Chapter 8 Summoning Formation
Cecilia Blackwood's POV
"Just kidding." Kane suddenly stepped back, his usual aloofness returning.
The crisis had passed, but my heart refused to settle.
I'd come to Star Ring Academy of Magic to escape pursuit and learn to control my powers better.
But if my identity was exposed before I'd even learned control, I'd be in serious trouble.
The best remedy for this kind of anxiety? Food, obviously.
"Forget it. Let me buy you dinner—as thanks for saving me in class."
"No need." Kane shook his head again, as if refusing people had become second nature.
I didn't care. I grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the cafeteria. "What do you mean, no need? People have to eat!"
"I heard they're serving chocolate mousse cake today—my absolute favorite. Come on!"
In the cafeteria, I could feel everyone's eyes on us.
Maybe because I shouldn't be standing beside the heir of Dark Magic. Maybe they thought I was crazy.
But looking at Kane, his expression remained flat, as if he'd grown accustomed to it.
"If being around me makes you uncomfortable, you can leave," Kane said suddenly, his words carrying unmistakable loneliness.
I straightened my shoulders. "Uncomfortable? I think it's perfectly fine."
"Besides, we're friends. What's wrong with eating together? Isn't that normal?"
I bought the chocolate mousse cake and shared it with him.
As for everyone else's stares—I didn't care. I believed in treating everyone equally, and I hadn't sensed any malice from Kane.
That evening back at the dorm, Rowan approached with several roommates.
"I heard you went to the cafeteria with Kane again. Is that true?"
"Yes." I nodded. "We had chocolate mousse cake together, and we also drank—"
"Are you insane!" Rowan shrieked. "How many times do I have to tell you—stay away from that freak! Why won't you listen?"
"You saw what happened in class today—you nearly died because of him! Do you want that tragedy repeated?"
I shook my head slowly. "You've all misunderstood him. Today my magic spiraled out of control. If he hadn't intervened in time, I'd already be burnt to ashes!"
One roommate laughed. "Are you stupid? He only did that to gain your trust so he could attack you later!"
"Exactly. You're too young to understand how dangerous these people are. You should stay away while you still can!"
"Professor Layton called you to his office about this too, didn't he? Why won't you listen?"
I took a deep breath. "It's not that I won't listen—I just believe everyone deserves to be treated fairly. Isn't that right?"
"Treated fairly? The Ashworth family should be isolated! They don't deserve friends!"
"That's right! Stay away from him before you bring curses and misfortune back to our dorm and contaminate us!"
I'd heard enough. In these people's eyes, was Kane nothing but a synonym for curses and misfortune? How was that fair to him?
Rowan stepped forward, staring directly at me. "I'm saying this one last time—you must stay away from him. Don't spend time with him!"
"If you refuse, we won't consider you a friend anymore, and we won't hang out with you!"
I smiled. "Is that a threat? Sorry, but I don't respond to threats."
"Whether you want to be around me is your decision, and I'll respect that. But please respect me too—who I spend time with is my freedom. I won't change myself!"
After speaking, I climbed into bed, unwilling to waste more words.
The next morning, I put on my academy uniform and headed to class.
Unsurprisingly, I sat beside Kane in front of the entire class.
This time Kane didn't seem surprised, as if he'd known I would come.
I placed the butter cake I'd brought on his desk. "Breakfast for you."
Kane's lips moved, finally producing two words: "Thank you."
Soon after, a corpulent man entered the classroom, immediately triggering snickers.
"Someone that fat can be a professor? Does he struggle just walking?"
"Who knows? Go ask him yourself!"
The man slammed his palm on the desk. A gust of wind roared through, flipping the two laughing boys and their desks onto the floor.
That silenced everyone. No one wanted to share their fate.
Crom spoke coldly: "My name is Crom. I teach your Magical Summoning class. In my class, don't fool around, don't whisper to each other—or this is what happens!"
Mr. Crom then introduced the fundamentals of Magical Summoning.
This class didn't require magical ability—only mental strength.
With sufficient mental power, you could summon spirits from the magical realm, including Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, and more!
What Mr. Crom had just summoned was the Power of the Raging Wind!
My heart leapt with joy. Since this didn't require using magical ability, I wouldn't need to hide carefully or fear losing control.
"Finally, something I'm good at! I'm going to master this class completely!"
Clearly, this was a subject I was interested in. Maybe I could even excel at it.
Of course, that was just fantasy.
After class, wanting to explore the subject deeper, I invited Kane to the library. "Want to go to the library together?"
Hesitation flickered across Kane's face.
"Don't want to? We don't have afternoon classes anyway. Let's go look at some books." I invited him again.
Kane nodded slightly—an agreement.
For some reason, walking beside him gave me an inexplicable sense of security.
When library patrons saw us, they moved aside.
No—more accurately, they moved aside when they saw Kane.
I'd grown used to this kind of treatment and no longer paid attention.
I found books on Magical Summoning and was about to read when I noticed Kane just sitting quietly.
"Aren't you reading?"
Kane didn't respond.
"If you're not reading, why come to the library?"
"You asked me to come." That made me a bit embarrassed—he had a point...
"Sorry, I didn't know you didn't want to read. Why don't you head back? Don't waste your time here."
Indeed, not reading in a library was like going to a restaurant and not eating.
Kane shook his head slowly. "No need."
As laconic as ever. I couldn't argue with him, so I returned my attention to the book.
Before long, I discovered a summoning circle in the pages!
According to the annotations, by reciting the proper incantation, you could summon spirits beyond your level!