Hours after James arrived at the Academy, a group of students dressed in different attires and of different ages sat around one of the many tables in the school cafeteria.
"So, you're saying that a witch hunt is being done?"
A young man with brown hair asked, his gaze stern as he looked towards the young blonde seated right in front of him.
"I'm not sure, but I did hear Sir Barthomeloi say something about him being followed"
The young man did not seem to take the woman's words serious yet his gaze still darkened as he corrected her-
"It's Lord Barthomeloi"
Rolling her eyes, the blonde woman ignored the obvious fanboying of the young man as she responded-
"Same difference~"
After which she quickly directed her gaze to the person next to her as she ignored the young man who, much like the girl, shifted his attention elsewhere but not before giving her a stern glare.
"..."
Seeing the reaction of the young man, another blondie, a boy this time, took it upon himself to bridge the discussion as he added-
"Come one Vic, my instructor told me to avoid going out of the academy for a few months or until I could properly use any distortion spell. They're probably already aware of the heat so they're keeping us here-"
The young man paused, he looked around, the others around the table followed his gaze that scanned the whole cafeteria. After doing a quick scan, the young man smiled before he continued-
"Well, it's not like any of the people here would choose to leave if they could haven't learned all they could."
His words seem to have sparked a new topic of interest as one of the people around the table spoke up, a young teen, an asian-american girl who was said to have transferred here from her high school.
"The world of magic is hard to access, a lot of the practitioners are isolated and their systems are as diverse as the number of species in the world. But, even to these practitioners of magic, the systems established and propagated by Magecraft for centuries have long gone under the radar…"
The asian-american girl raised her eyes, if this was an anime, her eyes would have been shining with stars. But even without such effects, the others around the table could easily see the deep desire that was present in her eyes.
"Cindy, I know you were personally recruited by Sir-"
"LORD"
"... Lord Barthomeloi, but you can't. Is it really alright for you to sacrifice your future, the possibility of becoming a renowned scientist, just to learn magecraft?"
The blonde woman gave the Asian-American girl, Cindy a curious look as she asked. But the response she got was just an eye roll as her question was thrown back at her-
"How about you Sue? You could have become a big businesswoman, a top investor, maybe becoming the "Female Tony Stark", why would you sacrifice it all for magecraft?"
Hearing her own words reflected back at her, Sue, or Susan Storm, did not take any offense. Instead, she gave a smile as she answered with absolute confidence-
"Lord Barthomeloi is a billionaire, one of the Lord's of the Clock Tower and a real life billionaire. Think about it, for him to go under the radar for so long and to do many inexplicable projects without anyone kicking up a fuss means that magecraft could do more than just do "mystical" things right?"
Her response seems to have triggered a response not only from Cindy but even from her brother, Johnny and Victor who were seated opposite the two ladies.
"You know Lord Barthomeloi probably employed his army of homunculi, golems and used an unknown amount of spells and barriers to keep things silent. Who knows, he probably has some magi specialized in mental interference in his group, maybe some with mystic eyes"
Cindy replied offhandedly trying to indirectly denounce Susan's ideas as even she did not believe that anyone could replicate the abilities of a Lord. But as she finished her words, she recalled a rumor that was spread amongst the older students who had come upon a certain piece of information-
"Not to mention… some people speculate that Lord Barthomeloi is a Grand…"
Her words caused Victor and Susan to freeze, but Johnny did not seem to understand as he asked-
"What's a grand?"
In response to his words, Susan showed a fed up expression as she massaged her temples before answering her brother.
"History of Magecraft, Lesson 4: History of the Clock Tower, Topic 3: Magus Rankings, there are seven ranks of Magi designated by the Clock Tower, from highest to lowest they are as follows: Grand, Brand, Pride, Fes, Cause, Count and Frame.
In order to even achieve the lowest rank, Frame, a magus, needs to be recognized by the Clock Tower. Recognition comes from achievements and/or completion of studies at an Academy of Magecraft.
Currently, most Lords hold the rank of Brand, officially, Grand is known as the highest rank but few magi have been known to reach such a rank.
Most noble families maintain their power through the presence of one or two Pride ranked magi and Cause is the rank most average Magi peak at. Fes is a special rank that is the limit for Magi to achieve with hard work as it is an honorary rank achieved through "Grand Achievements"
In order to achieve a rank of Pride, Brand or Grand, a magus needs to not only be knowledgeable in the mysteries but also carry the ability and experience expected of their rank.
A rough estimate of power states that, from records long ago, the only time the power of a "Grand" was observed was when a single Magus, by their lonesome, subdued an entire nation on their own.
