"Welcome ceremony? And... sorting ceremony?" Max repeated, puzzled. He vaguely remembered hearing Professor Lysira discuss this with Headmaster Fledrock, but he had no clue what those terms actually meant.
The welcome ceremony, he could sort of guess it sounded like a party or formal event to greet the first year students at Soladors Academy.
But the sorting ceremony? He was completely lost.
Lysira noticed the confusion on his face. "I won't go into much detail right now we don't have time," she said, standing straighter. "I still have to prepare for the ceremony. It's very important. Even the Headmaster and the entire faculty are attending."
She glanced at both boys. "Today marks the official beginning of the school year for our first-year students. Every year, we welcome young talents from all over the world. And you, Mr. Stormhart, were incredibly lucky to be chosen(back door) just a day before the term began. If not, I doubt there would've been any chance for you to join perhaps only next year."
Max nodded slowly, trying to absorb it all. He still had a lot of questions, but he got the gist. So that's why Headmaster called me lucky, he thought.
He turned to the black-haired boy sitting besides him max looked at the boy curiously. "Wait you were a student here, too?!" Max asked, surprised. The first person he met at the market... the one who helped me. and now my classmate? What a coincidence. Maybe this is fate...suvh bullshit?.
"Yes, he's an exception too just like you, Mr. Stormhart," Lysira confirmed.
Exception? Max raised his brows, clearly intrigued by the term, but Lysira didn't elaborate. She continued with what she had come to say.
"Don't look at me like that," the black haired boy grumbled, noticing Max's wide-eyed, almost starry gaze. "I'm only in this mess because of you."
What do you mean? Max wanted to ask but.
"Boys, please," Lysira interrupted, giving them a sharp look. "You can talk to each other later."
She turned to Max. "Mr. Stormhart, do you remember anything about what happened in the market?"
Max wasn't surprised by the question. unbeknown to him apparently, the authorities had already gone over everyone's memories back at the scene, so nothing would be new to them. But even then, they are asking him
Well max sighed answer? what answers he doesn't know what to answer because he truly didn't know what even had happened.
He started recounting what he could: the mustached man who attacked him, the black-haired boy who helped, the strange moment when he turned into a donut and fell over though he wasn't sure what that was about and then how the boy got tortured, then everything went dark. Tho he left out one very important detail: the system.
For some reason… I don't think I should tell anyone about it, he thought. He didn't fully understand it himself, but something told him that thing was best kept secret.
"So you don't know how or why you came back to life with a hole in your chest," Lysira asked, arms crossed, "or how you managed to save someone from the brink of death using an advanced, high level spell?"
Max blinked. "Spell? Did i really casted spell? really I… uh… I really don't know how to use magic, Professor. I swear, I've never learned it. I don't even know how I could've healed someone or cast any spell at all."
He pressed his palms together in a prayer. "Maybe… maybe it was the God of Eldarado who helped me. My mother always told me to pray. Maybe her prayers reached someone."
Lysira didn't respond immediately. Even the black haired boy looked at Max like he didn't believe a shit.
"Then why did you punch him?" Lysira said flatly, rolling her eyes. "Just moments ago you accepted that 'mana virgin' thing, and now you're pretending you can't use magic?"
Ahh when did i accepted virgin thing ahh well.. leave it...
Max wasn't entirely lying he genuinely didn't fully understand what had happened. As for the system... he had no intention of telling anyone about it. Not because he wanted to deceive them, but because he didn't trust anyone. And that thing it gaves him powers why should he?.
"Alright, leave it," Lysira finally said, sighing. "I won't ask anymore. But remember the Headmaster has strictly ordered that you tell no one about what happened in the market. Got it?"
She gave Max a firm, serious look. Her eyes, however, showed a flicker of reluctance. Like she wanted to know more about the spell too.
The Headmaster had instructed her not to question the boy about the 9th grade spell he supposedly cast. Let it be, he had said.
And honestly, she didn't understand why. If it were anyone else, they would've been dragged into the secret chamber for interrogation. No one casts a spell of that level not a child.
She suspected something bigger was going on behind the scenes. The Headmaster had even erased the memories of nearly everyone present in the market, trying to erase the incident from existence. Which is so not of him.
As far as she knew, no student especially a complete beginner like Max could survive a fatal wound, much less cast a spell capable of healing another from death's door. A 9th-grade spell? That was absurd. The mana alone would destroy most adult mages, let alone a boy who had just enrolled.
Maybe it was an artifact… a one time use prop? She had checked and found nothing.
