《The Records of Eternity: Inheritance of the Sage》 Chapter 0: The Sage of a Distant Land Just how long have I been wandering around? It¡¯s been a few years since the divination and I began seeking the western lands. Ah! Ouch! Will this pain ever go away¡­ that old fool sent too much of the tribulation lighting at me. I suppose the only thing that will truly relieve this pain is death, well that should be pretty soon according to the divination. I hope I can find a successor before I die. Huh? What¡¯s that over there? Hmm¡­ bandits attacking a carriage. In the end, humans never change, no matter what continent I¡¯m on. Obtaining some good karma before I die should help give me a better life if I reincarnate. Alright, this old lady will help. Despite being nearly two kilometres away I arrive at the scene within a matter of seconds, bringing a fist clad on to flame one of the bandits face. The astonished look on the bandits face¡¯s quickly turns to anger and fear after witnessing me appear from nowhere while killing their comrade in a single punch. ¡°What¡¯s with those looks!? Is there no one brave enough to confront this old sage!?¡± I yell while shifting my gaze to meet all the bandits that surround the carriage. The one who seems to be the leader regains his composition first and yells, ¡°It¡¯s just one woman, and there¡¯s fourteen of us! Just surround and beat her! Once we deal with her and this carriage we can take the woman back and have some fun, before selling her as a slave or killing her!¡± It doesn¡¯t take more than a second for the bandits to give me some rather lustful and creepy stares after their leader''s words. I was originally going to capture some of these guys and sell them off as criminal slaves but I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯ll kill every last one of them. I begin to spread out my qi all over my body as it begins to form an armour of fire around me and as it fully forms, I draw out my sword. As soon as it¡¯s out, my blade becomes wrapped in my crimson flames. In a swift strike I cut through several of the bandits closest to me with the trail of fire that my sword leaves burning their bodies as I move towards the rest of them. In just a minute all but the leader remains alive, curled up on the ground in tears. ¡°Please have mercy! I¡¯ll do anything just don¡¯t kill me!¡± The bandit leader cries out having completely lost the will to fight. ¡°This old lady wonders how many times you heard those very same words directed at you, have you ever consented to them?¡± I ask. With the realisation of the meaning behind my words, his arms go limp and eyes lose any semblance of life, completely resigning himself to his fate. ¡°I see.¡± I say in response to his unspoken words as I bring my sword down, ending his life. Hmm¡­ just as I thought, moving around my body like this is much more enjoyable than that annoying bureaucratic life. I begin to make my way towards the carriage while spreading body dissolving liquid over all the corpses. Suddenly the carriage doors swings open and a seemingly middle-aged man comes out. Based on his clean brown hair, expensive looking clothing, and the aura he gives off, this youngster is probably nobility in this country. Approaching him I ask, ¡°you alright, sir? I hope this old one was of some assistance.¡± ¡°Old one?¡± the man quickly mumbles before continuing, ¡°Yes I fear I would not have made it home tonight if it were not for your assistance Miss Sage. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Baron Gottfried von Rees. My territory is the city just up ahead. Considering my previous guards have recently been killed, I would like to hire your assistance as a guard until we reach my residence. If you don¡¯t mind of course.¡± ¡°Haha, it has been a very long time since anyone has called me ¡®Miss¡¯, as long as I can ride in that carriage with you I¡¯ll accept. This old sage tires from walking for so long after all.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± Gottfried says as he invites me into the carriage. Inside the carriage is the Baron and me, while is butler takes the reigns for the horses since the coachman died to the bandits earlier. As we make our way to the city Baron Gottfried asks me various questions. ¡°Do tell Miss Sage, why is it that you keep referring to yourself as old? In my eyes you are younger than me, probably in your late 20s or early 30s.¡± ¡°I¡¯m flattered you think I look so young. But appearances can be deceiving. It may not seem like it but this old sage is far older than you are. Anywa¡ª ouch!¡± ¡°Are you alright? Were you hit in the fight before?¡± Gottfried asks with a concerned look. ¡°The pain will pass in a moment. It is just an injury from a couple years ago flaring up.