Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire
Chapter 30: I pick you

Chapter 30: I pick you

There was a full minute of silence as both Professors had a stare contest. No one said a word and Delia’s eyes went back and forth between them, waiting for the tension to break.

And then Cynthia Kragsten looked away and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Well, it was worth a try," she said sounding equal parts bored and equal parts disappointed.

"Can’t fault you for that," Raoul said graciously like she hadn’t mocked his passion twice and tried to take away his student.

Cynthia did a little eye roll and cast her eyes to the side. Of course, she never actually thought it’d work. Even if Raoul had been as much of a muscle-bound moron as she felt he looked, she’d only have been able to stop Delia from taking the class today. It’d all be cleared up by the next class. She knew already it was pointless. But still she came. Still, she tried.

Everyone looked relieved as the tension melted away but Caius looked confused. You see, this hadn’t happened in the original story.

In [To Kill A Demon Lord...], the Kragstens did not agree with Delia becoming a Mage-Knight, but Cynthia never actually went as far as trying to take her sister out of class.

Caius made sure he remembered the events exactly and decided this whole exchange was new to him and he wondered what caused the change.

Cynthia let out a sigh as the Mage-Knight Training students and Professor watched her. They all looked like they were waiting for her to leave so the lecture could continue.

"Mind if I stick around and watch, Professor Raoul?" She asked, taking everyone by surprise. Especially Raoul who looked taken aback and stunned.

There was something almost voyeuristic about how Cynthia said ’watch’ but Raoul quickly shook away any wandering thoughts and gave her an inviting smile.

"We’d be honored to have you."

"Great," Cynthia said and it was clear she didn’t mean it.

Delia frowned at her, suspicious of what her sister was planning now.

Caius just wondered if Cynthia was going to stay standing like that throughout. Don’t get him wrong, he hoped she did. Her beautiful shape would distract him, sure, but it was definitely worth it.

Professor Kragsten answered his wondering thoughts by flicking her wrist to take a comfortable-looking armchair out of her storage ring. It was like she always had it at the ready, in case she had to take a seat impromptu.

Seating herself gently in her chair, Cynthia Kragsten crossed her legs and folded her arms breath her breasts, propping them up—likely unintentionally—so they popped out of the boob window even more than they already did.

Raoul clearing his throat called the students’ attention to him as he tried to continue right where he left off before they were interrupted.

"Right. So various weapons with their various stances and techniques. There is no ’right’ choice. You simply have to pick the one best for you or you can aim to be as versatile as possible and learn them all.

Of course, you could also ignore weapons altogether and go bare-knuckle," he said with a wide grin and a twinkle in his brown eyes as he raised both his fists in front of his face. For a second, Caius was sure he’d kiss them.

"Yes," Professor Raoul said in a proud drawn-out tone, "I respect a man, or woman who can hold their own with just their fists.

It also happens to be what we will be starting with. As far as basics go, it’s a damn good one."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Caius saw Cynthia roll her eyes with disinterest. He could have sworn the motion caused a change in wind flow powerful enough for everyone in class to hear. This was slightly proven when Delia’s frown deepened.

The rest of the class period was spent with Professor Raoul going on and on about the various physical exercises and fitness regimen he was going to have the students undergo to prepare their bodies for the stringent requirements of being a Mage-Knight.

"You have to work those muscles. Mana empowers but the stronger and denser your muscles are, the better the effects of the empowerment. Your body is the foundation. Only when you feel the burn of your exercises are you truly on the path of physical excellence."

He said it all with a kind of gusto that seemed strange for this world. It was like he was trying to sell the class something. It reminded Caius of times in his past life as Kevin when he gave going to the Gym a try and had someone offer him a Protein shake that would solve all of his ’wimpy’ issues while also flexing their muscles to further tempt him.

Hell, Raoul flexed his muscles a few times just like that. It was uncanny.

Unlike that Gym stranger that robbed Caius of a few bucks for something that did jack shit for his muscle mass and just made him sick, Professor Raoul was not selling supplements. The things he said actually made a lot of sense.

The rest of the class agreed and showed it with excited expressions.

Cynthia Kragsten did not and still did the occasional eye roll whenever Raoul said something she considered silly or dumb. Which was many times.

Mage-Knight Training Class was nearing an end with about thirty minutes left when Professor Raoul clapped his hands together so loudly, there was a small wave of wind that flowed from them and resonated.

"Now, I admit we have yet to actually take practical steps in your education but I’d like two students to put on a little display to maybe close out the class on a high, blood-pumping note!"

Delia’s hand shot up faster than anyone else’s. It was up before Professor Raoul was done talking. It was a stark contrast to how passive she had been in Combat Magic class.

Her sister, Cynthia, did not like that. But Professor Raoul did.

"Come on up, Delia," he announced and she was on her feet and on the stage in barely two seconds.

"Who would like to spar with Delia?" Professor Raoul asked.

Hands went up again. Caius kept his hand down though. For one thing, he felt he knew who was going to get called up.

While Cynthia coming into the class to demand for her sister was new, Caius felt things were back to normal and would follow the flow they had followed in [To Kill A Demon Lord...].

Caius saw Aurelius looking as excited as anyone else to join Delia on the stage but then he looked past him at the one sitting by his side; Baler Khione.

Baler didn’t just look excited, he looked determined.

The Khione family that Baler was a part of, was Matriarchal. Not once had a man ever been the head of the family or inherited the Duchy they governed.

Their Unique element was Ice and its existence is so old that it is believed to have been around for as long as the Basic elements and the Elements of Light and Dark. However, the Ice element was unique even among unique elements in the sense that only a woman can ever use it to its true potential. It wasn’t a stereotype. For thousands of years, that had just been the case. No amount of genius could make a male better at manipulating the wintery element of Ice even half as well as a female.

And so, from the moment he was born, Baler was essentially a second-class citizen within his family. He was still a noble and enjoyed the status that came with it, but had to accept that he’d never command any real authority in the family even though his Mother was the current Matriarch/Duchess.

To make matters even worse, Baler had a sister younger than him by over a year who advanced to the Third Circle months before he did.

The only thing that saved him from more embarrassment was the fact that by the time Lochxen was starting a new school year, he had advanced to the Third Circle as well so they were now attending Lochxen as classmates.

This moment—this spar—was the start of Baler’s character arc. He took up Mage-Knight Training just to gain some uniqueness so he could maybe someday not be thrust aside within his own family. He had done a bit of practice before the start of school and was ready to start proving himself...

"Professor, can I pick my sparring partner?" Delia suddenly asked just as Raoul’s finger was starting to point at Baler.

"Oh? Go ahead, dear," the Professor said with an encouraging smile as he folded his large arms.

Delia grinned and her eyes immediately fell on Caius before she pointed at him in challenge,

"I pick you."