After the discussion ended, Rylan started leading Jonathan and the others to their rooms inside the Mage Tower, as he’d previously agreed with Damian. After so ti walking and climbing the shifting stairways, they ca face to face with a large, wooden door. Rylan turned around and looked at Mar’s delegation.
“Stay here for the ti being,” he said as he ran his gaze over all of them. “Damian will be here to talk to you guys shortly, probably followed by Henry.”
Cecilia furrowed her brow as Jonathan tilted his head.
“Do you an Ceotha’s king?” she asked.
Rylan nodded at her.
“Yeah. He’ll want to talk to you guys.”
She blinked. Rylan was montarily confused by her reaction before the realization struck him.
I guess I should have called him His Majesty or sothing.
Still, it didn’t really matter. He wasn’t particularly fond of addressing soone else with such deferential respect unless they deserved it, and he hadn’t gotten to know Henry much.
Rylan pushed the door open to reveal a big room. It was simple and rustic, with wooden furniture and several beds, but the general atmosphere was warm and inviting. A ‘woody’ scent drifted out of it, contributing to it. A small chandelier hung from the ceiling, burning with small, magic flas that Rylan knew were fueled by Damian’s mana. Several desks were lined against the opposite wall, and windows that granted a view of the Academy beyond the Mage Tower added the finishing touch.
Mar’s Mages smiled as they looked inside the large bedroom, apparently approving of its atmosphere.
“I’m sure all of you need so rest, so feel free to relax,” Rylan said.
Jonathan chuckled.
“We’ll only be able to rest once your master and your king talk to us, but thank you,” the man replied.
Rylan nodded.
“I’ll make sure to tell them to keep it brief, if they can.”
The group entered the bedroom. With one last wave of goodbye, Rylan turned away and closed the door behind him. He began ascending the Mage Tower until he found himself in front of the door to Damian’s study. As always, it opened automatically, and he stepped inside to face everyone’s stares. The soldiers and Calan were no longer in the room, clearly having been sent away by Damian or Rylan’s parents. The only ones who remained were his family, Sarah, Damian, Hayden, and Jasmine. The emotions in each person’s eyes were slightly different, but the general atmosphere seed to be one of concern.
“So?” Elizabeth asked, being the first to speak. “What did they say? Did they ask you to go with them?”
Rylan looked at her. She had furrowed her brow, and her eyes were tinged with worry. Gerard didn’t look much different, but he had chosen silence. Rylan couldn’t help but grin at them. He walked to the middle of the room, facing away from the right window. With everyone staring at him, he began telling them what he’d talked about with Mar’s delegation.
“Simply put, Mar wants an alliance with , specifically,” he said. “To stand against the Empire’s conquest wars, they’re willing to extend the conflict to allow to grow, as long as I help them keep their sovereignty from the Empire’s hands.”
Damian nodded, as did Gerard.
“That’s what we expected,” Damian replied. “There was no catch?”
Rylan shook his head.
“That’s all they asked for. Honestly, I don’t think they had much room to ask for anything else. I promised them my support, and they offered benefits.”
“What kind of benefits?” Gerard asked, making Rylan look at him.
“Most importantly, as long as the alliance holds true, they will protect you guys, my family and friends,” Rylan explained. “That’s really all I wanted to hear, but they also offered Catherina’s guidance. She would be willing to take under her wing and let study magic.”
Damian blinked, then smiled widely.
“Good,” he said, his voice filled with vigor. “Damn, you’re in luck, kid.”
Everyone looked at him, making him et their gazes.
“Catherina is one of the greatest living geniuses on this continent,” he explained. “Even though she’s younger than , our knowledge of magic can’t even be compared. She transcends in every way.”
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Rylan grinned.
“I thought you’d be more upset at soone trying to poach one of your students, Damian,” he said.
Damian turned to look at him and scoffed.
“Please. You’re already stronger than . With Mana Cultivation and Aura, I have no clue how you’ll grow from now on. It would be far more beneficial for soone like Catherina to guide you on magic and spellcasting.”
Rylan readily nodded. It was true, but needing to turn away from his first master like this still left a sowhat bitter aftertaste. Damian had been the one to answer his questions about magic for many months now. Under his care and next to Hayden and Jasmine, Rylan had managed to grow into the person he currently was.
“Did they ask you to go to Mar?” Elizabeth suddenly interrupted, making everyone freeze.
Rylan looked at her and nodded, complex emotions swimming in his chest.
“They did. But Jonathan and the others from Mar’s delegation will protect you guys while I’m away. I’m sure Catherina would be willing to send even more people if I asked for it. You guys will be safe,” he replied.
Elizabeth frowned.
“We’ll go with you,” Gerard stated before Elizabeth could even say anything else. “I’m not letting you go to a faraway kingdom on your own, regardless of the reason.”
Rylan’s mother and siblings nodded almost at the sa ti.
“Your father is right,” Elizabeth said firmly, throwing a thankful glance at Gerard.
