The Distant Trail of Ciara Badvia

Prologue: In the Depths of the Lily Mountains
Part 3: A Tale That Began on a Stormy Night

AN INVITATION TO THE MAGIC ACADEMY

“My sincere apologies for intruding at this late hour and causing you trouble,” the envoy said humbly, sitting at the dining table opposite Rosa and Tyril. Three cups of tea were steaming on the table.

Tyril finally managed to sort out her feelings, or at least was ready enough to calmly listen to the rest of the man’s words. But her resolve was fragile—if Rosa disappeared from her side, she would likely lose it again. 

“May we know what you’re here for?” Rosa asked, taking a sip of herbal tea. It prompted the envoy to begin his tale.

“Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Theodore Clancy. I have come from Saria to convey His Majesty the King’s message to Miss Tyril Zeeland.”

“His Majesty, hm…” Rosa pondered for a bit. Her reaction sounded subdued, but she was actually quite surprised. Tyril, holding a warm cup of tea with both hands, could tell that much. “Well then, what is the message?” 

“His Majesty wishes for Miss Tyril to join Saria’s Magic Academy. He offers his assistance for your enrollment.”

“Me…? Join the Magic Academy?” Tyril parroted in disbelief. Saria wasn’t a place she’d been to before, but she’d heard of it having a renowned school of magic. It was the highest seat of learning in the Kingdom of Solzarand, where people with magical talents gathered to study and hone their magical abilities, producing exceptional wizards and witches. It was one of those places Tyril never dreamed of being a part of. 

“Yes. His Majesty wishes for Miss Tyril to enroll in the Department of Applied Magics of the academy and become a successful mage. She will enroll as a regular student, of course.” 

He used many words unfamiliar to Tyril, who only understood about half of it. But there was one thing she clearly grasped.  

“So, you mean… you’re asking me to become a mage?” 

“That’s correct. Excuse my boldness, but I believe you’ve yet to attend any schools or educational institutions thus far. His Majesty hopes that you will receive proper education, become an outstanding mage, and eventually become one of the great mages who shall contribute to the country.”

“But that’s…” 

The man preempted Tyril’s line of questioning, rushing to add his explanation. “And as I mentioned before, the royal palace will provide all the necessary support for your enrollment and school life. We will take care of all the required procedures.”

However, that was not what Tyril’s unease was about.

“No, um, it’s not that… Why would the king call out to someone like me?” she asked.

“Well, that’s because…”

“I’m not even a mage; I’m an ordinary human who can only use basic magic. Besides, I’ve never gone beyond the town of Lily. I don’t understand why the king would reach out to me. I don’t even know why he knows about me in the first place.”

With a perplexed and skeptical expression, Tyril looked up at the man.

There was a moment of silence. But the bafflement in Clancy’s eyes soon gave way into a kind smile, and he tried to answer Tyril’s questions.

“It’s due to your mother, of course. Since you’ve yet to receive any magical training, it certainly is fair to just call you an unknown young woman. However, as you know, your mother was a great mage. Magical talent is often inherited through blood, and so His Majesty has high expectations with the ‘blood’ you inherited from your mother.”

Tyril’s eyes bulged; it was now her who was baffled. She glanced at Rosa slowly, seeking answers, but even she had on a puzzled expression, her hand gently touching her cheek. Neither of them fully understood the man’s words. 

Clancy, meanwhile, looked oblivious to their confusion and continued talking. It seemed like this envoy had difficulty assessing the other party’s level of understanding in a conversation. Tyril sighed softly, hoping he would notice their confusion a little and speak with a bit more awareness.

“I am embarrassed to admit that we in the royal palace had no idea where Miss Tyril’s mother was,” he explained, placing both hands on the table. “The palace needed to focus on post-war reconstruction after the war, and it took several years before we could redirect our efforts toward the improvement of the country’s cultural standard. That’s when we began searching for your mother’s whereabouts. However, finding any leads to that end proved challenging. It was only recently when we finally discovered that your mother was married and had a daughter residing in the mountainside of Yurea.”

He had a proud look on his face, though Tyril didn’t quite understand what part of the story warranted it—but that part was irrelevant compared to what she needed to clear up. Tyril straightened up, leaning forward and gazing at him intently.

“You know my mother?” Her eyes were fixed on Clancy’s face.

He looked at a loss for a moment. “Yes, of course.”

“If you don’t mind, could you tell me about her? I’ve never heard anything about her.”

In return, she was met with the most stunned expression from the man, his mouth agape.

“W-well… Erm… Miss Tyril, you truly don’t know about your mother?” he stammered out.

“As far back as I remember, my father… I was living with just my father, and he didn’t tell me much of anything. I never really thought about it either, so I never asked. I know she’s no longer alive, though.”

After that, she momentarily glanced at Rosa, who looked back with a face that said, “I don’t know either.” Tyril then returned her gaze back to Clancy.

The man’s expression as he stared at Tyril could be summed up in one word: astonishment.

“I didn’t expect you wouldn’t know; she is your mother, after all. I assumed your father would tell you…” he mumbled as he reached for the plain, small, white teacup in front of him, its steam long since dissipated.

—————

MTL Note: Not sure why, but the author uses the envoy’s last and first name in narration (I only skimmed ahead the raws). I elected to just follow their lead.

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