at all. From talking with the maids, I know that teacher is an icon in the magical community, famed for creating many new spells through her research of ancient runes. Teacher even created a whole new dhampir ritual for me, I¡¯m not sure about the details, but I know it¡¯s a lot of hard work. I feel like I¡¯ll never be as amazing as teacher.

    ¡°That book is too advanced for you right now, try ¡®Arcadium Volume I¡¯ if you want to get into runeology research.¡±

    I turn around and see that teacher is standing behind me.

    ¡°Teacher!¡± I hastily stand up.

    ¡°Fufu, how are you doing, my student.¡±

    ¡°Good! But...¡± I excited answer then nervously fidgeted.

    ¡°Hm? Is there something wrong?¡± Teacher asks in a worried tone.

    ¡°N-no, it''s just, my bracelet is missing.¡±

    ¡°What.¡± She says with a dumbfounded expression.

    Teacher abruptly knelt down and grabbed my hands.

    ¡°How strange, give me a moment.¡±

    Teacher then walked over to her bedside and rummaged through a box. After a while, she pulled out a palm-sized crystal with runic markings and walked back over to me.

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s see where it is. This is a special magic item that amplifies the range and efficiency of search magic, if it¡¯s within a 1-kilometer radius, I¡¯ll find it.¡±

    A wave of mana pulsated from teacher as she clenched the crystal. It passed through me and proceeded outside the room. A couple of seconds later, the pulsating stopped and teacher had a bewildered expression.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, teacher?¡± I hesitantly ask.

    ¡°I searched for the residue mana from your bracelet and the search came back that it¡¯s right here. More precisely, it¡¯s inside of your body, your magic core.¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°The ritual must have accidentally absorbed the magic formula during the second step. But that¡¯s impossible.¡± Teacher starts thinking out loud.

    A magic formula absorbed into my core? What does that mean? There¡¯s still so much I don¡¯t know about magic, I spent all my time learning spells but I hardly know anything about the principles behind it.

    ¡°...Well, don¡¯t worry Selene. We still have a month till your admission to the academy, so I have time to study this.¡± Teacher says with confidence.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not worried about that. I was just thinking, I wish I knew more about runeology, all I know are spells that you¡¯ve taught me, I don¡¯t know anything about how to change or adapt them like you do, teacher.¡± I explain.

    ¡°Hmm, well, I can recommend you to Layla when you start your studies. Her course is quite acceptable.¡±

    ¡°Layla?¡± I inquire with a head tilt.

    ¡°Layla Maybell, head runeologist at the royal academy. She has a course on intermediate and advanced runeology that accepts students only by recommendation, I¡¯m sure I can get you in quite easily.¡± Teacher says with a grin.

    ¡°Really? That¡¯s awesome!¡±

    ¡°We only have a month..it¡¯s not enough for me to teach you all the basics to runeology research but we can at least give you a head start. It¡¯ll be up to you whether or not you can keep up in her class, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine.¡± She says while patting my head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± I say with a guts pose.

    ¡°As for your magic instructor, there¡¯s no need for you to get a darkness magic teacher so that leaves wind...and water...ugh.¡± Teacher ends with a nasty scowl.

    I give an inquisitive stare but teacher only says in a grave tone.

    ¡°Listen, Selene. If you get approached by a man named Alister, you must reject him completely, do you understand?¡±

    I wonder what has teacher so angry. I thought there wasn¡¯t anyone alive that would dare offend her.

    ¡°O-okay.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡± Teacher nods with a satisfied expression the says with folded arms ¡°Hmph, as if I¡¯d let that slacker teach my student.¡±

    ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s strange that the bracelet¡¯s runes were absorbed into your core, but it shouldn¡¯t have any adverse effects. Is there anything else that¡¯s troubling you?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, no, I think that¡¯s it,¡± I answer.

    I debated asking teacher about my weird dream but decided it was probably nothing.

    ¡°...Alright then. By the way, where¡¯s Mary? I wouldn¡¯t think she¡¯d let you go so early.¡±

    ¡°Mary¡¯s asleep. She must have been really tired.¡±

    ¡°I see, that¡¯s fine. The ritual took a large toll on them as well, they¡¯re probably suffering from mana fatigue. Give it a few days and they¡¯ll be back to normal.¡± Teacher reassures me.

    ¡°I saw the state of the mansion on the way here...I¡¯m really sorry to have caused you so much trouble because of my selfish request.¡± I sadly say.

    ¡°Haa. Silly girl.¡± Teacher places both her hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eye.

    ¡°If I couldn¡¯t do this much for my pupil, what kind of teacher would I be? Don¡¯t forget, I am Serah Babylon.¡± She arrogantly declares.

    I hug teacher and remind myself just how blessed I truly am. Even though I¡¯m excited to make new friends at the academy and meet Alex again, I¡¯m going to miss this place so much. After we part, teacher gives me a smile and then proceeds to pick me up and princess carry me over to her bed.

    I blush, feeling embarrassed at being carried around like when I was younger while hugging teachers neck for comfort and support.

    ¡°We still have a lot of time till the evening, let¡¯s go over some of the things you need to remember before entering the academy. For starters, although my connections are getting you through the door, it¡¯ll be up to you whether or not you get to stay. The royal academy has strict rules regarding performance, especially their magic division, so don¡¯t ever slack in your studies.¡± Teacher explains after setting me down and sitting on the other side of the bed.

    ¡°Mhm, I know. Mary¡¯s been giving me daily lessons to prepare for all of my mandatory general education courses as well. Oh! I¡¯ve been curious about one thing, how come you don¡¯t want me to take any warrior courses? Isn¡¯t it better to have diversity like you¡¯ve taught me?¡± I ask while thinking back on a previous conversation I had with teacher.

    ¡°Well to answer your question, you must first understand why magicians are so highly valued. Most people can make use of mana, and some can even use a number of spells. Mary can be considered a 1<sup>st</sup> tier magician under the Einherjar ranking system, although I don¡¯t really agree with how it¡¯s decided. Anyway, that¡¯s the limit for maybe 9 out of 10 people who try to learn magic. The purity of one¡¯s mana once they¡¯ve awakened is a tell for how talented they are in the magical arts. This is the lifeline of a magician that dictates how successful they¡¯ll be in learning runes and conjuring complex magic spells.¡±

    ¡°Papa told me he can¡¯t learn magic, is that because his mana purity is too low?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. The magic core, it is important to think of it as an organ, just like your heart. It¡¯s not only responsible for housing our mana reserves, but also for refining it. Mana is life energy, it exists all around us. The air, the ground, the plants and the trees, all contain mana. However, the mana that surrounds us is all in a diluted form, making it invisible to the eye. The purest of mana is said to be shining blue, dense enough for us to see.¡±

    ¡°Does something like that actually exist?¡± I ask in awe.

    ¡°No one alive has actually seen it, but it is recorded that the father of magic, the great sage Corrian, possessed such mana. Also...¡±

    Teacher then suddenly stares at me without saying a word. I tilt my head in confusion which prompts her to continue.

    ¡°Nothing, anyway, back to the topic about warriors. Even without having a magic core capable of granting the user talent in the magical arts, there are those who can use mana to forge their physical bodies. Those are what we call warriors, your father is one of them. For a mage, this is rather moot, rather than spending countless hours slowly training our bodies, we can achieve what we want through spells instead. That¡¯s not to say that warriors can¡¯t become strong enough to rival mages. The beastmen are born with a special trait that lets their body naturally absorb mana, this results in strong physical abilities that let them perform rather fantastical feats.¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s not a waste of time, I¡¯m just better off sticking to learning spells instead?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right. Your magic core may be decided from birth, however, there is another part to magic that is equally important. Do you remember what that is?¡±

    ¡°The magic circuit. The connection between our core and our body.¡± I answer without hesitation.

    ¡°Correct. Our magic core is set at birth, however, our magic circuit can be trained and strengthened. It¡¯s like a muscle, the more we use it and stretch its capabilities, the stronger it will get. With it, our ability as mages to conjure and control magic will strengthen.¡± Teacher finishes.

    ¡°I see, magic really is deep isn¡¯t it?¡± I say to myself with a nod.

    ¡°Fufu, this is just the basics of the basics, my dear. The depths of magic reaches far more than just this. Runic research has expanded the possibilities of magic now more than ever, and we¡¯ve just begun to scratch the surface of what the limits of magic really is. Especially recently, when...¡± Teacher excitedly starts explaining.

    I sit quietly and listen to teacher rant. It¡¯s pointless to try to stop her when she gets like this. Teacher really loves magic. I don¡¯t really mind it when she does it, it''s just, I never really understand any of it!

    ¡°But anyway, I think that it¡¯s truly unnecessary for them to use such an incompatible catalyst, the interference caused by runic overlap would surely decrease the spell¡¯s power, those humans are so silly.¡±

    After teacher ended with that remark, we heard a knock on the door.

    ¡°Enter.¡± Teacher commands.

    One of the senior maids enters the room. An elf named Sylvae Bania. Along with the head maid Ms. Angela Auvri, they¡¯re the only two elves I know. I remember hearing that they¡¯ve been with teacher for over 800 years.

    Sylvae gives us a bow and says,

    ¡°Mistress, the repairs are now complete. The evening dinner arrangements are proceeding as planned.¡±

    ¡°Mm, very good. Thank you for your hard work in Mary¡¯s absence, Sylv.¡±

    ¡°It is my honor to serve you, mistress.¡±

    ¡°Alright, tell Angela and the rest to take a break for now. You guys deserve it.¡±

    ¡°I understand. However, we still need to take care of a few things for tonight. We shall quickly finish the preparations before our recess.¡± Sylvae says still in a bow and then exits the room.

    ¡°Hey wait, that¡¯s not, oh whatever. Such a workaholic.¡± Teacher complains with an exasperated expression.

    Teacher then bent over her side of her bed and grabs a book off the floor.

    ¡°Here we are, Arcadium Vol 1. It¡¯s part of a series of compiled notes written by the elf sage Tiariel, a 9<sup>th</sup> tier mage. The author of this book explains the principles behind Tiariel¡¯s work rather simply, it¡¯s a good place to start.¡±

    Teacher hands me the old book. I curiously flip through a few pages to see that teacher has some handwritten notes in here as well.

    ¡°Thanks, teacher!¡±

    ¡°No problem. Now, let¡¯s talk about magic. We have at least an hour or two before the evening, plenty of time to teach you a few things.¡± Teacher says with obvious excitement.

    Teacher¡¯s rants are always long-winded and hard to understand, but if I want to become the same caliber of mage that she is, I have to try.

    Time passes as I listen to teacher talk.

    ***

    After two hours of listening to teacher rant about magic items, it¡¯s time for the evening plans. I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going to happen, for some reason, no one told me anything. I walk with teacher to the dining room and once we arrive, I see Mary and Papa talking in the hallway outside of the room.

    ¡°Papa! Mary!¡±

    I walk closer to examine them properly.

    ¡°Are you guys feeling better?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes, much better, thank you for asking. How about you? I see you¡¯re up and about.¡± Papa says.

    Mary just pats my head and gives me a solid nod.

    ¡°Well, shall we enter?¡± Teacher interjects.

    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±

    ¡°Right away, mistress.¡±

    As soon as papa pushed open the door, I saw it.

    A huge cake sat right in the center of the dining table.

    I gasp in surprise as everyone simply smiles at me.

    ¡°I may not know the exact day you were born, but today is the day you received our imprint. So, happy birthday, my daughter.¡± Papa says slowly with a soft smile.

    ¡°Oh thank you so much, papa! Teacher, Mary, you guys knew didn¡¯t you!¡±

    ¡°Fufu, of course. In fact, Mary baked the cake herself. Quite impressive, isn¡¯t it?¡± Teacher boasts.

    ¡°I only did what was expected of me, mistress.¡± Mary humbly says.

    ¡°Thank you so much, guys! Let¡¯s hurry up and eat it!¡±

    I began to run to the table but Mary caught me by the collar of my dress.

    ¡°Uh-uh. That will come later. First, we must have our meal. Have you forgotten all your lessons in table manners already?¡± Mary scolds.

    ¡°Aww.¡± I pout.

    ¡°Nope, just because it¡¯s your birthday, doesn¡¯t mean you can do anything you want. You won¡¯t have me to watch over you once you attend the academy, so for the next month, we¡¯re going to rehash all of your lessons.¡± Mary cruelly adds.

    ¡°Noooo!¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s give her a break for today, Mary.¡± Teacher chimes in.

    I give a hopeful look at Mary, silently begging her to let me off for today. Mary gives out a soft sigh and loosens her grip.

    ¡°Fine. But just one slice of cake for now. We need to curb that sweet tooth of yours.¡± Mary compromised.

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    ¡°Okay, everyone take a seat! That means you too Angela, don¡¯t be shy.¡± Teacher beckoned to all the surrounding maids.

    ¡°Mistress, I don¡¯t think-¡± Angela tried to respond but teacher then interrupts,

    ¡°No buts, that¡¯s an order. I order you to eat with us. Everyone else has already gone to take the rest of their day off. Let¡¯s relax, just for today, okay?¡±

    ¡°...Yes, mistress.¡±

    After everyone got seated, I indulged myself in Mary¡¯s cake. It tastes so good, almost as good as that vial of blood I had today. Life is good.

    As I enjoy my first official birthday celebration, I couldn¡¯t help but wish Alex could be here for this. I can¡¯t wait to see him next month.

    We take our time enjoying the occasion, talking around the table late into the night.

 Chapter 7 - Departure

    ¡°Selene, make sure you don¡¯t forget anything!¡± Papa says to me from the kitchen.

    ¡°I got it! I¡¯m all good to go!¡± I energetically yell from my room.

    Today¡¯s finally the day I head off to the capital city of Noctus, Amarande. As I sit in front of my vanity station, I turn my head side to side checking to make sure my silvery golden hair is dried before combing it and tying it up in a twin-tail. I then put on a pair of flower patterned barrettes and do one last check-up. Satisfied, I pick up and open my magic purse, teacher made this especially for me and most of my things are stored here.

    (Bags check, clothes check, and books...check. Okay, I¡¯m ready.)

    I gently swing the strap of the purse over my shoulder and exit into the kitchen, where I see papa waiting for me at the table.

    ¡°...You look great Selene.¡± Papa says as he appraises me with a soft smile.

    ¡°Hehe, the dress is Mary¡¯s latest gift for me!¡± I reply with a twirl. Today''s outfit is a one-piece soft green frill dress, with the skirt reaching just past my knees.

    ¡°Hoho. Well, let¡¯s get on with breakfast, we¡¯re on a tight schedule after all!¡± Papa reminds me as he sets the remaining food on the table.

    I sit down and prepare myself for breakfast. It looks like we¡¯re having some of our classic toast with avocado spread. Although teacher always treats me to delicious and exotic foods like with our party last month, it¡¯s nice to just enjoy a simple breakfast like this.

    As I began to dig in, I suddenly remembered something important that teacher told me yesterday.

    ¡°Oh, papa! Teacher says that you can come with us! Fino will take over for you as the town guard in the meantime!¡±

    Suddenly Papa¡¯s eyes lit up with excitement.

