It was a very cold and windy day, the sky above was gray and the sun was hidden behind a curtain of thick white clouds.
A carriage arrived infront of the Zionsviel mansion, A huge mansion with blue slanting roofs and white marble walls.
The carriage's door opened, Mr. Tajid in a brown woolen robe came out of it with his teeth chattering as he inhaled the chilly odourless air.
He rubbed his brown gloved hands together and gave his robe a hitch, he and his men went near the wide main gate, it opened. He entered the mansion and saw a huge garden with a wide blue curtained gazebo in the middle of it. A messenger came towards him,
"Lord Zionsviel is waiting for you,Lord Tajid"
"Very well, where is your Lord?"
"In the gazebo, let me take you"
Mr. Tajid went inside the gazebo, it was warm and comfortable, he saw an old, short man with long white beard sipping tea, wearing a blue viel which partly covered his green eyes. The viel extended down and became a part of a sky blue robe with white patterns on its edges. The tea cup accidentally fell from his fragile shaking hands and stained his white sleeves and shoes, a few drops splashed on to Mr. Tajid's face but he wiped it with a hankerchief. That man spoke in a weak voice
"I...I'm sorry Mr. Tajid, this was uncalled for"
"It's okay Mr. Zionsviel"
"Please have a seat, I've been waiting for you, you said you wanted to meet me you said in the letter?"
"Yes, Priest Arches told me to visit you"
"Oh I see"
"Mr. Zionsviel, as Priest Arches revealed during the summit, the Zionsviel family left the Anti Demon group? Why is that?"
"Yes Mr. Tajid I have left the anti demon group, it is because of my declining health condition, as you saw earlier"
"But Mr. Zionsviel, I'm sure you will be alright, leaving our group because you're sick? That doesn't sound too realistic and moreover Shelly is your heir, why not let her represent the Zionsviel family in your absence"
"Mr. Tajid, I have only one daughter, she is very dear to me, I can't involve her in political affairs, she is an aspiring sorcerer"
"But Mr. Zionsviel, you can not pull out from a mutual pact like this whenever you desire, you know it right? Priest Arches even called you 'enemies of God' during the summit"
"Oh my, that is very saddening. I will inform Priest Arches about my reasons then. Mr. Tajid, since you have paid me a visit for the first time, it would sad if you depart without finishing your lunch at my place"
"I will think about that, but Mr. Zionsviel, since you have exited the alliance, Priest Arches has ex communicated you from the temple also removing your seat from cinoplaza hall, but he has assured that this will not have any effect on Shelly's education"
"What? Ex communicated from the Holy Azure Temple? I can't believe it"
"You cannot do anything about it, it's your own fault for enraging the Priest"
"I resigned for the sake of my health and for my daughter, is it so wrong?"
"Ask the Priest, I am not the leader of it"
"What about Mr. Ionder and Mr. Nephnis? Did they attend it?"
"Mr. Nephnis couldn't attend it for some reasons but Mr. Ionder did. Anyways, since you left the group only one day before the day of meeting, Priest Arches decided that he will let you know the highlights and the conjecture of the meeting, please have this scroll"
"What is this? A scroll signed by Priest Arches?"
"It contains the meeting details, hope you will read it"
"Oh my, thank you Mr. Tajid"
"I will leaving now, handing you over this scroll and a small talk with you was my main purpose"
"Now? Won't you stay for a repast?"
"I wish I could've but I got to go, I have a meeting to attend"
"I see, it was nice of you to visit me. Sirrah?"
"Yes my Lord?"
"Accompany Mr. Tajid to the main gate"
"Sure my Lord"
Mr. Tajid left the gazebo and went towards the main exit gate where his carriage was waiting. There are many ways to the exit gate, one by the backyard was one of the many ways which Tajid chose, he walked across the backyard, as he left, he saw a red glowing design on the ground, it looked like a magic circle from his distance, he was trying to have a good look at it only to be interrupted by his accompanier.
"Lord Tajid, come this way, this walk would be more comfortable"
"Ah..okay, if you say so, but I would've liked walking this way"
"No no my Lord, this way is better"
Mr. Tajid was confused, followed the servant and exited the mansion, got on his carriage and drove away. In the gazebo, Mr. Zionsviel took another cup of tea, he sipped it, his hands were not shaking, his body wasn't shivering, he didn't spill it all over his cloth, he only had a mild grin on his face which was seen as he lowered his cup.
