The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

Dark Decline

I sighed, sliding down low on my seat. My mind was still trying to process the words I had just heard.

"What?" Eva asked from her desk, her hands clamped together under her chin.

Since she was no longer the head assassin in record, I had to meet her in her own quarters, which was a long way away from the trainee's sleeping area and study rooms. Actually, didn't I specifically have it hard since I had to transfer rooms a lot? I had combat, dark magic, and basic organizational history training inside the apprentice study area, but I still had to go back to the outer trainee area for general studies. Not to mention, my own bedroom was even farther out if I came from the inner parts of the Order. But, it's not like I still didn't know my way around the twisting hallways, but... I'd say I could still easily lose my bearings if I don't maintain my focus...

"I almost got lost again," I muttered, trying to hide my disappointment from my voice.

Her thin eyes squinted even more as she laughed. "All the more reason why I can't promote you as an apprentice yet."

"... I knew it was too good to be true," I grumbled, and then sighed yet again. "I even gloated earlier to Zepherin, but I guess it really is too early for me."

Eva hummed and then leaned forward towards me. I looked at her through my lashes.

"It sounds to me like you might actually desire to become an assassin?" she asked, staring at me with her purple eyes.

I quickly straightened myself on my seat. Months of informal speak with the assassin has made me forget how she was probably the most dangerous person in this underground base, and whose words held the most power. "I-I'm actually not sure yet... about that..."

"Humm, well," she said with a small smile. "You still have time. And anyway, training is never a race, and if you go too fast... Well, your innards might just implode."

I laughed wearily at her poor choice of words, but then turned serious again. "So, I don't think you would call me here just to say I'm still unworthy."

She laughed, and then said, "You may not be progressing as fast as Zeph did, but you're relatively quite a prodigy yourself. Once I asked Telly to revisit the basics on dark magic on her class, and yes, she did repeat the lesson just for you and the other new arrival, I had a suspicion that you might have a firm grasp on it by at least two months. But, Telly had you come up here at just the first month, so you have quite exceeded my expectations. After all, It's not easy to get a firm grasp on the magical balance in our world."

"... But I only gave her a... brief and concise summary," I told her in disbelief. Now, I wondered if I was really qualified to even be here.

"Oh, that's more than enough. I trust in Telly's judgment." Eva flicked my worries away with a confident roll of her eyes. And then, she turned to me with a grave expression. "Eleftherion. Or, rather, Eleftheria, I believe it might be time for you to leave your books and start with the doing."

My eyes widened in surprise. 'Does she mean I would start assassin training, even though she just told me I still wasn't ready to be apprenticed?'

"No, no. It isn't what you're thinking," she calmed me down. "It is just that... your training is really coming near its end, and now, I have to be there to see it through."

"... You're going to train me yourself?" I asked in shock, yet excitement started to bubble up inside me.

"You think quick, Eleftheria." Eva smiled. "Yes. From now on, I'll be overseeing your training from up close."

~~

"What's that? Aren't you too weak to even be considered a trainee?" a voice shouted at me just before I flung the combat boyman towards the ground with a rough tackle. As though sensing my irritation, the dummy exploded into pieces just so it might appease me. It did, and I smiled.