News of the legendary god-tier Spirits—the Three Sacred Beasts—appearing at Saint Fusion Academy, and of Headmaster Crowley Aleister Bredt defeating them before the eyes of countless teachers and students that very same day, spread rapidly that evening.
In an instant, the academy, already one of the most renowned Duelist institutions in the world, once again became the center of global attention.
And the Headmaster himself, Crowley Aleister Bredt, the legendary former member of the Three Sages, became a hot topic among nobles and commoners alike, as people once again discussed the remarkable life of this extraordinary man.
Everyone in the Bredt Kingdom took pride in having such a powerful figure among them. Many of the current elites of the kingdom were, in fact, former students of this old man, and that made the kingdom's upper class all the prouder of their nation's strength.
Meanwhile, a faction of nobles loyal to the First Prince, led by one of the three Grand Dukes, Duke Sean Babar, immediately made a massive donation of gold to Saint Fusion Academy. In Duke Babar's own words:
"Though the academy already receives royal funding, as a father, I can only express my gratitude to Headmaster Crowley and the academy for protecting my son during the disaster through this small token of appreciation."
Thus, Duke Sean Babar donated an incredible sum of two hundred thousand gold coins in one go. His son, Ores Babar, a third-year student ranked second in the academy, had indeed been slightly injured during the incident.
Still, to donate such an enormous amount over a minor wound... one could only say that the Babar family must truly be wealthy.
Seeing their faction leader act so generously, the other nobles aligned with the First Prince—who hadn't played much of a visible role during the Three Sacred Beasts incident—quickly followed suit, donating various resources to the academy to display their gratitude and generosity to its teachers and students.
That was the reaction within the Bredt Kingdom.
Elsewhere, the other two continents' governments were less focused on the Sacred Beasts themselves than on the astounding fact that Aleister, even at his advanced age, had personally defeated them.
After all, if one counted carefully, this old man was over 150 years old… and yet he had still single-handedly subdued beings said to rival the Egyptian Gods, and seemingly without much effort. The leaders of the other continents could only marvel at his strength.
As for Alicia, another key figure in the event, a few people did notice that she was the one who had first detected the Sacred Beasts' presence.
Even so, because of her status as a Nameless One, even those who took notice in no time forgot about her.
Albeit, the royal family did not forget. Aleister had publicly declared that he would report Alicia's contribution to the King and see that she was rewarded. And no one in the royal family dared disregard the words of their great-grandfather-level elder, the second-strongest man on the continent.
Therefore, the very next day, even without Aleister's prompting, a royal envoy arrived to deliver a large sum of gold and several extremely rare HERO-series cards to Alicia.
When the girl received the crystal card loaded with ten thousand gold coins, her hands trembled uncontrollably.
As for the five rare HERO cards, she nearly forgot they existed… if not for Yuui's reminder, she might have spent the day daydreaming about a delicious, luxurious future instead.
Of course, that was the next day. At this very moment, Alicia sat restlessly in the Headmaster's office.
Clack!
A steaming cup of coffee was placed before her. But the one who served it made Alicia's eyes go wide.
It was a small, fox-like creature with black and white fur and large floppy ears. Using those same ears, it gently poured coffee into cups for both Aleister and Alicia.
Noticing her stare, the creature turned its head toward her and asked, "Is there something on my face?"
"It talked!!" Alicia yelped, jumping from her seat, while Yuui beside her covered his face in embarrassment.
"That's a Spirit! What are you scared of?!"
"Ehh!!!∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ That's a Spirit?!" Alicia was shocked… this was her first time seeing a Spirit physically manifest outside a Duel.
Normally, Spirits existed only as semi-transparent projections accompanying their Duelists, invisible to others unless summoned during a Duel. Only individuals with great magical power, or those born with special sight, could see them otherwise.
"Heh, this is one of my Spirits—Magistus Chorozo," Aleister said with a small smile, amused by her reaction.
"Chorozo... what a cool name!" Alicia blurted out without thinking.
Hearing that, Chorozo's mouth curled into a pleased grin, and his fluffy tail swayed back and forth. "Heh, old man, this student of yours has good taste!"
Aleister chuckled. "Naturally. She's a student of Saint Fusion Academy, after all."
Watching their friendly exchange, Alicia's curiosity sparked. "Headmaster, how can I make my Spirit manifest outside of a Duel too?"
"Oh?" Aleister set down his coffee and studied her carefully before replying. "There are two ways. The first is to raise your magical power to the level of an Archmagus. From what I sense, Miss Alicia, your current magic level should be around that of a Magician, correct?"
Alicia nodded.
Titles such as Magician and Archmagus were used to classify a Duelist's magical power. From lowest to highest, the ranks were: Apprentice, Magician, Great Magician, Magus, Archmagus, Sage, and Great Sage—seven levels in total.
Generally, anyone born in this world would naturally reach the level of Apprentice by the age of thirteen or fourteen. At that level, one could only use small amounts of innate magic to operate basic magical tools—hardly enough to cause harm.
Reaching the level of Magician, however, meant a person could use their Duel Bracelet to physically manifest weaker Spirits or cast simple spells for offense, such as the Spell Card Hinotama (Fireball).
To achieve that before turning fourteen usually required both wealth and training, a family capable of hiring a skilled Magus for systematic instruction, plus the aid of a Spirit companion.
Otherwise, for an ordinary person, their natural magical growth throughout life would at best reach the Magician level: the minimum power needed to use a Duel Bracelet.
For this reason, the admission standards of Saint Fusion Academy were so strict.
Regardless, for those who could enter, aside from the privileged few… it meant they were true prodigies.
...
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