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n?Archer listened to the beautiful witch who would be his woman in the future but didn’t know it yet. When Ella saw the look in his violet eyes, she nudged him with a smile. ”Stop looking at the headmistress like she’s your prey Arch. That will scare her away.”

nHe grinned at the half-elf, who rolled her eyes with a smile. The two turned back to Ophelia, who continued to talk. She raised a stern finger, emphasizing her point. “Respect for each other, respect for our fellow competitors from other institutions. We are not here to merely dazzle with displays of power. We are here to inspire, uplift, and set an example for the entire magical community on Pluoria.”

nThe students listened intently, a hushed silence falling over the gathering.

n“As you showcase your skills, remember that your actions reflect not only on yourselves but the College of Magic as a whole.”

nA hint of a smile softened the stern expression on Ophelia’s face. “But don’t let this call for respect dull your spirit. Be bold, be creative, and let your magic show them what you can do. Show the continent what it means to be a student of the College of Magic. But, above all, do so with the grace and dignity that befit mages.”

nNow filled with a renewed sense of purpose, the students nodded in agreement. Ophelia said, “Now, my students, we will be boarding the mana ships soon, and the trip to the Oakheart Kingdom will take a week due to the weather. Now prepare and say your goodbyes.”

nAfter delivering her speech, she strolled toward a mana ship designated for the College of Magic. Archer noticed Sera, who was excited, and exclaimed, “Just look at the sheer size, my love. It surpasses even your dragon form.” He nodded with a smile before speaking. ”Of course, it is. The empire built them for long-haul travel. But I don’t understand why reaching the Oakheart Kingdom that’s further north would take a week.”

n”Well, the weather is getting bad as Frostwinter is ending. So the imperial army decided to travel around the storm and along the coast.” Leira commented, surprised by the two dragons.

nArcher shifted his attention to find the cat girl and Hemera standing quietly while the rest were chatting. However, Ella interjected with a curious question, “Why opt for a boat to the central continent? Wouldn’t flying be safer?”

nBefore Leira could respond, Teuila appeared and explained with a smile. “Sailing is safer than flying, especially considering the unexpected storms that appear over the seas. The ships are equipped with runes that conceal them from the colossal beasts lurking beneath the waves but the mana ships will be vulnerable.”

nThey started chatting for a little longer until Professors Ashguard and Silvercrest approached them, followed by a group of students. When the bear woman got close, she smiled at Archer and the girls.

nArcher and the girls greeted her back. Professor Ashguard nodded before speaking. ”Follow me, students. I will show you to your rooms.”

nEveryone agreed with a nod and started following her. Professor Silvercrest fell in with Archer and grinned at him. He saw this and, with a raised eyebrow, asked. ”What are you grinning out?”

nThe older woman commented. ”I put a lot of gold on you, boy. So you better win.”

nWhen Archer heard this, he grinned before examining the woman. Her fluffy green jaguar ears twitched as her long tail swayed behind her. She was built like a warrior and had a sword on her waist while wearing robes like the other Professor but looked tailored to combat, unlike Jades.

nHe nodded with a confident smile. ”I will win, no doubt, so it’s easy gold.”

nThe Professor beamed. ”Even better. Your confidence is refreshing, Archer. Most students seem to be nervous.”

n”They would be. Not many my age have been through what I have, but all they can do is try Gianna.” .

nProfessor Silvercreast giggled before correcting him. ”It’s Professor to you, boy. Don’t try to be sneaky.”

n”Okay.” He replied with a smirk.

nThe bear woman turned around with a fed up, and called the jaguar woman over. Gianna smiled before joining her, causing the girls behind Archer. Nefertiti commented with a jealous tone. ”Can’t help yourself, can you? Why must you flirt with everyone?”

n”Shhhh Nefi. There was no flirting here.” Archer said in an innocent voice.

nThe pink-haired succubus gazed at him briefly before stepping forward and linking arms. Archer shrugged and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, which pleased her immensely.

