NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 59: The Academy
“That’s not good,” Elijah muttered as Aleksi finished explaining his presence in the castle. The giant nodded at the words, before looking at Vera and Harper warily. “They know our past, about the two idiots, and they’re willing to help.”
“He knows some of our secrets as well, so it evens out into us being allied,” Vera supplied, Aleksi looking at Elijah who just shrugged. It wasn’t a lie, and nobody felt comfortable going into more detail in a place like this. Even with Harper keeping them shrouded, magical ears had a way of poking through anyway. “Can you repeat what the Aura of the Royal Mage looked like?”
“Purple and blue, along with the feeling of it looking at you,” Aleksi repeated. “One of the kids also said it was massive, though he wasn’t too specific about it.”
“Doesn’t matter,” the Princess assured him, Vera looking into the open air for a moment before turning to Harper. “Color somewhat fits Poul, Tina, Rubeus, and Amanda. They’re all powerful enough to be seen as massive, but none of them focus on anything tracking-related.”
One of those names triggered Elijah’s senses.
“Rubeus Hayes, the Arcane Mage?” he asked, drawing attention back to himself.
“Yes,” Vera confirmed. “You know him?”
“An old friend’s daughter is his apprentice,” Elijah explained. “She forced me to meet him after I unsealed my Core. He was able to analyze my magical abilities rather effectively.”
“The Affinities that directly interact with the Arcane all have those capabilities, though I do remember Hayes having a particular skill within that field,” the Princess corrected, though her own words made her reconsider her position. Then she smiled. “I didn’t expect this little alliance of ours to bear fruit so quickly. Our target might’ve just revealed himself.”
The administrator of the Academy, and second-in-command for all Royal Mages, was the source of their troubles? Elijah should’ve guessed.
“If he has the ability to know their location from anywhere in the city, I need your help in hiding them,” he told the Princess.
“That shouldn’t be a problem in the short-term, since I already reserved the royal meeting rooms for the rest of the day,” Vera replied. She clicked her tongue afterward, however. “I’m starting to realize how little I know of that man’s research. Do we have anything regarding Hayes’ research in the reports?”
“Very little, Your Highness,” Harper replied. “It was considered a low priority, as his main focus was allegedly administrating the Academy. Should I investigate to see if there’s anything suspicious?”
“I’d rather if you were to bring his two targets to the castle,” Elijah cut in before Vera could answer. “While I like to think myself discreet, bringing those two inside without a hundred eyes seeing them would be impossible. For somebody who can turn herself and others invisible, however, it should be no trouble at all. And, in the meanwhile, I can figure out more about the Royal Mage for you.”
“You?” Vera repeated, sounding doubtful of that fact.
“Me,” he confirmed undeterred. “As I said, his apprentice is a good friend of mine. She would not mind a small chat.”
…
“Fine,” the Princess relented. “Harper, go fetch the two targets from their basement. Berserker, you’re following me back to the meeting rooms. And, Elijah, I trust you not to mess this up.”
Comforting words, to which he offered no response before they split up. Harper was off without a trace, the Princess went off with Aleksi without some level of discreteness, and Elijah casually walked down the entry hall of the castle, leaving the grounds and moving towards the Academy.
Truthfully, he’d never been to this part of the city. Not just because he didn’t want to mingle with Mages with superiority complexes, but also because it was settled in the northern corner of the upper-class district. It was almost the direct opposite side of where his shop sat, and the area was filled with shops that had price tags a hundred times higher than the most expensive medication he personally sold.
Yet Elijah wasn’t here to splurge, so how did that matter? Instead, he focused on trying to understand the system of where everything was located, as the Mages seemed to have moved away from the standard street layout which the rest of the city respected. The streets curved in loops, some going nowhere while others seemed to climb upwards without ever increasing their altitude. A form of magic was behind it, surely, but Elijah could only grit his teeth and be annoyed at the idiocy of the display.
Asking some of the students for directions, the young folk with their light-blue robes were easy to flag down. They seemed rather uneasy about giving him the information, but his own Affinity alongside his emblem calmed them enough to tell the truth.
“Just go inside there, get onto the seventh floor, and walk straight down the hall until you see his nameplate by one of the larger doors,” the student said, pointing towards one of the buildings that were no more than two floors tall. “Impossible to miss.”
That earnesty in his voice, alongside how none of the others seemed to question the words, made Elijah accept that at face value. That he had to show off the emblem to be allowed entry made him trust it even more, along with moving stairs that carried him to his desired floor.
In strong contradiction to what he’d seen on the street, he very much reached the seventh floor of the two-story building. As much as he dreaded saying those words, he had to admit the truth.
It’s bigger on the inside.
As long as it didn’t mess with time, Elijah would keep his calm.
He walked down the hallway, seeing the nameplates and faces of the various Royal Mages. He recognized very few of them, only one or two ever being mentioned around him. Not too surprising, as they were not known for their public appearances. They were advisors, researchers, and, for the oldest who still kept their position, warriors in times of war. A few who had that last title were known, Alin being the most recognizable among them.
As he reached the name, and finally located Rubeus’ room, however, he noted that the Earth Mage didn’t possess one on this floor. Was he located a floor above perhaps?
Something to ask at a later time, Elijah thought, as he knocked on the Arcane Mage’s door. Three quick taps, before he waited a few seconds. He could see that it was unlocked, but he at least wanted to give those inside a chance to appear.
And that they did, a confused Grace opening the door before a bright smile appeared on her face.
“Elijah,” she exclaimed, closing the distance and hugging him tightly. “I didn’t expect to see you here! Did you get lost or something?”
“If you think I could ever find this door by chance, you have grown too used to the chaotic mess of a street layout in this district,” Elijah replied, his thoughts showing a little too much as Grace laughed at his misfortune. “Would you mind if I come in? With how many steps it took to get here, I would not mind somewhere to sit for a few minutes.”
“Ah! Well, I’m not really supposed to let others in, but… the Royal Healer should be an exception, shouldn’t he?” Grace said, giving him another quick hug before guiding him to one of the workshop chairs.