Unwoven Destinies
Yuujiki
Chapter 13: Chapter # 12 - Goals
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Studying at the University of Magic turned out to be a somewhat bizarre experience for me.
For years, ever since Roxy recommended it as a place to hone my skills in magic, getting there has been an important goal and a part of my long-term plans. And yet, between the roller-coaster of my experiences over the last few years and the emotional turmoil, I'd never really thought of what it entailed.
First and foremost, being a special student and a somewhat accomplished magician in my own right, I wasn't really studying in the same way most students here are. I didn't have to struggle through elemental magic classes, which had proven to be quite a difficult undertaking not just for my noble companions but were actually considered to be difficult enough to take months to master a single spell.
Conventional methods of education had also proven to be a slog. Since special students could take almost any courses they wanted, one of the givens for me was to pick up saint-tier spells in fire, wind, and earth. Because the saint-tier elemental magics were normally all about area effects, their use was quite limited; there simply wasn't any real need to use the spells most of the time. And so, not even the most talented took up all those spells, usually treating them as graduation projects that would grant them bonus points in case they ever wanted to work for the Magicians' Guild or royal courts.
Incantations were a nightmare to memorize: dozens of sentences that held no real meaning to me, with words that didn't rhyme and only held some occult meaning, referencing legends from the distant past. The lectures weren't all that much better, either.
Never have I appreciated Roxy's teaching skills as much as I do now. To think that she successfully taught that stuff to a kid — sure, I wasn't actually a five-year-old, but my mind back then was still affected by the state of my body, denying me the mental capacity to properly focus for extended periods of time. Not to mention all those times she successfully adjusted the course, oftentimes on the fly, excluding the unnecessary and adapting to my unconventional silent casting.
For that matter, I also never properly appreciated just how much of a head start I had in the field. I didn't delude myself into thinking I was some kind of genius or even held any inordinate talent. But the advantage of being reborn and thus being able to practice early, along with figuring out silent casting, truly made my abilities stand out. I could see it now.
The meeting with Abel, a saint-ranked wind magician, one of the most respected teachers in there, and the only one to know incantation-less magic, was enlightening in many ways. The withered old man was quite passionate about his research and delighted to meet up with me to discuss incantation-less magic. Unfortunately, he did not have all that much insight into the topic. His mastery of the art came from decades of practice, along with acclaimed years of meditation and observation.
My hypothesis was that the former gave him enough experience to recognize the feeling of casting and to get a sense of mana movements specifically for wind spells, while the latter allowed him some sort of rudimentary instinctual understanding of the wind magic he specialized in.
And so, I was back to square one: practicing magic during one's childhood, along with understanding the underlying forces of nature, could help immensely in mastering the art. Not that I planned to disclose any of this any time soon: considering how those in power in this world operated, there would be programs of training child soldiers in every country within five years. Ugh. Just imagining it made me sick. Ruijerd must have really rubbed off on me.
Other than elemental magic, I had postponed studying healing and its branches, such as detoxification, and what little barrier and holy magic were publicly available. I just didn't have enough hours in a day. The summoning, at the very least, didn't have any of the incantation-memorizing, instead focusing on theory. Quite heavily, in fact.
I took that one with Nanahoshi, and the masked girl — apparently, people here actually didn't find the mask unnerving, the brave souls — had already taken dozens of pages of notes on every single aspect of the theoretical material covered. Seeing how she struggled with her fast-paced writing while using a quill might have been an amusing sight, too. If only I didn't have to suffer alongside her.
Summoning was truly unconventional — one could even say an obscure field —compared to the other schools of magical arts. It was a field with a somewhat mixed reputation. The professor just glossed over what was the source of the controversy during the lecture, to my dismay. There weren't any incantations, as it was primarily based on devising and activating magic circles, and the circles meant theory. Heaps and loads of it. Truly copious amounts. Rune theory, runic languages, uncomfortably large amounts of geometry, especially trigonometry, circle principles — all that was pre-basics with no specialized knowledge covered, which was a vast field in its own right.
