The Magic Twins Ch. 6: Preparations and Prejudice
Next Location: In the S-ranked classroom of the Magic Academy…
"As His Majesty has announced, Schtrom has been in sight lately in the imperial capital. Things are still unclear with the current situation, so we don't have any specific strategies, but we'll need to bolster our fighting strength. Hence, not only the military and the royal palace will commence preparations for the ongoing war against the empire, but we students will be preparing for enlistment in case of emergencies. This will also mean the Magic Academy and the Knight Academy will be commencing joint training sessions soon to ensure coordination between knights and magicians, that is all the news for now. Take a break," Alfred lectures before leaving the classroom.
"Hmm, huh? Why are you all having funny expressions?" Shin bluntly points out to the class excluding Chin.
"Oh right, you two still haven't known yet," August deadpans.
"Why so? Is there bad blood between schools?" Chin asks out of innocent curiosity.
"The reason is because the Magic Academy focuses on strengthening magic, so we don't have to do physical training," Maria sighs as she explains.
"Hmm, makes sense, but why are you guys uneasy?" Chin thought out loud bluntly.
"Well, the thing is physical training is the aim of the Knight Academy," Maria explains.
"The total opposite?" Shin repeats, getting a nod from Alice and Lyn.
"Grrrgh, seriously, from that notion, they call us bean sprouts. It's so infuriating!" both Alice and Lyn groan out of frustration.
"Hmmm, wait till Shin comes to training. They will eat their words like dried meat, " Chin jokes, hardly containing his laughter from imagining the possibility.
"Geez! Don't say it as if I am a monster!" Shin answers back with great embarrassment.
"But both of you are monsters, " the entire S-class batch deadpans.
"Well now, I think we can show them what we're finally made of this time! We just gotta be more tactful, composed and just give our best shot, right guys?" Chin rallies, feeling awkward from the dead silence.
"I agree with you. Let's just try not to create more hostility with our appointed teams, " Sizilien explains softly to the class, sounding convincing to the class.
"Still, those muscle heads just flaunt their attitudes praising their strengths arrogantly that it makes me sick! Graaagh!" Maria cries agitatedly.
"Well, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses right? We can totally complement each other in that case–"
"But both of you, on the other hand, can use both sword and magic, can't you?!" Maria barks at Shin, shaming his perks.
"Well I-"
"Actually, only he trained in the sword, I did with a staff or spear sometimes, but never with the sword, " Chin explains to clarify a slight misunderstanding.
"So Shin, were the both of you by any chance trained by a knight?" Sizilien curiously asks.
"Actually, we went through hell under Uncle Michel, and his training was extremely strict!" Chin grumbles from remembering the painful experiences under his tutelage.
"It wasn't that bad, he was just pretty strict, " Shin differs.
"How was that not bad!? Are you that tolerant to–ummmm?" Chin barks before pausing towards an uneasy crowd.
"Ummm, did we say something unusual again?" Shin clarifies nervously.
"Mr. Michel? Are talking about "the" Michel Colling?!" Tony interrogates.
"Y-yes?" Chin answered nervously.
"You mean the Michel?! Former knight commander of the order?!" Julius asks out of excitement.
"H-he did mention something of that sort, " Shin answered nervously.
"Waaaah, you're taught magic from the Wise man, then item enchanting by the Guru, but you have learned swordsmanship from the Sword Saint?!" Yuri cries out of furious despair.
"Sword Saint?" the twins wonder.
"Did you not know? No one is on par with the sword of Michel Colling, that is why he's known as the Sword Saint, " Thor explains, further shaming the twins for their ignorance.
"He was one helluva teacher if only you guys experienced it firsthand, " Chin answers back.
"Buuuut, if you two studied under the Sword Saint, then the students from the Knight Academy can't say anything about you guys, " Alice points out.
"I wouldn't be so sure. You're supposed to be a magician, so "how dare you get trained by the Sword Saint?" They might get jealous and hostile to them, " August illustrates, dampening the rowdy girls' moods.
