Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“You arrogant witch...” Furious, Jake’s Spirit Zone flared with deadly intent before he abruptly reined it in having realized his mistake as he felt the formidable presence of Amy’s Spirit Zone. “What the hell...?”

“Arrogant witch? Talk about a hypocrite. Do I seem like a joke to you? Go ahead, make a move. I dare you. I’ll sear your face off right here,” Amy challenged, unflinching.

Jake clenched his teeth. His earlier assumption that she was just a high-achieving student was shattered by the revelation of her combat prowess. Unknown to him, Amy was also an experienced fighter who had endured countless vicious battles in the back alleys.

Through gritted teeth, he muttered, “So what? Using magic here is a violation of school rules.”

“You’re the one who used magic first, heating up your precious civet coffee,” she pointed out.

“Hey! That’s different from casting an attack spell...”

Amy scoffed at his feeble excuse. To her, he was just a small fry. If she were to unleash her full strength on him, he’d likely be quaking like those back alley hooligans.

“You’re all words and no action. Do you think you can touch Sirone? Give it six months, and he’ll surpass you so far you won’t even be at his eye level. Unlike you, he actually thinks,” she taunted.

Amy would’ve seen through him if his errands were merely to ease his school life, but she noted the resolve in his actions. She believed that someone who could comprehend the unreasonable and still choose wisely was worthy of trust.

“Are you saying Sirone is better than me?” Jake growled.

After being compared to the new student twice, his deep-seated inferiority complex pushed him to the brink of losing his composure.

“You’re right. He has potential. But you know what? Crushing guys like him is my specialty,” he boasted with a hollow laugh. “Even if he could surpass me in six months or less, I could strip him of his magic tomorrow if I wanted.”

“Jake,” Amy interjected, her pupils glowing ominously red. “Do you want to die?”

His breath caught at the intensity of her gaze boring into him. Jake stiffened, convinced by the fearsome reputation of the Karmis’ crimson eyes. Just locking eyes with those fully dilated pupils sent a chill coursing through his body.

“If you kill me, you’ll also face consequences...” he mumbled.

“I don’t care. Test my patience further if you dare.” Amy, contemplating her two choices, understood the gravity of her words.

Standing before her unwavering gaze, Jake clenched his teeth. I don’t stand a chance in a direct confrontation. Being the top of Class Four, there was almost absolute certainty that she would wipe the floor with him.

“We’ll see about that!” he spat out as he turned and stormed down the stairs.

Once he was out of sight, Amy allowed her eyes to return to normal and exhaled deeply. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she leaned against the wall for support, rubbing her eyes gently. I really lost my temper there. The possibility of Sirone being in danger had briefly caused her to lose her composure. Why did I react like that? Was it because of a sense of responsibility? Or was it the fear of someone discovering our secrets? If not that, then...

Amy shook her head. “What am I thinking? What a complete mess today has been!”

Descending the stairs, her gaze landed on the spilled coffee, and she reflected on the events that had transpired earlier in the day. Maybe I should have just accepted Sirone’s coffee.

The thought of him potentially not appearing tomorrow brought an unexpected twinge of disappointment.

***

The greatest relief in being liberated from Amy’s errands was that Sirone could now devote an extra hour to his studies. Despite the curious glances of his classmates, once he entered the library, he became just another student among many. It wasn’t that they lacked interest in him. After all, he had been involved in a scandal with the school’s high-and-mighty beauty. But ultimately, it was someone else’s story, and everyone there was too busy charting their own course. This focus was what made the Alpheas School of Magic so renowned.

Today, after classes, Sirone made his usual beeline for the library, humming to himself. He noticed Seryel, Amy’s friend, standing near the professors’ dorms, appearing unusually agitated. That’s strange. Aren’t they usually together?

Seeing Seryel in such a state, as if something significant had occurred, Sirone paced toward her. While their interactions were limited to casual greetings during integrated classes, he considered her to be an agreeable person. In contrast to Amy, who seemed to take offense at his mere existence, she was consistently encouraging toward him. However, as time passed, the meaning of what she was cheering for gradually became less clear.

“Hello, Miss Seryel,” he greeted her.

Seryel reacted with surprise, almost as if she had seen a ghost, upon noticing Sirone’s approach. “Hey! Why are you here?” Her tone conveyed both shock and urgency.

“Pardon?”

“Why are you here?” she repeated. “That means Amy didn’t have to go!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Read this. Did nothing really happen to you?” Seryel handed him a note, which turned out to be a terse warning from someone claiming to be a “Dark Magician.”

Dark... Magician?

Thirty minutes earlier, Amy and Seryel were making their way to the library when they were stopped by a daunting figure.

“Greetings, Miss Amy. Still thriving, I see.”

The man was a student from Class Five who was known for having repeated years. He was now over twenty-three years old. Having shared a class with him just the previous year, Amy was familiar with his name but had seldom interacted with him due to his sour disposition.

“I’m busy. Please step aside. We have nothing to discuss,” she said.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. We were classmates, weren’t we? Just a minute of your time, please.”

“Classmates? With the number of students cycling through Class Five, find someone else to bother,” Amy said, her tone respectful yet spiked with hidden annoyance. I can’t stand this guy.

His stay in Class Five wasn’t a reflection of his abilities. Rather, he was distracted. Settling into a too-comfortable niche, he squandered both time and his innate potential by engaging in trivial dalliances with the younger female students, which ultimately led to his current troubled state.

“Still as insolent as ever, I see, Amy,” he laughed.

“What did you just say?” Amy snapped back, her patience wearing thin.

But the man appeared undeterred as if he had powerful support. “The boss wants to meet you. It’s in your best interest to comply. Unless, of course, you want your man to suffer,” he threatened.