My high school dropout mind wasn't prepared to handle this kind of studying. The lack of any modern equipment didn't help. Listening to geometrical and linguistic stuff rather than watching it on a blackboard was a pain in itself. The only thing that stopped me from groaning was Nanahoshi. The girl didn't whine, stoically listing the principles and formulas in her notes and even helping me out sometimes with explanations. She just soaked in the knowledge like a sponge, even though she clearly had some prior knowledge of the field — perhaps from Orsted. I didn't really muster the nerve to ask her about that. It would be impolite anyway, seeing how she didn't tell me in the first place. And so, seeing this younger girl working her ass off and throwing herself into research, I didn't have any space to complain either. I promised her I'd help if I could, after all.
Another unexpected thing about the University of Magic was the atmosphere on campus. Once again, I wasn't entirely sure what I expected. But the chaotic mixture of features it actually entailed was beyond anything I could come up with. To start with, there were a few dozens of rules in the rule book, ranging from quite obvious and reasonable to bizarre, discriminatory, or even controversially restricting for the privileged.
While I could understand the ban on going near the female dormitory, which I curiously was an exception to, it was quite a peculiar one, and I'd never expected it to be there in the first place, let alone upheld almost religiously.
Some bits of segregation were unfortunately expected, too. But the restriction on the number of servants one could have? That was unexpected, as were several paragraphs on equality in marking and coursework. And what in the world was that several-page-long part about the autumn mating season? I shuddered to imagine what was going to come in a few months.
Then came my own issues, for the University of Magic was a school for all intents and purposes. And my experience with school environments was… less than ideal. Thankfully, I didn't devolve into a nervous, twitchy mess. I didn't even outwardly panic, and no reaction of mine was outside the ordinary range of nervousness.
I knew I was stronger now. I could stand up for myself, and I had managed to stand up after the fall. The little things that made up the reality of school, from boring lessons to the giggling teenagers and bands of bullies, couldn't get to me anymore.
I knew all that. And yet, I was constantly and unceasingly aware of where I was and what was happening all around me. Hopefully, I would get used to it. But I wasn't sure it would ever truly fade.
With the additional aspect of my new occupation as a bodyguard to an important foreign dignitary, the whole campus atmosphere sometimes felt like walking on eggshells. Or through a minefield, I guess.
"… This isn't something I had a chance to experience in my travels." I commented awkwardly as a maid presented a dish of some kind with pine nuts and caviar.
"Indeed. Even the Silver Palace doesn't import such delicacies frequently." Ariel remarked amiably, picking up some for herself.
"Is that so? I believe the university administration strives to make diverse cuisines from all over the world available. Perhaps Asuran dishes would suit your tastes more?" Theodore Neris, our host for the lunch, commented offhandedly. This one might sound a bit confrontational, but, well, I'm convinced that the distant prince doesn't really mean that. If he couldn't be bothered to really meet up with her for almost a month, surely he wouldn't go out of his way to insult her now?
The whole thing is just an obligatory event of sorts. With several royals on the site, they couldn't just dodge each other forever. And so, the local prince had resigned himself to entertaining Princess Ariel for once.
The campus cafeteria is similar enough to any high school cafeteria back on Earth. And yet, here we are, attending a royal lunch amidst the campus cafeteria, with noble students who are allowed into this part of the cafeteria all around us, watching us like hawks. The slightest mistake on my part could cause a diplomatic incident. What a pain.
Nanahoshi will never let me live down dragging her here. But, well, we've just finished the summoning class, and we'll still have to meet up later today, so it made sense. Right?
Wrong, apparently. I couldn't possibly make out her expression from beyond the white mask. And yet, I'm positive that she is scowling at me, as keenly aware of the stifling atmosphere as I am.
"That's quite alright, but thank you for the offer. I'd like to become familiar with northern customs. This is the least I could do for all the hospitality I was afforded here." Ariel answered sweetly.
"Is that so? You might enjoy visiting the autumn fair and solstice festivals when the time comes, then." Theodore offered politely.
"I heard of the fair, but the solstice festivals sound quite unfamiliar. Is that a local tradition, perhaps?" A sudden image of a game of ping pong came to mind as the royals continued their back and forth, trying to strike a meaningful conversation while bound by propriety and decorum.
