Ignius was looking at the mage with amusement. This would be the first time that he would meet the mage face to face and in his human form.
"Look at him, he's not looking good. He's about to pass out." The man's laugh echoed through the room and if the master did not put a barrier around his room, it would have been heard throughout the hall.
"I told you not to come out whenever you want. Can't you just stay still?" Cygnus rubbed his temples and glared at him.
"How can you expect me to stay still when I have already tasted the air outside," the man chuckled. He also wanted to be a part of this grand plan that the master has. "And I want to offer my invaluable service to your plan."
Cygnus leaned on the headboard and sighed again. These guys were unnaturally eager. Although it was a good thing, they should learn how to keep their enthusiasm to themselves.
"Master, what is a dragon doing in here?" Astro, who was finally calm, asked.
When he heard that they were talking so casually with each other, his fear subsided for a little bit but he remained wary of the dragon. Cygnus looked at the dragon and at the mage who had his gaze on him. The feeling of intimidation from the dragon lessened because of the look given by the master.
"He is my familiar. Well, you can just call him that because he doesn't like being called a servant." The master rested his head on his fist as he looked at them lazily. "His name is Ignius."
"Nice to finally face you Mr. Mage," the dragon stepped out from the darkness to show himself to the man.
The silver glow from the moonlight that passed through the only window of the room illuminated the dragon. Astro saw a man with black hair and tanned skin. He was not wearing anything above and his pants were of the loose type that fits on the bottom with a piece of white cloth tied at his waist like a belt. He was not also wearing any footwear.
Astro narrowed his eyes but he still avoided the dragon's gaze because his vertical pupil gave him shivers. He could only look at the master and ask him his questions instead.
"Is he the dragon during that incident?" He asked again just to make sure and so that he knew how he could deal with this new addition to the master's entourage.
"Yes, he is and you don't have to fear him because he won't do anything to you just don't get on his bad side," the master answered and at the same time reminded the man.
Astro already knew that and he did not plan on angering the dragon nor the master. Now that everything had changed, he really didn't care who the people serving the master were. His main concern right now was the tower.
Ignius who was quietly observing from the side observed how the mage's expression changed from surprise to calm. He was now sure that there was definitely a change in the man's disposition and view on the world.
"What a good change." They heard the dragon's words and both of them looked in his direction. "I like this change that I am seeing."
"You like it? That's rare and here I am finding his newly acquired personality a little bit boring," Cygnus shook his head.
The dragon chuckled, "That's because you don't know how important that change is." Ignius smirked at the master before he flicked his hand and disappeared through the shadows.
"You don't have to listen to him. Right now, he will be on stand-by and expect him to pop here and there because he seemed to have taken an interest in you," there was a slight chuckle on his mouth as he said those words.
"I'll need to process everything first so I will leave you be. Rest well master." Astro turned around and returned to his room while Cygnus also laid down to sleep.
Their days passed peacefully and with no encounters with other apprentices who wanted to teach them a lesson. He continued to show them his prowess in both ice and wind magic until the so called exams where the top apprentices would have the chance to become a disciple of one of the elders.
"Are you going to join the exam master?" Astro asked after they read the announcement.
"I should because I want to see the faces of these elders who run the tower behind the scenes. It would also be better if I can meet the so-called Magus Maximus." Cygnus wanted to see the faces of these people in person.
Ari had already drawn a rough sketch of the elders and the Magus Maximus but it was still different if he could see them in flesh. He could also create a list of what he should do with them at the end of their road. He smiled to himself at that thought and was excited to actually do it.
The day of the exam came. The apprentices were excited and ready to show how much they have improved. Since it was a major event in the tower, the battles would be held at the main arena of the tower to let the other mages watch.
Families of the apprentices were also invited to go and watch their children perform. Several aristocratic families also attended the event because this was also a good chance for them to make connections with the Magic Tower.
What surprised the attendees was the presence of Major Linius Ginehart who was rumored to be soon promoted as a Colonel. No one expected him to show up in an event hosted by the tower because everybody knew that the Ginehart Dukedom doesn't like the tower at all.
Elder Celes personally welcomed their special guest and led him to a private viewing room where he sat together with the other nobility. They openly stared at the man but that was all they could do because of the people who were with him. They were intimidating and the aura around them screamed that no one should approach them.
"Thank you for attending this event, Major Linius. It is our pleasure to see you," Celes spoke respectfully but the man still had a serious look on his face.
"Don't think that I am here just because I want to be here. I'm here to make sure that my brother will not fall prey to the tower's dirty schemes." His sharp gaze met the elder's smiling face.
He did not even bother to lower his voice and instead raised it so that the other people in the room would hear him. The smile on the elder's face twitched but he held himself back from frowning. There really was no chance for the major to change his opinion of them.
"We assure you that your brother is doing well and even became more proficient with his use of his magic. You'll be able to witness it in a few moments and this event is created and judged with fairness." Celes could only respond with positive words to assure the audience that everything was handled well. He couldn't let them misunderstand anything.
Linius only gave him a look before he shifted his attention to the arena and ignored the elder. Celes could do nothing, so he left and instead went to check on the participants. He needed to make sure that all of them were prepared and that no one would attempt to cheat during the battles or else he would have chaos in his hands if that happened.
While he was walking around, he saw Cygnus and Astro who was whispering to him. He saw how the young man had a smile on his face as he stood up and exited the preparation room. The elder immediately knew that he would be going to where the major was.
Just as he predicted, Cygnus went to see his brother. He entered the room and went straight to the seat where some uniformed men were standing. They were standing out because of the heavy atmosphere surrounding them.