This was considering the nation to have multiple Pride ranked Magi and even some Brand ranked magi."
Susan did a quick refresher of the lesson about Magus rankings, Johnny, obviously not the studious type, proved to have not really listened during the lecture and even avoided reading the materials.
But, he was now regretting not listening, as the information he heard made him really focus on this topic.
"What kind of power would a Grand Magus have to be able to fight a whole country with magi alone?"
Although he, like his sister had chosen to take on the life of mystery, Johnny was still a hotheaded young man. In fact, the only reason he had not left the academy was because of the class that attracted him.
Lessons in the Academy were split into three courses; The Noble Class, Knight Class and Common Class.
The Noble Class consisted of students who showed great talent and potential in magecraft. They were all fast learners and each of them had certain specializations which gave them even more privileges than many other students.
The Knight class consisted of students who were identified to have a predisposition to become a spellcaster. The knight class taught basic lessons but most of their classes consisted of combat techniques. Magecraft combat and tactics, practical applications of magecraft, chant shortening, ritual simplification…
Among all the classes, the Knight Class focused on practicality and specializes in creating Enforcers.
FInally, the Common Class, all students would first be enrolled in this class and when their talents are found they would be transferred to either the Noble or Knight Class.
It has to be noted that those transferred to the two special classes were expected to achieve a rank of Fes or Greater while those that remain in the Common Class were all expected to peak at Cause- unless something inexplicable occurs, most Common Class graduates should find themselves barely reach Count, especially for this generation of students, consisting mostly of adults, the youngest being those in their late teens.
Magecraft is a very complex and deep practice, even a background in magic could do little, in fact, it could sometimes even lead to ones progress being hampered.
That being said, Susan's lesson not only caused Johnny to get excited but even some knowledgeable students perked their ears up listening to her words.
"I heard Lord Barthomeloi recruited mages from all over the world"
"Apparently he commands an army of homunculi… could a Brand do that?"
"He blocked out the sky with one hand, even the IRS was unable to find flaws in him!"
"Is this the power of a "Grand"?"
Rumors started to spread and people started to talk, this Academy did not only house late teens, but it even had students who were in their thirties and older!
These students hailed from various nations all over the world, they relied on a small magical inheritance to make a name for themselves until they were approached by the Homunculi of James.
Many were familiar with the various maids, the manservants and the soldiers. They all knew James Barthomeloi had command over an army of homunculi capable of magecraft that could easily subdue any one of the students within the academy.
Heck, their teachers were all Homunculi, that was not a secret.
Despite this, none of them even suspected James of being the only Magus in the world.
After all, the books all told of various crazy magecraft. There were spells that allowed a magus to live for years by changing bodies, there were spells that allowed one to create a humanlike puppet to observe the world as they live safely in their Workshop.
Hell, one of the requirements to graduate and be awarded the title of Magus was for one to show sufficient control and mastery of distortion. A simple spell that could be employed through various methods, but its main use is to distort perception.
One could use gemstones, water or even paper, one frequently used example is the use of paper, two individuals would rip a piece of paper, of the same size at the same time and in this way they create a distortion in the world.
They would separate themselves from the world while remaining in it. It was a simple barrier that allowed the two magi to converse safely without worrying about espionage as even electronics would get their perception distorted.
People would be made to "sense" what the casters wish for them to "sense".
This distortion could also be employed alone, allowing a magus to casually stroll around the most crowded streets while carrying a body covered in blood. No one would notice even if drops of blood fall on their items or body.
Of course, it had its limits, if the caster were to do an extreme action like target someone, the distortion would but if one wanted to evade detection, this spell alone allowed a magus to remain invisible for as long as they wished.
Mind you, that was the spell required for one to reach the lowest rank, Frame.
Johnny, whose mind was now going into overdrive as he imagined the wonders of magic, couldn't help but imagine the wondrous scene of him going up against an army of soldiers alone.
Unlike the magic that the other students showed off, or those that he read from fiction, Magecraft was truly a scary form of mystery.
"You'd become a victim unaware of what happened"
Johnny muttered the words that his instructor had ingrained in his mind. It was a simple phrase that aimed to "describe" the "essence" of magecraft.
While those smarter people in the Noble Class focused on the "mystery", Johnny, in the Knight class focused on the practicality as such he can't help himself from conjuring a picture of combat. A single magus walking through a battlefield calmly as his enemies drop dead unaware of why they were dead or when they died.