"In a way. We, the people of the North, welcome all types of beliefs as long as they advance peace and prosperity, even if they might seem outwardly strange. I hope you wouldn't find those offensive." And the ball is once again sent her way. Don't they tire of all that endless pretense?
"Not at all. I find the cultural diversity present on the campus quite refreshing. I only wish I could take a piece of it back to my homeland when the time comes." Ariel answered, and her expression morphed into a perfect imitation of longing. I'd be fooled if I didn't know for a fact that she cursed the royal court as far back as this morning.
"Is that so? Regrettably, many find some of the policies in place here undesirable." Theodore shot back, if a bit non-diplomatically. Well, he isn't exactly wrong. Even some of the locals sometimes complain offhandedly about allowing beast folk and demons into the fold, not to mention the endless grumbling of foreign nobles in attendance. It is rarely blunt or rude, not to be seen as disgraceful, but the barbed comments on this or that from the privileged are a fact of life on campus. Tolerance is hard to come by, as expected. Especially from essentially spoiled children.
"How unfortunate. I am, of course, quite fond of the egalitarian spirit of this glorious institution. How could I not, seeing the talent and effort of aspiring magicians?" Ariel smiled back sweetly, as if daring Theodore to snub her by likening her to all those shallow nobles all around.
"It gladdens me to hear that." Theodore thankfully didn't. "The founders of the university have put a strong emphasis on egalitarian values, and the patrons of this institution fully support that admirable goal." The patrons are, of course, the royal dynasties of the Magical Triumvirate. It's honestly impressive how these two royals dance around the elephant in the room. "How could we not, when magic is the great equalizer? The divine spark of talent can be found even among the poorest, and it would be a waste not to cultivate it. Magic is the greatest blessing of our people, after all."
Well, in all honesty, these slave-owning feudal monarchies known as the Magical Triumvirate do have an unusually meritocratic structure. How quaint. Perhaps that's the source of the bizarre atmosphere around here. I wonder how it came into being. For all I know, Theodore might be right about the equalizing property of magic.
I used to enjoy playing strategy games. But they required dedication, the one thing that I couldn't muster even for games in the last years of my previous existence. I wonder if I'd be better at politics if I played a kingdom-building game or two. But I'm spacing out again.
"I miss the curry..." Nanahoshi, sitting to my right, wistfully trailed off in Japanese, poking the main dish with a knife disinterestedly while tuning out the conversation.
"I think I saw something similar back in Shirone. Spice-wise, that is. The rice is pretty bad, unfortunately. The spice was also a bit off, but you could probably tweak it a bit to make it more similar to what you know." I commented thoughtfully. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to try it out since I was arrested and unlawfully imprisoned. I pick up a spoonful to try it out and wince at the weird, fishy taste of the dish. Damn, I miss it too now.
"Y-you did? Where? What was it called?" Nanahoshi visibly brightened up, sitting up on her chair as if being awoken from a dozed-off state. "Please, tell me!" Woah. She must be really homesick. Which is actually not surprising. I'd heard Silent Sevenstar worked logistical miracles. If I told her, would she perhaps try to arrange for it to be cooked here?
The mask is still there, but I can almost feel her eager, piercing stare on me, unflinching and full of hopeful attention.
"Ugh, excuse me." After a few seconds, Nanahoshi curbed her excitement and apologized for her outburst, followed by a few awkward and clearly artificial coughs.
"It's quite alright. I, for one, would be curious to hear what it is that piqued your interest, Lady Silent." Theodore answered genially, with a gleam in his turquoise eyes.
"I also find myself curious. Rudeus's stories of distant lands are never unentertaining." Ariel joined in, uncaring about the plight of attention I was now suffering.
Meanwhile, Nanahoshi has once again sunk into her seat, making herself less noticeable, and reverted to silence. Even Sylphie and Luke watch me now with an encouraging smile and amused smirk, respectively. Or was it a smirk dancing on her lips, too? It's not my fault we were seated at the opposite ends of the table!
What did that woman get me into, entertaining the bored royals… I'm unable to come up with an excuse not to, not at such short notice. And so, with a sigh, I start an explanation of the cuisines of the southern kingdoms on the Central Continent.
