Valerian, The Legendary

69 Surprise Test.

Fragrantia walked on the cobblestoned path with a straight back and indomitable aura. Ensis followed her silently and her hand was placed on the hilt of her sword. She has been paying attention to everyone, and Valerian caught her attention from the moment, this child followed the Empress inside the woods.

They were the security detail of the Empress, and they were not allowed to step inside that part of the woods. Yet, the lady took this child along, there must be something special. However, she could not tell anything looking at Valerian’s visage.

While this armored warrior was observing Valerian, the same was true for the latter. The child was not observing her character, but her movements. To him, the character of a person does not matter. He could tell that this lady was always ready for a battle.

Unknowingly, the trio crossed the Mage Towers and came to stand in front of the central tower. This place was the tallest building inside the castle. However, Valerian noticed something was really different from all the other buildings. The external walls of the warrior halls and mage towers were covered with banners of different kinds, and this building had almost no banners.

Fragrantia said, “These banners are won by the students for completing different assignments and winning the annual competition within the academy.”

Valerian nodded, and the empress said, “I would see if the old man is in the mood to talk.”

She took a step forward and knocked on the door of the tower. However, after a few minutes, there was no response.”

She tried a few more times but nothing, she said, “Valerian, break the door.”

Valerian was surprised, he did not expect such a command. Ensis spoke up from the side, “The tradition of the battlemage tower. If you want to enter but you are not a disciple of the place, force your way through.”

.....

This enlightened the child and he said, ‘Your Excellency, beg your pardon.’

He asked her to step aside, and with that said, Valerian cast a spell on his fists, ‘Petra Chirothecam.’

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He looked at the door and then he vanished. Following that, a dull bang was heard. Fragrantia did not move but Ensis was surprised once again, given her experience she could tell that the blow made by Valerian was concentrated and the impact was located on one spot only. Valerian had hit the spot beside the doorknob and when his hand went through, he unlocked the door.

On thinking carefully, she realized that this child was not as simple as he looked on the surface. He was a warrior. Ensis did not know that Valerian had cast a spell on his fist.

Just when she was thinking, Valerian took a step back and retracted his fist from the door, his knuckles had returned to normal and only a slight blush was visible on his skin. Fragrantia said, “Our goal is the top floor of the tower, there are seven floors. The higher you climb, the more that old man will be able to teach you.”

Valerian nodded and asked, ‘Your Excellency, will this trial not reveal my blessings to the world?’

“Don’t worry, what you do inside is not for anyone to know, and they dare not sneak. However, when you come out of this place, you will be strong enough to face anyone below the Arch-Mage or Grand Master level. Those with higher levels cannot act as they please, because the world looks at them and they all prefer face more.”, said Fragrantia.

Valerian nodded and then stopped thinking about it. Despite his intentions, his skills were not hidden from many. So, he decided to let the nature take its course and deal with things as they come. With that thought, the boy stepped inside the building and found himself in the lobby.

This place was completely different from his imagination. The lobby was dimly lit, but he could not find the source of illumination. Only a dark staircase was visible to him.

Fragrantia and Ensis followed behind him, the warrior had evident shock written on her face, as she just saw the two people converse with each other. She realized that the young boy was not a warrior but a battlemage. Among thousand people there are hundred warriors, and ten mages. A battlemage was found one in tens of thousands.

Vertex was the only battlemage in the Lumen Empire. So she could tell why was the Empress so nice to this young boy. Just when she was scrutinizing the boy, a cold voice sounded in her ears.

“Climb the tower and if you could not even clear the first floor, go back where you came from.”, said the voice.

Fragrantia said, “Valerian, go, do your best, we will wait here.”

Valerian looked back at her face and nodded calmly. He looked at the staircase at the end, and his heart became slightly heavy. The dim lights had a certain effect of suppressing thoughts. This was similar to the forest under the moonlight. However, the forest was noisy at night which disrupted the darkness.

This man-made construct was completely different from the forest, yet, facing this mental suppression, Valerian was moving towards the stairs. His pace was slow but steady. Fragrantia looked at the young man walking forward without delay and she asked, “Ensis, do you remember how long it took for Vertex to take his first step?”

Ensis nodded and said, “Your Excellency, pardon my offense, but the second prince pales compared to this child.”

The empress smiled and said, “It is an offense to be blind, Ensis, and I know the fact you stated already.”

Valerian walked forward ignoring the gentle noise in the background, suddenly he thought of something and cast a spell, ‘Luminare.’

The surroundings lit up, the dark faded away and his pace became quicker. The test had already begun when he stepped up to break inside the tower. Breaking the darkness was the first stage of his test.

Valerian cast the spell of light attribute and reached the staircase, then he began climbing quickly. However, just when he took the first step, it seemed like a heavy weight was pressed against his back. He bent down slightly under this weight. He was surprised.

The weight was lighter than what he had to carry on his back in the training with Quies. He did not think much about it and straightened his back and knees. He began to climb the stairs one step at a time, and after a few steps, he realized that something was wrong with this staircase.

Thinking about the situation he wished to slap himself, how can the examination be so easy. Of course, there was a catch in it. The child began to deduce the reason behind this pressure. He thought that the only way to do this could be some sort of spell.

To find out what is the attribute of the spell, he closed his eyes and channeled the mana inside his body through his eyes. He would usually cast the spell, but the spell will consume his mana so, this technique he learned from the Shadow Flame Leopard was applied, this way he will be able to conserve his mana.

Valerian opened his eyes and found the void around him flooded with a golden brown glow. He understood that the pressure was the effect of an earth attribute spell. The element that defied earth was water. Looking around even more carefully Valerian found that the golden brown hue was concentrated more as he moved upstairs.

The boy channeled his mana through his body instead of using any spells. This spell was not something he could counter at the moment. Valerian has always been aware of his shortcomings and his strengths. This ability to think clearly in such a situation was what gave him the edge.

His body reserves for mana were the same as others, but he had seven different attributes. It may look like his variety of spells could help him, but that was all blind optimism, a mage with the ability to cast a grade five spell could defeat several others who might have two or three elements and yet could only cast spells up to grade four.

This disparity might not surface initially, but as time passes, it becomes evident and profound. Valerian found out about this long back in Acies city which was why he wanted to find a solution for this.

The water attribute mana channeled through his body and he began his climb again, this time, he did not bend and his speed did not slow down. Valerian could still feel the pressure on his back and shoulders but it was within an acceptable range.

...

While the child was climbing the stairs, a figure dressed in a black tunic, stood behind Fragrantia and Ensis, the two had not yet realized that someone has appeared behind them. The figure spoke in a cold tone, “Who is this kid, Fragrantia?”

The empress jumped forward in fright and Ensis turned around with her sword unsheathed in a blink. The figure glanced at Ensis, and she seemed to be frozen in place, when Fragrantia said, “Senior Fallax, can you not scare us like this?”