"Anyways!" Shin surprises.
"I think we could use a little joint training. We got the same objectives to follow, so let's put all this animosity away and just ignore what they have to say about us, 'kay?" Chin calmly suggests.
"Not a chance!" Alice and Maria barked, scaring Chin even more.
"This might take a while…, " Shin and Chin thought in depression.
Next Location: Outside the gateway to the capital…
"Four students from each school in teams of eight, exterminating demons in the forest, " Shin wonders from the instructions.
"It serves to control the demon population for efficient combat training, " August explains.
"I'm apprehensive about fighting demons, but being with you will be reassuring!" Sizilien replies.
"Hey, this is training, Sizilien. So you have to take part in this activity, " Shin corrects.
"Shin, have you forgotten that she is as delicate as a flower? Have a sense of decency man, " Chin answers back, hitting Shin from his remark, making the magicians' group burst in laughter.
"So those are the legendary twins?" says a swordsman knight from afar.
"They're just magicians, " answered another swordsman.
"Sprouts are still sprouts, " the swordswoman comments.
"Just hope they won't drag us down, " the third swordsman comments, all of which are depressing the lively atmosphere.
"See? Jerks, right?" Maria points out.
"Now I really have an urge to give them a piece of my mind, " Chin, holding his anger down, confesses as he brings out his new metal-crafted staff.
Next Location: In a carriage where Shin, Maria, August, and Sizilien aboard with four students from the Knight Academy…
"I'm Kreis Lloyd, first-year top seat of the Knight Academy Institute," the blond swordsman introduced.
"I'm second seat Miranda Wallace," the swordswoman introduced.
"Neun Curtis," the green-haired swordsman introduced.
"Kent McGregor," the skinhead swordsman introduced.
"It just had to be the same group from earlier," Shin lamented before getting serious. "Anyway, mind if I ask you something?" he asked.
"What is it?" Kreis replied.
"Have any of you ever fought a demon before?" Shin blatantly asks.
"What? Are you trying to brag just because you fought a demonoid?" Miranda asks with a hint of hostility in her tone.
"That's not what I'm doing! I mean, we are going out to fight demons after all. If we don't set aside our differences in the middle of this training activity–"
"So what if we do!?" Miranda yelled.
"You will die," Shin bluntly answered with a furious tone, causing the student knights to become uneasy.
"Shut up! The fact is, the Knight Academy is the only group necessary to take down these demons!" Miranda explained frantically.
"Miranda is correct. Do your best to not slow us down, will you?" Kreis agreed, infuriating Maria.
'Dammit Chin, why do you have to leave me all alone right here and not see how annoying these guys really are!?" Maria thought to herself with her arms and face crossed.
"Is this how you guys really view this training?" August retorts.
"Ah no! We do not mean to imply that you would hamper us, Your Highness," Kreis regrets.
"That is not what I mean. This training is meant to strengthen the connection between the Magic Academy and the Knight Academy schools," August explained sternly.
"B-but that is…," Kreis trailed off.
"You understand that, but you're still not convinced. Fine then. Shin, we won't need you to take down any demons for us throughout this training period," August orders, shocking Shin with his blunt command.
"Roger that Auggy," Chin replies through his original magic "Telepathic Voice," shocking August from the hidden voice.
"Don't panic, this is just another one of my original spells. I'll explain later, but I'll follow your call for the meantime. You guys take care, and uh, please watch over Maria. Not that I am very anxious of anything happening to her, but what she might do out of her anger! So please and thank you," Chin replies with a slight embarrassed tone before deactivating the spell.
"Your Highness, are you–"
"I'm fine, just felt something that startled me, but anyways: go ahead and try to defeat a demon without a magician's backup. I hope you will learn the significance from this training," August lectures, making the student knights uneasy.
Next Location: In a deeper part of the forest…
"We're pretty deep into this forest," Shin wonders.
