Chapter 83 - "How To Handle A Straightforward Master"

Loneliness was displayed in Ivory's eyes as soon as she saw Sigmund at the side. She remembered how he rejected her that night, but she shook her head to convince herself that they had already agreed not to get awkward. She dispelled her magic then stood up and extended her hand to help Lycus stand up.

The young man gladly took it and shoved the dirt off of his clothes. He closely looked at Ivory's body to check her wounds, and he confirmed that she had healed herself completely, "You're amazing, Lady Ivory."

"You almost killed me, what do you think I'd do?" she said in a sarcastic tone. "And my reward please. I want something."

"Ah, my promise, yes," Lycus scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. What is it?"

"I want you to… tell me more about my father."

He responded, "I apologize, but he asked me to keep his identity a secret for now-"

"Not his identity. Just… Anything. His likes and dislikes, his mannerisms, how he fought his battles..." 

Lycus smiled at her, "Very well…"

He told Ivory that his father was a great magician and a warrior who fought alongside the late King. He was very well-versed about lunar healing magic, which was a special ability of their clan. His favorite was chicken meat, and the King had already offered him three carts of grilled chicken as a reward for his loyalty.

Ivory chuckled when she heard this, because she also liked meat, but she liked pork more. She had heard that they had similar light blue eyes and silver hair, but he had a very dominating presence. 

When the two of them had finished talking, Lycus broke the transparent barrier. Sensing again the extraordinary mana, Sigmund had figured that the barrier was already down, and he rushed over to Ivory to cover her with his cloak. "Your skin is showing too much."

Her glowing irises stared at his worried face, and she felt his sincere care for her. "Thank you," she uttered. As she stood still, she let him tie the string of the cloak while he stood right in front of her.

Ivory's look at her Servant's handsome face. She clasped her hands on her chest and felt her heart beating fast. Yes, she should be used to it, but she knew she was in that state when she confessed, so she didn't have any excuse not to remember it. She was embarrassed because she remembered how she pleaded with him to stay by her side even if he wouldn't reciprocate her feelings.

"What is it?" Sigmund asked, but his Master only gazed at him amorously. He awkwardly looked away and told her, "Let's go back. I know you're tired."

Ivory nodded, and she waved at Lycus, who then gave a thumbs up.

When the two had disappeared from his sight, he stopped pretending to be alright, and he panted as he felt weak. Ivory in that state was too strong for him to take on.

'It's hard to have limited mana… How can I help her get strong if I'm this weak?' he cursed internally, then laid flat on the ground and closed his eyes.

...

Then, something unexpected happened when morning came.

Ivory's light blue eyes continued glowing, and she did not come back to her normal state!

"Hey, you still have that extraordinary mana enveloping you! Stop using it!" Sigmund said in a panic. 

She stared at the wall mirror and said, "I'm very pretty. Why don't you just admit that you like me too, Sigmund?"

"There you go again. I thought you were shy last night, since you hadn't uttered a word since we came back here."

"That's what I truly felt last night, because I had to think about a lot of things," Ivory started combing her hair as she admired herself in the mirror. She glanced at Sigmund on the reflection, "I want to be as fearless and powerful as this state, but I guess not too frank."

"Yeah, I'll have a headache if you'd continue to be uncontrollable-"

She suddenly stood up and approached him, placed her arms around his neck, and embraced him as she tiptoed.

"Hey, what are you-"

"Sigmund. I love you," she whispered near his right ear, "But I should accept that we really cannot be, and this is wrong in the eyes of everyone. So in this state, I will try not to seduce you too much…"

"You are already… seducing me in this position."

"No, this is only a mild one. Be thankful that I did not get naked."

Sigmund pulled away from her and gripped her shoulders, "Stop this right now! If you continue this, I don't know how Goddess Destinia will punish us."

Ivory sighed, "Fine, fine. I'll let you off this time. I'm going down for breakfast."

"Your eyes are still-"

But she already stepped out of the room.

