“Finally! Where the hell have you been?”

  Raman was furious about our delay.

  “Rector, forgive us, but it’s my fault the training ran late. It won’t happen again.”

  He looked at us suspiciously, from head to toe, covered in monster blood.

  “Ugh, deep cleanse!”

  With a snap of his fingers, a blue magical seal flared beneath us, rising upward and stripping away all the dirt and blood from our skin and clothes.

  “Whoa!” I was amazed by such a useful spell. “Rector, teach me!”

  “Oh, come on, it’s just a basic second-circle household spell. You shouldn’t have slept through school… Though, knowing you…”

  “Rector!” Mara suddenly gasped. “You didn’t just clean off the dirt!”

  I looked at her clutching her arms over her chest as if trying to hug herself. Irgen, her ears burning red, was the first to dive into the carriage.

  “Really?” Raman feigned ignorance. “Strange, it’s always worked fine before. Maybe a mana fluctuation.”

  “Rector, don’t take us for fools!” Irgen’s voice rang with fury. “You deliberately wove a thief’s spell into it, or did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

  “Well, consider it your punishment for being late.”

  “Fine, if it’s a punishment. But why only the girls? We were all late!”

  “Pfft, silly girl, why would I want to strip the guys? But you’re right, there should be fairness.”

  He snapped his fingers.

  “Deep cleanse!”

  The familiar blue magical seal rose from the ground.

  You old bastard! My underwear was gone!

  For a while, everyone busied themselves fixing their attire behind an improvised curtain at the back of the carriage.

  “Rector,” I sat beside him on the coachman’s seat, “teach me the cleansing spell.”

  “Well, it’s composed of three elements—water, wind, and light, and it’s fairly simple. Do you want the basic version or the enhanced one?”

  I had a feeling I knew what he meant by “enhanced.”

  “The basic one is enough for me, thanks.”

  Raman sat silently, making no move to teach me anything. I waited patiently.

  “Listen,” he finally said, “there’s someone traveling with us who understands these things better than I do. I think she might surprise you with her knowledge. Irgen! Help Aney with household magic!”

  Irgen? I was surprised. But now it made sense how she always managed to look like she was freshly dressed for a celebration. I turned to where she was sitting.

  “Alright! But not for free!”

  I walked over and sat next to her.

  “What’s your condition?”

  “You teach me how to properly and quickly extract monster cores!”

  She seemed embarrassed by her own boldness.

  “Deal!”

  I pulled the first volume of the monster encyclopedia from my storage and took her handwritten grimoire of a hundred pages. For a brief moment, a look of greed flashed across her face. Could she be… a miser? I’d seen that same expression on Hek’s face when he held monster cores in his hands.

  “Study the first volume, and then I’ll give you the next one.”

  “Got it!” She clutched the book cover like a predator with its prey.

  I sat at the table, took out a stylus and paper, and quickly began copying the grimoire.

  “Wow, Captain!” Zimer sat down beside me. “You draw magical circles better than most mages.”

  “And what, did you think warriors could only swing axes? Just so you know, a warrior’s fine motor skills are far better developed than a mage’s. For us, it’s a matter of life and death. For a mage, it’s just about the time they spend drawing their magical seal on paper.”

  “You’re right, but mages, in turn, have faster thought processes and process more information per unit of time…”

  An interesting claim. I set the stylus down.

  “You really think so? Then why are warriors always at the vanguard while mages stay behind? Both receive the same amount of information about threats per unit of time, which they must process and respond to.”

  “But everyone knows that warriors train their combat techniques to a reflex level, making them faster in action. Mages, on the other hand, have to visualize the magic circle in their minds, double-check it, and only then bring it into reality!”

  Our conversation began attracting the team’s attention.

  “Are you saying warriors are born with combat reflexes? That’s not true. They spend thousands of hours perfecting their techniques. And I honestly don’t understand why mages don’t do the same with their magic seals.”

  “Aney,” Raman interjected, “Zimer has a point. It’s impossible to create a magic seal reflexively in one’s mind.”

  “Really?”

