The Runic Alchemist

That was wild. Their team was the first to bring the monster into the red health damage in under two minutes. Seeing their early success, Einar commanded everyone to whittle down the creature's health slowly and steadily. They followed her lead and, by the middle of the fourth minute, managed to kill the monster—becoming the first team to achieve their goal. This was no small feat, as their opponent was considered the hardest to defeat.

Damian noticed the serious expressions of the prince and Lucian sitting nearby. However, the prince's demeanor soon shifted to applause and cheerfulness, in stark contrast to Lucian, who returned to her usual expressionless state. The earth-shaking applause from the crowd was a true indication of how incredible the fight had been.

It was excellent teamwork. Evrin and Grace, in particular, were impressive with their precise spell timing. Despite limited opportunities to face real battles—perhaps only a few dungeon runs with assistance—they had performed flawlessly. Unlike many mages Damian had seen falter under the chaotic war's pressure, their aim and composure remained unshaken - granted it was hardly a fair comparison but still it counted. Damian, who considered himself a half-mage, couldn't help but admire their skill. Unlike them, he didn't have to openly chant and risk becoming a target. He could cast spells discreetly, leaving others clueless about their source. So never really felt like a real mage, and understood just how hard the role was to play in perfection.

"Princess Evrin was exceptional, and Lady Grace was as impressive as ever," the prince remarked.

"That blonde-haired boy was the most impressive, though," Fiona said, her gaze lingering on Sam.

"You're from Eldoris too. They're your companions, aren't they?" The prince directed his question to Damian, who had been quietly trying to sense which of the four third-rankers present had the lowest mana reserves after the defeat of the monster.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

That one had to be the Esper creating illusions. This wasn't a spell, nor was it a runic relic from the dungeon or an enchantment—nothing he knew of could achieve this level of projection. And the flawless control over it was impossible to achieve with any device without the runic circle showing, or huge amounts of mana being pulled.

"Yes, they're friends," Damian replied, abandoning his search as he struggled to detect any meaningful mana difference.

"Impressive friends you have. And you too, your wood-style magic is almost flawless. What is your name, if I may ask?" the prince inquired. Damian noticed the people behind them straining to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Maximus," Damian answered.

"Just Maximus? No family name?" the prince pressed, while Lucian, Adrin, and Fiona glanced at Damian, amusement and worry flickering in their eyes, hearing his alias. Lucian managed to conceal it, but the other two were less successful.

"I'm a commoner," Damian clarified. Discover stories with empire

"Ah…" The prince's eyes widened in realization. "I apologize. I just assumed… That was my mistake."

"No worries. People assume that a lot," Damian replied.

"Right? Must be because of his pretty face," a feminine voice whispered from behind. Hearing someone refer to him that way felt strange. He really needed to stop listening to random conversations. Damn, his always alert senses.

The next team arrived with twelve members, but after the last performance, their efforts against the flying half-eagle humanoid monster garnered little attention. Damian felt for the kids battling it—though not as much as he felt for himself.

If the monster had been real, he would have loved to use his mimicry spell to see what he could gain from it. Unfortunately, he couldn't exactly leap into the fight to touch the creature mid-battle without drawing attention.

In the distance, Damian saw Sam and the rest of their team surrounded by hundreds of teens. It was amusing to see them so uncomfortable, yet he felt proud of how far the two kids—who had once lost almost everything—had come. Sam and Einar were practically nobility now. Though only Einar had officially taken the oath of knighthood and become a knight of Eldoris, both of them could join any noble family they wanted.

In fact, this was an ideal moment for noble houses to recruit them. Alliances forged through love and marriage had shifted the balance of power many times before. Sam, being untethered, was a prime candidate. Einar, with her newly won right to challenge the lord of Windhaven, was an even greater catch. She brought with her the title of Countess and the land of Windhaven, one just needed to give her a little manpower. Though in a few years Damian guessed even that won't be necessary.

A normal kid, or even a person - noble or commoner, might stop after achieving the feat never before achieved by anyone of their age yet Damian had seen both of them continuing their training each day, even after becoming formidable second rankers. Who knew what they were chasing.. But Damian felt ashamed of calling himself a hardworking adult after seeing them..

Though not everyone was aware of their status now, they soon would be. These two were the academy's top students, and people from all four kingdoms—and even the Highswords—would be vying for their favor.

As for Ashenvale, its future seemed bleak. It was hard to imagine it remaining a kingdom for much longer. And the way the half of Dawnstar forces were pressed against the recently more aggressive Empire, and the other half being pressured by the quietly waiting and looting Vidalia, was also not making their future seem bright. Dawnstar's survival might depend on whether it chose to mend fences with Eldoris by ceding the conquered lands of Ashenvale to Vidalia or let pride drag them into ruin. Not to mention, the king of Dawnstar himself had gone attacking Ashenvale, leaving his sons and scheming nobles behind. Would there even be a Dawnstar when all was said and done..?

They could also reach out to Faerunia which was quite like a deep ocean for years now; Not participating in anything, and just enjoying the relative peace from the Empire's nuisance. The empire was busy with Dawnstar and Eldoris, they were still fighting on their borders occasionally though but not as much as before. Faerunia had gained much needed time to recover.

The turbulence of the times was reflected in the academy as well. There were more beastmen students than ever before, while the number of Ashenvale nobles and commoners dwindled. Many commoners from Dawnstar and the Empire had sought refuge here, escaping their respective dangers. Dawnstar nobles saw the academy as a haven for their heirs or at least one member of their family, while Empire commoners fled the kingdom's relentless conscription policies. And why wouldn't they run..? All able bodied adults in the Empire were required to join the army compulsary.

The future of these gathered students—and the war-torn era they lived in—remained uncertain, with answers only to be revealed in the years to come.