Once again, I am sat between two individuals who are associated through me. I’m almost beginning to feel popular. Well, in this case at least they knew each other before, but I get the sense they wouldn’t be sitting so close otherwise.

  “An interesting perspective these Arkothans have, wouldn’t you say Ser Terrance?” Bart says over my head to the knight on my other side. “They take their laws and claim it to be a reflection of the natural order, rather than an imposition on it.”

  Ser Terry grits his teeth through a false smile. “Well, the claim does have the advantage of the laws being long established, just like the natural order.”

  They’ve been doing this all class, making cryptic remarks that I have no idea what the intent is. Well, obviously they’re about the law class we’re in together, as they at least superficially reference what the teacher is saying. But the remarks are clearly laden with hidden meaning regarding a subject only they are privy to.

  Well, at least during class they bothered to whisper their remarks so I could ignore them, but now they’re making them openly. I didn’t realize that Bart’s hearing is so enhanced, as the whispers were barely audible even with my god given senses. Bart, in contrast, obviously was aware of my own hearing, as the remarks were clearly made for my benefit.

  Well, not benefit, but due to my presence. They were trying to convince me of their side in this proxy argument to suggest to the other I would also agree with them in the real one – whatever that might be.

  Really, I wasn’t expecting either of them to be in this class, though I suppose I should have. I already knew that Ser Terry was exempt from the law test and that Bart is from elsewhere and so was likely also exempt, which means it’s a requirement for them. I would have been happy seeing either here, even though it is embarrassing for them to know how poorly I did on the test (regardless of my having a secret excuse), but together they’re insufferable.

  I suppose I should blame Bart for that, since he was the initiator, though Ser Terry did fall for the provocations disgustingly easily.

  “So, what do you think Malichi? Are Arkonthan laws natural or unnatural?” Ser Terry asks, finally tired of the back and forth.

  I look at both of their faces before answering – Ser Terry’s eager for approval and Bart’s a sly smile. He doubtlessly intended for me to be asked directly from the beginning, but knew the one to ask would be put at a disadvantage.

  Annoyed at both of them, I answer witheringly. “I think I’m tired of cryptic asides and have another class to get to. Good day… I’ll see you both later, preferably separate.” With that, I get up and leave.

  “Aw, look what you did,” Bart in mock disappointment. I can hear Ser Terry glower in response.

  I have about an hour to grab lunch before my herbalism class. I was going to suggest we all eat together, but that idea was quickly quashed by their attitudes.

  Well, just one more class and then I’ll be done for the week, and at least most of my classes weren’t very eventful. I didn’t know anyone in the basic medicine class, which seems to be about as difficult as I estimated – really just stuff that everyone should learn.

  The Mynharran and Princep Avery were both in magic theory, but were too busy trying to outweird each other to be stressful. Riley was in the math class, presumably because he’s expected to learn logistics as a count’s son, but he didn’t end up talking to me so I think that class will be fine.

  The frightful youth (for as much as he complains about me not knowing his name, he still hasn’t told me it) is also in the math class and did talk with me. I thought he’d be mildly annoying, but he ended up helping me with a few tricky problems afterwards. So, I’ll probably keep in touch just in case I need more help.

  The nexus chamber is moderately busy, but I still manage to grab an empty table for myself. I order the free meal, which consists of a trencher with vegetable sauce, a piece of fruit and watery wine. Perhaps I should get one of the non-free options, as none of the other nobles have selected the commoner meal, but that would require choosing and I’m not in the mood.

  While I wait, I check the nexus for messages and find a couple. Vanessa, the sword judge, sent a piece of gossip about the head teacher being seen leaving a business popular for secret rendezvous. I don’t really know what to make of this information. Perhaps she just sent it because I mentioned the head teacher during our last exchange? I’ll figure out a reply later.

  Beyond that, I have two new messages. One is an advertisement from Emily detailing when and where she’ll be selling her frozen cream today. I say advertisement, but it doesn’t follow the normal form. No ‘try it now while supplies last!’ or anything like that. It just informs you that the selling will commence, and assumes that you’ll want to buy some.

  Well, I suppose it’s right after herbalism and not too far, and I do have the coin on me, so I might as well.

