Chapter 2 – The Talented and the Lacking

Mesh Academy focuses on honing mages and knights. The Higher Class, in particular, supports training nobles to a great degree. Teaching them different kind of spells that the non-nobles can barely ever learn, from attacks spells, Defense spells, and support spells while at the same time giving those who wanted to be knights a special kind of treatment.

Knights are warriors that focus on close quarter combat while making use of their own magic to enchant themselves in battle. Such magic is strength enchantment and stamina enchantment. This kind of magic is implemented to make the knights stronger than a common human. Unlike the common warrior and Squires, the Knights are a class of warriors that focus on devastating the battlefield or apprehending various monsters that would take a group of twenty to kill.

Meanwhile, Mages are spell-casting warriors that focus on long-range combat. Using the spells that the Mesh Academy gathered, they are the ‘artillery’ of the battlefield. Providing support and heavy firepower against many or purely using their powers to devastate one single fiend. Although the Mages are relatively strong, they are glass cannons compared to the well-rounded Knights.

Of course, some mages focus on shaping themselves up as a Magus that can fight using both fist and spells. Although not as strong as the Knights, who are by the end of their training in the Academy of Mesh, will be given a gift from champions of old. Getting their abilities and experience and making use of them as a tool to fight the battlefield.

This gift giving is a ritual called ‘Ascending’. A ritual that ascends those who have gained great merit to becoming an Ascended, a person given the gifts of an old Champion Souls through summoning those old heroic souls. This is a ritual that the lower-class could never hope to gain unless they have noble blood or have proven themselves as more than a ‘commoner’.

In the old continent, the Nobles are educated and well brought up. While the commoners are simple, plain, and naïve, so according to the nobles, the commoners are ought to be ruled by the wise and be protected by those that are noble in blood. A simple ‘noblesse oblige’ that puts the nobles into a higher position, simply because they cannot believe that the commoners can live without nobility leading them as if the commoners were sheep that need shepherds to guide them.

The Noble and those of High Class do not dare hand the spells and pass on the ritual to the Common, simply because it would only bring disaster and despair. The Old Continent of the South, where the Kingdom of Altria and the other Kingdoms has this as an iron rule. Though The Empire of Light, where the Holy Lands are, however, put everyone that can be used for training, making them lethal fanatics that kills and dies for their God. Making them as holy men and women, that is willing to fight the evil that is on the Northern Continent of Old, where the Overlord that leads them, lives.

...

Sena Saclea finds herself training with the Squires. As part of tradition nobles like her ‘trains’ the Squires. People from minor nobles and lower ones that have somehow reach the prerequisite. As a knight in training, Sena has the obligation to teach them. Right now she is facing a Squire from a minor family. This minor squire readied his blade. He tried rushing at Sena. But she was quick to use her blade, disarming the squire, pointing her blade at the squire’s neck.

“Slow, use your lower back more fool.”

“Understood milady.”

The squire took his blade and tried facing Sena again. With an uninterested look on her face, Sena engages the Squire and took him down a peg every single time their blades meet. Sena was already near her ascending ritual. She learned all of the basics and the various spells already. Her strength was already beyond what people of her generation can match up to. If anything she is the top of her class.

“Enough.”

Sena said as she glances at the Squire. Not even speaking another word. Sena left to the bench where she took a good whiff of the air. She is currently on the training grounds of the Academy. Around her was Knights and Squire training on giant sand training field divided into two sections. The Right section belonging to the Knights while the left one belonging to the Mages in training.

Sitting on a bench, Sena attracted attention. Her beauty and strength have gained her many admirers and creeps who would stare at her disgustingly. She finds it disturbing but even so she doesn’t dare to lose her composure mainly because of she isn’t slightly interested in other than reaching her aspirations of becoming a knight and taking part in the ritual of ascension.

“Just a bit more and I will able to reach my dreams.”

Sena mumbled to herself. She looked at the crimson sky. She stood up. Walk to where the nobles are able to change and tread lightly. While walking she noticed a figure carrying boxes. Stopping for a while, she observes the figure’s expression as he carries those boxes. Noticing the waist cape of this person, she wondered how someone training as a magus could carry those boxes without even looking tired.

Her attention lasted for five seconds before she got disinterested. Walking to the entrance of the chambers where she would change. Sena started thinking back on how to improve herself in order for the ritual of ascension that will happen at the end of the winter of this year. It is currently autumn, and in winter at the end of the Year 495. She will be going in a ritual of ascension to have her merits graded by a champion of old.

Sena is confident that she can pass the ritual without fail. But even so, she doesn’t dare to underestimate the ritual that imprints the soul with the memories and experiences of the champions of old.

