Sword Saint's Reincarnation
Book 2 Chapter 35: Professions

Rylan got back to his seat and leaned forward with interest.

Finally.

Professions were something he still hadn’t bothered to go after in this life. There were three main reasons for this. First, there had been simply no time. Between needing to deal with Evenon, the mad training that followed to get rid of his previous Trait, and the need to go through the tournament, he hadn’t had a window to properly learn about this world’s Professions.

Well, I also chose to prioritize other things.

Second, it was only obvious that this life’s Professions would be far too different compared to his past life’s. In a world without Aura and that functioned solely on magic, the possibilities were entirely different. Even though he had found a way to make mana mimic Aura, he hadn’t seen anyone else even attempt it. As such, the Professions would be based on concepts that differed from his knowledge.

Lastly, it was something that he and his father had agreed upon. The Flameheart family’s library was too lacking, even though Gerard himself was a capable Mage. To avoid making Rylan invest his time in effort into something that could end up being flawed, the two of them had decided to wait for the Academy’s lectures.

It’s better to learn about them in a place like this.

The professor kept his smile as the students went back to their seats. After a short while, they finished organizing themselves.

“Welcome, freshmen. My name is Ivan, and I’m the professor responsible for the Introduction to Professions discipline,” the blue-haired man said as he scanned the rows of students. “The purpose of this discipline is to present to you all the possible Professions you can choose to pursue and clarify a few things about your chosen Profession if you have already decided on one.”

Rylan nodded to himself. It seemed like the first disciplines that the students would study would be the ones focused on helping them develop the more fundamental aspects of being a Mage. It was a good plan.

“Once you’ve chosen a Profession, you will go through a simple exam that will address the basic theory related to that Profession,” Ivan continued. Many of the students winced, making him laugh. “Don’t worry, the exams aren’t difficult. With that settled, and if you’ve gotten an adequate grade, you may enroll in a discipline that focuses solely on the Profession you picked, such as Basic Alchemy or Enchanting Fundamentals.”

Rylan grinned. The exams, regardless of their difficulty, ensured that the students would at least study the content related to the Profession they wanted. Apart from that, the professor’s words had revealed two possible Professions of this world. Alchemy was something he’d come across during his reading in the Flameheart estate’s library, shortly after he’d remembered his past life. Truthfully, much of it had gone straight over his head. It was unclear if those books had been introductory books or advanced ones, but the countless ingredients and reagents, their concentration when actually alchemizing, and the results had been too much.

Well, that was way before my Intelligence and Wisdom increased.

Now, he was certain that he would fare much better, even when tackling much more complex aspects of each subject. Enchanting, however, was something he wasn’t familiar with. The name itself gave him a general idea of what it was about, but that was all. Rylan furrowed his brow.

Channeling mana into objects…

It was something he had attempted with a varying degree of success with his sword before getting Silver Twilight, but the results had been subpar. Based on this, he’d concluded that it was one of the limitations of mana compared to Aura, which could turn into Sword Aura to drastically empower a blade, for example. Additionally, Sword Aura was something that almost every swordsman who had awakened Aura could wield. Compared to that, mana’s efficiency in strengthening his weapons had been too low. In fact, it had just barely been enough to keep the swords from falling apart. Most of his power had come from his mana circulation and Sword Arts.

But if enchanting is what I think it is, I might be able to get around that weakness.

Rylan’s eyes almost shone as he faced the possibilities. It was too early to tell, since he knew nothing about enchanting, but if there was a way to empower Silver Twilight before he awakened to Aura and got his first Aspect, it was worth pursuing. As his thoughts reached this point, Rylan furrowed his brow.

But if it’s so incredible, how come I haven’t heard of it before?

At the very least, Gerard should’ve mentioned it. Rylan also hadn’t noticed any staves, wands, or armor that stood out as something other than artifacts. Was his perception still too limited? Or were enchanted items not so easily noticeable?

Maybe I just didn’t know what to look for.

Still, he would look into it.

“There are a variety of Professions,” Ivan said, making Rylan throw away his thoughts and focus on the lesson again. “Including more unique ones, such as Beast Tamer and Barrier Master. However, those are more advanced and will not be addressed in this discipline. Beast Tamer, for example, requires one to be at least at the Fifth Circle, as it uses Mind spells.”

Rylan shook his head in slight disapproval. What would be the point of taming a beast by manipulating its mind? It was no different from enslaving them. In that sense, it wasn’t too different from what the swordsmen in his past life would attempt with sentient weapons.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

The lecture continued. Just like Alice’s, it focused on introducing the discipline and what it would address, how grading would work, the number of exams, and other such factors. After that came the first lecture of the Introduction to Magic and Circles discipline, but it was just like the ones before it. The various professors varied wildly in appearance and age, but the number of men and women seemed to be about even. More importantly, they were all in the Fourth Circle at least, with over sixty percent being at the Fifth Circle.

The hours ticked by. A bit after noon, it was time for lunch break.

Rylan stood up, as did the rest of the class. Now free to do whatever they wanted, the students gathered in groups to speak and laugh loudly. Rylan’s hearing managed to capture over ten conversations about the lessons and about the Academy’s imposing infrastructure. Many others were simply about what the other students expected from the Academy’s cafeteria. Among the crowd that was slowly making its way to the classroom’s doors, Rylan spotted several students starting to approach him and Hayden.

“Hayden,” he said in a low tone. As if he understood exactly what Rylan was trying to say, Hayden stepped closer to Rylan with a nod.

