With Stephen at the table as well as the other new arrivals, the group was now balanced. Reiko has gained an assistant from home, and Mary was getting close to her fellow lover of fluffy things, though she had not yet realized that to him, she was also a fluffy thing, while Wolfe and Stephen sat across from Cassie and Ella.
ƥαṇdα- ηθνε|·ƈθm
“What class do you have to attend today?” Ella asked Stephen while Wolfe kept sneaking food onto his plate. Under that spell, Stephen was entirely too scrawny, and Wolfe couldn’t help but want to ease his suffering at least a little.
It was clear that Stephen had been through a lot, but now that he was here at the Academy, there was no reason that he shouldn’t eat well and start regaining some of that lost muscle, especially with Wolfe dumping mana into his healing spell on a regular basis.
“Just the afternoon Class A magical study. I’m told that this is how it used to be, the men either accompanied their Witches everywhere, or they helped out with some of their classes and then went with them as bodyguards on outside excursions.” Stephen explained.
Reiko perked up at the mention of the outside world. “That’s right, after the first set of exams, we will be allowed to head into the wilderness for training and resource gathering. It’s too bad that we won’t have the credits for the enchanted battle armour during the first year. Not having it really limits the places we can safely go.
If we all had unlimited mana or a couple more years of training to use Nature Armour, which is part of our innate magic, it wouldn’t be an issue, and we could just use defensive spells all the time, but that’s just not realistic for most witches, especially if we are attacked, since that’s when the magical armour needs the most input, and when we will want to use as much mana as we can to fight back.”
Reiko’s new assistant, as she was calling him, didn’t look very excited about the idea, but he couldn’t use magic, and he didn’t look like much of a fighter either. Going outside to face monsters, the undead, and anything else they might run into was likely to be just plain deadly to him.
“Don’t worry too much. We’re the strongest in the year, and we’ve got a big group. You just need to carry the pack and set up camp.” Reiko assured him with the type of gentle smile usually reserved for timid small animals.
“Well, I guess that sounds safe enough. But do we really have to go out at all? Your mother will prepare you for a good council job in the city once you return, so all you need to do is pass your classes, right? The outside world is for the Commoners and Adventurers.” Reiko’s assistant complained.
“Yes, we need to. Now stop whining, or I will send you home to explain to my mother that you’re not worthy.”
Reiko’s tone was icy, and it stopped all complaints about her plan to explore the outside world. It was quite impressive, and Wolfe suspected that it was a tone that she had learned from her Council Leader mother, who was used to flexing her authority on everyone around her.
There were a lot of similar conversations going on around the cafeteria right now. The first-year Witches were getting used to their newly assigned companions, many of whom were nothing more than arranged marriage partners with business connections, and many of the older Witches were preparing to leave to increase their resources.
Everyone wanted an edge in the upcoming exams, especially the third-year class, who would be competing for rank and careers upon graduation. They had the most to lose with even a few positions’ change in the rankings, so they would do nearly anything to get ahead at this point in the year, before the first official ranking exams.
“I just need hemlock, freshly fallen walnuts, and some Spirit Grass anyhow. It’s not like we would need to go far into the wilderness.” Reiko grumbled, giving Wolfe an excellent idea.
“It’s autumn, and both hemlock and some walnut Trees grow within sight of the school walls. The Alchemy professors have used both in their classes, and they’re pretty distinctive.
I don’t know where we would find the Spirit Grass for your spell, but Stephen and I can go get the other two this morning since we don’t have classes to assist until after lunch.” Wolfe offered.
“Get enough for everyone. I have a good idea of what Reiko is casting, and we all want to try.” Ella suggested.
“Will do. We will see everyone at lunch.” Wolfe agreed before standing to pull the incredibly confused Stephen with him to the Academy’s supply room.
“We need to talk privately, and I can do more to help you without prying eyes around. Plus, it will impress Ella.” Wolfe whispered as they went to collect a pair of large backpacks to hold the ingredients that they were planning to gather.
Getting a pair of backpacks didn’t raise any suspicions among the storage room staff, but the guards at the exit gate were a bit more attentive and didn’t recognize either of the young men who were planning to go out unaccompanied. That wasn’t common practice. Usually, the assistants would only go out with their witch, so they stopped the duo to give them a gentle warning.
“You two, be careful. We haven’t spotted anything in the vicinity, but there are no guarantees outside the wall, and we can’t leave our post.”
“We just need walnuts, hemlock and Spirit Grass. I can see two of the three from here, and they’re just mundane plants, but do you know where to find the grass?” Wolfe asked.
“One kilometre straight ahead, by the river. It needs both mana and lots of water to grow. There should be quite a bit since the term just started, and nobody has been out to cut it yet. Be careful when you go to get it, and be sure to cut it high enough not to damage the root. Others will need it for their spellcasting when it grows back.”
That was easy enough, so Wolfe waved his thanks as they passed by and led the way to where he saw the freshly fallen walnuts. It only took a few minutes to pack a few kilograms into his bag and then load it to half full with hemlock branches.
Wolfe leaned close to whisper to Stephen as they finished with the mundane ingredients. “Once we are out of sight, I will top you off with mana again. Work with that healing spell as hard as you can. Trust me, you being able to use magic is vital to my plan succeeding.”
“You won’t tell anyone what I am, will you? The teachers will freak out if I use magic.” Stephen replied quietly.
“No, we are going to lie with the truth. You clearly can’t go back to the city any more than I can. So, for all the world to see, I am going to make you my Familiar. As my familiar, it would only be natural that you could use some magic, though everyone would expect it to be agonizingly painful for you, which would give you cover for not knowing a lot of spells.
You will be with Ella constantly, just like you were ordered, and the council will think your power comes from me. Nobody but the one who did that to your actual body will ever know the difference, and they can’t tell anyone without the Inquisitors asking why they know that a potentially powerful young witch was crippled and disguised as a man.
So, how about it? Do you agree with my plan?”
“If you could promise me we will never return to that city, I would even be your slave.” Stephen scoffed.
[Accept Familiar?] Y/N
The notification from his Inheritance startled Wolfe, and he reflexively agreed.
“You’ve got a deal.”
[Familiar Gained]
[Stephanie Isabel]
[Bound Familiar] added
A runic circle that Wolfe recognized as the [Familiar Summoning] spell appeared in the air, then moved and sunk into Stephanie’s skin, shrinking to fit in a bare spot at the base of her throat.
To Wolfe, who didn’t have [Detect Hidden] Active at the moment, it simply seemed to vanish into the illusion of Stephen, but he could still sense its presence, the same way that he could feel the fading sigils on the abdomens of Cassie and Ella from when he had provided them with mana this morning.
The fact that once created, the sigil could simply be refilled with mana was somewhat disappointing to Wolfe, who had hoped for somewhat naughtier requirements of a spell known as an Incubus Sigil. Intimacy did improve the power and capacity of the spell, though, so he still had that much luck, but he was lacking a daily excuse to have a most excellent morning.