A sharp whistle cut through the humid air. I stared dead into Sleipnir’s eyes, both of us straining every muscle in our bodies to keep from howling at the spectacular mess Princess Lana had made of herself. Nearby, Thorin looked utterly shattered, his eyes welling with sympathy at the sight of her tears.
"Um, hello Prince Vali, Princess Lana..." Thorin rubbed the back of his neck, trying to sound suave. "If you’d like, my brother's Summons can use water magic to clean you up completely. Right, Loki?"
You absolute, backstabbing bastard.
My mind screeched in betrayal. Was my own brother seriously trying to use my legendary summons to pick up chicks? Sure, I had casually mentioned when we rolled into the capital that I wasn't hiding my Summoner identity anymore, but come on! I wasn't about to offer a free car-wash service unless they begged. I was petty like that. Besides, mud masks are supposedly fantastic for the complexion.
""What?!""
The royal siblings shouted in perfect, stunned unison.
The Prince looked as though he had just watched a corpse resurrect, reacting to the mention of my Summons with the exact same horror his father had shown. Meanwhile, Princess Lana’s quiet sobbing evaporated instantly. Her wide, comical blue eyes blinked out from behind a thick mask of muck, giving her a look so absurd I almost cracked a rib trying not to laugh.
Thorin shot me a burning, desperate glare that practically screamed: Get to cleaning, bro!
But the guards and the royals weren't looking at me. Their gazes had shifted, landing squarely on the only obvious candidate—the striking Dark Elf woman sitting serenely beside me atop Sleipnir.
Since Thorin had already blabbed their names, pretending to be clueless was out the window. I stuffed my hands into my pockets and offered a casual, nonchalant nod.
"Greetings, Prince Vali, Princess Lana. I am Mage-Knight Loki Sky, husband to Duchess Sylvia Sky of the northern duchy. Oh, and I'm the brother to Sir Thorin here." I flashed a smug grin, deliberately omitting any mention of helping the mud-dwelling princess.
Beside me, Taki Tsuki remained entirely motionless. She didn't offer a single word of assistance, waiting patiently for her Lord's direct command.
Prince Vali made the first move. He was a sharp guy, and I could practically see the gears turning in his head as he re-evaluated everything. The intelligence reports he’d received had pegged me as a standard Mage, not a Summoner.
"Sir Loki Sky," Vali spoke, keeping his composure. "Could we bother you to assist the Princess with a bit of water magic?"
My smile widened. Smart guy. He wanted to gauge the strength of my Summons. Fine by me—let's give the royal family a polite little warning.
"Tsuki-chan," I called out smoothly. "It’s impolite to touch royalty, so please clean the Princess and do away with the mud on the ground."
Without even opening her eyes, Taki extended her blue-skinned palm. A magical circle flared to life instantly.
"Lord Loki loves cleanliness. Area Water Utility."
A dense, shimmering blue mist erupted around Princess Lana. In the exact same breath, the churned mud beneath our feet and around the carriage instantly dried, turning to solid, immaculate earth. It was a flawless display of simultaneous casting—a definitive hallmark of 7th Circle magic.
When the mist dissolved, Princess Lana stood spotless, looking cleaner and more pristine than when she had first stepped out of her manor.
Taki lowered her hand, letting the magic dissipate. I caught a subtle flitting of purple dusting her cheeks. It seemed the Earth-based Japanese suffixes translated perfectly into the language of Myst, and adding "-chan" to her name had definitely rattled her stoic demeanor.
Lana frantically patted her face and clothes. Relief washed over her, quickly followed by a sharp intake of breath as the realization hit her: my Summons was vastly more powerful than her own. Vali’s expression hardened, too. He knew the distinct signature of 7th Circle magic when he saw it. In his eyes, I had just transitioned from a minor curiosity to a major threat.
Slap!
Thorin heavy-handedly smacked my shoulder, breaking the tense silence. "Alright, brother! Let’s go sign up now or we’re going to be late."
Vali, sensing his chance to separate us and interrogate Thorin, quickly interrupted. "Actually, Sir Thorin, my sister specifically wished to personally escort you to your assessment registration. Right, Lana?"
Thorin, proving he wasn't entirely brainless, saw right through Vali's maneuver and pointed a thumb at me. "Well, I live with my brother, and we’re both signing up together, so..."
Before he could finish the rejection, Lana activated her ultimate weapon: the Shrek Cat Eyes.
"Sir Thorin..." she murmured, her voice dripping with calculated vulnerability. "I came all this way just to spend time with you. Do you really not want to talk to me?"
Ah, god. This is agonizing to watch.
It was genuinely painful. Thorin looked physically heartbroken trying to say no to the blonde vixen. I sighed, taking pity on the idiot.
