“What a pretentious, self-righteous piece of shit.”
Rhamn’s face had a feral scowl as she stormed through the streets.
“‘You are a good person?’ Wow, thank you so much for your stupid stamp of approval.
He basically knighted us!
We should feel honored!”
Thanks to his sharp hearing, Cyril heard everything Cedric said in the cafe loud and clear.
“…He makes me sick!”
Cyril didn’t interrupt her tirade.
Truthfully, he too felt a slight pang of anger upon leaving.
Perhaps if he stayed longer, he wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to start something.
Cyril gently caressed Morpho’s wings as he walked.
“Good job on holding back,” he whispered.
The red butterfly eagerly nodded, having learned something from this shopping trip.
While Rhamn was slowly cooling down, Cyril noticed they were passing by the place where Leo Arken had an unfortunate accident.
His body is no longer here.
Myra walked at his side, also glancing at that spot for a brief second.
“Leo woke up already, huh.
Do you think he’ll seek revenge?
Probably not.” She shrugged without any concerns on her face.
Cyril only nodded in response.
While he didn’t know why Myra was so carefree, he himself was a noble and didn’t fear any retaliation.
But as he briefly observed the now empty ground, a small question raised itself in his mind.
“Why do you think Cedric wanted to help Leo?” he calmly asked.
“Cedric is such a good guy.
He even helps kidnappers!
We still have much to learn from him!”
Myra scratched her cheek, taking a moment to contemplate.
“It’s obvious.
Leo is his brother after all,” she casually said.
Cyril stopped in his tracks, giving her a flat look.
“…What?” Myra said in confusion.
She quickly looked over her appearance.
“Did some blood get on my body?”
Cyril helplessly shook his head.
“Cedric and Leo are brothers?” he asked.
He didn’t know that.
Rather, it shouldn’t be the case.
It was common knowledge in the academy that Cedric is a commoner.
That was the whole reason a certain chunk of students still disliked him, while the other chunk hailed him as some commoner messiah.
And Myra was now telling him Cedric is actually a noble?
Myra tilted her head, her confusion deepening.
“Yeah, didn’t you…”
She stopped herself, her face becoming blank.
“Oh.”
Oh?
“Ye-yeah, that’s right,” Myra quickly replied, her eyes wandering.
“They are brothers, but Cedric was sent to an orphanage at an early age.
I don’t know much about it, though.”
You know plenty already.
Cyril blankly stared at her for a moment, thinking about her words.
Indeed, there was some controversy about the Arkens in the past.
Someone voluntarily left the family, or something close to that.
Cyril didn’t pay too much attention, but he didn’t hear anything about a child being sent to an orphanage.
A bastard?
Such things were taken rather seriously by the nobility.
These were usually secrets no one should be privy to.
“So how did she know?”
After a few seconds, Cyril continued walking without any apparent emotion on his face.
Myra gave a quiet sigh of relief and followed after him at his side.
They walked in silence, pretending as if nothing was wrong.
“Is Myra someone sent by the Arken family to watch Cedric?”
Unlikely.
She helped me break Leo’s arm not too long ago.
“Maybe Leo is not popular in the family, who knows?
A broken arm is nothing serious.”
Rhamn tapped her chin a few times in contemplation.
Soon, her red eyes lit up with another guess.
“Maybe she is the Arken family’s agent keeping an eye on the Thorne family’s heir?!”
Myra?
An agent?
“Yeah!
Maybe not Arken’s, but some other family’s!”
Cyril glanced at Myra walking at his side.
She immediately flinched, her eyes looking in the opposite direction from him as if hiding.
Even her footsteps appeared nervous, like a child who just did something bad.
…Really?
Although he suspected as much when he first met her, now she seemed a bit too silly for that.
“Don’t be deceived by appearances.
A good agent will naturally be a good liar.”
You think Myra is a good liar?
Cyril got the opposite impression.
She was the easiest human to read he had ever seen in his life.
Her face might as well have had a sign in front of it that described in detail her every thought and emotion.
“She could be faking it…” Rhamn mumbled, somewhat less sure of her own words now.
“But what other explanation could there be?!
No way a simple commoner is this strong.
She is also experienced in shady matters.”
Rhamn accusingly pointed at the auburn-haired girl.
