23:

  Lucan slotted the key he had received from a startled Alistair into the corresponding keyhole, after confirming that the room he was standing before matched the number engraved on the key.

  B-403 was his new room number, with the B presumably standing for “The Belvedere”, the leading four being the floor number he was on and room number three being the one of eight that was assigned to him.

  A satisfying click sounded out as the door was unlocked and Lucan did not hesitate to turn the handle and stumble inside, slamming shut the door behind him. As his heart hammered in his chest and his wrist throbbed like he had broken it, Lucan’s legs just kept working long enough for him to walk over to the side of his four-poster, king-sized bed that, despite its significant width, did not make what was a veritable suite feel cramped in the slightest.

  Then he crashed onto it, the strength in his body leaving him as he wondered just how in the hell had his first day in the Imperial Academy begun like this. Even the fine silk that cushioned his fall did little to ease his concerns. He had passed by a kitchenette to his left and a living space that had a plush sofa set, a small table that had a large bowl full of washed fruit stacked upon it that he had gone through and there appeared to be a bathroom door in his room itself, along with a study table.

  Somehow he doubted that the commoners had accommodation that matched up to Lucan’s, but that was hardly a matter he could concern himself with.

  “He left me no damn choice,” Lucan grumbled under his breath. “I was going to be ostracized no matter what I did, so that’s fine, but he’s gone and given me an even tighter timeline than I had before. My stunt might deter them for a few weeks, mostly because they’re teenagers, but anyone seriously out to win the favor of the duchess is going to come prepared the next time,” He continued his rant, if only because he was certain that he wasn’t going to catch a noble mage, even if it was an apprentice one, off-guard the next time.

  I need the strength to defend myself and I need it now, Lucan thought. Silvas Anderle, the first son of Duke Sigismund Anderle, the only Ducal family whose first ancestor had cast aside the path of the mage and decreed that his descendants must become distinguished knights if they are to claim the mantle of Duke, was obsessed with his training when he came to the Imperial Academy and with a background like that, it was no wonder why. Unlike Mages, Knights were frontline fighters that risked their lives in every battle they fought and the Anderle Duchy had the greatest concentration of trained knights in the entire kingdom. To be expected to lead those monsters in battle, well, I certainly couldn’t do it, He admitted.

  But there were a few things about the academy that even Silvas Anderle, a man who matched Lucan in status, but completely dwarfed him in expectations and potential. While nothing was expected of Lucan, a bastard who had chanced upon the position of heir, in juxtaposition, Silvas Anderle was a true heir of his father's duchy and with it came the crushing weight of expectation, from the knights under his banner whose morale would eventually be influenced by Silvas’ skill and performance, from the citizens under his rule that looked up to him to deliver victory and to even other nobles, who wanted to see an Anderle fail so they could mock and jibe at what many of them considered an inferior path- they were so different that it was hard to not see it as the punchline of a cruel joke by the fates. Still, it also meant that anything Silvas considered important or noteworthy was actually worthy of that consideration, which was a gift that Lucan would not squander.

  Stolen story; please report.

  The people Silvas found interesting would be introduced to Lucan regardless of whether he wished it or not, so for now, he focused his attention upon the Twilight Exchange. Even Silvas Anderle needed weapons and resources, especially since House Anderle had cut him off everything besides the essentials during his time in the academy and up until he first stepped on a true battlefield.

  House Anderle believed that a knight must be austere and resourceful and their overall philosophy was one of militaristic pragmatism. While Silvas Anderle was the first and only son of Duke Sigismund right now, seven years later that changed and if the second son were to display greater capability than Silvas, he would lose the designation of heir despite being first born.

  That and the fact that resources suitable for Aura Knights were largely underlooked and underpriced when most wealthy students of the academy were nobles and nobles were almost always mages.

  The Twilight Exchange was one of the secrets of the Imperial Academy, yet its very existence was paradoxical when one considered how extensively monitored Thesali was and how restricted entry was to the city. Which was why Silvas Anderle and a good deal of other Nobles believed that the Twilight Exchange was the work of the fourth prince, who was known for his fondness of intelligence gathering and espionage work.

  Beyond the gambling dens where bets could be placed on any official duel in the academy and the bar where all manner of strong liquor could be served in floutance of the city’s rules, there lay Thesali’s greatest black market— an exchange where a select number of students could auction and buy resources that ranged from artifacts from a noble’s family vault to a funny shaped rock a student stumbled upon that had traces of magic on it.

  The only problem was that the only way to get an invite to the black market was to ask someone who already possessed one. It could be bought from them, traded, convinced or even begged off them, but it could not be stolen or taken away from them under duress.

  Given that the most likely social strata of people that would possess Twilight Exchange Tokens were nobles and the fact that Lucan had just knocked the fuck out of the son of a Marquis…. it was pretty unlikely they would give him one.

  Hey, where there’s a will, there’s a way, Lucan decided. Time to meditate.

  An hour later, when Lucan had barely scratched fifteen or so minutes of detailed interactions between Silvas and a member of the Twilight Exchange back when he was probing about it’s existence, a loud knock snapped him out of his reverie.

  “What?” Lucan snapped, his voice coming out as an annoyed yell.

  “Sir Lucan, I am sorry to interrupt you,” Alastair’s voice came from the other side. “But there is a commoner woman who claims to be your mentor for this semester. She wishes to speak to you.”

  “Mentor? I haven’t heard anything about it,” Lucan called out even as he walked over to the door and opened it.

  “The mentorship program is not unheard of, Sir Lucan,” Alastair replied, his tone less sure than usual as he came face to face with an annoyed Lucan. “It is a legitimate service offered by the Imperial Academy.”

  “Who is this mentor? Did she tell you her name?” Lucan asked, too suspicious about the timing of this convenient mentor given how the events of the day had transpired.

  “Second Year Valedictorian, Journeyman Mage, Cynthia Vex, is how she introduced herself.”

  Lucan shut the door on the butler’s face with a loud bang.

  Taking a dozen deep breaths to compose himself, he slowly opened it, before apologizing to the butler who’s face had gone a shade paler, “Sorry. I er, confused her for someone else. My mistake. Please lead the way.”

  It can’t be her right?

  Right???

  rate/and/or , it would mean the world to me. The competition is intense and I'm trying my hardest to get these chapters to you as fast as I can.