They should have added 'jester' to my job description.
Never was I so grateful for the invasion of Doldia princesses.
The two came crashing the party about ten excruciating minutes into my explanation.
"What is going on here, nya? Are you having a meet-up without inviting your seniors, nya?" Linia strutted towards Ariel's side of the table, a goblet of hopefully watered-down wine in hand. Pursena follows along, chewing some meat off a lamb's bone.
"What she said." The dog-eared girl affirmed gruffly.
"Just a friendly lunch, all boring stuff, I'm afraid. There just isn't enough meat here to interest you." A smirk is showing through Ariel's honeyed smile as the veiled barb at their intelligence gets through to the beastgirls. Linia instantly bristles, narrowing her eyes, and Pursena spits out the half-chewed meal in our general direction.
In all honesty, I didn't expect them to gather enough nerve to attempt something. Especially with Theodore, who apparently had something on them, around. However, our host is curiously impassive as the scene unfolds.
"Oh, but I could make it so interesting. Care to learn of the Doldia tribe's customs, princess?" Pursena growls, picking up a piece of meat off a plate. There, she had done it. It is considered a great shame and a sign of weakness to let your food be stolen among the beast folk. There is only one other thing so universally associated with shame. Surely they won't…
"You can even get a feel of this one yourself, nya!" With that, the cat-eared girl thrusts her hand, splashing the contents of the goblet towards Ariel's dress. Only for a sudden, unnatural gust of wind to knock the goblet out of her hand, pushing the airborne liquid back at the perpetrator and soaking her clothes, staining them red.
There is no more humiliating punishment among the Doldia than getting water dumped all over you. But the wine probably works just as well, with the added benefit of actually staining the expensive clothes in a way that can't be hidden. A public setting also helps.
The two really went for a power play here. Mainly to prove themselves among their own, considering the methods, but they clearly were not averse to picking on Ariel among human nobles, establishing dominance.
Only to be stopped by Sylphie, who's standing behind Ariel by now, with her right hand thrust forward after the wind spell.
"Stand down!" I really wish I could see rage blazing in her narrowed eyes, but the shaded glasses do the thing quite handsomely, too. This girl is so cool! If I wasn't already in love with her, I would have fallen after seeing her save the day like this!
Too bad, I have to get up and help her throw those troublemakers out.
"Now, it's really unbecoming to throw the food away like that." Theodore said, with pointed, cold calmness, finally rising from his seat. That seems to put an end to a brewing brawl, as the beastgirls scramble back as if recoiling.
"You'll pay for that!" Linia growls lowly, first towards Ariel and then Sylphie, before stalking off with Pursena in tow. Now, I can't let that slide. Attacking my employer—that one is normal for my occupation. But threatening my cute girlfriend? I drew the line here.
"Those two really don't know what's good for them." Luke spat angrily as soon as we were behind closed doors, having to cut the lunch short.
"What's their problem, anyway?" Ellemoi agrees, irritated.
"From what I understand, they're just looking for a power play." I answer neutrally, unwilling to fan the flame. I'm actually a little pleased that it's finally over. Worse than being stared at in a cafeteria is only confronting bullies in it. I would know.
"I figured as much, thank you. I'm asking why they even have to resort to such methods. Did we do something that threatened their position?" Despite the tone, I can see Luke is calming down. Otherwise, he'd be useless if he couldn't control himself in the face of insults.
"I thought they were well in hand? Rudeus?" Luke starts once again, calmer now.
"What can I say? I was explicitly ordered not to pick a fight with them if I could help it, and I reported something like this would happen sooner or later." I answer. It leaves a bit of a stale taste in my mouth, feeling like an excuse, even though those were really my orders to a T.
"That… just makes no sense." Sylphie sighs dejectedly. She is good at magic, but confrontations of this nature just bring no joy to her.
"I could probably shed some light on it… I think." I take a deep breath to gather my thoughts together, and I continue. "What do you know of Doldia politics?" I know I'm not at fault here. I did what I could, even if it didn't work out. No reasonable person would hold me responsible for their animalistic behavior. And yet, I can't help but feel responsible for the whole situation. I hate being self-conscious.