“I can just smell a conspiracy!”
Myra silently walked by his side, still avoiding his eyes.
…What if there is none?
Maybe she is that experienced because she is simply older than she looks?
No one says you can’t enroll in the academy a bit later in life.
Mana is something not fully understood, and its effect on life is something the Empire is only beginning to explore.
Under magic’s influence, many animals have evolved into powerful monsters, and a similar situation was observed with humans.
In rare cases, powerful mages can experience physical transformations, often reflecting the spells they used most.
For example, a mage proficient in ice spells might find their body temperature permanently lowered.
Any progeny born from such mages can experience the same, if not further developed, effects.
Sometimes, such effects were even observed to skip a generation, only manifesting in the grandchildren of the mage.
That was also the reason Cyril didn’t bother to hide his enhanced strength.
Maybe Myra’s ancestor was a powerful mage?
Maybe she ages slower than a regular human?
She could look 16, but in truth she is 26, if not older.
In the books he read, wasn’t it common for suspiciously powerful teenagers to be far older than they look?
It was a staple.
“…Sounds like utter nonsense to be honest.”
Let’s see.
“Myra, how old are you?” Cyril suddenly asked, his face flat.
Myra flinched, her whole being momentarily freezing.
It took a few seconds before she answered.
“…I am sixteen, same as you.”
She looked away from his gaze, a tinge of red coloring her face.
“Huh?
Why did she answer so suspiciously?
Is she actually older?”
Cyril stared at the side of Myra’s face, speechless.
Indeed, something about her answer was not right.
It looked like she was ashamed to utter those words.
…Let’s not come to conclusions too hastily.
Cyril gave Rhamn a side-eye.
If Myra was indeed a trained agent, then why was she so bad at it?
Was making herself as suspicious as possible some high-end espionage tactic?
“…It could be.”
Cyril gently caressed Morpho’s wings.
After taking a moment to contemplate, he looked at Myra again.
“You are quite knowledgeable for your age,” he flatly said.
Myra’s face twitched as her eyes began awkwardly wandering about.
“I traveled for some time before enrolling in Ailanthus.
I picked up a lot of things during that, haha.”
“Did you?
Sounds impressive,” Cyril replied with helplessness.
She is hiding something indeed…
He was about to ask something else, giving up on the topic, when he noticed a peculiar thing.
As if he just said some magic words, Myra’s demeanor slowly changed.
The awkwardness on her face slowly disappeared.
Her eyes stopped wandering about as a vague smile soon emerged on her lips.
“Yeah, it was great…” She stared at the sky, somewhere into the distance, past the ever-present Tower on the horizon.
“The outside world is dangerous, rough, and unforgiving.
When I first went that far from civilization, the future seemed very bleak… for more than one reason.”
“You know, I complained a lot back then, but now I feel like those were the best moments of my life…
so far, hopefully.
The view was definitely worth it.”
Cyril listened in silence, somewhat confused by her flood of what seemed to be nostalgia.
Did she actually explore the world before enrolling?
He suddenly felt curious.
Perhaps to all citizens of the Empire, the outside carried a mystical feel to it.
He couldn’t even imagine life beyond the city’s walls.
“…Where did you go?” Cyril asked.
“Everywhere, it feels like!
There was this swamp far to the south.
It was called a mangrove forest, though it was bigger than a normal one, I think?
I am not sure.
Anyway, that was an interesting boat ride.”
“There was also a desert even deeper south!
That place was dangerous.
Everything liked to hide in the sand there, from giant scorpions to worms.
It was quite scary there.”
“To the north, there was this mountain range.
Believe it or not, the tallest mountain there was far bigger than the Tower!”
As if in a trance, she began talking about lush forests with beasts hiding in every tree, mountains where the weather was just as much an enemy as monsters, and oceans where giant beasts lurked beneath the surface.
Even Rhamn didn’t interrupt as Myra described places the citizens of the Empire only read about in books.
The things she described sounded ridiculous, yet Cyril somehow didn’t get the feeling she was lying.
The nostalgia on her face seemed genuine.
“So how did she learn about the Arken family secrets while being in the wild?
And what, she did all that adventuring when she was 14?
She is either indeed older than she looks or just lying.”
Rhamn mostly didn’t interrupt.
Morpho and Cyril listened silently, both of them completely focused.