Arden was fooled again to do menial chores. He was done cleaning the library when the Squires found him. Knowing Arden through his deeds and reputation, they made him carry the boxes. Arden as a fool did their bidding and followed the Squires into the training fields without hesitation. Arriving at the fields the Squires saw the Lady of Saclea. Their mouth drooled as they looked at the lady’s appearance. Arden didn’t really know what they are so eager about. So he held the boxes until they began to move.

The boxes contained tools for the mages. Arden was that of low class so he only watches them take the boxes. After doing so Arden was shooed away without even being thanked. Without complaining he walked away from the scene only for someone to call him out.

“Thank you!”

He looked at the person. Long white hair, crimson red eyes, and pale as snow skin. Arden wondered how a person could be pale under the sun. Arden bowed his head and smiled before walking to the lower class fields. These fields are where people like him go.

“Who was that Melina?”

“A kind person, he seems like one.”

The person that talked with Melina was a person with perm hair. Looking at the where her eyes were looking. He saw the helpless Magus, a person known as someone who could not refuse help.

“Oh, that helpless fool, what’s so kind about him?”

“Well, he always seems to help out everywhere without refusing.”

“He is being used, Melina. Better not associate yourself with someone like him.”

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

“Come on, let us go and practice.”

Melina nodded her head. She took a look Arden’s back once before following Lazlo, her friend back to the fields to practice.

Arden arrived at the fields. He saw the common people like him practicing their art. Some of them were making use of the simple spells like fireball to destroy the dummies put by the instructors. Arden was always alone in his practice. Known as fool there were only a few who acquaint with him. This doesn’t bother Arden. After all his ‘arts’ are kind of eccentric. Taught by his foster father he learned [Transmute] and [Construct] magic.

Transmute magic consists of transforming materials into another form at the same time can be controlled to reinforce the materials. Construct magic is a magic that allows Arden to construct an image and give it form. The magic is a rather high tier. Despite the crest that his father implanted into him, he wasn’t able to fully utilize it. He still needs fuel for it. For example, if he wants to construct metal strings then he would have to transmute a rock into metal. After that, he would then use that transmuted rock into an offering to finally construct metal strings he can use.

There are other things that Arden can construct. Despite being a commoner Arden was well taught. His father was quite an eccentric. He has much knowledge that was simply out of this world. He had many ideas that if applied would even kill the most common noble. For example, Arden has learned the common weapon his father used. A ‘gun’ or what his father calls it, a tool that he used to kill most of his enemies, a lethal weapon that does not exist in the world. His father knew many things that were far from this world’s understanding. So Arden knew of things like a giant metal bird flying in the sky. Carriages that moves on rails, powered by electricity, and so much more that Arden could talk for days discussing them, but his father told him to keep them all as secret, possibly until to his deathbed.

Arden promised not reveal the ‘modern’ knowledge he had. He only plans to use it to himself and even though he usually agrees to anyone begging to him reveal the truth. He wouldn’t speak of it simply because he owes his father that promise. So Arden mainly practices two magic. Ignoring the likes of the other magic except for the basic healing, purifying and detoxification magic that has used in the world.

People would see Arden as a fool for practicing magic only alchemists had. If it wasn’t for the three basic magic he had then he would have long kicked out of the academy. But even so, Arden insisted his two basic magic which is [Construct] Magic and [Transmute] Magic.

“Transmute Metal Arms.”

Saying that Arden felt his arms harden like steel. Transmute: Metal arms cause his arms to harden but in exchange, he becomes stiff as metal. So to fix this Arden tries to lighten the magic but so far his experiments have failed. He already asked an alchemist once but it seems that due to his lacking talent that he is unable to fully do so.

“Again then—Transmute: Metal Arms!”

Arden casted his metal arms again only to see sparks formed around his arms. The sparks were colored light blue and it began to crackle like electricity which then turned into his arms forming wisps of smoke.

“Gah...Tsk”

Arden’s arms got burned. The students around saw what happened to his arms and cringed up. They were used to Arden burning his arms like that. So none of them got surprised, they merely glance and went back to their training. Arden felt pain, unbearable pain. But he endured it as he then activates the crest left behind by his father to recover his arms slowly.

“Not enough.”

Arden knew that he lacks talent. But because of this lack of talent that he has to work hard in achieving the best possible results. So again he slowly practices his double edged magic. Withstanding the pain brought upon it. Continuing turning his bones to metal, skewing it, and even sometimes breaking it slightly, Arden’s constant tore and breaking of his limbs slowly turned his arms as hard as steel. But even so, it is only a bit stronger than the common knight, something that Arden could never hope to surpass.