Waiting

Ch 13

POV Charlotte Albrecht

"Aaaah…" I yawned as I stretched my arms after waking up.

This really is more like a holiday than a mission. Because of the recommendation letter and the talent, I had I didn't need to go through most of the tests, so for the next ten days I was stuck here with nothing to do. I couldn't enter the other institute buildings that were situated deeper inside because I was only an examinee. Even cultivation was a bad idea, as my aura would definitely not be able to remain hidden.

As I lay on my bed after calling for breakfast, I wondered about what Leon was doing right now. Knowing him, he would probably be just practicing and learning spells. Even back in the carriage, the whole time he was reading a spell tome.

Should I go search for him? I removed the idea as soon as it came to my head. To be honest, even though I was a great realm ahead of him, I was quite intimidated by his sharpness. He made me reveal so much about myself, without giving much important information about himself. If I talked to him carelessly, there was no doubt that I would be taken advantage of.

In the end, I just reviewed my combat arts to increase their proficiency.

Just learning a combat art is not enough. You need to be proficient in it as well. In real time combat you need to be able to use any combat art in a split second. This was especially true for assassins who had lower natural defence and relied lesser on physique. The proficiency stages were divided into 3 stages – adept, skilled and expert.

It had been only one year since I advanced to a Weapon Specialist. I had spent majority of that time in learning new 4th level combat arts. Now, was the perfect time to raise all the lower-level combat arts proficiencies.

The next day a shocking news was posted on the announcement board in the hall.

[

Worsening political struggle in Carnel Empire

Third Prince of the Carnel Empire ambushed on his way to the Greenwich Academy. Because of severe injuries, the Third Prince has returned to the Imperial Palace and his admission has been revoked.]

Was it the First Princess? Or was it the First Prince again? Seeing that he was willing to kill one of his brothers, doing the same to the other wouldn't be unlikely. Although I somewhat understand doing it to your opponents, trying to kill the Third Prince, who had always been neutral and had no interest in the throne left a bad taste in my mouth. But at least it seems that he wasn't killed, only injured.

I thought the Third Prince was an unparalleled genius, but now it seems like those were just exaggerated rumours. Even a child would know to take precautions while travelling, much less a Prince who is embroiled in politics. Even if you are talented, you need the intelligence to back it up if you want to become strong.

That evening, when I returned to my room, there was a slip of paper on the ground. Which was definitely not mine. After checking for any magical traps nearby, I picked it up carefully.

Although there were only a few lines written on it, they chilled my heart to the core.

[Seeing that you managed to pass successfully without causing much suspicions I hope you don't go back on your deal.]

Such a letter could only be written by Leon. But how did he know which room I was in? If I was being followed or tracked I would have definitely noticed, so that isn't it. Moreover, he knew I had passed when even I didn't. And what did he mean by without causing 'much' suspicion. Doesn't that mean I caused some suspicion? Is he bluffing? Or is it a way to show me how good his intel collecting skills are?

All he did was write a sentence on a paper, and my calm attitude has been thrown out of the window. If I keep on going like this, my secrets will soon be discovered and even if I am not exposed, I will definitely be blackmailed by him.

I have to make sure to maintain my distance and avoid meeting him as much as possible.

** ** **

POV Krauss Vortemund Carnel

Would she have seen the message by now? I wondered as I turned the page to the new spell tome I was reading. It was one of the spells I had copied from the Imperial library the night before I was leaving.

Her room information was written in the file Professor Tischer had handed me. Since I knew this piece of information, obviously I had to make good use of it before its expiry.

By giving her that message, I made my figure more mysterious and fearsome to her. Afterall, I was able to find her room without alerting her. In the academy where information on the student's backgrounds were strictly off limits this was an impossible task unless you stalked the target directly.

A psychological advantage may look insignificant in combat, but to a spell caster it is just another opening to attack from. Although, I was prepared to fight Charlotte, deep down in my heart I didn't think she would decide to eliminate me in the final test. What I was more afraid of was the person behind her. Since Professor Tischer was concerned with my relationship with him, it was likely he was a rather influential person, some sort of noble maybe?.

Just then somebody knocked on the door,

"Sir, your dinner is served."

.

After having dinner that was served to my room I went back to practicing my spells. Actually, if I wanted to, I could start the advancement to a 4th Circle Great Sorcerer anytime I wanted. I was already a peak 3rd Circle Expert Magician with more than enough mental strength to advance. There were three reasons for me stalling my advancement.

One, the academy didn't allow fighters or spell casters of more than 3rd level to enrol. This was also the reason why Charlotte had to hide her real strength to enter. This rule was there to prevent disparity among the students. The academy didn't have any age limit to enter. All that existed was a talent hurdle.

If your background was clean, and had third level or more talent, you were eligible to enrol as long as you were more than 16 years old and passed the basic tests. There was no upper age limit.

If people at 4th and 5th refinements started entering, it would not take long for the stability in the academy to collapse because of the power difference. Moreover, people who were more than 4th refinement were more or less already deeply involved with some other organization. Investing in them would give lesser returns compared to weaker but unaffiliated people.

The second reason was the advancement from 3rd to 4th circle was not like the other advancements before it. It was the trial through which a magician turned into a sorcerer. The thing is, when a magician advances to a sorcerer, a tribulation filled with the element they have affinity with descends upon them.

In my case a combined tribulation of ice and fire would be materialized. If I advanced in the imperial palace and others saw it, it would be nothing less than advertising my dual affinity to the world. At that point even Derek would become hostile, much less Helen. This was a secret I had not let anybody know, and I meant to keep it so for a long time to come.

These two reasons weren't the main cause though. Attending the academy wasn't a compulsory thing for me, and if I really wanted to advance I could definitely escape the palace for a short while to a secluded location to advance. The truth was that I simply liked learning new spells.

My mother had pursued ice spells to the extreme. I didn't want to follow her way. Learning as many spells as I can possibly can was the path I had chosen, and I didn't mean to change it. Yes, learning spells of other elements which you don't have affinity with maybe inefficient and even redundant. But it was still what I wanted to do at least for the basic levels.

I had a dual affinity of opposing elements, supreme spell casting talent, and access to more spells than most people in the world. If I didn't make full use of these things then I don't deserve them in the first place. At every step on my path, I want to be the strongest possible version of me possible. And for that, I won't hesitate to make small sacrifices to inefficiency.

"Grease~"

The floor in my room was suddenly covered by a yellow translucent material.

Finally learnt it after two days. Took me longer than I expected. Well, it is harder to concentrate in a carriage, especially when a potential enemy is sitting across you.

Onto the next spell then. I took out another folder from one of my suitcases. It's called Sleep. Ah it looks difficult.

These were the spells I had hurriedly copied at the library before coming to the Institute. The main thing wasn't this though, all the elemental spells that were more difficult were stored in the black ornate bracelet on my wrist. It was a storage artifact that my mother left me.

The night before I left I stole all the elemental spell tomes of the Sorcerer stage from the Imperial library. The non-elemental Sorcerer tomes would more or less be all there in the institute's library. This meant I was not going to be lacking spell tomes even when I became a 4th Circle Great Sorcerer. Imagining the angry faces of Helen and Derek was already enough to make me feel that stealing these tomes was worth it.

"Sleep~"

"Ah. It failed" I grumbled to myself before trying again.

And so, the days passed, one by one until it was finally the time for the final test.

** ** **