The doors of the Arcane Hall at the Royal Magic Academy were pushed open.
A figure with long golden hair stepped inside with quick strides.
Even though it was only the beginning of the school term, the Arcane Hall was already filled with many students eager to improve their magic.
When they looked toward Erica walking in, they all stopped their chanting and turned to look at her, a trace of surprise shining in their eyes.
Erica… that most talented student, had returned.
At this moment, however, Erica seemed a little distracted.
She really had been stirred up by Henny.
The last time she saw Henny, she had only been a second-tier mage.
How long had Henny even been a mage?
Counting the academy break until school started again, it had only been about three months.
'Three months, from a magic apprentice to a third-tier mage…'
'Th... this was something a human could do?'
'And the way she acted toward Professor Viktor…'
'How… how could she be that bold!'
'This is the academy!'
The more Erica thought about it, the more anxious she became. In the end, she suddenly shook her head hard and stopped thinking about it.
She had come to the Arcane Hall to clear her mind.
Erica also noticed the looks the students were giving her, but she did not pay attention to them.
After all, she was already used to being the center of attention.
Erica walked through the spacious Arcane Hall, trying to stay away from the students practicing magic.
As she looked around, she felt a little surprised.
There were actually many mirrors placed here.
The mirrors were pressed closely against the walls around the Arcane Hall, only a few meters apart from each other, quietly standing there.
Erica had already learned what these mirrors were.
They were called… instances.
She walked up to a mirror that no one was lining up for. After reading the instructions above it, she was just about to reach out and touch the mirror.
However, the mirror unexpectedly began to tremble, like ripples rising on the surface of a lake.
Erica froze slightly. Her hand paused in midair before she slowly pulled it back.
This was not right. She had not even touched the mirror yet.
Then the entire mirror, including its frame, began to shake.
Erica instinctively stepped back a few steps. Then she saw a strong and sturdy figure walk out from inside the mirror.
The person spat out by the mirror was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt. Even the hair and beard on his face were white, and deep wrinkles marked by time covered his cheeks.
The old man's strong build was obvious at a glance, extremely sturdy.
Erica looked carefully at the person who came out and felt he looked familiar.
Taking a closer look, she was startled.
'This is… Uncle Vladimir?'
Vladimir brushed off some almost invisible dust from his body and burst into hearty laughter.
Erica quickly walked up and greeted him.
"Uncle!"
The students around them blinked when they heard Erica call the old man that.
'Uncle?'
They had not expected that this old man who played with them in the hall every day was actually related to Erica.
Vladimir followed the voice calling him and turned around. When he saw Erica, he was also a bit surprised.
"Hm? Erica, you're here too?"
"Uncle, I'm a student at the Royal Magic Academy. I came to the academy with you some time ago."
"Oh, oh, I was wondering why you came along last time. That makes sense. With your talent, of course you should study at the best academy."
"You flatter me, Uncle."
Erica looked slightly confused and felt curious about why Vladimir had come to the Arcane Hall, especially about how he had just been spat out by the mirror.
Vladimir laughed loudly, scratched the back of his head, and answered cheerfully.
"I wanted to challenge this new thing called an 'instance.'"
"I didn't expect the thing Viktor made to be so interesting. Even these old bones of mine are getting a bit addicted to it."
He kept talking nonstop about how there was a Storm Dragon King inside the mirror, bragging about how long he had challenged it.
So his fighting spirit had been stirred up, and he came here every day to challenge it.
Day after day, Vladimir became more and more skilled at challenging the instance.
He even started to feel like he did not want to return to the Northern Border.
Erica felt puzzled.
She had also tried the 'instance' Professor Viktor developed before. She remembered it was the first version.
It was used as the first practical exam for the final assessment.
After learning more, Erica understood.
The mirrors inside the Arcane Hall were only for practice.
The 'instance' had not been officially launched yet.
That was why these mirrors were placed in the Arcane Hall.
It was said that in the future, the academy would build a new area specifically to set up something like a 'challenge house' for deeper practice.
At that moment, countless students inside the Arcane Hall had their attention drawn to the entrance.
At the doorway, a silver-haired girl walked in.
It was Aurelian.
She walked calmly into the Arcane Hall, and there was a noble air in her gaze.
When the many students saw Aurelian arrive, they immediately showed respect.
After all, most of them were from noble families.
When they saw the princess, they naturally showed courtesy without thinking.