"We did end up training in an area of greater risk, based on our abilities. It might have been worse if we have Chin in the same team," August points out, shaming Shin and his brother for their monstrous magic power.
"Well either way, this means that stronger demons will have higher chances to appear around these parts," Maria points out.
"I thought there was supposed to be an advisor accompanying each team," Sizilien wonders.
"Yo Shin! Looking forward to working with you today," Siegfried called from afar along with Christina, startling Shin with their appearance.
"Big Brother Sieg?! Big Sister Chris?!" Shin calls out, seeing them respond with smiles.
"Please don't bicker, I'm begging you two," Shin pleads with his depressed downcast face.
"As long as he/she doesn't start anything," the duo bickered, depressing Shin with their response.
"Haaah!?" the two childish adults bickered.
"I just asked you guys!? And wait, why didn't either of you choose to advise the group Chin is participating in!?" Shin cries out.
"Oh about that, I think your brother will be just fine since he has more of a mind than you," Siegfried admits, verbally-stabbing Shin with his honesty.
"I think he will do quite alright since he's got some self-restraint," Christina adds, verbally-stabbing Shin indirectly.
"I-I'm their classmate, Maria. Lord Siegfried, c-could I shake your hand?" Maria stuttered fidgetly as she attempted to shake his hand.
"N-no fair! C-could I do the same!?" Miranda pleaded bashfully.
"And me–I mean my name is Kreis Lloyd!" Kreis excitedly greets.
"I'm Neun! I would appreciate it if you watched my heroics today!" Neun replied childishly.
I-I'm Kent!" Kent excitedly greets.
"What is happening!?" Shin anxiously asks from the sight of Siegfried and Christina's sudden flocking of attention by students from both schools.
"Oh haven't you heard? They are both quite popular in both schools," Sizilien answered, astounding Shin by his childhood visitors.
"They are, after all, a knight and magician entrusted with my father's safety," August explained.
"Waaah, well, with Big Brother Sieg, I can understand his popularity being a swashbuckler and all, but Big Sister Chris comes as a surprise," Shin deadpans, stirring up her anger from afar as she heard his remark.
Next Location: In the deepest part of the forest…
"What? Let the knights fight the demons alone first?" Siegfried questions as he strolls alongside Shin.
"At their request. They don't see the significance of this training through words alone," August explained.
"This is a usual occurrence between knights and magicians when first enlist," Christina adds.
"People who can fight on their own without any help?" Siegfried clarifies.
"Well, once they experience combat firsthand, they will soon realize their mistake and hopefully learn their lesson from this exercise," she says.
"As long as they're still in school getting knocked and pushed around, it will save them some trouble eventually," Siegfried replies before turning to the magicians group. "I can't say the same for your group though," he admits.
"There is one who remains unconvinced of the matter whatsoever," August replied, giving Maria an awkward look.
"W-what do you mean!?" Maria wondered.
"Oh it's nothing Messina. I do think you understand the meaning of this exercise," August replied.
"Well yeah, I've seen Shin and Chin fight demonoids recently, and I obviously cannot do what they both can," Maria admits after reminiscing the battles and the powers Shin and Chin are capable of wielding. "With my strength, I can't fight a powerful foe without help from a knight or swordsman–"
"Your name is Maria, correct?" Siegfried replies, getting Maria's full attention. "It's good that you recognize where your current level of ability is. You'll improve that way," he praised, flattering the infatuated Maria before feeling a chill down his spine by someone familiar from afar.
After the small talk, they slowly tread carefully to avoid getting separated and lost in the darker parts of the forest.
"Why are they always on their guard? I'm not picking up anything on my search magic," Shin wonders from the knights' odd composure.
"They aren't so much on guard as they are tense," Siegfried points out.
"Can't blame them. This is their first time hunting demons after all," Christina adds.
Suddenly, an eerie chill came onto Shin as they tread deeper into the dark part of the forest while within the range of his search magic.
