The God of Magic: Archmage Academy (OP, LitRPG)

Sen walked casually through the training room they’d reserved for the afternoon, inspecting each of his friends.

Samara sat cross-legged with her sword planted in the floor between her legs. She soaked up the power of Shade Flame and practiced resisting its painful effects. The more she could endure from it, the more power she’d be able to draw out. The minor artifact she’d chosen as a result of Sen’s negotiation was a purple brooch that sat comfortably around her neck. It absorbed a portion of her pain, allowing her to endure more than usual. A good artifact for a front-line fighter.

Joseia kicked a hanging block of stone with his rune bone boots. Sen repaired the damage they’d sustained in the castle and reinforced them further. His second time working with them was easier than the first, and he was confident they wouldn’t break again. Joseia’s speed stat was high, and he’d mastered an impressive amount of minor speed and strength enhancements that all added up in quite a big way. The hanging stone was of high quality and further reinforced by Mori’s barriers. Even then Joseia was slowly but surely breaking chunks off the rock. If he kept raising his physical stats, he’d go far. His minor artifact was an anklet that fit under his boots. It allowed him to store pre-cast enhancements to use in battle. Rather than needing to wind up, he’d be able to jump into a fight as quickly as he needed to, provided he’d made proper preparations. There were likely better choices, but he hadn’t consulted with Sen. 

Milim trained with Marin. The Fire Kite student was a master of mental manipulation, and during the Academy War had even bypassed Sen’s mental defenses. Milim’s dream magic would require her to do something similar, so she’d asked Marin to help her develop her ability to assault both mind and consciousness. 

Mori and Ilm sparred on the opposite side of the room. Ilm’s magic was powerful, but she’d become too reliant on others protecting her during combat. With Joseia’s speed and Samara’s strength, she usually had someone to cover for her. But that wouldn’t always be the case. So, she was hybrid stat training with Mori. He slammed a fist into the ground where she’d been standing a moment ago. As she fell back to the ground out of her backward jump, she eyed the small crater. “That would’ve really hurt!” she said.

Mori looked up at her, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face. “Not if you properly utilize Protection. Get to it,” he said.

Ilm shook her head. “Wait!” 

Mori leapt toward her again. Another crater slammed into the wall after she jumped to the side. 

Sen chuckled. Mori was a rather aggressive sparring partner, but that was good. Ilm wouldn’t have anyone by her side for her final exams. She had to master fighting on her own. He expected excellent results from her. 

He made mental notes as he watched everyone; he’d pass them along in private later. Offering each of them feedback or advice for bettering their training. A knock on the door stole his attention from analyzing the arc of Joseia’s kick. 

He strolled to the door and cracked it open. So as not to reveal the training going on behind him. Some of the final exams involved fighting other students. It wasn’t uncommon for people to spy on the training of others, hoping they would find a weakness in a person they might end up fighting. But it was just Oliver, and Sen’s worry proved fruitless. “Oliver, come inside.”

Oliver shook his head. “Actually, I can’t. I’m busy with preparations for the ball! But…the dean asked to speak with you and Mori!” he said.

Sen arched a brow at that. “I see.” It must be something about the quest, he supposed. “Alright, well, I’ll stop by when I can.”

“Actually, he wanted to see you now,” Oliver said.

Sen nodded. “Thanks for letting me know what he wants. I’ll stop by when I can.” He let the door close and turned back.

Mori exchanged a look with him. His sense of hearing was usually enhanced in case Sen needed something. He normally would handle things himself. But it was Mori. Mori liked to be prepared.

They finished training an hour later. After that, Sen washed up, had lunch at a leisurely pace, and then went back to his dorm for a thirty-minute nap. He wasn’t tired. He just wanted to make the dean wait. Three hours later, the two of them, Sen and Mori, arrived at the dean’s office in the left wing of the first floor. Dean Withershade sat with his hands semi-clasped. He slowly tapped his fingers against each other to show his impatience. 

“Gentlemen, I expected you hours ago,” he said, not bothering to hide his frustration.

Sen and Mori exchanged a puzzled look. “Oh? I’m sorry. Why were you expecting us hours ago? We only heard from Oliver…when was that, Mori?”

