an illusion of mind

everyone in the sorcerers class was waiting for the teacher to come back.

"aren't about done lying?" a voice cut the silence as a male student stood up from his seat and spat in an angered tone.

"hm? who are you?" Regina said sitting in the teachers seat swaying from side to side.

"my name is-"

"I don't care what your name is, what do you want?" Regina waved a hand dismissively.

the student gritted his teeth in anger, "y-you! there is no way someone as arrogant as you solved that problem so easily! you might come from the royal class but that doesn't put any difference between us, we are just as capable as you royal class students! just because you're from the royal class you think you can come in here and solve a problem so many master alchemists failed to?! you know nothing about alchemy!" he said angrily a vein bulging on his forehead.

Regina just raised an eyebrow and cocked her head back.

I see what this is about, he's jealous~

the two other royal class students turned to him, Evelyn was just staring at him expressionlessly, while Lina just looked on in slight amusement.

"I know a whole lot about alchemy, but let's wait for miss Sofi to come back and then we'll see." Regina just leaned back and relaxed in the teacher's chair.

"yeah~ we'll see~" the student was smiling now, he probably thought Regina was an idiot.

after a while the door to the class opened and in came Sofia and with her was a man with a well trimmed beard and broad shoulders, his hair was becoming grey in several places, he looked 50 but his body was built.

he was the head alchemy researcher, glen skystead.

the student who had lashed out at Regina earlier was looking really happy for some reason, did he think I would get punished if I got it wrong.

"here head researcher." Sofia spoke with respect as she gestured at the black board.

"hm, indeed this is..." he looked at the black board his eyes shadowing over, then he turned to Regina.

"you did this?" his tone was intimidating and cold.

the student from before was snickering to himself now.

"yes, I did." Regina replied.

"interesting indeed." he said rubbing his chin his eyes flicked back and forth from Regina and the black board.

"you said your name was Regina right?"

"yeah..." Regina said tilting her head to the side.

"Regina Pectos..." he spoke his face darkening.

the boys snickers became louder when he saw the head researcher's expression.

"...become my disciple." he finally spoke looking down at Regina who was sitting in Sofia's seat.

"..."

total silence, the silence was deafening, nobody spoke for a long while before miss Sofia stepped in and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "respectfully head researcher but, WHAT?!" she yelled out loudly, and her reaction was fair.

because the head researcher isn't a simple man, he's also one of the best alchemists around the entire world, and he was also the only one of the great alchemists to still not have a disciple, and he had been refusing to take any disciples so far, so the mere fact that he immediately requested for Regina to be his disciple after he saw one simple formula she created spoke volumes.

and then the dam broke, several whispers and gasps could be heard reverberating in the sorcerer's class.

"you don't understand professor Sofia, this isn't a simple formula to purify the water of tainted blood, this here, could be used for so many things besides that, enhance agriculture, heal ailments and illnesses, and so much more, and the mere fact that this student here came up with it on the fly speaks a lot about her ability, she truly is deserving of being the royal class." he spoke and stated the many uses this solution had.

"...ah but you never wanted a disciple so it's incredibly shocking and surprising for you to ask her to be your disciple just from one formula."

"not just the uses are impressive but also the materials and reagents used are all cheap and easy to find, she made this with the idea that you could create this solution with simple alchemy tools, her talent is unfathomable and I must try my luck first before someone else snatches her from me." he spoke simply his stern voice never wavering.

"ah that..." Sofia was speechless she couldn't argue that fact, if what the head researcher skystead said was true then Regina was truly a talent of the century...

"I'm sorry but I must decline." Regina spoke and the entire class was plunged into another drawn out silence.

everyone was quiet you could hear the breathing from the silence.

"WHAT?!" this time it was the boy who lashed out at her earlier, he stood up and slammed the table in anger.

"you're declining the opportunity to be chased after by entire kingdoms for a single potion as an alchemist!" he exclaimed, he didn't seem angry anymore just stumped and shocked that she would ever think of rejecting let alone rejecting it to the head researcher's face.

the head researcher held his hand up to stop the boy from speaking anymore, "forgive my dumb nephew, and I understand your decision, not everyone wants to be an alchemist, but I plead with you to reconsider your talent for alchemy is immense and you can be the best alchemist in the world if you wish." he said.

so he was his nephew? that's why he was so arrogant about alchemy, but why isn't he in the royal class?