¡± As the pain subsides we continue to chat until reaching Gottfried¡¯s residence. In our conversation I mention that I am from an empire far to the east of here and unfamiliar with these lands, so he told me all about this country. This is the Kingdom of Coruve. To the east, it is bordered by a mountain range, and to the south is the Capital of Coruve and the open sea. I had known about the mountain range since I had passed through it already but I was very interested in the sea as it has been a long time since I have last seen it. On the northern and western borders are the Grand Principality of Ngamy and the Republic of Almy, respectively. Both of which are rival nations. Through our conversations, I learned that Baron Gottfried had a misunderstanding regarding me. It seems that in this country and all the surrounding countries, a sage is someone who is a great mage. In these lands, magic is incredibly prevalent, unlike back home. Those that can don the title of sage are far and few between, as such they gather much respect. Unfortunately, I¡¯m no mage¡­ but I like the respect I¡¯m given so I don¡¯t feel like correcting him for a while. As the sun begins to set we finally arrive at Gottfried¡¯s residence. Stepping out of the carriage I find myself analysing the large mansion standing before me. Although I can only call it large in comparison to the rest of the buildings in this city. When compared the great houses in the White Jade Empire there is nothing noteworthy about them. ¡°Here is your reward for you escort Miss Sage, 2 gold coins.¡± Gottfried says handing me a small pouch. ¡°I would still like to extend my thanks and invite you to have dinner with my family.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯d rather not impose on your kindness too much. I will just look for an inn and eat there. Have a good ni¡ª *rumble*¡± ¡°Haha, Seems like your stomach is rather honest Miss Sage.¡± Gottfried says with a light chuckle. ¡°This old lady apologises for that unsightly display just now and for intruding on your family¡¯s dinner.¡± I say while being guided into the mansion. After entering the mansion Gottfried directs his chefs to start dinner while having some servants gather his family in his study. Gottfried opens the door to his study and allows me to enter first. The room is a bit on the small side but still a suitable size room for nobility. There is a desk in the far end and in the centre is a long table with an equally long couch on both sides. I take a seat on one of the couches and Gottfried takes a seat opposite to me and we begin to chat once more, this time explaining the currency system in these lands. The lowest tier of coinage is copper. Up from there is bronze, silver, electrum, gold, white gold, and finally pure platinum. It takes 100 copper coins to equal one bronze coin, 100 bronze coins to equal 1 silver coin and so on. The coinage system back home is similar but we also have jade and mutton jade coins topping platinum ones. Our idle chat continues for a few minutes until there are a few knocks on the door before it¡¯s opened. In comes a small stream of people, two woman and two men, who I assume to be Gottfried¡¯s wife and children. One of the women looks to be middle-aged, has red hair that shows signs of greying, and is wearing a fancy formal dress. The other woman is a young little girl most likely less than ten years old. She has light brown hair similar to her father and is wearing a small dress with a cute flowery design geared towards young girls. Of the two men who walked in one looks to be a working adult with an appearance that looks like he could pass for a younger version of Gottfried. The other man is a young boy who seems to be roughly the same age as the little girl and has red hair similar to his mother. ¡°Allow me to introduce you to my family. This if my wife Sophia, my eldest daughter Alisha, my eldest son Sven, and my youngest son Walter. I have one more daughter, Ceceania, but she is currently bedridden and can¡¯t join us here.¡± Gottfried says. Suddenly Madam Sophia stands up and does a slight bow as she says, ¡°I have heard the situation from our family¡¯s butler a moment ago and on behalf of the rest of my husbands family I thank you for saving his life, Miss¡­¡± ¡°That reminds me I have yet to actually hear your name. I have just been addressing you as Sage this entire time, how rude of me.¡± Gottfried says.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Yes, that seems to have slipped by this old one too. I am Lan Yueliang. Oh, Lan is my surname and Yueliang is my given name. In my home country, we give our family name, first then given name. That doesn¡¯t seem to be the case here though.¡± I say. ¡°Now then, since we have all been introduced how about some dinner.¡± Gottfried says as he leads the way to the dining hall. After being led into the dining hall some of the servants guide us to our seats at a long table situated in the centre of the room. Shortly after getting seated the chefs bring a bountiful amount of food and set it before us. Between some vegetables I recognise, and meats that I¡¯ve never seen before, everything looks just as delicious as it is beautiful. As I cut deep into the meat, juices spill forth and it feels as if it was melting in my mouth as I chew. Having finished my meal I bring up a napkin to my mouth as I say, ¡°that hit the spot. I haven¡¯t had a decent meal in months. I feel like I need to repay you all for such a great meal.