Dratworth Academy. 1.2.3

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I glanced around at the city guard captain sitting in front of me who had been sent in for questioning. Funny... A captain of the guard, would be interrogating an 8 year old child.

- So, let's get started. - the captain nodded, picking up his quill. - State your version of events.

- The day before yesterday, during the ball on the occasion of my return from the Narnount Academies, I received my name blade. Due to the fact that the blade is a very powerful artefact, it took some time to bind it to my soul, and I was in a coma for almost 24 hours. When I woke up, the first thing that caught my eye was a black figure above me holding a knife. He started to bring it to my throat, and then... everything happened too fast. My blade appeared in my hands and I attacked the killer with it. Then, I found the guards asleep, so I ran to my sister Kira's room. Next, we alerted the whole manor, and in the process, I learnt that my father was the killer.

- Any idea why your father wanted to kill you? - The captain asked coldly.

- Most likely, after our disagreement about my future. He wanted to marry me off to some rich man's daughter, and I refused by force. - I shrugged.

- Ahem... I see. You're free to go, we'll interrogate a few more people, and then we'll leave. And yes, you will need to come with us. Since you have no relatives over the age of 16, there'll be custody proceedings. Also, your blade will have to be archived.

- Why guardianship? - I asked.

I could have been sent to the academy, as they usually do with children gifted with magic. If the children were ordinary, then the orphanage would be involved.

- Heh..." the captain grinned. - Because someone like you shouldn't be left without parental supervision, to put it very simplistically.

- Ahem." I smiled.

Given that my mum is somehow in no hurry to leave me out of the loop... This move basically makes no sense.

"However, the old people from the Capital don't care about that somehow." - A female, vaguely familiar, voice emerged in my head.

"W-what?" - I said perplexedly to myself. - "who are you?"

"Murasame. The binding is almost complete, and so I've been given the opportunity to communicate with you."

"And you're so calm about it? By the way why are you referring to yourself in the masculine?" - I asked.

"I don't have a gender. That's why, the male is taken as the standard. The appearance, on the other hand, was chosen by my Mistress."

- Well, now be kind enough to pack your things, for after the interrogation of the local people is over, you and your half-sister will come with us. - said the captain, gathering up his papers.

- Um..." I said incomprehensibly.

- Since this case involves someone as big as Mr Crowl, as well as you, Fifth Child, the proceedings will be immediate.

***

I frowned at the sword I was holding. The Elven Sword of the Exorcist. When I arrived, I was gently sent away, taking Kira as my heir. By the way, this news didn't surprise me much. After all, she was older than me, which means that all of my father's fortune will be under her control. On the other hand, the fact that I am the son of Darkness and if you give it all to me, you can get the favour of an impressionable child. Which I don't consider myself, by the way.

"You are merging more and more with the Darkness, gaining some of its knowledge. So, psychologically, you will also develop much faster." - Murasame's voice sounded in my head. - "Originally, you were already a part of her, but after merging with me, that part has increased." - That's how... That's funny. Anyway, back to the sword.

The sword was given to me by the guard who was with me. I was put in one of the guest rooms for the duration of the trial with Kira, and I was assigned a guard of four high-class guards and one exorcist. In general, as I had learnt, this rank system was quite convoluted. The order of ranks was as follows:

1. The lowest class.

2. Low class.

3. Middle class.

4. High class.

5. High class.

6. Exorcists

7. Hunters

8. Senior Class

9. Special Class.

In the Special Class, there were only about a dozen specialists at the moment, but they were usually only called upon in the most extreme cases. Usually, a hunter and an exorcist would be sent out on various cases. The latter acted as an apprentice, and after a certain period of time, if the hunter agreed, the exorcist was promoted and became a hunter, to whom a new exorcist was assigned. And so it went round and round.

