Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner Chapter 250: Two Fronts

The second training session progressed more favorably than the first.

Selene guided Aegis through fundamental divine exercises that involved drawing light into her palms, sustaining it, shaping it into a small orb, and then allowing it to dissipate. These were basic, foundational techniques, the kind a novice priest would learn within their initial month at any seminary.

Aegis executed every step flawlessly.

While not entirely perfect—the light would occasionally flicker, and the orb would waver if held for too long—the energy responded to her call and did not reject her. Aegis could sense Selene's recalibration with each successful repetition, her serene, pleasant demeanor subtly shifting as the observed results deviated from her initial hypothesis.

"Your control is indeed improving," Selene commented, observing Aegis maintain a stable orb for a full ten seconds before it naturally faded.

"I am a quick study."

"You are." Selene paused thoughtfully for a moment before inquiring, "May I ask you a question, Mrs. Starcaller?"

"Aegis is fine. And certainly."

"Now that I have witnessed your skill with divine magic, I find myself curious... What prompted you to study shadow magic initially?"

[Ah. So that's the real query she's been holding back since we first met.]

Aegis allowed the light to recede from her palms and lowered her hands. She inhaled, and in her voice, she adopted a softer tone.

"Are you aware of the assassination attempt at the Autumn Gala? During your first year?"

Selene responded with a shake of her head.

"No."

"Indeed. How could you be? Allow me to elaborate. On that particular day, Talia Stone was assaulted by an assailant wielding shadow magic... and I was the one who intervened."

Selene's eyebrows arched in surprise.

"I happened to be present when the incident occurred. Right place, right time, however one might interpret it. I spotted the assassin before anyone else and managed to stop them. Talia and I mutually decided to maintain secrecy regarding the event to prevent widespread panic, as, well, you understand. An attempt on the life of the academy's heiress during its most significant social gathering is hardly the sort of news one desires to see splashed across headlines."

Aegis gazed down at her hands.

"Following that incident, I could not cease contemplating how dire the situation had been. How mere seconds, or a different position within the room, could have resulted in Talia's demise. It became apparent that my current abilities were insufficient to protect her, or anyone else. My combat capabilities were negligible. My magic was rudimentary. I required an advantage."

She looked up, meeting Selene's gaze.

"Consequently, I commenced my study of shadow magic. Not out of personal desire. Because the Umbral Blade employs this discipline, and I reasoned that the most effective method to confront an adversary is to comprehend their methods. Fighting fire with fire. Or, perhaps more accurately, fighting shadow with shadow."

Selene remained silent, her blue eyes intently scrutinizing Aegis's face for an extended period.

"That is... a more plausible explanation than I had anticipated," Selene remarked.

"I am aware of how it appears. Believe me. 'A commoner delving into forbidden arts' is not a narrative that typically suggests noble intentions. However, my pursuit of it was not driven by a craving for power. It was motivated by the desire to prevent experiencing such powerlessness again after witnessing an attempt on the life of someone I cared for."

[Alright, perhaps that last statement was a tad more theatrical than strictly necessary. But it seems to be effective.]

Selene uncrossed her arms. She regarded Aegis for another moment before nodding slowly, once.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Selene stated. "While I cannot say it alters my assigned task, I do value your candor."

"That is all I can reasonably request."

[+30 affection]

[Favorability: ❤️❤️🤍🤍🤍]

[Two hearts? After just one conversation?]

Aegis maintained a neutral expression as the in-game notification faded from her vision, though inwardly, she was beaming.

[She was inclined to believe me. She simply needed a justifiable reason.]

---

The library offered a tranquil environment in the late afternoon. The majority of students had departed after their final classes for the day, leaving the study alcoves largely unoccupied. Aegis selected one near the rear, spread her notes across the table, and commenced her wait.

Her wait was brief.

Sylceris rounded the corner, a pile of books tucked under one arm and making her way towards the adjacent alcove. She halted upon spotting Aegis.

"Oh," Aegis said, looking up. "Hello."

Sylceris paused for a fleeting moment before proceeding to sit opposite her.

[Precisely as anticipated.]

Aegis had been observing Sylceris's library visits for the past three days. Her routine was consistent: arriving around this time, always choosing the rear alcoves, and invariably studying alone. Aegis's strategy was simple: arrive ahead of her and engineer a seemingly coincidental encounter.

They settled into a period of silent study. Aegis applied herself to Valemont's latest assignment concerning trade policy, occasionally jotting down notes, and sometimes letting out a sigh. Typical student activities. After approximately ten minutes, she placed her pen down and stretched.

"May I inquire about something?" Aegis asked.

Sylceris looked up from her book.

"It depends."

"This trade policy assignment. Valemont’s got us analyzing tariff structures between noble houses and how they impact commerce. But all of the case studies she’s using are from the noble perspective. Tariffs that benefit noble trade routes, taxes that protect noble interests. There’s not a single example of how these policies affect commoner merchants."

Sylceris stared at her.

"And?"

"And it’s bullshit." Aegis leaned back. "I mean, I get it. The curriculum was designed by nobles for nobles. But half the students in this academy are here on scholarship, and none of them are going to inherit a trade route. They’re going to be the ones getting taxed, not the ones setting the rates."

"... You’re surprised by this?"

"No. I’m annoyed by it. There’s a difference."

Sylceris set her own book down. She was looking at Aegis differently now, her dark eyes focused, her posture shifting forward.

"You know what I noticed when I got here?" Sylceris said. "The dining hall. There’s a section near the windows where nobles sit. Better chairs, better food, better view. And then there’s the section near the kitchens where scholarship students eat. Same dining hall, completely different experience. Nobody talks about it. Nobody even acknowledges it. It just is."

"I noticed that on my first day," Aegis said. "Pissed me off then. Still pisses me off now."

"But you married into it."

"I married into it because that’s how you change things. You don’t fix a broken system by standing outside and yelling at the walls. You get inside, you figure out where the load-bearing beams are, and then you decide which ones to knock out."

[Careful. Don’t push it. Let her draw her own conclusions.]

Sylceris was quiet for a long moment. She picked up her pen, twirled it between her fingers, set it down again.

"You’re different from what I expected," she said.

"How so?"

"Most commoners who make it into the nobility forget where they came from. You haven’t."

"Hard to forget when you grew up on a farm."

Again, she got a certain pop-up.

[+15 affection]

[Favorability: ❤️❤️🤍🤍🤍]

[There we go.]

They went back to studying. Aegis didn’t push further. She just sat there, working on her assignment, occasionally asking Sylceris’s opinion on a question, and Sylceris answered every time.

Aegis was walking back to her quarters when Kai’Lin fell into step beside her.

It was casual, natural, like they just happened to be heading in the same direction. Kai’Lin didn’t look at her. She just matched her stride and, without breaking step, pressed a small folded note into Aegis’s palm.

Then she peeled off down a side corridor and was gone.

Aegis kept walking. She didn’t look at the note until she was inside her room with the door closed. She unfolded it.

Two words, in Kai’Lin’s sharp handwriting: