Chapter 25: Archmage
Priam started breathing heavily and suddenly felt an overwhelming dizziness.
"All the Ether... everything was consumed in a single move..."
He had never felt completely drained of energy before. The sensation was like being on the verge of passing out from exhaustion, but this exhaustion was different from anything physical or ordinary: it seemed to come directly from his soul.
He took a deep breath, slowly stabilizing himself. Maybe the two rune sets he had created were flawed, and that was a side effect.
"It would be way too amazing if I could use this freely several times... but at least it’s a secret weapon to escape or suddenly finish someone off."
He muttered, then felt the wind element in the surroundings freeze. It was the sign that his 8 hours were over.
Priam turned around and walked out of the place.
As soon as he took his first steps outside, he was met by the soldier’s pair of eyes, fixed on him.
That man couldn’t believe the young man had remained in there for 8 hours and still... come out practically unharmed on the surface.
Priam didn’t need to justify himself or answer any questions. Fortunately, the soldier didn’t say anything. So he simply waved and left.
...
Flora was waiting for him, as always. But this time, Priam wasn’t in any hurry to eat and go back to his room.
The three days of training were over, and tomorrow, at the very first rays of daylight, the real competition would begin.
Because of that, he asked about his cousin. Flaris was also waiting for him.
The two met up and went to eat together. After eating, they chose not to train so they could keep their bodies in peak condition for the following day.
They went to a courtyard and talked for a while, at Priam’s suggestion. He still had to complete the daily mission, after all.
Flaris had managed to master the basics of a Magic Art called Flaming Blade. The name was pretty self-explanatory. Unlike Priam, she liked fighting with a sword, and this technique matched her demonic side, which allowed her to control fire easily.
Flaris said she had seen Lumiere at the same training field as her during the first two days, and that young man had shocked everyone there by requesting difficulty level 9.
On the last day, she encountered Gangrel at a different training field, one created for weapon-using Mages to train. He also shocked everyone by requesting the ninth level. But it wasn’t nearly as impressive when compared to his younger brother, who was several levels below him.
"He was pretty irritated. I’m convinced it was because people kept comparing him to Lumiere. Besides being an arrogant bastard, he’s jealous even of his own brother. He can’t stand being inferior." Flaris said in a cold tone.
Priam nodded in agreement. Gangrel really did seem like that type. Besides, Flaris’ instincts were extremely sharp. She could read people easily by sensing the fluctuations they emitted.
Yes, all Mages, after nourishing their meridians with Ether, would begin emitting subtle fluctuations involuntarily according to their emotions. A high-level Mage could easily tell if someone much weaker was lying, for example.
In Flaris’ case, she was a few levels weaker than Gangrel, but she could still perceive it because of her demonic bloodline. The horns on her head weren’t decoration; they served as antennas that were extremely sensitive to fluctuations.
Not all Demons possessed this characteristic. But Priam couldn’t assume things worked like they did on Earth, where humans could hide things or lie with ease. That world was vast and full of things unknown to him.
After hearing everything, Priam remembered something important.
’I didn’t check his potential...’
He had simply forgotten to inspect the status because the strange interaction he had with Gangrel happened far too quickly.
He was still getting used to his powers, and from now on, he would try to analyze the potential of anyone even remotely interesting that he came across. It would serve as a good benchmark for measuring someone’s individual talent, and there was no reason not to take advantage of that edge.
"Here you go, Young Master..." Flora approached gently, placing a pitcher and two glasses filled with drinks in front of them.
Priam looked at the young woman and activated the system.
[Name: Flora Felicia]
[Race: Vaelen]
[Magic Title: Arcanist Mage Acolyte, first level]
[Karmic Title: Archmage of Inscriptions]
[Bloodline: 60]
[Anima: 20]
[Wheel of Fate: 10]
[Loyalty: Neutral+]
Priam read everything quickly. Her Wheel of Fate was just as terrible as her mother’s. Her Anima was even worse; Flora definitely wasn’t born to become a powerful Mage. Her Bloodline was actually quite good, but it didn’t matter if her race possessed no combat power and everything else was terrible.
’Archmage of Inscriptions?’
When he read her Karmic Title, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
He already knew that some outstanding Mages or Sages who accomplished great feats earned unique titles. But Archmage...
He turned to Flaris.
"Do you know anything about Archmages?"
"Hmm? I’ve heard of them. It’s just a very ancient title that people who died a long time ago received. It has nothing to do with someone’s magical power. There should only be about a dozen Archmages, and they’re all Catalyst Mages who created a branch of creation. There’s the Alchemist Archmage, the Blacksmith Archmage, and others."
Priam was even more shocked and stared directly into Flora’s eyes.
She remained standing in front of them, slightly confused by that look.
’Well... that’s a title from a past life. From what I studied on Earth... if it’s true... things from past lives remain inside a person after reincarnation, but they may or may not emerge depending on many random factors. Most likely, Flora never had any contact with inscriptions or anything similar; that’s why she never revealed this hidden side of herself.’
He snorted lightly.
’Knowledge about inscription creation doesn’t exist within the Ylisse clan. Flora was really unlucky to be born in this place. Well... a Wheel of Fate with 10 points explains a lot. She’s destined not to achieve anything easily in this life.’
Even knowledge about Alchemy barely existed within the clan. Priam had learned that when his father showed great talent, that was the moment the clan started purchasing resources from outside to help his development.
That clan had almost nothing for Catalyst Mages; because of that, for example, none of the current younger generation had chosen to follow that path.
The last thing that caught his attention was the "Neutral+" loyalty.
Priam quickly understood. That probably meant she was very close to advancing to High.
Without the slightest ceremony, Priam pulled the chair beside him and lightly tapped the backrest.
"Come, sit with us."
He said to Flora, pointing at the seat. He had already intended to do that even before seeing her potential, but Flora had left to get drinks far too quickly.
However, Flora froze in place. Her eyes shifted between the empty chair and Priam’s relaxed posture as if she were staring at a trap.
"Why the hesitation?"
Priam tilted his head, holding her gaze firmly.
"I thought we’d already moved past the stage of useless formalities. Or was I mistaken to think we were friends?"
The seriousness in his voice made the air around them seem heavier.
Flora blinked, and her rigidly professional servant posture wavered for a moment.
"No... that’s not it, Young Master Priam. I just..."
"Great. If I’m not mistaken, do the honors."
He interrupted her, allowing an open smile to break the tension.
"You can leave the servant mask at the door. Right now, I want to talk to a friend. Besides, Flaris is dying of curiosity about what goes on behind the scenes in the main clan, and you’re the only one who actually knows what’s happening on the inside."
Flora took a deep breath, as if gathering the courage to break a sacred law.
With slow and deliberate steps, she approached and took the seat, looking at Priam with a mixture of respect and a newly discovered vulnerability.
[Loyalty of an ally has evolved]
[Flora Felicia] | Loyalty: High+ (UP)
[+500 GP]
’Oh? Straight to High+?’
A spark of satisfaction ran through Priam’s mind.
He had expected to gain a few points of goodwill, but such a drastic evolution showed just how much weight a simple gesture of equality carried for someone in her position.
With the barrier broken, the conversation flowed naturally.
Flora might be reserved in daily life, but once she felt comfortable, her tongue loosened with surgical precision.
Flaris, who had initially watched the scene with a raised eyebrow, soon found herself absorbed by the details and secrets Flora shared about the clan’s internal dynamics.
From time to time, Flaris cast sideways glances at her cousin, clearly impressed by how easily he had dismantled the girl’s defenses in such a short time.
Her cousin was a professional girl-charmer, and she didn’t even know it?
She soon snorted and shook her head.
Priam wasn’t that type; she was certain of it. If a girl genuinely liked him one day, he probably wouldn’t even notice, and that would end up driving her crazy with frustration.
...
Three hours flew by amid tactical discussions, laughter, and high-level gossip.
When the night was already deep, Priam stood up and stretched.
But he couldn’t just leave without making his trademark move.
"Oh, before I forget..."
He said, adopting a casual tone that bordered on theatrical.
"On my last day of training, I ended up requesting level 9 too. Stayed in there for about eight hours."
Flaris froze.
Her eyes instantly narrowed, her pupils almost sparking in the darkness.
To her, that hadn’t been an informative comment; it had been a glove thrown directly into her face. Her pride had taken a direct hit, especially because that was a limit she hadn’t even considered challenging.
Priam bit the inside of his cheek to hold back his laughter.
His cousin had been absurdly competitive since childhood, and poking that monster was one of his favorite hobbies.
Seeing her indignant and motivated expression, he simply waved.
Displaying a smug look of victory, he spun on his heel and walked out of the courtyard.
He left behind an enraged cousin ready to bite the world itself, and an ally whose loyalty was now completely secured.
