Fallen Mage Regressor

Lusia disliked the smell of blood.

That rusty iron scent had always given her the sensation of “skin crawling,” as others described it. Lusia only felt that sensation in one other place. Once in a while, Mal’s eyes—her master’s eyes—would change from its neutral, ambivalent stare into something darker. And though she would never admit it to him, those moments caused her a brief flash of fear.

But even here, on the battlefield, he never once directed that expression toward her.

His eyes were narrowed in focus, a wooden practice knife in hand and an arcane sphere in his other grip.

She darted forward in a tight zigzag pattern, her grey school robes chafing against her legs in a way that her old maid dress never did before. She made an abrupt pivot and did a quick stab towards his shoulder. He parried it with a quick blow and the arcane sphere flew at her faster than any thrown knife or arrow.

She knew what the correct response was—a shield spell. Even so, she calculated that it would be impossible for her to cast the spell quick enough given her inexperience. Instead, she ducked under the attack and swept Mal’s legs. Mal tumbled to the ground with a thud and Lusia brought her knife down for a finishing blow.

Mal’s wrist twitched and Lusia jumped back. She just barely dodged a column of plants that had erupted underneath where she’d been standing.

Mal didn’t use his plant-related magic very often. He especially avoided using it around Rolam and Philo, though they'd seen it in the past. She was the only one he trusted with this knowledge.

She ignored the way something inside of her seemed to twist at this knowledge and focused on the battle.

If she were to dart 20 degrees to the left, then 30 to the right—yes, that seemed plausible.

She tapped into her innate magic, preparing the spell in advance. She darted forward and abruptly, all of her momentum shifted upward, concentrated in an abrupt long jump that would ordinarily be impossible.

And in that moment, Mal’s eyes flickered with an indiscernible emotion and he hesitated. Lusia descended down and crashed into his body, knife pointed at his throat.

She remained in that position until Mal coughed.

“Lusia, you’re straddling me,” he said.

She tilted her head. “Is the match over?”

“Yes, the match is over.”

She got off, a hair confused as to why he had brought up her position. Perhaps he was giving her advice on potential vulnerabilities? Curious.

Mal pushed himself off the ground. “Ordinarily, you would offer your opponent a hand up.”

“You’re perfectly capable of getting up on your own, Master.”

Nothing but a faint chuckle. She didn’t understand why this was funny, but elected not to talk about it.

“It’s lunch, then?” Mal asked.

Lusia glanced at the sun, then nodded. “Lunch.”

Becoming a student was one of the strangest experiences Lusia had ever been through. After Nima’s betrayal, Circle Turkey had been in need of a transfer. Lusia had been initially confused as to why Mal had recommended her, until things clicked together in her head.

It was obviously because he wanted a reliable ally for his school assignments. Philo and Rolam were competent enough, but he didn’t trust a stranger.

Of course, he could trust her. She was wholly and completely loyal to him.

For the past week, Mal had personally been training her and trying to get her up to the level of the other students. Lusia had deemed her performance adequate, though Rolam and Philo had been devastated by how quickly she was growing. She didn’t understand why they were so concerned—wasn’t it a good thing if a member of their circle was competent?

The both of them walked together, though Mal was a little bit up ahead. Even though they were equals at school, Lusia believed that with her status, it was the socially correct thing to stand a few steps behind him.

“You’re advancing very rapidly,” Mal said. “I’m honestly impressed.”

“It’s all thanks to your teachings, Master.”

“No, you would have succeeded regardless of if I did anything.”

“You’re the one who’s responsible for the existence of my core, at all, Master.”

A soft laugh. “Am I?”

“Yes, you are.”

A long sigh.

“Right, of course I am.”

They arrived at Central Hall to find it halfway abandoned. It was summer break, and many students had returned home or were on vacation to other places. Even so, there was a skeleton crew of students with no options who had elected to remain. Circle Turkey was one of those groups.

“Honorable leader, over here!”

Rolam. He’d raised his hands in greeting and was waving them over. Mal sighed, then walked over to the section of the table where Rolam was at. He sat down and a small meal teleported in front of him. It was nicer than what they’d used to have, according to her master. Midterms had resulted in a slight boost in their status.

Lusia sat herself beside her master. Rolam frowned for a flicker of a second before he smiled.

“Lusia, you were training with the honorable leader?” he asked.

“Yes. My advancements have been adequate.”

There was a brief pause.

“That’s good,” Rolam said.

Philo nodded.

“Indeed, though Lusia’s growth is somewhat discouraging, it’s hard not to be proud.” Philo shook his head. “An A rank as a member of our circle. Philo can scarcely believe it.”

Lusia, on the surface, didn’t react. But even she had to admit a tiny thrill at the mention of her rank. Not because it was socially advantageous, but because...