¡± ¡°No it is I who should still have to repay you, for there is nothing I can do to truly repay you for saving my life.¡± Gottfried says. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call me your benefactor in you can not accept my goodwill.¡± ¡°Very well then, if you insist. Just what is it you have in mind Miss Yueliang?¡± Gottfried says as everyone else gives me a look of anticipation. ¡°As I recall you mentioned having another daughter who is sick, I believe you said Ceceania was her name. Can you tell me a little more about her?¡± ¡°Of course. She is only six years old but none of the doctors I¡¯ve asked knows how to deal with the illness that plagues her. None of them seems to think my daughter will live the rest of the year, but I can¡¯t just give up hope like that. It was actually because I went looking for another doctor who might be able to help that I met you today. Why do you ask?¡± ¡°Depending on what her condition is, this old one might be able to save her. Can you take me to see her?¡± I ask. Without any hesitation upon hearing my words, Gottfried stands up paying no mind to the chair he knocked down and says, ¡°Yes, of course. Come right this way.¡± As we approached Ceceania¡¯s room a strange heat permeated throughout the halls and only got hotter until we arrived at her door. As I push open the door a strong burst of hot air flew by, confirming the suspicions I¡¯ve had. Together with Gottfried and his family, we surround Ceceania¡¯s bed as she lay there unconscious. Her body is covered in bags that were once full of ice now melted into lukewarm water. It feels as if I was sticking my hand into a volcano as I bring it to Ceceania¡¯s forehead, allowing to fully confirm all the suspicions I¡¯ve had until now regarding her condition. ¡°Lord Gottfried, I¡¯ve figured out what your daughter is suffering from. It¡¯s an out of control fire physique.¡± ¡°¡°A fire physique? What¡¯s that?¡±¡± Both Gottfried and his wife ask in unison. ¡°It is a rare type of condition that someone can be born with. A person with such fire physique means that they have a body constitution that is similar to that of a fire spirit. Normally it won¡¯t do much other than raise the temperature nearby, although it¡¯s not particularly noticeable. It can also raise their resistance to heat and they don¡¯t burn as easily. However, if it goes out of control like this it can cause the life force of the person with this special physique to be drained and has greater uncontrollable effects like the unnatural temperature in this room for example. This only happens when a human has a stronger than normal physique that brings the body closer to being that of a fire spirit. It is not without benefits though. If one can keep such a strong physique in check they are rendered immune to fire and don¡¯t feel the effect of scorching temperatures, they could even sit inside a pool of magma if they so desired. Of course, it normally isn¡¯t possible to keep such strong physiques under control, not without some outside interference. This old one also has a fire physique, although it is nowhere near as strong as your daughter¡¯s, I should still be able to keep her''s under control.¡± I explain. ¡°Really you can help my daughter!?¡± Gottfried says as he gets down and kowtows toward me. ¡°Yes, but I do have something I want to ask of you as well.¡± With his head still to the ground discarding any semblance of noble pride, Gottfried says, ¡°Anything! As long as you can save her I¡¯ll do anything if it¡¯s within my power.¡± ¡°It may not seem like it, but this old one is currently dying right now as my body is slowly getting weaker. I have been for a couple years now, ever since I failed the final tribulation and sustained my injuries. This one had performed a divination a few years ago and found that I should head west. If I were to head west I would find I disciple worthy of inheriting my skills. I ask of you, Lord Gottfried von Rees, will you allow your daughter Ceceania von Rees to become my disciple?¡± ¡°I swear by the ancestors of the Rees family to allow my Ceceania to become your disciple!¡± Gottfried says. ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that then. Now then, time to start.¡± As I draw closer to Ceceania¡¯s body, I take a small bright red jade treasure box from my interspatial ring as well as various other artefacts I¡¯ve stored away in here and move everything into the treasure box along with the cloak I was wearing. And lastly, I remove a small knife and two pills from my ring before placing the ring in the treasure box, finally closing it. Using the knife I prick Ceceania¡¯s skin to draw her blood allowing it to drip from the knife blade onto the treasure box. ¡°With this, my greeting gift for this new disciple of mine is complete. From now on, no one but Ceceania will be able to open this multi-layered treasure box. As she grows in strength in the future she will be able to access more layers from within granting her the many artefacts this old one had made and collected throughout these past few thousand years.