Chapter 36: Setting Off

Every December, Axiom Academy becomes quieter than usual as those who pass the assessments return to their hometowns, staying there until February of the following year. This holiday occurs only once a year, and it is during this time that students are allowed to leave Axiom Academy. On regular days, they need permission from their instructors, and the leave is generally limited to three days.

As the largest and oldest magic academy in the empire, Axiom Academy has over a thousand students, a number equivalent to that of a small imperial town. Those who successfully pass the assessments pack their things eagerly and board the carriages waiting outside the academy walls, eager to show off the magic they’ve learned to their relatives—especially the younger students. Meanwhile, those who fail the assessments feel extremely ashamed and plead with their instructors for another chance, though this is obviously impossible. In the end, they can only board the carriages back home and wait to retake the exams next year.

Axiom Academy requires students to leave by December 6th or 7th. At that time, the academy seals off the entire campus with protective barriers. Those who wish to stay must apply to their instructors and department heads. Students with average grades are generally not allowed to stay, as Axiom Academy’s defenses are weakest during this time. After all, the instructors also have their own families; it’s unreasonable to expect them to stay with students throughout the year—they have their own lives as well.

Thus, this holiday can be seen as both for the students and for the instructors. As mentioned earlier, Axiom Academy is not exclusive to noble students. What about commoners? Or those who live far away and don’t want to spend money on carriages? Well, Axiom Academy thought of this long ago.

As mentioned earlier, although Axiom Academy is located in Sassen, it is actually built on the land of “Oureichen,” representing the “land of origin.” Hundreds of years ago, Axiom was a “castle of magicians,” and back then, the magicians in the ancient castle refused ordinary people from entering Oureichen. But centuries later, a city has grown on this land, belonging to Axiom Academy.

To commemorate the magicians of the ancient Ruoxi Castle, the city was named “Vando,” which in ancient language means “a gathering place for magicians.” Of course, “Vando” also has another meaning: “trade among magicians.” What is traded? Naturally, various magical items or academic knowledge. Along the street known as Black Wizard Harbor, there are numerous shops—some dealing in gems, others in wands, scrolls, even magic books, pets, and a range of precious books. It almost covers everything a magician needs. Of course, these items are extremely expensive and are usually sold only to wealthy nobles and magicians who come to purchase them; ordinary people can’t afford them. However, students of Ruoxi Academy can come here with their academy emblems, and the prices are usually much lower. Behind the streets lie ordinary houses that look quite old on the outside but have fairly complete facilities inside. These are provided by Ruoxi Academy for civilian students who don’t plan to go home. There are also some graduates who have become imperial royal magicians and stay out of nostalgia, though they hardly spend more than a few days there each year. The shops in Black Wizard Harbor are almost all related to Ruoxi Academy, with some even being owned by the academy itself. Thus, civilian students from Ruoxi Academy can easily find work here, though most of them only do menial tasks. Jiang Zhe originally thought about working here as well, although aside from fire-based blue magic, he had no experience in enchanting, making scrolls, or strengthening items… But within just over ten days, Professor Hod invited Jiang Zhe to take an exam and join him afterward. It was said that Professor Hod lived in a small town not far from there. Initially, Professor Hod only invited Jiang Zhe, but when he saw that Scott and Allen also didn’t plan to go home, he kindly invited them as well. Anyway, that smile of his made Jiang Zhe feel a bit strange. After leaving a message for Jiang Zhe and the others to prepare their basic belongings, Professor Hod left. Before going, he arranged a time to meet them: 3 p.m. outside the ancient castle. Before Jiang Zhe could fully process that strange smile, there was a knock at the door. “At this time?” Scott was surprised. He wondered who could possibly be knocking at this hour, so when he opened the door, he was stunned. “Hello, O’Gil!”