At certain merits, or after reaching a certain age (about 110-130 years old), Hunters were given the opportunity to move to the Senior Class, where they no longer roamed the forests and swamps in search of monsters. They were already sent to the most dangerous monsters, or, more often, exalted demons. The lower ones were exterminated by the Hunters and exorcists, though even an ordinary battle mage could do that. However, they just exorcised them, not killed them, as Hunters do. Still, Swords of Light are very rare among ordinary battle mages, but in the Order, everyone, starting from the exorcist has such a sword. And now, the exorcist let me see his sword.

- What do you think? Do you like it? - grinned at the exorcist standing next to me.

The question made me cringe. Did the sword inspire... I don't know... fear? No, more like apprehension. A slight apprehension and dislike.

"Naturally." - Murasame spoke again. - "You are part of the Darkness, and this sword has the magic of Light in it. That's why, you don't like it."

- If you do your best in the service, you'll get one just like it! - said the exorcist contentedly.

I grimaced, imagining my job in the Order. No, I don't want that kind of future. I'll be a free mercenary, or I'll join some guild.

- Take it. - I said briefly, quickly shoving the sword into the owner's hands.

- Is something wrong? - The exorcist was worried, looking at me in surprise.

Surely any other kid my age would drool over such a blade, and I almost spit on it.

- I have my own. - I mumbled, glaring at the sword.

- By the way, yes, you need to be taken to the archives..." said the black-haired exorcist. - Where's your sword, by the way?

"Speaking of which. You're still too weak for me, so you'll have to kill someone by me to keep from collapsing from exhaustion. Otherwise, once you get me back into subspace, you'll have to be in the hospital for a couple of days."

"Even to get you, I'm not strong enough?" - I thought doomfully.

"It's enough to get you. However, to get it back... it's already going to be difficult. Increase your reserve, or else... you can kill. You see, if you kill a certain number of people, in a short period of time, you'll... let's just say you'll merge with me even more. Theoretically, you'll open a channel to the very source of Darkness, which is an endless fountain of mana. And then, you'll be able to use things you never dreamed possible. For example, one of my strongest techniques was opening a portal to the World of Darkness, which was opened by the Mistress when she pestered me. But that one was dozens of times smaller than the one I can open. Thousands of metres around, it will be all yours. You'll be able to do anything from creating pink ponies to completely disembodied everything. However, such an attack hits the energy structure of the world hard... After using this ability, not only grass won't grow there, even people can die if you leave them there for a couple of hours... tied up, of course, otherwise they'll just run away. The place will become filled with Darkness emanations, and with such a strong concentration... basically, even a couple of ghouls can appear..."

- Hey, kid! - I was shaken on the shoulder, which finally distracted me from Murasame's story. - Are you okay?

- Yeah, yeah... I was just thinking. - I waved my hand. - And my sword...

Suddenly, the door swung open and Aurole-san flew in, surprising me. What did our archmage want here? However, as I remember, he was a good friend of my father's, so... oops. I killed him.

Five swords instantly stared at the archmage, one of which glowed faintly. It was actually the sword of an exorcist. However, this glow made me feel even worse. I felt slightly nauseous, dizzy, and my limbs began to twist. Ugh... What would happen if I was cut too?

- Archimagus of Narnount Academy, Zoltan Aurol. - coldly addressed our rector to the exorcist. At the same time, I noticed Kira peeking out from behind him, waving weakly at me in greeting. - And also, the guardian of the younger Crowleys. - Then he unfolded some kind of paper in front of the exorcist's nose.

The statement made me cringe. First of all, why was he suddenly appointed my guardian? Well, perhaps they thought that Mr Aurole had more opportunities to protect me, and Narnount was an impregnable fortress.

The Exorcist reluctantly withdrew his blade, and then read the paper.

***

I hate portals. That was the thought in my head as I fell from the fifth floor, clearly downwards. I was warmed, though, by the thought that Kira was squealing next to me as she fell through the air.

