If you ask me, this is where the academy life became interesting.
Lucius constantly warned me about someone in my class, but I still have no idea who he spoke of. According to him, this person has been spying on me for a while now.
"Please, Goddess Tempus, let it be Emy." I often prayed.
I've been home twice now, amounting to over six weeks. I kept visiting our usual spot to see if she would show up, but she never did. I've been worried, but I believed in her that she'd be okay.
Professor Rashford had been a menace with his tutoring. He's taught us how to feel and absorb the mana in living things and manipulate mana to enhance our physical abilities.
His practicals were top-notch but brutal, not something I could read in books.
My days started with a routine: sword practice, meditation, lightning magic practice, mana circulation, and a run. No one knew about my other affinities, so I had to apply what I learned from Professor Rashford to my hidden affinities whenever I got the chance.
I did these to get Lucius off my neck on growing stronger.
My dagger had always been a helper. I could handle it with ease, and because of its flexibility, it fit my body perfectly.
Despite my affection for the dagger, I felt the need for a sword.
It was on the sixth day of the week, and after my routine, I decided to head to the academy's blacksmith for a sword.
I tried to get Storm to go with me, but unfortunately, he was not around.
I strode to the blacksmith shop; the swords on display were impressive, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 Luna—the Elementara currency.
I needed a more flexible and portable sword, just like my dagger, but none of the swords were right for me—they lacked the flexibility that I needed.
I asked the blacksmith if he'd got a more fitting sword for me. He warned me about the swords being expensive, but I insisted on seeing them.
He disappeared into a back room and returned with a dusty sword that looked almost invisible. It looked strange, but when I held the sword. It felt natural, more like something I've used for decades.
I grinned and said, "This is the one."
It was a rare sword. It adapts to the wielder's elemental affinity. If possessed by an earth mage, the sword becomes a solid gold, silver or diamond—with diamonds conjured by extremely skilled earth mages. Wind remains transparent and sharp, but with enough mastery, it becomes completely invisible. Water mages turn it blue, and at higher levels, it transforms into ice. Fire sees shades of red, yellow, and orange, resembling flames. At an advanced level, it burns white or blue hot.
According to the blacksmith's words, he made the sword decades ago. There was a tournament at Regalia—the capital city. The sword was particularly for the tournament but couldn't pass the verdict. The sword was disregarded because of its fragile nature.
He offered it to many students but was always looked down upon. Regardless, he's always believed in his craft.
Seeing the pride and joy in his expression when he spoke of the sword reminded my father. He loved his crafts.
I was feeling sympathetic until he mentioned the price: 180,000 Luna. I only had 150,000.
I stared at him in disbelief, "Can't this man be reasonable? They ignored the sword for decades, and that's the price you're asking?"
[Let me handle it,] Lucius said.
I agreed.
The next thing I knew, I stood outside the shop, holding the sword.
Lucius had gotten the sword at a reasonable price: 130,000 Luna. He had also made the blacksmith perform a bonding ritual, making me the only one who could wield the sword.
The low price came with a cost, I occasionally had to help the blacksmith at his shop.
That was fine by me—after all, it took him years to make that sword. The least I could do was lend a hand.
As I strode to my room, something caught my eye. Someone was on my tail.
[He's the boy I spoke of. ] Lucius said, [He's the one spying on you.]
It surprised me to learn that an Alpha could stoop so low.
Why spy on me? Does he suspect me?
He seemed really into his sneaky acts, so I ignored him to have fun and strode to my room.
When I got to the room, I decided to name the swords. I named the dagger Ax—a mix of the last two letters of my name, Ajax, and my dad's, Alex.
I dedicated my weekends to training with Art. I needed to understand its strengths and weaknesses. Afterward, I would head to the blacksmith shop and help him with his work as promised.
I asked for his name, but he asked me to call him Master. It was a pleasure to work for him. He seemed calm and devoted to his work.
I discovered Art could not hold two elements at once during my training. If an element was already infused with the blade, a new one would gradually push it out.
When infused with an element, it moves from the hilt to the tip. If I infuse the blade with fire magic and then add water, the fire stays at the tip until the water completely overpowers it. For a brief moment, the sword can wield two elements simultaneously.
Using Art was more mana-draining than I initially anticipated. But Master claimed it was because I couldn't use the sword properly.
My curiosity peaked in the calm afternoon, Storm came by and asked me to escort him to a magic shop. Before we left, I asked him to infuse lightning into Art. I wanted to know if the bonding ritual was successful. Fortunately, it was successful.
My curious self didn't want to stop there, so I asked him to try breaking it—I immediately regretted it. To my horror, it broke.
Panic set in, "What the hell was I thinking?"
[Try infusing it with magic,] Lucius said.
I held it and infused it with fire magic. The sword restored itself, returning to its original form.
"You lucky fool!" Storm said, gasping for air.
After that terrifying moment, I escorted Storm to the magic shop. While there, I picked up a few healing stones, along with a spell book on summoning magic doors for crucial needs of transportation. Storm picked up some equipment himself.
As we left the shop, the Alpha who had been spying on me, approached us.
"Ajax Romanov, I challenge you to duel," he said.
It was illogical. A duel after spying on me for weeks?
It was clear he was up to something shady, so I declined.
It didn't seem like something he wanted to hear, but I needed a tangible reason to duel, and he gave me none.
Storm and I headed to the business quarters.