“Oh, hello, Fahualia…”
Amid the strange looks from Jiang Zhe, Scott, and Allen, Lavia carried a travel bag and walked into the room as if no one else was there. She thudded the bag on the floor and sat down on the sofa across from Jiang Zhe.
This surprised Jiang Zhe, who asked doubtfully, “Did you come to say goodbye? That’s quite rare…” He remembered that during the assessments a few days ago, he and this girl had had a very unpleasant encounter.
“Oh? Didn’t the professor tell you?” Lavia glanced at Jiang Zhe indifferently, seemingly feeling the room was a bit cold. She pointed at the fireplace with her right hand, but after a few seconds, the flames in the fireplace remained unchanged.
“Hey!” Jiang Zhe’s sneer made the girl’s face darken.
“Didn’t the professor say anything?” Jiang Zhe didn’t want to anger this troublesome girl too much. He stared intently at the flames in the fireplace. A few seconds later, the flames slowly rose, and the room warmed up considerably.
Gritting her teeth in frustration, Lavia said provocatively and triumphantly, “The professor invited more than just you…”
“What?” Jiang Zhe, sitting on the sofa, widened his eyes and pointed at Lavia. “You’re… going too?”
“You’re still so rude!” Lavia glared at Jiang Zhe fiercely and called out to the door, “Lerila, Lisa, if you don’t come in now, Scott’s going to close the door!”
“Hm?” Scott, who was about to close the door, froze and looked doubtfully at a small head outside. If he remembered correctly, this girl was the one who had fought against that idiot Allen…
“Hey, Lisa!” Allen, who had been leaning against the bedroom door watching Jiang Zhe and Lavia, greeted her.
“H-hi, Allen…” The short-haired girl lowered her head and gave a reluctant greeting.
Was she the only one?
Scott was stunned for a moment before sneering, “If you don’t come in now, I’m closing the door!”
“No!” With a panicked cry, a girl with long brown hair suddenly appeared in front of Scott. She leaned on the doorframe, looking at Scott with fear.
“Hmph!” Scott turned and walked back into the room, leaving behind one sentence, “Close the door!”
Not to mention that the girl named Lerila obediently closed the door, Jiang Zhe suddenly realized there were three more “uninvited guests” in the room. He was greatly surprised and pointed at Lavia, saying, “You’re not telling me that you… all of you are going too, are you?”

“Isn’t that great, buddy!” Allen walked over with a smile, patted Jiang Zhe on the shoulder, then turned to Lisa and gave her a proper knightly bow, saying gently, “We meet again, beautiful lady…” With that, he took the girl’s hand and kissed it lightly on the back.
“Um… Ah…” The girl’s face turned red with shyness as she stared at the leather carpet beneath her feet, too embarrassed to look up.
“Indeed, it’s great…” Jiang Zhe felt his eyes twitching slightly as he grunted.
Seemingly displeased with Jiang Zhe’s expression, Ravia blew on her hands and said mockingly, “Lerila and Lisa, like me, have homes in the northwest of the empire. It takes a long time to travel there and back, so they don’t plan to go back. That’s why Professor Hod invited them along… Hmph! What do you have to complain about, you idiot who can only transform bears using fire-based blue magic?”
“You!”
“Hey, buddy, have you already learned to transform?” Allen shouted as he walked over.
“However…” Scott, who was behind Allen, pushed up his glasses and spoke up in surprise, “Transform a bear?” His expression was one of astonishment and shock.
“Yes!” Glancing at the frustrated Jiang Zhe, Ravia sneered, “I’ve never seen anyone use fire-based blue magic to transform a bear before! I really feel sorry for your talent!”
“Hahaha, transforming a bear!” Allen laughed while patting Jiang Zhe’s shoulder, coughing repeatedly.
“So what?” Jiang Zhe glared at Allen fiercely, moved his painful shoulder, and retorted, “Who said you can’t use fire-based blue magic to transform a bear? Did you say that? I just hate snakes, so what? I think someone transformed a fire fox, right? It shot one fireball and got scattered right away. Tsk tsk…”
“You!” Ravia’s face turned red with anger. She actually understood that her own fire level was far too low. If she had that jerk’s yellow fire, the fire fox wouldn’t have been scattered so easily.
“Ahem,” Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, Scott coughed and tried to defuse the situation, “Generally speaking, bears are indeed transformed using earth-based blue magic because it can enhance the resilience and strength of the transformed beast. For tangible earth-based magic, it’s a significant boost. But for formless fire, the effect isn’t as good… Thos, do you like bears?” After giving a brief explanation, he changed the subject.

“Hmm, it’s okay,” Jiang Zhe shrugged, glancing at Ravia, who was humming proudly. “I can’t say I like it, but it feels pretty approachable…”
“Approachable?” Allen said with wide eyes and a strange expression. “Bears aren’t exactly gentle animals. Last time we passed through that forest, that bear… tsk tsk!”
“That’s because you disturbed it, idiot!” Scott snapped at Allen. “Generally, animals don’t attack humans on their own unless they sense a threat or hostility. Of course, another possibility is that they’re hungry… The encyclopedia states that while ordinary bears don’t have the ability to cast magic, some special bear species are types of earth-based magical beasts. In short, Allen, it’s best not to disturb a sleeping bear next time—it will provoke its anger!” With that, he turned to Jiang Zhe and said, “For fire-type transformation, Sosu, don’t you think snakes are a good choice?”
“I hate…”
“That idiot says he hates snakes!” Ravia interrupted before Jiang Zhe could finish.
“Hates snakes…” Scott nodded. He remembered hearing Jiang Zhe mention it before and suggested, “What about lizards? There’s a fire lizard in the encyclopedia…”
“Isn’t that just a snake with legs?” Jiang Zhe lay back on the sofa, propping his head up, and said irritably, “Anyway, I hate snakes and anything snake-like!”
“That’s troublesome…” Scott frowned, thought for a moment, and said jokingly, “Then you’ll have to transform into a firebird…”
“I say, bears are pretty good, right?”
“What’s good about them?” Ravia, who was pouring herself a cup of black tea, raised her head and frowned. “High damage from fire magic means it doesn’t require a powerful transformed beast but rather a flexible one to hold off opponents. Look at what you transformed that day—was that bulky thing even flexible?”
“I thought it was pretty good. It combines offense and defense and can also be used as a defensive spell.”
“You! Covering yourself in flames counts as a defensive spell? What if your magic runs out? Won’t you get burned to death by your own spell?”
“I’m sorry, but my recovery ability is dozens of times yours!”
“You!” Ravia was so angry she couldn’t say a word. Then she noticed the three travel bags by the bedroom door, feeling a bit puzzled. She glanced at Jiang Zhe and then at Scott and asked, “Ogil, you guys… Did the professor invite you too?”

