Chapter 36: Lances

THIRD PERSON'S POV: 

As Jasmine and Arthur exited the director's office, they found themselves in the same corridor as two powerful figures, Lance Bairon and Lance Alea, who were heading towards the director's office. The atmosphere shifted instantly as they passed each other.

Jasmine and Arthur couldn't help but widen their eyes in surprise at the sight of the Lances, figures of such immense power and authority. Bairon barely spared them a glance, dismissing their presence as unimportant. However, Alea's gaze lingered on them, her eyes narrowing slightly as she focused on their mana cores.

In an instant, she discerned that Jasmine was at the initial Silver core stage—a significant achievement. But what truly caught her attention was Arthur. Despite appearing much younger, around 10 or 12 years Jasmine's junior, his mana core was a dark yellow, bordering on solid yellow. But being the best sensory mage, Alea discovered that Arthur seemed to be suppressing his aura—a lot, at that. Alea made a mental note of this as they continued their path toward the director's office, leaving Jasmine and Arthur to process their encounter with the Lances.

 As soon as the Lances were out of earshot, Jasmine turned to Arthur, her voice laced with awe. "Those were Lance Bairon and Lance Alea, right?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, it was them."

Jasmine let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "They're incredibly strong. Just being near them, you can feel the power they hold."

Arthur gave a small nod in agreement. "They're white core mages, the strongest on the continent. This is the least you can expect from people at that level."

Jasmine glanced back down the corridor, where the Lances had disappeared. "It's hard to even imagine what it must be like to reach that stage."

Arthur smiled reassuringly. "You're not that far from reaching the white core yourself, Jasmine. Being at the initial Silver stage is already an incredible feat."

Jasmine looked at him, a small smile forming on her lips. "Thanks, Arthur. It's still hard to wrap my head around it sometimes."

Arthur's expression turned a bit more playful as he suggested, "How about we head to the training room and catch up there? It's been a while since we've trained together, and I'm curious to see how much stronger you've become."

Jasmine's eyes lit up at the idea. "Sounds like a plan. Let's see if you've kept up with your training too, little brother."

Arthur led Jasmine through the academy halls, heading towards the library. "We'll need to register with the librarian before we can use the training room," he explained.

As they entered the grand library, the smell of old books and the soft rustle of pages filled the air. The rows of shelves were towering, filled with countless tomes of knowledge. In the distance, behind a large wooden desk, seated was Chloe, the librarian. She was yet again engrossed in reading another romantic novel.

As they approached the librarian's desk, Chloe glanced up from her book, a teasing smile already forming on her lips. "Well, well, Mr. Leywin. Bringing another girl, are we? Should I be worried?"

Before Arthur could respond, Jasmine's protective instincts kicked in. Her eyes narrowed at Chloe. "Are you two... dating?" she asked, her tone a mix of suspicion and concern.

Arthur quickly raised his hands in defense. "No, no! Chloe's just teasing, Jasmine. We're not dating."

Chloe chuckled softly, enjoying the exchange. "Relax, I'm just having a bit of fun. So, what brings you here today? And who is this lady?"

Arthur cleared his throat, eager to move past the awkwardness. "We're here to register to use the training room. We want to catch up on some things. And you can say she is my older sister."

Chloe nodded, still smiling as she made a note in her register. "Alright, you're all set. Enjoy your time."

With that, Arthur led Jasmine toward the training room, the awkward moment fading as they prepared to spar.

_________________________________________________________________________________

ARTHUR LEYWIN'S POV:

I exited the training room after nearly three hours of intense sparring. Jasmine had left about half an hour earlier, she had improved a lot since the last time we sparred, her Sound magic adding a new layer of complexity to her attacks.

Before she left, Jasmine handed me a small, intricately designed pendant. It was simple yet elegant, exactly the kind of thing I preferred. She explained that it could amplify the wearer's mana, and although it wasn't useful to me right now, it may be handy in the future. 

I could tell it wasn't something you could just pick up easily; it must have cost her a fortune. But then again, as an S-class adventurer, maybe money wasn't much of an issue for her anymore. 

She also gave Sylvie an AA-class beast core, Sylvie the ever-hungry one ate it in one go. It was very funny to see her eating a core almost half of her size in her fox form.

I appreciated the gesture, though, not just because of its value, but because it showed how much she cared. Slipping the pendant into my dimensional ring, I made my way back toward the dorms, feeling a bit lighter than I had in a while.

As I made my way down the corridor, my thoughts still lingered on the pendant Jasmine had given me. The quiet was suddenly interrupted by a faint noise coming from a secluded area nearby. Curious, I edged closer, keeping myself hidden behind a wall to see what was going on.

Peering around the corner, I saw Bairon Wykes, the imposing Lance, standing over his younger brother, Lucas. Bairon's voice was sharp and scolding, while Lucas stood there with his head bowed, fear written all over his face. It was strange seeing the normally arrogant Lucas cowering like that. A part of me felt a grim satisfaction, but another part of me couldn't help but feel my blood boil, remembering all the things Lucas had done in the past.

