Chương 109: Chapter 103: Royal Academy

The Royal Academy was practically a castle of its own. From the carriage window, Lira could see that the academy's main complex was larger than Castle Elthram itself, although it lacked the enormous Main Hall building at the center. In terms of architecture, it more closely resembled the outer bailey, except it was roughly four times as extensive. The academy was clearly designed with one purpose in mind: being a space for young nobles and scholars to socialise.

Through the outer wall, the front gates opened onto an enormous garden where groups of young men and women were already gathering. Some were dressed in the same elaborate uniform, blue and silver, with pants for the men and knee-length skirts with high wool stockings for the girls, while others, slightly older individuals, maybe in their late teens or early twenties, wore fashionable civilian clothes.

A few were practicing magic in designated areas, while others sat beneath trees discussing books, gossip, or whatever else occupied the minds of noble teenagers. Lira couldn't help staring. Would she have been happier if she had grown up a minor noble with access to all this instead of growing up with her father, or with Pallan? The carriage continued through the garden before eventually coming to a stop near a wide flight of marble steps.

At the top stood a pair of enormous mahogany doors, each one carved with intricate scenes depicting famous mages from history. Several people were waiting for them. An elderly man stood at the center, dressed in formal academy robes of dark blue and silver. His hair had long since turned white, although he still carried himself with the rigid posture of a distinguished nobleman. Two younger men and one woman stood behind him, carrying documents and wearing slightly simpler versions of the same uniform.

As Lira stepped down from the carriage following the prince, the elderly man approached them.

"Prince Lyth, welcome to the Royal Academy." He bowed deeply.

"Allow me to introduce myself," he added.

"I am Vice-Dean Mura. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Thank you." Lyth smiled brightly before gesturing toward Lira and Sir Henry.

"This is Miss Lira. She's the new caretaker of the Royal Library. And this is my bodyguard, Sir Henry." The old man's eyes briefly shifted toward her.

"Indeed? Pleasure to meet you both." He offered a polite bow.

"The pleasure is mine." Lira returned a deeper bow, since she was a commoner being introduced to a noble. Honestly, she was a little bit surprised. She had expected someone from the academy to greet them, but she hadn't expected the vice-dean to do it personally. Then again, she shouldn't forget that Lyth was a prince, after all. The vice-dean guided them past the academy doors, with the aides and two of the four royal guards following a few steps behind. The interior was even more impressive than the exterior.

The walls were lined with portraits of important people: former kings, princes, generals, dukes, and Archmages. Some paintings depicted individuals dressed in clothing from centuries ago, while others were more recent. Lira recognized several of the names from the history books she had absorbed. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Beneath each portrait was a plaque that explained who the person was and what they had accomplished.

Lyth, naturally, immediately began asking questions.

"Who is that?"

"King Almeron the Third. Your great-great-grandfather."

"What did he do?"

"He unified the western provinces."

"And that one?"

"Archmage Seraphine."

"Did she really create the Firestorm spell?" asked Lyth, reading the plaque.

"She did." Lira listened quietly, with a smile on her face. It was a nice change to see someone other than her having to deal with the boy's relentless curiosity. After several more inquiries, Vice-Dean Mura spoke again.

"I must apologize that the Dean could not greet Your Highness personally."

"Is he busy?"

"Very." Mura sighed.

"The Dean has entered a period of closed-off meditation, as he is attempting to create a new cantrip entirely from scratch." Lira's attention immediately sharpened.

"He has been attempting to do so for several months," the vice-dean continued.

"If he succeeds, he will finally qualify for the title of Archmage."

"That's the requirement to be called an Archmage?" asked Lyth.

"Not the only requirement," Mura clarified, "but certainly the hardest one." Lira thought about it for a second. She had created several spells herself. Does that make her an Archmage? Surely not. She could only cast cantrips and a handful of first-tier spells. Whatever made an Archmage an Archmage had to involve far more than simply discovering a new spell. Lyth, meanwhile, seemed fascinated.

"How do you even create a new spell?" the prince asked.

"Do you need to create a primer, then imprint it?"

"No, Your Highness." Mura shook his head.

"Primers are only a means to share spells."

"To craft a new spell, someone needs to have a deep understanding of magic first," Mura explained.

"The difficulty isn't merely knowing the words. One must possess an intrinsic understanding of the magical language itself, as well as a profound understanding of whatever field the spell belongs to." Lira's expression remained neutral. Intrinsic understanding of the magical language… would she call her level of knowledge intrinsic? Not really, no, although her father's knowledge could probably be called as such, especially since he was able to create the lexicon she was using. Mura glanced toward Lyth.

"How many spells do you know, Your Highness?"

"Three."

"Three already?" Lyth nodded proudly.

"Candle Ignition, Poison Detection, and Alarm."

"Alarm?" Lira couldn't help herself. The question slipped out before she could stop it. Mura smiled.

"Alarm is a fairly standard spell. It produces a sharp, loud sound that can travel considerable distances."

"It's one of the few spells we even teach to common guards," Sir Henry added. Lira blinked. So Lyth was entrusted with a magical spell that could create a very loud noise, and he wasn't using it to play pranks. That actually says something about how well-behaved he is. Lira wasn't sure she would have trusted her kid self with that kind of spell. Mura smiled.

"Three spells is a respectable foundation for someone your age."

"I even know more spells than Kavard," Lyth said, puffing out his chest slightly. Every adult in hearing distance cringed at the horror of that statement, including Lira and the two aides following her. Lyth was oblivious and continued talking.

"Lord Emberborn said that I should practice my mana-sensing exercises before he would teach me more."

"That is wise," nodded Vice-Dean Mura.

"It's standard procedure that you need to learn to sense your own mana before learning your first-tier-one spell."

"Yes," said Lyth excitedly, "otherwise I might run out of mana mid-casting like an idiot." Oof, yes, yes, I will do my breathing exercises. Don't call me an idiot, it only happened once.

"So, what would you like to see while you're here, Your Highness?" Lyth hesitated, then looked toward Lira. It took her a moment to realize he was waiting for her to answer. She cleared her throat.

"Since Prince Lyth will begin his studies here next year, we'd like to see the curriculum." Mura nodded.

"Both mandatory and elective courses, if possible," she added.

"We'd also like to visit the library and, if the academy has one, a curated reading list of recommended books for noble students." The vice-dean blinked. He glanced at Lira.

"Are you currently responsible for Prince Lyth's education?"

"Not officially." Lira smiled awkwardly.

"I was hired to restore and maintain the Royal Library. Prince Lyth simply started spending time there."

"She's very good at recommending books," Lyth added enthusiastically.

"And she's teaching me Magari." Lira resisted the urge to sigh. She didn't like it when the prince invited scrutiny by highlighting her competency.

"I work with what I have," Lira said.

"The Royal Library is severely outdated. Most of our books are at least twenty years old, and many of the newer ones were simply discarded by noble households." Mura's expression became thoughtful.

"I see." He glanced toward Lyth, then back toward Lira.

"In that case..." He turned around.

"Follow me." Lira's eyes brightened. Finally! The first step toward finding the information she needed had just opened itself before her. And, perhaps even more importantly, she was now inside the Royal Academy without having to sneak through a window.