"Big Brother Sieg," Shin warns.
"Understood. Okay, Knight Academy students, a demon is approaching nearby. Prepare for battle!" Siegfried announces, intimidating the students from his warning.
Gradually, sounds of trotting and pounding on the dried soil closes in front of the intimidated Knight Academy students. From the source of the noise came out a demon boar, exuding an aggressive and malevolent aura, rushing towards the supposed source of magic power; only to be blocked by the student knights.
"A boar!?" Maria exclaimed.
"Damn, if only it were not demonized, it would've made a tasty meal!" Shin curses.
With a menacing roar, the student knights flinched by the sheer size and monstrous strength it possesses.
"Don't panic! Let's show it what we top-seated knights are capable of!" Miranda rallies.
The student knights attempt their joint attack against the demon boar, not knowing the supernatural enhancement that "Demonization" adds to its strength, speed, and agility. Within moments, the demon boar brought down the students of the Knight Academy to show its terrifying power and ability, despite being only a demon boar.
"So...this is what...a demon is…" Kreis realizes while covered in bruises from the demon boar's ruthless attacks.
Soon, the demon boar attempts another attack as it rushes towards the downed student knights, causing them to freeze out of fear. However, at that spur of the moment, Shin quickly steps in and decapitates the demon boar before it could do any further harm while enlightening the student knights out of their arrogance.
"O-one blow?" Kreis sat dumbfounded from the scene he had witnessed.
"That was poor showing," Christina reprimanded, shocking the student knights. "This demon was a weaker one among its varieties. Yet, look at you all. Boasting that you are students from the Knight Academy, but really, you're all just students who know nothing of the battlefield. You're all weak, take that to heart and join in with the rest of this exercise," Christina sternly ordered, depressing the arrogant knights.
"U-um, I'm going to perform restoration magic, so please do not move," Sizilien requested, surprising the ones that used to antagonize her and the other magicians.
"Sorry, even after we looked down on all of you," Kreis replied, taken aback from her kind gesture.
"That doesn't bother me at all, we are in the same party after all. This is the least I can do," Sizilien answered, making the male student knights fall for her kindness and gentle beauty.
"Now, now, I think this is nothing to worry about Shin," August slyly assured, making the jealous Shin even more furious.
As a result of the moment earlier, the knights fawning over Sizilien did nice gestures lately as they traveled deeper into the forest once more. The very sight of them continues to anger the jealous Shin over the girl he is infatuated with.
"Hey, don't get upset," August reminded.
"I'm not getting upset," the jealous cross-eyed Shin replied.
"Well you are. If you're that upset, what if you said: "Sizilien is my woman, so hands off!" Like that," August slyly suggested with a straight face, startling Shin.
"W-what are you saying!?" Shin exclaimed.
"Now now, guys like them easily fall for women that have been kind to them. There's another delicate girl from the Magic Academy here too you know!?" Maria ranted.
"Those guys never treated me the way they're treating her, either," Miranda exhaled.
"I beg to differ on your part, Maria. Aren't you forgetting someone?" August slyly asks, making Maria blush out of embarrassment before barking back for his remark.
"Sh-shut it!" she barked.
"Hey everyone, stop dawdling around and get ready. Another demon is about to show," Siegfried announced.
"Wait, isn't this awfully a lot of them?" Shin questions with the vast number of auras he detected with his search magic.
"Indeed, there are quite a few of them yes," Siegfried clarifies in a serious tone.
"Plus, I sense a higher reading among them," Shin adds.
"Lord Siegfried!" a female knight student called.
"This is bad, a large herd of demons is coming right this way!" her companion explained.
"How many?" Siegfried asks.
"There's at least a hundred of them!" the student knight answered, shocking the student knights that belittled Shin's magician party.
"Big Brother Sieg," Shin calls, getting Siegfried's attention. "Let me handle this one," he straightforwardly answered.
