He simply accepted a strange red-eyed girl being in his field of vision sometimes. Rhamn's presence didn't turn out as hard to endure as he originally thought.
Perhaps due to her ability to read his mind, she was rather proficient in reading the room and didn't interrupt him when he least wanted it. That didn't mean she was entirely quiet, as speaking seemed to bring her a sense of joy.
She greeted him in the morning, discussed the weather, helped with self-study, and gleefully commented on whatever it was that caught her fancy.
Nevertheless, the pressure of having a being of incomparable beauty constantly nearby still proved somewhat challenging. Cyril had never been interested in relationships and never imagined he would feel pressured in such a situation, but Rhamn's entire being seemed to cater to preferences he himself did not even know he had.
…Do you look like this because of me? Is your form just aligning itself with my definition of beauty?
Cyril contemplated as he walked to the castle, going for the Spellmaking class. No matter how he thought about it, her appearance's appeal didn't seem natural.
Rhamn walked at his side, humming. Hearing his mental question, she tilted her head, staring at him with smugness.
"Or, maybe your definition of beauty is like this because of me? My looks have simply stunned your preferences into what they are now."
He reacted with a blank, helpless gaze.
…Mind control then.
"That's not what I meant!"
Ignoring her teary eyes, he stepped onto one of the fields near the main castle. They were especially prepared areas for the students to practice their spells with targets and various tools to help with the process.
This didn't stop some of the students from using them for regular training. Although the training hall of the castle was big, some people still preferred fresh air.
He walked to an already gathered group, where other students from his class were waiting for the beginning of their practical Spellmaking lesson.
So it happened that just as he approached, the professor clapped his hand, gathering everyone's attention.
"Let's begin now."
Looks like he arrived just in time. Cyril ignored the occasional stare he was getting and focused on the professor as he began explaining some things before the practice.
It was a decently sized lecture delivered with the enthusiasm of someone filing their taxes. It was mostly something he had already heard before, the usual precautions about magic. Perhaps that's why the professor was so bored with it.
"...you must be careful when gathering mana from the outside. Ultimately, it's different from the mana naturally being stored within you. It hasn't gone through your body's 'filter' and might become harmful in unskilled hands."
"Now, I will call you one by one, and you will cast your first spell using the Maze's pattern."
Finally done with the required speech, the professor noticeably brightened. Not only him, the students have all come alive, staring at him with excitement.
"Finally, I was beginning to fall asleep. I learned this all back home already."
"I guess they specifically prepared it for the commoners in our class. Poor souls probably didn't study a thing about magic before enrolling."
"Are you sure? They did get in class I…"
The students whispered as they waited for their names to be called. None seemed that nervous.
Soon, the professor called the first name from his list.
The lucky student came from the crowd, some people encouraging him on the way.
His back stiff from performance anxiety, he walked in front of them all, standing as a prisoner on the gallows.
"…You don't have to wait for my signal. Just cast the spell as soon as you walk in front of me," the professor impatiently said as the student kept standing still.
"Sorry!"
The student hastily stretched out his hand forward and closed his eyes. He remained still, his breathing somewhat uneven.
Starting from his palm, a circle of blue light gradually appeared that was soon filled with a specific pattern, the one they'd been learning just before.
In a second the circle began shining brighter, having gathered enough mana. It disappeared, and in its stead appeared a spark of pure white light.
It persisted for a short while, illuminating a bit of the palm, and snuffed out by itself as the student lost focus.
"Not bad. Memorize how it felt and keep working hard. Next..." The professor nodded, writing something down in a notebook he carried.
The student breathed a sigh of relief, then went back to the crowd of his friends. They immediately congratulated him and loudly asked about how it felt, earning them a glare from the professor.
Cyril stared at the friendly bunch, his face cold as always. He stood alone, the surrounding students somewhat reluctant to approach him.
"You are not alone. I am here, and I am much better than some foolish friend."
Right.
He was about to move his gaze away, but then he noticed something peculiar. From the other end of the crowd someone was purposefully heading in his direction.
It was easy to tell because she was parting all the students in her way, staring at him unflinchingly, as if a hound going through tall grass in pursuit of a rabbit.
Myra soon quietly walked in front of him, her face gaining a sheepish smile.
"Hey, Cyril, do you mind if I stand here?" she whispered, as if they met among the crowd by pure coincidence.
"The hell?! What does she want from you?!"
"Sure," Cyril replied, glaring at a certain someone with complaint.
"I am just being cautious!" No, you are being unreasonable.
Myra happily smiled and made a step forward, standing by his side as if it was how they were supposed to be from the beginning.
They stood like this in silence, observing the students casting their spell one after another. Though instead of staring at the action, Myra frequently glanced at him to the side, her black eyes sparkling as if making sure he was really here.
"…"
Having gained more experience in being under a woman's admiring gaze, Cyril endured hers with ease. Besides, her beauty was really not worth talking about in comparison to Rhamn.
"That's right!"
"Hey, can I ask you something?" Myra whispered, her face lit up as if suddenly thinking of some great idea.
Cyril silently nodded, getting a bit curious.