  I flipped through Irgen’s grimoire and picked a third-circle magic seal containing four elements, studying it for a few minutes. Then I set the grimoire aside, took the stylus and a blank sheet of paper, and closed my eyes. In just a few seconds, I drew an exact copy of the magical seal, down to the smallest details.

  Some of the team members stood up in surprise to get a better look.

  “There. This is what I call harmony between thought and movement. What do you think—did I accurately reproduce the seal in my mind?”

  A brief silence followed.

  “That’s truly impressive, Aney,” Raman finally spoke, “but that’s just a third-circle seal, which won’t be very useful in battle. Fourth-circle seals and above, with their three-dimensional complexity, are on a whole different level.”

  “Rector, not long ago, you used my third-circle spell to save one of the academy’s professors. So is low-level magic really that useless in battle?”

  Everyone turned to him, waiting for his response. But Raman just shrugged and sat facing the road, his back to us.

  Zimer sighed and went off to ponder something. I returned to copying the grimoire. Irgen, too, was making sketches and notes on paper, occasionally glancing at the encyclopedia.

  “Next volume?” she asked, handing the book back to me.

  “Here you go.”

  “What’s this?”

  She peered at my papers, where I was adapting her magical seals to suit my needs.

  “Ah, nothing special. I can’t use magic like others. So, let’s say these are my crutches…”

  “Ah, what a pity.”

  She took the book and returned to her seat. Well, let it be a pity, if that’s how it is…

  The next few days of our journey passed in the same measured rhythm, until I sensed millions of auras gathered in one place.

  “Lygote! We’re almost there!”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  As I had felt, the city turned out to be absolutely enormous. It didn’t even have a continuous fortress wall like Matan, which, by the way, was also a city of a million. Lygote, however, was at least five times larger.

  Right on the road stood a massive gate with guards, and on either side of it, the city walls ended just a few dozen meters away, beyond which began the regular residential quarters.

  Raman showed the guards his golden badge, explained the purpose of our arrival, and we were let through after being recorded in the registry. From there, our movement became significantly more difficult and slowed due to the terrifying traffic and congestion on the city’s roads.

  Our destination, the capital’s Academy of Magic, was located not outside the city like in Matan, but almost at the very center of Lygote. So, we had little choice but to crawl through the last dozen kilometers in this crush at barely the speed of an ordinary pedestrian.

  All around, the cries of coachmen and the roar of animals harnessed to carts echoed. In this chaos and disorder, right among the carriages, cleaners scurried about, gathering tons of dung left behind by the beasts. And in the midday sun, the stench was something else. I looked with envy at the people walking behind a magical barrier that separated the road from the city itself.

  “Rector, you’ve tortured us enough. Maybe we should walk the rest of the way?”

  Someone from the team couldn’t take it anymore.

  “Alright, everyone dismount and make your way to the sidewalk. The barrier will let you through if you touch it with your palm!”

  We took turns dismounting onto the road. I didn’t want to risk myself in the crush, so I simply walked through the air above the road to the barrier. The entire team looked at me with envy. What? You want me to carry you?

  Beyond the barrier, there was silence and pleasant aromas—the scents of greenery, flowers, and delicious food wafting from the open doors of numerous restaurants. In the sky above the houses, couriers flew on winged monsters, which, by the way, I was seeing for the first time.

  Within a few minutes, the whole team had gathered near me, with Raman being the last to arrive.

  “Rector!” Grass addressed him, his gaze fixed on a restaurant. “Maybe we should stop in?”

  “That’s unnecessary, Grass. I’ve already informed the academy that we’re arriving soon. They should be expecting us, ready to accommodate us and hold a small banquet. It would be impolite to arrive there already full, wouldn’t it?”

  “Alright…”

  Everyone followed the rector, who set off at a brisk pace toward the city center.

  The academy itself was visible from afar—its vast grounds were enclosed by a high wall of white polished stone. The same stone was used to construct dozens of multi-story buildings adorned with intricate black stone ornamentation.

  The steeply pitched roofs were covered with copper shingles, now greenish-gray from patina. Numerous tall windows made the buildings look slender and almost weightless. I mentally applauded the architects of this city.

  At the gates, we were met by an academy representative.