¡± I say while placing the box on the nearby desk. As I once again approach Ceceania¡¯s bedside I cut myself with the knife and allow Ceceania¡¯s and my blood to mix together before sliding it off onto the two pills I had previously pulled out. With Ceceania still unconscious, I forcefully feed her one of the pills shortly before eating the second one myself. Not even ten seconds later my body begins to dissolve. ¡°The process is starting and in a few moments your daughter should wake up. Unfortunately, this will be the last time you ever see me, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be seeing you lot quite often from now on.¡± ¡°Wait what do you mean and what¡¯s happening to your body!?¡± Gottfried yells as he finally stands up. I just turn and smile at Gottfried the rest of his family. Before my body completely disappears I say, ¡°don¡¯t worry about it. I would like to give you a parting gift for the hospitality you¡¯ve shown me but this one has no more possessions anymore, so I¡¯ll tell you all my full title, I am the Great Sage Fairy Lan Yueliang of the Crimson Flame that dyes the Moon. Consider your self lucky, not many have heard my full title and lived to tell it to others.¡± Before anyone has any chance to respond, my physical body completely evaporates leaving nothing other than the clothes on my back. ****** Ceceania von Rees ****** ¡°(Darkness¡­ all I have been able to see is the darkness¡­ I¡¯m scared. Father¡­ mother¡­ someone help me. It feels like I¡¯m dying¡­ I don¡¯t want to die. Somebody please save me.)¡± I keep calling out from within the depths of my heart, but my voice won¡¯t ever be able to reach anyone here. ¡°(Don¡¯t count this old one as a part of that ¡®anyone¡¯.)¡± A voice? But I didn¡¯t say anything. Am I saved? ¡°(Yes, this master is here to save you. Also don¡¯t worry about stressing yourself by trying to talk here, as it will wear on your life. I can read your mind since my soul now inhabits your body. In accordance to the deal I made with your father to save you, I am now your master and you are now my disciple. My surname is Lan, given name is Yueliang, the Great Sage Fairy Lan Yueliang of the Crimson Flame that dyes the Moon, I am a cultivator in the pinnacle of the eighth stage.)¡± Cultivator? Not a mage? Even though you''re a sage. ¡°(There seems to some kind of misunderstanding here. Either I haven¡¯t fully comprehended the language of these lands yet which is impossible since I¡¯ve already looked through all your memories, or the more likely chance of a sage in these lands holds a different definition than a sage from the White Jade Empire. Anyways I have your special physique under control now so you should be waking up any moment now. We will start your training in two days, I still need to set things up inside your¡ª or rather, our inner world. After you get up tomorrow just meditate for a bit on your bed and make sure to tell your father that no one is to interrupt for the next 24 hours after you begin, even for food. Now then, it¡¯s time for my well deserved nap.)¡± Just as the nice voice said, I slowly gain awareness of my surrounding as I am finally able to open my eyes and mouth on my own for the first time in weeks. ¡°Father, mother!¡± I yell as I jump out of my bed and into their arms as tears of joy stain their faces. ¡°It¡¯s truly a miracle! Are you feeling okay dear? Are you in pain anywhere? Are you sure you should be up like this?¡± Father asks, throwing question after question at me. ¡°Father I heard a voice while I was sleeping. She said she saved me and called her self Lan Yueliang. Who was she?¡± I ask. ¡°Miss Yueliang¡­ no Great Sage Lan Yueliang my benefactor who had saved my life and now yours.¡± ¡°(That¡¯s right, now remember our promise little friend Gottfried. Also no need for the formalities, just keep calling this one, ¡®Miss Yueliang¡¯, makes me feel younger after all).¡± Says a voice that rings throughout the air. ¡°That voice¡­ Great S¡ª ahem, Miss Yueliang, is it truly you? Where are you?¡± Father asks, shooting his eyes all over the room trying to find the source of the voice. ¡°(Like I said, you¡¯ll never see me again but I¡¯ll be seeing you quite often. My physical body has been destroyed in the process I used to help this new disciple of mine. I currently exist as a soul within your daughter and I¡¯m communicating to you all using a sound transmission technique. I can¡¯t do this often since it takes a lot of my energy since I¡¯m just a soul now. Anyways since my disciple hasn¡¯t mentioned it yet, I will be starting her training two days. No one is to enter her room for 24 hours after Ceceania wakes up, not even for meals. After the first training session, I will conduct similar ones with her every day from then onward until she reaches a point where she no longer requires my guidance.)