Johnny was not a psychopath who wanted to kill for fun, he was just a hotblooded youth who saw the battlefield as being cool.
"I really want to see how powerful a Grand is…"
Johnny ultimately ended up muttering such words as his eyes glowed with a deep sense of longing.
Seeing this reaction, Susan let out a sigh before she cut her brothers dream short saying-
"You know it's just a rumor"
Though Johnny, much like his sister, had a stubborn side to him.
"Rumors have a reason for being made right? There's not smoke without a flame"
Hearing his uncharacteristically intelligent response, Susan's eyes went wide in shock as she stared at her brother. Not only her, even Victor and Cindy both had their expressions frozen, shock shown in varying degrees as they stared at Johnny.
Seeing their reactions, Johnny clicked his tongue as he asked, aware of what kind of thoughts were going on in their minds but he still asked-
"What?"
The first to respond was Susan who shook her head in resignation as she responded with a sigh.
"I really underestimate you little bro"
Cindy followed up with a sigh as she bowed her head slightly while saying-
"Yeah, sorry, I never thought you'd be able to say something… intelligent"
Victor on the other hand, unlike the two who tried to keep things calm and hold back their comments, Victor was not one to hide behind a false pretense. He was a straightforward guy who showed an expression of extreme shock, one that was almost fake as he answered-
"Damn! You had a brain?"
Johnny did not pursue the matter when he heard the response of his sister and Cindy but, upon hearing Victor's words, he turned towards the only other guy at the table.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
Unperturbed by his outburst, Victory let out a snicker before turning his head as he answered-
"Nothing, just an idiot screaming"
"Pfft!"
"HAHAHAHA"
Victor's words caused not only Susan and Cindy, but even the other students near their table to laugh.
Feeling humiliated, Johnny, ever so hot tempered, quickly stood up as he challenged Victor.
"Wanna have a go at it- HUH?!"
Unexpectedly, Victor stood up before giving Johnny a smile and extending his hand as he replied.
"Sure, lead the way"
Seeing his gesture, Johnny gave him a cold stare as he turned to lead the way to the nearest training ground but then-
*tighten*
Johnny was slow to react as his shoe laces were tied together, as he took his first step, the tightly bound laces pulled against each other causing him to lose balance and nearly trip. Fortunately, the combat classes had improved not only his strength and flexibility but also his reaction time and sense of balance.
If it was before he entered the academy, Johnny would have long face planted on the cold tile floor. But now, he was able to quickly adjust himself as he forcefully corrected his balance.
His distorted posture quickly fixed itself as he turned ever so slightly to flash a smile at Victor.
But upon doing so, Johnny saw that Victor's expression did not change, instead his smile had gotten wider.
Seeing this, Johnny immediately felt something off but, before he could even react, his foot stepped on the ground and-
Slipped.
*BANG*
Johnny fell backwards in a comical manner, much like the cartoon characters who slipped on a banana peel.
The pain of falling did not cause too much damage but it did stun Johnny as he lay on the cold hard floor groaning in pain.
"You'd become a victim unaware of what happened"
As he was groaning, Victor silently whispered to him, upon hearing his words Johnny deflated. His mind went blank as he realized that he fell for the trap.
But Victor did not end it there as he let out a small chuckle while saying-
"A magus caught of guard is not a magus, that Johnny is what you would call, a corpse"
Victor left those words as he stood up and left the cafeteria.
"Hmph! Just because he showed talent in Alchemy and Necromancy, don't worry about him Johnny, that guys gonna become one of the gloomy and antisocial magi"
Seeing her brother remain laying on the floor, Susan quickly tried to uplift his spirit but it may have caused the opposite reaction as his reply to her words were-
"But I'd be dead"
Susan was silent and Johnny did not say anything more, Cindy looked at the two siblings, a plethora of thoughts going through her mind as she said-
"There is no such thing in the world as a bloodless and peaceful life, there will always be people making a sacrifice to maintain something… for magi- this sacrifice is ones own safety. The world of magecraft is filled with extraordinary things, amazing things and some very mystical things…. But all of these "things" that draw us in are also the same "things" that could end our existence"
After finishing her words, Cindy stood up and left but not before saying-
"I'm off to my class on Mineralogy"
Watching Cindy's departing figure, Susan could only shake her head helplessly as she took out a handkerchief, laid it on the ground and then-
In a short few seconds the handkerchief expanded, turning into a carpet as it flew under Johnny and lifted him up.
"I guess I'll be taking you to the nurses office… again"
She said with a sigh as she started walking towards another corridor followed by a flying carpet.
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