Chapter 170: The Day the Princess Learned to Fly
The sudden snap of Professor Galahad's fingers echoed like a spark of thunder.
In an instant, the classroom dissolved. The air around the students shimmered and warped, the wooden floors fading into soil, desks vanishing into bursts of golden light. A rush of cold wind hit them before their surroundings fully formed—the familiar open training grounds under a wide blue sky.
Grass swayed in the morning breeze, and the distant treeline hummed softly with birdsong. The smell of earth replaced the scent of parchment and ink.
And then—
Thud!
"Aww... that hurt..." Dila groaned, landing squarely on the ground, her staff slightly tilting to the side. She blinked twice in disbelief, still processing the sudden teleportation. Dirt clung to the hem of her uniform as she rubbed her back and muttered softly, "I can't believe this time... i landed like this unprepared lost in thoughts... haaays!!"
Beside her, a shadow stretched forward.
"Are you okay, High Princess?" Canopy's voice came light but teasing, his hand extended toward her with that ever-so-confident grin of his. His coat fluttered in the wind like he'd landed perfectly on purpose.
Dila looked up at him, her cheeks puffing slightly in mild embarrassment before sighing. She reached for his hand and let him pull her up. "Aw, aw, aw... yeah, I'm fine," she muttered, wincing as she stood.
She dusted off her uniform—especially the back where the dirt had left an obvious mark—her movements quick and flustered. A few strands of her silver-white hair fell over her face as she brushed them aside, trying to regain her usual calm.
Around them, murmurs began to ripple through the gathered students.
"Not again this time..."
"Huh? Did she fall during teleportation?"
"I hope it becomes a tradition..."
Some laughed quietly, while others glanced at Dila with that same noble mixture of curiosity and envy while afraid.
Canopy turned toward them, puffing his chest out slightly, his tone mock-serious as he said, "Don't mind them, High Princess. I trust you... you're not going to do that again, right? Like the last time, right?"
Dila shot him a sideways glare, her lips twitching upward despite herself. She nodded once, half annoyed, half amused. "Yeah, yeah... I'll try not to," she said, brushing off the last speck of dust from her skirt.
Canopy grinned wide. "Good. Wouldn't want our future Archmage to start training by battling against gravity, right? Hahaha."
A few students chuckled quietly.
Dila sighed but couldn't help the small smile that curved at the corner of her lips. She turned her gaze toward the horizon where sunlight broke through the clouds, painting the field in morning sun.
Somehow, even with all the embarrassment and teasing... this felt like a new home.
The breeze rolled softly across the training grounds as the laughter and chatter of students began to rise again. Dust still hung faintly in the air from the remaining teleportation glow in the air, glittering in the sunlight like sparks.
Suddenly, three boys from the front ranks swaggered toward Canopy, grinning from ear to ear. One of them slung an arm casually over Canopy's shoulder, the other nudged his side.
"Hey, Canopy!" one of them said, his tone playful but excited. "That spell you did last time... that Le-fire thing? It was awesome, man! You gotta show us again!"
"Yeah, yeah!" another added quickly. "Come on, don't be stingy! We wanna learn how you made that explosion cracked the powerful boulder stone slabs!"
Then, almost immediately, a small group of noble girls joined in, their robes gleaming under the sun. "Please, Canopy," one said sweetly, clasping her hands together. "Teach us that technique too! It was... um... so powerful... and cool!"
Canopy blinked once, clearly enjoying the sudden crowd. His grin spread slow and wide, like he was pretending to be modest but absolutely basking in the attention.
"Hahaha... well," he said, brushing his hair back in exaggerated pride. "I might consider it, if you all ask nicely enough."
The students laughed and teased him more, while off in the distance, Dila watched with her arms crossed and an amused look in her eyes.
"Hahaha..." she laughed awkwardly, shaking her head slightly. "Well, well mister... your an Archmage now, huh? Looks like you're getting popular by the minute."
Canopy turned his head halfway toward her, one brow raised, his usual smug smile playing on his lips. "Popular, huh? Maybe. But in my eyes, it's just me being... me," he said, shrugging lightly before giving her that signature grin.
Dila couldn't help but snort softly, raising a brow. "Lol. You smile like a devil, you know that?"
Canopy tilted his head, smirking. "Lol? What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Dila said quickly, looking away, trying to hide the tiny grin on her face.
He chuckled under his breath, clearly amused by her deflection.
Meanwhile, the rest of the students had grown strangely quiet whenever they looked in Dila's direction. A few whispered, others just lowered their eyes. None dared approach her too close, even though she stand only a few steps away.
They all remembered what happened last time she unleashed her power—how the air had split and the earth itself trembled. Even now, her presence alone carried a quiet pressure that made some flinch without knowing why.
One brave girl tried to wave. "Uh... hi, High Princess..." she said softly, then quickly turned away, pretending to fix her boots when Dila glanced at her.
Dila sighed faintly. "Almost everyone still afraid of me, huh..." she murmured under her breath, brushing a strand of silver hair behind her ear.
Canopy caught that and gave her a side glance, his tone lighter. "Well, can't blame them. You did nearly vaporize half the field last time."