…
After walking for some time they finally reached the gates of Ailanthus, where Myra waved him goodbye with a happy smile on her face.
“Today was fun!
See you tomorrow!”
Without much ceremony, she walked towards her dormitory in another part of the academy.
Cyril stood still, observing her back until it disappeared from his view.
In the end, he didn’t pursue her identity too much, even though he probably should have.
Myra’s behavior was incredibly confusing.
His instincts told him she was harmless, while logic screamed the opposite.
Perhaps someone else would’ve been able to figure out the truth.
He always had trouble understanding other humans.
Perhaps the ease with which he understood her was just a misconception on his part.
The clarity he has with Morpho and Rhamn seems so much better in comparison.
“That’s right~”
‘Myra was a useful training partner,’ is what he said to himself before, but her actions just kept becoming more suspicious.
Truthfully, he couldn’t quite figure out a reason why he wouldn’t cut her loose.
He just didn’t feel like doing that for now.
Working with her to take down those thugs was pleasantly simple.
They made a good team together.
But then again, maybe that was only my impression.
Cyril clutched the bags in his hands, giving a helpless sigh.
Morpho on his shoulder fluttered her wings in a cheering manner.
“Thank you.”
“Alright, that’s enough talking about irrelevant commoners for one day.”
Rhamn suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Let’s focus more on the glorious results of our shopping trip!
We sure bought a lot~”
She looked at the bags in his hands with a silly smile.
A bit of drool even leaked from her mouth.
Disgusting.
“Hey!”
Ignoring her pouting face, Cyril approached the nearest bench and sat down.
I still think we bought too much.
He and the butterfly on his shoulder looked down into the bags at his feet, scanning the random knickknacks within.
Suddenly, he froze.
Hmm?
“Hmm?”
In one of the bags, at the top of the pile of snacks, lay a small pitch-black stone.
A small note was tied to it with a pink ribbon.
He didn’t remember buying anything like that.
Cyril’s face quickly formed a frown.
He looked up, scanning his surroundings.
The sun was setting, but a few students still walked the academy grounds.
No one appeared particularly suspicious.
Cyril stayed still, keeping his face calm.
What is this?
“Some delicious takeout!
Quick, let’s eat it before it expires!”
I will not!
Cyril endured Rhamn’s eager whispers as he took a deep breath.
Rhamn’s drooling face, her words, and his own peculiar feeling all but confirmed it.
This was the same kind of stone he accidentally ate a month ago.
How did it end up here?
“Maybe one of the stores slipped it in as a little bonus because we bought so much?”
As if!
Try to keep yourself under control!
Cyril steeled his resolve and contemplated, going over the events of today one more time.
I didn’t notice anything when I was in the store.
The bags later stayed at my feet in a popular cafe… Maybe someone skilled enough could sneak it in there.
I also gave away the bags to Cedric later for safekeeping… He’s annoying, and he was present the first time I found a similar stone.
Still, I feel like it’s unlikely him.
There was another person who was present back then, and she was much more suspicious.
Was it Myra?
Is she aware of what’s happening with me?
Cyril’s frown grew deeper.
She did seem like the more likely suspect, as much as that possibility seemed to bring him a certain dissatisfaction.
“…Why don’t you read the note attached to the stone, for starters?”
Not here.
Cyril calmly stood up from the bench, bags in hand.
He casually looked around the academy grounds one more time before continuing on his way like nothing was wrong.
Cyril walked towards his dorm, eager to get out of the public’s view.
The feeling that someone was observing him was too intense to ignore.
…
Cyril quickly reached his dorm, shutting himself away from the outside world.
Locking the door behind him, he threw all the other bags on the bed, leaving only the one with the surprise bonus inside.
On the way, he checked the other bags multiple times but found nothing else unusual.
Cyril shut the curtains, made sure nothing was out of place in his room, then sat down on a chair.
He picked up the pitch-black stone, observing it in his palm.
Its mesmerizing pull was just as strong as he remembered it, yet now he seemed to have gotten used to it to some extent.
He scanned its shimmering surface, marveling at the peculiar crystal-like texture.
“What are you waiting for?!
Just eat it already!”
It seemed Rhamn was just as influenced as before.
Cyril ignored her eager voice, focusing on the note tied to the stone by a pink ribbon.