    ¡°Oh thank god, I thought I would miss my own daughter¡¯s admission to the Noctus Royal Academy,¡± He says with a sigh of relief. ¡°Hold on Selene, let me go prepare!¡± Papa finishes as he suddenly darts up.

    ¡°Wait, Papa! We¡¯re not leaving until the afternoon!¡± I said as I tried to stop him.

    ¡°Selene, this is a very important occasion. I have to be ready to defend against all threats.¡± He resolutely says and then continues running into his room.

    Somehow, I feel like there might be something else on his mind. Besides, would we ever really be in trouble with teacher next to us the whole time?

    I decide to leisurely continue my breakfast while the sound of rummaging could be heard in the background. Soon after finishing, I put up the dishes and leave some for papa for after he¡¯s done. Since there¡¯s nothing else for me to do, I decide to go out and practice some of my spells.

    Peeking into the hall leading to our rooms, I yell ¡°Papa! I¡¯m gonna go outside a bit okay?!¡±

    ¡°Okay! Don¡¯t go too far!¡±

    I sit down at our front door and put on my shoes. While glancing at the rack of footwear, I decide to bring some of them as well, so I pick some of my favorites from the rack and put them into my purse and walk outside. I visualize the runes and the spell that teacher recently taught me. With a deep breath, I cast the 4th tier spell, Armaments: Shadow Wings!

    Large pitch black bat-like wings made of mana appeared from my back. Controlling my mana, I begin to flap the wings and lift off the ground. Teacher says this technique is still imperfect and drains too much mana, but I think it¡¯s super cool. After hovering in the air for a couple of minutes, I start to move around slowly. As I float higher and higher, I can almost see Teacher¡¯s house. Flapping the wings feel weird but I quickly get used to it. After circling around the house, I noticed that our previously empty backyard have now been furnished with a couple of potted plants. I hover over and then gently land to check them out and see that they are Lilacs.

    (Papa must be taking care of them. Come to think of it, Mary got a new pot of Lilacs in her room, Papa must have given it to her as a gift.)

    Deciding to practice the rest of my magic away from the house, I walk into the forest. After finding a nice open spot, I pick a nearby tree as my target. Channeling mana into my right foot, I step forward, silently send my mana into the shadow of the tree. At my command, 6 spikes shot out from the shade, piercing the body of the tree.

    (Tier 3 spell, Shadow Spike, complete! I managed to double the amount of spikes since last year. Now, one last spell.)

    I mold half of my remaining mana into a concentrated ball and send it throughout my magic circuit. I draw the runes in my mind carefully layer by layer.

    (Summon Familiar!)

    A dark mist forms around me, floating listlessly. Soon, a dark skin wolf and bat exit out from the mist and gather around me. They are made completely from mana and are hollow. I direct my mana into them and move them around according to my will. They appear responsive enough. Satisfied with my test, I desummon them.

    (Hmm, that wasn¡¯t so bad. Teacher says this 3rd tier spell is weak in nature but I feel like there¡¯s more potential to this spell. Plus they''re so cute!)

    Satisfied with my practice, I walk back to the house, excited for the rest of the day.

    I walk back towards the house and enter in through the back door. I carefully take off my shoes and pick them up as I make my way back into the front of the house. On my way, I see papa having breakfast in the dining room.

    ¡°Oh, welcome back,¡± He says with a wave.

    ¡°Are you finished, papa?¡±

    ¡°Mhm, I think I have everything I need. I¡¯m bringing my full armory just in case,¡± papa says as he pats his jacket. ¡°Anyway, Selene, go check on your things one last time. We won¡¯t be able to return once we leave for the mistress¡¯s mansion.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry papa, I double and triple checked¡± I proudly said.

    ¡°Hoho, is that so? Well. I¡¯m just about done here so, meet you outside in 10 minutes okay?¡± Papa says as he picks up his plate and walks over to the sink.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    I take one last glance around the house that I¡¯ve grown up in the past 10 years. All the little marks on the walls I¡¯ve made, all the things I¡¯ve climbed on. I¡¯m going to miss this place, but as I think about the friends I¡¯m going to make and seeing Alex again, I get excited. I walk to the front door and put on a new pair of travel boots with a couple of runic markings on the side and exit through the front door.

    ***

    ¡°Okay, the time has come for us to depart, but before we do...¡±

    Everyone is now gathered outside the mansion in front of a carriage, preparing for the journey ahead. Teacher places her hand on the large fancy carriage, I feel a subtle surge of mana from her hand before it quickly disappeared and the carriage began to glow.

    ¡°Now, we can enjoy a smooth journey.¡± Teacher says with a smile.

    ¡°Mistress, the bags have been packed and we are ready to depart on your command,¡± papa says with a bow.

    ¡°Wonderful. Abel, you¡¯ll be our chauffeur for this trip, I trust you know the way?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Madam.¡±

    Papa climbs in front and grabbed the reins to horses as teacher gave a satisfied nod. She then turned to Mary who stood beside me.

    ¡°Mary, are the preparations finished?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mistress. The path has been cleared beforehand and Sylvae will be on standby.¡±

    ¡°I see. Though I still don¡¯t think this was all necessary but no use worrying about it now.¡± Teacher says with a tired sigh.

    ¡°Mistress, please understand that this is for your safety,¡± miss Sylvae says in a monotone voice.

    ¡°Yeah, I know, I know. At least ride inside the carriage with us Syl, you don¡¯t have to keep a lookout,¡± teacher says with a tired expression.

    ¡°Pardon me mistress, but I believe that would make hard for me to operate as the head of your security detail,¡± she flat answers once again.

    Teacher pouts and sighs as if she expected this and then turns to me and takes my hand.

    ¡°Well, anyway, shall we go?¡± She says with a smile.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    With that, Teacher, Mary and I entered in the fancy carriage from the side door. Inside was a bench backed up against the front of the carriage and facing it was a large extravagant sofa. Teacher takes a seat on the sofa as Mary sits on the bench.

    (Whoa.) I silently mouthed.

    ¡°Well come on now, over here!¡± Teacher smiles as she pats the seat next to her.

    After I take my seat on the strangely comfortable sofa, Teacher then nods to Mary. Mary then opens a small window next to her, through which I could see Papa.

    ¡°We are ready, Sir Abel.¡±

    Papa turns around and nods to Mary. Before turning back, he caught me looking at him and smiled.

    ¡°Hya!¡±

    The horses began moving forward and our journey from Teacher¡¯s home in Raven to Amarande begins. Although the roads are not that smooth, the carriage stays perfectly stable, as if we were still.

    I peek out the window as we begin to make to the center of Raven, as teacher¡¯s home is located west of the town, and the capital is to the east. Soon, I am able to see the circular walls that surround the town of Raven. We entered through the gate with ease, I¡¯ve come to learn that no one dares to stop teacher. As we make our way through town, I see various familiar sights that papa or Mary has taken me to over the past couple of years. Coming in from the west, I immediately see the town¡¯s most famous bakery ¡°The Honeypot.¡± Our family has been a patron of theirs for two years now. At first, it was just a small store, but now it has evolved into a big shop with a branch in the eastern wing of the city as well.

    Continuing through the city, I can see people stopping to curiously gaze at our carriage, some of them even waving at us. Once we got to the center square, I can see ¡°The Blackthorn Inn," one of our town''s hotspots, a large extravagant 10 stories tall building in the center square. In the middle of the plaza is a large fountain centerpiece. Curving around the large plaza, papa¡¯s workplace comes into view. He¡¯s in charge of the Raven peacekeeping force as teacher¡¯s knight. The building has a simple outward frame, I can see a pair of vampires standing out front dressed similarly as papa, though their uniforms are slightly different. As we pass by, the two men salute to us. Though judging from their line of sight, it¡¯s probably at papa.

    We soon exit the bustling plaza and enter the eastern wing of the city. While the western wing of town holds the town shopping centers, this side is mostly filled with houses. Papa tells me that this district is home to the common vampire. As we drive by the sea of houses, I see various people walking about and children playing. Because I basically all of my time at teacher¡¯s house I never got to come to this part of the town. The houses look simple but have a pretty calm feeling to it, papa sometimes notes that the town has really been improving over the last 10 years. I can see some of the upscaling happen as we drive past some houses being renovated, it looks like they¡¯re replacing the old broken down homes with reinforced wood exteriors. As I continue to gaze at the surroundings, we soon approach the eastern gate, which is already drawn up, as if they were expecting us.

    As the hustle and bustle of the town slowly become more distant, it becomes replaced by the trotting of the horses. Our next destination will be the town of Luna, a smaller town than Raven but will serve as a resting place for us before heading all the way to Amarande.

    ¡°So, Selene, are you ready for the festival?¡± Teacher asks me from behind.

    ¡°Festival?¡± I inquisitively reply.

    ¡°Oh my...did I forget to mention it?¡± Teacher reels back in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand. Mary gave a tired sigh towards the situation.

    ¡°Well you see, every July, the Noctus Royal Academy hosts the annual Magic Festival. It is an important time for mages all around the world. If you recall, I always leave to go to the festival every year.¡± Teacher explains.

    I think back and remember that teacher did always use to go somewhere around this time. She usually tells me a week or so in advance and gives me some self-study work.

    ¡°What happens during the Magic Festival?¡± I ask, curious about this event.

    ¡°It is a wonderful time! The academy opens the main ground to the general public and stretched along the huge inner field are a vast amount of stalls, all selling magic items! Foreign merchants are allowed a permit to sell within the capital during this time and it¡¯s possible to find all sorts of never before seen magic. I always purchase any new items I find for magic research,¡± teacher joyfully recounts.

    ¡°Wow! Are there even Dwarven items for sale?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Huhu, I see you haven¡¯t been slacking in your studies. Unfortunately no, dwarven magical items are of the highest quality, and it is because they are custom made. They don¡¯t often mass produce for sale. The only way to obtain a magic weapon or item created by a dwarf is to travel to their home and put in a personal request. Though, once in a while you might find a traveling dwarf willing to barter for lesser quality dwarven weapons.¡±

    ¡°I see, so they must be really strong, huh?¡±

    ¡°Unbelievably so. I¡¯ve tried for years to crack the secret to their creations, but the best I could come up with was my magic bracelet.¡±

    Teacher shrugs and sighs at her predicament. Dwarven magical items must be something incredible if even teacher can¡¯t figure them out.

    ¡°Anyway, Selene. There are 4 main attractions to the Magic Festival. One is the merchandise from new magic inventors as I¡¯ve explained, but there are still three other important facets. The second is the New Magic Showcase. The Noctus Royal Academy may be a school, but it is also a research facility. Year after year, teachers and students showcase newly discovered and developed spells in this showcase. It is quite the spectacle, I¡¯ve already booked our seats,¡± teacher giggles.

    ¡°Oh, one important thing. Although I say it''s a New Magic Showcase, it''s rare for new magic to actually be shown, the purpose is to show our progress in Magic Theory, so usually, people just show spell variants or new ways to use old spells.¡± Teacher elaborated.

    ¡°I see¡­ Does teacher participate too?¡± I asked inquisitively.

    ¡°Me?¡± Teacher replied with a somewhat surprised expression. ¡°I do not. It''s an event for the students and staff.¡± She blankly states. But then,

    ¡°However,¡± she sighs. ¡°I will be participating in this year''s showcase as part of my agreement with them upon their acceptance of your admission.¡±

    Teacher seems to want to add something else as well but she opts not to, that''s what her eyes seem to say. Unsure as to what''s bothering her, I nod and say,

    ¡°I see. I''m sure everyone will be amazed by teacher''s magic!¡±

    She chuckles and smiles again.

    ¡°Well, anyway. The third event is a Sporting Event, I¡¯m not really into it though. And the last¡­ is the Battle Tournament.¡±

    She once again dropped her smile, teacher¡¯s tone dropped during that last statement, her cheerful expression now replaced with a serious one. I gulp and ask,

    ¡°Battle Tournament?¡±

    ¡°It is a tradition so to speak, the event is not just to show off the school¡¯s up and coming talented soldiers, but also as a show of force to our neighbors. Most people don¡¯t realize this, but the tournament is key in maintaining our standings in the world. The empire uses it to show the rest of the world the effectiveness of our combat training.¡±

    I pause for a second, trying to understand everything teacher said. Mary also had a serious look as well, listening to teacher¡¯s explanation.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s a dangerous event?¡±

    Teacher looks at me for a quick second before softening her expression.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let anything happen to you. As long as I¡¯m alive, no one will dare to touch you. The real nature of the tournament is for the military to find candidates to recruit into their forces. It is not just simple entertainment. You will no doubt be coerced into entering the tournament as you are my student, but there is no cause for concern. Just be confident and use the magic I¡¯ve taught you to beat your opponents,¡± teacher reassures me.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be bad to use my spells? I feel like it could be dangerous,¡± I respond while thinking back on the various dummies I¡¯ve destroyed over the years.

    ¡°Hahaha, you silly child, there is no need to worry,¡± teacher said while patting my head, Mary also gave me a warm gaze. ¡°The professors of the academy set up a damage absorbent barrier in the arena. The fight ends when one contestant takes lethal damage.¡±

    I let out a sigh of relief upon hearing teacher¡¯s explanation. Although I am quite confident in teacher¡¯s magic, I somewhat worry whether or not I will be able to use them effectively in battle. I also fear the consequence of badly hurting someone on accident.

    ¡°Anyway, we won¡¯t be reaching Luna until nightfall. Why don¡¯t you take a nap with Mary? I¡¯m going to review my notes for a bit.¡± She said as she pulls out a worn leather skin journal.

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    I give teacher a hug, thanking her in my heart for the opportunity she gave me. Teacher responded by giving me a light head pat. I move over to Mary, sitting down next to her. I then take out my barrettes and let my hair down. Mary signals me to lay down on her lap, to which I happily agreed. Soon, I felt myself slowly falling into slumber under the quiet atmosphere.

 Chapter 8 - Marquess Vrynn

    ¡°Wake up, Selene.¡±

    I hear Mary¡¯s voice, prompting me to wake up from my nap. I slowly sit up and stretch.

    ¡°Mmmh...haaaah.¡±

    ¡°Here, let me help you.¡±

    Mary took out a handkerchief and wiped my eyes for me. While she was doing it, I notice that we stopped moving.

    ¡°Thanks Mary!¡±

    I try to rush over to the window to see the scenery outside. However, Mary caught me before I could.

    ¡°Selene, you¡¯re a young lady now. Please mind your appearance.¡±

    I felt my hair to realize that it poofed up from my nap. For some reason, after I became a dhampir my hair has also become more unruly than ever. It used to stay straight so easily.

    ¡°Oh, sorry Mary, I forgot.¡± I said in a small voice.

    Mary gave a small sigh but didn¡¯t look particularly upset.

    ¡°Anyway, come here¡± Mary says tapping the seat next to her.

    I instead move over and sat on her lap like I usually do. Mary gave a short chuckle saying, ¡°My my, I¡¯ve spoiled you rotten.¡± I sit still as Mary fixes up my hair.

