Charisma 100: My Academy Life As A Heartbreaking Commoner-Chapter 247: Divine Intervention

Over the next few days, Aegis watched Sylceris.

Between classes, during meals, in the gaps between lectures, she kept track. Who Sylceris talked to. Where she went. How long she lingered after a conversation and with whom.

The girl was careful. She never spoke to the same person twice in a row, never stayed in one spot for too long, and never, ever looked nervous. Whatever training the Umbral Blade put their people through, it included how to blend in. If Aegis hadn’t already known what she was, she might not have noticed anything at all.

[But I do know. And now I need to figure out who else is with her.]

Which brought her to the twins.

She found Kai’Lin and Mei’Lin in one of the training ground gazebos during a break between classes. Kai’Lin was sharpening a short sword and Mei’Lin was lying on the bench with her head in Kai’Lin’s lap, eyes closed. They both perked up when Aegis approached, Kai’Lin’s ears twitching and Mei’Lin cracking one eye open.

"I need you two to do something for me," Aegis said, sitting down across from them. "Quietly."

Kai’Lin set her whetstone down.

"How quietly, nya?"

"The kind of quietly where nobody knows you’re doing it."

Mei’Lin opened both eyes now and sat up, her white hair falling over her shoulder.

"Sounds fun. What are we looking for?"

"People." Aegis kept her voice low. "Specifically, students or staff who might be connected to the Umbral Blade. I’ve got one confirmed, but there are more. I need names, habits, who they talk to, where they go after hours. Put together a list."

The twins exchanged a look. In that moment, it felt like they communicated an entire conversation without saying a word.

"We can do that, nya," Kai’Lin said. "Give us a week."

---

The reality, however, was that two birds needed killing, not one.

Bird one: get close to Sylceris and the shadow mages. Make them think she was warming up to their cause. That part was already in motion, she just needed to keep showing up, keep being approachable, keep giving Sylceris reasons to report back positively.

Bird two: get the church off her back. Specifically, get Selene to stop looking at her like a suspect and start looking at her like an ally.

[If I can pull off both at the same time without either side catching on, I deserve a goddamn medal.]

Failing either one felt like an easy way to end up either in a dungeon or with a knife in her neck, but she was gonna give it a shot anyway.

She found Selene after afternoon classes, near the administrative wing. The inquisitor was reading a notice on the wall, her white armor polished, her black cape draped over one shoulder. She turned when she heard Aegis’s footsteps and, naturally, smiled.

"Mrs. Starcaller. What a pleasant surprise."

"Selene. Got a minute?"

"For you? Several."

[... Honestly, it’s unsettling how nice she is.]

"I was wondering," Aegis said, keeping her tone light and friendly, "if you’d like to come by my quarters for tea. I feel like we got off on the wrong foot, what with the whole ’suspected shadow mage’ thing, and I thought it might be nice to actually talk. Like normal people."

Selene’s blue eyes studied her for a moment, like she was recalculating.

"I’d like that," Selene said. "Lead the way."

Back at the married student quarters, Aegis poured tea for the both of them, handed Selene a cup, and sat down across from her.

"So," Aegis said. "Cards on the table. You’re here to investigate shadow mage activity, and I’m the most obvious suspect in the building. That’s got to make things awkward for both of us."

Selene took a sip of her tea.

"I appreciate the directness."

"I’m a direct person. Saves time."

"It does." Selene set the cup down and folded her hands in her lap. "I won’t lie to you, Mrs. Starcaller. Your use of shadow magic at the wedding was... alarming. The church has concerns."

"I’d be worried if it didn’t."

"But," Selene continued, "I’m also aware that you used that magic to save Princess Talia’s life. And that you’ve cooperated fully with the Noble Consortium’s observation terms. I’d like to believe that those aren’t the actions of someone working with the Umbral Blade."

[Good. She’s not totally closed off. There’s a crack here. I just need to widen it.]

"I’m glad you see it that way," Aegis said. "Because, honestly, I’ve been thinking about this a lot. The shadow magic thing was a one-time deal, a last resort. I’m not trained in it. I don’t practice it. But every time someone looks at me now, that’s all they see."

A lie, obviously.

A big, fat lie. But Selene didn’t need to know about Nazraya’s lessons, or the Umbral Blade’s recruitment pitch, or any of that.

"I can understand how frustrating that must be," Selene said, and she sounded like she meant it, which made her either genuine or very, very good at her job.

"Which is why I wanted to ask you something." Aegis put her cup down and leaned forward slightly. "I want to learn divine magic."

Selene blinked.

"Not just the basics that Mirabel covers in class. I mean real training. From someone who actually knows what they’re doing." Aegis met her eyes. "If I can prove that I’m capable of using high-level divine magic, that should put the shadow mage concerns to rest, right? Everyone knows a corrupted shadow mage would never be blessed with divine power."

The room was quiet for a moment.

Selene’s blue eyes searched Aegis’s face, looking for the angle, the trick, the hidden motive. Aegis kept her expression open and earnest, the face of someone who genuinely wanted to clear her name.

[Come on. Buy it.]

"That’s... not an unreasonable request," Selene said slowly. "In fact, I must give you credit. It’s rather clever."

"I have my moments."

"But you should understand, divine magic requires genuine faith and purity of intent. If there is shadow corruption in your aether pathways, you won’t be able to channel it. The training would expose that immediately."

[It doesn’t, actually. This is a game-world. All I need to cast divine magic is practice it.]

"I know. That’s the point." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Another pause. Selene picked up her tea again, took a long sip, and set it down.

"Very well," she said. "I’ll teach you. We can begin next week, once I’ve settled into my routine here."

"Thank you, Selene. Really."

"Don’t thank me yet." That warm smile again. "If you can’t channel divine magic, Mrs. Starcaller, we’ll both know why."

[Yeah. I’m aware of the risk. But I’ve got aether weaving from Rosanna, not standard shadow magic pathways. If anyone can pull this off, it’s me.]

After Selene left, Aegis closed the door and leaned against it.

A notification popped up in her HUD.

Selene Arlyn

Favorability: 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

[Zero. Starting from scratch.] She stared at those five empty hearts. [Well. Wouldn’t be the first time.]