Valerian, The Legendary

128 Rise Begins With A Fall.

Valerian had taken the lead too quickly. The people were shocked, the students did not expect it to happen this way. However, the boy had no intention to stop and he rushed forward. A few of the mages and warriors noticed this situation and they called for their peers.

“Stop fighting among ourselves, that kid will be making a joke of us. Contain him first.”

The calls were answered by the students and they all began to rush forward and cast spells to hold him down. However, Valerian was not giving them an opportunity. Some of the wind mages thought of learning from him and used the wind movement to carry them forward, but they were limited by their physique, and since they could not gain enough elevation, they could not cover much distance either.

Valerian was making things difficult for them. He would cast wind blades and gusts to hinder their approach. Eventually, some people lost it and they began to cast bigger spells. Fireballs, water prisons, wood vines, and whatnot. However, Valerian would simply cast an earth wall behind himself and prevent himself from the attacks.

A few warriors caught up to him, but they faced Valerian’s combat skills. His attacks were vicious and precisely shaking. However, the force behind his attacks was not much, it was just enough to stun the people and leave them, but to make sure that these people do not move much, he would still cast an earth bind on their feet.

The onslaught continued, and Valerian kept on moving forward. He was indomitable. His skills were shining and putting everyone to shame. The mage teachers who were watching the show were surprised, but then the surprise changed into shame. These students, the so-called gifted young talents were put to dust.

Just as Valerian was about to cross the quarter of the vine track, he decided to turn around and charged down the slope. He began to cast earth bind on the feet of all the warriors that came to attack him before he stunned them with a blow to the head, and then he proceeded to deal with the mages.

He just left them down on the vine. The only three people who did not get punched in their faces were Conixia, Ashlyn, and Sylvia. Valerian spared them and before turning back to go back to the leading position, he said, “This is the only help. Next time I will go all out.”

This scene was caught on the light screen and projected in front of the audience. While they were shocked by the skills displayed by this child they were also astounded at the fact that this cold-hearted person left three girls easy.

.....

To be honest. Valerian did not spare any of the girls. He treated everyone the same. Fragrantia could understand why he spared Conixia, but he did not know why he spared the other two and she asked, “Old man, what is going on with my son?”

Fallax shrugged his shoulders and said, “I have noticed him being friendly to this girl. I do not know her identity.”

Suddenly Stephanie coughed lightly and said, “Sir, that is my younger daughter, Ashlyn.”

Fragrantia and Fallax were surprised. The former was surprised because she was aware of the conflict between the two people, while the latter was because he did not expect Valerian to have developed a social connection so early. According to his assessment, it would take this wood stake at least a year to grow some green fungi on it.

The Empress of Lumen Empire said, “I want to meet him after the first round.”

Fallax nodded and said, “Yes.”

This old man was only talkative to Fragrantia because he knew her connection with Flos, and had basically seen her grow up. He was Flos’s teacher as well. He was not her master because she already had someone to fill that seat.

Stephanie was rather shocked at this display of tactfulness between the two, but she could not make any random guesses. It will definitely upset the two people. While she did not care much about Fragrantia, Fallax was someone she would love to avoid. There was a rumor that this old man had dealt with a complete platoon on his own.

Terrifying existence, that was what Fallax was to the people who did not know him.

...

The race came to an end, with Valerian looking back at the face of the people, who were still climbing up the delicate vine. A few minutes ago, Valerian was struggling to maintain his balance. but somehow he managed. These people were having an even harder time. The thickness of the vine was only four inches.

He mumbled, “I wonder how I managed to balance myself.”

Fortuna, who was peeking out of his shirt let out a meow as if saying, “Because of me.”

Valerian rubbed her head and said, “Yes, yes, it was because of you, your highness.”

Then he turned around and was about to walk into the big assessment arena when a voice echoed in his mind, “Come to the highest tower.”

The voice belonged to Fallax. He looked around and located the highest tower and moved toward it. Valerian found a series of stairs leading to the top of the observation balcony. He climbed over and was surprised. He found Fragrnatia sitting in a chair with a smile on her face. Valerian smiled back at her and scurried over to her side.

He did not realize that he missed her so much. He bowed to her and said, “Greetings, Your Excellency.”

The royal family must maintain decorum when in public eyes. Fragrantia said, “Greetings, my dear.”

Fragrantia looked to the side and said, “This is the Empress of the Sapientia Empire, and also the to-be mother-in-law of your elder brother, Ignis.”

Valerian looked at her and said, “Greetings, Your Excellency.”

He gave her a solemn bow and the lady said, “Get up.”

Valerian let her take a good look at his visage before the scene was interrupted by a meow. Fortuna was tired of being stuffed inside his shirt. He took her out and the beauty shone. Fragrantia asked, “Fortuna, how is he treating you?”

Fortuna climbed Valerian’s shoulder and rubbed his cheek with her paw, as if saying, “He is very good.”

Fragrantia chuckled and called the kitten over, who cooperated and jumped into her lap. Stephanie could tell that this was not an act on display, but a genuine emotional connection between the two humans. How could a dignified empress show affection to an adopted child who was simply taken in for the sake of his talent?

Stephanie asked, “Prince Valerian, do you know my daughter?”

Valerian looked at her and said politely, “I do, Your Excellency.”

“Oh! That is wonderful, the younger generation of the two empires can develop a better connection for a stable relationship in the future.”, said Stephanie.

Although she knew that the treatment Fragrantia gave Valerian was true, it was not something that would stop her from testing this young man further. She was not so easily influenced by the others in front of her. She could also tell that Valerian had complete freedom to do what he wished to do because Fragrantia did not interrupt them at all. This was something even more surprising.

Soon, the gallery was filled with more affluent figures, and Valerian greeted them. These were none other than the deans or as they were called in the magical world, Magus Supreme of the seven Magic towers. This gallery was meant for them only but then again, Fragrantia was not only the Empress but also the guest of the person they were all wary of, Fallax.

Stephanie had come over with the reference of a similar status person, The Supreme Magus of the Wood tower.

...

Kartan Shin stood in the middle of the arena, which was thirty meters wide and forty meters long with a burly man beside him. The latter said in a sonorous tone that echoed in the surroundings. “Welcome, to the annual ranking competition of the Imperial Academy. Earlier you witnessed the skills of the young and the talented students. However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. Now, I would like to call over the first rank of the race, Valerian Verus.”

The people were surprised by the last name, there was only one Verus on the western continent. The royal family of the Lumen Empire. This guy was a prince, they all thought.

In the viewing gallery, Fragrantia patted the shoulder of the young man and said, “Go, take it.”

Others might be confused about the meaning of her words but it was clear to Valerian. She was asking him to take the championship and move towards his goal.

Valerian nodded to her, and turning around, he took a two-step run toward the boundary and jumped off from the tower. The people gasped as they saw his figure, the tower was twenty feet high.