AN: Hello, after some time, your lazy author present you chapter 45 :D, enjoy!

PR by Bboybrian

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Since their encounter with the monsters in the caves where Aenthar was seriously wounded and ill, Kerrina and Muriem had a small talk and decided to secretly increase the time used for their personal training. Aenthar was stronger than them, be it in hand-to-hand combat or armed combat. They were sad, ashamed and disappointed with themselves for not being able to provide proper back-up for him when they decided they would follow him.

Just like how the adults had told them that the basics were important, Aenthar had often said that a perfectly executed basic move could rival an advanced move executed with average skill. Because of that, Kerrina worked harder on her basics in swordsmanship, while Muriem focused on the basics of her staff mastery and capoeira. They had to become stronger, and because of that, they were even more eager to go to the academy compared to before.

During the little time left to live in Argot, Muriem and Kerrina (and the others for that matter) were impressed by the amount of work Aenthar did, especially with their means of transportation. They once again were reminded that Aenthar was constantly thinking a lot about the future, about what to do to achieve his goal. Even with the time used for battle and magic training, he didn't neglect crafting, and continued to improve all of his skills.

They had neglected their crafting to improve their fighting abilities, and they were starting to regret it a little, but Muriem told Kerrina that it would be fine for the time being. She had been thinking a lot, even though it was not really in her habits. She decided that it was fine to focus more on their battle abilities for now, since Aenthar had affinity with all elements; it would take him more time to improve all of them, and even more time to improve all his crafts and martial arts as well.

While he would be improving his magic, they could put most of their efforts into fighting, and when he focuses more on fighting and crafting, they could increase their crafting proficiency as well. Muriem understood that Aenthar wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible before exploring the world, so once they reached a good level in battle, they would then raise their tailoring and leather working to disciple rank. They continued with their current training schedule until it was time to leave.

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The trip towards the capital was very enjoyable for them, comfortable while advancing at a good pace, and also because they were finally alone with Aenthar. They were excited at the prospect of seeing Tristam City and entering Lana Academy. Also, the other reason they were nervously anticipating was growing into women at the hands of their beloved man. They were happy to see him so eager, not only because they wanted it, but also because they would be the first to get him. After all, it had already been made clear that they wouldn't be the only girls around him.

Muriem was mesmerized by the sight of the capital. She had never seen so many tall constructions in the same place, and many of the buildings were quite beautiful, compared to the previous towns they went through. Kerrina did enjoy the sight of the city, but her enjoyment got dampened by the sheer amount of people in the street. The nature lover that she was would not be able to bear the crowd for extended amounts of time. She was praying that they wouldn't have to take a house in the middle of the city.

Fortunately, her prayers were heard. On the second in the city they found a place outside the walls but not that far from the garrison. After a few days spent preparing the place for proper living, they attended the entrance exams of the academy. Even though they were well prepared, they were still quite nervous. It was Lana Academy after all, one of the few schools in the continent, and on top of that the amount of people present was not good for Kerrina's mood.

The nervousness kept them from getting full marks in mathematics, but the fact that they weren't big mistakes allowed for positive comments from the teachers. Still, they were satisfied with their performances, confident they passed the tests. After the exam, they spent 3 more days furnishing the house before finally moving in. At that time, the nervousness was on a whole new level compared to what they felt the day of the entrance exams.

And what a night it had been for them. Aenthar had gone to a lot of efforts so their first night would be quite memorable. Kerrina and Muriem knew Aenthar prepared a few things for the night so they were adamant to do their share and did their best with the preparation of the meal. Then Aenthar started singing while playing with his viol. The lyrics of the songs made them blush with joy and embarrassment. They were just too sweet and romantic. Muriem almost gave up on the food to hug him like there was no tomorrow.

When it was time for the bath, they were pleasantly surprised by the preparation he had made, a feeling that was quickly replaced with embarrassment as they got rid of each other’s clothes. It was the first time they would see each other naked - well, second time for Muriem but the first time is better left forgotten. The sight of his manhood was half a shock since they had already felt it before, but it still made them burn inside. They played for a bit in the bath before heading to the room.

There, the girls were almost quivering with fearful expectations and joy, though Muriem was more excited than nervous, while Kerrina was equally nervous and excited. Then again, the sight of the room was a wonderful surprise for them, especially after the bath. Passionately, Muriem let loose her lust while Kerrina was more reserved. That night was the night they changed from girls to women, a night of passionate, vigorous action, a pleasure-filled night with slights of pain. Their vigorous battle training and toned bodies helped reduce the pain.

The next day, they did it again, 3 times for Kerrina, 5 for Muriem.

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The next day, they selected their courses after receiving their certificates. They both got 3 courses in the martial arts department and 2 in the society department. They didn't take the same courses in the last department to space things and avoid spending too much time in classes. They would teach each other what they lacked. After that they went through the introduction courses without troubles.

