"So, about that reimbursement..." Will began.

  He was at the High Mage's office in another frontier town, back on the friendlier side of the border.

  "Could I maybe get some of those red healing potions to cover the stone's worth?"

  "Hrmm," Holmstr?m hummed in thought. "I could pull some strings to get you four of them."

  "Four, huh?" Will kept his voice carefully neutral.

  "Yeah. My authority doesn't really stretch further than that. Healing potions are in high demand now."

  "I see. What about gold, then?"

  "Gold would be a lot easier."

  "How about this," Will suggested. "I'll take two red potions, and you make up the difference in gold?"

  "Aye, that's doable. In fact, I can authorize that much right now."

  The man waved a hand, and a drawer on the other side of the room opened. Two sturdy bottles flew out of the drawer into Holmstr?m's hands.

  Will felt a pang of jealousy at the display. Such casual magic wasn't quite considered a spell, but it looked very cool. I have to learn that! One of these days anyway...

  The bottles were made out of some dull, transparent crystal; perhaps quartz. Half an ounce of red liquid could be seen within the small hollow inside the crystals, and the cork stoppers were tied in place with some yarn, which in turn had been stamped with a wax seal.

  Will examined the bottles while the mage pulled out a key and opened a small, metal-reinforced coffer on his shelf.

  After a symphony of lovely clinking sounds, he handed a bulging cloth purse to Will.

  "There you go; hundred and fifty gold. In the capital, it might buy you three potions."

  So much gold! Will rejoiced but kept his face straight. "Thanks. This seems acceptable."

  "You did us a great service back there. I'll speak to the generals about your promotion soon."

  "Thanks!" Will allowed more enthusiasm in his voice. Higher rank, higher pay! Here I come!

  "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting coming up..."

  "Sure," Will promptly got up to comply with the polite dismissal. "See you around, High Mage!"

  Will made brief eye contact with a tall, dark-haired man who was pacing behind the High Mage's door when he exited the room. He gave the man a respectful little nod before turning into an empty corridor. Will kept his composure for three more seconds before his mouth split into a wide grin.

  The dark-haired man threw an idle glance at the scrawny half-elf before walking in to finally meet the High Mage.

  "Holmstr?m, way to keep me waiting!"

  "Kroft," the mage greeted back. "Did so with a good reason, too. That was the boy I mentioned."

  "Oh?" Kroft thought back to the face he'd just seen. It had been smooth like a maiden's, with just the jaw that was somewhat prominent marking it as a man's face.

  "You said he beat an air elemental?"

  "Indeed. His staff must be heavily enchanted, but that can't be all it takes."

  Holmstr?m uncorked a bottle of whisky. A refined, smoky smell reached Kroft's nose. The mage poured himself a drink, then offered some to the guest. The military man looked hesitant.

  "Just a little bit," Kroft relented. He wanted to sample the fine product, even if he still had some elite training to oversee later.

  "I asked around," Holmstr?m continued. "And the soldiers at Castle Heathmoor say that the boy is a quick learner. A month ago, he fought like he had never held a staff."

  "Hmm."

  "He is very fast and nimble, even more so than an elite soldier. He only hits as hard as a veteran, though."

  "Whose words are those?"

  "A captain from the elite company at Heathmoor."

  "Oh! That's reasonably high praise, then."

  "Furthermore, while he casts his spells slowly, the power more than makes up for the lack of speed. I saw a fire spell the likes of which I would only dare to expect from a Grand Mage."

  "With the spellstone?"

  "No. That's the thing. I saw his eyes. It was his own, unboosted power. The spellstone came later."

  Kroft drained the rest of his whisky. Its taste was overwhelmingly strong, but he rather liked it. "Pour me just a little more? Yeah, that's enough."

  "Who is he, exactly?" Kroft finally asked.

  "I have no idea. Could be a scion of some influential family in Nemea. Or perhaps in Altholous? I've heard they train their mages in close combat."

  "What do you think we should do with him?"

  "It looks like he wants to climb the military ladder for some reason. Don't make him a high mage right away. Perhaps he is willing to work for the title."