    A moment later, Mary tapped my shoulder indicating that she was finished. I got up and posed for her, after careful examination she gives me a satisfied nod. My hair was now tied up in a neat high ponytail. The curls make it so I can''t leave it straight perm anymore, so tying it up makes it look nice.

    ¡°Now, let¡¯s go. The mistress is waiting for us.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Mary stood up and opens the door to the carriage before stepping out. I follow behind her, reaching my hand outward so she can help me descend.

    I look around to see that we are now right outside of a white mansion. I further examine the surroundings, it¡¯s not as big as teacher¡¯s place but it has a nice feel to it.

    The entire premise is enclosed by a tall aluminum fence. I also see a couple vampires walking about the front yard garden. Turning back to Mary, I see her talking with miss Sylvae. She notices me looking at her and beckons me to come over.

    ¡°Where are we, Mary?¡± I ask after walking up to them.

    ¡°This is the home of Marquess Vrynn. We¡¯ll be resting here for a day before continuing to Amarande,¡± Mary explains.

    ¡°Sylvae, we¡¯ll be entering now, good luck.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative, I¡¯ll give you a detailed report about the incident later.¡±

    With that, Sylvae suddenly jumps high into the night sky, leaving a slight trace of wind following in her trail.

    ¡°Whoa! What was that, Mary?!¡±

    ¡°Sylvae is a 6th tier wind magician. That was a 1st tier Wind Burst that she used to aid her jump. She also used the 3rd tier spell Air Barrier. It¡¯s usually meant to be a shield against wind magic but Sylvae modified it to prevent wind resistance as she moves.¡± Mary eloquently explains.

    ¡°Wow! I want to learn to do that! Teacher says I have an affinity with wind too!¡±

    Mary gives me a soft smile and says, ¡°Maybe later. I¡¯ll ask her about it.¡±

    ¡°For now, let¡¯s go in.¡± She says with a smile.

    Mary took my hand as we walk into the mansion. Upon entering, I see tons of servants moving about.

    A young butler with blond hair walks up to us and greets us with a bow.

    ¡°Welcome. Master Vrynn and Duchess Babylon have been expecting you. Right this way.¡±

    Mary responds with a neat bow. Together, we follow the butler into a wide inner hall right in the middle of the mansion. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Unlike Teacher¡¯s home that has big stairs right in the middle, this place has spiral staircases on the left and right side, with a pathway deep into the mansion in the middle.

    A couple of doors down, the butler stopped and knocked on a pair of double doors. It opened from the inside and then he turns to us with a bow.

    ¡°Please enter.¡±

    Entering through the large double doors, I see the large dining room within. Seated at the front of the rectangular table is teacher, with papa standing not far behind her.

    Near her was an old man with grayed hair and mustache. He has quite a large build with a lot of muscles.

    ¡°Ah! Mary, Selene! Come, over here!¡± Teacher exclaims.

    While walking over I notice that there¡¯s a girl about my age seated next to the old man.

    She had shoulder length braided brunette hair neatly resting upon her left shoulder and brown eyes. Mary pulls a seat out for me when we arrive next to teacher, I move to sit down and rearrange my skirt.

    Mary walked over to teacher and then backed away to where papa was, he flashed me a smile before returning to his work expression.

    I turn to look at teacher who has a dignified smile on her face, she looks around the table at me, the young girl, and the old man.

    ¡°I believe introductions are in order.¡± She says to all three of us, then motions to the man.

    ¡°Selene, this is Marquess Vrynn. He rules over the town of Luna and was quite a well known warrior in his prime.¡± She says with a noble expression.

    I peek at the old marquess, he looks even bigger up close.

    ¡°Sir Vrynn, this is my student I was telling you about, Selene McDowell, daughter of my knight, Abel McDowell.¡±

    ¡°Hoho, Is that so?¡± The old Marquess glances at papa.

    Papa bows his head in response to the Marquess¡¯ gaze.

    ¡°Also, Duchess Babylon, I am but a retired knight. I fear that your praises will hold no credibility with the youngsters.¡± The old man says with a hearty laugh.

    ¡°And please call me Alphonse, I no longer serve the kingdom. You know as much as I do that the title is just a formality.¡± He tells Papa before looking at me, making me nervous.

    ¡°That goes for you too young Selene. There¡¯s no need for formalities here in my home.¡± He says with a soft smile.

    I silently breathed out a sigh of relief upon seeing the smiling expression of the old man.

    ¡°Yes, mister Alphonse!¡±

    ¡°Hohoho, good. An energetic response! Now, some introductions of my own.¡± He says then motions his hand over to the girl.

    ¡°This is my granddaughter, Astrid. Say hello Astrid!¡±

    The young girl stands up and does a curtsy to me and teacher.

    ¡°I am pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± She says in a melodic voice still curtsying.

    ¡°My name is Astrid Vrynn, first daughter of Lord Acheron Vrynn and Lady Amaya Vrynn.¡± She finishes then sits back down.

    ¡°My, what a well mannered child,¡± Teacher compliments.

    I inwardly nod at her flawless manners, she¡¯s a lot better at this sort of stuff than me.

    Suddenly I feel someone¡¯s gaze on the back of my head, chances are it¡¯s Mary. I can already imagine her giving me another lecture on manners with Astrid as an example after this...

    ¡°I hear that young Selene will be attending the Noctus Royal Academy soon, what a welcomed coincidence.¡± The Marquess joyfully states.

    ¡°Astrid here will be doing the same as well!¡± He proudly says.

    ¡°Really now, will Astrid be attending as a first year as well?¡± Teacher asks curiously.

    ¡°That is correct. She just turned 10 years of age last spring.¡±

    ¡°My, what a joyous occasion. It seems you¡¯ve just met your future classmate, Selene.¡±

    I look over to Astrid and grin. She calmly smiles back in response.

    ¡°Hohoho, Duchess Babylon, might I propose a suggestion?¡± The old Marquess respectfully asks.

    ¡°Oh? Of course, allow me to hear it.¡±

    ¡°Since young Selene and my Astrid will be attending the academy together, why not give them a day to get to know each other?¡± My eyes lit up upon hearing the suggestion and I looked to teacher in anticipation.

    She doesn¡¯t notice me and has a pondering expression seeming to consider the offer.

    ¡°We would love for you to stay at least until dinner tomorrow night as well!¡± The Marquess adds.

    Teacher responds to this with silence glancing at me she takes note of my pleading eyes and wryly smiles back at me.

    She raises her right hand, signaling Mary over.

    ¡°Mary, why don¡¯t you go inform Sylvae of our new arrangements.¡±

    ¡°As you wish, mistress.¡±

    With that, Mary steps backwards and to the side, before making her way out the door we entered from.

    I notice Astrid discreetly stealing peeks at me so I look her in the eye and smile curiously at her.

    She slightly blushed in embarrassment, no doubt at me noticing her stare, and looked down at her hands awkwardly.

    ¡°Well, let us feast!¡± Our host suddenly yells almost making my shoulders jump in surprise.

    After that energetic declaration, the Marquess clapped his hands and dishes began to be brought in by the butlers of the house.

    I try my best to keep Mary¡¯s lessons on table manners in mind while I eat. I¡¯m still not used to it yet so while we were eating, I stole side glances at Astrid and tried my best to copy what she was doing.

    Reaching the end of the meal, conversation began to pick up again.

    ¡°Now before I show you to your rooms, may I be presumptuous enough to make another bold request Duchess Babylon?¡± The Marquess suddenly asks with a serious tone.

    Teacher merely nodded in response.

    ¡°I fear that retirement has left me with few opportunities for proper exercise. May I ask for a sparring match with your knight, Sir Abel?¡±

    I look over to teacher in surprise upon hearing the Marquess¡¯s request. It felt like it came completely out of nowhere.

    Then it occurred to me, I¡¯ve never actually seen papa fight before. He also mostly trains early in the morning before I wake up.

    Teacher wasn¡¯t fazed by the question at all, almost as if she expected it.

    ¡°What say you, my knight?¡±

    ¡°Mistress, I am always prepared for battle,¡± papa promptly responds with a slight bow.

    ¡°Well then, I look forward to the evening¡¯s entertainment.¡± She says with a slightly smug smile.

    ¡°Hohoho! Let us depart for the training ground out back, we have a nice wide open space used for sparring there.¡±

    With that, we all got up and followed the old Marquess through the mansion. The Marquess and Astrid led us in front while teacher and I walked behind them, with papa tailing behind us. I lightly tap teacher¡¯s hand to get her attention.

    ¡°Hm? What is it Selene?¡±

    ¡°Teacher, did you know he was going to ask you for this?¡± I ask quietly.

    ¡°Fufu, yes, of course. The Vrynn household is a family of warriors and knights, and even among them Sir Vrynn himself was famous for his vigor. I expected that he couldn¡¯t pass up the opportunity to duel with Abel.¡± Teacher whispered back.

    Surprised by teacher¡¯s answer I take a closer look at the old Marquess, and can totally see it!

    Although he¡¯s big and muscular, his body is extremely fit and he walks with a grace and balance that somehow resembles papa.

    A few moments later, we arrive in the backyard. I immediately see a big open dirt field upon exiting the mansion.

    The arena is lit by the bright moonlight of the full moon, not that I need it. I¡¯ve noticed that after becoming a dhampir I can see way better now in the dark, almost better than during the day.

    ¡°Hoho, why don¡¯t we warm up first. Pick a weapon of your choice, Sir Abel. We shall begin in 5 minutes¡± the Marquess says.

    I nervously watch papa as he picks out a wooden sword from a barrel of training weapons when I feel a tap on my shoulder.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous, your father, my knight, is not a weak man,¡± teacher reassures me over my shoulder.

    I nod absentmindedly still watching papa as we walk to the back of the mansion. Exiting it, a large training field can be seen, with various training equipment propped up upon stands can be seen near the dirt field. This will be the battlefield for the two.

 Chapter 9 - Spar and News

    Reeling back to reality, I join teacher and Astrid over at the terrace, where a table and a few chairs have been set up by the butlers and maids.

    Astrid was already sitting there, I make my way over and I take my seat next to her, while teacher takes one beside me.

    ¡°Hi, my name¡¯s Selene!¡± I say to Astrid trying to be as friendly as possible before realizing my mistake immediately after and try to salvage the situation.

    ¡°Though I guess you already knew that, hehe.¡± I nervously laugh.

    Astrid seems to be taken aback by my sudden introduction judging by her blank expression, then she turns red in the face and shyly says in a small voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you Selene.¡±

    I tilt my head in confusion, her current appearance is totally different from the graceful introduction she did before.

    Noticing my expression, she looks down in dejection and answers my silent question.

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve had a lot of lessons in etiquette but, I¡¯m not really that good at socializing.¡±

    ¡°No no, it¡¯s okay! I know someone just like you actually, kind of. He¡¯s not great at talking either but he gets really excited about his books!¡± I say to calm Astrid down but I think I might¡¯ve said the wrong words.

    ¡°Really? What kind of books does he like? I like books too, the Arcadium series is my favorite. Followed by Luminous Aquera and the Sage Weaver¡¯s Compendium,¡± She says rapidly no signs of being upset.

    I sigh to myself in relief and smile as I recall my first meeting with Alex. However, I reeled back upon hearing the name of a familiar book.

    ¡°Arcadium? Are you studying runes?¡± I ask.

    ¡°Yes! Runes are the best! It¡¯s so interesting how a slight change in the rune formation of a spell can have drastic changes when done properly!¡± Astrid suddenly erupts.

    ¡°My, someone from the Vrynn family being interested in Runeology, today is full of surprises.¡± Teacher suddenly says reminding us of her presence.

    Astrid once again turns slightly red and looks down. I pout at teacher for messing with Astrid.

    ¡°Fufu, don¡¯t worry my dear, I think it¡¯s wonderful! I¡¯ll prepare a gift for you tomorrow, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find it most interesting.¡± Teacher says with a soft smile.

    Astrid lit up upon hearing it.

    ¡°T-t-thank you very much!¡± Astrid stutters as she shoots up and gives a deep bow.

    ¡°Fufu, you¡¯re very welcome my dear. Anyway, it looks like things are about to get started.¡± Teacher says while directing our attention to the field.

    Papa and Marquess Alphonse are now standing opposite of each other on the dirt field. Their wooden swords held by their side.

    ¡°Are you ready? Sir Abel?¡± The Marquess asks.

    ¡°Yes, your excellency. I am ready.¡± Papa nods.

    ¡°Good good, the match will be settled once one of us is rendered unable to continue or surrenders.¡±

    And with that, they both readied their swords. They simply stared at each other for a few moments.

    A couple of seconds go by with them just staring each other down when suddenly the Marquess leaped towards papa.

    It was incredibly fast, I only saw their clash after it sent out a slight shockwave that could be felt by us sitting at the terrace.

    Papa took a step back after diverting the contest of strength towards the ground.

    Chasing after him, the Marquess unleashes a flurry of swift strikes from multiple angles, his blade becoming a blur under the incredible speed.

    Papa stands his ground with a mix of carefully placed blocks and dodges. After a few seconds of the onslaught, papa retaliates with a horizontal slash, forcing the Marquess back. I catch my breath as the two reach a stalemate.

    ¡°Wow, I¡¯ve never seen anyone be able to withstand grandpa¡¯s flurry. Selene, your papa is amazing!¡± Astrid suddenly said from next to me.

    I can only stare in amazement at what¡¯s happening, I never knew papa was so strong! I tug at teacher once again with a question.

    ¡°How can they move so fast, teacher?¡±

    ¡°Well, like I¡¯ve explained before, warriors forge their bodies constantly by tirelessly training their physique using mana. Abel¡¯s strength is a testament to his hard work.¡±

    ¡°Wow, papa is so cool!¡± I cheer.

    ¡°Ahem, of course, he is my knight after all. Don¡¯t forget though, Selene, this is nothing in the eyes of a powerful mage.¡±

    As teacher finished, I notice the ongoing battle coming to halt. Papa and the Marquess take a short distance from each other, maintaining their stance.

    A red glow starts emanating off of the Marquess¡¯s body but it immediately disappears, followed by a green glow doing the same. Papa also glows yellow slightly in reply.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening teacher?¡±

    ¡°This is what¡¯s known as combat arts. It is very similar to magic but not quite.¡± She explains calmly.

    ¡°By navigating mana from their core into various parts of their magic circuit, they can temporarily increase their fighting capabilities. The skills utilized by the Marquess are ¡®Boost¡¯ and ¡®Acceleration,¡¯ one is to raise his overall abilities, and the other to raise his agility tremendously.¡±

    ¡°What about papa?¡±

    ¡°Abel, on the other hand, is using a special skill, not many warriors try to learn it so it might be unique only to him.¡± She says with genuine praise in her voice.

    ¡°Because Abel has low mana purity and capacity, he focuses all of it into boosting his reflexes, I believe it''s called ¡®Limit Break.¡¯ It takes intense concentration as the secret to this technique involves the magic circuit in his brain. One wrong move and it could be deadly.¡±

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    I can feel the pressure radiating from the Marquess¡¯s body. It¡¯s as if the air shook under his might. Inversely, I couldn¡¯t feel anything from papa at all.

