Senior classes were scheduled a bit differently. We had self-study time first thing in the morning, then our morning classes, split between practical magic and classroom electives, which ran through to the end of junior lunch period. After that, we had our senior lunch period, followed by classes in math and economics, business and management, politics, and other such necessary bits of education for children who would be inheriting merchant houses, titles, or positions of importance across the kingdom.
Having a later lunch period meant Felton and I could eat with Felris for the first time since end of first year. This was her sixth and final year, and while things had calmed down for her after Gustar graduated, she hadn’t ever fully recovered her social standing, instead focusing quite seriously on her studies, with a focus on combat magic.
Sharing lunch meant she finally had people to sit with, though, and she eagerly joined us, sitting next to me instead of her brother like she had when we were kids.
We were still kids, in my detached opinion as an old man inside, though living through my early teenage years often made that hard to remember. Felris was sixteen now, still ahead of me in height—damn her and Felton both, for that—and had long since passed any awkwardness of youth. She smiled brilliantly at me as she sat, and I felt my cheeks flush against my will. Stupid teenage hormones.
Felton glanced dryly between me and his sister, who was sitting a little too close to me for either of our comforts. He rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. “Oh look, I think I see a friend,” he said in a monotone voice. “I’m going to go and eat with them. See you later.”
“Wait, no, don’t—” I started to say, but he was already carrying his food to another table. Damnit, Felton.
I shifted slightly away from Felris, but she shifted over with me, leaning more against my side. Despite her father’s conditions, she knew what she wanted, and with only a year left at the academy together, she was committed to laying her claim and ensnaring her target.
That wasn’t all bad. The Great Sage’s estate had been substantial, and as his sole inheritor, that had created more interest in me and my future than I was comfortable with, particularly among those from mercantile families. I had no issue with Felris fending those people off this year.
But it was going to be a long year of fending off her advances before she graduated. Be strong, me.
* * *
It wasn’t too bad, in the end. The culture of this world worked to my favor; given the way she was raised, Felris never made the first move, and I was able to maintain gentlemanly behavior through the year, despite her whispered honeyed words and promises about our future.
Maybe I was just weak, but after a year of that, there was no longer any doubt in my mind that what she described was what I wanted of my future in this life. I attended her graduation ceremony, seeing her and her parents off when they returned to Obdorn after, vowing to work hard to earn her hand. And also, at her insistence, vowing not to succumb to the wiles of any other women in the meantime, not that I was planning to.
Two years after that, I was nearing my own graduation.
Felton and I were out for our usual morning run in the unseasonable spring heat, and stopped at a well pump in town to hydrate given how much we were sweating.
The boy—teen, now, and nearly a man—finished drinking, ran his hand through his hair, then lifted up his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow, showcasing lean and defined abdominal muscles to the various housewives out in the morning to do their shopping. I watched them titter among themselves and sighed.
Sweet young Felton had grown up, and with the training I put him through, grown up well. He had his father’s height, his mother’s beauty, and a well-muscled frame from his efforts that he had long since stopped being shy about. Once his older sister graduated, a maturing Felton had done quite well in the academy, working through a number of girlfriends, though none stuck, in part because he was named his father’s heir. His ultimate marriage would, no doubt, involve a little bit of politicking.
That didn’t stop him from catching the eye of a young woman carrying a basket of baked bread and giving her a charming smile and a wink. She blushed, smiling to herself, and hurried off. I rolled my eyes.
The worst part was, I never did catch up to his height. At least I was stronger than him.
“Come on, you insufferable flirt, let’s get back to it,” I said, taking off again. I’d drop him off at home then head back to the manor so I could get myself washed up and ready for classes. I didn’t want to be late, as there weren’t many left.
Felton had focused his studies on the kinds of magic that would support the barony. After learning [Create Earth] as a junior, he continued to learn how to control earth and stone, set up infrastructure, and other related skills. A part of that was because he intended on shoring up the Obdorn dungeon, dealing with the tunnels that the Nightmare Ants had dug, which had since been taken care of after a successful extermination campaign. The dungeon was producing well again and he planned to keep it that way.