  Kroft seemed to consider the idea just like he had considered the taste of the whisky, with the same facial expression and all.

  "Sounds like a plan. I'll relay it to the other generals."

  ---

  The autumn progressed. Mornings turned chilly enough that the landscape got briefly white before the sun melted the hoarfrost.

  A couple of weeks later, it snowed a little bit every night. The hills in the east started to receive heavy snowfalls and turned almost impassable.

  Will's workload went down as the snow accumulated. Finally, he heard that the higher-ups were heading north for the winter and that Will should come with them.

  Apparently, north was the way to go if you wanted milder winters.

  The city of Anth was like Spiretown, but bigger. Anth also had a spire in the middle of the city, and it was even bigger than the previous one. The building would seem small if placed next to the Empire State Building, but Will thought it reached higher than the Statue of Liberty. It looked more massive, too.

  The Royal Palace at its root was modest in comparison, but it appeared more elegant than the gray spire. Within the palace, there was an opulent hall of ceremonies that was currently in use.

  The king of Anth-Komi wasn't present, but another high noble was handling the semi-important ceremony in his place.

  "Arcane Asset Gaylord Will, step forward!"

  Will bit his cheeks until they bled when he heard the fake name. He'd already forgotten about making it up several weeks ago, when some stiff official wouldn't accept just his first name once he'd made the mistake of implying that it wasn't his only name.

  "You are hereby promoted to the rank of Magister. Do serve His Majesty well!"

  "Thank you, Lord Duke. I shall not disappoint," Will promised—primarily because everyone else had uttered the same words.

  "Is there anything you would require of the Crown, Magister?"

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The duke dude had asked the same question from the previous mage and gifted him a farm somewhere. Will didn't need a farm, but there was something else that intrigued him.

  "I'd like to check out the Academy, if it's not too much to ask."

  "Very well. An escort shall be arranged for you tomorrow morning."

  The promotion ceremony ended, the bigwigs went out to drink together, and Will and the other new Magisters were shown out of the palace.

  In the morning, Will returned to be introduced to a beautiful, young blonde.

  "Good morning, Magister," his designated escort spoke and bowed slightly at him. "My name is Bessina. I've been assigned to arrange your Royal Boon."

  She looked to be around twenty and well-developed. Will's eyes moved around lightning-fast, assessing the girl's assets while her eyes remained downturned.

  "Nice to meet you, Miss Bessina," Will replied in a nonchalant tone. "You can call me Will."

  The girl nodded. "Well then, Mister Will. Shall we go?"

  She led him right out of the palace and into the spire.

  The tall building was decorated at the ground level, but when Will turned his eyes up, he saw nothing but endless rows of square, gray granite blocks.

  The girl looked at him and smiled.

  "It looks even taller up close, does it not?"

  "Indeed," Will agreed politely. "Very, uh, imposing and austere."

  "I was told you wanted to attend beginner classes; is that right?"

  "Yes! I'd very much like to take a look."

  "Very well. Follow my lead."

  They entered an airy auditorium on the third floor, and Will was met with at least fifty pairs of curious eyes.

  "Professor Dorotte, Magister Will here is an honored guest of the Academy."

  "Hmm? Did you need something from me, Magister?" a middle-aged man standing in front of the class inquired.

  "I'd just like to attend the class for now, if you don't mind..."

  "Oh. Please do, then."

  "I'll be available for advice in the faculty room," the girl informed. "Good day," she said and left after a final, shallow bow.

  The room wasn't built like the classes Will remembered from high school, but it did have a back row that looked just as inviting.

  Will climbed up a few stairs and sat in the same row with some young students who kept glancing at him with dubious expressions. Will ignored them.

  "As I was saying, you should be able to produce a flame by now," the professor went back to teaching his class. "Albin, please give us a demonstration."

  A boy of eighteen or so hurried to the front of the class and started murmuring something and weaving mana with his hands. He took four or five seconds to produce a healthy flame above his palm.

  "Excellent. That is sufficient for graduation when it comes to fire magic. You only need to understand your enemy, but you can specialize in whatever you want."

  "Magister, do you happen to be familiar with fire spells?" the professor asked.