“A few hours ago,” Mori said seriously.

“Ah, that explains it. That’s our mistake, dean. Now, what was it you wanted to talk about?” Sen asked.

The dean looked down and rubbed his temples. “The Brightsail Ball. After…earlier events, I need to ensure everything goes smoothly. I’d like to ask the two of you to help further reinforce our defenses and handle security for the night. You won’t be alone, of course. The mayor is providing fifty men and mages, and the faculty will be on high alert. This would simply be a…precautionary measure.”

Normally, Sen wouldn’t be inclined to do the dean any favors, but in this case, he could probably negotiate something good from it. Before he could try to, Mori spoke up.

“Actually, this sounds right up my alley. I’ll handle this. Sen deserves rest after everything he’s been through lately.”

Sen raised a brow. That…was unexpected. Did Mori just kick Sen off the job? 

The dean frowned. “I’d love for both of you to help. Especially since—”

Mori cleared his throat. “That won’t be necessary, Dean Withershade. I’ll handle it,” he insisted once again.

Tutor, is Mori acting weird?

[Hm? No. He seems perfectly normal to me.] Tutor made a noise as if he were whistling in Sen’s head. 

So Tutor had lost his mind as well. Well, if Mori wanted to shine here, he’d allow it. He trusted Mori, and if he was pushing for this, he likely had good reason. Perhaps he’d spotted a trap in the dean’s words that Sen had missed. He would need to evaluate future interactions more carefully if he let something slip. “Mori is more of an expert in defense than I am. If he wants to handle this, I'll support him. The school would be in great hands under his protection. He’s vigilant. He’s also the reason we didn’t have casualties during our assault on Harpis Castle,” Sen said. 

The dean perked up at that. “Really? I see. Well, if you’d prefer to take the lead on this, Mori, and your brother endorses you that strongly, I see no issue with it. Very well. But please, the ball must go well. Our reputation has bounced back after the cult’s defeat, but another blow here could very well doom us. The ball is entirely student-run and monitored. We’ll have staff on standby for emergencies, but we will focus more on keeping intruders out rather than chaperoning the ball. Please ensure everything goes well.”

Sen and Mori stood. Mori half-bowed. Sen half-heartedly waved. With that, they left the room. “What was that about, Mori?” Sen asked.

Mori was suddenly very interested in his clothes. He patted them as if trying to rid them of wrinkles, but as usual, his clothes appeared well taken care of. “I just thought it would be a waste of your time. Why send two when one will suffice? Anyway, I have an overdue book. Would you like to accompany me to the library, master?” 

Sen nodded. “Sure.” He didn’t have anything else to do, and it wasn’t like Mori ever asked for much from him. This was the least he could do. 

When they arrived, they found a relatively quiet library. A few students studied at the far ends of the room, and Sen thought he saw some people browsing in the shelves to his right, but by the time he walked past they were gone. He shrugged. Mori suddenly patted the pockets of his robe. “Oh…oh my.”

Sen turned to look at him. “Is everything okay?”

Mori swallowed. “I seem to have dropped my book somewhere. Excuse me, just a moment. I’ll go and look for it.”

Sen tilted his head. “I can come with you. We have plenty of spells to find something that’s missing.”

“No!” Mori looked around and lowered his head, remembering they were in a library. “That won’t be necessary. Sometimes it’s best to…look for yourself. Anyway, I’ll be right back!” Mori turned and ran awkwardly out of the library. 

Sen shook his head. “What is going on with him?” 

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to see someone he should have expected in the library but hadn’t.

Milim. 

“Milim,” Sen said in surprise. He turned to look over his shoulder. “What are you up to?” he asked.

She smiled. “I’ve been helping some of the other assistants around the library while Orttha’s out sick. If he comes back after feeling better and everything isn’t organized how he likes it, he might just fall sick again. What about you?”

Sen chuckled. “That sounds like him.” He turned to glance over his shoulder. “I was with Mori, but…well, he lost something and went to find it. So now I’m waiting, I guess.”

Milim squinted for a moment, but her expression straightened, and she nodded. “I see. Well, I can wait with you, if you want?” she said. 

“Oh, I’d hate to interrupt.”