"key word 'if I wish.', and I don't want to go down the path of an alchemist mister glen Skystead." she spoke smiling as she leaned back in her chair.

"I understand, but since you solved this problem you deserve a reward, so I will give you the highest grades possible in alchemy, it doesn't matter if you didn't pick the alchemy class."

"oh, really~ thanks a lot~" she said smiling at him.

"you're welcome and she can remain in this class if she wishes, right? miss Sofia?" Glen turned to Sofia who was still shocked, she broke out of her stupor and nodded.

"then I will take my leave." he said before he turn and started walking out of the class.

"oh, and one last thing, please reconsider your decision." he said bowing his head before leaving the class.

the class was left in silence again.

"sooo~ do I get to stay?" Regina said turning to look at miss Sofia.

"R-right, yeah..." Sofia shook her head and returned back to the class.

"alright class... that took a chunk out of the class time an I must admit... I'm still shocked... so class is dismissed early today, next class I will give you, your routines for your special training for each ability..." she said shaking her head.

"oh~ sweet~" Regina said nonchalantly as she jumped to her feet and left the class as if she hadn't just shook the entirety of the alchemical world with what she did.

"... ridiculous..." Evelyn said finally showing some type of emotion, she was a little irritated that Regina was so nonchalant about this when she should be honoured, but she also felt that it was fitting a talent like her to be in the royal class.

"...how cool is that?" Lina just looked amused and shocked somewhat because she knew Glen Skystead, he had come to her family's territory once to present a potion to her sick little sister, she was terminally ill for 3 years and with a single potion he managed to cure her, so for that Glen Skystead, to bow his head and plead for someone to be his disciple, and that person being non other than Regina.

Regina had gained quiet the bad reputation among the Royal class, she had been going around and defending Adam who was equally scorned and hated by the class, 'why would she defend a rapist like him?' they would say.

"incredible... for my uncle to finally want a disciple..." they boy from earlier spoke again, he was Elred Skystead, an alchemy specialist and also Glen Skystead's nephew, he was quite close to his uncle, after all he was the one who thought him alchemy, and the one actively helping him suppress himself to not end up in the royal class.

Elred was talented enough to make it to the royal class, but he actively chose not to, because he felt it would be limiting him from spending his time researching alchemy because the royal class had several special tests and missions every now and then.

"...I want to go to the royal class..." he said looking at the door where Regina had walked out, he had a look of admiration and a slight blush on his cheek, he wanted to meet her again, maybe ask her a few alchemy related questions, and also apologize for lashing out at her.

if she can be so talented at alchemy while at the same time having tests in the royal class, then so can he!

he got up and walked out of the class room door and after he did, the rest of the students also started moving, they all walked out of the class one after another.

but Elred walked with a definite path in mind, he was going to his uncle's office so he can ask him to allow him to go into the royal class, Elred's rank was 1- A, he shouldn't have a problem doing a transfer because it was still early.

after all he was actively holding himself back out of his own volition.

"uncle!" he burst into the office slamming the door open and his uncle was sitting down at his desk calmly observing the black board with the formula Regina had written.

"what is it nephew, if it's about the formula it's real it's not fake so stop whining and-"

"it's not about that..." he interrupted, Glen turned towards him fully, "then what is it?"

"I want to be in the royal class too." he said.

Glen's eyes widened but his expression softened and a smirk found it's way onto his face, "so you finally decided to join the royal class? is it because of her?"

"she had part in my decision yeah... but I've been thinking of joining the Royal class for a while and top holding myself back, and she was just the final push I needed." he scratched the back of his head thinking back to when Regina was writing on the black board, the way she spoke so confidently, he had to compete with her, his eyes burned with flames of rivalry.

"please, tell the higher ups that I accept the invitation to the Royal class and I want to attend it." he said resolving himself.

Glen smiled widely and let out a long sigh, "you finally decided to stop holding yourself back, then I will. next week you should expect to join the Royal class, and make sure you don't over do it to impress her." he said chuckling.

"impress...?" he just tilted his head to the side, "why would I want to impress her?"

his uncle just looked at him blankly and sighed, "just close the door behind you."

Elred just shrugged and walked out closing the door behind him.

Glen just stared at the door, "my clueless idiotic nephew, that admiration he has for her will soon turn into something else..." he said shaking his head.

"still I look forward to the future of this generation, they have talent to override the previous generations... maybe even surpass the hero generation..." he spoke to himself before chuckling.

"it indeed will be interesting to see this generation grow..."