¡± Miss Yueliang says. ¡°Wait, just how long will that be? As a noble, I have unspoken obligations to send her to school in the capital the year Ceceania turns 14. If I don¡¯t it would be a tremendous loss of face for our family.¡± Father says. ¡°(This old lady understands your position. Do not fret, the subsequent training will only last a few hours and can be done at any time. However, since you want her to attend school I will increase the hours of training before that. This means you will be seeing your daughter far less than before, is this fine with you?)¡± Miss Yueliang asks. ¡°Yes, this is fine. It is important that Ceceania attends school for more than just the face of our family after all.¡± Father says. ¡°(Then we have ourselves a deal. Now then, I am rather exhausted so I will be going to sleep for a bit. But before I forget, Ceceania is too long and hard to say so from now on I am calling you Cece, and you will also refer to me as master. Do you understand?)¡± Miss Yueliang asks. As father nudges me on the back advising me to respond quickly I respond, ¡°Yes, I understand, Master.¡± Chapter 1: Making History The morning sun peers through the window and reflects off my ring as I get up and look at the calendar. The first month of the new year is nearing its end. ¡°(You know what that means, right?)¡± Master says with her voice ringing in my head. ¡°Of Course, today is the day I leave for the Capital.¡± ¡°(Good. Now pack your things and get ready to go¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say but it seems you¡¯ve already prepared, seeing how empty your room is. Well, it was a pretty empty room from the start so it¡¯s not like much has really changed. Sometimes I wondered if you were really a young girl in the prime of your youth. You never asked for any luxury despite your noble status, nor have you once complained about my training. You truly worked hard these past 8 years, and it''s about time I gave you a gift. As congratulations for breaking to the third stage just the other day¡­ and most definitely not because I forgot to give you anything for your 14th birthday last week. So take out the multi-layered treasure box from the ring, I will unlock a new compartment, the item there will serve as my gift.)¡± While I am rather certain she forgot about my birthday since it wouldn¡¯t have been the first time, I still do as Master Yueliang instructs. Taking out the bright red jade treasure box and placing it on the nearby table. Following her instructions, I place my hand over the box as I feel Master¡¯s qi flowing out from me and into the box as the 3rd of the 9 greater talismans begins to burns away. With the 3rd greater sealing talisman having been fully destroyed only 6 remain. ¡°(This one must admit that I am somewhat jealous of the speed at which you¡¯re advancing. Your fortuitous encounter with mine self gave you your life and a tremendous boost to your cultivation speed. When this old one first started I was but a lone loose cultivator, relying on nothing more than the scare resources I could gather alone. And then¡­ Well, things worked out eventually, anyways open up the compartment that was just unlocked.)¡± With Master¡¯s ramblings over at last, I finally have the chance to see what she stored away for me here. As I open the newly unlocked 3rd compartment I find several lesser sealing talisman to be removed as I continue to grow within the third stage, eventually finding a section that I can open. Pulling open the only unsealed section I find a gorgeous bright red robe. Take the robe and unfolding it I find that woven into it is a repeating flame pattern, adding to the beauty. ¡°(Nice, isn¡¯t it. Its a robe made from hairs of the Hu¨¯ sh¨³¡­ uhh, what¡¯s it called over here? Ah right, a fire rat. Due to being made from the hairs of the fire rat, this robe is completely immune to fire. On top of that, it is far more durable than one would think at first glance. Those flame patterns aren¡¯t just there to look pretty, they provide the basis for various inscriptions that are woven into the robe that increase your defences. So what do you think, pretty good for people like us right?)¡± ¡°Yeah it really is a good piece of equipment for people like us, even without the defence boost and fire immunity, I would still wear this often for its beauty.¡± ¡°(What are you waiting for put it on so we can see if you look good in it.)¡± With little more than a nod to her words, I hurriedly change my clothes and put on my newly gifted fire rat robe. Looking into the mirror I see that the red robes complements my similarly red hair as well as my crimson eyes¡­ wait since when were my eyes red? ¡°Maaaster¡­¡± I cry out. ¡°(What¡¯s wrong, do you not think it looks good on you? I think it complements thy red hair and eyes quite well.)