In the Magic Academy, Kanito had his first theory class of Magic. He always thought that magic is practical and no theoretical knowledge was required for it.
It reminded him of the sleepless nights he spent back in his world memorizing the big chunks of informations.
He argued with Sir Sheeran, a short and obese bald man with black eyes and curly moustache wearing a long black jacket and black trousers, he was their magic theory teacher.
Kanito even in his own world was a quick learner and skeptical as a student. He questioned how the Lynn's paradox, a well accepted hypothesis in this world was "wrong and stupid". It simply stated that not all of the life energy which is projected out by a Sorcerer gets converted into Magical energy, there is always some loss of energy.
For an earthling or more specifically a Physics enthusiast like Kanito, it is natural to infer that this most probably happens because some of life energy may be absorbed by the surrounding, but this reasoning was not yet known to the people of this world, so the idea of a perfect sorcerer, a sorcerer whose energy input and output is equal was always considered while solving numericals of magic.
Numericals like "a sorcerer casts a spell of 1520R, when the humidity is 30.5% and air is blowing in the north direction, calculate destructive index of the spell and it's travel velocity" can be often found in the work books of a grimoire
When Kanito put forward his argument, Everyone else went silent and Sir Sheeran thought of it for a while and even slowly remarked "You're quite right" But immediately retracted and put his act together by pulling his Jacket.
"But How will you prove it?" was a question raised by Tiero as he caressed his cyan bangs. Kanito used his earthly knowledge to support his claim but was always questioned by one or the other but mostly by Tiero and Sheeran.
A quiet yet outspoken girl with light brown braided hair and green eyes sitting on the left side of aisle rose to Kanito's support, she added to the conservation as she adjusted her eyeglasses
"Well, he put forward a statement atleast, even though his reasoning lacks polish, I believe that is more than enough for a student"
"Why are you defending him Shelly? What's your reason?"
"No reason Tiero, you can mock him but can you disprove him?"
Tiero's eyebrows furrowed, he said aggressively "Lynn's paradox is a renowned theory, the lost energy is used up by the enviroment? That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard"
"Now now class, we will talk about it in detail in a different lecture"
Kanito was disappointed because no one in this world wasn't able to grasp a simple concept such as this, while also secretly being happy that he has an upper hand over others. He turned his head to the left only to meet a glare from Tiero's jealous green eyes.
During their sword's class, Students gathered in the swords lobby with their sword Instructor. On the edges of the lobby were shelves in which swords of different shapes and sizes were kept.
Kanito used his Fiard rank longsword which Yuriel bought him from Riandro's shop. It had a yellow pommel and a yellow quillon, a rigid grip made of iron, nothing too fancy.
Fiona couldn't afford a sword so she used one from the shelves instead, she picked a short dull falchion and pretended to be okay with it, however Kanito said to her
"It is not a cooking class, pick a real sword"
Tiero ofcourse wielded a long and lavish cutlass having a steel cup guard and shining emerald plated quillon with fancy green inscriptions on them, the inscriptions of ancient Carpic text are believed to induce a sword with enchantments but that is obviously a myth. Carpic language was only used in Toesh era and have been long extinct since then.
They learned about infusing magic in a magical tool, a magical tool can be a weapon, a potion, an armour or an item which are sensitive to spells, their strength and efficiency amplifies when induced with magic. The sword's Instructor however seems to discourage use of spells as he said it "ruins the purity of a sword" or how it is "a dent to the soul of a sword and a swordsman" Sword Techniques were developed alongside spells and were always an integral part of sorcery. Tiero noticed Kanito at a distance holding and aiming his sword. He spoke in a loud, rather attention seeking way
"Hey Kanito, nice sword you have there"
"Huh? I'm used to ironic jokes so keep going"
"No, I mean it, it's great"
"Your sword Tiero, is it for slicing or showing?"
"For both, what's yours for?"
"Tiero, in a cutlass, you don't tighten your grip by pressing the cup guard with your thumb, it's only there to ensure you don't loose your sword amidst a battle, so hold it properly and stop shaming yourself"
Tiero found himself in a state of unease, as those around him stifled laughter and discreetly hid their expressions.