It was a contrast to Felris’s focus, which had been combat itself. That might have been the less practical choice for a young woman in Argadia, but after what happened underground and then in the academy, she never wanted to feel like a victim again. I understood that, and was more than happy to see her rebuild her confidence with an arsenal of attack spells.
My own direction and elective choice had been all over the place. I was a sponge, willing to soak up everything I could, knowing it would all pay off long term. My list of spells had grown fairly impressive.
In addition to expanding the range and level of my creation and control spells, I learned [Flash Freeze] and [Overheat], filling the gap in function I had noticed about turning water to ice and vice versa, while also expanding my range with some extra utility. I learned [Bulwark], [Empower], and [Hasten], three support spells which buffed defense, strength, and speed. After pushing [Minor Healing] to level 2 and reaching Will 20, I added [Cure Condition] to my medical bag; at the first level, it wouldn’t have been enough to save Somnial, but I still wished I could have learned it earlier for him.
At the end of my sixth and final year, where most students learned two spells per year for a dozen total at graduation, I was seriously ahead of the curve with twice that, far and away the largest spell list of any of my peers. There was no valedictorian or student rankings at the academy—the whole thing was pass-fail, with the magic itself being the merit—but I had displayed much of my prowess during my senior academy career and people talked. I was making a name for myself.
This was only the beginning. I had the rest of my life to expand on my repertoire with Somnial’s library.
On top of my magical studies, I kept up with my training, gaining more stats in Body and pushing [Dual Wielding] to the next level. While I loved my mandiblades and the sheer “cool” factor of dual wielding, I remembered what Tory had said about effective monster fighting, and hired another tutor so I could learn [Spearmanship], as well.
One of the best things about learning to use spears was that, since I had become the master of the manor and was the one paying for the lessons, I invited Felton to join me for my morning instruction. My best friend had only taken up the sword because of what happened in the dungeon, and the desire to protect those he cared about, which was specifically directed against monsters.
The spear, then, was a more natural weapon for him, and he took to it immediately. He acquired the skill before I did, even, and was keeping up with it by paying for more private lessons after I stopped and went back to training with my dual blades. Rikton was a bit upset the boy had chosen spears over swords, but at least his son had acquired martial training. Besides, he had Fellius to teach swords to. That boy soaked up the art of the blade readily.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what exactly I was training for. After spending a third of this life in Ivarnel, at the academy, with Felton and Byron and the others I met and came to care for, this chapter of my life was coming to an end.
I just had no idea what was coming next.
* * *
The graduation ceremony was familiar, having attended one for Felris already.
This one seemed no different, aside from being mine. As before, Rikton and Trisellia were there to support Felton, and I caught up with them in person. I had exchanged letters over the years, but I never actually made it back out to Obdorn, spending most of my breaks in Redding instead.
“Have you figured out your plans after graduation?” Rikton asked me, and I winced.
“Not… yet,” I said slowly. I hadn’t figured out a way to earn Felris’s hand that would satisfy her father, and while we were very friendly he hadn’t budged on that decision. Now that I was determined to do so, I needed to figure something out. I had resources, monetary and magical, but was still looking for something impressive.
On the topic of Felris, I was a bit surprised she wasn’t in attendance. When I mentioned that, Trisellia sighed.
“Fellius is… at an age where he cannot be trusted to be by himself, just old enough to get into trouble and not old enough to know better. He’s got our staff figured out, too, but... he won’t misbehave with Felris watching.”
“Not after she showed off her lightning,” Rikton said with a chuckle. “He’s a little in awe of her.”
I laughed at the idea of the big bad lightning mage getting saddled with babysitting duties, but then I remembered all the times I had been stuck babysitting Tomellia when I was home visiting and realized that I had it the same.
