"what do you mean?""I mean this isn"t the first time I have been summoned like this, I was also summoned when I was a student at the academy myself, at that point in time Destra was a vessel of the old empire and the old empire was expanding its reach in the north... in that period I spent more time on the battlefield then in the academy"
"...I see"
"um... teacher?"
"what is it Lily?"
"...are we going to a battlefield?"
the vice princ.i.p.al gave a sigh and patted Lily on the head
"I"m afraid so... but don"t worry we all will do our best to protect you"
"that"s right sis, don"t worry we will be fine"
"...okay if you say so"
Lily showed a small smile feeling a little better now that she had been rea.s.sured by her brother and teacher, Mars ignored the whole exchange as he was occupied with something else and sat down on a couch and closed his eyes
"what"s this feeling..."
he kept having a nagging feeling that something was about to happen, something bad
"maybe I should wear my armor..? let"s do that"
Mars"s eyes snapped opened before he grabbed his backpack and pulled out his armor before he began putting it on
"Mars..?"
"yeah?"
"what are you doing?"
"putting on my armor"
"...why?"
Mars looked over at the vice princ.i.p.al before he plainly said
"I have a bad feeling, don"t mind me"
"...okay"
Mars kept putting on his armor under the stares of his cla.s.smates and soon he was fully clad in armor, out of fear that the couch would give under the weight of his armor Mars leaned against a nearby wall as he waited, soon Karen stood up form the couch and walked over to Mars before she leaned in and whispered
"can you feel it too?"
"...it?"
"the odd in the air is restless"
Mars felt the odd for a moment before he gave a nod
"yeah and the course of the disturbance is moving around too"
Karen nodded before she concluded
"it must be a powerful mage"
"yeah and he feels like he"s p.i.s.sed off too"
Karen gave another nod
"I"ll go tell the teacher"
"okay"
Mars followed Karen with his eyes as she walked over to the vice princ.i.p.al before he closed his eyes again and focused on the odd around him
"...this is amazing most of the odd in the castle seems to be pulled towards one person, like it"s bowing down to it"s master... I might need to use my [Energy: discharge] if it comes to a fight..."
as Mars mentally prepared to unveil his real ident.i.ty he picked up a pair of footsteps that moved towards the room he was currently in
"...nope no dice, this is not the powerful mage"
Mars opened his eyes and looked at the vice princ.i.p.al and said
"someone"s coming"
"you sure Mars?"
"yeah I"m sure 2 people, one armed and armored but he"s not the rude knight form earlier"
"okay"
the vice princ.i.p.al gave a nod and straightened up a little and sure enough within a few seconds there was a knock on the door before it was opened by a man in full plate mail much like the rude knight form earlier, the person that followed was wearing a butler"s uniform but seemed to be of higher status then the knight and spoke to the group with a clear tone
"please follow after me dear guests"
after the butler finished talking the group got on their feet and followed after him out of the room and though the complex hallways until they reached another room that looked like a changing room, there was also several maid standing ready there
"now please allow us to help you get dressed more... presentable"
the maids stepped forwards and each dragged a person into a changing room, this of cause included Mars that also was lead into a changing room by a beautiful maid
"I don"t care what you do just don"t touch the armor and my sword then we"ll be fine"
the maid gave a nod
"understood, then let"s start with your hair..."
Mars spent the next 30 minutes being groomed by the maid before he finally stepped out of the changing room and found it empty except for Victoria and the butler that stood the same place he did when Mars entered the changing room, Mars ignored the butler and walked over and leaned against a wall as he closed his eyes again to feel the odd in the castle
"he"s moving... and he"s still not happy"
the reason Mars focused so much on this powerful mage was that he felt that this mortal might be able to kill him and not just once or twice but kill him completely
"maybe i should just take Victoria and leave..? nah that would put the others in a bad spot..."
"Mars?"
Mars opened his eyes again and saw the others, Chris and Lee where now dressed in tuxedos while the girls wear dress in pretty dresses, Mars looked at Karen that had called out to him
"what is it?"
"...are you not going to wear a tux?"
"nah, I will wear my armor until I know who the powerful angry mage is and if he want to harm us"
"...good point"
Mars looked at Karen and her navy blue beautiful dress
"you look good by the way"
"thanks"
Karen gave a smile but didn"t look all that pleased wearing a dress, she looked like she wanted to tear off the dress this very moment and wear her usual robe, she also walked kind of weirdly in it
"well that"s none of my businesses"
Mars looked away form Karen and focused on the other students, expert for Karen they all looked rather happy being dressed up including the vice princ.i.p.al that chatted with the maids in a low voice
"everyone if I may have your attention for a moment... good, the audience will happen in a few moments so I need you all to hand over any and all weapons you carry"
Mars narrowed his eyes slightly but still unfastened his sheath and handed it with the sword still sheathed to a nearby maid, Mars was the only one that carried a weapon so the whole process was over fast
"now then please follow after me"
the group followed after the butler and was lead though the castle"s hallways until they arrived at a door on the 3rd floor
"please enter"
the vice princ.i.p.al took the lead and opened the door and walked into the room, Mars followed after her and found the room was a office with a middle-aged man with graying hair sat behind a study looking desk, when he saw the vice princ.i.p.al he gave a smile and stood up from his chair and welcomed her
"Moira, I"m glad you"re finally here"
the vice princ.i.p.al gave a slight smile
"h.e.l.lo Dan, I thought his majesty was the one that was welcoming us?"
Dan gave a sightly defeated smile as he sat down behind his desk again and gestured to a couch that the group should sit down
"his majesty is entertaining foreign guests at the moment"
"I see, then what do we owe the summoning to?"
Dan rubbed his temples for a while before he answered
"it"s the empire that requests mages this time, so I"m afraid I don"t know much other then it isn"t people your going to be fighting"
"come on now Dan, surely the prime minister of Destra knows more than that"
Dan gave a sigh and opened a drawer and took out a small mana stone and laid it on the desk
"okay then, what"s the mana stone for?"
"it"s what your going to be fighting"
"your not kidding... right?"
"no I"m afraid not Moira, the mana stone mine in the southern part of the empire has started a rebellion and as we are speaking is eating away at the empires first and second army, as the magic armor battalions are in the north stabilizing the empires new vessels the empires army is lacking mages and has therefore call on us"
"...you still didn"t say what we"re going to be fighting"
Dan gave another sigh
"golems and undead"
"golems? and... undead?"
Dan gave a smile at Moira"s confusion
"yes I know, but technically the undead are also golems at least that what our spies are saying"
"okay... then how long are we expected to fight?"
"until the mine has been retaken I"m afraid"
"...then what about transport? you surely don"t mean for us to walk again do---"
as the vice princ.i.p.al confirmed the details with the prime minister of Destra Mars focused on the odd in the air and noticed something
"he"s... coming this way?"
Mars ignored what there was going on in the room and focused his ears on the hallway outside and soon picked up some voices
"but dad they don"t know anything why don"t we search ourselves?"
"no we need to let then managed this as we"re lucky enough that they accepted without knowing the details"
"ugh... let"s just hope Dan has something good for us"
Mars suddenly stood up form the couch and faced the door, shocking the others in the room
"Mars what"s wrong?"
Mars ignored the vice princ.i.p.al and transformed his hands into claws
"what"s happening with him Moira?"
"I don"t know"
soon the footsteps stopped outside the room and a knock sounded out in the room before the door was opened and 2 people walked in, or more precisely 2 elveres walked in
"no way... Mars is that you!?"