Chapter 41: Beast Will-(III)

THIRD PERSON'S POV:

Kathyln walked through the academy halls, her mind wandering as the morning's classes played out in her memory. Today had been rather dull, filled with lectures on casting without incantation and basics of conjuring. Though she understood the importance, it had left her feeling uninspired. 

The announcement that there wouldn't be Arthur's class today because of dungeon exploration only added to her disappointment. She had grown to appreciate Arthur's lessons more than she cared to admit—not because of him, but because of the intriguing concepts he introduced.

The Divergent Mana Training he had taught had paid off. She could now augment herself with mana, a feat she had never thought possible as a conjurer at the solid oragne stage. And being the first student to succeed filled her with quiet pride, though she kept it hidden from everyone, even from Curtis.

Today, however, she was focused on another challenge: Efficient Mana Utilization. Some of the concepts still eluded her, but she had managed to grasp one key idea—creating ice in a new way. Instead of just summoning water and freezing it, she had learned to conjure hot water first, then rapidly drop the temperature to form ice. The method produced stronger ice, and she was eager to test it.

Inside the Disciplinary Committee's training room, she stood poised, concentrating on her mana flow. Nehir, her bond, was curled up on a bench nearby, watching with interest. Summoning the hot water, she focused on the next step, freezing it into five small, sharp icicles. With a flick of her wrist, she launched them at the test dummy.

The dummy, reinforced with varying levels of mana, had always stopped her previous attempts at level 5. But today, the icicles sliced through it effortlessly, piercing through the higher levels of reinforcement without shattering.

"I did it, Nehir!" Kathyln's quiet voice carried a hint of excitement, a smile tugging at her lips as she watched the ice shards pass themselves in the dummy.

Nehir let out a small, triumphant howl, clearly sharing in her bond's success. The sound echoed softly in the training room, a moment of celebration between them.

"Whoa! Is that really the 'Ice Princess' smiling just now?" A teasing voice broke the silence, startling Kathyln. She turned to see Director Goodsky standing at the entrance, watching her with a playful smile.

The feeling of pride was quickly replaced by embarrassment, and Kathyln's face flushed a light shade of red. She averted her eyes, trying to regain her composure, but the rare slip of emotion had already been noticed.

Hiding her embarrassment, Kathyln greeted the director with a small, "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too, Ice Princess," Director Goodsky replied with a warm smile.

Kathyln's cheeks flushed slightly again. "Please don't embarrass me by calling me that," she murmured, though she knew the nickname had become quite popular. Her female friends had already teased her about it more than once.

The director chuckled softly. "You've become quite famous with that name, you know."

Kathyln nodded, aware of the moniker but eager to change the subject. "What brings you to the training room, Director?"

"It's my duty to watch over the academy," Director Goodsky replied, her tone light. "I was just passing by when I noticed the mana fluctuation in here, so I came to check."

Kathyln nodded, feeling a bit more at ease. "I was just testing a theory I learned a few days ago."

"Oh?" The director's curiosity was piqued. "What theory would that be?"

Kathyln took a moment to gather her thoughts before explaining the principle. "Instead of summoning water and then freezing it like most mages do, I used hot water and rapidly dropped the temperature. The result was a formation of much stronger ice at a faster speed than normal."

Director Goodsky, impressed by the method, laughed lightly. "That's quite ingenious! How did you come up with such a method?"

Kathyln explained, "I theorized it during Arthur's class when he introduced us to efficient mana utilization."

The director's smile widened, clearly pleased. "It seems my choice to make him a professor was indeed correct. Arthur's teachings are bearing fruit in unexpected ways. You've done well, Kathyln."

Hearing praise from the director of the continent's best academy made Kathyln feel a sense of accomplishment, but she replied with the humility befitting a princess. "Thank you, Director, but I still have much to learn."

Director Goodsky's eyes gleamed with approval. "A wise outlook. The world is vast, and the knowledge within it is infinite. One should always strive to learn more."