“He’s clueless!” a woman’s voice cried out. Sen turned to look at the bookshelves behind him. He’d sworn he’d seen people before, but they’d be gone when he passed, so he thought maybe it was a trick of light. But someone had clearly said something just now. 

“So, uh…” Milim said, getting his attention. He didn’t hear anymore talking so he let it fade from his mind. They were in a school after all. It was probably nothing. “What did you think of the dean’s announcement the other day? Are you excited?” she asked him.

Sen smiled. “I am.”

She perked up. 

“I think our rankings will grow. If we get high enough and perform well on the final exams, we should be within reach of the top spots. A few duels should secure our place. I think we can reach the top ranks, Milim.”

Her shoulders deflated. Sen frowned at that. She must be nervous about the final exams. He shouldn’t have said anything when she was in such high spirits. 

“Actually…I was talking about the ball itself,” Milim corrected. “You’re going, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Ah, I’m afraid those aren’t really my thing.” It was true, Ragmár had attended plenty. He considered them important for making connections. Connections he utilized to form alliances and mend broken relations between factions that would eventually become his vassal states. Sen had risen to power by the strength of his magic. Ragmár had stood beside him with the power of influence. Together they’d been unstoppable. But anytime Sen attended one of those events, it was usually against his will. 

“I’m not much of a dancer. Besides, the ball is mostly for third and fourth-year students, and they’ll release rankings for everyone else shortly after. I won’t mind a short wait,” he said. Technically, the ball was open to students on the top-ranking list as well, but he’d never entertained the idea of actually attending. 

“That’s it. I’m killing him.” It was the same voice as earlier, and he sensed a faint hint of Shadow Flame. Was that a demon? Unless…maybe Samara was in the library for some reason? That made more sense. Someone had probably stepped on her toe or something. He was about to go and investigate when Milim spoke again to get his attention.

“What if we went together!” she said, with more force than she meant to. Her cheeks flushed. “I mean…I’d like to go. I’ve looked forward to it ever since I learned about it. But I didn’t think I’d have an opportunity this year. I…I’d like to go with you, Sen. And I know that you…I know you might not keep attending Brightsail in the future. So I thought maybe this would be our only chance. You know, to go together?” 

Sen blinked. In hindsight, he felt like such an idiot. She’d brought it up hoping he’d ask her. Instead, he’d rambled about the ranking system and final exams. He’d told no one else, besides Mori and Ilm when they first enrolled, but it was true. There was only so much he could gain from Brightsail Academy, and it was only logical to move on eventually. Now that she knew his real identity, it made sense she’d put two and two together. He hadn’t planned on going to the ball. Especially not with…well, a date. 

He spent perhaps a bit too much time in his mind, being surprised. 

The expression on Milim’s face fell. She’d put herself out there, and he’d left her alone with her thoughts. He could feel someone approaching him from behind with a very large greatsword. Samara must have been spying on them. If she ran him through right now, he’d unfortunately agree that he deserved it. 

“Milim,” he said, and she looked up at him. “I was serious when I said I’m not much of a dancer, but if you’re still sure, then yes, I’d like to go with you.” To his surprise, he meant it. Sure, fancy events weren’t his thing, but he enjoyed spending time with Milim. She’d been through hell and back recently, and they had agreed to hang out before her kidnapping. This was a good opportunity to make up for lost time. 

Milim grinned, and he felt himself drawn to her smile as if she’d cast a spell on him. “Great!” 

Her eyes widened, and she waved her hand at someone behind him. “No, Samara! Wait!” 

“Nope! Too late for all that! Besides, I know he can take it!” 

Sen sighed as Samara slammed the edge of her demon blade into his back. It bounced off Mana Protection, and he sighed, a blank expression on his face. 

[Hm, it’s like a very forceful, extremely painful massage with a side of shade flame. Ask her to do it again!]

Rella

She knelt before her father at the foot of his throne in the Shadowhell Continent.

“Ensure my message is clear, child. Do not fail me as your brother did,” the God of Demons instructed. 

A twinkle flickered across her face. “Of course, father,” she said. As she stood and turned to walk out of the throne room, she allowed herself to smile. 

She had a ball to crash. 

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