    ¡°Is papa in trouble, then?¡± I worriedly ask.

    ¡°Fufu, just wait and see.¡± She replies with a grin.

    I turn back and watch closely as the two men stood motionless in the moonlight. Then, in a split second, the Marquess turn into a blur and appeared where papa stood.

    Papa, on the other hand, didn''t move at all, and then it was over in an instant.

    A loud bang sent another shockwave at us and as I covered my face to guard myself, I missed what happened completely.

    As I examine aftermath, I see the two stood in the middle of the field next to each other and soon, one of them knelt down.

    The Marquess had fallen, supporting himself with the wooden sword in one hand and clutching his stomach with the other.

    Papa points his sword at the marquess'' neck with a resolute look.

    ¡°A beautiful counter, I must say, Sir Abel.¡± The Marquess says with ragged breath.

    ¡°I surrender!¡±

    With that, papa withdraws his sword and helps the Marquess stand up. He supported him as the two make their way back to us.

    ¡°Grandpa, are you okay?¡± Astrid worriedly asks.

    ¡°Hohoho! No need to worry my dear, tis but a bruise! That was a great battle, Sir Abel. Thank you for indulging in this old fool¡¯s request.¡±

    ¡°Please, your excellency, it is I who should be thanking you. That was a great learning experience.¡± Papa says with respect.

    ¡°As humble as he is strong! Wonderful! Hohoho!¡± The Marquess heartily laughs as he sits down.

    As the previous tense atmosphere began to deflate, I take this opportunity to ask what happened as I had missed it.

    ¡°Papa, what did you do at the end there, I didn''t catch it at all! Amazing!¡± I enthusiastically ask.

    Papa shows a bewildered expression and then shyly say,

    ¡°A-haha, it''s really not that amazing. I can only use one combat art so the only way I could win was to bet everything on a counter.¡±

    ¡°Or so he says.¡± The Marquess interjected. ¡°Do not sell yourself short, Sir Abel. It was a beautifully timed and executed counter. Even with my Acceleration, I could not dodge it.¡±

    Papa shows a somewhat flustered face upon the sudden praise and then quickly composes himself.

    ¡°Thank you, Lord Vrynn. I am honored that my plain swordsmanship could be evaluated by you.¡± Papa says with a neat bow.

    ¡°Hohoho! Nonsense! Compared to the pointless flashiness of the youngins I see these days, I admire your efficient form much more!¡±

    Papa did not reply but there was a warm smile on his face. Teacher continued sipping her tea with her trademark smug expression.

    Then, we were soon joined by Mary and miss Sylvae, who were led by one of the butlers.

    ¡°Ah, Mary. Too bad you didn¡¯t arrive sooner, you missed a good show.¡± Teacher suddenly says with a somewhat mischievous expression.

    Mary begins to examine the situation, first looking at the energetic but albeit tired Marquess, and then Papa.

    Seeming to understand the situation, Mary gives a tired sigh, to which papa returns with a nervous chuckle. Mary continues over to teacher with miss Sylvae and whispers something in her ear.

    ¡°?!¡± Upon hearing whatever Mary told her, teacher shot a surprised expression.

    ¡°Are you absolutely sure?¡± Teacher asks as she puts down her tea.

    ¡°Yes madam, Sylvae confirmed it herself.¡±

    Teacher ponders for a bit before finally speaking up.

    ¡°Marquess Vrynn, I fear we have a situation on our hands.¡±

    The Marquess responds in kind with a serious expression, waiting for what teacher has to say.

    ¡°My maid Sylvae has detected the presence of a demonic beast not too far from Luna.¡±

    ¡°What?! A demonic beast this close to settlement?!¡±

    Everyone displays a shocked expression. I¡¯ve only read about demonic beasts in books.

    They are cursed wildlife, twisted by dark, evil magic. A wound from a demonic beast can curse its victims, making them incredibly dangerous creatures.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so. Sylvae, explain the situation.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± She nods at her master before turning to the rest of us.

    ¡°I arrived here earlier today and prepared alarm magic within a two-mile radius of the town to detect any high amount of magical energy traveling through.¡±

    ¡°Approximately 2 hours ago, that alarm was triggered north of the town. Upon surveying the cause, I found footprints with the magical residue of a medium-sized demonic beast.¡±

    ¡°My word...I thought we drove the last remnants of them away in the war 600 years ago. I hope this doesn¡¯t forebode something more sinister,¡± the Marquess thinks out loud.

    ¡°Relax, Alphonse. We shall aid you in defending the town. Sylvae, I want you to use your search magic to try to identify the location of the beast. Do not engage it without my permission.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡±

    Miss Sylvae then walks over to me and handed me a piece of paper before jumping northward over the entire mansion. I read the note to find two runes, presumably for Wind Burst and Air Barrier.

    ¡°On behalf of the people in Luna, I thank you for your assistance, Duchess. I will prepare a hunting party and we shall slay the beast tonight!¡± The Marquess proclaims.

    Teacher nods in agreement, which goes to show how perilous the situation actually is.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, Duchess,¡± the Marquess says as he stands up. ¡°I shall send a servant to inform you when the preparations are finished. Come, Astrid.¡±

    Astrid looks concerned but nonetheless followed her grandfather. She turns and waves goodbye to me before the two enter back into the mansion.

    ¡°Teacher, can I do anything to help?¡±

    She smiles at me and gives me a head pat upon hearing my question.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Selene. But this is simply too dangerous.¡±

    I look at Papa and Mary but both instantly shake their heads.

    But I want to help! If teacher is this serious about it, I can''t just stay back and do nothing!

    ¡°Please let me come! I¡¯ve been training with teacher for 5 years, I can defend myself!¡±

    ¡°Selene...¡± Papa starts to interject, but then teacher interrupts him by raising her hand.

    ¡°If you wish to come, then show me the extent of your training.¡± She says as she raises her hand in my direction.

    ¡°If you can withstand this, I¡¯ll let you come.¡± She resolutely states.

    I can already feel the mana pressure pouring out from her hand before she even started. I instantly erect a magical barrier in preparation to receive teacher¡¯s blow, and then I move out toward the dirt field.

    ¡°It looks like you¡¯re ready. Everyone, stand back.¡±

    Papa and Mary reluctantly retreat a couple of steps back. Teacher remains seated and relaxed as ever as I stood a completely tensed a couple of meters away, still near the dirt field. Then, I felt it.

    ¡°Vermilion!¡±

    A giant ball of heat and mana flew toward me at breathtaking speed, there wasn''t any time to think. I pour every ounce of mana I have into my shield after seeing the size and power of Teacher¡¯s spell. When it finally hits I fully realize the magnitude of it.

    The concentrated flame instantly makes my barrier buckle under the pressure, the heat coming off it makes me feel as if my face was next to an open flame. If I wasn''t distracted by my barrier about to break I would''ve cried out from the pain.

    The grass and dirt burnt away under teacher¡¯s spell, leaving nothing but a scorched patch of land. The energy condenses into a ball and continues to push at me, refusing to dissipate.

    ¡°Nghh!¡± I groaned in pain from the strain of, what felt like, trying to hold up a house.

    I struggled as much as my body would let me, but I feel my mana reserves running out. Out of options, I start to use every spell my body remembers to try to push against the force of teacher¡¯s spell.

    ¡°Impact! Negative Wall! Shadow Burst!¡±

    I try every spell I can but they only get burned away under the dense heat of teacher¡¯s 6th tier spell, Vermilion. I suddenly thought of a desperate idea, remembering Sylvae.

    ¡°Armaments: Shadow wings!¡±

    A giant pair of wings grow from my back, using nearly the remainder of my mana pool.

    ¡°Air Barrier!¡±

    I create an air barrier around teacher¡¯s spell, cutting off the air from which it feeds to fuel its strength and also upon my wings to fortify it. Then I stretch my wings out and collapse them quickly on the inferno, dissipating the remainder of the spell.

    ¡°Haa. Haa. Haa.¡±

    I fall to my knees, completely drained of energy, my wings completely disintegrating. The spell has pushed me back to the other side of the dirt field, with burnt, scorched earth left in its wake. Papa quickly ran over to pick me up and carry me back to the terrace.

    ¡°Well done, my student. That was very clever, weakening my Vermilion with Air Barrier before destroying it with Shadow Wings. As expected of a Darkness-Wind Hybrid Spell.¡±

    I beam at Teachers praise until she throws cold water on my excitement.

    ¡°Though, why didn¡¯t you just fly out of the way after activating your wings?¡±

    I pause upon hearing what she said.

    ¡°Oops.¡±

    Papa and Mary sigh hearing my response. Teacher simply shrugs.

    ¡°In accordance with our agreement I will bring you along.¡±

    My face lit up in excitement but then,

    ¡°However! As I suspected you are still far too weak, you will be a bystander and no more.¡± She resolutely states.

    I look at Teacher in surprise then recognize what she¡¯s talking about.

    ¡°From what I saw, you¡¯re still not strong enough.¡±

    I wilt in dejection and disappointment and stare at my feet so they can¡¯t see the face I¡¯m making.

    ¡°Well, even though I held back a lot in that Vermilion, it¡¯s still impressive that you were able to destroy it.¡± She says sincerely.

    My head shoots up immediately after hearing that.

    I turn to look at the barren land the spell left in its wake and look at Teacher with wide eyes.

    ¡°Held back!?¡± I say incredulously.

    ¡°Of course.¡± She says with a mock sniff of disdain.

    ¡°That Vermillion was dramatically weakened to practically a tier 5 spell instead of its full tier 6 power. If I use my specialty magic it would become a tier 7 spell as well.¡±

    I almost start to feel even more depressed but inwardly smile slightly at Teacher¡¯s behavior, I still think it¡¯s cute when she¡¯s smug.

    Teacher clears her throat before smiling in reassurance at me.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no way a beast can ever stand a chance against me.¡± She states with natural confidence.

    I blink then smile weakly at her and nod. However, her confidence reassures me that everyone will be okay.

    (As I thought, teacher is amazing. I have to try harder so that I can make her proud.)

    Teacher stands up elegantly and pats my head.

    ¡°Be proud of what you have accomplished. Also, although you won''t be participating in the battle, do not be negligent. This is an opportunity for you to witness a real battle.¡± She consoles me.

    My motivation grows further upon hearing teacher''s words and I smile brightly.

    ¡°Yes teacher, I''ll do my best,¡± I exclaim with a guts pose.

    Papa and Mary gave a relieved smile and together, the four of us walked back into the mansion.

 Chapter 10 - Hunting Party

    After returning to the mansion, we were greeted by a butler that led us to a guest room on the upper floor of the mansion.

    We took our seats and leisurely awaited the coming conflict. At first, I was quite tense still but as Mary began serving our tea, the atmosphere began to soften.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, everything will be fine,¡± Mary says as she pats me on the head.

    I nod in reply and took a sip of tea.

    ¡°Ehehe, Mary¡¯s tea is delicious as always.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad. Now, let me fix your hair. It¡¯ll be a problem if it got in the way.¡±

    As she says that, I suddenly realized what a mess it has become. I protected myself with a thin barrier of mana to avoid any injuries but the force of the impact still managed to ruin it.

    ¡°Ah. O-okay.¡± I uttered, slightly embarrassed.

    Teacher chuckled upon my realization.

    ¡°Fufu, Selene. This is another lesson. Remember, how you fight is just as important as winning. As my disciple, you must remember to maintain your appearance at all times.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes teacher.¡± I shyly responded.

    I notice papa¡¯s gaze, his face seems to ask ¡®is it really that important?¡¯ as he gives us an inquisitive look. Mary turned to him and suddenly he shook and averted his gaze. Curious, I look up at Mary and only saw her smiling face looking back at me.

    We continued relaxing as Mary braided my hair and tied off the end tightly. Soon, a messenger arrived.

    *Knock Knock*

    ¡°Pardon my intrusion, the Marquess has sent me to deliver a message.¡±

    ¡°You may enter.¡± Teacher replied.

    As the butler entered the room, he gave a neat bow towards teacher and continued.

    ¡°The Marquess has finished preparations. He wishes your ladyship to join him in the meeting room below. If you will allow me, I would be happy to guide you.¡±

    ¡°Very well. Come, everyone. Let us join in on the briefing.¡± Teacher exclaim with dignity.

    We stand up and follow the butler downstairs to a meeting room near the main entrance of the mansion.

    As we approached the room, we could see the Marquess, alongside five men in lightly armored attire. The butler guided us to the entrance and bowed upon seeing that the Marquess has acknowledged our arrival. He stood by the entrance as our party continues onwards into the room.

    ¡°Ah! Welcome! Everyone, I¡¯m sure you are acquainted with Duchess Baylon of Raven. My lady, these are warriors that I have trained personally at our Luna knight academy. I can attest to their competency myself. Let me introduce you to them. From left to right are Albert, Richard, Silas, Lucas, and Spencer.¡±

    ¡°My lady,¡± the men all replied with a bow.

    Teacher eyed each one of them for a few moments and then responded,

    ¡°Very good. Have you already prepared a battle plan?¡±

    ¡°Yes, once we know of the beast¡¯s location. We will surround it in formation. We humbly ask that you set up a barrier around the battleground to prevent the beast from escaping. A prolonged chase would only work it its favor.¡± The old Marquess explained.

    ¡°Hmm? Ah, I see. Very well, that is fine.¡± Teacher replied with a tired look.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I lightly uttered.

    ¡°The Marquess doesn¡¯t want the mistress to have to use her signature magic in the middle of the forest. Also, he secretly wishes to use this situation as training for his knight cadets,¡± papa whispered to me.

    (He wants to use this as training?)

    I showed a shocked expression but somehow I¡¯m not that surprised. However, I think back on teacher¡¯s previous Vermilion and I feel like I understand where he¡¯s coming from as well in regards to that first part.

    As I examine one of the young warriors he has gathered, Albert I think, he notices my gaze and wave with a refreshing smile. Soon after, another one of the men smacked him in the back of his head and he turned his attention back to the briefing.

    I nudge at papa and whisper to him,

    ¡°But isn¡¯t it still dangerous?¡±

    ¡°Well, it certainly is not ideal, but he must be confident in their ability. Also, with the mistress here, they will have protection from darkness attribute curses.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    While pondering papa¡¯s explanation. I once again realize just how strong teacher is.

    ¡°Greetings mistress, I have just returned.¡±

    I turn around upon hearing the familiar voice and see miss Sylvae bowing at us.

    ¡°Ah, perfect timing. Sylvae, go ahead and give your report to Alphonse.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Sylvae neatly walks forward and the men make an opening at the table for her. She examines the laid out map for a short moment and points at a spot north-east of the town.

    ¡°After tracking the beast, I trailed it until it stopped moving around this area here. It seems to be hunting local wildlife.¡±

    ¡°Hm. I see. Thank you for that information, miss. As I suspect, we must act fast. On the off chance that its corruption spreads, we¡¯ll have a huge problem on our hands.¡± The Marquess explains.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Alright men, as we discussed, we will surround the beast and engage it together. Once you draw its ire, retreat and focus on defense. Remember, although we will have protection against curses by the graces of the Duchess, the beast possesses incredible physical strength as well, stay vigilant!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± They simultaneously replied.