Kathyln nodded in agreement, appreciating the director's wisdom. Just as she was about to speak, the director continued with a playful tone. "Since I'm very impressed with your performance, how about having a spar with me? This old lady's bones are sometimes rusty and require some exercise."

Kathyln's eyes widened slightly in surprise. The director was a high silver core mage, proficient in wind magic, and even more so in sound magic. A spar with someone of her caliber was both an honor and a challenge.

"Of course, Director," Kathyln replied, her voice steady despite the excitement building within her. This was an opportunity she couldn't pass up.

The director moved to the center of the training room, her presence commanding as they both prepared for the spar. Kathyln took a deep breath, focusing her mana, and was the first to strike. She summoned ice just as she had practiced moments ago, launching seven icicles consecutively, each one aimed from a different direction to keep the director on her toes.

Yet, Director Goodsky stood firm, unfazed by the incoming attack. With a simple wave of her hand, a small gust of wind propelled around her, deflecting the icicles effortlessly. Kathyln watched in awe as her attack was neutralized so easily. She knew the director was a formidable opponent, but she had underestimated just how powerful she truly was.

"Impressive," the director remarked with a confident smile, "but you'll have to do a lot more if you want to even touch me."

Instead of remaining on the defensive, the director launched two small tornadoes in Kathyln's direction. Each one was powerful enough to subdue a solid orange-core mage, yet Kathyln decided not to dodge. She wanted to try a different approach, one that might leave a lasting impression on the director.

Determined, Kathyln conjured a water beam and launched it at the director's spell. Instead of resisting the tornado, the water was sucked into it, creating a visual barrier. The director momentarily hesitated, feeling no resistance from the water beam and unsure of Kathyln's strategy. As the water mingled with the tornado, her vision became obscured, and she quickly realized Kathyln's intent.

Drawing on her decades of battle experience, the director recognized this as a tactic augmenters often used against conjurers to block their vision. Just as she anticipated Kathyln's next move, Kathyln appeared from the side, a transparent ice blade conjured in hand. She dashed forward, using her mastery over water and ice mana to make her movements fluid, and slashed at the director.

However, the director took a step back, dodging effortlessly. "Impressive," she commented, genuinely surprised. "To be able to fight like an augmenter while being a solid orange-core conjurer is truly an incredible feat, but is this all you can do?"

Kathyln felt a flicker of frustration as her trick seemed to be in vain. Her brows furrowed slightly, a sign of her determination to keep pushing. She tried to step back, but the director swiftly launched a sonic attack. Kathyln instinctively covered her ears with ice mana, mitigating the effects of the sound-based spell. However, the director had anticipated this move.

With her hearing temporarily blocked, Kathyln didn't notice the wind slash coming from behind her. By the time she sensed the attack, it was already too late. The wind slash struck her, but thankfully, it wasn't powerful enough to cause significant harm. Her body, reinforced with mana, absorbed the impact, allowing her to endure the blow. However, the force of the attack pushed her forward, though she managed to stay on her feet.

"Lesson one for a conjurer: be unpredictable," the director advised, a small smile playing on her lips.

Kathyln nodded, absorbing the lesson. She realized that facing someone as experienced as the director required not only skill and ingenious but also adaptability. This spar was proving to be more challenging than she had anticipated, but it was also an invaluable learning experience.

Focusing her mana, she decided to use water magic in a new way, hoping to counter the director's wind-based attacks. She summoned a large, swirling sphere of water in front of her. Instead of forming it into sharp icicles or a shield, she kept the water in its fluid state, letting it swirl and shift. Wind could easily scatter ice, but water had a different property—it could flow and adapt.

As Kathyln focused her mana into the swirling sphere of water, something unexpected happened. A strange connection surged between her and Nehir, her bond, like an unseen force guiding her. The connection felt stronger than ever before, amplifying her concentration and control. She sensed an otherworldly power swirling within her, intensifying her magic.

The director, sensing the sudden shift in the atmosphere, raised an eyebrow in curiosity. There was something different, something more powerful than before. Intricate, regal runes began to glow faintly all over Kathyln's body. The water sphere in front of her rapidly grew larger, its sheer size and force becoming almost overwhelming. Realizing the unnatural power radiating from the spell, Director Goodsky was momentarily stunned.

