Magicapita

CLACK

Cæ closed the door to the Headmistress's office with a displeased, grim expression. 'She's a monster.'

He could tell, because he had run into his fair share of true monsters living in the Graveyard of the slums, one of the most dangerous districts even within the Colohen Slums. Every once in a while, he would run into a human being so devoid of any shred of conscience or empathy that they were no different from inhuman monsters wearing a human flesh suit.

'Well, maybe not given that she seems to care enough about her daughter to kill, but she's definitely a monster that I wish I didn't have to deal with.' His stormy, gray eyes sharpened as he clenched his fists, walking away from the office. 'That woman would have killed me right then and there if Headmistress Lenolia wasn't there.'

It made the hair on his arms stand on end, darkening his mood despite the bright light of the morning Sun illuminating the world through an unusually cloudless sky for winter. Cool winds brushed past him, causing his silver hair to sway while the athletic uniform of the magicademy that he still had on from the Capture the Flag match fluttered gently.

It didn't improve his mood at all.

'I'm going to have to figure out how to deal with this Walyn Family nonsense in more detail with the Headmistress later on. But for now, I need to make sure I spend more time with Serulia.' Headmistress Lenolia had advised him to give her some space and time to recover, but unfortunately, there was too much at stake for him to possibly afford that.

If she remembered his pure magic or if it clicked in place and drew her attention, then she could potentially blab it out and destroy his life as he knew it.

"Dammit…" A curse escaped his mouth. "This… This is going to be hard."

His schedule was already jam-packed with all kinds of activities; he would need to deal with the mounting pressure of a psychopathic master mage matriarch trying to kill him for his testimony.

Any ordinary student of the magicademy in his shoes would have undoubtedly crumbled under the absurd pressure that was being mounted on top of him.

But not Cæ.

'I will need to reshuffle my priorities a little until this blows over. Market research can wait a little.'

First, he needed to fix the Serulia question.

Then, he needed to deal with the threat to his life.

Then, he needed to make sure all his testimony was given in one fell swoop from the very get-go, wash his hands of the entire business, and return to his normal life.

"Cæ."

He paused his hurried gait as a familiar male voice called him from behind with a serious tone. He turned around, finding himself gazing at none other than Silian; perhaps the last person he might have expected to actively reach out to speak to him.

The adolescent boy's brown hair was disheveled, while his expression was quite serious.

He, too, hadn't changed from the athletic uniform, while the bruises and scratches across his body from the intense clash of the defensive squad of Team Miranda had yet to be healed.

He had been waiting for Cæ, putting off doing anything else before he got the opportunity to speak with him.

Most unusual considering their relationship.

"What is it?" Cæ asked with a neutral tone.

"You probably already know, but your life is in danger," Silian remarked with a serious tone, hesitating for a moment, before continuing. "You're going to be killed if you step outside of the magicademy until the trial is over one way or another."

Cæ's eyebrows rose with a mild hint of surprise. 'He came to warn me… for my sake?'

"Where did you learn of the trial?" Cæ asked with a hint of intrigue in his steely voice.

"My family," he replied with a serious tone. "But…"

He drew closer, gazing around the corridor with a wary gaze, before turning back to Cæ with a hushed tone, "…they're not just planning on trying to kill you off. They're also trying to frame the trainers as bribed with fake paper trails of money coming from the Durmen Principality while claiming that the students of both teams were fooled by Serulia's illusion magic."

Cæ's eyes widened with shock. "What?"

"The Walyn Family released a statement within the affluent community of Elendir," Silian began explaining. "The family is trying to mobilize support for themselves within Elendir by jumping to set up a narrative of what happened, so that the official version could hit the news. They've already cooked up a whole narrative about what has happened, and it is complete bullshit."

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Cæ stared at him with a stunned expression. "It's been barely an hour since the incident even happened!"

"Yeah, well, they're good and they're fast," Silian explained with a serious tone. "The Walyn Family is not to be trifled with. They are ruthless. If you're not paying attention, they will convince the world that the Vritra Family is out to get them."

"That does not even make sense. What possible motive could they possibly have?" Cæ sharpened his eyes as they wandered about in thought.

"They have been spreading word in the affluent community that it's because the Vritra Family is trying to expand into Elendir healthcare and decided to knock the Walyn Family out of the way," Silian explained. "Apparently, the Vritra Family invested in some hospitals in the country this year, which makes the bullshit excuse seem plausible."

"Wait…" Cæ's eyes widened. "…Why would the Walyn Family be an impediment to them if they want to expand into the healthcare sector in Elendir?"

"That's because the Walyn Family is heavily invested in healthcare, of course," Silian remarked, as if that was obvious. "They own a majority stake in many of the largest healthcare corporations in the country."