Dila pouted, glaring at him playfully. "It wasn't half the field!"
"Sure, sure," he said with a grin. "Just the half we were standing on."
Dila groaned softly but smiled in defeat. The morning sunlight shimmered between them, warm and golden... and for a moment, she forgot the stares, the whispers, and the distance others put between them. It was just her... and that loud, infuriating, yet oddly reassuring new friend that a few distance beside her.
Professor Galahad suddenly appeared out of thin air, his arrival slightly delayed. A flash of light marked his entrance as he hovered several feet above the ground, his robe fluttering dramatically in the breeze. He descended slowly, laughing in his new way.
"Hohoho... took me long enough!" he said proudly, as though he had just returned from some grand magical adventure. Then, with a swift flick of his hand, a shimmering broom materialized beside him.
The students blinked in confusion.
"Wha... what?!" one of them muttered.
Another followed up, "Wait, are we... witches now?"
The class burst into murmurs, half in disbelief, half in excitement.
Professor Galahad twirled his beard and chuckled. "Hohoho, calm now! I'm not saying you're all witches. You're mages, of course! But today, I want you to learn how to handle flying magic types by channeling your mana through the broom and lifting yourself into the air!"
A wave of awe swept through the students.
"Wooooow!" "We're gonna fly?!" "No way!" they exclaimed, their voices overlapping in excitement.
Meanwhile, Dila stood there, eyes wide as her jaw dropped slightly. Her hands slowly went up to her cheeks as if trying to contain her growing excitement.
"Ohh wow..." she whispered to herself. Her voice trembled with giddiness. "This... this is my opportunity to fly! I never got to fly before... not even once!"
Her thoughts spun faster than a spell circle. I've never ridden a plane in my previous life... and now... now I get to FLY?! With a broom?!!
Her eyes sparkled like twin stars. She hugged herself and started to bounce slightly on her heels, her imagination running wild.
What if I zoom up into the clouds... wheeeeeee... the wind rushing through my hair, the view below me... ohhh I'll probably scream from excitement...
Canopy, who was a few distance, blinked and nodded his head in confusion. "High Princess Dila... are you drooling?"
Dila froze, wiping her mouth quickly with her sleeve, her cheeks turning red. "Wha... I am not!" she said, her voice cracking slightly.
Canopy chuckled. "Yes you are."
Dila covered her face with both hands.
"You're just imagining things." While shrugging the thoughts and then mumbling under her breath. "Ughhh, I swear if this broom throws me off, I'm suing the academy..."
But even as she grumbled, her tail-like excitement couldn't hide it—she was practically glowing with anticipation. This was a new kind of freedom she had never tasted before.
For the first time in a long while, she wasn't thinking about the academy, her father, or even the burdens of her power.
She was just... Dila.
A girl about to fly for the first time in her life.
Canopy glanced at Dila, his lips curling into a teasing grin. "You're that excited, huh?" he said, clearly amused at how she was almost bouncing in place.
Dila quickly turned her back toward him, crossing her arms and lifting her chin as if to hide her flustered face. "It's... it's none of your business!" she snapped, but her voice cracked halfway through, ruining the seriousness completely.
Canopy chuckled, leaning slightly forward. "Hahahaha... you're practically sparkling, Princess. I can see the excitement from here."
Dila stomped her foot and puffed her cheeks like an embarrassed cat. "I'm not sparkling! That's just... magical reflection from the sun!" she blurted, pointing dramatically at the sky.
Other classmates has heard, glancing from the side, burst into laughter but controlled. "Magical reflection? Pri-pri- Princess, it's cloudy."
Dila froze, glancing up. The sky was, indeed, covered in thick gray clouds. ".....shut up," she muttered, turning her back again, face burning red.
Canopy laughed even louder, holding his stomach. "Hahaha! As of today You're hopeless just admit it." he smirked.
Dila has agitated a bit "Haa-haaa Keep laughing, and i might turn you into a broom into mop!" Dila shot back, puffing her cheeks even more—though her lips twitched as if she was trying not to laugh herself.
Canopy only laughed harder, nearly doubling over. "Hahaha! A mop, really?! You're the funniest princess I've ever met!" he said between breaths, still clutching his stomach.
Dila frowned, pretending to be offended as she crossed her arms. "You dare mock a super royalty, noble boy?" she said in a dramatically serious voice, tilting her chin up like a queen on a throne. But her act completely fell apart when she couldn't hold back a tiny giggle at the end.
The students nearby began murmuring among themselves, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Did he just... laugh with her?" one whispered.
"Yeah... and she didn't blast him to ashes?" another added quietly.
"I didn't even know the high princess jokes..."
A few of them just stood frozen, staring at the pair as if they were watching a royal scandal unfold.
Meanwhile, Canopy wiped a tear from his eye, still grinning. "Relax, Princess. You'd make a terrifying queen, but a cute comedian."
Dila's face flushed pink. "S-shut up, or I really will turn you broom into a mop!" she shouted again, trying to sound fierce, but her voice cracked slightly, making Canopy—and a few brave students—burst into laughter all over again.
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