nAfter that, he heard a cough and turned to see nine pairs of envious eyes staring at him. Archer freed himself from Nefertiti and kissed each girl, causing Lioran and Cian to laugh.

nThe two boys stopped talking to their girls and walked over to him. Lioran commented with a grin. ”I feel for you, brother. It must be difficult to keep up with ten different girls to please.”

nArcher was about to answer but saw Cian’s curious look, which caused Home to ask the orange-haired boy. ”What’s on your mind?”

nCian was about to reply, but they all stopped walking when Professor Ashguard interrupted them. ”Wait here, students. The staff are still preparing the manaship. So be patient.”

nArcher didn’t care about waiting and was about to ask the Avaloch Prince, but Leira spoke up from behind him before he could. ”Darling. Have you ever been inside a manaship?”

nHe looked at the cat girl and shook his head. Leira glanced at the others, and they all gave the same answer except for Llyniel and Halime.

nWhen everyone noticed, they looked at the two, making them feel embarrassed and awkward. But Hemera broke the silence. ”I’ve seen them fly over the empire while heading south a few years ago.”

n”My sisters and I also saw them in the west. The emperor has traveled to the Lionheart kingdom to visit my parents.” Nala was the next to talk.

nNefertiti added her own experience with them. ”I’ve only ever seen the ones flying over the capital when we arrived. I didn’t know what they were at first.”

n”Yeah, Duke Ashguard has used one, but it was much smaller than these,” Ella was the next to talk.

nLeira nodded before explaining. ”Yes, the four Dukes have smaller versions of these, but Father decided that if he needed to transport a large number of citizens, soldiers, and mages, he would need something bigger, so the Imperial Air Core came up with these.”

nArcher accepted the cat girl’s explanation with a nod of understanding. Following that, he turned to Cian and inquired about his earlier interest. ”What got you so interested before?”

nThe orange-haired boy shook his head and answered with a chuckle. ”I was just curious how you balance your time with each girl. I find it hard with only Cassie.”

n”Well, it’s hard, but I somehow manage it, and none of the girls are unhappy about it, so there’s that,” Archer answered honestly.

nAfter answering his question, everyone went about chatting among themselves.

nMaeve, Aurelia, and his girls started chatting again while Cian and Lioran discussed improving their sword skills. Archer wasn’t interested in swords, so he turned his attention to their surroundings.

nHe stood at the edge of the field, his eyes widening as he saw the breathtaking sight. Dozens of colossal mana ships, their sleek surfaces gleaming in the soft light of the setting sun, were lined up in perfect formation.

nThe ground beneath his feet was solid and ice-free, unlike the road leading to the shipyard. Archer soon felt the cold breeze sweep through his white hair as he took in the size of the many ships. 𝘪𝑎.𝘤𝑜𝘮

nEach towered into the sky, adorned with detailed runes that shimmered with an ethereal glow. The air hummed with the mana radiating from the ships.

nWhen Archer saw them, he was reminded of blimps on Earth, but instead of a massive balloon, it was much smaller and was filled with mana instead of air.

nBut its cabin was big and only showed the cockpit with a dozen people rushing inside. It was made from metal and had what looked like thrusters on the bottom. He noticed some balconies dotting the outside and wondered if they led to their bedrooms.

nAs he examined the ship, Professor Silvercrest approached from behind. ”They are amazing to travel in. The only time you feel the weather is if it’s really bad, but even then, everyone will be safe.”

nArcher turned to the green-haired jaguar woman before answering. ”How would it fit all of us?”

n”Space magic. The Air Core decided it would be wise to use it on the ships and created the inside to accommodate the incoming tournaments. It took weeks of work, but the imperial engineers managed it.”

n”Why would the emperor waste so much gold? He should charge people to travel.” Archer remarked while looking at the manaship.

nIf there are any mistakes, point them out, and I’ll edit it. Thanks

n𝘪𝘳.𝒸𝑜𝑚

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