A person being so casual around Tiero and speaking to him in a bold and nonchalant tone was something rarely seen.
The courage shown by Kanito, a new student and a commoner was equally appreciated and despised by the group of students.
This astute heroism and act of bravery was only shown by Shelly till before. Shelly, the only daughter of Arsene Zionsviel, in the past, had participated in verbal battles with the Nephnis's son many times and often found herself on the winning side.
It appeared to her that she has now discovered a potential rival in Kanito and also an ally united with her by the virtue of a shared adversary. She noticed Kanito and Tiero's conversation from afar, she only noticed their bickering. Tiero furious about how Kanito corrected him, challenged him to fence with him. The teacher however reluctant was convinced by Tiero's emerald badge of nobility.
Subsequently, Kanito and Tiero proceeded to the duel chamber, an elegant space with orange flooring and pristine white walls. Situated adjacent to the sword lobby, this hall was originally designated for instructional use, but frequently served as a venue for the resolution of personal skirmishes.
"Both sides, once on entering the demarcated space will not be allowed to leave, either party will have to surrender if they fall on the ground or if they are disarmed by the other,both will purely rely on their fencing skills and will not take the aid of any sort of spell, the duel will come to an end if either party gets severly injured. Now begin !"
As the teacher made the rules clear, both took positions in their own ways.
Kanito even though is well aware of how superior he is to Tiero in terms of both sorcery and sword stood sincerely and held the hilt of his longsword tightly with both hands and converged his yellow iris to focus on his enemy.
Tiero stood causally holding his cutlass loosely with his right hand pointing its tip towards Kanito and his left hand tucked inside his trouser's pocket, he sneered, it was as if his anger was washed away with his pride.
Tiero was the first to strike, his cutlass arced towards Kanito with a swift and forceful motion, Kanito skillfully parried the blow, his thin sword clashed with the strong blade of Tiero's cutlass, the sound of two metals clashing was so loud, the walls rocked and swayed.
A cutlass's wavy blade is dangerous in a close range fight and Kanito knew it, he receded instantly and maintained the distance between them.
From a distnace, Kanito's longsword sliced through the air many times with a controlled precision, Tiero barely evaded it as he titled his head, acknowledging Kanito's speed.
Tiero spun his cutlass around his wrist to change his stance, he made a quick dash forward and attempted to cut through Kanito's abdomen with a forward circular slash but Kanito reversed his sword and defended his belly with the narrow blade,
As Kanito recoiled back, Fiona who was standing amidst the cheering audience noticed that something was off about this duel, her eyebrows furrowed in suspicion and lips parted in doubt.
Kanito realized that it is useless to defend against the immense slicing power of the curvy edge of a cutlass as it will bring nothing but disadvantage to him, so he needs to be on the offense.
Kanito tried to use the piercing strength of his long sword to put Tiero on the defense.
But as he tried to strike, he felt his legs going numb, his movement became slower and couldn't move.
The teacher looked concerned while Tiero's friends cheered even more, Fiona was troubled, she requested the teacher to cancel the duel, Shelly was worried and tensed.
"Did I get a mechanical shock from defending myself?" Kanito asked himself while also forcefully trying to move. The more he tried to move, the more still and immobile he found himself.
He felt his arms getting weaker, his grip on the hilt loosened, he was no more in a fighting stance, he dropped his sword.
Tiero saw an opening, he again sprinted towards Kanito with a big visible grin on his face, Kanito knew that there was no use in defending himself beacause even if he did, Tiero would still defeat him soon, he gathered all his strength to pick up his sword.
"It's over for you !" Tiero jumped to close in the distance at a faster speed and launched an attack from the air,
Kanito grabbed his sword and swung it in the air in hope that it will slice Tiero's chest,
it did, as Tiero descended, his cutlass too met Kanito's chest and slashed it.
Tiero landed on the opposite side of Kanito,
Tiero's shirt tore and only a faint yet painful scar appeared on his chest the slash from Kanito's sword was weak, but the cutlass's slash, it made Kanito's chest ooze out huge portions of blood.
Kanito lay down and the teacher came running towards him with the first aid and the healing potion which were available from beforehand.
Tiero friends encircled him and started praising him, Shelly helped the teacher to bandage Kanito to stop the blood loss while Fiona shouted at Tiero.