Rylan led the way to Aelfric’s desk. Hayden followed him closely, glancing around. The crowd around them parted like a river around a rock as the other students looked at the two of them, even to the point of pushing the others around them to make space. In their gazes, Rylan managed to identify admiration and respect, but also envy and resentment. He shook his head. Because of the crowd’s behavior, it was easy to get to Aelfric and Luna, who were waiting for them, standing in place.

“Hey,” Aelfric said with a grin once Rylan got close enough. “Do we even know where the cafeteria is?”

“I think the white-robed guys will lead us to it,” Luna stated from the side. “It’s the first day. I’m sure they’ve got a system in place.”

Aelfric shrugged. Rylan smiled and took a step to the side, pointing at Hayden with his thumb. He said nothing. It would be better for Hayden to introduce himself. As expected, Hayden stepped forward with a smile and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Hello,” Hayden said as he shook Aelfric’s hand, then Luna’s. “I’m Hayden of Lindsor. We didn’t get to interact much before today, but I hope we’ll become good friends.”

He sounded a bit awkward and unsure. Rylan glanced at him. It was only natural for a sixteen-year-old who’d lived his entire life as a commoner to feel like he was walking on eggshells when trying to act friendly with nobles. The connection between Rylan and Hayden had been built through their battle, but that wasn’t the case for the rest of the class.

Rylan put his right hand on Hayden’s left shoulder with a heavy thud, making the boy flinch and look at him.

“Hayden’s a cool guy,” Rylan said with a smile. “Don’t be too intimidated by his achievements. He’s just one of us.”

Luna nodded repeatedly, but Aelfric only tilted his head.

“Why would I feel intimidated when I already know you?” Aelfric said, sounding genuinely confused.

Rylan and Hayden blinked at the same time. A second later, Hayden laughed loudly, prompting a few looks from the students still remaining in the classroom. Rylan resisted the urge to sigh. Only his family knew how loaded that question was.

“Yeah, Rylan’s more impressive,” Hayden said with a smile after managing to stifle his laughter. “Sounds like sound logic to me.”

Aelfric puffed out his chest with a proud expression.

“I’ll have you know that Rylan is the greatest—”

Rylan slapped his head lightly, interrupting his words.

“That’s enough. Come on, we need to find the cafeteria,” Rylan stated in a tired voice.

Luna chuckled. The group of four left the classroom. Rylan looked at the white-robed students waiting outside and shouting clear instructions. As it turned out, Luna was right. From there, finding the nearest cafeteria was rather simple. All they needed to do was follow the crowd.

A few minutes later.

Rylan stared at the crowd around the tables and the various restaurants.

“You suddenly look like you haven’t slept in three days,” Hayden said from the side with a smile.

“…I feel like an old man,” Rylan replied, feeling more tired by the minute. There were way too many energetic teenagers.

“You are one, though.”

Rylan scoffed as Aelfric laughed. Together, they went to find a spot where they could peacefully eat. Of course, that would only mean the start of the battle: getting their food would be an uphill climb.

Rylan sighed.

***

Lucian Raussac looked through the window. The sun shone on his grey hair and blue eyes, making his handsome features seem like those of a fantasy character. Below and all around, the Academy extended itself in the shape of buildings and roads. Hundreds of students walked through them or the hallways, going to the cafeterias or away from them. As usual, most would head to the library as soon as possible. The wealth of knowledge that the Academy offered was simply too enticing for these students. Lucian smiled. It was a feeling he knew well. Would those two boys be feeling the same?

“Lucian, are you listening to me?”

He turned around to look at a young woman with slightly pink hair and equally blue eyes. She was pouting.

“I am,” he replied. “Which is why I just can’t help but be lost in my thoughts.”

“So what are you gonna do?” Ophelia Chaballet questioned again.

Lucian smiled.

“It’s the first day. Let them live the school life a little.”

She narrowed her eyes and started walking closer to him, looking dangerously like she was about to beat him up.

“…I’ve spent the last ten minutes explaining to you why we need to do something.”

Lucian only shook his head.

“We will. Next week.”

She clenched her jaw and raised her fist.

“But before then, I want to have a talk with them,” Lucian continued, making her stop in place. “I should do that, at least.”

Ophelia gave him a satisfied nod and lowered her fist, acting like she’d just put away the world’s greatest staff. Lucian smiled and turned back to face the window. Part of him hoped he would be able to see the two freshmen, but it was a vain hope.

“I seriously don’t really know what’s going to happen from now on. Hayden reached the Third Circle without any kind of support and can dual cast, and Rylan is the one who beat him,” Ophelia’s voice resounded from behind him. “I can only hope that they aren’t too bad.”

Lucian nodded. It would be a problem if either of the two joined one of the problematic factions within the Academy.

“We’ll need them to prove themselves as soon as possible before we give them spots in the student council,” he said. “But that will still take time.”

Student council president or not, there would be consequences if he suddenly handed out two of the coveted spots to freshmen who hadn’t been part of the Academy for even a month. Hayden and Rylan’s performance in the tournament had been incredible, but it was uncertain if that would be enough for the student council to face no backlash for such a decision. Most importantly, once those hateful factions realized that the student council had made a move before them, things would get ugly.

I’m sure they’ve already begun spinning their web.

Lucian furrowed his brow. Things only got more complicated because both Hayden and Rylan were now disciples of the Headmaster, alongside Jasmine Lamollet. Once they decided to join a faction, it would be the same as building a connection with the strongest Mage in the kingdom.

Silently, Lucian considered his options. The sky was clear, as if mocking his turbulent state of mind.