    ¡°Sir, a request! After this is done, I would like a day off!¡± Yelled Albert with earnest.

    However, it was promptly met with another smack by the man next to him again.

    ¡°Ow! Richard! Come on, we haven¡¯t had a break from training in over 2 months! Even in my dreams, all I see are weights and swords!¡± He says with tears in his eyes.

    ¡°Idiot. What are you complaining about, after all this time? You¡¯re the one who wanted to join.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s because I wanted to be a knight! At this rate, I¡¯m going to turn into a muscle wizard! Lucas! You¡¯re on my side right?!¡±

    The man named Lucas simply turned away and didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°Okay okay, enough of your antics,¡± said the man named Silas as he puts Albert in a stranglehold.

    ¡°We got a job to do, so stop whining.¡±

    ¡°Give it up Lucas, he¡¯s a lost cause.¡± Spencer uttered as he sighed and facepalmed.

    ¡°Albert¡­ It seems you haven¡¯t had enough training. I¡¯ll deal with you when we get back.¡±

    The Marquess had a sharp look in his eyes. I know that look. Once I tried to lie to Mary that I was sick to skip out on etiquette lessons...never again.

    ¡°Noooo!¡±

    Albert collapsed, seemingly losing his will to fight.

    ¡°Is he going to be alright?¡± Teacher mused.

    ¡°Hohoho, I apologize for the display, my lady. But worry not, although he¡¯s like that, he¡¯s actually one of my top students.¡±

    Teacher and I both flash a surprised look. To think the melted blob on the floor is one of the Marquess¡¯ top students. I guess appearances can be deceiving.

    ¡°Now then, Duchess, although we would love to have Sir Abel join us, I request that he stay on standby and let us engage the beast.¡±

    ¡°That is fine, what say you, Abel?¡± Teacher says as she turns to papa.

    ¡°I believe that is a wise decision, your grace. My style is more suited to one-on-one combat and impromptu teamwork could be harmful to your formation.¡± Papa elaborates.

    ¡°I thank you, as expected, you are very insightful, Sir Abel. Very well, let us depart! I apologize in advance, my lady, but unfortunately we were not able to prepare a carriage in time.¡±

    ¡°That is fine, this is an emergency, after all.¡±

    ¡°Indeed. Now then, we have prepared horses for everyone out front. Let us make haste. Richard, drag Albert with you.¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir! Alright, Albert, enough¡¯s enough. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    ¡°Richard¡­ I can¡¯t believe you wouldn¡¯t back me up... Don¡¯t blame me when you get picked for clean up and find out that I¡¯m not there to help you¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, off we go.¡±

    ¡°H-hey wait! I can walk!¡±

    As the men head out with Richard dragging Albert in tow, the rest of us soon follow, but first,

    ¡°Mary, Sylvae, wait for us here.¡± Teacher turns and says.

    ¡°Understood, mistress.¡±

    They both answered with a bow. Mary then turns to me,

    ¡°Be careful, okay?¡± She says while patting my head.

    ¡°Yeah, I got it!¡±

    With that, Teacher, papa, and I follow the Marquess into the courtyard garden and further out towards the main entrances. Several horses were awaiting our arrival, with the butlers holding their reins.

    ¡°This one will do. Come, Selene.¡±

    Teacher beckons to me as she picks out a horse from the pack.

    ¡°Ho? The young Selene will be joining us as well? Be careful my dear, follow your teacher¡¯s instructions. The battlefield is a fickle place.¡± The Marquess says to me as teacher helps me onto the horse.

    ¡°Understood!¡± I nod.

    ¡°Hohoho. Now, allow me to lead. The area around Luna is basically my backyard. Hya!¡±

    With the Marquess leading in front, the rest of us follow as we ride towards the north gate. The Marquess¡¯ mansion was situated on the northern side of the town, opposite facing the Luna knight academy, so it was a short ride before we reached the gate.

    On approach, the gates slowly opened, as if expecting our arrival. The guards standing atop the gates salute us as we ride by and exit the town.

    ¡°Everyone! Once we enter the forest area there will be rough terrain, make sure you don¡¯t lose sight of the person in front of you!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡±

    ***

    ¡°Alright, this area should be good.¡±

    After riding for quite a while, we stopped near a stream and tie the reins of our horses to a nearby tree.

    ¡°Everyone, gather round!¡±

    At the Marquess¡¯ behest, we form a circle around where he has a map laid out.

    ¡°According to miss Sylvae¡¯s information, the beast should be about 5 minutes running distance directly north of us. I will take my team and encircle it, while Duchess Babylon work on erecting a barrier around this area.¡±

    Everyone nods in response.

    ¡°Sir Abel, you will be positioned west of our encirclement. Should the beast try to flee and break our formation, we will route it to you. I¡¯ll leave the decision of whether or not to delay it or finish it to you.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Do you find this plan acceptable, Duchess?¡± The Marquess turns and asks teacher.

    ¡°Not a bad plan. But it seems that I won¡¯t have much to do after all,¡± teacher sighs.

    ¡°My apologies, your grace. I would love to have you join, but given the nature of your magic, I wish to have you as our last line of defense. Hohoho.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah, I got it.¡± Teacher pouts.

    ¡°Thank you for your understanding. Now everyone, move out!¡±

    The Marquess and his men, followed by papa head out deeper into the forest. I wave them goodbye as they follow the Marquess into battle, leaving teacher and me behind.

    ¡°Alright Selene, how long can you maintain your Shadow Wings for?¡±

    ¡°Umm, I¡¯m still recovering my mana, but I should last for at least 30 minutes.¡±

    ¡°Hm.¡±

    Teacher thinks for a moment and then flashes a mischievous smile for just a second.

    ¡°Alright then, come, I¡¯ll share some of my mana with you.¡±

    ¡°O-okay.¡±

    After walking up to her, she places her hand on my back and I start to feel a warmth spread out from it. It was a very strange yet comforting feeling.

    ¡°Ngh, it feels weird, teacher.¡±

    ¡°Fufu, that¡¯s it, just a little more.¡±

    ¡°Ah!¡±

    I feel my core bursting with a hot feeling and I fall to my knees.

    ¡°There, you should be all set now.¡± Teacher says with a satisfied smile.

    ¡°Teacher! Haa. That was too much!¡±

    ¡°Fufu, this is another lesson, my student. If you let someone share their mana with you, be careful or that might happen.¡±

    ¡°Hmph, teacher is mean!¡± I pout.

    ¡°Aww, don¡¯t say that, teacher is gonna cry.¡± She says while covering her face.

    ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t mean it!¡±

    I stand up and try to console her but then she reveals her ¡®crying¡¯ face.

    ¡°Just kidding, fufu. I can¡¯t help it, Selene is just so cute after all.¡±

    I feel my face getting a little flushed. I give up trying to retort, teacher always acts like this when we¡¯re alone.

    ¡°Alright, time to get to business. How do you feel now?¡±

    I pull myself back to reality and answer.

    ¡°Good, I think I can maintain it for an hour now at least.¡±

    ¡°Okay, now follow me, ¡®Levitation!¡¯¡±

    With that declaration, teacher floats up using her magic and fly into the sky. Levitation is a 5th tier neutral magic, so I can''t quite use it yet. I activate my Shadow Wings and follow her up.

    As we fly in the night sky, I can see papa¡¯s party beneath us. They¡¯ve spread quite far out, with the Marquess running quickly to get to his position north of the beast. After a few moments, I felt it. An incredibly uneasy and sticky feeling radiating from the beast¡¯s location as we drew closer.

    ¡°Do you feel that, Selene? That is the aura of a demonic beast. No one really knows how they come about, and they can inflict deadly darkness-element curses to those injured by them.¡± Teacher says with a serious voice.

    I gulp, ever so slightly regretting my decision to come, but steel myself after a few moments.

    ¡°Yes, it feels awful. Not even teacher knows where they come from?¡±

    ¡°Nay, they always periodically appear throughout history, wreaking havoc wherever they spawn. 600 years ago, a large legion of them suddenly appeared at the border of our country, and the forest of the elves. It took nearly 10 years and many sacrifices to defeat them. Alphonse¡¯s grandfather was one such casualty.¡± Teacher continued to explain in a solemn voice.

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    (So that¡¯s why the Marquess was so serious about it. His grandpa died before he was even born to these beasts.)

    ¡°Well, don¡¯t be too worried.¡± Teacher exclaim, seemingly noticing my inner contemplation.

    ¡°Back then we hadn¡¯t developed a ward against their curses, but now it should be much less dangerous. Besides, one beast is not much of an issue. The real issue is¡­¡± Teacher¡¯s voice trails off at the end.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Ah, nothing. Anyway, focus on observing the battle. If needed you can provide support. Your ¡®Negative Wall¡¯ should suffice to block a blow from the beast.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ¡°Alright, here! Stop, Selene.¡±

    We cease our flight and hover a short distance from the beast¡¯s location. I could see it. It¡¯s dark sinister fur was pitched black even in the moon¡¯s light. A large body distorted body that resembled the shape of a bear. Then, I felt teacher summon her mana.

    ¡°¡®Resistance Up!¡¯ ¡®Negative Energy Barrier!¡¯ ¡®Mana Dome!¡¯¡±

    Teacher casted three spells, after the first two spells, I saw papa and the other knights glow slightly for a brief moment. Then, after the third spell, a large dome erected over the forest, stretching for several hundred meters, with teacher at the center.

    Seemingly reacting to teacher¡¯s spell, the beast frantically started looking around. Then, it broke into a sprint northward, directly in the direction of the Marquess.

    ¡°HAAA!¡±

    The beast was sent flying back by the blow of the Marquess¡¯ sword, yet it seems to have remained unharmed.

    ¡°RAWRRRRRRGHH¡±

    Its roar echoes in the forest as trees shook and the wildlife ran in terror. The battle has begun.

 Chapter 11 - Demonic Beast

    I carefully observe the battle overhead, waiting for an opportunity to help.

    ¡°Lucas! He¡¯s coming your way!¡± Silas yelled.

    ¡°Tch, ¡®Boost!¡¯¡±

    The beast¡¯s swipe was carefully guarded as Lucas used a combat art to enhance his strength, yet he was still blown back several meters and crashed into a tree.

    ¡°Agh! I¡¯m okay, though my leg is slightly injured.¡±

    ¡°Damn it. Over here you overgrown beast, ¡®Rending Slash!¡¯¡±

    Silas¡¯ sword glowed red as he made his assault. It cut cleanly through the beast¡¯s side, blood gushing out from the wound.

    ¡°RAAAAWRRGH¡±

    That blow was clearly heavily felt by the beast.

    ¡°Teacher! What was that?!¡±

    ¡°That is yet another combat art. Unlike the ones you¡¯ve seen from Abel and Alphonse, which are passive ability boosts for a certain duration, that is an attack combat art, which can greatly increase the effectiveness of a warrior¡¯s strike.¡±

    ¡°Wow, cool!¡±

    ¡°Hmph, this much is nothing though. If it was me, a single spell would have ended the battle already.¡±

    I ignore teacher¡¯s pouting as I focus on the continued conflict.

    ¡°Albert! Backup Silas! Spencer, Richard, continue drawing its attention with feints! Lucas, once you¡¯ve recovered, get back in formation!¡±

    The Marquess issues instructions as he replaces Lucas¡¯s position in the formation, once in a while stepping in to block a blow from the beast.

    ¡°Be more vigilant! Just because you have protection doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t kill you!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    The battle continued in this fashion for several minutes, as the beast is slowly whittled down from all sides by the knight¡¯s tight formation. The conclusion seems to be drawing near, or so I thought.

    ¡°Boost! ¡®Aura Slash!¡¯¡±

    A wave of mana flew out from Albert¡¯s sword and cleanly sliced the beast¡¯s shoulder as it wailed in pain, but nevertheless remained steadfast.

    ¡°Fuck, this stupid bear won¡¯t die!¡± Yelled Albert with ragged breath.

    ¡°Don¡¯t lose focus now, we¡¯ve almost got it,¡± Richard replied.

    ¡°Hm? What¡¯s it doing?¡±

    With Spencer¡¯s inquiry, the beast suddenly dropped down on all fours and stared at Lucas. Then, it suddenly glowed a dark sinister purple aura.

    ¡°RAWRRGHHHHHHHHHHH¡±

    Spikes came shooting out of the ground swiftly darting towards Lucas¡¯ position.

    ¡°What? Magic?!¡± The Marquess gasped.

    ¡°Fuck! LUCAS!¡± Silas yelled.

    Lucas tried to leap out of the way but stopped halfway, clutching his right thigh.

    ¡°Ngh!¡±

    ¡°?! N-negative wall!¡± I hastily yell.

    A transparent purple wall appeared in the assault path of the spikes, conjured by my spell, however, it did nothing to stop the beast¡¯s Shadow Spike as it swiftly tore through it like paper. Just as all hope seems lost, suddenly a second wall appeared in front of Lucas¡¯ position and thoroughly blocked the attack.

    I looked up and saw that teacher had activated her spell as well, with a serious look on her face.

    ¡°¡®Acceleration!¡¯¡± The Marquess yelled as he leapt to Lucas¡¯ location, ceasing the momentary opening.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine. I think I pulled my leg trying to react to the spell. I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll take it from here. Silas! Take Lucas and back away!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    Silas quickly moved to Lucas, placing his arm over his shoulder, and leaped backward.

    ¡°Now that it¡¯s come to this¡­ Albert, Richard, Spencer! Create an opening west! We¡¯re going to lure it into Sir Abel¡¯s ambush!¡±

    ¡°Sir!¡±

    The men carefully maneuvered, continuing their hit and run tactics while creating a large opening in the formation to the west. The beast soon saw an opportunity and darted away. As it fled, the knights all fell down from exhaustion.

    ¡°Teacher! It¡¯s moving!¡±

    ¡°I see it.¡±

    Teacher blew out a puff of black smoke and then it slithered away to papa¡¯s location. One of her signature spells, Shadow Whisper.

    We continued to shadow the beast¡¯s movement as it ran towards papa. Papa lied hidden behind a tree as the beast frantically ran, leaving a trail of blood from its battle wounds in tow. As soon as it approached papa¡¯s location, he made his move.

    ¡°?! RAWR-¡±

    Papa¡¯s body glowed yellow the instant the beast entered his attack range, and with a leap, the beast¡¯s head was taken clean off. Its flailing body fell lifeless with a thud, marking the end of the battle.

    ¡°Wow, papa is so cool!¡±

    ¡°Well, I expected nothing less from my knight.¡±

    ¡°Ehehe! Yeah!¡±

    ¡°Now, let us rejoin the others.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Teacher and I flew back to the Marquess¡¯ position, where he is now administering first aid to his students with the help of Richard.

    ¡°Owowowow, too tight!¡± Albert complained.

    ¡°This is what you get for not paying attention.¡± Richard coldly replied.