  The final message is from Erika asking for confirmation whether I’ll be going to the club. I still haven’t decided so I push that off too. I don’t know why I’m hesitating. I can just try it out and stop going if it’s not for me, but something tells me leaving will be tedious.

  I suppose I should think about this in a more structured way. Do I think the club’s theme will advance my mission? Possibly, but no more than several alternatives, and possibly not. So that’s one mark against it. If not for the mission, do I have an interest in it? Again, possibly. Two marks. Finally, will the people in it make good contacts? Probably, if only by virtue of being nobles. But most students here are nobles, so that’s another wash.

  So, no reason not to go, but also no reason to go. Conversely, there are a couple of clubs meeting at the same time that I do have reason to go to, such as the casual sword club. After all, since I’m no longer taking irregular weapons, I should at least do some combat training.

  I still have most of the hour left, so I fill the time working on the assignment from my medical class. All the other classes gave out purely written assignments, but medical attached several images of sick or injured people which I can’t copy to my nexus disk.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Well, that’s disgusting. I don’t know how you can eat while looking at that,” A voice says from my side which I recognize without looking up as Ellen. “Do you mind if I sit with you?”

  “Please, by all means,” I say, gesturing to an empty seat happy for the company after the Bart/Ser Terry fiasco, even if she clearly only chose to sit here due to the room rapidly filling up since I sat down.

  “Thanks,” she sits, “so is that for a class?” She gestures to the image of a puss filled infection.

  “Hmm? Oh, yeah. Basic medicine.”

  “Nice… though I guess I thought you were beyond basic.”

  I shrug and make a wishy washy gesture. “My schedule was full, but I figured adding an easy class would be fine while filling any gaps I might have.”

  “I see,” she says, turning her attention to ordering food through the table, then retrieving her own nexus disk to go through the same process of checking messages and copying assignments that I did.

  We eat and work in silence. I get the impression that her silence isn’t out of not wanting to talk to me, but to avoid disturbing my focus. Which I wouldn’t have minded, but now that she’s working on her own stuff, I don’t want to disturb her. I do find myself occasionally glancing up to see if she’s still working, but each time she has a gaze of steady focus.

  “Well, I have a class to get to,” I say, looking at the clock by the central pillar.

  “Hmm? Oh! So do I. Herbalism?”

  “Um, yeah. You too?”

  “Yeah. Go together?”

  I nod and we both walk together, perhaps a bit slower than I would on my own. We begin chatting about various things. Classes being more difficult than we thought, interesting places in the campus and gossip about the faculty or fellow students.

  “I heard the head teacher is having romantic rendezvous,” I say, searching for subjects I might have information on and coming up with little.

  “Is she? Good. She was so serious during my interview.”

  “Yeah… You got her too? Did everyone?”

  She shakes her head. “I was under the impression that she only headed interviews that were unusual in some way. My own due to being a mage who refused to learn combat magic. We ended up having a compromise in which I would learn spells that have utility in and outside of fighting.”

  “Well, that would explain why she was so irritated with me if she had to deal with problem children all day.”

  She laughs. “How irritated was she? On a scale of one to Erika when we visited you?”

  I laugh in return. “A bit less than Erika… I really shouldn’t have mentioned the supposed rendezvous. It was just gossip I heard. I don’t have any evidence for it.” She was bringing up so many interesting things, I didn’t want to seem disconnected.

  She smiles. “Don’t worry, I gathered that. Though I suppose that means your cousin isn’t the secret partner?”

  “Allan? No, he would have told me.”

  “He tells you about all his lovers then?”

  “Well, no, but, well… you know.” I do at least trust that he would mention any that might have an impact on the mission.

  We enter the classroom with about two dozen other students and sit down. A few minutes later the teacher – a young woman with green hair with purple stripes – walks in.

  “Hello class, I’m Baron Rachael Franhal. Let’s get started. First off, I’d imagine about half of you are here due to the many alchemical uses of herbs. Now, can someone tell me what the difference between alchemical and non-alchemical herbalism – from now on referred to as simply herbalism – is?”

  Several people raise their hands, from which Baron Franhal selects a boy in the middle. “Alchemical herbalism is just magical herbalism, right?”

