Free Web NovelChapter 19: Chapter 19: Who dares to team up with this commoner?!
Lilian’s eyes lit up with stars when she heard about the perks.
"Are you serious?!!"
"Dad, you’re the best!!"
"Then I’ve been eyeing that 8th Rank Storm Dragon Crystal in the royal vault for a long time. Can I take it for Arthur to use in his experiments??"
Richard’s heart squeezed hard.
That was one of only three dragon cores left in the kingdom!!
But he kept his king’s generous face on.
"Take it!!"
"As long as he’s willing to stay in the Kingdom of Oran, even if he asks for the jewels on my crown, I’m open to it!!"
Richard turned and shot a sharp look over the whole room.
"Listen up!!"
"From now on, nobody is allowed to bother Arthur Voss at all!!"
"If anyone dares to step in his way secretly, or tries to watch him, and ends up angering him or Principal Alberto.
"I’ll chop off their heads myself, without Arthur even lifting a finger!!"
"Do you understand?!!"
His loud shout bounced around the meeting room.
"We will obey!!"
All the ministers fell to the floor at the same time, cold sweat soaking their shirts.
They knew the power fight inside the royal house was finally over.
His Majesty went for the biggest gamble... using honesty and feelings to keep the boy who held the power of destruction close.
Meanwhile, Lilian was already jumping for joy inside.
"This is great!!"
"Now I can finally stick by Arthur’s side every day!!"
"I heard that cold Elena, and that exchange student Cecilia with the amazing body, have both been sneaking looks at Arthur lately.
Lilian narrowed her eyes like a sly fox and clenched her fists.
"I get first pick since I’m right here. You can forget about it!!"
She lifted her dress and ran out of the room like a happy little breeze.
All that was left were the court ministers looking confused, and her king father on the throne rubbing his temple, heartbroken over his own treasure room.
...
Sunlight streamed through the tall stained glass windows of Lancelot Magic Academy, painting colorful spots on the dark stone floor of the Dawn Class room.
In this tiered classroom built for top students and the elite, the air buzzed with excited energy.
At the front, Professor Harris, who taught combat class, tapped the board with his wand, making a sharp "tap tap" sound.
"Quiet, rookies!!"
Professor Harris’s loud voice bounced around the big room, cutting through every single whisper.
"After these few days of basic theory study, your brains should already be stuffed with those boring spells.
"But magic has never just been dead words on a page!!"
"Real mages are forged in blood and fire, in life and death!!"
He waved his wand, and a green-glowing magic map popped up on the board.
"So, the academy has decided to start your first field combat mission early.
"Target location: The outer edge of the Shadow Forest outside the royal capital.
"Your goal: Find and pick three ’moonlight grass’ plants that are at least ten years old.
Just hearing the name "Shadow Forest", the room filled with nervous gasps.
Even just the outside is home to Low Rank magical beasts and all sorts of deadly bugs!!
For these freshmen who just learned a few Low Rank spells, this was going to be a hard test of survival.
"Don’t worry, as long as you aren’t dumb enough to run deep into the forest, the danger at the edge is totally under control."
Looking at these scared, sheltered kids, Professor Harris smiled in a pretty mean way.
"To keep more of you alive, you’ll have to form teams of five for this mission."
"You have ten minutes to find your own teams."
"If you can’t get five people, or if you fail the mission, your combat credits for this semester are gone!!"
"Start the clock!!"
At Professor Harris’s word, the quiet classroom instantly exploded into chaos.
Every student was frantically hunting for strong partners.
In a world that worshipped Magic Power Affinity, whoever had the best talent was the one everyone wanted.
"Young Master Andrew, please let me join your team!! I’m great at water healing spells!!"
"Back off, Andrew’s team only needs damage dealers. I’ve got B-tier Fire affinity!!"
Right in the middle of the room, Andrew Walter sat back on a chair like a king, soaking up all the attention.
As the firstborn son of a top noble family in the capital, he had A-tier Earth affinity and brought a full set of top-tier gear.
Tagging along with him meant a guaranteed easy pass.
He casually pointed to three lackeys who always stuck to him, and Andrew quickly filled four spots.
But he didn’t pick the last spot just yet.
Instead, he stood up and shot a cold, mocking look toward the figure in the far corner.
Arthur Voss.
Arthur just sat there, propping his chin on one hand and staring blankly at a bird outside the window.
He didn’t give Harris’s mission a second thought.
He cared more about figuring out how to cast the DND 2nd-Level spell "Invisibility" in a world that didn’t even have a Weave.
"Well, well, look who it is. Isn’t this our Dawn Class ’genius’ Arthur??"
Andrew’s sneering voice cut right through the noise, hitting everyone’s ears perfectly.
The room went dead silent in an instant.
Everyone froze, their eyes darting back and forth between Andrew and Arthur.
Flanked by his lackeys, Andrew strutted right up to Arthur’s desk.
"What?? Nobody wants you on a team??"
Looking down at Arthur, Andrew wore a smirk that didn’t hide his disdain at all.
For these freshmen who just learned a few Low Rank spells, this was going to be a hard test of survival.
"True enough. An F-tier Mana Affinity failure doesn’t even have enough Magic Power to cast two 1st-level spells."
"Tagging along with you is like dragging a dead weight that could attract Magical Beasts any minute!!"
Andrew turned around, spread his arms, and announced to the whole class.
"I’m laying this out loud and clear!!"
"Anyone who dares to team up with this double-F commoner is taking on the Walter family!!"
"They’re messing with the entire noble circle!!"
The moment he said that, the few commoner students who had been thinking of recruiting Arthur quickly shrank back like they’d been shocked.
In this kingdom, where class meant everything, pissing off a top noble meant burning your own future.
For a second, a dead zone formed around Arthur.
Not a single person dared to step close.
The air felt heavy with suffocating awkwardness and isolation.
But Arthur, right in the middle of it all, felt completely calm. He almost laughed.
"Perfect."
Arthur mentally gave Andrew a solid thumbs-up.
"I was just trying to figure out how to ask to go solo. This helps."
In Arthur’s combat style, a mage’s biggest edge was hiding and staying back.
With four dead weights dragging him down, how was he supposed to stay hidden and lay magic traps without holding back?
He was actually planning to head into the Shadow Forest and catch a few Low Rank Magical Beasts to test out his 1st-level spell, Charm Animals.
"I appreciate the help, Andrew."
Arthur slowly stood up and brushed imaginary dust off his black robe. His tone was lazy, like he’d just woken up.
"I’ve got a thing for personal space, so I don’t really like sharing a group."
"So I’m going soli-
Before Arthur could finish the word.
A clear, sharp voice cut through the room from the doorway.
"Who said nobody wants Arthur?!!"
With a loud thud.
The heavy wooden door to the classroom flew open, kicked clean off by a sleek little boot.
In stormed Lilian August, the little princess of the Kingdom of Oran, all blonde hair, blue eyes, and looking like a living doll, completely fuming.
She was wearing a heavily detailed red mage robe, and the purple-and-gold thorn rose pin on her chest screamed royal bloodline. It almost blinded everyone.
The entire class froze. Even Andrew, who had been so cocky seconds ago, took a sharp breath.
"Your Highness?!!"
