The swaying carriage continued forward.
Yet the air inside the carriage felt as if it had frozen solid.
After a moment's thought, Cecia decided to break the awkward silence herself.
“Um, Miss Scarlett.”
“Hm?”
“I think I should take back what I said earlier.”
“Huh?”
Scarlett blinked in surprise.
“After all, that matter really has nothing to do with you, Miss Scarlett.”
“...”
Scarlett suddenly didn't know how to respond.
Her mind seemed to short-circuit briefly.
There are good people and bad people in the world.
Naturally, that applies to nobles as well.
As a modern person, Cecia naturally understood this logic.
Hearing those words, Scarlett visibly let out a sigh of relief, her stiff body relaxing.
“T-That's good, then...”
Cecia blinked.
“Were you nervous, Scarlett?”
“No!”
“Is it because I'm scary?”
“Not at all!”
Scarlett puffed out her chest as if trying to prove herself.
“How could I possibly be nervous?”
“Really?”
Cecia suddenly reached out and grabbed her hand.
Then she leaned in a little closer.
“But your palm is all sweaty~”
“Eek!”
Scarlett's small face instantly flushed crimson.
“It is not! It is not!”
Even as she said that, she didn't pull her hand back.
Cecia looked at her.
After a moment, her tone turned a bit more serious.
“Honestly, it would be totally normal if you ignored me.”
“It wouldn't even be surprising if you cut ties with me completely.”
“After all, I said such horrible things to you before.”
Scarlett lowered her head.
Her voice was very quiet.
“You are still my senior, after all...”
“Were you really angry back then?”
“...A little bit.”
“Then that's normal.”
Cecia let out a soft chuckle.
“If someone said those things to me out of nowhere, I'd be angry too.”
“However...”
Scarlett looked up.
“I can understand why you said it.”
“Is that so?”
Cecia finally let go of her hand.
Silence descended upon the carriage once more.
The carriage had left the residential area.
It gradually picked up speed.
The rhythm of the gentle swaying made it exceptionally easy to grow drowsy.
After quite a while...
Scarlett suddenly spoke up.
“I really feel like you've changed a lot.”
“For better or for worse?”
“For the better.”
Scarlett thought about it, then hurriedly added:
“I mean, you were great before too!”
“Though of course, you're even better now...”
Cecia felt strangely touched.
She was a noble young lady.
Even after Cecia had said such harsh words to her back then, she was still willing to move past it and stay friends.
Scarlett truly was a good person.
Cecia smiled and said, “Your forgiveness is more precious to me than gold.”
Saying this, she paused briefly.
“Of course, I still won't forgive your father or the people behind him.”
Scarlett didn't answer.
Nor did Cecia push the matter further.
Some things couldn't be resolved with just a few words.
“Oh, right.”
Scarlett seemed to remember something.
“I went looking for you over the weekend.”
“But you weren't at home.”
“Oh, that?”
Cecia pulled a badge from her pocket.
It was engraved with a hammer and an anvil.
“The Black Iron and Earth Artisans Association.”
“I found a part-time job.”
“Whoa!”
Scarlett's eyes lit up instantly.
“You've already joined the Artisans Association?”
“Impressive, right?”
“That's amazing!”
Scarlett was genuinely astonished.
After all, very few girls took the initiative to become blacksmiths.
She stared at Cecia's slender arms.
In her head, she tried hard to picture this tiny girl standing before an anvil, swinging a heavy sledgehammer to pound away at iron.
...
She really couldn't imagine it.
The carriage soon came to a stop.
The two were in different grade levels.
After getting off, they each headed toward their respective classrooms.
Scarlett still seemed to be pondering the mental image of Cecia swinging a blacksmith hammer.
It was only when Cecia actively waved at her that...
“Bye-bye.”
“Huh?”
Scarlett finally snapped out of it.
“Goodbye, Senior!”
The young girl left in high spirits.
Cecia watched her retreating back.
She let out a soft sigh.
Then, she headed back to her own classroom.
Asgard Magic Academy wasn't particularly large.
However, it boasted quite a strong academic atmosphere.
Cecia had arrived relatively early.
There were not many people in the classroom yet.
She picked a corner seat and sat down, taking the opportunity to review her past coursework.
Before long, the students arrived one after another until everyone was present.
The classroom grew lively once again.
However, a few people gathered in small groups, whispering to one another.
Every now and then, they glanced in Cecia's direction.
Cecia gave a calm, inward smile.
As expected. My influence is still pretty big, huh?
The girl beside her nudged her with an elbow.
“Hey, Cecia.”
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Something came up at home.”
“So why did you come back?”
“Well, yeah.”
Cecia looked at her with confusion.
“What's wrong?”
“Hmph.”
The girl turned her head away.
