This class felt endless.
Luke thought to himself, he could feel himself groaning out of weariness. If only he had not tried to maintain the perfect student facade for 2 hours.
Not that Celdric's explanations were bad, Luke was just terrible at absorbing information. He could hear the lecture, but none of it seemed to stick. All the information went in one ear and out the other.
His eyelids grew heavy. Every word sounded like the sweetest lullaby. In his real life, Kieran's parents were always called not only for his grade, which was going downhill like a slump, but also because he always got caught sleeping in class.
Even though he had only woken up a few hours ago, drowsiness was already creeping in.
Is this the end of "Operation: I Love My Professor"? he wondered.
Celdric noticed Luke's boredom and mulled over an idea.
Ting!
A light bulb went off in his mind.
He decided to tell the history he knew well, something that would definitely pique Luke's interest.
"Luke, may I ask, what do you know about the source of magic in this world?" Celdric asked.
Luke, nearly asleep moments ago, suddenly snapped awake. His mind went blank as he tried to recall information from the game and then he remembered something about a magic stone.
"If I'm not wrong, it's from a magic stone that grants it," Luke answered, yawning.
Celdric faintly smiled, impressed that Luke could answer.
"You're not completely wrong. Indeed, the stones grant magic," Celdric said, closing his eyes for a moment, resting an arm on the podium before opening them again. "But do you know who gave these stones?"
Luke had no memory of that from the game. There had only been a museum in the empire with replicas of the stones and some history of how they were gifted to humans for protection.
"I've never heard about it. Could you explain?" Luke asked, curiosity winning over his tiredness.
"It was gifted from the witches."
Witch?
In the game, there is never anything mentioned, so he thought it did not exist in the game.
"Very well, then. We shall go back to the year 324, Era of Neos Cosmos," Celdric began, adding tension to his tone. "Humans and witches coexisted not in peace, but in war."
Oh, new lore! Luke thought. This could be a good opportunity to learn more about this world.
Celdric continued, "They fought for years. Blood painted the barren land both human and witch alike. The emperor, unwilling to risk the fall of the nation after losing so many men, sought out the strongest witch."
"When he found her, he discussed peace with her. The king doubted she would agree, but to his surprise, she accepted. A treaty was held in the capital, attended by both humans and witches."
"As a symbol of their peace, the witch gave humans elemental stones, granting them magic. The emperor, in turn, gave her a dimensional stone capable of containing anything without limit. With that exchange, peace was made."
"Remember," Celdric said, "these stones grant power. But if misused, the consequences will be dire."
"And then what happened?" Luke asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
Celdric paused, smiling faintly. "You'll find out tomorrow, since today's class is over."
"What?!" Luke protested, desperate for the rest of the story. "But Mr. Celdric, you can't leave it unfinished!"
Celdric, already gathering his things, said, "I want to finish it, but… as a royal, you can't be late for your class, right?"
Luke groaned in frustration. How unfair! He wanted to beg like a child or at least kick his feet in frustration but restrained himself.
It's just started to be interesting and it ended so abruptly!
AHHHHHHHH!
New task assigned: find a book on the history of magic later to satisfy his curiosity.
"See you tomorrow," Celdric said, walking toward the door. His footsteps echoed across the room. As he opened the door, Eric was waiting. Celdric excused himself before leaving.
Eric greeted Luke. "Your Highness, your attire for your next class has been prepared."
Sighing, Luke asked, "What class do I have next, Eric?"
"Horse riding."
Luke froze. He had never been near a horse, let alone ridden one. The closest experience he had was watching horse races with his father an event that ended with a lost bet.
And endless scolding from his mother who instantly turned into demon lord.
Even as they walk to the changing room Luke though keep linger to the new information he just got. His brow knitted his face scrunched mild frustrations from the cliffhanger.
Luke who Completely unaware the look of his face, made the maids and servants in the hall went pale when they saw the prince's expression. They straightened nervously, afraid of provoking him even by accident. The heavy tension filled the room, that he accidentally caused.
He went to the changing room, where Eric summoned the other servants to assist him. Two trembled as they dressed him in his uniform, careful not to touch him too abruptly. Once finished, they bowed and quietly left, leaving only Eric by the door.
Luke examined himself in the mirror. The uniform hugged his figure perfectly, simple yet elegant.
"This is good enough. You may leave," he said.
Eric nodded. "Shall I escort you to your class, Your Highness?"
"Please do."
They walked through the castle corridors toward the training field. Luke's mind drifted from Celdric's story to the upcoming lesson, a mix of curiosity and apprehension building in his chest. The green field stretched before him, tips of pale yellow brushing the grass, swaying under a cold breeze.
After some time of waiting, finally, the trainer appeared in the distance, leading a small black horse. Luke's eyes widened when his eyes landed on the horse, it's so small that he could have mistaken it for a pony.
No way I'm riding that, he thought.
The horse stamped a hoof, tossed its head, and flicked its ears sharply. A snort escaped its nostrils. Luke froze.
Up close, he realized the horse was even smaller than he thought. Its head barely reached his neck, and its back sat well below his cchest
It glared at him not the ordinary kind of menace, but a distinctly bad one.
When it faced Luke the horse gave a final snort. He could feel something else in its glare, there something almost like murderous in it's stare.
This isn't going to end smoothly, Luke thought.