¡± ¡°That''s the problem, I didn¡¯t have red eyes before.¡± ¡°(Did you just realise this? Thy eyes had been gradually changing colour ever since the day I moved in here with you. They had completely turned red after about 3 years. Is it not a bit late to notice now.)¡± ¡°But I never bothered to look before. Nothing bad will happen right?¡± ¡°(Of course not, it just a change in your eye colour do not fret over such a small detail. Besides you are the last person in this household to have noticed the change, your parents and siblings have made note of this while ago. Now let us move past this issue. Put away the clothes you tossed aside as well as the box and show yourself to your family before we depart.)¡± Seeing I had truly made a bit of a mess with my previous clothes thrown across the room. I quickly move to store the clothes as well as the red jade treasure box into my interspatial ring before making my way outside to see my parents and eldest brother, along with several servants waiting by the coach. ¡°Good morning my dear daughter Ceceania. That robe you''re wearing, it once belonged to Miss Yueliang, did it not?¡± Father asks. ¡°Good morning, Father. Yes, I just received this as a gift from Master just a few moments ago. So does it look good on me?¡± ¡°Yes, I believe it¡¯s a good fit for you as it complements your hair and eyes, giving you an appearance that is easy on the eyes.¡± ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡± ¡°Good response. At first, I was a little worried as you have not received proper manners and etiquette training other than the basics I had taught you when you were young. It would seem as if my worries won¡¯t be much of a problem.¡± ¡°This one made sure that she had at the very least all the basics of her education covered which included manners and etiquette, lest I lose face for my only disciple acting like a moron. Although these teachings are from where I¡¯m from but it should be good enough to pass here.¡± Master says aloud using a sound transmission technique. ¡°Greetings Miss Yueliang. It has been a while since we¡¯ve last spoke. Tell me, how have my daughter¡¯s magic studies been coming along? You two have been rather secretive of the progress these past years. Do you think you can have Ceceania demonstrate a little of what she has learned.¡± ¡°(Oops. I forgot about this.)¡± ¡°What did you forget, Master?¡± I ask in my mind. ¡°(To resolve this 8-year misunderstanding. It would seem Gottfried still thinks I am a Sage in the sense of a mage. I resolved this issue with you a long time ago but I never did fix it with anyone else now that I think about it. Since he is concerned over the issue of your training and we still need to resolve this misunderstanding, show him a little of what you learned.)¡± ¡°Since I have Master permission, the time has finally come when I can show my progress outside of Master¡¯s inner world.¡± I take out one of the training talismans I made along with my Crimson Moon sabre. Throwing the talisman across the yard I yell out, ¡°training dummy!¡± within a matter of seconds, the talisman burns with the flames solidifying coming to form a training dummy. With the dummy firmly planted into the ground, I focus and slash my sabre through the air forming a wave of flaming sabre intent flying out towards the training dummy. Using the cloud walking technique I instantly close the 30-metre gap between me and the dummy and call out my next move, ¡°Unyielding fist of Vajrapani¡± hitting the dummy with enough force to uproot and send it flying into the air. As the training dummy begins to fall, I throw an explosive talisman into the air and upon the two colliding I call out, ¡°explosion¡± causing the talisman to burst into a large explosion launching the dummy into a nearby tree. Using a variety of technique, I continue to hit the training dummy until it¡¯s time expires and turns to ash. ¡°(That¡¯s probably enough.)¡± Heeding my Master¡¯s words, I head back over to where my family was standing, only for their mouths to be left agape.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This is most certainly an impressive display of strength. But it is very different from what I understand as magic, as a mage myself.¡± Father says, being the first to regain their bearings. ¡°Yes, that because this wasn¡¯t magic. I had already resolved this issue with little Cece, but afterwards, it had slipped my mind to fix it with you and the rest of the family. So it¡¯s about time to resolve this little 8-year misunderstanding.¡± Master says aloud with her sound transmission technique. After having everything explained with being a Sage having a different meaning in Master¡¯s home country and how I wasn¡¯t actually learning magic, but rather embarking on my cultivation path, he had a somewhat conflicted expression. But ultimately decided that it was of little consequence in the end after learning that cultivators having increasingly long lifespans the higher in rank they climb. Even going as far as to ask if he could start learning only to be denied for being far too old. With everything resolved we all say our goodbyes as my family sees me off, beginning the ride to the Capital of the Kingdom of Coruve, Coruvia. ****** After travelling for a few days the coach comes to a stop. Coming to open the door the family coachman says, ¡°Young Miss, we have arrived at the front gate of Coruve Magic Academy.