She looked completely like a child throwing a minor tantrum.
Cecia was baffled.
Soon, the first period began.
It was a class taught by Rowan, the dean of students.
She had always been strict in class.
Rowan stepped up to the podium.
Her gaze swept across the students below.
Upon noticing a certain familiar face back in attendance, she visibly paused for a moment.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, she began her lecture.
“In our last lesson, we discussed the five stages of skills.”
“As it happens... I see that a student who hasn't been here for quite some time has finally returned.”
Rowan looked toward Cecia.
“I might as well quiz her on this.”
“Cecia.”
“What are the five stages of skills?”
Cecia stood up, full of confidence.
This kind of pure memorization knowledge was easy.
“There are five stages of skills in total, which can be marked by level numbers, LV1 through LV5.”
“LV1 represents the unfamiliar stage, right after learning a skill.”
“At this stage, users often cannot unleash the skill's full intended effect.”
“LV2 represents Mastery.”
“The caster is basically familiar with the spell structure, casting method, and mana control, improving both power and stability.”
“LV3 represents Proficiency.”
“At this stage, the skill essentially becomes an extension of the caster's body and can be used reliably in various situations.”
“LV4 signifies Specialization.”
“Depending on the individual caster's comprehension, the same skill will gradually branch off in completely different directions.”
“As for LV5...”
Cecia paused briefly.
“...it means the skill itself has reached a breakthrough point.”
“Advancing beyond this point can trigger a true qualitative change or even evolution.”
Rowan gave a slight nod.
Cecia continued, “Magic relies on the study, understanding, refinement, and breakthroughs of countless individuals to transform step by step from basic spells into Forbidden Spells capable of affecting heaven and earth, or even rivaling gods.”
“Not bad.”
Rowan nodded in satisfaction.
“It seems that despite taking a leave of absence, Student Cecia hasn't returned everything in her head back to her teacher.”
“Praiseworthy.”
“You may sit down.”
“Yes, Ma'am.”
Cecia sat back down.
The girl beside her immediately leaned in close.
“Hey.”
“I didn't expect you to actually be that sharp.”
“You still remember all that after being gone for so long.”
Cecia shrugged.
Doesn't anyone with a brain remember this?
Up on the podium, Rowan had already moved on.
The content for the second half of today's class was one of the topics that magic apprentices were most interested in.
Advancement.
“As you should all know, the biggest difference between Realm Zero and Rank One isn't how many spells you know.”
Rowan turned around.
She wrote two phrases on the chalkboard:
【Mental Structure】
【Soul Reconstruction】
“Many people like to oversimplify reaching Rank One as—”
“—learning a few powerful skills and then finding a way to break through.”
“That is wrong.”
Rowan tapped the chalkboard.
“What a Realm Zero magic apprentice must do first is make their mental structure sufficiently stable.”
“Spell structures themselves are the best form of training.”
“If a mage can maintain several complete spell structures with long-term stability, it proves their mind already possesses a sufficiently defined structure.”
A student raised a hand.
“Teacher, how many do we need to learn?”
“Three,” Rowan answered.
“At least, the academy recommends three.”
“However, remember this.”
“This is not a number set by the world itself.”
She drew a circle next to "Three."
“It is simply that, after long-term data collection, the academy considers three mature spell structures to be the safest benchmark for the vast majority of magic apprentices.”
“Two isn't strictly impossible.”
“Nor does five mean you are guaranteed to qualify.”
“What truly matters is—”
“—stability—”
“—understanding—”
“—and control.”
Rowan wrote down further:
【Offense】
【Defense】
【Support】
“The academy usually advises you to prepare at least one of each.”
“This isn't a requirement for advancement either.”
“It is merely to prevent you from becoming fools in the future who can do nothing but stand in place casting Fireballs.”
A wave of laughter rippled through the classroom.
Rowan remained expressionless.
“What's so funny?”
“When an enemy gets right up in your face, you won't be laughing anymore.”
The classroom instantly fell silent.
“Once your mental structure reaches the required standard...”
Rowan pointed to the second phrase.
“...that is when you face the factor that truly decides whether you can reach Rank One.”
“The first Soul Reconstruction.”
“Though an ordinary person's soul, mind, and physical body are interconnected, they do not form a truly stable whole in the proper sense.”
“Rank One...”
“...is the first time all three undergo a qualitative change together.”
A student asked, “So how do we reconstruct them?”
“There are many methods,” Rowan replied.
“The churches have their own methods.”
“Some ancient families also hold special rituals.”
“However, the one that is most widely spread and thoroughly researched at present—”
She wrote four characters on the board:
【Echoes of the Spirit Realm】
Then she added beside it:
【Commonly known as: Spirit Realm Excursion】
“Adventurers generally prefer to call it the Spirit Realm Excursion.”