"Yeah, I suppose you should take care of this one," Siegfried agrees, scaring Sizilien.
"W-w-wait! By himself!?" she protested.
"Don't worry. If anything, this is something that we can leave to Shin or even Chin at the moment," Siegfried replies.
"Alright everyone! Stand aside and get behind Shin! We'll only get in his way!" Christina orders.
Suddenly, after the students both knights and magicians take cover under Christina's command to give Shin his space, a large pack of demon wolves comes running frantically from the darkest parts of the forest to escape the clutches of a hungry rabid demon tiger.
"A demon tiger! Here!?" Kreis exclaimed out of fear.
"That has to be at the catastrophic level, right?" Miranda retorts anxiously.
"Which means, those demons must be running away from it!" Neun concludes.
"Sorry that I have to do this, but I'm a little and need to blow off some steam," Shin confesses as he summons spheres of pale blue fire and slowly concentrates and increases their firepower. "Now, perish!" he exclaims as he directs his pale blue fire blast towards the herds of demon wolves and the demon tiger and sends them all into oblivion, leaving nothing but an altered landscape in the dense dark forest.
"That feels better!" Shin sighs loudly as he stretches his arms out after venting out his stress.
"This is...the power of Shin Wolford…!?" Kreis gasped as he was left dumbfounded.
"This is the power of the wise man' grandson...and our new hero!?" Neun realizes from the power Shin wielded and the entire landscape of the dark forest that he's destroyed and altered.
"Shin, are you hurt?" Sizilien asks.
"Yes, I am, thank you Sizilien," Shin assures.
"E-excuse me, Shin Wolford?" Miranda interrupts in the middle of their moment. "I'm, um, very sorry for everything rude I've said till now, even about your brother if he's like any match for you as well," she nervously apologizes, confusing Shin. "Wolford, I envy for being so blessed in so many ways that I just don't want to be outdone by you or your brother," she admits.
'She was envious, that's all,' Shin thought.
"But being able to see your power, I finally realized how different our levels are," Miranda commends, surprising Shin with her honesty.
"Shin! Tell that girl in front of you to move aside, now!" Chin suddenly replies with "Telepathic Voice."
"Why–" "Just do it!" Chin orders him.
At his request, Shin grabs both Sizilien and Miranda by their waists without any explanation or warning, which shocked and surprised both of them embarrassingly, before throttling away with his "Jet Boots" off the ground swiftly while carrying both of them. After that, a huge demon lion blasts through the trees devastatingly strong that it could've killed all of them on the spot if not for Chin's quick warning.
"A lion demon!?" Kreis exclaims from its sudden appearance and backs away.
However, from the looks of the demon lion, it seems afraid of something nearby slowly coming out of the forest area from where it was chased out. There came out a gigantic crystal-like ice creature, lined with magic pulses and energy throughout its body as if it were some kind of ice golem.
"Wha-what is that thing!?" Neun hysterically points out as he lost his balance out of fear.
The demon lion turns its attention towards the ice monster and attempts to show its power with an intimidating roar, only to be punched hard right under its jaw and flipped up with its back fallen flat on the altered landscape.
"Wha-why is that thing killing that demon?" Kent asks out of fear and curiosity.
"Yahallo! Everyone!" Alice greets cheerfully behind Shin and the group, startling them with her appearance.
"A-Alice!? Why are–"
"Oh Shin! Fancy bumping into you," Yuri seductively comments, making Shin embarrassed and Sizilien jealous.
Later, Lyn, Thor, Alfred, and other student knights along with their advisor, show up with Shin's team.
"Yo Alfred! It's been a long while. Why are you guys here?" Siegfried wonders.
"Siegfried? Nice seeing you here, but as you can see, I have to wait on a student that is currently busy," Alfred explains.
"Um, which student?" Siegfried asks, with Alfred answering him as he points towards the ice-clad creature.
