Parallel Memory

Chapter 515: Royal Academy

”Itʼll only be worth it if you donʼt lose this time,” the king remarked with a chuckle.

He then summoned Aranis and instructed him to prepare for the human geniuses to join the Royal Academy, and form a special class exclusively for them.

The schedule decided upon included theory classes on elven history in the morning, followed by practical classes of their choice in the afternoon.

Zero and the others were exploring the city with their guide, Lyria, as they had free time. They were enjoying the trip—tasting various foods and admiring the spectacular scenery—which put them in a festive mood. They were having the time of their lives.

Swooooshhh…

Just then, a gust of wind kicked up a cloud of dust. Out of the haze stood Princess Elenia, wearing an excited grin.

”I, Princess Elenia, first in line for the throne of the Elven Kingdom, with the decree from His Majesty the King, am here to challenge Zero Elea and Mia Frostine to a duel!” she declared proudly.

(Since the king has allowed it—it is his word, after all... haha.)

In the middle of the street, the human geniuses stood baffled by the princessʼs behavior.

Immediately, a crowd gathered around them. Initially, the citizens had been too timid to even meet the humansʼ eyes, but with the princess issuing a challenge, they were intrigued and eager to witness what would unfold.

The princess was a well-known figure in Eldoria, hailed from a young age as the genius of the millennium, not just because of her extraordinary talent, but also for being born as the heir to the throne, which was rare in the royal bloodline. Moreover, she was notorious for causing trouble, frequently challenging her opponents.

Mia, coming back to her senses, replied calmly, ”It is a great honor to be challenged by a member of the royal family. However, we were informed by the Queen Mother that we are not obligated to accept your challenge. Therefore, we must respectfully decline.”

Since she was leading the group, she needed to remain composed.

Zero was thankful to Mia for responding on his behalf, as his actions often led to misunderstandings. He was a little worried—he didnʼt want to cause any more issues. The Queen had even warned them earlier about the princessʼs stubbornness, but he hadnʼt expected her to appear so soon.

Miaʼs refusal flared up the princess—her face burned with anger and embarrassment. She was used to being turned down, but no one dared refuse a royal decree. She hadnʼt expected this.

Trying to hide her embarrassment (because she respected her mother, she would have argued and forced them if it was someone else who said it), she said sharply, ”If youʼre not feeling well, then we can always postpone it!” Then she ran off—even faster than she had arrived.

(Such an heir to the throne will be troublesome, Zero thought.)

The crowd dispersed in disappointment, hoping to witness some action after hearing it was a royal decree, but they understood the situation after Miaʼs reply.

”Isnʼt it too early for a challenge? we just finished a tournament and need rest,” Sylvia exclaimed.

”Is she Iron Maiden or something to be active after getting beaten by Mia,” Amelia said.

”Letʼs stop judging and continue with our fun,” Lisa jumped in, and the group continued their exploration.

Later, Aranis arrived and took them to the Royal Academy, where they were informed that their vacation had been cut short.

They were assigned rooms in the dormitory, where they would stay for the next month. The dorm preserved ancient elven art passed down through generations. While the rooms werenʼt as comfy or luxurious as those at Ace Academy, the design and artistry made them beautiful.

The next morning, the group arrived at the Royal Academy, still buzzing with energy from the day before. The campus was breathtaking—towers of white stone and crystal-clear streams weaving between the walkways.

As they entered the classroom they were assigned to, they noticed the walls seemed alive—crafted from polished wood and laced with softly glowing vines. Sunlight filtered through the leafy ceiling, casting shifting patterns across the floor.

An elderly elf stood at the front, tall and graceful, with silver hair that shimmered like moonlight. His robes were deep green, embroidered with golden patterns that seemed to move when looked at too long.

”I am Professor Thalior,” he said, his voice calm but commanding. ”Welcome, humans, to your first lesson in elven history. But know this, to understand us, you must understand nature.”

The group listened with interest. Many of them naturally looked toward Mia, who used to be their professor but now sat among them as a fellow student.

Professor Thalior gestured, and the vines along the walls shifted, shaping themselves into scenes from the past: elves tending to great forest cities, fighting alongside beasts made of light, and calling upon elemental spirits with gentle chants. (Professor Thalior, unlike other elves, was a mage with centuries of knowledge; hence, he was assigned to teach them. To the elves, he usually taught mana control and manipulation.)

After lunch they had to go to the training hall for practical training

As they were walking toward the field, Sylvia suddenly stopped and narrowed her eyes.

”Wait…

Are you skipping practical sessions?” she asked, spotting Amelia and Mia

quietly leaving the academy grounds.

Amelia

froze, cheeks flushing. ”Uh… umm…”

Mia, calm

as always, glanced over her shoulder and replied smoothly, ”Weʼve been asked to

train the new recruits of the royal guard. Itʼs a private request from the

captain.”

Sylvia

blinked. ”Oh… right. That makes sense.”

Amelia

exhaled a quiet sigh of relief as they walked away.

The

truth, however, was quite different. Mia and Amelia had opted to take culinary

classes instead—hoping to impress Zero after seeing how much heʼd enjoyed the

elven cuisine. In the human domain, cooking was usually considered a low-ranking

duty, so they didnʼt want the others to know.

”I canʼt

believe I lied like that so easily,” Amelia whispered once they were out of

earshot.

”Youʼll

get used to it,” Mia smirked. ”Besides, this is for the greater good… or at

least for Zeroʼs taste buds.”

Meanwhile,

the others had gathered in the training hall—a vast, open space that resembled

a tournament arena, though it lacked the usual roaring crowd. The only sounds

were of magic humming gently in the air.

Professor

Thalior stood at the center, his posture regal. ”All living beings possess

mana,” he began. ”But unlike most races, elves are trained from childhood to

harmonize with mana drawn from nature itself.”

He closed

his eyes and muttered Mana base. Instantly, soft green light shimmered around

his form—a perfect layer of mana outlining his body like a second skin.

”Your

first task,” he said, ”is to form a thin layer of mana around your entire body,

Maintain it. The colour of mana may differ according to your art. ”

The group

began at once. Everyone was having trouble as they couldnʼt maintain their

thickness like the professor, whereas Zero would end up getting himself covered

in ice. On the second day, Lisa and Zero could form a perfect layer. Being a

mage gave them an advantage over others

”Done

already?” Sylvia said, side-eyeing Zero. ”Show off.”

Zero

grinned. ”Youʼll catch up.”

(Professor

Thalior was shocked to the bone, he had no words as they could do it perfectly

like a veteran after just one day)

Sylvia

struggled at first. ”Ugh. I can form it, but it keeps flickering. Like… like

jelly!”

”Stop

overthinking,” Lisa said softly. ”Feel it—donʼt force it.”

As the

others slowly got the hang of it over the next few days, Hiro and Zion remained

unable to complete. He sat on the training mat, brows furrowed, thin sheen of mana sparking and vanishing

around his Body when the size was almost perfect.

”No way…” Sylvia muttered. ”Heʼs the last?”

Professor Thalior approached with a serene nod. ”Even the mightiest trees take time to grow, but once rooted, they are unshakable. Mana control is not about raw strength—itʼs about harmony.”

Hiro looked at his hands, slowly clenching them. ”So… Iʼve still got a lot to learn.”

”Exactly,” Thalior replied with a gentle smile.

He was shocked with the growth speed of humans even though the geniuses would usually take months to perfect it, he could only guess it was because of the difference in the life line.

He was ready to take it slow initially, but he was reminded that it was the human group and a group of geniuses that he was teaching.