“You will likely hear it called that when you go out into the world later on.”
“By contacting the echoes left by the Spirit Realm and utilizing the highly active spiritual energy environment within, you allow your soul to complete its first reconstruction.”
“Upon success...”
“...your soul, mental power, and physical body will all experience varying degrees of enhancement.”
“Only then can you truly be called Rank One.”
Cecia rested her chin in her hand, listening intently.
The first Soul Reconstruction... That doesn't sound like a particularly safe thing to do.
Rowan seemed to have guessed what the students below were thinking.
“We will cover the specific details later.”
“Right now, hardly any of you even have three stable spell structures. Knowing too much will only lead you to seek an early death.”
“Especially a certain few.”
Rowan's gaze swept over the classroom.
For some reason, Cecia felt like Rowan had glanced specifically at her.
An illusion, right? It must be an illusion.
Before long, the bell for the end of class rang.
Rowan packed up her teaching materials.
“That is all for today.”
“Cecia.”
“Come to my office after class.”
“...”
The girl next to Cecia immediately shot her a look of pity.
“You're doomed.”
“Why?”
“The dean of students called you out specifically!”
“...”
Cecia didn't bother responding to her.
She packed up her things and headed to the Academic Affairs Office.
As she passed by the magic training grounds, she spotted Scarlett taking a practical class.
Mana quickly gathered in the young girl's hands.
Ice arrows formed one after another, zipping through the air toward the distant targets.
The sunlight was bright and clear.
Strands of Scarlett's light-colored hair stuck to the side of her face with sweat.
Cecia watched for a moment, didn't disturb her, and continued on her way.
Reaching the office, she pushed open the door.
A rush of cool air greeted her.
Rowan was sitting in a chair with her legs crossed.
“You're here?”
“I'm here.”
“Have a seat.”
Cecia sat down obediently.
Rowan flipped through some documents on her desk.
“I've learned a bit about what happened to your father.”
“As for your assessments... now that you're back, pay a little more attention to them yourself.”
“Don't let matters at home set you back for too long.”
“Do you understand?”
“Mhm.”
Cecia nodded.
“I understand, Teacher.”
Rowan continued flipping through the files.
“In addition... the academy offers subsidies for students facing financial hardship.”
“Textbooks...”
“...meditation materials...”
“...and partial waiver of training ground usage fees can all be applied for.”
Cecia's eyes instantly lit up.
“What about skill crystals?”
“Not included.”
The answer came without a moment's hesitation.
“...”
Half the light in Cecia's eyes instantly vanished.
Rowan glanced at her.
“Skill crystals are too expensive to produce.”
“The academy cannot hand them out to every student for free.”
“However, if your grades are exceptional enough, the academy provides scholarships.”
“There are also work-study tasks available.”
“Oh...”
Sure enough. No matter what world it is, a school will never cover everything for free.
“Don't make that face.”
Rowan tapped her finger on the desktop.
“Study hard.”
“The subsidies and rewards you can earn won't be lacking.”
“If you run into real difficulties you can't handle alone, you can always come find me.”
Cecia blinked in surprise.
Then she nodded obediently.
“Mm. I got it.”
Rowan looked at her for a few more moments, then suddenly spoke up:
“Also... about that matter over at the Black Iron and Earth Artisans Association...”
Cecia blinked.
“You even know about that, Teacher?”
“Of course.”
Rowan threw up her hands.
“Plenty of mages in Asgard know about it now.”
“That fierce, stubborn, and overly strict Master Raven is currently ruthlessly exploiting a newly arrived twelve-year-old employee.”
“...”
Why is this rumor getting crazier and crazier?
“I don't oppose students taking part-time jobs.”
Rowan turned serious again.
“However, the prerequisite is that you don't exhaust yourself.”
“Especially since you still need to prepare for your assessments.”
“Understood?”
“Understood.”
A warm feeling passed through Cecia's heart.
The Rowan at the podium and the Rowan here now were like two completely different people.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
“Mm.”
Rowan lowered her head to organize her files once more.
Then, as if suddenly recalling something...
“There is one last thing.”
“The Lower District hasn't been very peaceful lately.”
“It seems members of the Abyss Cult are active nearby.”
“Try to avoid wandering over there recently.”
Cecia blinked.
The Abyss Cult? That sounds dangerous.
Before gaining sufficient strength, she had no intention of throwing herself into dangerous places.
If she could lay low, why wouldn't she?
Besides, the Lower District was far away from her home.
There was completely no need to worry.
“Understood.”
“In that case, Teacher, I'll be taking my leave.”
“Mm.”
“Goodbye, Cecia.”
“Goodbye, Teacher.”
Rate on N.U.