"W-wa-wait! Who is that!?" Siegfried asks in astonishment.
The ice behemoth then grabs the demon lion by its stomach with its two giant claws then carries it over its head before slamming the demon lion to the ground on its back.
"The creature is not a creature. It is–"
"Chin! Go Chin! Kick its ass!" Maria cheers loudly, shocking the student knights on Shin's team from her cheering to the ice behemoth.
"N-no way, that is Chin!?" Miranda denies.
"It is, I witnessed him use this same magic to fight a demonoid with Shin," Sizilien explains, shocking Miranda and the other student knights.
"I know your magics are way too advanced, but to think it is at that kind of level," Christina commended nervously.
With a finishing blow, the ice behemoth morphs its left claw into a huge spiked peg and slams its diamond-pointed tip on the demon lion's head, smashing its heads and its contents into a pile of minced flesh, killing it instantly. As it retracts its sharp weapons, the behemoth slowly dissipates into sparkling crystal dust under the sun, revealing Chin who remains conscious as he stretches his wrist from the effects of stiffening of his own magic ice spell before regrouping with Shin and their teams.
"Hehe, sorry for the rough appearance guys," Chin apologized lightly while scratching his hind temple out of nervousness.
"Th-this is the power of the Chin Bowen," Kreis muttered loudly before being pushed out of the way by a running Maria.
"Chin! You're the best! That was amazing!" Maria praised childishly, embarrassing Chin.
"Were you hurt anywhere Maria?" Chin asks.
"Nah, you kidding? There are guys around that can do the protecting, so it's cool," Maria shrewdly points out.
"Ooooh, is that really so?" Chin wonders while exuding a cold-blooded aura towards the male student knights in Shin's team.
"Well, that sure was a grand entrance, Chin," August deadpans.
"Geez, it cannot be helped at the time, cousin," Chin protests.
"Okay okay, just be discreet next time to flaunt your strength to guys that may have taken a liking to someone you know," August shrewdly replies.
"Aug, don't make me do something that both of us will regret," Chin blatantly replies, making everyone from both teams explode in laughter.
"U-um, your name is Chin correct?" Miranda asks nervously.
"Ah yes, I am. Thank you for watching over Maria," Chin thanks with a bow.
"Oh no, I am undeserving of your thanks, after all the unpleasantries I've done and said about your brother and your girlfriends," Miranda apologizes while unknowingly embarrassing the Shin, Chin, Maria and Sizilien from her remark.
"Gyah–don't just carelessly say such things so casually!" the blushing Maria protests with embarrassment while waving her hand frantically and carelessly slapping Chin's cheek in the process out of nervousness.
"But, are you not in that kind of relationship?" Miranda asks curiously.
"B-b-but, well, why don't you try asking those two back too!" Maria points to the dense "couple" back there, making both Shin and Sizilien look away from each other out of embarrassment.
"W-w-wait, does that mean…?" Kreis questions with a cold shoulder.
"No way, it can't be," Neun fearfully denies because of his admiration for Sizilien and her kindness.
"Hahaha, they were supposed to knock them off their high horses," Siegfried comments.
"But I guess that's not the only thing knocked over," Christina adds.
-To be continued-
A/N: Telepathic Voice is a communication spell that enables the user to send their thoughts, but not memories, to the desired receiver located using search magic.
Ice Behemoth Shell is an ice spell that encases the user in layers of ice to form strong durable armor for the wearer. It nullifies fire magic with its low temperature aura and can be morphed into any form of armor the wearer desires. It is the second form of Chin's "Iceman" transformation spell.
Iceman is an ice spell that enables the caster to turn his/her body into cold, translucent, ice. It makes the caster immune to fire magic with the cold aura it exudes and can inflict frostbiting towards an opponent through any means of physical contact.
Thank you guys for reading, and I apologize for the unannounced hiatus. Got busy with school and other hobbies, but now I'm back to writing. Thank you for enjoying your time with me. God bless! XD