We made our way to our seats in the auditorium and the ceremony began. I watched and applauded as Felton went up, and was granted the title of Magus. I even applauded for Ramius, who was genuinely beaming as he took his diploma and title. Before I knew it, I was stepping up as well.
Headmaster Rollard shook my hand and presented me with my diploma, then announced me with my new title. “On behalf of Ivarnel and Argadia, I dub thee Magus,” he said, as he had the other students. I grinned, and he shook my hand again. “Congratulations, Magus Tovar.”
I thanked him, walking across the stage so that the next student could be presented, and stopped at the stairs in front of Somnius.
The man had aged a lot in the last few years. He stood hunched with a cane, but he refused to give in. Too stubborn to retire, maybe even too stubborn to die. Somnius hadn’t been my only magic teacher once I started taking electives, but he had followed me through my whole academy career, and truthfully, I wouldn’t be the mage I was now without him.
“Thank you for all your lessons, Professor,” I said, bowing slightly to the man.
He grunted something as close to “you’re welcome” as he ever got, but then surprised me as he reached out and patted my arm. “In any way that my brother and I were alike… well, I know he’d be proud of you, today.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thank you, Somnius.”
“Go on, then,” the old man said, sending me back to my seat.
As the ceremony neared its end, my mind was wandering to what came next. I would visit Redding, first—Torra was thrilled that I could finally be home for sowing season so I could magically till the field—but beyond that, I still wasn’t sure. I knew I’d keep training and studying magic for future lives, but I still needed something to fill this life. I could start a business, maybe, but that seemed kind of dull. I could head out on an adventure, maybe try and learn more about demons, but that sounded like a good way to die young.
The susurrus of those around me drew me from my machinations, and I glanced up to see a hooded figure approaching the stage. The whispers turned to shocked surprise when the figure drew back her hood and revealed herself to the auditorium.
“Elsa?” I muttered in surprise.
The queen of Argadia smiled out to the auditorium. “Congratulations, new Magi of Argadia,” she said, her eyes twinkling as they surveyed the room. Her saintly smile became a bit more sinister when she caught my eye, and I knew she was up to something devious.
She was looking older as well. I absently wondered how long she would continue to reign before the crown would pass to her eldest child. The current queen was joined on stage by a man, and after a moment, I saw the resemblance. He was an older version of Ramius. That must be the duke of Ivarnel, Lord Pendor, I thought. I glanced around and saw Dargan off to the side. He caught my eye and winked. What are you all up to?
“As many of you know, a few years ago we had conflict with our neighbor, Dulth. Our victory was earned thanks to the efforts of the late Great Sage Somnial, and peace bought by the land he conquered at the border of Ivarnel.
“The lands have since been surveyed, and a dungeon has been discovered.”
A whisper rippled through the auditorium, and my mind began racing.
“This dungeon was neglected by Dulth, and monsters have been spilling out. Apparently, this has been happening for years.” She paused. “The dungeon produces goblins.”
My ears began to ring. Toldan. This had all started because of goblins. Now I knew where they came from. Now I had the power to do something about it.
“As the lands were won by the late Great Sage, this task normally would have fallen to him. While he is no longer with us, this day we see the rise of a new Magus, one who has grown under his wing.”
Some of my classmates glanced towards me, and my hands clenched at my sides.
“He is a mage and warrior who has already survived a dungeon, and helped prevent an outbreak of said dungeon in Obdorn. He has helped the territory develop with new ideas and improved accounting which is already spreading through the kingdom.
“Magus Tovar. Sage Apprentice. Argadia asks you to lead an expedition into the newly claimed lands and either conquer the dungeon or shackle it for its resources. Settle the new land in Argadia’s name and I, Queen Elsaria, will grant you the title of marquess.”
I found myself standing already, and I took a steadying breath before raising my voice.
“I accept, your Majesty.”
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entire lifetimes in each book, some time skipping is necessary in order to keep the pacing. Now, academy arc finished, we head on into Tovar's adulthood, and see what comes of all his work so far...