¡± After helping me out of the coach he hands me a letter, ¡°this is the letter of acceptance that Baron Gottfried received for you. It has been marked with the Rees family seal and will serve as proof of identity when first entering the academy. I will be staying at an inn nearby for the rest of the day before starting the return trip to the Rees Barony tomorrow afternoon, If you need anything before then just come find me there. Now then if you¡¯ll excuse me, Young Miss.¡± ¡°Of course, and thank you for help on the way here.¡± I say seeing our family coachman off. As I walk up to the gate I feel a multitude of eyes, curiously gazing at me¡­ or more specifically my unique appearance. While red hair isn¡¯t particularly common, it isn¡¯t very uncommon either. But my red eyes are very unnatural while my clothes are something completely new to most people here. Ignoring the onlookers I make way up and find some people standing at the front of the gate with a sash going from their shoulder to the waist that reads, New Student Supervisor. Walking up to them they have a puzzled look as the whisper among themselves about my strange appearance, without knowing I could hear all of it. Drawing closer they regain the professional look as one asks, ¡°are you a new student here Miss?¡± ¡°Yes, here is my acceptance letter marked with my family¡¯s seal.¡± I say, handing him the letter. ¡°Hmm¡­ so you¡¯re the youngest daughter of the Rees family. I have your older sister, Alisha, in my homeroom class, I¡¯ve heard her mention you before Miss Ceceania. Welcome to the Coruve Magic Academy. Let me remind you not to leave the school grounds until after you have received your Student ID, otherwise, you will need this letter to return to campus.¡± The Supervisor says before pointing off in another direction, ¡°Head that way and you will reach the auditorium where the magic aptitude tests for new students are being tested.¡± After walking around for a few minutes I find the auditorium. Upon entering the room is split between several queues, as students await their turn to be examined. While I still attract several stares I pay them no mind and start waiting around in what looks to be the shortest queue. With about 15 minutes having passed my turn finally arrives. In front of me is a small crystal ball sitting on a mat atop a stone pedestal. ¡°Have you ever had an aptitude test done before?¡± A supervisor asks. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Alright then, here is how it works, just put your hand on the orb and after a few seconds, a number between 0 and 1250 will be displayed on the orb. 0-249 would classify you as a D rank mage, 250-499 would be C rank, 500-749 would be B rank, 750-999 would be an A rank, with anything above 1000 being an S rank.¡± The supervisor explains. Placing my hand on the orb a feel a surge of energy running around within the orb as it tries to grasp my power. And after a few more seconds a number is displayed¡­ ¡°Oh my!¡± The supervisor yells out. Hearing his voice several other supervisors crowd around to see what''s going, only to have a similar reaction. With all the noise the supervisors are making many of the students who have finished take the chance to gather around. ¡°That has got to be a score for the history books. This is amazing, that¡¯s the absolute¡­ worst score in the history of Coruve Magic Academy, a zero, what trash.¡± Someone calls out from the back. ¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been so embarrassed ever before. ¡°(Uhh¡­ if it makes you feel any better, I would probably get a low score on this myself. While there are some similarities between some of the techniques used by cultivators and magicians, they are fundamentally different. Cultivators tend to be unable to use magic while mages find it impossible to begin cultivating.)¡± Master says in an attempt to comfort me. ¡°Ahem! Settle down, everyone!¡± A loud gruff voice calls out. Walking out from the group of people is an old man with a long curved staff. Walking up he says, ¡°I apologise for the commotion caused by my faculty members. I am the headmaster of Coruve Magic Academy, Roland of the Three Sages, Roland Rees Aurthura. Despite our name being the Magic Academy, it matters not if you have no talent for magic. At the end of the day, this is a school, and a school is a place of learning. Moreover, I can clearly see you are not as weak as that test implies. If your clothing is any indicator then these next few years will be rather fun to see. Anyways, you may or may not know, young daughter of Gottfried, but I am a relative of the Rees family, as such do come and find me if you ever need any help. Now then, since your done with the exam come up to this board and find your class assignment. Afterwards, head to the east dormitory and get your room assignment. Once you get yourself settled come join me for dinner this evening, I live in a villa on campus, it¡¯s right next to the staff dormitory in the southern part of the campus, it¡¯s impossible to miss. Now, I still need to prepare my speech for the welcome ceremony, so I¡¯ll take my leave here.