Ryan was deep in thought. He nodded in agreement.
"Very well, then I will go to the academy," he said as he rose from the couch.
Nathan smiled.
"Excellent. In that case, you should begin your preparations," he replied with a bright smile.
Ryan let out a deep sigh. There were, in truth, several things that troubled him. He did not want to become the plaything of some noble brat; yet he also did not wish to break his mentor's heart.
Whether he liked it or not, he would be going to the academy.
Just then, the old man called out,
"Ryan!"
Ryan turned around. The old man wore a sly smile.
"Lisa will be there as well."
The words hit like a bomb. Ryan's eyes widened in shock.
He was surprised that the granddaughter of the Master of the Magic Tower would be leaving the tower. After all, she was his own grand daughter, and there were surely many things he could still teach her.
There was another reason for Ryan's decision to attend the academy. Nathan had no affinity for water magic. Ryan was a water mage, whereas Nathan and Lisa were fire mages. Their differing affinities limited what Nathan could teach him. To be honest, Nathan had only been able to instruct him in the fundamentals; he could not pass on advanced spells tied to elemental affinity. Ryan had managed to learn water affinity spells on his own, but the spells he had learned were far from perfect.
According to the information Ryan had read, there were four elements in this world: Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind.
After exchanging looks with Nathan for a moment, Ryan turned his head away.
"Very well," he said calmly.
Such a composed reaction surprised Nathan, but he said nothing.
After bidding farewell to his master, Ryan closed the door and walked away. At the bend of the staircase on the top floor corridor, he ran into Lisa.
With a slightly shy demeanor, looking down at the floor, she spoke.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me?"
Her cheeks were faintly flushed. Ryan could see it. He pretended not to notice, though his own face had reddened slightly.
Scratching the back of his neck, he smiled thoughtfully.
"Of course I'll say goodbye to you too, Lisa," he said in a cheerful tone.
Ryan behaved like a child whenever he was in front of Lisa, and he couldn't control it. He didn't know whether it was because of special feelings, but if it was, he preferred to postpone thinking about it for now.
With a light cough, he cleared his throat.
"See you at the academy, Lisa."
Lisa lifted her head in surprise. See you at the academy what did that mean? Did it mean Ryan would be attending the same school as her? She hadn't heard anything about that. Perhaps her grandfather was planning to send her to the same academy as Ryan. That seemed the most logical explanation; otherwise, why would Ryan say such a thing?
Ryan hurried down the stairs.
Without encountering anyone, he reached the ground floor, stepped through the exit, and finally left the tower behind.
The chirping of birds outside gave him a sense of peace. As he turned his head, he noticed something: a carriage was waiting in front of the entrance. Beside the horse stood a well dressed, medium height man. The moment he saw Ryan, the man approached him.
Although Ryan didn't understand the reason, he remained where he was. The man came to a stop before him and spoke politely.
"The Tower Master has arranged a carriage for you."
Ryan thought for a brief moment. He remembered his master mentioning something like that, but at the time he hadn't paid it much attention. With a sigh, he realized how careless he had been.
The man opened the carriage door and gestured for Ryan to enter. Ryan climbed into the back, and the journey began.
The road had been long, and they still had not reached their destination. Their destination was Arcanis, the capital of magic. The Magic Academy was located there as well.
In truth, academy registration would not begin for another three months. However, Ryan had several matters to take care of beforehand. He needed to rent a house, since rents skyrocketed during the month the academy opened. Moreover, as Arcanis was a great city of magic, he would be able to purchase magic crystals and various tools at reasonable prices.
Ryan leaned his head against the carriage window. The carriage barely shook; it must have been quite expensive.
"So, the Magic Academy…" he murmured.
A sly smile formed on his face.
"Making a few noble connections wouldn't be so bad, would it?"