If an A rank is truly so powerful, she thought, then surely curing him isn’t impossible.

Her long treasured dream was still a distance away. She had to master magic thoroughly before she even had a chance of saving him.

Father...

“What a rather sad state of affairs,” Mal said.

Lusia broke out of her thoughts and paid attention.

“I still don’t understand why you lot haven’t gone home for summer," Mal continued.

“Violeko is far to the north, and the only way Philo would be able to reasonably make it back and forth in time is via airship, which isn’t exactly cheap,” Philo said.

Rolam shrugged.

“You all know that I couldn’t even afford bail, so an airship to the west is also beyond my reach.” He shook his head. “And what about you, honorable leader? You’re the son of a duke, are you not? Surely you have a summer estate where your family stays.”

“The Patoal family is not in possession of a summer estate,” Lusia said.

Mal inclined his head. “Lusia’s correct. And besides that, my father has no interest in me, nor I in him.”

Rolam hissed through his teeth. “Harsh.” He glanced over at Lusia. “And what about you?”

She nearly mentioned the condition of her father before she remembered that most people found it discomforting to learn of his status. She mentally played back the conversation and analyzed the answers of the other individuals.

All of them mentioned financial issues as the reason why. Perhaps I should simply mimic their answers.

“I am not in possession of the necessary funds,” she said.

Rolam chuckled. “Mal, isn’t she going to be your head servant in the future? Don’t you think you ought to give her vacation days?”

“She has vacation days,” Mal paused. “I think. She could ask for it, it doesn’t really matter. The problem, as she said, is funds. I’m not going to pay for an airship ticket.”

Lusia held no enmity toward him for that. It wasn’t in their contract, there was no reason why he should be obligated to do such a thing.

The sound of a fork tapping against glass echoed out. Lusia forced herself not to wince. The sound was horrible, it made her want to throw up, and she could even feel her stomach twisting inside of her gut.

“Students, students,” someone from the teacher’s table at the front said. “It’s a pleasure to see so many of you here.”

Lusia remembered the man’s name. Headmaster Puck, the strongest wizard on the continent, most likely the world. Someone that even her master showed the utmost deference to.

"As most of you know, the Centennial Wizard's Cup will be held in only a scant two years. What you don't know is that a junior tournament, our own version of the Cup, is held once every ten years. Or at least, it used to be."

The headmaster coughed into his hand. "Due to an unfortunate incident resulting in a student's incapacitation and hospitalization, the board disallowed the Exodi Triumph from continuing. However, after much negotiation with the board and an agreement to enhance the security and safety of the events, we're proud to announce the return of the Exodi Triumph."

Philo's eyes had widened, pupils narrowed into thin slits. "How exciting, Philo wonders what sorts of events they'll have."

Her master looked completely uninterested.

Rolam had his eyes locked on the headmaster with an expression that Lusia had never seen on his face before.

Perhaps he's feeling ill, Lusia thought.

"Of course, information is going to be distributed to all students who are out on vacation, but given the loyalty of you who have stayed for the break, we decided that you should get to know first. Further information will be mailed out soon. Thank you all."

Lusia sat at her dormitory table. She had a separate room from her master and the others, due to her gender, something that Lusia hadn't entirely understood, but recognized that she needed to go along with.

She read over the information in the letter repeatedly.

At the end of the Flower Moon, the fifth month, would come the Strawberry Moon, the sixth month. There would be a festival, and then the first event. After that, classes would resume with further events being held throughout the rest of the year.

Lusia had no interest in participating. The only reward was a title and the honor of being considered the strongest wizard of the new generation. Nonetheless, if her circlemates were going to participate, then it was her duty to support them as best as she could.

Lusia was glad, at the very least, that entry was restricted to year three and below. Apparently the Centennial event was the one wherein senior students had been tested. She'd already heard whispers from upperclassmen about their excitement for two years from now, when they might be offered the chance to represent the school.

She put down the paper and held out her hand. An arcane sphere of golden color flashed into existence in front of her.

For once, her dream had ceased to be a dream. It was within reach. If she just worked hard, if she continued to study, she would surely be able to gather the resources to finally succeed in her goal.

And it was all thanks to that man.

She still didn't know how to feel about him. Instinctively, she reached up and clasped the front of her chest over where her heart was. There was a strange stinging pain that came about when she thought of him.

A curse? she thought. I will need to speak to Professor Cassandra about what this strange pain may be.

Lusia was seriously concerned she was coming down with some sort of illness.

Soon enough, the pain went away and she resumed practicing. After all, if she was to serve her master well, she needed to make the most of her ability. It wasn't just for her dream, it was also for the sake of her duty.

She worked long into the night, and only fell asleep when her body couldn't sustain wakefulness any longer.

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