“Yes.” Scott nodded.
“Oh…”
At that moment, Lelira noticed the snowflakes falling outside the window and said softly, “It’s snowing. I hope Professor Hode’s place isn’t too far away…”
“It’s snowing?” Jiang Zhe turned to look outside. After a moment’s hesitation, he stood up and said, “Scott, Allen, I’m going out for a bit!”
“Huh?” Allen, who was teasing Lisa, turned around in surprise. “Where are you going? Didn’t the professor say we should meet outside the ancient castle at three? There are only forty minutes left!”
“I just want to take a walk! Bang.” The door was closed.
“Never mind, let him go. Anyway, he doesn’t have much stuff. Allen, get your armor ready!”
“On it!”
Watching Scott and Allen busy themselves in the bedroom, Lelira sat down beside her and said softly, “Avi, why did you insist on bringing us along? I…”
“Hmph, if it were just me, I’d get bullied. I can’t beat him either…”
“But even if it’s the three of us, can’t we still not beat them three?”
“Not necessarily!” Glancing secretly at the situation in the bedroom, Ravia pulled Lisa over and whispered, “We lost last time because of tactical mistakes. Who would have thought that jerk had such talent? From now on, we need to choose team battles. Scott O’Gill specializes in illusions and curses, and knows a bit about other subjects too. He’s the most troublesome, but easy to deal with. Lelira, his illusions aren’t as good as yours. Take him out first. Without his support, Allen Skander will be easier to handle. He only knows how to use enhancement spells, and only on himself. With illusions…”
“But I can only use illusions on one person at a time…” Lelira said softly.
“Then use Lisa…”
“Allen isn’t afraid of my summons at all…” Lisa said, blushing. “And even if we can hold them off, Avi can’t beat that Thors either…”
“…” Ravia sighed in frustration. “Who said I can’t beat him? It’s just that jerk who drained all my magic! Lelira, we can only rely on your illusions. I heard Scott plans to specialize in curses, with illusions as a secondary focus. They’re not as good as yours. As long as those three fall for illusions, they’ll be easy to deal with…”
“Oh, I see. That’s indeed a good idea…”

“Right!” Ravia nodded, reaching for the teacup on the table. Suddenly, she felt something was off with that sound. Looking up, she saw Allen smiling at the three of them. In shock, she said, “You… weren’t you packing your things?”
“We’re done packing!” Allen shrugged nonchalantly. Behind him, Scott stepped forward, looking at Lailira with a sneer and saying, “Illusions? With her mediocre illusions?”
“How could they be… mediocre…” Lailira raised her head to protest but softened instantly upon seeing Scott’s cold gaze.
“Hmph,” Scott snorted. “It’s clearly a low-level illusion, yet you still dare make a sound to reveal your location. What else could that be but mediocre…” He took out his pocket watch and glanced at it. “There are still twenty minutes left. Has Thos not returned yet?”
“Who knows him? Better if he’s late!” Ravia replied indifferently.
Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe sitting in the library sneezed.
“Achoo!”
“Hm? Did you catch a cold?” A girl with light blue hair beside Jiang Zhe looked up in confusion.
“How could that be?” Jiang Zhe smiled self-mockingly. “With so much fire element around me, I’d still catch a cold? People would laugh at me if they heard that!” He glanced around the nearly empty library and asked, “Aren’t you going back, Dia?”
“I thought about it,” Dia said with a smile, adjusting her hair on her forehead. “But there’s nothing to do back there, so I might as well stay here. The professor said my illusions still aren’t up to standard…”
“But won’t the academy forbid students from staying here after today?”
“Well, that’s true. But I can still find the magic books I need on the streets outside the academy. Besides, I’ve already prepared some.” Dia pointed to a thick stack of materials on the long table—notes she had taken using shorthand magic.
“Oh, what about your roommates?”
“Lilia and Rose? Lilia has gone back. I heard her mother isn’t feeling well. As for Rose, she lives in Sassen and was taken away early in the morning. Her family must be very worried about her…”
“So that leaves just you?”

