"Why are you back so late? I thought you had gotten into trouble," she said worriedly, running over to embrace Rain in a hug.
Rain gently put his arms around her, letting his coldness melt against her warmth as she pressed her face sideways against his chest. He was even more intoxicating than he was aware.
"Where were you?" Eve asked.
"The library."
"What did you learn?"
Rain hesitated a little before responding, "The Sapphire Abyss."
"... Why there?" It was a name that struck fear into the all mana-blessed creatures of the earth.
"I don't know. I found it interesting."
"You should get to know your way around real magic first. There's a lot of great books for you in the section for introductory magic and theory. It's available for all students, and might help you more than you can imagine."
"Thanks, I'll have a look next time."
"Also, tomorrow you'll follow me to the combat hall. You're still my servant here after all." Eve retreated to bed with a giddy grin on her face.
This lady…
***********
"Who's that guy following Lady Evelynn around?" Whispers shot around the crowd as Evelynn leapt the crowds of people surrounding the combat hall.
"I think he's a servant…"
"How lucky…"
"It's probably because he's handsome…"
"Just another bastard trying to suck up to her."
They weren't exactly wrong, but Rain could care less. He was a devil, and the most important thing was maintaining his disguise, especially with such powerful people around. If he let his emotions control him, his head would be rolling within the next second.
However, he had not realized the difference between ranks could be so extreme, and that someone had already suspected his face to be a facade–it was lucky… or perhaps unlucky that that person had other plans.
"Keep up," Eve called out behind her, noticing how Rain was getting slightly distracted.
Today, the imperial mages from the kingdom were at the academy to reset the magic barrier that surrounded the academy. Due to tradition, they would conduct it in front of the eyes of all academy students at the combat training hall so that the students could learn something from it.
And many students would attend because the imperial mages were all the top specialists of their field, elemental mages, barrier masters, formation masters, sorcerers, and on. Each one was at minimum a sixth rank superpower; and the barrier cast over the school was a super-massive quasi-eight rank formation that protected them from all harm.
Eve pulled Rain through the crowds of people, eventually finding them a spot at the front. Due to her noble rank, few contended with her, especially when most people at the academy were only barons or viscounts.
"Water," she commanded with cat-like eyes.
"..." Rain only stared at her for a bit and reluctantly took out a glass of water from his storage necklace.
He couldn't make a scene here. He was still her servant after all.
But he would make sure to get his revenge after the day settled into night.
Anyways, the imperial mages had arrived now. Not a word was said. The students knew better than to cause any trouble. These were the most important people to the Cambrian Empire; no disrespect would be tolerated.
As soon as the sun reached the apex, a circle of mages in the center began to channel their mana into a condensed ball. The mages in the outer circle began to rapidly draw runes faster than most students could see. There were thousands and thousands of them layered, superimposed upon one another until it all wove into one grand tapestry of elements and pure mana-weaving skill.
One mage, dawned in silver robes, upheld the entire casting formation in the center. And after roughly ten minutes of non-stop casting, he sent it all into the sky, bursting into an array of intricate crystalline runes that spread out amongst the sky, forming a light bluish dome that quickly turned invisible.
The students erupted into cheer, and the mages left as quickly and quietly as they came. No words needed to be spoken when the magic spoke for itself.
Wow
The event only inspired Rain to get stronger. He realized that despite his flawless disguise, he was susceptible. If humanity was capable of such a feat, then he feared that his cover had already been exposed, and he was simply being monitored for extra information.
That presence in the library… He started to feel more paranoid but quickly calmed down. There was nothing he could do except get stronger. It was the only way forward.
Rain immediately left for the library after Eve excused him. On his way out, he got some weird looks but that was it.
********
Syme and Myra sat together in a caravan headed for the Alford Dukedom. They couldn't go to the capital because that was the territory of the first saintess candidate of this era. It would only cause more trouble.
It had been quite some time without Rain, and she finally felt free. Freer than usual at least.
After reaching the fourth level, she would undergo rigorous training and treatment from the church in the Alford dukedom that would accelerate her power to the sixth degree within the next three years. Duke Alford had promised to side with the rising saintess candidate as he had some bad blood with the current popular saintess; and this was his only chance to shift the tides.
Additionally, the selection of a new saintess to take on the mantle of power often symbolized a time of chaos. And so it was.
The public knew little, but all high-ranking nobility understood that the Sapphire Abyss had begun to act anomalously in recent years. The creatures ran rampant, often leaving their domain to cause trouble with the sea-side villages. The dark mana too had become much thicker than usual. They were all early signs of another invasions, and they would have to prepare for the worst.
"What's on your mind?" Myra asked Syme, who was staring absentmindedly out of the Caravan window.
"... it's nothing." She was thinking about Rain. Despite his neglect, which he enjoyed, he could never get rid of him. She could still feel wrapped around her soul, and she was just his puppet.
She wished to be free, but deep down, there were other forbidden feelings that she was constantly trying to suppress. Memories of the blood flashed before her eyes, and it wasn't uncommon for her bloodlust to surface briefly, though she caught it every time.
"Try not to think too much. All you have to do is focus on your training."