As the anger surged within me, I suddenly felt the cold, unmistakable touch of a blade against my throat. My instincts kicked in, and I reached for Dawn's Ballad in my dimensional ring, but it was too late—the blade was already pressing firmly against my skin. What was odd, though, was the lack of any killing intent. After years of constant warfare and time spent in the Beast Glades, I was certain no one could sneak up on me without triggering my senses.

Slowly, I turned my head to see who had managed to catch me off guard. There she was—Lance Alea—holding a vine-like blade at my throat with a mischievous smile on her lips.

"That's quite a heavy bloodlust you've got there, especially for a Lance," Alea teased, her tone light as she began to pull the vine blade away from my neck.

I stayed quiet, trying to process how she'd managed to get so close without me noticing.

"One of the disadvantages of storing your weapon in a dimensional ring," she continued, her smile widening, "is that it takes too long to call out."

I quickly composed myself, knowing that I needed to defuse the situation. "I think there's a misunderstanding," I said, keeping my tone even. "I don't harbor any anger toward Lance Bairon. In fact, this is the first time I've ever seen him in the corridor."

Alea's smile didn't falter as she tilted her head slightly, studying me. "Maybe you're good at hiding it, but even if you're suppressing your bloodlust, I can still sense it, you know." She paused, her eyes narrowing in amusement. "And as for Bairon, you wouldn't be able to touch him, even as a dual elemental mage. However, maybe after removing the seals, you could."

Her words caught me off guard. How did she know I was suppressing my power? I had been careful, especially with the sealing bracelets, to keep my true abilities under wraps.

My surprise must have shown on my face because Alea's grin widened. "Oh, don't look so shocked. I can tell you're concealing your power. Those sealing bracelets aren't just for show, are they?"

I forced myself to remain calm, even though the fact that she could see through my concealment sent a chill down my spine. If she could discern this much, it meant her sensory abilities were on another level entirely.

"What can I say," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady, "You, lances are sharp."

Alea chuckled softly. "Well, it's good to know your limits, but I wonder how long you'll be content with them. One day, those seals will come off, and when they do, I hope I get to see what you're really capable of."

"How strong are you?" I asked, genuinely curious.

Alea stopped and turned back to me, her eyes sparkling with a playful glint. She brought her hands up, holding them close together with a gap between her hands. "About this strong?" she replied, her tone light and teasing.

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her response. What a weird sense of humor, I thought, unsure whether to take her seriously or not. But the slight smirk on her face told me that she was having fun with the question.

Alea pouted slightly, leaning against the wall with a mock sigh. "You could have at least given me a chuckle or something," she said, her tone playful yet tinged with a hint of disappointment. Then, with a shrug, she added, "Although I'm the weakest, there's not that much big margin between me and the other Lances."

I couldn't resist teasing her back. Reaching out, I patted her shoulder gently and said, "There, there…" My tone was overly consoling as if trying to comfort a child who had scraped their knee.

She shot me a look that was somewhere between amused and insulted, her lips twitching in a suppressed smile. "You may tease, but while others may be strong, none of them can match my level of perception," she retorted, a hint of pride in her voice.

That confirmed how she was able to sense my bloodlust before I even noticed her presence. Her ability to read the subtle cues in the environment and sense the emotions of those around her made her uniquely dangerous, even if she wasn't the physically strongest of the Lances.

Alea straightened up, glancing down the corridor where Bairon seemed to be wrapping up his conversation with Lucas. "Ah, it looks like Bairon is finishing up," she noted, her tone shifting back to business. Then, with a small smile, she added, "It was nice talking to you, kid. Maybe we'll run into each other again."

I bowed my head slightly in respect. "Thank you for entertaining the question of a mere student, Lance Alea."

As I straightened back up, she tilted her head and asked, "What's your name, by the way?"

"Arthur Leywin," I replied.

Alea's expression softened, and she seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. "Arthur, huh? If my brother were still here, he'd be about your age." She paused, then met my gaze with a faint, wistful smile. "I hope to see you again, Arthur. Take care."

With that, she turned and walked away, leaving me with more questions than answers. Her parting words lingered in my mind, a mix of curiosity and the realization of just how much weight these Lances carried—not just in strength, but in the memories and responsibilities they bore.

~~

A/N: Yo! Hello again, I just received a call from the university, and they are asking me to come for physical reporting on 5 September. Therefore I will be a bit busy with packing or traveling, the updates for the next few days, approximately from now to till 8 or 10 might be irregular, so please be patient and enjoy the chapters. Also, did you notice that Alea said she wasn't that weak compared to other lances, (leave Varay and Aya)? Well, I honestly think TM did her very dirty in the cannon so I will have things go differently.