"Well, clearly there isn't any worth mentioning if that's how they handle things." Alistar grumbles, to a round of affirmative reactions of varying magnitude. I suppress the urge to roll my eyes.
"And yet, there are plenty. They are people, not animals, even if they act like this. A whole nation, still proud and independent despite neighboring Milis knights who consider them unwashed heathen savages." Before I could answer, Ariel's remark cut through the argument with a sense of finality, shutting us all up.
"Rudeus. What can you tell us about their politics? I admit there isn't much on that in the royal archives. And you've got some hands-on experience with the tribes, I believe." Ariel takes a place on a sofa, a gesture to calm everyone down and direct the conversation in a more constructive direction.
"… They are people." I start lamely after a few seconds of gathering my thoughts. Way to go, Rudeus! People also die when they are killed. "And yet they are not exactly human in the same way we all are. They just think somewhat differently than us, in the same way any other race is a bit different. That really doesn't mean we should underestimate them. Quite the opposite, in fact."
"The real difference with Doldia is their animal side." And doesn't that sound like fertile ground for an arrogant approach? Humans are so used to viewing animals as inferiors. Intellectually, at least. "Most Doldia are physically superior to humans, and their tribe possesses an inherent magic of their own that no other race can use or even replicate. Their mind works faster than ours in the midst of a dangerous situation, and they are quite perceptive." I recall the way Doldia warriors fought back in the forest during the rain. They were devils in an environment that fit them.
"And yet, it comes with some of the animal instincts also surfacing. The wise ones control those impulses, only letting them out when it's useful. The less wise... Let themselves be controlled by their animal instincts." Gyes' recollections of Ghislaine's past come to mind. That sounds about right. The chiefs, both the father and the son, would be horrified at how much these two follow that path.
"That sounds exploitable." Ariel smiles with a predatory gleam in her eyes. Scary. They won't know what took them down.
"It is. That's about it in principle, but it can manifest in a hundred different ways. Doldia are territorial, and those two probably feel threatened by our influence. They also place a high stock in hierarchy, so they do all those symbolically meaningful gestures, trying to establish their dominance." I wonder if those two genuinely believe they can beat us or if they just can't help themselves, despite knowing deep inside they probably shouldn't pick fights like that.
"That's why the Doldia value competency and discipline above all else. At least, the current chiefs are. Doldia are keenly aware of their own history and strengths. If they were to rely on their physical superiority too much, they'd eventually be outsmarted and cut down to a man. They can't let it happen, and so they must reign in their instincts."
In fact, those two were probably sent here in order for those qualities to emerge. Studying magic is all but impossible without being consistent and patient, and magic could be the edge Doldia needs to efficiently protect themselves from both invaders and nature. How ironic that the two princesses got so far… and also got nowhere at all.
"That's about it, I think. I could go on for an hour about their customs, but any beastperson on campus would probably be better at that than me." I lean back into the soft sofa after receiving an acknowledging nod from Ariel. Well, that probably went okay. I feel my palm being tugged, and a side glance shows it to be Sylphie, squeezing my hand and sending me an encouraging, proud smile.
Scratch that. It went perfectly.
The conversation went on for another hour.
"Hey, Luke. How about you handle the beastgirls? I'm pretty sure you could just seduce at least one of them and be done with it." I shot at him amidst the brainstorming session, half-jokingly. But I wouldn't mind getting them out of my hair.
"Ha-ha, sorry about that, but I'm not a Boreas. Guess they'll have to remain your problem."
"Don't be like this; you're at least as much of a Boreas as me. Wasn't our grandmother one, now that I think about it?"
"Ha-ha, sorry. But I'm not sure if I could really help with that. From what you've said, we can't really avoid the confrontation. If anything, we should just play it from a position of strength. Best case scenario: they'll recognize our superiority. Might even want to mate with you, from what I understand."
"Not interested." How unhelpful. Did he even listen to me?
In a final event of the day, I dropped by Theodore Neris' laboratory, bringing in a formal, meaningless apology for having to cut short the lunch we were having.
Well, since I had an open invitation to visit and see his research, I figured it would be alright.
