The day after the royal meeting, Vincent Wryd still felt sick to his core. His stomach churned as the echo of the king's words gnawed at his thoughts. Every passing minute twisted his anger tighter.
He didn't know how to tell Ragnar and his friends what was about to happen to them what their own king had just set in motion.
Vincent sat at the edge of his bed, hands clasped, staring at the floor.
'How do I even begin to tell him?'
But his thoughts were cut short by a voice outside his window.
"See you later, Merlin! I'm off to school!"
That carefree tone could only belong to Ragnar.
Vincent rushed to the window, eyes widening as he saw Ragnar walking down the street in his Saint High uniform, bag slung carelessly over his shoulder.
"Ragnar—wait!" Vincent called out as he stumbled outside, half-dressed and half-awake. But Ragnar was already too far ahead, waving to a neighbor with that same bright grin.
Vincent stopped mid-step, breathing hard. "...Guess I'll have to go to him." He let out a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I really didn't want to step foot in that school again."
The streets of Valtoria's capital were busy as ever, lined with golden banners bearing Saint High's crest. Ragnar walked lazily through the morning light, sipping on a warm pastry drink from a street vendor. He wasn't in a rush, he never was.
That's when he spotted the familiar café on the corner the same one he met Queen in last time.
The bell jingled softly as Ragnar entered, and sure enough, there he was: Queen, sitting by the window, elegantly sipping his pitch-black, sugarless coffee.
Ragnar wrinkled his nose. "You still drink that tar water?"
Queen raised a gloved hand and waved dramatically.
"Ragnar! Come sit here with me. Let's finish our little chat from last time."
Ragnar smirked and pulled up a chair. "Sure thing. But if that coffee explodes, I'm not saving you."
He ordered tea this time, settling into his seat. Queen reached into his coat and pulled out a small violet flower, its petals glimmering faintly.
"Here. Take this," Queen said with an impish grin.
Ragnar eyed him suspiciously. "...You're not about to pull something, are you?"
"Of course not."
Ragnar sighed and accepted it. The flower immediately burst in a puff of glittering smoke — BANG!
The explosion sent Ragnar to the ground, covered in sparkly soot. The café went dead silent for a moment then both of them burst into laughter.
"You—!" Ragnar wheezed, pointing at Queen. "You never grow up!"
"Oh please," Queen grinned, "I'm the picture of maturity."
They kept laughing, earning stares from the other customers. To them, it looked like a Saint High student chatting and laughing with a bizarre, painted clown.
After the laughter died down, Queen leaned back, tapping his cup thoughtfully.
"Hey, Ragnar… you attend Saint High, right?"
"Yeah. Why?" Ragnar replied, brushing glitter off his uniform.
"You could say I'm… interested. When's the tournament again?"
"Two weeks from now."
Queen smiled faintly. "Ah, perfect. I've heard there's going to be a surprise waiting there."
Ragnar raised an eyebrow. "A surprise?"
Queen's smile grew wider. "Yes. And everyone's going to laugh."
Ragnar couldn't help but laugh too. "You're such a freak, Queen."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
They joked and talked for so long that Ragnar didn't even realize the time — until Queen glanced up at the clock.
"Did he only just notice?" Queen said as Ragnar bolted upright.
"Queen!!! I gotta go! I'm two hours late again!" Ragnar shouted, grabbing his bag and rushing out the door.
The entire café turned to look at Queen, whose painted grin curled slightly as he muttered to himself, "What a strange, funny boy you are, Ragnar Wryd…"
Saint High was alive with its usual chaotic energy. Students filled the courtyards and glass-lined corridors the pride of Valtoria's youth.
There were six classes, from A to F.
Class A and B were the Advanced Divisions, filled with the kingdom's most gifted mages.
C and D were Intermediate, the heart of the school's student body.
E and F… were where the "interesting cases" went.
In the training yard, bursts of flame and water collided midair as students tested spells, while laughter and shouts echoed from the dueling rings.
Posters advertising the Saint High Tournament covered nearly every wall "THE STRONGEST WILL RISE."
And through the grand hallway doors—
BANG!
Ragnar crashed through them, panting. At the exact same moment, the bell for the last lesson of the morning rang.
All eyes turned.
Lilia, standing at the front of the room, froze mid-sentence. Her face twitched. Then she slowly set down her chalk.
"Mr. Wryd." Her voice was calm… too calm. "Would you care to explain why you are once again late to my class?"
Ragnar chuckled nervously. "Haha… funny story actually—"
Her eye twitched. "I bet it is." She scribbled something on a paper with furious precision. "Two months' detention."