Still, I was surprised that Mr Aurole had made a mistake in casting the teleport spell. It was a mistake, since he was also falling with us. Although, maybe the fact that there are three of us played a role? I don't know... teleportation is one of the highest spells of general magic, and it's very energy-consuming. Anyway, it's usually learnt in my final year, which I'm still a long way off.

But I digress. The archmage, without saying a word, took Kira and me outside, leaving the exorcist, who was deep in reading, in the room. And then, just as silently, he teleported us to the academy. But... something had gone wrong.

However, what surprised me even more was that Kira didn't even try to use magic to stop the fall, which I did, but continued squealing, flying onwards. Thankfully, Aurole-san picked her up, as I doubted my own strength. Holding on to two people while in a state far from calm is quite difficult.

As I landed, I shook off my black T-shirt, glancing at Kira, who was sitting on the ground with her eyes bulging.

- Why didn't you use magic? - I asked grudgingly, seeing the heads peeking out of the dormitory windows.

Yeah, well, that's why a lot of aristocrats send their kids to Narnount. Just so they don't bother them for the next nine years. Even on holidays, they leave their kids at the academy, keeping them busy with their aristocratic affairs. I don't know what those involve, but surely more important to adults than their children. The creatures.

As a result, the kids are forced to coop up in one single area for about 6 years, occasionally travelling to the city, which is also quite small. Why 6? Well, from the 7th year onwards, they begin training to join the Order, for those who wish to do so. Again, a hunter and an exorcist arrive, and a group of five people are recruited, then sent out to kill some monster.

True... the survival rate is extremely low, but that's a small thing.

- I was scared. - Kira whispered, clenching her fists resentfully. I sighed, then looked at the archmage standing next to me.

- I'm waiting for an explanation.

- Not here. - Zoltan grunted, glancing round. - Follow me.

We went into his office, and Kira had calmed down, which pleased me. By the way, I remembered that she had always been afraid of heights, for example, a couple of years ago, she refused to climb on the roof with all her limbs, and never went out on the balcony.

At the entrance to the office, I caught a slightly odd look from Gabi, coupled with a nod of greeting. I nodded back, noting the slight pallor on the girl's face.

In the rector's office, I found an unexpected change. The usually clean desk was cluttered with various papers. The quill sticking out of the inkwell was badly plucked, as if it had been used continuously for hours without stopping.

- Kira, I'll talk to you separately. Right now, go to Gabriella, my secretary who sits at the entrance, she will show you to your room. - Aurole spoke, falling into his chair.

A door slam was heard, after which Runes of light instantly illuminated the room, causing my brain to slowly heat up. After a moment, however, the glow stopped, along with my migraine.

- It's from the wire. - Aurol explained calmly. - Tell me.

- What?" I asked stupidly.

- What sword did the Darkness give you? Bartolomeo had a bunch of artefacts that protected against dark swords, but all of them were burned by the power of this sword. What was the Darkness itself doing there, and more importantly, how could it appear in our world?

I sighed, realising that there was no way of avoiding the answer, and after a short "Tell me" from Murasame, I began to speak:

- Mum came just now to give me the sword. Also, as far as I know, she exterminated the family, the petty heiress of which, my father was terribly eager to be engaged to me. And the sword... As I understand it, it is some sort of weapon personally created by her.

The archmage's jaw dropped instantly. He stared at me dumbfoundedly for a couple of dozen seconds while I pondered over how soon I would be able to independently use that main Murasame trick he was talking about.

- And... can you... show him? - Zoltan said hoarsely.

- Like Murasame says, I can't summon it until I'm stronger. Or I'd have to kill someone with it, and then I could call it back. Not enough mana. - I shrugged, sighing sadly.

Zoltan turned even paler at my words, but with shaking hands he pulled out a vial of bright green liquid from under the table.

- I took a drink," the archmage whispered, placing the vial in front of me.

I uncorked the vial incredulously, sniffing the contents. The smell was... quite foul. Although, in some book, I'd read that the more pleasant the smell of a potion, the worse the poison it was. You can mask the smell with a couple of spells, but still...

