Masked Girl and Her Prince

This was one of the tedious tasks the Council is supposed to do in return for not attending classes. They have to guard the academy and punish those who skip classes.

After finishing one corner, Hazel sighed as she gazed at the blue sky. She thought back to the morning events which passed well...too well for her taste. 

The Principal had successfully announced the transfer of the two princes as well as the new addition to the Heroes Council.

But as anticipated, the news did trigger the students. Numerous allegations and protests arose from the crowd signifying the unfairness in the method. And, as expected they calmed down once they knew those spots could be taken by anyone if one manages to defeat them.

On hearing this, many were ambitious as they thought they could finally get into the Heroes Council. The interests that came along with it was tempting enough that everyone forgot about one main factor.

That Prince Usui and Prince Zelal were part of the top 10 in Silver Mages with Usui being the first. And, that how the Heroes Council members easily allowed the new arrangements.

How naive were they to think they could defeat the princes easily!

Gossips arose within the crowd as soon as the Principal stepped back from the podium.

One murmured, "Prince Usui and Prince Zelal? I feel like I have heard of them."

Another one shrugged, "Well yeah, don't you know? They were the strongest in Silver Mages. I have heard tales about how they ruled the academy."

"What? But I heard something along the line that they never bothered about trivial matters."

Many widened their eyes in surprise. They didn't know which to believe but one thing was sure. That the princes were Strong.

Another one smirked as he rotated his shoulders, "Well, we wouldn't know unless we try."

Some people shook their heads as they said, "You people sure have a death wish."

Hazel and the rest weren't surprised by their words. It was what was expected from their academy. Never fear anyone, Never give up without trying.

Once Hazel and the rest stepped forward, the crowd instantly quietened down and made way for them to head to the podium. They eagerly looked behind the Heroes Council to be only disappointed when they noticed the absence of the princes.

The students turned to the podium and saw the Heroes Council members hurriedly taking their positions - all except President Hazel. They noticed Hazel walk to the principal and whisper something in his ears. Everyone curiously watched when they saw the principal widen his eyes in shock and rushed off the podium. 

....

Hazel sighed again when she thought back to what happened early morning. She couldn't help but think about the unfamiliar tingling sensation in her heart as if it was warning her.

Absurd! Yes, that was what she thought. 

"Aren't you sighing a lot on this beautiful morning?"

Jinha's voice sounded behind her, startling Hazel. She glanced behind her and saw him standing behind her with his hands tucked in his pants.

Hazel smiled softly at him as she asked, "Did you finish your rounds?"

"Well, I didn't but it looks like someone offered to do my part too."

Jinha shrugged while gesturing to her surroundings. Hazel widened her eyes and looked around, finally grasping the fact that she was making rounds in the wrong section.

Before she could open her mouth, Jinha rustled her head as he said, "Well, since you kindly offered to take my section, I would help with yours too."

Hazel pursed her lips as she walked ahead leaving Jinha behind shaking his head.

He knew she was having a long debate inside her and the outcome would finally make her decide on a path- the path of darkness or the path of light?

Jinha walked behind her, not too far or too close to her. He wanted her to know that he was there for her and that she could turn to him anytime. But, the stubborn girl wouldn't give in that easily.

Even though his eyes were focused on her, he was also observing their surroundings. Their job was to administer punishment to those students who loved to bunk classes. It was one of their tasks along with guarding the academy and making sure the security is in place.

The classes in the academy were divided into main self-defense, magic arts, medicine, formation.

Self-defense classes were mandatory for every mage regardless of whether they wish to learn or not. It was instilled in them that one should never rely solely on magic. That was one of the first rules they came across in the academy.

And, if one required they could go deeper into learning each fighting style or stop at the basic level.

The Magic arts lessons were further divided into Common and rare categories. With common being Ice, Fire, Wind, Water, and Earth and rare being Holy, Darkness, and Poison. 

Surprisingly they had few numbers in darkness and poison but none in Holy magic. It was rare to find Holy magic users in this world after the huge mishap which happened decades ago.

The medicine and the formation classes were for those who are interested in taking those up. Each of those has many levels within them- the higher one goes, the deeper they learn.

At the end of each semester, every student is to undergo a test under their professors to check on their level. If one manages to complete a level, they can move along to the next semester but if one didn't, they are forced to undergo the same lessons again.

With those lessons, every student has their hands filled with classes except the Heroes Council members. 

The council members found that the lessons could tire everyone out so they managed to convince the principal to add two events to their syllabus. 

One was Survival which takes place during the fourth week of every month. The one event where all their theoretical knowledge is made to be in use. 

Survival is one of those events which would give practical exposure to the students above rank 4 magi. This event lets the student be trapped inside the middle regions of the Forbidden Forest for a week. They would be given a signal which they are to pull if they fall in dangerous circumstances. But, once they pull the signal, they are out of the game.

The team with the greatest number of cores and one which wouldn't call for back up would be termed as winners. They would be rewarded with a huge sum of money as well as an extra thirty minutes in the dense field.

The dense field is the northernmost part of the academy which is filled with dense mana. Five minutes in there would give one a level boost in their magic. So by getting an additional thirty minutes inside the field was like heaven for all the students.

The Second event was 'Spot the enemy' which occurred every two weeks. Even though the event was solely made for entertainment, this would also sharpen their minds. Here the students would be divided into two groups- opponents and ally. They would play hide and seek with a slight twist in it. 

The opponent's team will be in charge of seeking their enemies out (the ally team) while the ally team would be required to hide from the opponents. But if an opponent manages to find a person in the ally team, they could battle and determine the winner. If the opponent wins, one point will be added to their team while if other case was to happen, then the ally team would steal all the opponent's points. The event continues till their time limit was up and the team with the huge points would be deemed as winners.

Hazel sighed deeply when she thought about the approaching week's event. She has to make preparations to enter the forest along with her friends. She decided to head towards the council after the rounds to make sure everything is prepared. They couldn't take risks when the Silver Mages were out for their heads.

Jinha walked behind Hazel silently as they made their rounds. He watched her sigh for the nth time today and finally decided enough was enough. He grabbed her arm and spun her around.

He looked deep into her alarmed emerald eyes and asked, "What's wrong with you, Freya?"

Hazel widened her eyes before closing his mouth with her small hands. She glanced around worriedly and relaxed when no one was sighted before turning around to glare at him.

'How could he call her by that name?'

Jinha rolled his eyes before prying her hand away from his mouth. He stared at her hard making her fidget in her steps. She looked into his curious eyes and pursed her lips. 

She didn't want to convey her thoughts because she was sure of what he would say. But his stare was stopping her from ignoring him. 

Before she could open her mouth, she heard voices. She turned her head and saw a few students pointing at them as they gossiped.

"So, the rumour was true, after all?"

"Silly! Look at them, they only have eyes for each other."

Hazel rolled her eyes in annoyance. She couldn't believe the academy believed that Jinha and she were in a relationship. How absurd! 

She turned to Jinha who had his eyes focusing on something behind her while his lips curled up. Frowning, she looked back to only regret her decision.

There stood the fuming guy who had his solely on another girl in the morning and yet, here he stood glaring at them. His entire frame exhibited fury by what he saw that his eyes looked like it could spurt fire.