I didn't want to waste time, gods forbid the instructor decided that I wasted the 10 minutes of respite and punishes me for it.
If that really happened, I might just snap.
It also felt like a good time to try double casting offensive spells.
[Foxfire] and [Faker's melt]
The effects were beautiful, although I felt some resistance at first, I was able to overcome it quite easily, but it did make me think.
While I was pondering on what rune could the house of war actually have, the instructor went beside Rovan trying to get rid of flames that didn't really exist and started screaming for me to dispel my attack.
Which I did, but although I was able to remove mental trauma from my spells, the body's chemical reaction were above my capabilities.
That's why even if Rovan didn't hurt, he still felt something was extremely wrong.
"Ah, Rovan, you might need Auriel's help with that… I can remove the trauma from the mind, but the body remembers."
He didn't waste energy and run to Auriel for healing. While this was going on, I waited for the instructor to pay up.
"Were are my stones instructor?"
"I don't have them…"
Oh.
"Well that just doesn't work, you have until the end of the lessons to get my payment ready. Of course including the extra mana stones I'll get for the reps."
I went beside Eira, the most chill in the group of heirs and just waited for the next instructions.
She on her hand was pondering about my actions.
"You don't seem to like playing pranks on me, Crow?"
I looked at her straight in the eyes and realised, it was true.
It just felt like it wouldn't be funny to prank her, maybe I was influenced by my past respect for her Household? After all, they were the biggest food dispenser in the world.
"I don't know Eira, I just think it's rude to play with the people responsible for the food that keeps my stomach from digesting itself."
She was surprised, but was quick to mask it. My past, although concealed by my dad, was still very easy to deduce.
"I guess, it's fine."
Eira didn't say anything else, but I noticed her long elven ears drop a little.
Is she a masochist?
Soon enough, the instructor came back with 10 assistants that were responsible for checking and correcting our hand to hand combat.
Just as they arrived, people started pairing up, leaving me, of course, alone.
I should have predicted something like this, avoid getting extra laps for Yom and forced him to fight me, alas momentary satisfaction was way sexier than careful planning.
"You'll fight with me Lord Crow."
Such a change of heart uh?
"Of course instructor, but I have one condition everyone in the class must respect."
I took out a piece of paper and quickly enchanted it for a one use only.
The rune: [amplify]
With the impromptu megaphone in hand, I started speaking.
"If for whatever reason, I find that any of you, teacher, assistant or student, is making fun of my movements and form, I have permission to curse you with my strongest spell."
The paper dissolved and ignoring the bewildered looks of everyone I faced the instructor.
I was ready to get my ass beaten and one way or another I'd soak up every possible lesson.
When I took a stance, it was finally made clear to everyone why I felt it was necessary to advise people against laughing.
It wasn't a standard stance at all, it was the form of a butler in waiting.
"We need to teach you basic stances…"
"It's useless instructor, let's just get down to business."
He shrugged and started approaching our fight like you'd do with a complete newbie. Big mistake.
When he threw a thoughtless jab at my face, he found himself reacting to bloodlust faster than he expected and the basic action turned in defense.
My knee was already descending on his head when he realised I was hand standing on his fist.
It was a fraction of a second since the action changed momentum rather quickly, but it was enough for me.
Did my hit come through? Of course not, but it was a clear message.
Don't underestimate me too much.
The shift was quick and everyone realised something was deeply wrong.
My movement was a bizarre dance that didn't make sense to the untrained eye, but the heirs knew and the instructor was really worth his position.
He was able do adapt to my acrobatics quite fast, predict my landings and even respond to feints and counters.
Soon he started to see the flaws in my movement and was able to point them out by beating me up.
By the end of the first bout, I was filled with bruises and couldn't even move.
"Ahhhh I'm hungry…"
I wanted to eat so badly, memories of my starvation started to surface my mind. That's when something I'd never expected happened.
Aurelia Noctale, Lady Wisdom herself, was pushing beef jerky down my mouth while Auriel was healing me with his divine magic.
"Wha-"
"Shut up, memories of your past starvation started to influence the field of resonance, it was terrifying."
"And of course, healing is necessary to be beaten up again. Should I kiss you again for better healing?"
I gulped the delicious snack and looked at Auriel with mischievous eyes.
"You can come to my room later, I won't throw you out."
I then turned to Aurelia, this time I was curious.
"Do you wanna study together?"
"With you or your clones?"
I was confused for a second, it didn't really matter, at least not when we talked about studies, but maybe they felt different about it.
"Sure, it'll be me."
"Are the Lords done? Lord Crow has good foundations but terrible battle sense, I'll need to fight the tall newbie myself."
Instructor Gerd stood looming on us like a vulture ready to eat prey.
At least he lost his smugness against me.
"Yes instructor, let's keep making of me minced meat."
He grinned like a beast and I regretted ever being born.
_______________________
An hour and a half had already passed, I needed healing a grant total of 15 times. Auriel had directly changed partner to be near me, but the others were honestly shocked about my resilience.
Even Gerd had lost his smugness and was starting to appreciate me.
"I must say Lord Crow, your style is, well completely wrong and unique, but it is interesting. It also helped me understand batter your body."
"Thank you instructor, but I still need those mana stones."
His face darkened for a moment, but he was able to quickly put up a neutral face.
"I will pair you up with Lord Rovan, I believe he is the only one who could adapt to your style, maybe Lord Caelum too."
I just nodded. I saw it myself. Rovan clearly held the superior physical prowess and the deepest battle instinct between all of us, but the real strongest was Caelum if we considered magic into the play.
"When I casted a spell against Rovan before, I felt some kind of resistance… what was that?"
Gerd looked genuinely surprised that I was able to pick up such a subtle detail from just casting a spell, but instead of talking he took out his terminal and started scrolling.
"I figured there was something strange with your magic. Lady Selan, come here a second!"
"Yes instructor Gerd?"
"Create a barrier, Lord Crow will now throw a mana bullet at you?"
I was surprised, why did everyone put so much importance on a simple mana bullet? I didn't even notice the look of disbelief painted on everyone's faces and just did as I was told to do when the ice barrier was up.
A small green orb flew away from my fingers and the next thing that happened surprised even me.
The ice barrier that looked so sturdy before, shattered on contact.
"The fuck?"
"THE FUCK?!?!" -heirs
"Lord Crow, together with his registration on our physical course, has been admitted to the second year lessons of mana manipulation this morning."
I was dumbfounded and my mind felt like short circuiting.
"Is that even allowed? I just did what was written on the basic manipulation of mana, it was issued by the school…"
"Yes, it's possible if you have that level of control."