Only the following week did the lessons truly start. They had to listen to a speech from Brad Crowford, the chief of the martial arts department. He was a middle aged caecian man, a former knight. Muriem impressed the hand-to-hand combat instructor, Ganshi Vishnar, with capoeira. This style of fighting was never seen before, yet Muriem also managed to integrate eastern palm strikes into her movements. Kerrina was overshadowed by Muriem’s fanciness because her fighting style was quite common, even though she was slightly better than the latter skill-wise.

Ganshi Vishnar was a middle aged Yukhan martial artist who learned many styles of hand-to-hand combat, and was very knowledgeable in the field. This new style of fighting greatly piqued his curiosity, and as such he unconsciously showed more care towards Muriem, and also tried to learn more about the one who taught it to her. He wanted to meet him, but Aenthar was too busy for that, and didn't want to bother.

However, although she impressed the hand-to-hand combat instructor, she was only average in polearm lessons. Her mastery of the staff was just decent, but her use of the halberd needed a lot of work. Her instructor, Victoria Hallawen, a middle aged caecian woman, told her that she was lacking in basics and needed to put more effort in that area. She had good strength, agility and reactions, but had no proper skill. She agreed with Muriem's choice of study with the axe and hammer course to get a better feel for the different parts of the halberd, and told her that she could reach a high level with constant work.

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On Kerrina's side, she was considered above average by her sword instructor, Mica Milaine, a young caecian woman who is a magic swordswoman, a fighter that backs up her sword skills with the smart use of magic. Kerrina quickly became one of her favorites because they had similar predispositions. Kerrina preferred to rely on speed and technique rather than strength, and they both had affinity for body and darkness elements. Even if Kerrina had low aptitude, it could still be used as a trump card. Her mastery of the dagger was lacking though.

Kerrina was also well liked by Ishtarin Mora, the dark elf man in charge of the ranged weaponry class, and also the leader of the scouting and tracking activities. Kerrina was one of the top 10 students with the bow, and if she had taken the scouting and tracking course, she would have definitely became his favorite student. He told her that she was on her way to become an excellent ranger with her current skill if she continued to train properly.

During the first weeks of classes, their progress was faster than what they would achieve in 2 months back in Argot, and for those 2 young women who wanted to support their loved one, it was an excellent fact that drove them to work as hard as possible. They wanted to surprise him later with their progress, and since they had to avoid injuring themselves for the lessons, the 2 weekly sparring sessions with Aenthar were rather light, just enough to keep his close combat skills in shape.

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There was already a lot of sparring in the martial arts department, so when the time for the duels and team battles came, they were more prepared than the members of the magic department. A student with only 1 course would have 2 duels, a student with 2 courses would also have 2 duels, but for students with more than 2 courses it would be 1 duel per course. Both Kerrina and Muriem had to go through 3 duels.

Out of 3 duels, Muriem won 2 of them. The first when she used hand-to-hand combat, she got the edge due to the fact that the opponent weren't used to capoeira. She was overwhelmed by the skills of her opponents when she used the halberd and lost, but still put a good fight thanks to her fighting experience. For the axe duel, only her battle experience and agility allowed her to win. Aside from hand-to-hand combat, her scores weren't that great.

Kerrina fared better. She lost the swordsmanship duel but did put up a decent fight with her skills, agility and battle experience. She won her hand-to-hand combat duel with a bit of trouble, and completely crushed her opponent in the marksmanship duel. Overall, she got good grades for the duels. Muriem was disappointed by her own performances and Kerrina had to cheer her up. They hid the details of her failures as they didn't want Aenthar to worry about them when he was already very busy.

For their first team battle, just like the magic department, it was a team of 3. Kerrina was paired with 2 swordsmen, and used her bow with training arrows. Thanks to her efficient cover, her team beat the other without much trouble, and even if she was the prime reason her team won, her teammates weren't bad either, so they all got a good score.

Muriem was teamed up with a rogue and a swordsman, and acted as the tank of her team. Despite her lack of skill, she wasn't bad at defending and managed to bother the opponent enough for her teammates to deal the finishing blow. Her team also got a good score, and her overall score for the battle simulations was raised as well.

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When the time for the last battle simulation came, they were quite surprised to see Aenthar in the opposing team, and they got anxious. Not only was he a troublesome mage on long range due to his high magic aptitude and ability to dual cast, he was also trained by a troll in close range and could even be considered their first teacher. Yet, he was also the one they wanted to impress the most. It had only been a month since they started learning at the academy, so they didn't think they had made sufficient progress.

He looked at them and blew a kiss toward them, that made them relax a little, but it didn't last as his gaze was completely focused on them. It was clear for Kerrina and Muriem that he would go after them, they could feel all his attention on them and he took a stance. Kerrina saw how Aenthar's teammates reacted to his action and gave up thinking too much. She looked at her other 2 teammates.

Kerrina: “Sorry, but it looks like the half elf won't leave us alone, we won't be able to support you.”

???: “Yeah, we noticed it. So you girls know Aenthar?”

Muriem: “Yes, we know each other well. Kerri, since he is so eager, let’s show him what we can do...”

Kerrina: “I could hear your confidence crumble a bit, but still, let's show him.”

And soon after, the signal for the start of the match was given

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