Rylan threw a conflicted smile at his family. Of course, he would rather be with them, always. But the trip to Mar’s capital city would likely be perilous, especially because he didn’t know what the Empire would do. The nation had stayed silent for far too long. The risks were too high.
“It might be better for you guys to stay here under Jonathan’s protection. Damian will also be here, as will the Academy faculty and everyone you know,” he argued. “The trip to Mar will be dangerous. I don’t want anything to happen to any of you.”
He looked at Aelfric. The boy looked sad, but also determined. Regis, Sarah, and Lillia appeared more surprised than anything else, but the determination in their eyes was the sa.
All of them want to co with .
“I don’t care,” Elizabeth said sharply, dragging him out of his thoughts. “This family has already spent too much ti broken apart. I’m not letting a little danger separate us again. We’re coming with you, and that’s final.”
Rylan frowned at her.
“Mom, please—”
“No,” she interrupted him as she clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. “We’re all one. Wherever you go, we’ll follow.”
Rylan’s words died in his throat as he looked at his mother helplessly. He looked at Gerard, but it was obvious that his father shared her sentint. His heart throbbed in pain.
How can I keep them safe?
For a few seconds, he didn’t know what to say. He looked at his siblings, but they were staring at him, their eyes similar to Elizabeth’s. Rylan furrowed his brow.
“I don’t think you’ll be able to convince them to stay,” Damian said from the side, making Rylan look at him. The man was grinning. “If you decide to go, that is. But I think we both know what you’re going to do. What you need to do.”
The room went silent.
“…When are you leaving?” Jasmine asked in a low tone, her voice filled with sadness.
Rylan looked at her and gave her a bittersweet smile.
“There’s still a lot to teach everyone here,” he replied. “ Including the soldiers and my students. It’ll be a while before I leave, since I need to get everyone up to speed. Later on, once you guys have learned more about Mana Cultivation, you’ll be able to pass on my teachings to everyone else in my stead, at least for a while.”
She looked at the floor, but Rylan could almost see the storm of emotions in her mind.
She can’t say she’ll co with .
Jasmine was one of the two children of the Lamollet house, alongside her brother, Liam. She couldn’t easily discard her responsibilities to follow him to Mar. Beyond that, there was no way she would choose to leave her family behind for it, even if she wanted to spend more ti with him.
More silence.
“I support your decision,” Hayden said, making Rylan look at him. The boy seed serious, but there was a hint of pride and competitiveness swimming in his eyes. “When will you be back? We haven’t sparred in a while.”
Rylan couldn’t help but smile.
“I don’t know. Maybe once the Empire’s situation becos calr, maybe I may need to return earlier than that. Just know that if this kingdom is in any hint of danger, I’ll co back as quickly as possible.”
Hayden nodded at him.
“That’s good enough for . We’ll just have to make do with the ti we still have with you.”
Rylan kept his smile. He couldn’t dislike Hayden even if he tried. Once, they had been competitors, but they were now dear friends.
He looked at his family.
“Alright,” he started saying, slowly. “I understand. You guys can co with , but you’ll all need to beco stronger. I’m not leaving until all of you have a decent grasp of Mana Cultivation.”
Sarah smiled at him.
“With your help, my lord, I’m sure we’ll get there quickly,” she said.
Rylan smiled back at her, then looked at Damian, who nodded at him.
“I agree with Hayden’s perspective. Now, if you’ll excuse , I’ll call Henry over and head to the delegation’s room. There are a few things we need to discuss,” he said and started walking toward the door.
“Wait,” Rylan said, making the man stop. “There’s sothing I want to ask you. How much do you know about the world?”
Damian frowned at the question.
“What do you an?”
Rylan started explaining what Jonathan had said about the Empire’s possible reasoning for war. Once he finished, the room went silent again.
“…I see,” Damian said after a while. “I had my suspicions, but to think it’s really like that. Damn.”
Rylan nodded at him.
“Still, it’s not within our area of influence just yet. It doesn’t really matter to us, right now. I just thought you should know.”
Damian grinned and nodded back at him.
“Thanks, Rylan. You’ve given sothing to think about. We’ll talk about it more in-depth when I co back.”
Once Rylan waved at him, Damian resud his walk. Once Damian left the study, the room returned to being silent. Rylan looked at his mother. She was still staring at him, looking determined. He knew she wouldn’t budge. Containing a sigh, he walked over to Jasmine, who looked like soone had died, and placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Don’t worry too much,” he said. “I’ll be back.”
She raised her head to look at him, her expression marred by sadness, and grabbed his hand. In the corner of his vision, Rylan saw Sarah’s eyebrow twitch, but he ignored it.
“Promise ,” Jasmine said in a low tone, her voice almost a whisper.
He smiled at her.
“Sure. I promise.”
She let out a breath and let go of his hand. He took a step back.
“Now, everyone. Let’s keep training. No ti to waste.”
There was still much to do. He needed to keep helping everyone grow stronger.
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