    ¡°Hmm, okay Lucas, your leg wasn¡¯t fractured. A few days rest and you should be good to go.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, sir.¡±

    ¡°Alright, anyone else need medical attention? Hm? Ah! Your grace, young Selene, and Sir Abel as well!¡±

    The Marquess greeted us as we landed, papa also joined us after he had confirmed the kill.

    ¡°Papa! Are you okay?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, the beast was quite injured already and didn¡¯t notice my presence at all until it was too late.¡± He answered with a soft smile.

    ¡°Whew.¡±

    Then, I walked over to the knights, seeing their wounds.

    ¡°Are you guys okay?¡± I worriedly asked.

    ¡°Hohoho! Thank you for your concern, young Selene, but this is nothing. We will be fine. A couple of days of rest and they¡¯ll be back on their feet.¡±

    I sigh with relief, clutching my chest. The battle was intense and I felt bad for not being able to help with my spell at all. Then, teacher suddenly patted my head.

    ¡°You did your best, don¡¯t be ashamed. The Shadow Spike from the beast was quite strong.¡±

    ¡°Y-yes teacher.¡± I say, still somewhat dejectedly.

    ¡°Hoho, keep your chin up, Selene. Failure is the mother of success. Do not forget what you¡¯ve learned today and next time, you will surely succeed.¡± The Marquess warmly said.

    I nod, slightly cheering up after hearing the Marquess¡¯ words.

    ¡°Still, to think that a demonic beast could use magic¡­ Duchess, have you ever heard of such a thing?¡± The Marquess inquired with a serious tone.

    ¡°Nay. Even in all the times I¡¯ve encountered these creatures, not once have I seen one capable of using magic¡­¡± Teacher says with a pondering look on her face.

    ¡°Hm. What should we do with this information?¡±

    ¡°...I will take the beast with me on my trip to the capital, I have a few acquaintances there that might help us learn more.¡±

    ¡°I see...Then I leave it in your capable hands, my lady.¡±

    Teacher nods in response, still staring off into space. She seems like she has something serious on her mind, but I hold back my urge to ask.

    ¡°Well, with this we have completed our task. Let¡¯s not dally in these woods any longer. Anyone who can walk, help the injured! Come, let us return home!¡±

    Papa moved to help one of the injured knights, while I walk with teacher back to the demonic beast¡¯s corpse.

    Even dead, its sticky nauseating aura doesn¡¯t cease. The ground around the body slowly seeps with its blood, turning a toxic purple color.

    ¡°Teacher¡­¡± I say as I grab her hand.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s dead. However, as you can see, the ground has become blighted by its blood. This is the true terror of demonic beasts.¡±

    ¡°Can you fix it?¡±

    She shakes her head.

    ¡°Only a light mage can cleanse demonic blight. I will set up a weak barrier here to keep living creatures away until someone else comes and deal with it.¡±

    (Demonic beasts, just what are they? Teacher seems to be worried about something since the start. I¡¯ve never seen her seriously ponder over anything other than magic till now.)

    While I was engrossed in my thoughts, teacher pat my head.

    ¡°Teacher will handle everything, you don¡¯t need to worry. You must be tired by now right? Let¡¯s return back for now.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°¡®Dimensional Box¡¯ ¡®Void Cocoon¡¯¡±

    With her two spells, the body of the beast disappeared and a faint circular barrier appeared around the blighted ground. Then, something came to my mind.

    ¡°Teacher, won¡¯t this spell dissolve after you get too far away?¡±

    ¡°Normally yes, but I¡¯ve enhanced it to be self-sustaining for at least a week, more than enough time to deal with it.¡±

    ¡°Enhance it? How?¡±

    (I never knew you could do something like that.)

    ¡°Fufu, I was going to hold off on teaching you this till you become a full-fledged 5th tier magician, but there¡¯s no harm in giving you a head start. As you know, all spells come from runes, there exists a special type of runic formation that can be overlayed on top of base runes to amplify its effects, we call these ¡®Overrunes.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Overrunes? Coool, what can it do?¡± I say with a sparkle in my eye.

    ¡°Take a look at this.¡±

    Teacher draws a rune in the air with her fingertips using mana.

    ¡°That¡¯s the rune for Shadow Spikes! But, it looks a little different?¡±

    ¡°Fufu, actually, this is the base rune for Shadow Spike. The spell I¡¯ve taught you have actually already been overlayed with an Overrune. Look.¡±

    Teacher then draws the rune for Shadow Spike again, but this time it¡¯s the one I¡¯m familiar with.

    ¡°See these four outer markings, those are the Overrunes.¡±

    I examine the differences, I can clearly see that the Shadow Spike I¡¯m familiar with has four small markings on the outer edge of the rune, linking together to make a square inlaid into the rune.

    ¡°So this is an Overrune.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, Overrunes can be used to enhance a spell¡¯s duration, effective distance, power, area of effect, and so much more. The Overrune I use for Shadow Spike affects casting location, allowing it to be used at the opponent¡¯s location, rather than having to travel to them slowly from yours.¡±

    ¡°Wow, I never knew.¡±

    ¡°I taught you the enhanced Shadow Spike in preparation to teach you about Overrunes someday, but it is still too early for you. Overrunes are dangerous, it is essentially an advanced form of Overlay Magic, something you will soon learn about at the academy. Mages who improperly use Overlay Magic suffer a backlash, which can be fatal mid-combat.¡±

    ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why it took me so long to learn Shadow Spike.¡±

    I pondered as I remembered my training. Whenever I would fail, I felt significantly more tired than when I used other spells, so the learning process was much slower.

    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough for today. Shall we head home?¡± Teacher claps, snapping me out of my thoughts.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Teacher and I join the others waiting for us by the stream, and together we head back to the mansion.

    ***

    ¡°Welcome back, Mistress, Selene.¡±

    Mary greets us as we arrive at the gate of the mansion, Sylvae stood next to her bowing at us.

    ¡°Mary!¡±

    I jump at Mary and hug her, it¡¯s been a long day.

    ¡°My my, is this anyway a lady should act?¡± She says as she gently strokes my hair.

    ¡°Ehehe~¡±

    ¡°Haa.¡± She sighs, before looking over towards teacher. They both give each other a nod.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you off for today.¡± She says while fixing her glasses.

    Seizing the opportunity, I say,

    ¡°Maary. Carry me?¡± I say with my face buried in her uniform.

    ¡°Just what am I going to do with you.¡±

    I feel her lifting me up.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe.¡±

    A soft smile blooms on her face, finally relieving me off all my stress, and subsequently all the fatigue I¡¯ve built up until now finally hit me, and I fell into a deep slumber in her arms.

 Chapter 12 - The morning after

    ¡°Mnh¡­¡±

    I drowsily opened my eyes, using my hand to block the morning light that sneaked through the blinders, shining directly into my eyes. I wipe my eyes with my pajama sleeve and slowly sit up.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re up. Good morning Selene.¡±

    My eyes wander over towards the direction of the voice and see Mary sitting on the sofa, folding clothes.

    ¡°Good morning~ Mary~¡± I lazily respond.

    ¡°You can sleep some more if you¡¯d like. We aren¡¯t scheduled to leave for another few hours.¡±

    I search around for a clock and spy one hanging on the wall. It was already past 9 in the morning. Scanning the room one more time, the only people in the room right now was Mary and me.

    ¡°Mary~ Where¡¯s teacher?¡±

    ¡°The mistress is currently visiting the Mage¡¯s association in town. She mentioned needing to send a message to the capital.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡±

    My brain is still taking its time waking up, as usual, every morning I would lazily roll around for at least 30 minutes before finally getting up. I stretch to get my blood flowing and pull the blanket off my body. Noticing one more person missing, I walk over to Mary while wiping my eyes once more.

    ¡°Mary, where¡¯s papa?¡±

    ¡°Ab-...Sir Abel is currently attending the marquess¡¯ morning training. If you want to take a look, they should still be training right now at the academy training grounds across the street.¡±

    ¡°Mmh. Okay, I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±

    I strolled slowly towards the door until suddenly Mary pulled my arm and yanked me back.

    ¡°Where are you planning on going looking like that young lady?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    I look down and notice that I¡¯m currently in my underwear and pajama shirt.

    ¡°Ah.¡±

    ¡°¡®Ah¡¯ you say? Selene, if I hear about any unladylike behavior at the academy, don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll be able to stay for long.¡±

    ¡°Eek! I-I¡¯m sorry, Mary! I¡¯ll be careful, I promise!¡±

    ¡°Haa.¡±

    Mary gave a long sigh and picked out a dress from the stack of clothes she has in front of her.

    ¡°Come, let¡¯s take a shower first and then I¡¯ll help you get dressed. Arms up.¡±

    Mary quickly undresses me and take me into a bathroom directly connected to the room I was sleeping in. After a swift but comfortable shower, Mary takes me back into the previous room and sits me down by the tea table and dries my hair with a towel.

    ¡°Mary, I¡¯m really gonna miss you at the academy¡­¡± I say as I enjoy my typical pampering.

    ¡°Unfortunately retainers are not allowed at the Amarande Royal Academy, however, you should take this time to become more independent. You don¡¯t want to grow up to be a useless blob do you?¡±

    ¡°N-no, I don¡¯t.¡± I shyly answer.

    I truly will miss this time between us, but Mary is right. I might have gotten a little bit too used to this.

    Mary swiftly dresses me in a light greenish bell-sleeve dress after drying my hair and preps me for the day.

    ¡°Okay. You¡¯re all set.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Mary!¡±

    I give Mary a big hug and run off to the door. After grabbing the door handle, I turn back, with a thought coming to my mind.

    ¡°Oh, Mary, are you busy? Do you want to come too?¡±

    Mary pauses while looking at the pile of clothes that have already been neatly stacked in a small suitcase and then answers me.

    ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go together.¡±

    ¡°Yay!¡±

    Mary seals up the suitcase and places it on the table. Then walks over to me and holds my hand. I smile and then we exit into the hallway. On first glance, it seems like this was the same guest room that I was waiting in with teacher yesterday. From the balcony, we could see the first-floor lobby down below and the exit to the mansion. We venture down the stairs, greeting various servants along the way.

    As we exit the mansion, I saw the figure of the little girl I just met yesterday, hunched over and sitting by a small bed of flowers in the garden. Mary notices my pondering expression and stops.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go say hello? You¡¯ll be classmates soon after all.¡± She says with a smile.

    ¡°Okay! Be right back.¡±

    I trotted over to Astrid¡¯s location and she notices me on approach and smiles.

    ¡°Good morning Selene. I heard about what happened yesterday, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright.¡±

    ¡°Morning Astrid! Yeah it was a little scary, but kinda exciting at the same time. I¡¯m glad I was able to go.¡±

    ¡°What was the beast like? I¡¯ve only read stories about them in books.¡±

    ¡°Well, it was big like a bear, and it had a really creepy aura. Oh! Also it could use magic! That really shocked me.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­? A demonic beast that can use magic?¡±

    Astrid pauses upon hearing my retelling, with visible confusion on her face.

    ¡°Yeah, it was really strong too. Sad to say, but my spell was completely useless in blocking it... Teacher stepped in and helped at the last second, and we were able to beat it.¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡±

    Astrid continues to ponder my tale. Since it seems that she¡¯s in deep thought about something, I think of something to say to change the topic to something lighter.

    ¡°Hey Astrid! Mary and I are going to go watch your grandfather train with my dad, wanna come?¡±

    Astrid props up, with a look that she had heard something strange.

    ¡°Hm?¡± I utter.

    ¡°Oh, sorry. It¡¯s just, I¡¯m already so used to grandfather training every morning that I hadn¡¯t actually been in a while. Sure, I¡¯d be glad to accompany you.¡± She answers with a smile.

    ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go together then!¡±

    I put out my hand to help Astrid stand up and she slightly hesitates before grabbing it. With a light yank, I help her get to her feet and together we walk back to where Mary was standing, by the stone path leading to the exit of the complex. I wave as we approach.

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Mary, Astrid is gonna come with us!¡±

    She simply answers with a nod and a smile.

    ¡°Greetings, young miss. Although Selene is a little tomboyish and uncultured, I hope you will be able to be friends with her.¡±

    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not that...bad¡­¡± I sulk.

    ¡°Hehe, good morning, miss Stockwald. I don¡¯t mind at all, I think Selene is quite cute actually.¡±

    ¡°Astrid¡­!¡± I lightly utter with a twinkle in my eye.

    ¡°Now, shall we go? Selene.¡± Astrid finishes.

    ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s!¡±

    The three of us walk along the stone path to the gate of the mansion. Astrid carefully explains to the standing guard where we were going and he answers with a bow. Then, we set off a short distance to the large complex situated on the other side of the road, directly facing the mansion.

    As we enter, the sounds of people training steadily made itself apparent. A group of men in leather armor were doing laps, running in sync along the inside wall of the training ground. Most of the complex was large open-air dirt fields, there was one large building near the back, directly straight from the entrance, which seems to be the barracks. Several buildings are also placed around the edges of the complex as well. Looking around, I spy the marquess and papa together with a group of knights in the central ground off to the left.

    Our group continues onward to their location, with the occasional knight trainee stopping to bow at us as they go about their daily duties.

    ¡°Ooh! Astrid! And young Selene as well! Welcome to my training field! Everyone, five-minute break.¡±

    The marquess greeted us as he noticed our approach. The cadets pause their sword practice and collapse on the ground, panting with exhaustion.

    ¡°Good morning grandfather.¡± Astrid greets neatly with a bow.

    ¡°Good morning your grace.¡± Mary follows suit.

    ¡°Good morning, marquess Vrynn!¡± I say, using their actions as a guide.

    ¡°Hohoho, no need to be so formal here, this area is practically my second home!¡±

    ¡°Oh, okay! Marquess, where is papa?¡±

    I relax upon hearing the marquess¡¯ suggestion, but for some reason, I can feel Mary drilling a hole in my head with her glare.

    ¡°Sir Abel is currently in the indoor training ground over there, helping some of my men train.¡±

    The marquess points to a building in the far left corner of the premise, not too far from where we are right now.

    ¡°Okay, thank you!¡±

    Just as I signal Astrid to come with me, the marquess suddenly raises a suggestion.

    ¡°Wait, actually I¡¯m just about to finish up here. Why don¡¯t I guide you there.¡±

    ¡°Ooh, that would be gr-¡±

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t dare impose upon you any further, I¡¯m afraid having your grace as our acting guide would be rather improper¡­¡±

    Mary cuts me off before I could finish.

    ¡°Hohoho, nonsense. You are our guest. Also, this would allow me to repay my thanks to young Selene who helped out my men in the battle last night.¡±

    Mary looks a little conflicted but then gives in.

    ¡°Very well, I understand. We greatly appreciate your generosity.¡±

    Mary glares at me with her head down with a stare that sent a shiver down my spine.

    ¡°Y-yes! Thank you very much, marquess Vrynn!¡± I quickly bow.

    ¡°Hohoho, one moment please. Oi! You guys! Break¡¯s over, go run 10 laps around the field!¡±

    ¡°Y-yes sir!¡± The trainees answer with fright in their voice.