“It’s okay,” Dia said, stretching and sticking out her tongue. “It’s only a little over a month anyway, and I want to use this time to think more about illusions. You know, unless it’s a magic spell of level four or higher, the damage from water-based blue magic is far less than that of your fire-based blue magic. So, illusions are a necessary skill to learn for water-based blue magic. Of course, defensive magic is the same.”
“In that case, why not come with us?”
“Hm?” Dia raised her head in confusion. “You?”
“Yes. We’ve been invited by Professor Hodde. Over the next month or so, we plan to go to the town where the professor lives. It’s not far from here. And since there are seven of us, it’ll be more fun, right?”
“Well…” Dia hesitated for a moment, glanced at the boy in front of her, and smiled. “Okay, I’d be very happy to go, as long as your companions don’t mind…”
“Scott and Allen definitely won’t mind…” As for the others, who cares? Jiang Zhe thought to himself.
“Then we need to get ready quickly…”
“Let’s go then!”
“Hm!”
Twenty minutes later, Scott and Allen, not waiting for Jiang Zhe, left a note and took Jiang Zhe’s luggage to outside the ancient castle first.
By then, Professor Hodde was already waiting there. Next to him stood a black carriage, quite ordinary, and the horses pulling it weren’t any dazzling flame horses but ordinary, real horses.
After all, they were going outside the Rexox Academy, and Professor Hodde didn’t want to attract unnecessary trouble.
Seeing a group of kids coming out of the castle, the professor shook the snow off his clothes and said irritably, “Too slow!” As he spoke, he looked around and asked strangely, “Where’s Thos?”
Allen shrugged and said with a smile, “Maybe he fell asleep somewhere?” No sooner had he finished speaking than Scott tapped him on the head.
“Maybe something came up. Professor Hodde, may we load the luggage onto the carriage first?”
“Of course!” Professor Hodde liked the polite Scott, as well as the tall boy named Allen. He wasn’t unfamiliar with them at all.
The stable hand helped the kids load their luggage onto the carriage.
Just then, hurried footsteps and a shout came from inside the castle.
“Wait!”
“Too slow, Thos!” Hodde turned and shouted. As soon as he finished speaking, he looked puzzled. That girl… following that brat…

“I made it!” Amidst the puzzled looks of everyone, Jiang Zhe explained Dia’s situation to Professor Hod.
“Hello, Professor Hod. I’m Dia Palas, a third-year student. It’s an honor to meet you…”
“Oh, third year,” Professor Hod nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Jiang Zhe and then at Dia, before smiling and saying, “Of course, we certainly won’t mind, student Palas!”
“Absolutely not!” Allen said in a strange tone, then glanced at the ancient castle and said with a hint of disappointment, “Um… that senior, Lilia…”
“I’m sorry, Allen. Lilia left yesterday…” Dia said with a smile.
“Oh!” Allen nodded in disappointment.
What the heck!
There was suddenly an extra ‘companion,’ and this ‘companion’ seemed quite familiar with Scott and the others. Ravia felt uneasy. She gently pulled at Jiang Zhe’s robe, frowned, and asked softly, “Who is she?”
“Dia, my friend. What’s wrong?”
“Why haven’t you mentioned her before?”
“Why should I?”
“You…” Ravia was stunned. Right, he had no reason to tell her…
With a sigh, Jiang Zhe was about to get into the carriage when his robe was pulled again.
“What now?”
“After we get to Professor Hod’s house, I want to compete with you again. Of course, you can use your wand!”
“I don’t have a wand…” Jiang Zhe was puzzled.
“No?” Ravia was shocked. “Then where’s your rubied crystal?”
“Huh?” Jiang Zhe came back to his senses and shrugged. “That thing? I sold it!”
“Sold it…” This time it was Ravia who was stunned. She stared at Jiang Zhe in shock and said urgently, “You… you sold that rubied crystal?”
“Yes. Two hundred and thirty gold coins, plus what I earned elsewhere, was enough to cover my tuition…”
“You… you bastard! Give it back!”
“What?”
“That rubied crystal! I said it was only temporarily yours! You bastard!”
“I already sold it… Ugh, I don’t want to deal with you. Move aside!”
“You!”
Watching the two arguing at the carriage door, Professor Hod sighed irritably and said, “Ahem! Thos, Ravia, get in the carriage! We’ve already wasted too much time!”
“It’s not my fault…”
“Yes, Professor… Bastard!”
Volume 2