"You were right bro... Spellcrafting class was insane," Rudy said animatedly, digging his fork into a piece of meat covered in gravy on the plate in front of him.
The trio were now having lunch in the great hall after the lesson, still high after what felt more like a show rather than a class.
"Yeah, even I didn’t expect it to be like that." Michael admitted sincerely.
As someone who was intrigued with all things mana, he was looking forward to the class no matter what—but the way Professor Murphy taught was incredible. Not only was the class entertaining, the way he taught was so engaging. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ noᴠelfire.net
"Now I’ve got inscriptions class next..." Rudy complained, his mood returning to the depths, "I wish we could go back to spellcrafting class instead."
"Inscriptions should use the same runes that mana circles do." Melody piped up, though she was wearing an equally pained expression—likely because her own elective was something she deemed boring.
"But it’s not taught by Professor Murphy... I already checked," he replied gloomily.
Michael was perhaps the only one who was looking forward to his next class, ancient languages. Under the table, his hand caressed the storage ring upon his finger—a habit he’d picked up lately when he was in deep thought.
Remembering the reaction his soul had to the pills, he knew that they could be the key to unlocking his unique soul trait. But it was far too risky to take the medicine, not without learning what they were.
His soul had gone on a rampage before in the Winterborne manor, he did not want a repeat of that scenario. Perhaps if he had not passed the entrance exam to get into Arcadia, he might have been inclined to take the pills out of desperation.
But as it stood now, he had plenty of time to learn and get stronger here.
I need to be patient. Having another episode here could place unwanted attention on me—I could even have the ring taken off me... he thought silently.
"Still... How cool was that phoenix?" Rudy said, letting out an airy sigh. "When will I be able to cast a spell like that?"
"In no less than ten years with your mana control progress..." Melody retorted, casually eating her meal.
"I’m not that slow," he countered, "Michael even said that I’m making good progress, right man?"
"Well you certainly did better than my first attempt..." he replied, his words causing Melody to freeze momentarily.
The shared experience was one they hadn’t spoken about since it occurred over three years ago. In fact, it was almost as if everyone in the Winterborne household had swept it under the rug.
After the brief pause, the blue-haired girl turned her attention back to her meal—deciding not to comment.
A few minutes of silence later, Lilly appeared, taking her place as Melody’s shadow once more. She was carrying a plate with two simple looking sandwiches atop it.
Her eyes glanced at the three plates in front of the others, a sour expression creeping onto her face. "I forgot that you’re all violet emblem students..." she added, some resignation in her tone.
"I’ll make it next year..." she vowed softly, taking a seat.
With the red-haired girl now present, conversation took a lighter atmosphere. The two girls chatted about alchemy and various reactions between ingredients—quoting books they’d read and experiments.
To see Melody talking to another teen her age with such ease, Michael almost felt like a proud parent. In truth, he felt day would never have come—or at least not so soon.
However, the dynamic was a little... interesting.
Instead of being on an even standing like one would expect with friends, Lilly appeared to be a rung lower. She spoke deferentially, not once refuting Melody’s words.
I guess it’s a start... he thought, placing his cutlery atop his now empty plate.
After all, he couldn’t expect the young noble to change her entire personality in only a week. But as long as she wasn’t taking advantage of the young Lilly, Michael thought it was a good change.
"Well, we should probably get a move on soon." He said, getting to his feet.
However, no one reacted. Melody and Lilly ignored him, busy chatting about alchemy—whereas Rudy nursed his bulging stomach, wearing a content smile. It seemed as if he was close to having a nap.
Michael frowned slightly before shaking his head. They all had different classes right now anyway, so there was no point in bothering his friends.
After saying a brief goodbye, he left the great hall and headed towards the corridor where he’d bumped into Magnus last week after escaping Melody. He cast furtive glances around the corners, hoping to avoid seeing the languid royal once more.
"Michael," a voice called from behind, freezing him in place.
Countless curses rained in Michael’s mind as he heard the voice. It seemed that no matter where he went in the castle, he couldn’t avoid the two people he did not wish to see—Magnus and Braydon.
"Magnus... What a pleasant surprise." He replied, giving a forced smile.
However, upon seeing the serious expression on the young prince’s face, Michael realized that something was not right. The teen was wearing a serious expression—unlike the casual and almost lazy mask he usually wore.
Unlike the other times he’d seen him, Magnus was alone.
"I heard you attacked Braydon Marbury and the Bishop boy yesterday..." he said, cutting right to the chase, a frown donning his features.
Michael was taken aback, but he realized that it wasn’t an odd thing for the guy to have found out—especially since he was both a royal and on the student council.
Hearing the confirmation, Magnus let out a deep sigh, "I thought you were smarter than that, Michael. Engaging in conflict is one thing, but outright attacking noble scions? You have made things even more complicated than they already were..."
Michael frowned, feeling his hackles rise.
It was all well and good saying such things from an outsider perspective, but unless someone had experienced the provocation he was receiving on a daily basis—their opinions didn’t mean shit.
At least this is what Michael thought.
"Are you done?" he asked coldly.
Magnus’s gaze intensified for a moment before he nodded. "Watch your back, young Michael. It’s not just the Marbury’s who are after Melody..."
With that, the prince turned on his heel and left, his back straight as a spear as he walked down the corridor, leaving Michael to stare at his retreating figure.