Ascension Of The Failed Mage

Chapter 26 Bond Of Friendship [Pt 1]

?Noir looked at the hopeful faces of his three pupils.

He had an indescribable emotion welling up within him, but he kept it in check. The training that went on for 3 months was finally over, and the results were evident.

"Not bad..." Noir decided to look at their Status Windows and view the information.

They had all showed him their Information at the start of the training, but that was the only time he had seen it.

He had held off from checking again himself since they would view it as an invasion of privacy, but he was also curious. And so, to satiate the curiosity that had been growing in him for a while, he secretly checked.

First for Galand;

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Galand Derogarth

Level: 71

Age: 56 Race: Human (Male)

Title: [Mage of the Duke of R'Easton (Daughter's Guard mage)]. [Former member of Imperial Mages (Lower division)]. [War Veteran]. [Survivor]. [Seasoned Mage (Intermediate)]

Class: Priest (Rare)

Elemental Attribute:

~Earth (Basic Element)

~Holy Element (Advanced Element)

[Magic]

Mana Pool: 4,300/15,000

Mana Proficiency: 10,000

Magic Level: Tier 6

[Magic Type]

Enchantment: 3,000

Enhancement: 500

Spell: 5,000

Rune: 1,500

[See More Information]

Noir smiled to himself, he had expected this.

Next was Lorna. He looked at her, activating his [Code], which caused the Window of the young maid to open.

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Lorna Lanperone

Level: 45

Age: 25 Race: Human (Female)

Title: [Servant of the Duke of R'Easton (Daughter's Handmaiden)]. [Member of The Noble Handmaidens]. [Determined Maid]. [Survivor]. [Warrior Maid]. [One with Potential]

Class: Magic Swordsman (Rare)

[Magic]

Mana Pool: 4,100/9,000

Mana Proficiency: 5,000

Magic Level: Tier 3

[Magic Type]

Enchantment: 2,000

Enhancement: 2,000

Spell: 900

Rune: 100

[See More Information]

Noir had to admit, he was impressed by Lorna's improvements. It was simply amazing.

While it was true that Galand was by far the most powerful among the three, she was learning quickly.

She showed great promise, she even had the Title [One With Potential] to boot.

'I wonder how much she can grow...'

Noir looked away from Lorna and looked in Ciara's direction. He was curious about her the most.

'Let's see what you've been up to Ciara.' Noir's thoughts trailed, as a slightly mischievous gleam appeared in his dark eyes.

[STATUS WINDOW]

Name: Ciara de Versacee Dunroe

Level: 25

Age: 15 Race: Human (Female)

Title: [Daughter of the Duke of R'Easton]. [Member of High Nobility]. [Survivor]. [P@$%^&*(!!X]. [Rare Bloodline Wielder (Rarest)]

Class: Undetermined

[Magic]

Mana Pool: 17,000/20,000

Mana Proficiency: 10,000

Magic Level: Tier 3

[Magic Type]

Enchantment: 2,000

Enhancement: 500

Spell: 7,000

Rune: 500

Bloodline Magic: [Affinity] Status: Unawakened

[See More Information]

Noir's jaw nearly dropped at the unbelievable Status information before him.

In terms of level and experience, Ciara was the lowest of the three. But her Mana Pool was far greater. Plus, even her proficiency was the same as Galand who was nearly four times as old as she was, talk-less of being exponentially more experienced.

Noir maintained his calm expression, however, in order not to arouse any suspicion. He still found it strange that Ciara had no Title indicating that she was talented or had potential in any way.

It begged the question of why her growth rate was so high?

'Could it be due to her Rare Bloodline? But it is currently unawakened, so how?' Noir's thoughts were at work.

The Title which had a glitch still bothered him. He couldn't tell what [P@$%^&*(!!X] meant. Then there was the issue of her Bloodline Magic [Affinity].

He knew he had seen it before, but it wasn't possible... was it?

Thoughts and questions kept pouring into Noir's mind at a quick pace, as barely any time had passed since he started analyzing the three.

'Haa...' Noir heaved a sigh.

He decided to give the thoughts a rest and observe her some more.

After all, that was the true intention behind his promise to stay with her longer. He simply didn't have enough information.

Still, the way the three were currently, even though they were much better than their previous selves...

'They're still too... WEAK.'

Noir knew he had told them what they wanted, or rather, needed to hear, and he wasn't entirely wrong.

They had made considerable progress. It just wasn't nearly enough.

He also knew they wanted to fight by his side and assist him in future battles, but he couldn't see such an occasion arising.

They could not even scratch him while he was not using [Null], and was not really serious in their fight.

While it's true that at their current pace, they could eventually become extremely powerful...

'... Every human still has their limits.'

This was the whole rationale that birthed the Homunculus.

No matter the effort, no matter the hard work... Humans possessed limitations.

'They're so different from us.' Noir gazed at the three.

'From the time Homunculi are born, we have transcended the human limit already. We also have more room to grow. How can they hope to compete?'

All of Noir's enemies were on a whole different league from humans, especially budding ones like Ciara and Lorna.

Even Noir in his current state couldn't manage to kill one, if he tried. Ciara, Galand, and Lorna could not also manage to kill him no matter how hard they tried.

The gap was too much, but still...

"... Their dedication, their efforts, their hope; seeing them like this makes me want to make them achieve the impossible and surpass their limits." Noir gave a soft smile.

At this point, Ciara, Lorna, and Galand looked to Noir and rushed to him.

"So what now Sir Noir?" Lorna managed to speak before the rest could.

"We rest," Noir answered calmly.

The three looked at him with surprise. They were most certainly not expecting it.

"Tomorrow is Ciara's first day of school, correct?" He added.

"Ah. That's true," Galand murmured.

"Oh yeah, I totally lost track of time," Ciara answered too, albeit hesitantly.

"Then it's settled. Let's return to the Lodge." Noir stated.

"Leave it to me guys! Tonight we're going to have a feast to celebrate Ciara's last day of freedom!" Lorna declared with an energetic smile.

"I'm going to prepare meals you've never even dreamt of before!"

Frankly speaking, her passion frightened the rest... just a bit, though.

"Just don't overdo it." Galand laughed awkwardly, and the rest joined him.

"You guys..." Lorna pouted, trying to feign annoyance.

This made everyone laugh even more.

Noir noticed Ciara looked a bit uncomfortable, but he didn't want to raise the issue.

He had also noticed quite a few changes in the personalities and relationship among and between his three students—especially after their 3 months of training.

Lorna had become more casual around them, Galand had become more cheery, and Ciara had become more social.

The way they interacted was almost as though they were equals—except for a few honorifics here and there.

Noir could also notice changes in himself.

He found himself smiling more often, which Ciara never failed to point out to him.

He could also feel other emotions that he had alienated himself from, and for good reason.

After considering these things, Noir could only think of one thing.

'This has to stop!'