Some even eagerly followed beside Aurelian, with a hint of flattery.
"Your Highness is so hardworking, still practicing."
"Is Your Highness also going to challenge the instance today?"
Aurelian completely ignored the students following her.
Like Erica, she also seemed to be in low spirits.
By chance, she saw Erica standing together with an old man.
At a glance, she recognized Vladimir and stepped forward to bow.
"General Vladimir."
As soon as that name was spoken, the students' eyes widened.
'General!?'
The title of general could not be used casually. There were only a few generals in the entire empire.
Especially when that title was spoken by a member of the royal family like the princess.
That showed how heavy the weight of that title was.
Some well-informed students also noticed the name Aurelian had spoken.
'Vladimir?'
In the entire empire, there was only one general with that name.
That was the legend of the Northern Border, Vladimir Lebedev.
When they realized that the old man who challenged instances with them every day in the Arcane Hall was actually a general, many students felt a chill run down their backs, goosebumps rising all over.
This was also enough to prove how successful the 'instance' developed by Viktor was.
Not only had it attracted a large number of students to practice, even a general like Vladimir enjoyed it endlessly.
Vladimir laughed loudly and replied, "Your Highness, you're here too?"
Aurelian nodded and responded, "General, I'm here to practice as well."
As she spoke, she walked toward Erica and also stopped in front of the same mirror Vladimir had just come out of.
Erica looked at Aurelian and naturally refused to give in.
Ever since her relationship with the princess had grown more and more tense, Erica had no interest in talking much. She only wanted to compete with Aurelian.
However, all the instances in the Arcane Hall were already in use.
If they had to wait for others, no one knew how long it would take.
That meant only the mirror Vladimir had just left was free.
Between the two of them, only one could use it.
Aurelian merely glanced at Erica, with no intention of giving way. Thick magic power burst out from her body.
It was clearly at the level of a second-tier mage, yet the richness of that magic strangely felt comparable to that of a third-tier mage, making people feel slightly suffocated.
The students felt dizzy from the magic power Aurelian released.
'Isn't this wrong?'
'A second-tier mage?'
'How old is Her Highness? She was already a second-tier mage?'
Erica saw this and smiled slightly as well.
A magic circle quickly formed behind her. Flowing magic power turned through space, delicate and complex patterns weaving back and forth between the runes.
Seeing the exquisite magic before them, the other students were even more shocked.
A loud cheer broke out from the crowd, like a bomb thrown into a lake, the wave of sound almost lifting the roof.
"A third-tier mage!"
"Erica actually became a third-tier mage!"
"H… how is that possible!?"
The students felt as if their minds had been struck by thunder and shattered, completely unable to think.
If it was true, then… Erica had become the youngest third-tier mage in history.
At this moment, Erica completely overshadowed Aurelian.
Countless students went crazy, even running around to tell everyone else the news.
Aurelian narrowed her eyes as she looked at Erica.
'A third-tier mage…'
The fluctuation of third-tier magic on her body was unmistakable.
Just a few days ago, Erica had still been a second-tier mage.
What had happened in these short few days that allowed her to leap straight into the third tier?
In the entire Arcane Hall, it seemed that only Erica and Aurelian were left as the center of attention.
Countless eyes looked at the two of them. At this moment, everyone else seemed to have become nothing more than background for these two geniuses.
At that time, Erica's slightly provocative voice rang out.
"Thanks to Professor Viktor, I was able to cross this level in such a short time."
Aurelian's gaze held a bit more disbelief.
Erica continued calmly, "I have to thank Professor for letting me spend several unforgettable nights."
Whoosh!
The moment her words fell, a blinding white light suddenly lit up at the entrance of the Arcane Hall.
A silver-white longsword instantly flew hundreds of meters and landed straight in front of Erica.
The sword stabbed into the floor. The hilt swayed, trembling constantly.
Everyone was startled by the sudden situation, including Erica.
Aurelian could not help but look toward the entrance of the Arcane Hall.
When she saw the silver figure wearing beast-faced armor, she froze slightly.
"G… Gwen, Teacher?"
The knight's silver-white long hair seemed to drift slightly with her aura.
She raised her hand, and the longsword standing in front of Erica returned to her palm along with the flow of air.
With a voice so cold it held no emotion, her icy gaze looked at Erica from afar.
"You just said, several unforgettable nights."
"What do you mean by that?"