Arcane Heir: History's Strongest Mage

Michael's body finally lost strength as he saw the boar take its last breath. He fell to his backside, feeling a wave of exhaustion creep up, despite the fight not even lasting more than a few minutes.

He saw Melody's figure jump deftly from the back of the boar and approach him, her footsteps heavy. Rudy too made his way over, arriving before her.

His strong arms lifted him to his feet, resulting in a grunt of pain from Michael's lips.

"You guys did it," Michael said with a small smile, his emotions in turmoil. Seeing the two work together to easily overpower the boar was something that filled him both with pride and a shred of jealousy.

Why am I the only one who hasn't improved? He thought.

The feeling was stifling—he couldn't even enjoy their victory.

"We did it." Rudy corrected him with a smile, patting his shoulder gently.

Before he could refute his words, a slow clap entered their ears, accompanied by the sound of footsteps from nearby. Michael turned to see the professor wearing a wide grin, her eyes sparkling.

If this was their usual class, he might be wary of such an expression—but right now it should only be a good thing. Right?

"Well done Team B," she said with a nod, "though you started off a little sloppy, you pulled it together with some swift and daring moves."

Not giving them the time to respond, Quinn evaluated Melody through narrowed eyes before speaking up, "Here I thought I'd have to save you in the very first seconds of the exam… You're quite fortunate to have some good teammates."

At her words, Melody's head lowered, her hands balling into fists.

"Well, your exam is over. Take Mr. Ellis to the infirmary and get yourselves checked out," she said, waving her hand dismissively. Whatever care she had towards them seemingly disappeared as the professor turned to the remaining students.

"Can you walk?" Rudy asked him, his worry evident.

Michael shook his head wryly, feeling as if he'd just been chewed up and spat out by a dragon. It was rather embarrassing, but if he tried to walk by himself he wouldn't arrive at the infirmary until night time.

Rudy let out a chuckle and grabbed his arm, throwing it over his shoulder and taking his weight. "Just move at your own pace, I'll help you."

"Thanks man…"

But just as they began to move, he saw a blue-haired figure appear on his right side.

"Let me help." She said softly.

However, it was quickly apparent that she was far too short to take his weight—even if she had the strength. Michael was tall for his tender age of thirteen, to the point where he was at least a head taller than the girl.

Seeing this, both Michael and Rudy were forced to hold in their laugh, especially after seeing her crestfallen expression.

However, her eyes lit up briefly in the next moment before she muttered an incantation. A small orange magic circle appeared beneath Michael's feet before a sensation of weightlessness assaulted him.

The pressure on his legs subsided as he levitated in the air, directed by Rudy who was still hanging onto him.

"Ah, thanks…" Michael said sincerely.

Yet the girl lowered her head, "Don't thank me…" she said solemnly.

At this reaction, both Rudy and Michael shared a look—seeing the confusion in each others faces. This was unlike Melody.

Before they could question what was happening, Michael felt a tug on his robe. He looked to see the girl was grabbing it, her head still lowered.

"I'm sorry…"

Huh? She's apologizing?

"Back then, if I hadn't froze…" she said, her words trailing off.

"I'll stop you there." Michael said, raising his bloodied arm with some effort. "It was our first fight against a magical beast—without magic at that. I was petrified too, you don't need to beat yourself up about it."

Michael believed his words. While it was true that Melody freezing at such a crucial moment had been unexpected, he couldn't blame her for doing so.

"No, I won't let you forgive me so easily." Melody said, shaking her head vigorously. "If this was a real battle, I could have gotten us all killed by my actions."

Michael's eyes widened. He was about to retort that it was not a real battle and merely an exam, however she seemed to predict this.

"And don't tell me that it wasn't a real battle, I know that. Even so, it doesn't excuse my actions at all—we could have all failed the exam. If you didn't come and save me…" she said, her grip tightening on his robe.

"Alright, stop it—I'm gonna puke." Rudy interjected, letting out a groan. "Next time, just don't let it happen again alright?"

Melody's cheeks puffed out in annoyance at Rudy's harsh words, causing Michael to let out a laugh. His bitterness seemed to melt away in that moment, though the pain still wracked his body.

"I need to work on my technique more, otherwise I'll end up like this every time I use it." Michael admitted with a wry smile.

Rudy nodded, "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it. After all, you can't be a genius at everything." He added matter-of-factly.

For a moment Michael thought the guy was making fun of him. However, his eyes widened in the next moment as realization struck him.

Was it really the pills that made them improve so much so quickly?

Sure it had consolidated their souls, but could it all be contributed to this?

Melody had been training her mana control since a young age, even being hailed as a genius within the noble circles for years. Rudy on the other hand had been doing physical work on the farm for his whole life, giving him a strong and durable body.

Yet he had only really been introduced to magic a little over three years ago in the Winterborne manor. If he looked at it this way, didn't that mean it was natural he was behind?

Since they were the same age, Michael had been subconsciously comparing himself to them the entire time.

With this realization, it felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Yeah, you're right Rudy…" Michael replied with a smile.