Chapter 8: Combination Magic Circle

Aresia began preparing for the academy’s reporting trip, which was only a few days away.

The academy’s dormitory was the accommodation for students, and servants were not allowed. It was inconvenient to bring things in, even though there was a dedicated grocery store in the dormitory. It often didn’t have everything one needed, and there was a risk of forgetting something important when preparing for the trip.

What set Aresia apart from other new students was that she had memories of her previous life attending the Royal academy. She was familiar with the school’s conditions and knew what to prepare.

Since Luna and other maids were the ones actually tidying up, they added quite a few things to Aresia’s packing list. They even packed several suitcases for her.

It was no longer just packing, it was moving.

Aersia tried to stop them from packing, but it went against the Duchess’s temperament. Luna reassured her that the luggage would be delivered to the academy by carriage, and the maids would take care of unpacking. Reluctantly, Aresia accepted.

The clothes for her father and brother were sent to Aresia’s room. Before sending them off, a magic circle was drawn on the package after gathering the necessary materials. It took some time before they were sent to the military legion.

On the other hand, Amos, the heir to Duke Rogest, felt strange when he heard that someone was sending things to him. It was rare for someone to send things through their management, especially when the Duchess was not present. The Duke’s household rarely relied on management.

When he learned that it was clothes, specifically customized and sent by Aresia, it felt even more peculiar.

Amos, being the energetic young man that he was, didn’t resemble his father’s calmness. He immediately felt excited when he received the clothes from his sister. The package contained lightweight white shirts, durable dark-colored pants, and a set of socks. Each of them had two sets of clothes, while the socks were shared with five pairs for each person.

“How did Aresia manage to bring us clothes so quickly? The fabric feels so comfortable, especially as the weather is starting to get warmer. This outfit is perfect for the heat.”

The thin and cool fabric feels incredibly comfortable, providing a pleasant sensation upon contact, making it a comfortable material to wear.

The brother was surprised by his sister’s present. Their father, the Duke, was also delighted, but his excitement was even greater.

He carefully examined the shirt hanging on the hanger.

The shirt had a simple and fitted design, suitable even under armor. Apart from the remarkably silky fabric, there seemed to be something special about it, perhaps another unique feature.

The Duke, Viamos, had a keen eye and noticed a faint emblem on the inside of the shirt’s chest, slightly obscured by the emblem. The colors were slightly different, and when he held the white shirt against the light, the emblem became visible.

He flipped the shirt to the side and discovered a light golden pattern drawn on it.

The pattern on the garment should have been on the outside, a mistake made by the tailor, as it held a particular significance beyond just aesthetics.

He flipped through the other shirts and pants, even the socks, and found a consistent pattern, all placed on the inside of the clothes. This was undoubtedly the tailor’s error.

Only then did he carefully examine the intricate pattern, consisting of four diamond-shaped designs, each smaller than a fingernail, with lines forming a composition. Within these circles were even more intricate patterns and characters, which required close observation to fully understand.

At first glance, this pattern seemed unfamiliar, but upon closer inspection, the Duke widened his eyes in astonishment. “Is this… a magic array?”

The attendant, who had remained silent, smiled and said, “The Duke truly has sharp eyes. This is indeed a combination magic array.”

He casually mentioned as if it was not him who was shocked before.

“These are four magic arrays drawn by Miss Aresia. Their effects are armor, reflection, temperature control, and cleaning. Miss Arisia mentioned that due to the low grade of the spider silk fabric, she added four magic arrays, including armor and reflection, to enhance the defense against higher-level attacks. Please put them on first and we will replace them with higher-quality spider silk later.”

This was what Aresia told him. Even though it was repeated, the young Duke suspected that there might be something wrong with his ears when he heard these words.

What does “added four magic arrays” mean? What does “enhance defense against higher-level attacks” mean? And why should he put them on first?

He didn’t know. Did Aresia even have fabric capable of carrying magic arrays? Although he knew that Aresia’s spider silk fabric was special, he didn’t know that it was magical fabric.

Moreover, although Aresia said that the spider silk fabric used to draw the four magic arrays was of average quality, in reality, it was not up to the standard of a high-level magical fabric capable of carrying four magic arrays. Its market price was only 10,000 gold coins. However, if the configuration effect of the magic arrays was considered, it would easily be priced at 100,000 gold coins, and there would be people lining up to buy it.

The configuration of these four magic arrays drawn by Aresia is indeed puzzling.

Armor and reflection are two very useful magical effects, and the reflection effect is particularly rare and difficult to draw. Magic devices with reflection magic arrays are highly sought after and their prices soar.

As for temperature control and cleaning, he had never heard of these magic arrays before.