  “Welcome, ladies and gentlemen from Matan! Allow me to introduce myself—I am Samruk, secretary to the rectorate of Lygote Academy! Please, let me escort you to the accommodations we’ve prepared for you, where you can rest after your journey and stay for the three days leading up to the competition!”

  Raman turned pale with anger—sending a secretary to greet a rector was not just a breach of etiquette; it was a direct insult. I sensed something was off.

  The team, however, was too busy admiring the surroundings. I couldn’t blame them—I was practically holding my own jaw in place.

  This place was truly awe-inspiring, not only with its architecture but also with its landscaping, featuring countless miniature gardens of ornamental plants and strange sculptures lining our path.

  Along the way, we also saw many magical mechanisms, whose purposes we could only guess. The academy certainly spared no expense on its appearance—that was clear.

  We turned onto a narrow path from the main road, now walking in the shade of towering trees. After a while, the sounds of animal cries and snorting from stables and pens reached us. My suspicions deepened.

  The secretary turned again, and we stopped near a low building with dirty windows and doors that weren’t even properly closed, resting one edge against the trampled earth beneath them.

  Was this… a barn?

  The secretary turned to us.

  “We sincerely apologize, ladies and gentlemen, but this is the only available lodging for tonight. We’ve done our best to tidy it up, and I’m glad we managed to finish on time! Please, make yourselves comfortable, and at seven, join us for the banquet.”

  I grabbed the rector, who had already begun casting a seventh-circle spell, preventing him from moving a muscle. The last thing we needed was an unscheduled fight…

  “I… I’ll check what can be done…”

  Irgen headed toward the barn doors.

  “Stop, Irgen!” I commanded. “And you, Rector, calm down! It seems that Mr. Secretary is about to realize that a mistake has been made, one that he will quickly correct using his official position, isn’t that right?”

  “Excuse me, sir… Aney, if I’m not mistaken, but no mistake has been made. This is truly the only available roof within the academy grounds…”

  “Ohhh, so you even know me?”

  “Yes, everyone in the kingdom has already heard of Master Kruk’s student.”

  “If that’s the case, then perhaps you’ve also heard that I’m not as kind as my teacher, whose very name made your entire capital soil itself before it could even pull its pants down. And that I often, let’s say—resort to violent methods of resolving disputes?”

  “Of course, I’ve heard, Sir Aney, but you are not your teacher…”

  “You think I’m weaker than Kruk?”

  I struck the academy grounds with my bloodlust, forcing students and professors to either faint or scream in terror within their own minds. The secretary was screaming too, rolling on the ground, clawing at his temples. I withdrew my aura and stepped closer to him.

  “A pathetic sixth-circle mage dares tell me who I am?” I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. “Do you think you’re immortal? Where is your master, the Rector, you wretch?”

  “Y-ho… y-ho…”

  I loosened my grip slightly so he wouldn’t choke to death before he could answer.

  “He’s not here! He’s not here right now!”

  “Alright.” I threw the secretary to the ground. “Today, I won’t kill anyone here for this insult. Not even you. Was this the Rector’s order?”

  “Yes, yes, Sir Aney, it was all his order!”

  “What a worthless coward, betraying his master so quickly. I haven’t even started beating you yet…”

  The secretary curled up on the ground, expecting a blow.

  “Consider yourself incredibly lucky today. I don’t want to spoil my team’s day with the sight of your entrails scattered through the bushes. But this is the last time, remember that.”

  “Yes, Sir Aney! I appreciate your kindness!”

  “And now, with respect and honor, you will escort us to the academy gates and deliver a message to the Rector: we have plans now, so we will return on the day of the tournament. Do you understand, wretch?”

  The secretary scrambled to his feet.

  “Yes, yes, Sir Aney!”

  “What are you doing? I ordered you to do it with respect and honor!”

  I seized his throat with my aura, bending his back into a ninety-degree bow and forcing him to walk backward, extending his hands toward us in a polite gesture.

  “The gates are three kilometers away…” the Rector whispered in my ear.

  “It’s fine. This creature is tough, he won’t die.”

  We walked slowly along the pathways back toward the academy’s exit under the astonished gazes of its students.