    ¡°Now, let us go.¡±

    We make our way to the indoor training ground with the marquess in front, Mary in the middle, and Astrid and me in the back. I slightly sigh with a tired expression and Astrid looks at me with an inquisitive expression.

    ¡°Ahaha, Mary gets really mad when I forget my manners¡­ Which kinda happens a lot.¡± I shyly say in a small voice.¡±

    ¡°Hehe, don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll get used to it. It took me a long time to learn as well and I¡¯ve been receiving etiquette classes from when I was born.¡±

    ¡°Astrid¡­ you have to help me! If Mary finds out I did anything I shouldn¡¯t have at school¡­ she¡¯s totally gonna drag me back home!¡±

    ¡°No problem, I¡¯d be glad to help you.¡± She chuckles.

    ¡°In return, how about you help me once in a while with my rune research?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! Sure, no problem!¡±

    Pretty soon, we arrive at the entrance to the indoor training ground, once the marquess pushed the door open, I could see papa inside standing with someone on the training mat in the middle of the room with a couple of other people sitting around outside the mat area.

    Papa and the other trainees notice us as we walked in and everyone got up to salute the marquess.

    ¡°Greetings, sir!¡±

    ¡°Your grace, Selene, and Mary as well?¡±

    ¡°Papa!¡±

    I run up to the mat and hug papa. He catches me and gives me a head pat.

    ¡°Welcome, Selene. Did you come to watch the morning training?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, Mary said we wouldn¡¯t be leaving for another few hours, so I came here to pl- I mean see what you were doing.¡±

    ¡°Ahaha, I see.¡±

    Papa then greets Mary with a nod.

    ¡°There are some benches over there, feel free to watch us from there. Right now I¡¯m currently doing some light sparring with the marquess¡¯ knight cadets.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    I wave at Astrid and Mary, then I point at a large bench situated by the wall. Mary bows to the marquess and then takes Astrid over to the bench, and I join them. Once I got settled in, I notice the marquess walking up to papa.

    ¡°Sir Abel, I hope I didn¡¯t trouble you with my request.¡±

    ¡°It was no trouble at all sir. Your cadets are quite well trained and I¡¯m learning quite a bit.¡±

    ¡°Hoho, is that so? Well, since I¡¯m already here, I might as well check up on their progress.¡±

    The cadets perk up upon hearing the marquess¡¯ statement. Clearly not in excitement either.

    The marquess¡¯ training must be really tough for them to be so frightened of him, even though he¡¯s so nice.

    ¡°Alright, Marcus, you¡¯re up!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    The cadet named Marcus saluted and then walked up to the mat.

    ¡°I look forward to your instruction!¡± He says with a bow.

    ¡°I as well.¡±

    Papa and the cadet start a few feet apart and put up their stance with their wooden swords. Once the two of them were ready, the marquess gave the signal to begin.

    ¡°Begin!¡±

    ¡°Haa!¡±

    Marcus charges in with a downward strike, but papa easily dodges it with a step to the side. As he dodges, he swiftly slashes at the hilt of the sword Marcus was holding, the force of the strike causes Marcus to drop his weapon.

    ¡°Stop! That¡¯s it.¡±

    The entire spar ended within one second.

    ¡°Thank you for the match!¡± Marcus says with a bow.

    ¡°Thank you as well.¡± Papa answers.

    As soon as the match ended, I felt Astrid tugging at my sleeve.

    ¡°Wow Selene, your papa is super strong indeed. I knew it from watching yesterday, but that was crazy.¡±

    ¡°Hehe. I didn¡¯t know until yesterday either! Mary, did you know papa was so good?¡±

    ¡°It is my duty to know about all the staff employed by the mistress. Though, I guess he is better than I thought.¡±

    Mary seems to have a slight blush as she uttered that last part, I wonder if she¡¯s getting sick? I hope not. Look back upon the aftermath of the match, I spy the marquess giving Marcus a lecture.

    ¡°Marcus, what did I tell you about using so many wasteful movements to start the match? Haymakers are not going to help you in actual combat.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir, I apologize. It¡¯s just, I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be so fast.¡±

    ¡°And that¡¯s why you have to prod your opponent¡¯s capabilities and range before committing to attacks. Don¡¯t forget what you learned today, I¡¯m going to be moving you to a separate menu so you can improve your battle strategizing.¡±

    ¡°Affirmative, sir.¡±

    ¡°Alright, next! Sophie!¡±

    Upon hearing her name called, a young female knight cadet stood up and walked to the mat. This was my first time seeing a female knight. She had a slender build, short hair, and dressed in basically the same outfit as everyone else.

    ¡°I look forward to it, sir!¡±

    ¡°I as well.¡±

    Rehearsing the same greeting as before, the match began.

    ¡°Begin!¡±

    ***

    An hour later all the sparring matches were concluded. Almost everyone lost within a few seconds of combat, the female knight cadet Sophie lasted the longest at 15 seconds before getting her weapon disarmed as well.

    Papa received a towel from one of the cadets and wiped off his sweat as he began to walk towards us, suddenly I heard a message in my head.

    ¡®Abel, Mary, Selene. I¡¯m finished with my business. Meet me at the entrance to the mansion. We will be departing soon.¡¯

    This was teacher¡¯s Shadow Whisper without a doubt. I look at Mary and Papa, both of them giving me a nod confirming that they also got the message.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Astrid uttered.

    ¡°Teacher just sent us a message, she wants us to meet with her outside. It looks like we are leaving soon.¡±

    ¡°Oh... I thought we would have more time.¡± Astrid lightly sulks.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we can play lots together once you get to the school too!¡±

    ¡°...Okay. It¡¯s a promise then.¡± She smiles.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go inform the marquess for we set off, Selene.¡±

    Mary takes to the mat area where the marquess was still giving a lecture to all the cadets.

    ¡°Oh? Is there something wrong?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, your grace. The mistress has just informed us that she wishes to depart soon, so we have come to give you our regards.¡± Mary answers.

    ¡°The duchess is leaving so soon? She never changes, not even a notice beforehand so that I can send her off properly! Thank you for informing me, madam.¡±

    I chuckle upon hearing the marquess¡¯ complaint, teacher is teacher after all.

    ¡°Everyone, go finish off your morning training. I¡¯ll be back later!¡±

    ¡°Yes sir!¡±

    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll accompany with. It¡¯s the least I can do for our esteemed guests.¡±

    ¡°We appreciate it very much, your grace.¡±

    We quickly exit into the training ground and swiftly made our way to the entrance of the complex. Once there, I could see teacher¡¯s carriage already set up with her standing next to it talking to miss Sylvae. It didn¡¯t take long before we arrived at her location.

    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re all here. Alphonse and Astrid as well?¡±

    ¡°Duchess, I would really appreciate it if you could inform us of your departure plans earlier, what kind of host would I be if I didn¡¯t send off my own guests?¡±

    ¡°Ah. Well, it¡¯s an urgent matter you see¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± he sighs. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I should be used to this by now if anything. Astrid, pay your respects.¡±

    ¡°I wish you a safe journey to the capital, Duchess Babylon.¡±

    ¡°Mmh,¡± teacher nods. ¡°Oh, that reminds me. Here.¡±

    Teacher stretches out her hand and a book suddenly appears in her grasp. Must be from within her storage ring.

    ¡°This is some of my compiled notes for intermediate level runeology. I¡¯m sure you will find it a useful accompaniment to your studies.¡±

    Astrid¡¯s eyes light up upon seeing it, but then she shys back and glances at me.

    ¡°Are you sure, your excellency? Shouldn¡¯t this be something Selene receives instead¡­¡±

    ¡°Fufu, fret not, I have my own plans for teaching Selene. Besides, I did promise you didn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, feel free to take it.¡±

    ¡°! Thank you so much! I will do my best to repay you in whatever way I can in the future!¡±

    Astrid happily receives and hugs the notebook from teacher. The marquess shows a face with mixed feelings upon seeing Astrid so elated by the gift, but he rests on a glad expression.

    ¡°Thank you for this gift, Duchess. Our Astrid has always been very invested in the pursuit of runeology.¡±

    ¡°It is no problem. Now, we must be setting off now.¡±

    ¡°Very well, I wish you a safe journey, my lady.¡±

    As teacher and Mary climb into the carriage, I walk over one last time to say goodbye to Astrid.

    ¡°I will see you at the academy, Astrid!¡±

    ¡°Yeah! See you there, Selene!¡±

    I hop on over to the carriage, and Mary extends a hand to help me on. Once we all got situated, Papa took the reins of the horses and we set off for the capital.

    ¡°Wait, where¡¯s miss Sylvae?¡± I hurriedly ask.

    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry about that work-a-holic. She¡¯s around.¡± Teacher says, pointing her finger upwards.

    ¡°?¡±

    I stick my head out the windows and see miss Sylvae standing on the roof of the carriage, unaffected by the moving vehicle at all.

    ¡°Wow!¡±

    She gives me a small wave upon noticing my gaze, I then feel myself getting pulled back in by someone.

    ¡°Hey! What did I just tell you this morning? One more offense and I¡¯m taking you home.¡± Mary scolds me.

    ¡°Eek! I¡¯m sorry! I seriously won¡¯t do it anymore, I promise!¡±

    ¡°Fufu, relax Mary, she¡¯ll be fine. If anyone dares to make fun of my student, I¡¯ll burn their entire territory.¡±

    ¡°Mistress, that didn¡¯t seem like a joke, so I advise against it.¡±

    As I sit down and accept Mary¡¯s lecture, we peacefully continue our journey to the capital, Amarande!

 Chapter 13 - Encounter in Amarande

    One lecture, a couple of magic lessons, and a whole two days later, we have finally arrived at the capital city of Noctus, Amarande.

    ¡°Look, Selene. That is the capital city.¡±

    Teacher pointed out the window at the huge gate wall in front of us. It¡¯s easily the tallest wall I¡¯ve ever seen, not only that, it stretches super far as well. I can¡¯t even see where the wall ends and curves.

    ¡°Wow, the city must be huge!¡±

    ¡°This is the newly built outer ring. There are three rings that make up the city, the inner ring belonging to the royal family and the middle ring for the aristocrats. Hundreds of years ago, the current king, Malvis Emrick, approved of a clause for commoners and merchants to create settlement outside of the city. It has since been officially recognized as part of Amarande, with an outer ring wall created to defend the city.¡±

    ¡°Ooh!¡±

    Outside the gate to the town, a long line of carriages has been backed up for the past several hundred meters. Being the carriage of teacher, we are currently skipping past them and heading for a special gate meant only for nobles. As we rode past the various carriages, I spotted something of interest.

    ¡°Hey teacher, I think I just saw a human! And an elf as well!¡±

    ¡°Ever since the completion of the outer ring, a large merchant sector has been established, making Amarande the commercial center of Noctus. Merchants from various nations come here to do business.¡±

    ¡°I see, are there dwarves and beastmen too?¡±

    ¡°Dwarves, occasionally, but beastmen, no. Their homeland, The Great Plains, is rather far from where we are.¡±

    I recall the world map which I have seen before, if I¡¯m not wrong, Noctus is in the far southwest of Elderant, with The Great Plains being in the far northeast. I guess that makes sense.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect there would be so many people here. I¡¯ve never seen so many people ever!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because of the Magic Festival. Although the elves in Ayrshire have created many of the greatest mages the world has ever seen, they remain an isolated nation to outsiders. Due to that fact, Noctus remains the leading nation in magic development and trade.¡±

    ¡°I see. When does it start anyway?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, in fact. Starting from the second week of July, it continues until the start of the Royal Academy academic year in August, for a total of three weeks.¡±

    ¡°No wonder there¡¯s so many people trying to get in.¡±

    ¡°Previous I told you about the four main attractions to the Magic Festival, the merchandising takes place all three weeks, but the other three events only last a week each. Most people come for the merchandising and Magic Showcase, which takes place within the first week.¡±

    ¡°Is teacher going to leave after the first week too?¡± I hesitatingly ask.

    ¡°Fufu, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be here until you start your school year. I have some things I need to do anyway.¡±

    Hearing that, I gleam with happiness.

    ¡°Thank goodness.¡±

    I then feel Mary patting me on the head.

    ¡°We only have three weeks, so I¡¯ll be doubling up on your etiquette lessons to make sure you are prepared for the academy, okay?¡±

    Mary was smiling but her eyes weren¡¯t. I usually enjoy her head pats, but this one feels very sinister. As I contemplate on the hellish recap of my etiquette lessons that are about to take place, the carriage suddenly came to a stop.

    I peek out the window and see papa handing the guards a piece of parchment. The guard read the papers and quickly bowed, then waved his hand and the gate opened. As we moved into the town, a huge bustling scene appeared before my eyes.

    Many people walking around carrying boxes, children playing in the street, buildings stacked shoulder to shoulder with each other, selling various fares. A huge sign that read ¡®Get the latest household magic items here!¡¯ followed by a restaurant-like building that stretched four floors high with the name ¡®Maybel¡¯s Kitchen.¡¯ Every second, something new that I¡¯ve never seen before came into view.

    ¡°Wooow! This is amazing!!!¡±

    ¡°Well, they sure clean up nicely at least.¡± Teacher commented.

    ¡°Hm?¡±

    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing. Anyway, right now we¡¯re heading to the hotel I usually stay at. The ¡®Crystal Tear,¡¯ it¡¯s within the middle ring, you can see the gate for it coming up pretty soon.¡±

    As I turn my head forward, the large inner gate leading into the middle ring soon came into view. I thought it would take longer with so many people walking around, but as we rode by, everyone made way for us. Most people went about their day, but occasionally someone would stop and stare at us. Teacher is famous after all.

    Once we made it to the gate leading into the middle ring, papa once again handed over the previous papers, and the guards let us through. Inside, the distinct difference between the outer and middle ring made itself clear.

    The outer ring was lively and bustling with people, while the middle ring was calmer and more organized. The people I see walking around are wearing pretty and clean clothes, leisurely going about their day. The buildings are different too, most of them are built out of stone compared to the wooden buildings of the outer ring. The pristineness of it makes it hard for me to tell that these were built a long time ago.

    Soon, we arrived at a huge ten-story building, the placard in front proudly displays its name, the ¡®Crystal Tear.¡¯

    ¡°Alright everyone, time to go.¡±

    On queue with teacher¡¯s statement, our door to the carriage was opened by someone wearing a butler outfit.

    ¡°Greetings, Duchess Babylon. We have been expecting you. The tenth floor has been reserved and prepped, as per your request.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    Teacher signals me with her eyes and we began departing the carriage one by one. Papa handed the reins of the carriage to one of the workers it seems and joined us.

    ¡°Do you require any assistance with your bags, my lady?¡±

    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. We will be fine from here.¡±

    ¡°Understood, your grace. Breakfast has been prepared and will be brought to your abode within the hour.¡± He answers with a bow.

    ¡°Very good.¡±

    Teacher answered with a nod and then proceeded to walk into the building, the rest of us following her while papa gathers our bags and carries them. Entering the building, a row of maids and butlers greet us with a neat bow.