Not only him, even Duke Amos had never heard of these magic arrays before.

“Temperature control? Cleaning?”

Aresia’s explanation was reiterated: “The temperature control magic array allows you to wear this clothing while keeping your body at a comfortable temperature. The cleansing magic array ensures that any stains on the clothes are cleaned, guaranteeing their cleanliness.”

Upon hearing this, Amos’s eyes lit up. “Though these two magic arrays were not of the offensive or defensive type, they were highly practical in daily life. Especially for knights who often needed to wear armor, having this clothing would make enduring the scorching summer heat much more bearable.”

Amos found it strange that his usually timid sister had suddenly become so skilled. Not only did she create magical fabric, but she also designed the magic arrays.

The Duke was puzzled because he had planned to return to the mansion tonight after delivering the report to the Imperial Palace. However, he decided to return immediately upon hearing Amos’s revelation.

Just as he shared his thoughts, the man who delivered the clothes said, “Miss Aresia has already submitted the report to the Royal Academy.”

Amos was surprised, “Already? Isn’t there a couple of days more before the Royal Academy class start? Why so early?”

“Miss Aresia is not familiar with the academy and she need to select a suitable residence,” the man replied.

Amos understood. He had graduated from the Royal Academy and knew that the accommodations were divided into different levels, including eight-person rooms, four-person rooms, double rooms, and single rooms. The single rooms had better conditions but were limited in number. Apart from being more expensive, they were allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Although the Rogest Duke’s mansion had already made arrangements for a single room, there were slight differences between each room, so it was better to report early and have priority in choosing the dormitory.

At that moment, Aresia had already arrived at the academy and completed the registration process. With Professor Feng’s company, she selected a dormitory.

The Royal Academy had three departments: General Studies, Warrior Studies, and Magic Studies. The General Studies department had the largest number of students, including non-professionals who were classified as part of the General Studies. The Warrior Studies department consisted of combat-oriented professions without magic abilities. The Magic Studies department had the fewest students. The entire Imperial Academy had about three thousand students, but the Magic Studies department, with only five grades, had less than three hundred students.

The dormitories at the Royal Academy are divided by departments. The dormitories for general departmental students are separated by gender. The dormitories for the magic department are located next to the other two departments, with the warrior department dormitory in between and further away from the general department.

Although the magic department has fewer students, they have two dormitory buildings for each gender, totaling four buildings.

Throughout the entire academy, the dormitory buildings are designed in a gothic castle style favored by the wealthy residents of Holy Lotean City. The internal space is spacious, and the floors are high.

As Aresia walk towards the dormitories, the guide teacher leads the way and introduces the conditions of the dormitories.

“On this side of the magic department, each dormitory building has six floors. The first floor is the common lounge and the residence for the dormitory managers. If you need anything, you can find us there. The second and third floors have four-person rooms, the fourth and fifth floors have double rooms, and the sixth floor has single rooms with better conditions.”

“There are currently five vacant single rooms available for selection. You can choose freely, and if you are not satisfied, we can discuss changing dormitories with other departments.”

Even though social status is less influential in the school, at the Royal Academy, the students from noble families have more opportunities to have better dormitories. They are priority in selecting rooms before others.

Don’t forget that the school has not only new students but also old ones. Among the students studying in the magic department at the academy, not all of them are nobles or wealthy individuals. They cannot afford the accommodation fee of several thousand gold coins. Although the magic department often has half of its dormitories vacant, the single rooms are almost always fully occupied, with only occasional vacancies when someone graduates or leaves the school.

The Magic Department have five single rooms that might have already been eyeing by other high-ranking individuals, so not all of them might be available for selection.

Professor Feng’s words were very clear. If Aresia was not satisfied with her current dormitory, she could freely “communicate” with other dormitories.

Aresia had an idea and quickly chose a dormitory after Professor Feng led her through the five options.

The dormitory building was divided into two sections, with the main entrance and staircase located in the middle. The first floor had a lobby that led to the ribbed dome above the sixth floor. On the second floor, part of the staircase led to a section of the main hall. The fifth and sixth floors had connected corridors for easy access. Starting from the second floor, there were ten rooms on each side of the staircase, with windows facing the main entrance.

The basic conditions of the single rooms were generally the same, but there were some differences in orientation and location. The four dormitories for magic students were side by side, with the rooms on the side of the dormitory building adjacent to the warrior dormitories. The rooms on the other side had a beautiful view of the lake and forest.

Aresia had chosen a room facing the lake, close to the staircase.

Aresia had some conflicting emotions and didn’t want to live in a room with unpleasant memories. She decided to choose another room with a different orientation, specifically one in the corner to minimize disturbances from the outside.