There was a single sentence elegantly written within.
‘My present =D’
There was even a playful smiling face drawn at the end.
Though it didn’t move this time.
Just like the letter I received…
Cyril stared at the familiar handwriting in thought.
Then it can’t be Myra.
The playful content of the note notwithstanding, the handwriting itself was beautiful.
Each curve was elegant, and each stroke seemed purposeful.
However, from what he saw during the lessons, that was absolutely not how Myra’s handwriting should be described.
Sometimes Cyril wondered: was that actually meaningful text, or did she just write down nonsense so that professors left her alone?
It must be the headmistress, Margaret.
Did she come back?
Or did she never leave in the first place?
Cyril narrowed his gaze, clutching the stone tighter.
This time he didn’t see any illusions, but perhaps that was the intent.
For the past month, he had inquired a little into what illusion magic was rumored to be capable of in Margaret’s hands.
For her, dropping a stone into his bag without being noticed was like child’s play.
Then was she the one who gave me the first stone?
How?
Was she there?
Cyril looked around his dorm once again.
There was no one here aside from him, Rhamn, and Morpho.
At least that’s how it should be.
She wouldn’t invade a student’s dorm… right?
“Let’s get to the main point already!”
Can’t you be a bit more vigilant?
“It’s impolite to decline a present.”
Think about it!
What does she want?
How does this stone actually affect me?
You’ve said it made you stronger, but is that really a good thing?
“Obviously yes.”
Rhamn shrugged in response, completely unconcerned.
There was only desire on her face.
The frown on Cyril’s face was becoming deeper and deeper when a red butterfly attracted his attention, fluttering her wings.
Morpho’s insect eyes stared at his face, her antennae twitching with concern.
Cyril froze, his thoughts interrupted.
“Sorry.
Everything’s fine.
I was just surprised,” he whispered while gently caressing her wing.
The butterfly slowly nodded.
She stayed on his shoulder, her gaze never leaving him.
Making Morpho worry won’t accomplish anything…
Cyril took another deep breath, settling his thoughts.
Being a target of some conspiracy was scary, but making Morpho distraught was scarier.
“Right, this is nothing big, anyway.”
If you say so.
Cyril relaxed in the chair, staring at the ceiling in thought.
He sat like this for some time, gathering his thoughts.
The butterfly on his shoulder kept quiet, staring at him with only a slight worry.
Cyril lowered his gaze from the ceiling, staring at the stone in his hands.
What do we do with this in the end?
Rhamn raised her arm with anticipation, not a single drop of doubt on her face.
Of course, he already knew her answer.
“If I am being manipulated into becoming exponentially stronger, then why should I care?
I win in the end.”
You don’t know what long-term effects this stone will have.
What if it’s actually addictive?
What if it’ll turn me into something horrible down the line?
Rhamn crouched in front of the stone, waving dismissively at all his concerns.
“It won’t.
Trust me, I can tell.
This is just purely good for us, no strings attached.”
How can you tell?
“Intuition.” Rhamn nodded proudly, as if saying something incredibly convincing.
“…”
“Just trust me on this.
You won’t regret it!
Right, Morpho?”
Cyril glanced at the red butterfly on his shoulder.
Morpho didn’t seem that captivated by the stone.
She gazed into his eyes with confusion, then slowly nodded.
…Are you not ashamed to bring Morpho into this?
“No.”
Cyril sighed as he slowly removed the pink ribbon around the stone.
He gazed at the stone’s alluring surface, contemplating it further.
The past month had been rather good to him.
He had steadily grown stronger.
Whether it was physical strength or his mana reserves, it all went beyond normal human limits.
Comparing himself to his classmates was a complete joke.
He felt like an adult thrust into a kid’s playground.
The only exception was Myra, of course, who still stayed ahead.
But maybe she wouldn’t anymore if he ate more of this stone.
So, as Cyril was thinking about things like that, he blinked.
The stone suddenly disappeared from his palm.
“…Ah.”
Cyril blankly stared at his empty hand as a feeling of profound satisfaction spread throughout his whole body.
“Yes!” Rhamn jumped up in celebration, her face ecstatic.
Even Morpho was affected.
She flew up in the air and started making circles near him, fast.
That’s that, I guess…