"You children didn't go to any high school? Well, that's a problem. Let me see…" Madam Begonia pondered.
"Ha! How about I employ a tutor to give you a few lessons? You three will write the university entrance exam in the next three months," she said.
"I don't—hmph," Iode began, but he was quickly cut off by Nivea, who interrupted,
"It's great! We should do the lessons and enroll in a university."
"That's wonderful to hear. There's no way I'll have children under my roof who go unschooled. You three must become someone of note—just like me," Madam Begonia said proudly. The three thanked her and exited the library.
"Care to explain why you shut me down back there, demoness?" Iode asked.
"Saying nonsense like 'there's no need to go to university, don't waste your money, I'll just find a job'—you would've ruined our fun. University is full of hot boys to date and harvest essence from," Nivea replied.
"Indeed, Methuselah. Don't go behind our backs talking trash like that again—it wouldn't end well for either of us," Reggie added.
"Is that a threat?" Iode narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't going to say anything before, but now I've changed my mind. I'm going to tell her I'm not going—no, we're not going!"
"What? No!!! I was just joking!" Reggie cried, lunging at Iode.
Iode raised his hand, and a gust of wind blasted Reggie backward, flinging him across the hallway.
"What was that for, Methuselah?" Reggie yelled from where he landed.
"Self-defense," Iode said calmly.
"In the hallway?!"
"Hmph. I have quite a lot of work to do if I'm going to escape from here," Iode muttered.
Nivea smiled from where she stood. "Boys will always be boys."
---
Months later, Iode and the twins began their tutelage for the exam. Perplexed and astounded, their tutor was amazed by their intelligence. It was almost unbelievable that they had never attended high school—they grasped concepts effortlessly, sometimes even mastering material the tutor hadn't yet taught. The tutor was proud.
During this time, Iode also wrote down spells he could remember and began formulating new ones. Over the months, he progressed from a two-star mage to a four-star.
In his world, One to Three Stars is considered Low-level; Four to Six Stars, Mid-level; and Seven to Nine Stars, Advanced. Most nations in the Heaters realm capped their limits at nine stars, both in magic and swordsmanship. However, the wizard tribe of the magical nation—where magic is central to life—went further.
They extended the ranks beyond the nine-star advanced level to Ten and Eleven Stars, both of which are High Level, and ultimately to the Twelfth Star, the Legendary Level. High and legendary levels are notoriously difficult to reach. Iode was one of the few to ever attain them, making him exceptional.
After giving up Igor's powers, he had regressed from twelve stars to one star. Since then, he had worked tirelessly to regain his strength. Fortunately, he had now progressed from low-level to the beginning of mid-level.
The exam day came swiftly—and passed just as quickly. Soon, it was time to begin university.
---
Elsewhere…
A man stared intently at a video clip playing on a screen. In the footage, two red-haired individuals were seen harassing a plump blonde woman in a blue dress and sunglasses, along with her chauffeur. A white-haired boy lay unconscious nearby. The man frowned.
"No doubt... those two are demons. How bold of them—to do this in broad daylight, in my city, my company, and to my customers." He snapped the pen in his hand in two.
"Erase the CCTV footage. It would be catastrophic if humans—especially the Mystic Hunters—got their hands on this. Those two need to learn how things are done around here," he said as he exited the room.