“My man? That’s not—”

The man handed her a note, which she snatched and read quickly:

- We have Sirone. Come to the fourteenth training ground by six o’clock, or he will be rendered useless. Don’t even think about telling a professor, or you’ll regret it for life.

- The Dark Magicians

Amy crumpled the note. “So what? You’ve got it all twisted. Sirone and I aren’t like that. And even if we were, do you really think I’d listen to the likes of you guys?”

“That’s for you to figure out. I’m just the messenger sent by the boss,” the man replied indifferently as he walked away, his task complete.

Frustrated, Amy tossed the note to the ground. Seryel picked it up, her hands shaking as she read the threatening message. The Dark Magicians were an infamous group among the students, but their true identities were shrouded in mystery.

“Amy, what should we do? These guys are no good. I heard even Tyra dropped out of school last month because of them.”

“Tyra?”

Amy remembered Tyra. She was a classmate from Class Four with decent grades who wasn’t exceptional but above average. The fact that they targeted her suggested they either had strength in numbers or resorted to dirty tactics.

“I should go. It’s my fault Sirone got caught up in this.”

Even though she had acted tough in front of that guy earlier, the fact was that she was genuinely concerned about him.

“Maybe we should tell a professor. This could be dangerous for both you and Sirone.”

“Tell a professor? Hmm...”

Amy bit her lip. It might be the safest option, but the complexities of her relationship with Sirone weren’t something she wanted to broadcast. It was probably the same for him too. Nobody at school knows that Sirone is a commoner, except for me...

She preferred to handle the situation discreetly. With that in mind, she announced, “I’ll go by myself. If I’m not back by seven, then tell the professors.”

Seryel, unaware of their secrets, pressed, “What are you talking about? Why not tell them now? Is there something I’m missing?”

“I’m sorry, but I have my reasons. I’ll explain everything when I return, okay?”

Seryel was taken aback by Amy’s earnest plea. It was rare for Amy to ask for help, especially in such a serious manner. “Then I’ll go with you. We don’t know how many there are.”

“It’s better if one of us stays behind, just in case. But don’t worry. Jake is their leader. I can handle ten like him without breaking a sweat.”

Seryel understood Amy’s capabilities better than anyone. Even though they were both in Class Four, there was a clear distinction among the top ranks.

“All right. You have an hour. If you’re not back by seven, I’ll go running to the professors.”

“Thank you, I’ll be back soon,” Amy promised, setting off to confront the unknown threat alone.

Upon hearing the whole story from Seryel, Sirone was perplexed. The revelation of the Dark Magicians, a rogue circle within the school, was startling, but Amy’s willingness to take such a risk for his sake was even more astonishing.

“So she went because of me. Then what are you doing just standing here?”

“I don’t know! Amy told me to wait! Besides, I should be the one asking you that!”

Sirone understood Amy’s intentions. She’s trying to handle it alone to keep her secret safe. The one-hour window is her safety net. Leaving Seryel behind demonstrated Amy’s astute judgment.

“I should go as well. Please wait until the time Amy requested.”

Sirone’s decision aligned with Amy’s. He was less concerned about his own secrets being exposed, but he had no intention of jeopardizing hers by asking for her help.

With less than thirty minutes left and the fourteenth training ground located deep in the mountains, he began to run. Suddenly, he felt his feet leave the ground. He realized Seryel had lifted him into her arms, and they were soaring through the air.

“You won’t get there in time on foot. Let’s go together.”

Surrounded by light, she performed basic teleportation spells commonly used by mages for short-range movement.

As they flew, he suddenly heard the popping sounds of each teleport. With each burst of light and accompanying shockwave every ten meters, onlooking students gazed skyward.

“What’s happening? Who...”

Using teleportation on campus was generally forbidden due to the risk of collisions, but the current situation demanded an exception.

Within five minutes, they arrived at the base of the mountain and started their ascent. Teleportation was swift but perilous, especially in treacherous terrain, as fast as it was. A misstep could easily cost one their life. They reached the training ground by six o’clock, panting heavily, but neither Amy nor the Dark Magicians were in sight.

“Amy! Amy! What’s going on? Why isn’t she here?” Seryel cried.

“Could they have taken her elsewhere? The note did reveal this location, so they might have anticipated us telling a professor. We may have been tricked,” Sirone said.

“What about Amy, then?”

Faced with the Dark Magicians’ deceit, Sirone’s hesitation evaporated. “Head down the mountain and inform the professors immediately. You’ll move faster without me,” he stated.

“B-but Amy told me to wait until seven o’clock no matter what! She said she had her reasons,” Seryel explained.

“It’s all right. Those reasons are because of me. I can help sort this out, so please go quickly.”

Her expression became one of confusion. Was Amy’s urgent expression because of Sirone? “What’s really going on between you two? What am I missing? Are you two actually dating?”

Rumors had circulated that Sirone had been rejected, but even those whispers were suspected to be a smokescreen.

“There’s no time to explain. It could become dangerous if we delay any further.”

Prompted by Sirone’s urgency, Seryel sprang into action. “Fine. I’ll be back soon. Stay here and don’t move.”

As Seryel made her way back down the mountain, Sirone focused and expanded his Spirit Zone. Growing up in the mountains had honed his senses, making the dense forest feel almost like home. With his perception reaching out to a forty-meter radius, he was confident he could pick up on any traces.

“Here,” he muttered, spotting footprints embedded in the soft earth.

But they stopped after ten meters. That must mean they took to the skies from here... As he scanned the area, a distant rumble echoed from the north. That way!

His attention honed in on that direction.