The rooms' layout was perfectly similar to the lab Nanahoshi spent her time in. Only for the contents to turn out so much more exciting. Several desks were standing by the side of one wall, filled with books, notes, and other clearly research-related stuff. A tree of all things, a large hachi-uye bonsai, was proudly standing on a slightly glowing platform, behind an incorporeal, semi-translucent veil. A dimly glowing bluish magic circle was drawn over a large stand, with a bird of some kind flapping its wings inside. In the back of the room, I could see something that suspiciously resembled a sarcophagus standing by the wall.
"Welcome, Rudeus. I'm sure you bear an important message." Neris Prince's dry tone suggested anything but. "But you might as well take a look at the lab itself. Please don't touch any documents. I'm only able to navigate through them if it's me who left them in place."
"Thank you for your invitation." I nodded, remembering how courtesies and stiffness were frowned upon here, yet unwilling to appear rude.
"Think nothing of it. We all have our duties; it wouldn't be fair of me to keep you from doing yours." He waved his hand amiably.
"How welcoming of you." Unusually so, in fact. The guy had been quite unhelpful before.
"It wouldn't be very diplomatic of me to needlessly antagonize a talented magician, would it?"
"I thought you didn't quite care for courtesies and diplomacy."
"That'd be a mistake. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have spent hours of my time on useless politics around here." And again, there is a slight change of tone in the words. As if he is willingly letting his affable mask slip.
"Such as hosting a delightful lunch and then watching it crash and burn while you could easily stop it?" I asked nonchalantly.
"Oh, that. Think nothing of it. I'm sure no harm would have come to the princess with you around." And if we couldn't protect her from such a juvenile attempt, we probably weren't worth taking seriously, was left unsaid. "Quite an impressive defense, by the way. I heard Silent Fitts was a student of yours?"
"She was." I nodded stiffly, frantically looking for the double meaning but finding none.
"You must be proud of her." He notices my expression and chuckles. "Relax. You might think nothing of my manners, but I respect prowess, if nothing else."
"I am. So, why the sudden change of heart?"
"So frank. Why indeed ..." Theodore trailed off wryly and slightly shook his head. "Duty calls, of course. As I'm cursed to be the only one of my family in Sharia at such a time, I'm not allowed to ignore you. In fact, I recently received a letter from my great-uncle, urging me to afford you and your employer every courtesy and watch you. With an earful about my previous behavior, of course." He rolled his eyes.
"Quite forward of you to confess that." What is he playing at?
"I get the feeling that you'd also appreciate honesty rather than meaningless words. You didn't spend a life at the court after all, did you?" He probably noticed my manners slipping from time to time. Most do.
"I spent several years with the Boreas family, but that's about it." I confessed. It's not a great secret, and if this guy was about to warm up to me, I might as well build something out of it.
"I understand. I, too, only spent a couple of years at the court… But never mind. I'm sure your princess apologizes profoundly for any discourtesy, and I graciously accept. Then, of course, I'll extend her an invitation for another one in a week or so, and maybe we could make some social calls." He drawled disinterestedly. "Well, at least she is quite intelligent and not unpleasant to converse with. I could live with that."
That pretty much covers our political agenda here. If he didn't lie, the Duke of Neris just made my job a lot easier. I should send him a thank-you note or something.
"With that, the political side of the visit is covered. I recall you expressing interest in my research. Care to take a look? Unless, of course, you aren't actually interested." He gestures at the various objects behind his back.
"I am. Is it really okay for me to look, though? I thought it was private." I checked hesitatingly.
"Think nothing of it. That's just the basics." Well, if you say so. Don't mind me.
"I thought you were researching healing magic?"
"I am. Can't you tell?"
"These look like barriers to me. I know these techniques are technically classified as healing, but I, unfortunately, don't know much of them."
"No one but a select few does. This has been the case for several centuries now, ever since the last major war." How interesting.
"I'm familiar with the purple one, the physical shield, and the other must be the elementary magic shield?" I peer at the examples. They do look familiar.
"Quite so. Fancy a guess at what makes them healing magic?"