Myra smiled and unnoticeably pointed somewhere else within the crowd. Following her direction, he noticed a girl with brown hair and blue eyes boredly staring at the people casting spells.
Alright?
He looked back at Myra with confusion.
"That's Rose Briar, a genius mage. I feel it would be worthwhile to befriend her. What do you think?" she immediately said, her face as if a gang member reporting a potential target to their boss.
"…"
"Just go and talk to her if you want to." He calmly answered after taking a moment to recover.
Myra nodded, her face lit up with the satisfaction of a mission well done.
Before he could ask her a question, his name was called out by the professor. Immediately, the eyes of the crowd settled on him, staring with caution.
His blue eyes regained their coldness as he walked forward to stand in front of everyone.
As he walked away, he noticed Myra half-raise her fist and shake it at him, whispering, "Good luck!"
Feeling somewhat novel, he nodded to her and finally stepped in front of the professor.
...This shouldn't be too hard.
Standing in front of everyone, he raised his hand and calmly guided the mana within his body, combined it with the one gathered from the air, and constructed the magic circle.
It formed much quicker than the attempts he had seen so far. As the circle disappeared, the resulting light was strong, comparable to a magic lamp, illuminating the streets at night. It didn't seem like it was his first attempt at all.
"Very good, you can stop. It looks like you have some talent. Next..." The professor nodded, not too much excitement on his face, though his voice was tinged with a bit of satisfaction.
Cyril returned to his place within the crowd, where Myra greeted him with a thumbs up.
"Nice! Your talent is really legendary! Your results are far above anyone else's!" she whispered, her face showing pure joy as if it was her own achievement.
"…Flattery won't work." Rhamn mumbled, trying to fight a smile that wanted to emerge on her face. She truly treated his success as if it were hers.
"Thank you," Cyril calmly replied, moving his eyes away from her face.
Her star-filled eyes seemed to hold nothing but sincerity, though he couldn't quite figure out its source.
She is a weird one.
...
More and more people cast their first spell.
Somewhat exciting at the beginning, the process soon turned boring. Almost everyone had had their shot already, and none had failed so far.
The light spell proved itself quite easy, making the students slowly become impatient. The whispers among them intensified, becoming louder.
After silencing them a few times to no avail, the professor couldn't be bothered anymore and passively allowed their discussions.
With that same face he had at the beginning of the lesson, the professor read aloud a particular name.
"Leo Arken."
At this moment, Myra lightly nudged Cyril with an elbow.
"…?" He glanced at the elbow that touched him, then stared in confusion at Myra's face. Though she didn't notice, she was pointing towards the student that walked towards the professor.
"Look, it's his turn."
So what?
Not voicing his confusion, Cyril focused on Leo Arken, who soon stood in front of them all. It was a name he recognized. They were a famous family of mages, whose members frequently were able to get a position in the Tower.
He vaguely heard about some controversy about them in the past, but he didn't remember it.
"The Thornes don't care about some small-fry family like that!"
Ignoring Rhamn's proud exclamation, Cyril paid closer attention to the student about to cast his first spell.
Leo Arken had blond hair, a common sign of nobility, and black eyes, which weren't too common among the nobility. He was wearing a deep frown on his face, like someone owed him money.
In a slightly dramatic fashion, he raised his hand and made a provocative smile directed at somewhere specific within the crowd of students.
"I'll show you what real talent looks like!" He exclaimed under the confused eyes of the professor.
Cyril followed his passionate stare and found Cedric on the other end of it. This harmless-looking student with black hair and black eyes wore a strained smile, enduring the gazes from all around.
"So dramatic, what a fool."
…Reminds me of you.
"…"
"Leo, focus." The professor urged, bringing the student's attention back to the lesson.
Leo Arken energetically raised his hand, constructing a magic circle with surprising speed. However, it was noticeably different from the ones the other students cast.
"Oi! What are you doing?" The professor yelled in a strict voice and attempted to interrupt the spell, but it was too late.
The circle quickly disappeared as Leo's confident smirk was replaced by panic. A small explosion erupted, enveloping his hand with smoke.
Leo fell to the ground, screaming.
Their professor urgently put out the fire enveloping him and cast a few healing spells, but his weren't as good as a healer's.
The students watched what was happening with shock, rooted to the ground.
Soon, staff members arrived with a stretcher. They placed the student with a charred hand on it and carried him away. The other students observed with bated breath.
"Class is dismissed." The professor coldly announced before going after the staff members.
As everyone recovered, they quickly erupted into conversations. Some had pale faces, some were uncaring, and some were excited at an interesting conclusion.
Most came to the conclusion that Leo attempted to cast a different spell and got hurt for it.
"Hahaha! What an idiot! He really wanted to cast a spell beyond his meager ability!" Rhamn said, openly laughing.
Arrogance is indeed a poison that makes you stupid.
Cyril made his own verdict, causing Rhamn's face to freeze. He then turned to Myra, who had been watching the event as if it were a spectacle.
"What about Leo?" he finally asked.
She tilted her head in confusion, as if not understanding what he was asking. Then, realization dawned on her face.
"He- Doesn't he seem like trouble?"
"Not really." Cyril shook his head.
"Oh. Well, never mind then."