But the director's decades of experience quickly kicked in. Without hesitation, she cast a sonic spell from her regalia, aimed directly at Kathyln's mind, disrupting her focus. The spell collapsed in an instant, but the water had already grown too large to simply disappear. It surged forward like a small tsunami, flowing out of the training room, through the gate, and even out of the windows.

Outside, a group of unsuspecting students were caught in the sudden flood of water. Startled shouts filled the air as they tried to comprehend what had just happened.

"What the...?"

"Raining! It's raining!"

"No, Flood, its a flood!"

"Dumb fuckers! It's not raining or flooding!"

"But, where is this water coming from?!"

"No! My Homework!"

Kathyln, still reeling from the immense power she had just wielded and the metal attack she recived stood in shock for a few moments as the remnants of her spell continued to trickle outside. The director, now soaked but composed, shook her head with a bemused expression.

"Well," Director Goodsky said, her voice filled with mild amusement, "I wasn't expecting a flood today."

Kathyln, mortified by the chaos she had accidentally caused, bowed deeply. "I-I'm so sorry, Director! I didn't mean to—"

The director chuckled softly, waving her hand to dismiss the apology. "No need to apologize. It seems you've just unlocked something new, something powerful." She glanced meaningfully at Nehir, who had stayed close by, observing everything quietly. "You have unlocked the first phase of you bond's will, it seems. We'll need to explore that more, but for now..." she gestured toward the drenched hallway, "maybe we should apologize to those poor students."

Kathyln couldn't help but blush as she nodded in agreement, feeling both embarrassed and excited about what had just transpired.

(A/N: Just in case you are wondering, how she wasn't unconscious? Just assume that since the spell disrupted her body didn't receive much strain.)

~~

The director and Kathyln (With her perky nipple visible due to being soaked. Ahem!) were busy apologizing to the soaked students, though it was amusing to see the students insist that there was no need for apologies. After all, it wasn't every day that the ones saying sorry were the director of the academy and the princess of the human kingdom. No one would dare hold a grudge in such a situation—who knew what might happen if they did?

Suddenly, a voice called out urgently from the other side of the training room. Rosa Barlowe, a staff member, came rushing toward them, her face pale and panicked. She looked like she had run a great distance to find the director.

As she arrived, breathless and with urgency etched on her face, she stopped short as she took in the scene. Water soaked the floors, and several students were still dripping wet. Kathyln and Director Goodsky were in the middle of offering apologies, but the sight of the normally composed Director in such a state, and the princess, left her momentarily confused.

"What in the...?" Rosa muttered, her eyes wide as she looked at the drenched students and the puddles stretching across the training area.

Director Goodsky noticed her arrival and immediately recognized the urgency in her expression. "Rosa, what's going on?" she asked, her tone sharp and businesslike.

Rosa swallowed, still trying to catch her breath, and stammered, "Director... there's an emergency. Something's happened in the Widow's Crypt... two AA-class mana beasts suddenly appeared."

Kathyln's heart sank as she recognized the name of the dungeon. "Isn't that where today's dungeon exploration is happening?" she asked, her voice tinged with panic.

Rosa nodded, worry evident on her face. "Yes, Princess."

Goodsky, though calm, furrowed her brow. "Even so, an S-class adventurer was assigned to the students. They should be able to handle it."

Rosa hesitated, then continued, "The students are mostly unharmed, with only minor injuries. Professor Glory has a slight injury, but..."

Goodsky's eyes narrowed. "But?"

Rosa swallowed hard. "One student, along with the S-class adventurer, didn't come out. Professor Glory said they went deeper into the dungeon to investigate, but—"

Kathyln's heart raced, her voice tight with unease. "Who was the student?"

Rosa hesitated, then whispered, "Arthur Leywin."

~~

A/N: I won't waste your time, check out the other ffs, TBATE: CAERA &TBATE: ONE-SHOTS & WHAT-IFS.