"You cheated, you used a paralysis inducing curse"
"Huh? What do you say?"
"You cheated, apologise"
"Shut up, now that your loving friend is defeated, you're cooking these stories up?"
"Your sword, the enchantment on your cutlass is a paralysis curse"
"What in the world? Shut up Elf !"
"Call the nurse, take Kanito to the medical room right now"
"Yes teacher"
Fiona left the lobby to get a nurse.
The Teacher took the cutlass from Tiero's hand, he looked at the blade carefully and said that the enchantment is inactive and there is no way that Tiero could use such an old enchantment.
"Kanito just couldn't handle the shock he got from the recoil, my cutlass is a Nephnis's style cutlass and it's obvious that no one can withstand it's force"
"So you accept that won thanks to your sword and you have no skill at all?"
"Oh Shelly, don't be so ridiculous, your way of mocking doesn't frighten me anymore"
Shelly took the cutlass from the teacher's hand and observed the inscriptions of the enchantment. She carefully went through the text, even though she couldn't read the language, she gave the patterns of the inscription a thorough look.
Shelly took her two fingers out, brought them close to her lips and whispered something with her eyes closed, she then rubbed her both fingers over the Carpic inscription on the blade of the cutlass,
Shelly then swung the sword infront of everyone, the inscription glowed brightly in a light brown aura.
Tiero was horrified and everyone stood there shell shocked.
"How do you explain this Tiero?"
"What? What did you do to my sword Shelly?"
"Shelly, what is it inscription glowing all of a sudden?"
"Sir, it was enchanted with paralysis curse, it was not an old inactive one rather a quite recent one"
"What ? Stop your nonsense, so why did it not glow even once in the duel?"
"What did you think I did just now? The curse was hidden by 'shroud'. A spell that hides any enchantment, be it a curse or a boon. Advanced shrouds can hide not only the glowing effect but also the inscriptions from being noticed, but it was too weak to hide the inscription so it hid the effect only and made the inscription appear old and thats all. Also, I knew the moment you started fighting with Kanito, he isn't the type to go down in a single blow, even if the blow is from a Nephnis cutlass, he would stand tall"
"Tiero, you are the one who requested the duel and yet you are the one who cheated?"
"No, I can explain, this Shelly, she is a talented sorcerer, she might have put us under a 'dreamer' spell"
"People under dreamer spell aren't even aware of the existence of such a spell idiot, maybe you should pay more attention to class"
A few nurses came with a stretcher and put Kanito on it. Fiona followed him and strangely found Shelly by her side, helping her, the teacher screamed at Tiero.
"Tiero, come with me to Sir Pear's office right now"
"Ah wait, hear me out"
The teacher dragged Tiero with him to the principal's office. Tiero gave Shelly and Fiona an evil vengeful stare as they exited the lobby and headed towards the medical room.
On the way to the medical room, Fiona had a proper conversation with Shelly for the first time, Fiona wasn't the type to talk to people she doesn't know, it was ofcourse Shelly who started the talk.
"His wound is really deep, the bleeding stopped thanks to the bandages and the potion"
"Ye..Yeah"
"May I know your name? Sorry for that time I called you an 'Elven', I didnt know your name then and I had to talk to you"
"No it's fine, you meant no insult, it's Fiona"
"Oh, Fiona, may I ask you something?"
"Yeah, go ahead"
"You were right, there was an enchantment, a paralysis curse, I confirmed it when you left to get the nurse, How did you realize though? The enchantment was concealed by 'shroud', I too realized it only after taking a good look at the sword"
"It's because, oh wait, maybe you sapiens aren't aware of it, we Elfs can see through any low level concealing spell. Its like you can use a blanket to hide something, the contents under it may be hidden, but you cannot hide the blanket as well"
"I see, some things can never be hidden, things come into light eventually"
"Yeah, the medical room is near, will you go inside?"
"Nah, they will probably take his shirt off to treat the wound, I won't invade his personal space, you can go ahead Fiona, I'll wait outside"
"Huh? I won't go in, why will I go inside?"
"You know, being an Elf like you can be challenging"
"Why is that?"
"Your blushing ears, they cannot be hidden as well"
"Huh? They are not blushing at all"