With only one day left until midterms began, Wolfe was sitting at a table in the cafeteria, with Pup’s head resting in his lap while they waited for Mary to pick up her breakfast. The big dog had taken to leaning against him whenever possible, absorbing the excess energy that Wolfe attracted and generally finding excuses not to move more than was necessary.
Every table, no matter the year of students, was intently focused on the same topic. “What could they do to improve their chances on the exams?” For some, it was their first time. For others, they were trying to climb the ranks so they could get a better placement after they left the academy.
For those without political connections or the power to finish out the third year, their exam scores would be the primary factor the Coven used to determine if they would become Knights, the lowest of the Noble Witches, or a Baroness, who was still near the bottom but got considered for much better government jobs, as well as being granted more privileges and a larger stipend.
Those who expected to fail out of their second year and remain as Commoner Witches were already talking about changing courses to trade skills, learning to make the magical items which everyone in society relied upon.
That was a very broad category, and they could specialize in almost any sort of magical enchantments and inscriptions, or even in magically enhanced baking or things like becoming Mystic Maids for the High Nobles, a job that paid incredibly well, and was a mixture of household security and head of staff, not an actual working maid.
Some students had made the switch at the start of the year, having only barely passed their first year, but most second-year Witches had originally held out hope that they too could pass the year and be named as Nobles.
“Do you think they will let all of us advance to the second year if we prove we can ace the finals already? Reiko asked once Mary and her fluff-loving assistant finally joined them.
While that was probably not the proper term for the men who fought for the Witches, Wolfe still thought the man was more like her babysitter. He was a decent guy but completely useless in the combat class. Athletic but far too timid, and he had only shown up a few times when Mary insisted that he needed the training to safely accompany them into the wastelands.
Reiko’s butler was a much better fighter, though also not a regular attendee to the classes, which he viewed as beneath him since he would have to follow the directions of a commoner-born student during the interactive training. The students from Noble families had all been sent someone to partner with.
“The better question is if it’s a good idea to move on to the second year already. Sure, we could all advance, but we would have to do twice as much as all the other second years, or we would fail our end-of-term exams. I’m not sure we could catch up, either in learning or power.
They have been learning Witch Magic and Charms since the year started, and they have all the amulets and Talismans that they made in the second half of their first year to help them.” Reiko complained.
“Yeah, it won’t be easy, but if we can get a field trip in or convince a group to take Wolfe out to gather resources for us, we can start making the amulets that the others will learn in the second semester. That will help a lot, but it will take a lot to catch up on the schoolwork. They have it a lot harder than we do since nobody expects much of the first years.” Ella agreed.
“Well, we can only do what we can do. Even if the end-of-term marks aren’t great, we should be able to catch up by the end of the year. That’s the mark that really matters.” Cassie suggested.
She had a point. None of them were going for high noble titles, so they just needed to pass the second year, and they could apply for positions outside the city. Reiko was aiming for wilderness protection or a similar position in one of the small outposts, but Cassie and Ella hadn’t really decided on a future path after learning that having a Demonic Familiar basically made them unwelcome inside the city walls.
The impression that Wolfe got was that they would actually prefer to head to another territory entirely, but the family members that were left behind were a consideration that kept them considering a future close to the city.
That would still make a wilderness protection or resource gathering position a good option, as their family could be sent almost all of the resources they were allocated, giving them a more secure life.
Ella only had her parents and a small extended family, and Cassie only cared about her grandmother. After factoring that in, the paycheck of a lower noble, with a bonus for serving in the wilderness, would go a long way.
Of course, they could stay out for a few months and return to take their third-year courses, where they would learn the sort of powerful enchantments and wards which protect the cities and villages, so almost all Witches who qualified did return, but during the time between school years, Reiko was in a hurry to get away so that her parents couldn’t force her into an arranged marriage back in the city.
“First things first. If we don’t ace this exam, we will be spending the rest of the year in practical magic, learning spells we already know. I don’t know about all of you, but the urge to curl up and nap in that class is getting stronger every day, and I don’t want to upset Professor Miranda.” Mary sighed while Pup barked his agreement, then settled his head on Wolfe’s lap again.
“And what is so good about your lap? Are you trying to steal my Familiar?” She complained, then moved to sit in Wolfe’s lap with Pup’s head on her knees.
Wolfe had been gathering excess mana for the Familiar, and the second that she made contact with him, the power all flowed into Mary, making the little Pink haired Witch moan in pleasure, loud enough that the whole cafeteria could hear her.
The supervisor on duty stopped to stare at them in shock, thinking that they were doing something unspeakable in public, while most of the students blushed and only snuck glances at them.
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“Oh, Goddess, that’s good. You were channelling energy to Pup, weren’t you? Do you do this for Cassie and Ella every night? No wonder they’re always in such a good mood when we get to Alchemy.” Mary rambled.
“What are you saying in front of the whole school?” Reiko whisper shouted at her bubbly friend, then got a burst of residual mana when she tried to pull Mary off of Wolfe, and her eyes went wide as she gasped in shock, making Cassie giggle.
“I recall the first time I experienced that feeling. It was just as intense. But keep your voices down, or we’re going to get kicked out of the cafeteria. There might be no hope for Mary’s reputation, though.” Cassie teased them.