"Two?... TWO MONTHS!?" Ragnar dropped to his knees, hands clasped. "Have mercy, Miss Lilia! I swear, I was... uh... helping an old lady cross the—"
"Save it. Mr. Sato, it seems you'll have some company."
Yuuki, sitting quietly in the back, sighed. "Yes, ma'am."
He had been late too. But his reason was… less noble. He overslept. Again.
By break time, the cafeteria buzzed with the usual mix of noise — trays clattering, spells occasionally going off by accident, and students gossiping about class rankings.
Ragnar and Yuuki slumped at their table, faces deadpan. Across from them sat Light, Magna, and Alys, enjoying their meals in much better spirits.
Light poked Ragnar's cheek. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
"I wished it was a ghost," Ragnar groaned. "At least then it'd be an excuse."
Magna chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "You're hopeless, you know that?"
Alys shook her head, sipping her drink. "You both deserved it."
Light suddenly clapped his hands. "Oh! I just remembered something that might cheer you up, Ragnar."
Ragnar looked up lazily. "Yeah?"
"You said you wanted to advance, right?"
That got everyone's attention.
Magna leaned forward, elbows on the table. "You even know how that works?"
Ragnar scratched his head. "Kinda? Don't you just… pick a random god and pray or something?"
Yuuki nearly choked on his drink. "You what?"
"See, that's why you're stuck where you are," Magna teased.
Yuuki sighed deeply. "Let me explain properly before you all embarrass yourselves."
The group went quiet as Yuuki began to talk his tone calm, teacher-like.
"To advance, you don't just pray to any god. You have to know your magic affinity first. Every mage is born with one fire, water, wind, earth, light, darkness, or rarer combinations. Once you know it, you pray to the god who governs that element."
Alys nodded thoughtfully. "So if someone has fire and metal…"
"Then they'd pray to the Flame Goddess," Yuuki said, tapping his finger against the table. "She governs both flames and forged creation."
Ragnar rubbed his chin. "What if you have two or more affinities?"
"Then you focus on your main one when advancing," Yuuki explained. "But if you want to improve your other affinities, you make shorter prayers to the other gods connected to them."
"So it's like building trust with the gods," Magna said.
"Exactly," Yuuki replied. "But there's more. You can't just pray anywhere you need to do it at that god's church, or at an altar you built yourself. And when you pray, it has to come from the heart. Empty words won't reach divine ears."
Ragnar leaned back, impressed. "So if the god likes me, I get stronger?"
Yuuki smiled faintly. "If they deem you worthy, yes. It's not about power, it's about alignment of will."
Alys crossed her arms. "Makes sense. The gods don't hand out blessings to just anyone."
The conversation carried on, drifting into jokes and light teasing until Light suddenly brought up the upcoming tournament.
"By the way, you guys been training? We need to keep the Five Saints name shining."
Alys smirked. "Of course. But it's annoying. Class C to F still haven't picked their representatives."
Magna frowned. "Why?"
"They're running mini-tournaments per class," Ragnar explained, leaning forward. "Winner gets to represent their class. Plus, if they perform well, they can get promoted to a higher class."
Light whistled. "So it's not just pride. It's a ticket up the ladder."
"Exactly," Ragnar nodded.
Yuuki looked up. "Who's representing Class B again?"
Alys answered before Ragnar could. "Arin Ravenhurst."
Ragnar snapped his fingers. "Yeah, that's it. Never met him though."
Magna shrugged. "Probably a commoner. But hey sometimes they're the scariest ones."
Their laughter echoed across the cafeteria as the bell rang again, its clear melody signaling the next lesson.
By sunset, most students were long gone. Only Ragnar and Yuuki trudged through the quiet halls, heading toward detention.
Yuuki looked half-dead. "Ragnar… which god are you planning to pray to?"
Ragnar yawned. "I don't know. Either the Flame Goddess or the God of Black."
Yuuki stopped walking. "The God of Black? You know he governs portal magic, right? He's powerful… but unpredictable."
Ragnar tilted his head. "Unpredictable how?"
"Let's just say," Yuuki muttered, "he doesn't like mortals who waste his time. He's a new god only a few thousand years old. Some say his blessings come with… conditions."
Ragnar grinned. "Heh. Sounds like my kind of god."
Yuuki groaned. "You're going to die young, I swear."
"Maybe," Ragnar said with a lazy smile. "But at least I'll go out with style."
Their laughter echoed faintly down the corridor, mixing with the fading hum of magic lights.
Outside, the banners of Saint High fluttered in the evening wind, symbols of ambition, youth, and the thousand stories still waiting to unfold within its walls.