"Don't worry, you won't be afraid of poisons." - I heard Murasame's mocking voice. - "Most poisons, in case you didn't know, are powerful accumulations of Darkness mana, which won't hurt you much, and therefore, artificial poisons are unlikely to do anything to you."

At those words, I drained the bottle. For a couple of seconds, nothing happened, when suddenly my stomach twisted with pain. Out of surprise, I fell to the floor, grabbing my stomach twisting inside out. However, after a couple of seconds, everything vanished in an instant, and my body began to fill with strength.

"Hmm... your magic reserve, has increased by about 150%..... Although it's not much, considering your, now, former reserves, I must admit that this man got his way. Now, you can get me and then bring me back. You'll be exhausted afterwards, but that's just the first couple of times. Each time, the reserve will increase a little, and if you combine it with training, the effect will be much more powerful.

Something warm touched my hand, and I unconsciously squeezed the unknown object. When I lowered my gaze, I saw in my hand Muramase, on which white lines slowly and leisurely flowed.

"I am the weapon of Darkness itself. My purpose is to kill both men who disobey their master and monsters who dare to attack him. Hence the white lines." - Murasame explained.

"So you... combine two opposing elements?" - I asked surprised.

"No. I'm completely made up of Darkness, and the white lines are just an outer shell that speaks of my purpose. I can turn completely black if you wish."

Before my eyes, the white lines began to dissolve into the darkness of the sword, gradually disappearing. In just a couple of seconds, the sword had already turned completely black. That's much better!

- Murasame..." Zoltan whispered. - I thought I had misheard you from the beginning...

- What? - I was surprised. - Do you know this sword?

- Sword? - Zoltan grinned nervously. - Sword??? It's not a sword... according to the stories of Friederich Stauser.....

- Who is it?

- М? - the archmage has awakened. - ah... it's the owner, the sword of Muramase. In total, there are four known in the world...

- Yes, yes, yes, yes, I interrupted the archmage. - I'd already heard that from my mum. 5 items. 3 swords, a spear and a bow. Tell me, how do you know about Murasame?

- F-five? - Zoltan asked in a daze. - A spear? I don't know about any spear.

- Oh yes..." I looked up at the ceiling. - Mum said it's a spear somewhere in the mountains... something like that.

- So there's another one... okay, I'm... distracted. Friederich, Muramase's owner, also said that his sword talks to him, though such a thing was not noticed in other owners.

"Muramase was made in my likeness, but much weaker in strength. Therefore, bits of intelligence were preserved."

- And the sword said that he had a brother that could crush cities with a single blow, but because of his power, the Darkness refused to let him on Earth, and consequently left him in his realm. And that one day, the sword bearing Murasame's name, having found a wielder with enough power, would be known throughout the world.

- That's some game. - I commented briefly. - I don't have that much strength, I'm just more suited to the sword because of my mum. Although... Murasame did say he was capable of such a thing....

- Yeah... there's been too many surprises today. - Zoltan smiled a little nervously. - But you're probably wondering why I became your guardian all of a sudden? - I nodded. - It's simple. You see, if it wasn't for me, you would have been given to someone from the Order, and as a result, all your abilities would have been buried in it. And I don't want you taken out of my academy. So, you can rest easy, this academy is your home now, along with the manor. Your sister will also be studying here. And now, I want you to leave me, I have a lot to think about... And..." Zoltan smiled weakly. - Get ready for a hell of a workout. You can't limit your strength. You will not go to the Darkness Club anymore, because I will ask Andrals to train you personally.

- Andrals?

- The Darkness teacher at our academy. - explained the archmage. - Go now. Don't worry about your things, they'll be delivered. And if anything... Apprentice Ronas has decided to stay at the academy for the summer.

- Oooh!!! - my anguished groan echoed throughout the office. Sword and magic training begins again!