    ¡°Welcome to the Crystal Tear, Duchess Babylon.¡±

    Teacher acknowledged them with a nod and moved on. This must be the place teacher stays at every time. The inside of the building looked even more incredible than the outside. A large fountain in the middle, stone-carved statues decorating the atmosphere of the room, and beautifully scented flowers all around that pleasure the senses.

    We continue walking forward and arrive at the reception desk.

    ¡°Greetings, Duchess Babylon. Here are the authentication bracelets, and the item you requested delivered has arrived. The transportation array has also already been prepared.¡±

    Teacher picks up a couple of thin silver strip-like objects, along with a gold plated card from the maid at the reception desk. I can feel mana faintly emanating from the objects. Teacher examines the card for a quick second and nods, then continues onward to the right. We follow her through a door into a room, inside a large magic array was laid, with two maids standing at attention.

    ¡°This is a teleportation array that will take us directly to our room. Everyone, in the center.¡±

    As we step into the array, I can feel the magic pulsing under my feet. Once we were all settled directly in the center, teacher signaled at the maids. They knelt down and started pouring mana into the runic formation, and it started glowing brightly. Soon, a bright light burst out from the array and next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of an extravagant lobby.

    ¡°Where are we?¡± I inquire.

    ¡°This is the lobby area of the tenth floor, there is a connecting teleportation array underneath this carpet we are standing on. Everyone, take one of these bands and place it over your wrist.¡±

    Teacher hands each of us the silver strip from earlier. Once we placed it against our wrist, it wrapped around and formed a comfortable bracelet.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Whoa! What is this?¡±

    ¡°The specialty of the Crystal Tear is teleportation magic. These bracelets let us use the teleportation array in that room over there to exit to the first floor. It is automatically configured to recognize this bracelet and send a signal to the first floor, from which they will activate the array and teleport us down.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡±

    Teacher smiles and pats my head. She then raises the other item she picked up from the maid earlier.

    ¡°One last thing, here you go Selene. Take it and try pouring your mana into it.¡±

    Teacher hands me the gold-plated card from earlier. I grab it and start pouring my mana into it, causing a couple of words to appear. I read what it says.

    ¡°First-year Amarande Royal Academy Student - Selene McDowell¡­!¡±

    My eyes shine and I look back up at teacher. She smiles and continues speaking.

    ¡°This is your identification card. Don¡¯t lose it, alright?¡±

    I give teacher a big hug.

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    Teacher pats my head and continues.

    ¡°In the event that you do lose it, it has special attunement magic in it that has already registered your mana. All you need to do is use ¡®Locate Object¡¯ and it¡¯ll automatically teleport to your hand.¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡±

    ¡°Good. Alright, soon I will need to head out to a meeting with someone. Mary, Abel, it¡¯s fine for you guys to take the rest of today off and go relax if you want.¡± Teacher says with a smug.

    ¡°Y-yes, thank you, mistress,¡± papa answered nervously.

    ¡°Selene, is there anything you wish to do?¡±

    I think for a bit and figure that I might as well take this time to do some exploring. This is my first time in such a big city after all.

    ¡°I want to explore the city, can I?¡±

    ¡°Sure, as long as you have that ID card, no one will dare bother you. One thing to note though, use of magic outside of Academy grounds is prohibited unless you have special permission. Keep that in mind.¡±

    ¡°Okay.¡±

    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s put away our luggage. After breakfast, you are all free to do as you wish.¡±

    ¡°Yes, mistress.¡± Papa and Mary both replied.

    Inside this luxurious lounge, there are many well-designed tables and couches placed throughout. Behind where we landed was a big door, which I assume is the general exit. To the left was a small room teacher pointed to which held the teleportation array. Finally, on the right side was five doors leading to various bedrooms, each room had its own private bathroom area.

    I sat in the lounge playing with my gold card while Mary and Papa stored our luggage, with teacher sitting near me reading her notes again. After about 30 minutes or so, a knock resounded through the big door.

    ¡°Come in.¡±

    A butler and two maids opened the door while rolling in with a cart with covered porcelain plates.

    ¡°Pardon our intrusion, Duchess. We have prepared breakfast for your party of four.¡±

    The butler lifted the cover off the plates and carefully explained each dish.

    ¡°Today we will be serving back bacon and eggs, seasonal vegetable soup, and mulled wine. Along with our house-baked bread, each ingredient is carefully selected from the best the ¡®Golden Crown Company¡¯ has to offer.¡±

    Teacher nodded and the maids started carefully carrying over our dishes onto the large dining table not too far from where we were sitting. Once they finished, they neatly retreated back out towards the door.

    ¡°Enjoy. One of our staff will come to collect the plates as soon as you are done.¡±

    With that, the butler and two maids left the room. Soon after, Mary and Papa had finished their unpacking and came out to join us in the lobby. Together, the four of us enjoyed and nice relaxing breakfast.

    ¡°Wow, this is so good. Not as good as Mary¡¯s cooking though~¡±

    Mary smiles on my complement and continues her meal. The back bacon was especially good, but something about Mary¡¯s home-cooked pasta and sandwiches suits me way more.

    Once we finish with breakfast, Mary took me into my room and got me dressed for the day. Today¡¯s outfit will be a medium-cut frill skirt that ends just above my knees and a short sleeve blazer.

    Once I finished getting dressed I put my ID card in my pocket and we head out into the lobby and join teacher and papa near the teleportation room. Once through, a similar magical array was set on the floor in a small simple room.

    ¡°Follow me.¡±

    Teacher stepped into the array and it instantly started shining, once she reached the center, she disappeared. The rest of us do the same, once we step into the center, our surroundings started to change and we appeared in a room with the two maids from earlier.

    ¡°Welcome to the first floor. Anytime you would like to retire to your room, simply return here.¡±

    After the greetings, we exit back into the first-floor lobby. Where we were greeted by a butler.

    ¡°Is there anything we can do for you, Duchess?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, take me to the Royal Academy, third campus.¡±

    ¡°Understood. A carriage will be drawn shortly, a moment please.¡±

    The butler signaled to someone standing in the back with his hand and they both walked outside.

    ¡°Alright, I will wait for my carriage, but the rest of you can feel free to start your day.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    ¡°Okay!¡±

    Mary, papa, and I exited the hotel into the clean streets. Once outside, we were once again greeted by the butler we first met when we arrived.

    ¡°Greetings, is this your first time in Amarande? Do you require any assistance?¡±

    Mary simply stayed silent and papa awkwardly answered.

    ¡°Uh yeah, can you point me in the direction of the shopping district.¡±

    The butler paused for one second, examining the two, before responding with a bright smile.

    ¡°Yes, of course. Down that path and to the right is a store named the ¡®Orchid Branch.¡¯ I¡¯m sure you will find everything you need there.¡±

    ¡°O-okay, thank you.¡±

    ¡°And young lady, is there anything I can help you with?¡±

    He moves onto me with his steady bright smile.

    ¡°Um, I¡¯m not sure, this is my first time here and I want to explore.¡±

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I recommend the Amarande Royal Park that is a short 10 minutes walking distance that way. It is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful parks in all of Noctus.¡±

    I look in the direction that leads inwards toward the center of the town and nod.

    ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll start there. Thank you!¡±

    ¡°No problem at all.¡±

    ¡°Papa, Mary, I¡¯m off! See you guys later!¡±

    ¡°Be careful, okay?¡± Mary warmly says.

    ¡°Yeah! Got it!¡±

    With that, I part my ways with Mary and Papa and head toward the direction of the Amarande Royal Park.

    Or that¡¯s how it should have been.

    ¡°Yep. I¡¯m lost.¡±

    It¡¯s been an hour and I haven¡¯t seen anything that looks like a park. Where the heck am I? I was walking in the direction the kind butler pointed me in and on the way, I saw a stray cat and decided to play with it for a bit. After petting it for a while, I continued on my path and ended up in this random alleyway.

    ¡°What should I do¡­I can¡¯t use magic¡­¡±

    It was at that point I heard someone calling out to me.

    ¡°Oh? What¡¯s a cute girl like you doing here?¡±

    A boy about one head taller than me with a confident look on his face called out to me. He had two tall bodyguards standing behind him. The boy had short blond hair and clear blue eyes. Even though his eyes aren¡¯t red, I can tell from his ears and fang peeking through his lips that he is clearly a vampire.

    ¡°Um, I got lost trying to find the Royal Park.¡±

    ¡°Oh dear, that is unfortunate indeed.¡±

    He walks closer and starts circling me, examining me all over. It feels a little weird.

    ¡°Um, I think I¡¯m going to go back. See you!¡±

    As I try to walk back the way I came, I feel him catch my arm.

    ¡°Wait, leaving so soon? But we just met. Why don¡¯t you join me for some tea back at my place. I promise I¡¯ll make it worth your while.¡± He says with a smug.

    I try to struggle free but can¡¯t.

    ¡°Um I appreciate the offer but, I really have to get going. Can you please let me go?¡±

    ¡°Tch. I tried being nice, but if you want to play it that way, I guess I¡¯ll have to teach you the hard way. Don¡¯t you know who I am? I¡¯m Cassius Marco, heir to the Duke Marco household. A bumpkin like you should know better than to refuse a request from me.¡±

    He tugs at my arm and I couldn¡¯t resist with my physical strength.

    ¡°Hey! Stop, or I¡¯ll-¡±

    ¡°Or you¡¯ll what?¡± He says with scorn.

    I couldn¡¯t finish my sentence. I recalled what teacher told me a while ago, that magic was prohibited here. As I panic, thinking about how to get away, suddenly a voice yelled out behind me.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡±

    I turned around to see a girl one head taller than me, wearing a full blazer and long pants, with two girls standing behind her wearing the same blazer but with skirts. She has long brown hair tied in a ponytail and they all have a noticeable silver sword emblem pin on their blazer.

    ¡°Tch. What I do is none of your business. Don¡¯t you guys have anything better to do?¡± He answers, letting go of my arm.

    I pull back towards the wall as the group of girls walks up to confront him.

    ¡°Cassius. Need I remind you that this area falls under the jurisdiction of the Royal Academy? Should I report that you yet again tried to abuse your family position to solicit other students?¡±

    The boy named Cassius didn¡¯t answer, simply staring at the girl in scorn.

    ¡°Hmph, whatever. I¡¯m tired of this dirty alley, let¡¯s go.¡±

    Cassius walks away, taking his two bodyguards with him. Once he exits the alley, I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

    ¡°Are you okay? A girl like you shouldn¡¯t be walking around these parts alone.¡± The girl walks up and asks.

    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m okay. Thanks for your help.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. No problem at all.¡± She smiles.

    ¡°What year are in? Do you need me to walk you back to your dorm?¡±

    ¡°Uhm I¡¯m a first-year student. Here¡¯s my ID.¡± I say, suddenly remembering that I have my ID card with me.

    ¡°Oh?¡± The girl grabs my card and then raises her eyes. ¡°A golden card? McDowell? Which family is that?¡±

    ¡°Hm?¡± I answer in confusion.

    ¡°...Allow me to introduce myself. I am Liliana Bethram, 2nd daughter of the Duke Bethram household. Currently, I am a 2nd year Knight Division student and a part of the Disciplinary Council. I was on my routine patrol when I saw that you needed help.¡±

    ¡°Ah, okay.¡±

    ¡°Since you¡¯re new, let me explain to you the value of that card. Gold ID cards are only issued for members of Duke households and above. If you had waved that card at Cassius earlier, I¡¯m sure he would have given up.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    Liliana hands me back my card and I stare at it. I silently thank teacher in my heart.

    ¡°So, Selene, was it? I don¡¯t doubt the validity of your card but...I¡¯ve never heard of House McDowell before. Is your family a new Dukedom?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t think so. I think it¡¯s because of my teacher that I have this card, Duchess Babylon.¡±

    ¡°What...did you say?¡±

    The girls standing behind Liliana gasp in shock along with her inquiry.

    ¡°Duchess Babylon¡­has a student? I see¡­¡±

    Liliana stands there with a contemplating look on her face, before finally continuing.

    ¡°Well, in any case. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alright. Although this area is under Royal Academy jurisdiction and is usually very safe, occasionally we have people like Cassius who abuse their family name, as the Royal Academy is open to all students that have talent, not just nobles. If you run into any trouble with them, just use your card, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll back off.¡±

    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡±

    ¡°Where were you headed, this area is a little bit...ill-fitting for girls to be hanging around.¡±

    ¡°I was trying to find the Royal Park, but I got lost on the way.¡±

    ¡°The Royal Park? I see. I can take you there if you¡¯d like.¡±

    ¡°Could you?! Thank you so much!¡±

    Liliana brightly smiles and answers ¡°No problem at all.¡±

    Liliana then gently grabs my hand and leads me, I feel my face getting a little hot, I must be tired from all the walking. Together, we eventually arrive at the entrance to a huge park.

    ¡°This is the Amarande Royal Park, heralded as one of the most beautiful parks in Noctus. If you¡¯d allow me, I can give you a tour.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯d be great!¡±

    The tour lasted two hours and afterward, Liliana took me for a walk around town, showing me various other places as well, during which I chatted a bunch and learned a lot about the school.

    The Royal Academy can last up to six years, with promotion depending on your grades and performance. If you fail to promote twice, you are kicked out of the school. Additionally, the last two years are optional and you can skip grades under special permission. The school is divided into the Magic Division and the Knight Division, however, both division students attend general education classes. All students year four or lower must live in the school dorm, with some special exceptions for Duke Households and above.

    I also learned that Liliana is top of her class at the Knight Division and she has a brother named Demitri. I talked to Liliana about how I became teacher¡¯s student, leaving out the part about my adoption by papa.

    Once we finished chatting, it had already been about five hours since I left this morning. Realizing the time, I received some directions on how to get back to the Crystal Tear hotel and parted ways with Liliana.

    ***

    ¡°And that¡¯s what happened!¡±

    Back at the hotel, everyone was already back and waiting for me. Mary scolded me for staying out so long without a word and I told everyone about my adventures today.

    ¡°I see...So that brat Marco¡¯s kid dared to mess with my student hm? Maybe I should pay him a visit.¡± Teacher says with a sinister tone.

    ¡°Mistress...I concur as well.¡± Mary followed with a flat tone.

    ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s really okay guys! Liliana helped me out after all!¡±

    Teacher simply sighed and shrugged.

    ¡°Well, if you want to leave it be, then so be it. But if that kid comes bothering you again, let me know okay?¡±

    ¡°Y-yeah, of course.¡±

    Teacher sounded scary so maybe it¡¯s best that I avoid Cassius from now on. For his sake.

    ¡°Well, sounds like you had an eventful day Selene, did you at least have fun?¡± Papa asked.

    ¡°Of course! It was tons of fun! I can¡¯t wait to meet Liliana again in school!¡±

    ¡°Oh my, it seems like the serious boy has some competition now.¡± Teacher chuckled.

    ¡°Huh?¡±

    ¡°Nothing nothing. Anyway, tomorrow is the start of the festival. Let¡¯s go have dinner and then rest early today.¡±

    ¡°Alright!¡±

    Tomorrow is the start of the Magic Festival, and in three more weeks, I will finally start my school life!