  “That’s correct, but also wrong,” the Baron smiles amused, having clearly expected the answer. “By which I mean, what do you mean by magical? Do you mean it’s excluded to herbs like Syranthuse, commonly called Knight Killer, which lacks a mundane effect, but reacts violently to any form of healing magic?”

  I haven’t heard of that one, I’ll have to acquire some. This is already proving to be one of the most informative classes so far.

  The boy answers. “Well, no, I mean regular herbs that are subjected to magical processes.”

  “Right, but what makes a process magical? It doesn’t require any negotiation with the eye, after all – at least, not in the regular sense. In fact, if you were to look at an herbalist at work and an alchemist, you would be hard pressed to find a difference. A lot of boiling in caldrons and the like. So why is alchemy considered magic, while herbalism is considered a mundane craft?”

  “Well, um, doesn’t alchemical equipment have arcane script on it?”

  “Sometimes, but not always. Which has led to the common misconception that all alchemical equipment is enchanted. But you’re in the right direction, you just haven’t reached it yet. Does anyone have a more precisely correct answer? Yes, you.” She points to Ellen who has just raised her hand.

  “Alchemy differs from mundane crafts in that it operates entirely on the phenomenal level and on an understanding that is intuitively understandable; having no part of the causal chain reliant on any hidden substrate beyond maintaining basic forms.”

  “A precisely correct, if book, answer, but could you clarify? How is this removal of hidden substrates achieved?”

  “Via symbolism. Which is why alchemy is called the first magic. As you alluded to, the symbolism can be seen as an indirect negotiation with the Eye, though it can be done even by a mundane. For instance, using alchemical processes, the effect of a plant might be drastically different depending on what precise time it was harvested or if it was under an eclipse or other astronomical event. This would of course be absurd using purely mundane methods.”

  “Very good,” the Baron smiles. “your name?”

  “Ellen Aethelhal, Baron.”

  “Aethelhal… yes, I know the family.” She nods to herself as if remembering something half forgotten. “I take it that alchemy is one of your declared interests?”

  “Yes, Baron.” Ellen smiles calmly.

  “Excellent…” Baron Franhal says, turning away to go back to the front of the room – the standard teaching position.

  There’s something in her face as she turns that I can’t quite identify. I would guess it has to do with Ellen’s family name. Erika hadn’t introduced her by it, which is unusual but not entirely rude. Is there something the matter with her family for the teacher to react to it? If so, why would she reveal it to the whole class after Erika had made a point of not mentioning it? It does sound like an older Arkothan name, but otherwise, it doesn’t ring a bell.

  “Well, I bring up alchemical herbalism to state outright that we will not be studying it in this class beyond the very basics, and then only so you can know how to avoid accidentally performing it. Before you all rush to change courses though, it is still recommended for potential alchemists to take this class if only to learn to recognize the herbs you’ll be using.

  “Moreover, I will be listing the standard interpretations of the symbolism of each plant as we go over its properties, which will be of great help in your future alchemy studies. I say interpretations because the meaning of a symbol lies wholly within it and cannot be truly put into words. Advanced alchemy requires understanding the symbolism directly without linguistic aid, which is a skill much harder to teach than anything I will be attempting.

  “Now, let’s go over the basic principles of hebalistic processing. First technique: boiling in a pot…”

  She goes over the basics with confidence and clarity. It’s all review of course, though the way she says a few things is enlightening. Nothing major, just shifting how I look at things.

  “Well, that was interesting. Baron Franhal is a good teacher, no?” Ellen says as class ends.

  “Yeah, I’m looking forward to studying under her.”

  “Same… well…” Ellen trails off meaningfully, then explains when it’s clear I don’t understand. “I’m going to the club now. Will you be coming?”

  Oh right, that. I had forgotten after deciding against it. I turn to say no, but pause upon seeing her calm, steady smile. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  “Fantastic!” Her smile deepens in a chest tightening way.

  “Would you umm… want to get some frozen cream on the way?”

  “Why, I’d love to.”

  patreon. Also a good point to mention it since if I waited until things got more tense in a few chapters you'll think I'm shilling on a cliff (I will probably mention it then too.)