Multiverse Academy with a Naughty System

At the World Academy of Magic, Basara could feel the curious and ill-concealed stares following him as he and Vermeil walked down the main corridor of the school. He kept a calm countenance, as if there was nothing unusual that morning. Of course, the fact that Vermeil was by his side was completely out of the ordinary.

Even to outside observers, Vermeil was visibly different from the rest, with purple hair, heels and a dress that stuck to her body while everyone else wore uniforms. Still, in the eyes of her colleagues, she was just an ordinary human - a "fraud" of a familiar, as so many allowed themselves to whisper.

"Look, he didn't really get a demon... He lied yesterday..."

"Indeed. She doesn't have horns or anything. She's just an ordinary woman."

"How does he have the nerve to make a human become his familiar?"

These comments fluttered like leaves in the wind, and for most people, that conclusion seemed the most reasonable. After all, it was more likely that a human somewhere in the world had seen a magic circle appear out of nowhere and entered it than an Ancient She-Devil.

They were harmless comments, or so it seemed to Basara.

Vermeil, however, clenched her fists slightly, holding back the impulse to respond to the looks and voices that teased her. They passed a group of second-year students whose appraising looks and disdainful smiles were most irritating.

One of them, a tall boy with blond hair, looked directly at Basara, raising his eyebrows in a gesture of pure provocation as he passed.

"Ah, so our colleague isn't even an ancient devil? What a shame. For a second, I thought there might be someone interesting in the first year this year."

Vermeil took a step forward. But Basara held up a gentle hand, showing for her to stay in place.

"Don't listen to them." He said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her away from those second-year boys.

Basara knew very well that any overreaction would add fuel to the gossip, and besides, the teachers, especially Professor Glenn, had taken no action against him and Vermeil. This was a clear sign that, at least temporarily, he had a license to keep Vermeil as a family member, perhaps even because of an undeclared understanding between the teachers, as if there was a veiled justification for the affair.

"Those comments about you being human... are just a convenient excuse for Professor Glenn and the other teachers to accept our situation. If they knew your true identity, they might have more trouble letting me keep you as a familiar."

Vermeil stared at him with scarlet red eyes. "I don't need them to defend me with lame excuses. If they knew half of what I'm capable of, those mediocre whispers would be nothing but dust."

Basara gave a subtle smile, but there was no irony in it, only understanding. He knew that Vermeil was used to being respected, even feared.

"Then let's show them." He replied.

She raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

Basara let go of Vermeil's wrist and pointed to a large, eye-catching poster pinned to one of the corridor walls. It was a complete map of the ranks of this world that Basara had seen a few times, and the poster served as a kind of incentive for the students.

"Look, these are the ranks that determine where each student and family member fits in. See the first levels here?" He pointed to the top of the list.

Vermeil followed his finger, and her eyes landed on the three most basic ranks: Iron, Bronze and Silver.

"At the Iron level, they're beginners. They've barely mastered simple spells and don't even have a familiar."

Vermeil let out a short sigh. "And they really think it's a merit to master low-level magic?"

Basara laughed quietly. "Yes, because there are many who don't know. Everyone has to go through it, but then comes Bronze. At this stage, students develop a specialty, whether it's offensive magic, defensive magic or some form of support. Even so, it's still only the second step. They have a better command of elementary spells and some have familiars."

He wagged his finger at the Silver level, and Vermeil arched an eyebrow, already bored with the descriptions of the lower ranks.

"At Silver, they're more competent. They have more control over spells and can use basic artifacts. Their own magical affinities are beginning to be understood and recognized by them. They are only a few steps away from becoming worthy of being called magicians."

"And where does the interesting part begin?"

"Ah, now we've reached the Gold level. From what I've heard, most of the people at this academy are second-year Gold level mages. They specialize in at least one element and can manipulate other elements in basic combinations. Their dueling skills are considerably greater."

He slid his finger across the sign, moving up the pyramid. "After that, the level increases a lot and not all students can keep up. While the compulsory part of moving up from first to second year is having a familiar, from second to third you need to reach Gold level. To graduate, however, you need to be Platinum. This is because the Ortigia Academy is considered the most demanding. A Platinum-level Magician is already highly respected in society."

A smile broke out on Vermeil's face, and she slipped one of her arms behind Basara. "Ah~ I see where you're going with this. Do you want to become a Silver Mage after just a few days at school so that people stop doubting you?"

"What? No, that's not it."

"Eh~~? Really?"

"I don't want to become a mere Silver level. I'll become a Gold level in less than seven days."

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