  "Hmm? I've used a few."

  "Excellent, excellent! Would you mind demonstrating the 'dancing fire?'"

  Shit! I should've said no. "Umm, nope. Sorry. I don't know that one."

  "Uh, Magister... But... It's only the second tier!"

  The students were giggling and whispering quietly. Will felt his cheeks heating up.

  I could melt the classroom to make it stop, he consoled himself.

  "P-perhaps a simple demonstration of the first tier, then?" the professor suggested. "I'm sure the students would be delighted."

  Will grimaced. There was no way he could fold twice in a row.

  But he had a problem. His fire-making household cantrip was even more pathetic than what the previous kid had shown. "Flaming Hands," on the other hand, produced a blaze of fifteen fucking feet.

  Will started to mutter the syllables for a direct-damage fire cantrip. It was a total shit-tier spell, and it took him nine long seconds to finish. He simply hadn't had any practice with it.

  An apple-sized fireball formed on his hand, ready to be flung forward. Will forced the spell to fizzle out before he burned his own hand. At least his fire was bigger than the boy's.

  "Something like that, right?"

  The professor gave him a forced smile.

  "Exactly."

  ---

  "Did you hear about the weirdo?"

  "The so-called Magister?"

  "Yeah. They say he's bad at spells."

  "I heard he beat an elemental to death."

  "I heard that, too! If he's just a warrior, why call him magister?"

  "Shh! That's him!"

  Will ignored the whispers and attended a healing magic class for the third time during his stay. Unlike the rest of the curriculum, this one topic was fully relevant for him, even if he wasn't going to learn it any time soon.

  He followed along happily until the break, when some sort of famous foreigner made his appearance.

  "Where's the magister guy?"

  Half of the people turned to look at Will, revealing his location.

  "Lord Duke! P-please! You shouldn't cause trouble!"

  The "Lord Duke" in question was a twenty-something boy from some big country in the north. Will had previously seen him causing a scene in a restaurant where the food wasn't to his lordly liking.

  "I want a duel with you!" the boy shouted at Will. "At the arena, in two hours! I'll see you there unless you're a coward!"

  With that declaration, the boy left. Will was slightly flabbergasted.

  "Anyone know what that was about?" he asked, glancing around at the faces staring back at him.

  Most of them turned away, but someone—a short and ratty-looking boy—chose to answer, with a grin lighting up his face.

  "That was Duke Sealpeak. They say he's slain an ogre."

  "So what?"

  "Well, people here have been matching the boast with a certain air elemental slayer."

  "Me, huh? Why does it matter? I'm older than that kid!"

  "Don't ask me." The boy shrugged. "Perhaps it's because you still attend classes, which makes your alleged feat unbelievable...to some people."

  "Hmm. I see."

  Will put the childish matter out of his mind and went back to enjoying the class, which had resumed. It was a welcome break from training his own 5th-level spells.

  A few days went by, and Will forgot about the matter.

  ---

  At a nearby outdoor theater, an event was being held.

  All of the academy was in attendance, as were all the mages of the Royal Court. The king himself observed the proceedings from a high seat.

  "And that concludes the annual ceremony of duty and service!" the announcer proclaimed after two hours of proceedings.

  Finally, thought Will, to whom the novel experience had turned into an exercise in boredom after the first ten minutes.

  "Ahem! If I might have a word," a familiar figure sauntered onto the stage. It was a foreigner of striking, dark looks.

  That duke fellow! Will recognized the face from afar.

  "As many of you may have heard by now, the finest academy of Anth-Komi harbors a coward!"

  Oh, crap...

  "That's right! The so-called 'slayer of elementals' or 'Magister,' as he apparently has styled himself, has disgraced his country by refusing a formal duel!"

  People turned to look at Will, who crossed his arms and frowned. Even the king turned to see who everyone else was staring at.

  "Mister Magister!" Bessina got up from her seat and ran to Will. "His Majesty is present!"

  "So what?"

  "As the ruler of Anth-Komi, he cannot let such challenging words simply slide."

  "Are you saying I have to fight that boy?" Will's face was twisted in a grimace of reluctance.

  "Yes!!!" the girl hissed in frustration.