Cæ stared at him, stunned and silent. "The Walyn Family is invested in healthcare?"

"Of course," Silian remarked, tilting his head with a hint of confusion. "Leonora Walyn is a healer master mage."

"Healer…" Cæ murmured before his expression crumpled with a hint of frustration. "Damn it. Just my luck to be exploring a sector that a family that wants me dead has a large presence in."

His voice was rough, reflecting the anger he felt within. He hadn't expected that the field in which he would be doing research was going to be owned by a family that would eventually want to kill him for a sequence of events that he had absolutely no way of predicting.

All because Miranda lost her temper.

Cæ heaved a deep breath, steeling his will a second time in a row as he closed his eyes.

His next project had just gotten astronomically more difficult than it already was, and it made it much more complicated to begin with. Any sane person would back down in fear and forget about the project, considering all the risks attached to it.

Not Cæ.

He heaved a deep breath, ironing his determination.

When he opened his eyes, the drive within them remained as strong, if not even stronger.

He glanced at Silian with a nod of appreciation. "Thanks for the update… Silian."

He gazed at the kid with mixed emotions, studying the adolescent with a hint of uncertainty.

He didn't like Silian Sylvester.

Or at least, he still harbored resentment over what he had done over a year ago when Cæ first joined the magicademy. Still, Silian had grown up since then and had clearly changed. Cæ could see that even in the few days that he had interacted with him on the Capture The Flag team.

He had shed the arrogance he had displayed when Cæ first met him.

He didn't look down on Cæ as someone from the slums anymore.

He even adhered to Cæ's leadership under his team, even if he didn't come clean the first time.

He was clearly different from the arrogant brat who attacked Cæ on sight more than a year ago.

"…Why did you go out of your way to tell me all of this?" Cæ raised an eyebrow. "You don't like me. I certainly don't like you."

Silian's expression grew complicated. "…It just fully clicked. The gravity of what I had done a year ago. Seeing how horrifying it was to watch Miranda try to kill Serulia in cold blood. I… I didn't mean to try to kill you, but if that professor hadn't stopped me, you would have died. And the horror of that fully clicked with today's incident."

His green eyes were dead serious. "…I'm sorry. For what I did. For how I handled it."

Cæ's eyes widened with a hint of surprise.

"Don't get the wrong idea." His rough attitude returned. "I don't like you, nor do I want to be your friend. And I will get revenge for my defeat at your hands in our previous battle by defeating you in a combat match, but…"

He clenched his fists. "I'm sorry for what I did, and I just wanted to make up for it by helping you out. That's all."

He turned around, walking away briskly without leaving Cæ any opportunity to even respond to his words.

Cæ huffed lightly as he watched him storm off.

He didn't think that he would ever be persuaded to change his opinion on someone like Silian. Still, it was clear that the boy disliked him because of the defeat that he had suffered at Cæ's hands. However, the fact that he had the integrity to admit that he was wrong with what he did and help Cæ out with some information was something Cæ could respect and appreciate.

Cæ put the matter out of mind as he headed towards Serulia's medical room with a serious expression, eager to get to her before anybody else did so that he could subtly pluck at her memories.

However, the moment he arrived at her medical room, he knew that he was already too late to get more time with her alone.

CLACK

He opened the door as he found himself gazing at a group of people.

A man and woman sat at either side of Serulia's bed, while a younger man stood some distance away, gazing at her with concern. They each had skin as dark as hers, while their facial features bore a lot of resemblance to hers.

She had her mother's light blue eyes and her father's golden hair.

Her mother donned a villit, the traditional ethnic attire of the Durmen Principality, featuring multiple layers of clothing with a short upper garment that exposed her midriff and back, covering only the upper half of her abdomen with a cloth gently wrapping around her upper chest and neck in a special bind. Her lower garment comprised a long, baggy cotton garment that reached her ankles.

The men also donned ethnic attire, with a long upper body cloth bound across their entire abdomen, leaving them resembling living mummies above the waist, while a loose, silky lower garment reached all the way to their ankles.

The air shifted the moment he entered, with all three members of her family throwing a glare at him.

"Who dares to enter without permission?!" Her father got up, glaring at Cæ with fierce golden eyes. His body was muscular and toned, while his conduct and bearing were regal.

He had a heavy presence.

One that reminded him of Headmistress Lenolia and Leonora.

His heavy gaze bore down on Cæ like a mountain.

"Begone immediately, young ma—"

"Cæ!" Serulia's expression lit up as her eyes sparkled. "I was waiting for you!"

Her family turned towards her with a stunned expression, before gazing back at Cæ.

Cæ smiled at her uncharacteristically.

"I was looking forward to seeing you again, Serulia."