Sigmund followed her downstairs, and he found her waiting for her bowl of freshly-cooked acorn soup. He observed her closely as she ate, and also observed her family, who didn't seem to notice her glowing eyes.

After they all ate, Ivory pleaded with her mother that she wanted to wash the dishes for her. She hugged Anne by the kitchen counter and said, "Mother, you should rest, and I will do all the cleaning. Come on," she led her to the living room where her husband and two kids were having a chat.

What surprised them all was when Ivory told them, "I love you all, thank you for being here with me,"  and she bowed to them afterwards. She headed towards the kitchen, making them wonder why she said that, because she is not that vocal with her feelings.

When Ivory went back to the kitchen, Sigmund approached her, "How sweet you are in that state, Master," and he gave a grin.

"One more word about it, and I'll kiss you."

Hearing this, Sigmund took a step back.

Ivory chuckled, "You're a coward. I promised you I won't seduce you too much, okay? I was kidding… but if you change your mind, I'd gladly make out with you."

"Stupid woman, I don't want to hear you spout nonsense anymore," his ears turned red. "I'll wait for coachman Ebleu outside. Do your cleaning properly."

She laughed when she saw him embarrassed, and she continued washing the plates.

Ebleu then came, and the three of them headed over to Qawiun Academy. When Ivory and Sigmund came inside the classroom, they proceeded to Lucius' seat.

"Good morning, Ivory!" Arcea, who was leaning on Lucius' table, happily called.

Ivory smiled at her, "Good morning. What are you talking about?"

"The messenger of the Crown Prince came this morning," the young swordswoman said. "They will announce who will come with him next month!"

"Oh, that's fast," Ivory shrugged. "I guess the Crown Prince isn't that busy in the castle."

Lucius had observed that aside from the change in Ivory's tone, her eyes had different hues as if they were lighter than her usual light blue. Because it was morning, he did not notice that these were glowing. He glanced at Sigmund, and the Vampire nodded at him, as if telling him that his hunch was right, whatever it was.

Adviser Titus came in carrying a scroll with him. 

"There are two who were selected from this class," Titus said. "Sir Lucius Goldwine, and… Miss Arcea Knightwing, congratulations to the both of you!"

"Oh my goddess! I made it! I… I can't believe it!" Arcea jumped for joy, and most of their classmates clapped their hands. 

"Now, now, settle down. Today will be another specialized class training. Wait for the academy bell before going to your assigned areas…"

As soon as their adviser left, Caspian Reagan of the Magic group approached Arcea to congratulate her. 

"Thank you, Caspian," she shook his hand and smiled as if she had won a lottery.

"What did you answer in the written examination? What's your secret… How did you move the heart of the Crown Prince?" 

"I wrote the basics of close combat, and the importance of smithing the right materials."

She thought that Caspian would be amazed with her answer, but instead, "What a plain answer. I was expecting something better," Caspian responded, which caught the attention of most of their classmates. They approached them.

"What do you mean, Caspian? I did my best! I know I deserve-"

"And you think we do not deserve it? You think we didn't do our best?" he asked her. "Maybe you were chosen because your father pulled some strings. He's a famous blacksmith after all."

Arcea couldn't believe it. She thought she was in a good relationship with her classmates, but she realized that she was wrong. She stood there in the middle, trembling.

"Why don't you ask the Crown Prince for another examination? Tell him straight to his face that his judgment was wrong."

Their attention turned to Ivory, who was standing there, her arms crossed, and looking at them with her brow raised.

Caspian faced her, "Ivory Sprucemint, you weren't even selected, so you should side with us."

"I'd rather not be selected if you're going to do this to me. You jealous apes should just get lost and stop bothering Arcea," she glared at Caspian, who narrowed his eyes on her, and he couldn't believe that he was facing the same Ivory he was within Magic specialization class. She added, "You seem confident if you are belittling my friend, Caspian. How about a duel?"

Hearing such a bold challenge from her, Caspian smirked. "I'll take you on, silver head."