¡± Roland says as he lifts his staff from the ground and slams it back down, invoking a teleportation spell. With Headmaster Roland gone from the scene, things calm back down and the new students resume their aptitude examines. I was once more reminded to go and check the board for my class assignment and told to go to the east dorm after I was finished for my room placement. Checking the board I look for my name and find I¡¯m in first-year class 1-4. Making my way out of the auditorium, I garner even more attention than before as my low score of zero has become public knowledge. I quickly make way over to the east dormitory while trying to ignore the whispers flying around me. Under the torturous gaze of everyone, I walked past I finally arrive at the east dorm. Upon entering I quickly locate the dorm office and find someone to help me with my room placement. ¡°You are Miss Ceceania von Rees, correct?¡± one of the dorm staff asks. ¡°Yes¡­¡± I say reluctantly as my name quickly became synonymous to trash amongst the students. ¡°Headmaster Roland was here not too long ago and already sorted out your room assignment, please follow me.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Allow me to explain a bit about how the academy dorm work. There are four dormitories on campus. In the north is the dorm where the children of the royal family stay when they¡¯re attending this school. And with them are the children of the upper nobility, this includes Dukes, Marquis, and Counts. The east dorm is for the children of wealthy merchant families and lesser nobility. This includes Viscounts and Barons, such as yourself. The west dorm is for commoners of the nearby area and scholarship students. The south dorm is for all non-dormitory staff and faculty. And right next to the south dorm is the Headmaster¡¯s villa. With the exception of the north dorm, everyone student has at least one roommate. The students of the east dorm will have 2-3 people per room while the west will have 4 people to a room. Furthermore, roommates are usually decided by putting people with similar magic aptitudes into the same room, however, your case is a little special. The second lowest score is 187, which is significantly higher than yours. This being the case the Headmaster pulled some strings to move you into to a room for two people, and your roommate will be someone who¡¯s previous roommate just graduated and is someone you know very well.¡± The dorm staff says as she stops in front of room 203. ¡°What do you mean?¡± I ask. ¡°This is your room, enter and you¡¯ll see what I meant.¡± The dorm staff says before turning around to leave. Without putting much into it I decided to open the door. After walking inside I sense a presence jumping out at me, tackling me onto the bed as I¡­ get hugged? ¡°Ah, little Cece, I¡¯ve missed you.¡± My assailant says, bring my face to her ample chest. Wait¡­ I know this voice. ¡°Big sis Alisha?¡± Releasing me from her grasp and moving her long brown hair to the side allowing me to see her face, she says, ¡°That¡¯s right you get to room with you Big Sister Alisha now.¡± Unfortunately, my freedom doesn¡¯t last long as I am pulled onto her lap as she continues to hug me from behind. Despite being more than capable to overpowering her and forcing my way out, as usual, I find I lose all my strength from sitting in big sis Alisha¡¯s lap as I lose out to the comfort. ¡°(Aww¡­ how cute.)¡± Master says. We spend some time talking about miscellaneous things until the hour for dinner approaches when I mention that the Headmaster wanted to have dinner with me. ¡°Why do you think he asked to have dinner with me big sis?¡± I ask. ¡°I¡¯m not too sure myself. I have heard before that Headmaster Roland was related to us, but he never did the for when me and Walter enrolled. Perhaps it¡¯s because of that teacher of yours. Roland is one of the Three Sages of Coruve after all, perhaps he noticed her. Anyways, I¡¯m going with you. I finally get to see you again after so long, I don¡¯t want to be away from you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine and all but can you at least stop hugging me while we are walking, I attract enough stares when I am on my own but this is almost as embarrassing as getting that zero.¡± ¡°Only if you let me hold your hand on the way there.¡± Giving in to her stubbornness I let her hold my hand as we make way to meet with the Headmaster.