Chapter 115: First Flight

After the Academy Council got their bearings under control, they sprang into action, ready to alert the rest of the scholars about the sudden changes in the academy.

"Bro, just look at your badge! You are moving up in the world!" Winston exclaimed with a belly laugh.

"Just don’t forget about us when you strike it big!" William joked. "So, spill the beans. What did you discuss at your first gathering?"

Leonard heaved a deep sigh.

"That we have just entered a state of war." He replied calmly.

"..."

His friends stared at him like a madman.

"Are you serious?"

"Sadly, yes."

Leonard proceeded to briefly explain what they had discussed, along with the news Hartman had dropped on them.

Needless to say, everyone was shaken to the core, yet they had no choice but to face their new reality.

"I—I think that I am going to call my parents!" Winston proclaimed, making a quick bolt out of the room.

"Same for me..." William said with a pale face.

"Likewise..." Samantha spoke in a heavy tone.

"M—me too!" Cassie stuttered, following after her.

"I need to talk things over with my mother..." Harley’s eyes grew cold.

Leonard wasn’t surprised. Everybody had family to worry about and things to discuss. Besides, they didn’t have the security his Primordial Bloodline brought him, nor were they candidates for the throne of the city.

"Family, huh..." He chuckled in amusement, wondering how many people would miss him if he died.

He wasn’t left to wonder for long.

Miranda came and embraced him from behind.

"Young Master!" She exclaimed, palpable worry in her voice.

"Miranda? So you heard the news..." He patted her on the head with a warm smile.

"Now isn’t the time for jokes, Young Master!" She pouted adorably. "Have you decided what you are going to do?"

He remained silent for a while, pondering his options.

"Yes. I am not going to drop out of the academy. I will be going to the frontline." Leonard declared.

"But... Why...?" Miranda’s eyes turned somber.

She couldn’t understand why Leonard was ready to take part in a war that had nothing to do with him.

"Because... I have the power to make a change, and if I don’t, many of our people will suffer. That is what Gideon... what my father would have done."

Miranda met his determined stare. Just from a glance, he had made up his mind, and there was nothing capable of changing it.

"Alright..." She exclaimed with a quiet sigh. "However, I will be coming along."

Leonard shook his head.

"Not with your mana oversensitivity—"

"Young Master." She interrupted him, her tone unwavering. "The only reason I draw breath is to serve you. If you were to pass away before me, I wouldn’t have a reason to live any longer."

Her eyes burned with a luminous golden light.

"Whatever it be, battlefield or hell, I am coming after you."

"As overprotective as ever..." Leonard heaved a deep sigh. In a way, they were both similar in that regard. Once they made up their minds, there was no changing them.

"As you wish."

***

During the next week, the lectures increased in difficulty, with the professors making sure to hammer the most important concepts into the minds of the scholars.

In the meantime, Leonard maximized his time by feeding the remains of the Crimson Snake to Callum.

At long last, after the familiar devoured the last of its carcass, its status changed.

"Master! Master! I can feel my body growing!" He screeched in delight.

[Callum has evolved to the next stage!]

Name: Callum

Familiar: Griffin [Level 1]

[Experience: 87/100]

Rank: Heavenly

Growing Stage: Fledgling → Juvenile [0%]

Condition: Stable

His wingspan had expanded past a meter and a half. Proper golden feathers covered his skin, and his height now mirrored Leonard’s.

"Why don’t you try to fly?" Leonard suggested with a faint smile.

"Can I?!" Callum’s eyes sparkled like little stars.

Letting out a screech, he unfurled his wings wide and took toward the sky.

He formed a strong wind generated by his abrupt ascent, blowing the nearby dust away.

Unable to control his flight yet, Callum rose alarmingly fast and tilted to one side before crashing into the nearby building.

Dazed by the blow, he shook his head. Using his claws, he firmly planted himself in place.

"Master! Did you see me?! I flew!"

Despite the accident, he remained energetic, ready to master the skill of flight.

"You sure did." Leonard nodded with contentment. Given what awaited him in the future, he was more than glad to see that his familiar was capable of taking to the skies.

"Do you think you will be able to fly if I ride on you?" He asked, already imagining soaring through the heavens from far above.

Callum hesitated, his demeanor glooming.

"I am not sure, Master. I will need time to get used to my wings, and with the extra weight added on top of that, I don’t think we will be able to lift off from the ground at all." The familiar replied, lowering his head in apology.

Regardless, Leonard wasn’t discouraged. Callum hadn’t ruled out the possibility, and just having a flying familiar was more than invaluable.

Once he settled things with Callum, Leonard headed toward Cassandra’s private lessons. With the war approaching, he was in a hurry to learn another rune besides the Rune of Light.

Fortunately, Cassandra’s teachings were sublime. After a grueling session, he mastered a new sigil, which he later combined into the Rune of Speed.

The main component was the Sigil of Wind, combined with the Sigils of Heat and Energy. Because he had already mastered the latter two ahead of time, the learning process was much faster than normal. Most of the trouble was to learn how to combine the three sigils.

As the name suggested, the Rune of Speed had the power to increase the speed of whatever it was applied to. It could be put to weapons or armor, and the effect depended entirely on the amount of mana devoted to it.

With the lesson over, his expertise in runesmithing rose exponentially.

Sigils: Sigil of Heat, Sigil of Energy, Sigil of Wind

Runes: Rune of Light, Rune of Speed

"I am going to be honest with you." Cassandra spoke while floating on her cloud.

"You are my most gifted scholar without a doubt." She admitted. "Mastering two runes so fast is unprecedented."

"Thank you for your kind words." Leonard replied with a thankful bow.

Honestly, he couldn’t imagine a better professor than her. She had managed to simplify an incredibly complex subject while subtly guiding him in the right direction. Whether he had the Runesmith class or not, her role could not be underestimated.

Cassandra surveyed him from above, then sighed softly and descended from her cloud until she was at his level.

"Are you nervous about the upcoming war?" She asked, probing for his reaction.

"It would be a lie to say that I am not." Leonard’s tone turned somber. "Monsters are one thing, but fighting humans on such a large scale is a completely new experience. I am not sure what to expect."

After a second, Cassandra reached out and ruffled the hair on his head.

"Don’t despair, child. The academy will not send the scholars we have been training to be slaughtered. At least in the beginning, you will be assigned easier missions to complete in order to give you sufficient experience in warfare."

Leonard blinked slowly, a warm smile spreading over his face.

"Thank you for your guidance."

"Naturally." Cassandra replied. "Now go. If everything goes as planned, we should be able to meet at the southern border at some point."

Leonard nodded, his eyes starting to burn with unwavering determination.

Headmistress Jennifer was calling every scholar attending the academy. It was time to assign roles for the upcoming war.