"Go ahead, Thorin," I said, waving a dismissive hand. "It’s obvious the Princess is excited to chat with you. You two clearly have a lot in common. For instance, you're both blonde."
Lana’s breath hitched at my blatant mockery, her fists clenching tight at her sides.
"Really, Loki? You don't mind going on ahead without me?" Thorin asked, his eyes lighting up.
I shooed him away, pointing toward my horse, Brown Sugar. "Just know I can't control Sleipnir while you're gone. I think he's caught feelings for Brown Sugar. Right, buddy?"
Clop, clop, neigh!
Right on cue, Sleipnir stamped his hoof, snorted loudly, and delivered a deliberate, one-eyed wink. Thorin’s jaw dropped, his teeth gritting in sheer frustration at the horse.
Whoosh!
In a swift movement, I leaped up behind Taki Tsuki, snagging Brown Sugar's reins from Thorin's hands before latching them securely to my own saddle.
"I lock the mansion gates at sunset, so don't stay out past the streetlights turning on, haha!" I laughed. "Let's go, Sleipnir. We have to show the ladies around."
With a nonchalant wave, I kicked the horse into a trot and rode off into the heart of the capital.
Taki, hyper-aware of the burning stares following us through the bustling streets, utilized her Blink Teleport to instantly shift from the front to the saddle behind me.
She wrapped her arms securely around my waist, pulling the deep hood of her cloak down to obscure her features.
I scanned the sprawling architecture, a sudden wave of reality hitting me. "Fuck. The royal capital is absolutely massive. I am completely lost."
Beside us, Yin Meng tried and failed to suppress a smirk, pointing a delicate finger toward the crowd. "Perhaps we should follow those students in uniform, Master? They seem to know the way."
I followed her gaze and spotted two second-year Knights riding down the avenue. They wore distinctive copper epaulets. Nodding to Yin, I kept a casual distance and trailed behind them.
About a quarter of an hour later, the towering, twenty-foot white stone walls of the Royal Academy loomed into view. To the north, perched on an elevated plateau overlooking the entire city, sat the massive, sprawling royal castle.
I sharply averted my gaze. Between my Earth memories of historical accounts, light novels, and movies, I knew deep down that castles and royals only brought headaches. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with them. The only reason I had agreed to this farce was to keep things easy for Sylvia, and to hopefully find some decent instructors for my Summoner and Vanguard training. Well... that, and the fact that I couldn't trust Thorin to stay out of trouble for five consecutive minutes.
Approaching the massive iron gates, I presented our passes and formal academy invitations to the city Knights on guard. They inspected the documents thoroughly before waving us through. Fortunately, academy rules permitted every student a single attendant to manage books, run errands, or fetch lunch. Summons were strictly forbidden unless they were under absolute, flawless control—a metric I easily met.
After bothering a few passing students and faculty members for directions, I finally navigated my way to the outdoor assessment grounds. It was a massive training field divided cleanly down the middle: one side dedicated to testing physical aura, the other for raw magic.
Fling.
Anxious to see what kind of chaos I was about to unleash, I flipped a gold coin into the air. Seeing it land on tails, I pointed toward the right side of the field where a massive crowd of armored Knights had gathered.
"I'm heading there first, ladies. Wait here."
Taki and Yin retreated to a secluded, shaded area near the edge of the field where the other servants were congregating. The sidelines were packed with older second-year students watching the incoming freshmen, clearly scouting out promising newbies to recruit into their respective factions and cliques.
Six burly Knight instructors stood in a neat row, systematically calling up the rookies to record their aura types and Circle ranks.
"Next student, over here!" a voice boomed.
As I walked past a few guys flaring various elemental auras, I failed to notice a tall, imposing woman standing nearby who suddenly began to tremble with rage at the mere sight of me. For a race that barely understood the concept of true love, the next closest emotion she associated with me was pure, unadulterated hatred.
The proctor in front of me was a sharp, neatly dressed young man with jet-black hair and piercing gold eyes. He picked up his quill. "Name?"
"Mage-Knight Loki Sky of the North Duchy."
The instructor's hand froze over the parchment. He had been about to check the standard 'Knight' box like all the others. He blinked up at me. "Mage-
Knight?!"
"Yeah. I hold both titles up north because I possess both aura and magic," I replied casually, flashing a grin. "Want a demonstration?"
Before he could answer, a robust, incredibly imposing woman standing a staggering 6'4" marched over to the pedestal. She stared down at me as if I had personally stolen her life savings.
She had long, fiery red hair. Just like me.
She had sharp, emerald-green eyes. Just like me.
She was undeniably attractive, though my pride wouldn't let me voice it.
My heart skipped a violent beat—whether from raw primal fear or sudden lust, I couldn't tell. Instinct took over. In perfect synchronization, we both raised our hands and pointed straight at each other's faces.