  “Team Matan!” I amplified my voice with my aura so that as many people in the academy as possible could hear me. “I want you to crush Team Lygote so deep into the arena that this pathetic academy will piss itself at the mere mention of Matan for the next hundred years. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Captain!” they roared.

  Our ridiculous procession took almost an hour to reach the gates. I kept expecting the Rector to show up, but he must have decided to hide in some corner. A shame. I was in the mood for some fun, and facing a seventh-circle mage could have been entertaining.

  “So where to now?” Raman looked a little lost.

  “Rector, since I didn’t let us sleep in a barn, it’s on me to fix that. Is there a good hotel nearby? A truly good one, where even the God of War wouldn’t disdain to stay?”

  “Yes, there is one. It’s among the top three in the capital…”

  “Lead the way. I’m paying this time.”

  The hotel was surprisingly magnificent, better than anything I had seen before. I rented the entire top floor for five days so we could settle in comfortably.

  “Everyone, in thirty minutes, we meet downstairs in the restaurant for dinner!”

  “Yes, Captain!”

  Raman and I were the last to head up.

  “Rector, is there a reason for this attitude toward our academy here?”

  “There’s no direct reason as such. There are many factors, the main one being that they consider us a province of rebels.”

  “Oh, I see… Well then, it’s time to show the kingdom who’s who. You said their team fights just like ours did before my training?”

  “Well, yes, it’s a standard battle strategy refined over centuries. I never even thought it could be disrupted and yield such an effect.”

  “‘A strategy refined over centuries!’” I mocked him. “Where’s the strategy in standing like a target in front of each other and hurling spells? Nonsense!”

  “Aney, you’ve never been in a war, have you? A real war, where tens of thousands of soldiers and thousands of mages fight? You haven’t seen thousands of sixth- and seventh-circle mages following this very strategy, wiping out half a kingdom in a single strike…”

  “So yes, this strategy is the most effective we have right now.”

  “In war.”

  “Yes.”

  “From behind the backs of soldiers who protect the mages with their lives from enemy spells. That’s a completely different concept. That’s not a tournament, where the mage’s primary goal is to avoid getting hit. But for us, that’s a good thing. We’ll crush the kingdom’s academies completely, just like I once crushed our own team!”

  “Are you absolutely sure?”

  In response, I laughed happily and walked ahead.

  After dinner, I gathered everyone for a small meeting.

  “Alright, everyone, it’s time to strategize for our first match. Here’s the plan. Mink, you’ll start with a third-circle Grave Silence. It takes you a second to activate, so you’ll have about ten minutes while they can’t see you to take them out this way…”

  I went on for a long time, detailing exactly what each of them had to do, breaking down every second of the battle plan. The element of surprise would ensure its success.

  “Our first match isn’t against Lygote’s team, but there’s no need to hold back, I think.”

  “This will definitely work!” The Rector was thrilled. “I’m sure we could even use this strategy against Lygote!”

  “No, we won’t repeat it. I’m certain Lygote will closely study both our teams’ actions and will find a way to counter our tactics. That’s why we’ll use the three-three-four formation against them. We’ve trained it so thoroughly that none of you will make a mistake. And most importantly, Lygote will be preparing for our previous strategy!”

  “But that way, we’ll drag out the fight, and our victory might not be as decisive…”

  Raman and the team looked at me, confused.

  “Exactly, and that’s part of the plan. Don’t forget that this tournament is only a qualifier. How many eyes from the Empire do you think will be watching us? Or do you think my boastful speech about ‘crushing them into the arena’ was about our actual strength? No! We need to make it seem like victory was hard-won and that our first battle was just a lucky fluke. That way, everyone will think we’re just average contenders… And when we reach the Empire, we’ll have two trump cards instead of one. Now do you understand why I want to handle the fights this way?”

  “You should be an advisor in the royal court…” the Rector remarked.

  Everyone laughed.

  “Now, onto something pleasant. Tomorrow morning, we’re exchanging your trophies for shiny gold coins!”

  “Trophies?” Raman was surprised.

  “Gooold…” Irgen purred dreamily.

  “Yay!” the others cheered.