She didn't know what it was, but she'd keep her eyes on both of them.
"You too, boy," Lysira's sharp voice cut through the air, directed at the black-haired student. "From now on, don't try anything related to dark magic again. I understand why you used it... but next time, if we find you even remotely connected to it"
Her tone turned colder.
"you will be executed. The treatment for dark magic users isn't something I need to explain to you, is it?"
The black-haired boy flinched, visibly shivering under her gaze.
"The Headmaster is helping you off this once because the situation wasn't entirely your fault," she added, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him. "But don't test your luck."
"I won't, I won't, Professor," the boy quickly replied, his tone serious.
"Good. And thank Mr. Stormhart while you're at it. Because of him, your life has done a full three-sixty. I don't think anyone in this entire kingdom is as absurdly lucky as you. Life, grace, and even admission to Salador's those are the minimum of what you've gained."
She leaned in slightly, her gaze now on Max.
"Did the Headmaster explain everything to you?"
Max looked confused, unsure of what exactly she meant. But before he could question, the black haired boy crossed his arms.
"But I saved him too professor,? So that cancels it out," he said with a scowl. "I don't thank anyone."
His face twisted, looking as if the mere idea of gratitude gave him indigestion.
Max just grinned. "So stingy."
"Just say it already, dude. I saved you twice. You only returned the favor once," Max teased, clearly enjoying himself.
"No one asked you to," the black-haired boy snapped, voice rising.
"Tsundere," Max murmured under his breath, smirking. He let it go, shifting his attention back to Professor Lysira.
But something still bothered him. The way she called that stingy guy lucky. Why? Because of him?
Lysira sighed, as if realizing Max truly had no idea what he'd done. "Maybe you don't understand the magnitude of what happened, Mr. Stormhart. Let me explain."
She looked at the black-haired boy, then back at Max.
"The spell that healed this boy… it was a high grade holy spell. Very high grade. I don't have exact records of it. We ran several appraisal tests on him afterward."
Max leaned in a little. This was new.
"Not only were all his injuries healed his arms, legs, even internal damage but there were… other effects."
She paused.
"First, the curse he received from using dark magic? Gone. Cleansed. Soul, mind, everything it's all fully healed. That alone is nearly impossible."
Max raised an eyebrow, still not fully understanding the weight of dark magic and its consequences. He didn't particularly care either his spell could heal, and that alone felt insane. But what truly piqued his curiosity now was the professor's expression. Whatever she was about to say… it had to be even more serious than healing broken limbs or pulling someone back from the brink of death.
The black-haired boy turned his gaze away, a smirk curling on his lips as Lysira continued talking about him. He remembered vividly how she and some old man had brought him here yesterday after he punched this silver haired out and they examined his entire body like he was some kind of rare artifact.
The looks on their faces still lingered in his mind. That old guy in a tuxedo whom Lysira had referred to as the Headmaster whatever looked like he was ready to devour the whole damn table. His eyes burned red with greed, practically glowing as he stared at him like he'd found the world's last miracle.
Lysira's voice pulled Max back into focus.
"So, this boy over here received a blessing from the spell you supposedly cast," she said, arms crossed.
"Blessing?" Max echoed, confused. "What blessing?"
"In simple terms," Lysira said, her tone flat but the words heavy, "he now has a seventh grade healing spell working passively on him."
Max blinked. "Wait… what? What do you mean by passively?" He looked genuinely lost because, well, he was. This whole magic system was still a massive mystery to him.
Lysira let out a deep sigh, clearly already exhausted just thinking about it. Every time this boy came up, she felt equal parts frustration, confusion, and if she was honest jealousy.
"Alright, let me put it simply," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's like… every second he's breathing, walking, even blinking there's a seventh-grade healing spell working on his body. Constantly. Without stopping."
"Put simply, it's like there's a seventh-grade healing spell being cast on him every second he's alive just by existing."
Max tilted his head, still wearing a confused look.
Right. He's still illiterate.
"You'll learn all about spell grading in class," she said, waving a hand, "but for now, just remember this: a sixth-grade healing spell can regrow limbs and cure high-level curses or magical diseases."
Max's blinked hard the gears in his head changing.
"A seventh-grade spell is even more powerful. So, this guy?" she pointed lazily at the black haired boy. "He won't get hurt. And if he does, he'll be healed in seconds. No sickness, no curses, no fatigue. He's basically untouchable."
She wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead in mock drama. "In short, he's now your walking, talking blessing of yours."
"…" Max had no words.
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