""Amazon!"" ""Devil!""
I blinked, stunned. "The fuck do you mean calling me a Devil?!"
The woman's hand aggressively dropped to the hilt of her sword, a raging torrent of crimson Fire aura exploding from her body. Ah, hell. My filterless mouth did it again.
Whoosh!
Before the woman could even draw her blade, Taki Tsuki materialized at my flank. A brilliant, glowing blue magic circle manifested before her palm as she glared at the red-haired giant. "If you dare strike my Summoner, I will execute you where you stand. Deep Sea Crush."
I wasn't about to sit idly by, either. I formed a finger-gun, aiming it squarely at the terrifying woman's chest as my own magic surged. "Life and Air, shoot if provoked. Wooden Bullet."
The surrounding air grew heavy as our dual spells stabilized on standby. The nearby teachers and students scrambled backward to avoid the crossfire, but the red-haired instructor—a Fire Full Knight—merely widened her smile, thoroughly enjoying the sudden challenge.
Shing!
The sharp ring of steel echoing through the courtyard cut the tension. The black-haired proctor had drawn his longsword in a blur of motion, a dense, suffocating Dark aura coating his blade as he pointed it directly at the woman's throat.
"Instructor Ayala," the proctor said, his voice deadly calm. "You incited this freshman and intended to cause physical harm. I cannot stand by and allow this. Furthermore, your hot temper seems to have blinded you to the obvious details here."
He gestured with his chin toward Taki, then to my dual-element spell hovering in the air, and finally toward his own aura line, raising a knowing eyebrow.
Wow. This guy isn't just smart, he's incredibly reasonable.
What I didn't realize at the time was that the proctor was an elite of the 8th Circle. He could easily read my 2nd Circle aura and magic, and he could tell Taki was a towering 7th Circle entity—a fact the hot-headed Ayala couldn't see because she was at an equal power level.
Gritting her teeth so hard I thought they’d shatter, Ayala suppressed her fire aura and took a resentful step back.
Seeing the immediate threat neutralized, the proctor lower his sword, nodding approvingly as Taki and I dropped our standby spells. "Mage-Knight Loki Sky, please demonstrate your aura and rank for the record."
I took a breath and channeled my energy, activating my dual-element aura to cast Harden Flesh. The distinct, overlapping colors flared around my skin, explicitly proving both my Circle rank and my combat class to the entire courtyard.
The proctor quickly jotted it down, a bright, fascinated smile spreading across his face. By demonstrating this, I had just rewritten western human history.
"Loki—may I call you that?" he asked warmly. "Allow me to personally escort you over to the magic assessment point. It’s probably best we avoid another... incident with the staff."
Ayala stood there, her hands twitching. I had a sneaking suspicion that if I ever met her in a dark alley, she would absolutely ravage me—and definitely not in the fun, consensual way.
Flashed her a mocking grin, I turned to my savior. "Please do, Teacher. Lead the way. It's incredibly refreshing to see there are actual, reasonable educators inside the Royal Academy, haha!"
To my immense annoyance, Ayala shadowed us the entire way across the field. I purposefully shuffled closer to the nice proctor.
When we arrived at the magic testing station, my cool guide quickly briefed the female Mage in charge, explaining the situation before stepping back. I walked up to the designated pedestal.
Buzz.
Just like I had done back in Sylvia’s laboratory, I pressed my palm flat against the cold metal plate embedded in the white stone, pushing my internal mana into the device.
The testing plate flared with brilliant light. The female Mage’s lower lip trembled violently as she looked at the readout, before screaming the results loud enough for the entire gathered crowd to hear.
"Air and... and Life dual-element! 2nd Circle... S-Summoner!"
Right on cue, a girl in the front row gasped, covering her mouth as she uttered the exact phrase I was thoroughly sick of hearing: "Another Summoner...?"
I slowly turned around, facing the towering Amazon who still looked suspiciously like an aggressively athletic version of my own mother. I flashed her my signature, absolute shit-eating grin.
"If 'Devil' means a badass, dual-element, Vanguard-Summoner..." I drawled, thrusting Earth's timeless international greeting right into her face, "...then I am a total fucking Devil."
The concept of the middle finger clearly hadn't caught on in Myst yet, but judging by the way her green eyes narrowed into slits of pure, murderous rage, she understood the intent perfectly.
"Commoner student, Loki Sky. How expectedly vulgar to see you again."
The smug, condescending voice cut through my triumph. I turned my head, instantly spotting a haughty blonde bitch I had completely forgotten about.
"Commoner?!" I snapped, my semi-automatic mouth firing off a response before my brain could even process the words. "Your mom's a commoner!"
I froze internally. God dammit, my mouth did it again. I didn't even know Vice Principal Lisa Swallow's mother, but looking at the absolute shock freezing her face, the damage was already done.
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