  Will sighed. "Can I kill him?"

  Bessina gaped.

  "Of course not! It would be scandalous! No... Almost an act of war! Anth-Komi cannot afford to offend the Nine Peaks."

  "That's a problem..." Will muttered but stood up anyway.

  Absorb Elements (II) triggered.

  He walked down on the stage, facing the grinning, young duke.

  "Did I really anger you so much by refusing your duel?" Will complained to the boy in a low voice.

  "Prepare yourself!" the noble shouted and started to weave some magic Will didn't recognize. All he could tell was that it didn't seem like a low-level fire or ice spell.

  Minor Spell Immunity (IV) triggered.

  A ghostly wolf appeared next to Will. He only had the time to raise his arm to shield himself when the animal lunged and bit him.

  Thankfully, the immunity spell seemed to work. Had the wolf been like the air elemental, it might have bitten right through his spell immunity.

  Not a summoned creature, then... Will realized.

  The wolf clawed at him for a second before winking out of existence.

  The dukeling frowned lightly.

  "Hmh. So you can shield a little?"

  Will raised his own hands, about to cast a Magic Arrow at the snotty little kid. Then he hesitated.

  What if it kills him?

  Once again, Will faced the same problem. His preferred spell was fairly powerful. It was a genuine first-level spell after all.

  Will gave up on the simple, effective attack and went for the shit-tier fire cantrip instead.

  Another wolf appeared, but Will just let it gnaw at his left hand futilely.

  This time, he got the casting time down to six seconds, and a small ball of fire formed above his right hand. Will flung the orange sphere at the boy, striking him cleanly.

  The young duke yelped and patted at his sleeve that had caught fire. Other than that, he didn't seem to be affected too much by the attack.

  Will could only grimace. This spell is utter crap!

  According to canon, the direct-damage cantrip dealt 1d3 points of fire damage for each two caster levels, capping at 5d3 at level 10 if Will recalled correctly. With his currently lacking skill, the spell was just a little stronger than a warm tickle.

  However, the spell didn't feel any less powerful than the lightning cantrip. In that sense, the boy was dealing with his spells pretty well unlike the thugh at the auction.

  A shield? Or perhaps fire resistance gear? Will wondered, but he chose not to switch to another type of magic.

  A warm tickle would suffice. Not causing a surprise heart attack was a strong point in its favor over the lightning.

  Another wolf, another little fireball. Repeat. In half a minute, the boy was starting to look disheveled, with his face blackened from soot and one sleeve of his fancy coat fully burned off on the arm he used to parry Will's spells.

  "Coward! Fight me properly!" the duke shouted.

  "If I did that, you'd be dead," Will retorted in a much lower voice.

  "Ahh!!!" the boy screamed when something finally gave out, and the fire managed to char his flesh a little. "You're going to regret this!"

  The duke reached inside his robes to pull out a small, bluish object.

  "Really?" Will felt a little dismayed at the useless waste of precious consumables.

  The spellstone was crushed, and the boy's eyes began glowing blue. He waved his hands furiously for a short while, until a massive, somewhat transparent head appeared next to Will. It looked like it should belong to a hippo or maybe a giant lizard.

  A giant maw chomped down on the arm Will extended to it.

  Nothing happened.

  After a second, its jaws loosened, and the big head winked out of existence.

  Will threw another little fireball with his free hand, and the dark-haired youth screamed some more.

  "I think it's time for the match to be called, right?" Will asked loudly while looking around.

  Thankfully, the announcer who still stood nearby had his wits about him. He reacted after just a moment's hesitation.

  "Ah... Yes. A laudable effort by the young challenger! But the victory goes to, uh, the defender!"

  Will quickly hopped off the stage and returned to his seat when he felt his spell immunity beginning to fizzle out. He didn't want to use his own unprotected flesh to find out how hard exactly those strange apparitions could bite.

  "Those tiny fire spells... It was bold of you to humiliate him so thoroughly," Bessina commented. "I saw His Majesty make a face at your duel, but I suppose a victory is a victory."

  "Wait. I did what now?"

  Will had only tried to make sure the kid didn't die.