I scrunched my eyebrows, searching for an answer. Unfortunately, none came. When Roxy vaguely explained the classification, I figured that anything non-elemental was classified as such. In hindsight, it doesn't make much sense.
"I'm afraid I'm at a loss. Did you find any answers?"
"A man, a deserter from one of the knightly orders of Milis revealed one only a few decades ago. He didn't know all that much, unfortunately, and so he only gave us the basics. He didn't end well, either."
"What was the answer?"
"Healing magic is the magic that manipulates magical energy within a living body. In any way. Barriers are also mostly based on this principle." That seemed… logical, if a bit anticlimactic. Wait, in any way? That sounds quite terrifying.
"The Holy Kingdom of Milis didn't look kindly on the man's actions. It guards the secrets it considers sacred quite jealously, I'm afraid. And so, the man was assassinated while under Ranoa's protection. The relations between the kingdoms haven't recovered from this fact even now." There is more politics involved than I imagined.
"And how does it look upon your research?" A sudden question pops into my head.
"Unfavorably. Not that it matters."
"How brave of you."
"Milis gave up on trying to keep everything about this branch secret for a couple of decades now. They just don't have enough resources to suppress the research now that the cat's out of the bag. Especially with the new barrier magic course freely taught at the University of Magic."
"Why disclose something that gave you the edge?" It sounds a bit counterintuitive.
"Because we have no resources to do this alone. For every researcher employed by the dynasties of the Magical Triumvirate, there are dozens of talented mages like you who could one day find more clues to solve the mysteries of magic. And we couldn't possibly direct all our efforts to this. That's why I'm sharing this whole thing with you, actually. But also because this is the right thing to do. And because the clergy of Milis can burn in six hells."
"That's awfully confrontational."
"It is." Theodore takes a deep breath. "Say, Rudeus, how old are you?"
"I'm thirteen, if you must know."
"Too young to remember the winter fever, then. Fifteen years ago, a previously unknown illness was found, and somehow, against all odds, it spread far and wide during the long, harsh winter of that year. Thankfully, it was eventually contained. But not before it took the lives of a great number of people." There is clearly more to this story.
"That sounds horrible. Did the detoxification magic not work?" I answer lamely. There isn't much I can do to keep the conversation alive. It's his story to tell, after all.
"The conventional, broadly known variations didn't. But between the royal dynasties and the Magicians' Guild, we worked to find a cure. All of the northern nations pitched in. Kindgragon dynasty. Shirone. Asura, although not out of the goodness of their hearts. Even the distant Begaritt princedoms sent some healers and supplies."
"What about Milis? They are curiously absent from the list." I can see where this goes.
"They sent prayerbooks. They claimed it was our sins that brought on the plague. And that we could find salvation in the light of Holy Milis." Theodore spat, another mask slipping, letting the still simmering anger come forth. "And when we asked for the incantations they hoarded, for the pinnacles of magic they stole and erased from elsewhere after the Laplace war, they refused to disclose anything."
"I imagine it wasn't received well." Mildly speaking. The whole thing sounded like an insult, if I ever saw one.
"It wasn't. And the public manner in which it was done caused plenty of outrage. It still echoes through the North, even now. Because many lives could have been saved. Such as the lives of my mother and sisters, among others." Ugh. That explains his attitude, I suppose.
"I'm sure you can imagine how little I care for the Milis' outlook on my research. Most of my colleagues share that look." He chuckled, as if remembering something. "I didn't lie, you know? We in the North believe that magic is the great equalizer. But it's so much more than that. Magic is the greatest tool known to mankind. And one day we shall get it out from under the heel of fanatics."
Notes:
Thank you for reading. Any feedback, including but not limited to negative, is always appreciated.
And the plot thickens. Hopefully. As unhumble as it sounds, I quite like the main political subplots I came up with, and I hope you guys will like them as well!
Not much romance this time around, unfortunately. But it will come back, more wholesome than ever!
If nothing else, we all have season 2 to look forward to. Congratulations to everyone who made it through the break! I hope this story made the wait at least less bleak.
UPD 01/07/2023:
I overhauled the entirety of the main text over the past few days, please point out any instances of text overlapping or distinctly missing pieces of text. Or any other mistakes that I didn't find. I guess.