“Hello.” Althea said, gliding onto the stage and letting her mana inform people of her arrival. A crowd of people stood in front of her. Students, their families, and other interested people.

"Today might not seem like it, but it is a very important moment in the history of our county." Althea said. "The Silverbirch academy has remained shut for over a thousand years, its land and nobles unable to support it. That shall still remains true."

Althea paused. “The mana to fuel the lifts is still not within our reach. But that doesn't mean we can't continue its legacy. I am glad to announce the opening of the Leaves and Roots academy!”

As it turned out, there was already a name. The name of the old academy that had shut down. Now, she could have just kept it, but she didn't want to do that.

Some of the crowd left after she completed her speech, but enough of it stuck around with their family.

"The next part of the event is a lecture, by me, on sensing mana. The event will take place behind closed doors." she said, turning towards her bedroom. The academy would be held on the second floor of the palace; there were plenty of rooms on just that floor. The old one had been on the twenty-sixth to thirty-first floor.

The college students filed into the room, looking unsure as to their seating. The bedroom might have a meeting hall, but it was still not a proper classroom. The private garden where they were meeting, certainly wasn't either. Althea had already asked for chairs to be placed in the largely empty center, the only place they could sit. The rest of it was plants.

"I will begin the lecture soon, but first a little information on the current situation." she began. "The college will formally begin operation from next week. The lack of professors means we probably won't have classes, but there is a library here that you may use at your leisure. And I do recommend using it.”

Althea grinned. "There will be tests. A test a week. The results won't matter, there will be very few grades here. The only way to get a grade is to go on a mission. A student must do at least one a year. The academy prepares you for real life, and that is where we will grade you. "

A hand shot up. Isa.

"Yes, Ms. Isa?" she asked. The hand dropped a bit on hearing her old name, but the girl stood up anyway.

"How will we be graded when we are out of the city?" Isa asked.

Althea raised an eyebrow. "The missions for the first six months will be centered around the city. After that, there will be people in every city, village, and there that will be a part of our reserves. The reports will be verified through them."

The girl nodded and sat back down.

"And Ms. Isa, the college students are the future of the county. What you will be dealing with are beast hordes and dangerous expeditions. I assure you, they will be easy to assess." Althea warned. The crowd bristled at the declaration.

Even Nathan's eyes narrowed. Pulsie's excuse for not mentioning his non-human nature was a bit lacking. The plant thought that the piece of information wasn't his to reveal. Althea could understand the sentiment, but still…she would like to be in the loop.

There were other things on the line. But apparently, the plant didn't know about those. The Human treaty was apparently unknown to him.

Althea sighed, there was no use dwelling on it. The two of them were bound, by magic and circumstance. A familiar bond couldn't be broken by any means she knew.

"What can you tell me about mana sensing?" she asked.

"Mana sensing is the basics of magic, the foundation of our spells." a girl on the second bench replied. Nori? Yes, Nori, a relative of one of the maids that had talent in…the fire element?

"And why is it important, Nori?" Althea asked.

"Well…it is the foundation of our spells?" the girl replied. Althea smiled.

"Yes, but there is a distinction you are not making." she replied. "What do you think that is?"

Althea looked around, finding only blank faces. Well, she hated teachers asking questions they hadn't taught either. Why not teach and ask later?

"The sensing capacity determines the speed, efficiency, and power of every spell, cultivation session and breakthrough." Althea said.

"If you thought it would be important only for the Apprentice stage, well, my dear friends, think again."

Althea opened the book much more carefully than she had before.

"I would recommend taking notes, this book hasn't seen the light of day in centuries." Or longer, she added in her head. The students scrambled to get paper and ink. The maids were already waiting to provide for anyone that didn't have their own.

"Oh, and this should not bear saying, but do not share what you learn here today." Althea warned. This would be a test of their loyalty. The mana sensing was important, but it wasn't that much of a secret. Althea had found little use of what was in the book. A talented person would reach these conclusions by themselves. The rest had to be taught.

"The first step to sensing mana is to understand what you are calling." she continued. "How many types of mana are there?"

"Hundreds, if not more. A new element appears every few decades." Isa said.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Althea shook her head. "Three. That is how many types of mana there are. Can anyone guess what they are?"

The students were now hesitant to answer.

"The sun mana, land mana, and self mana." she said.

"But land mana is a rumor, your grace." Nathan, who had taken a seat on the back bench, stated.

"On the contrary." Althea replied, waving her hand to make a flower bloom.

"What mana did I use there?"

Nathan concentrated on the plant, frowning more with every second. Althea smiled, she did find this very enjoyable.

"Wood." he said in the end.

"No, Nathan." she said. "Sense your answer. Don't give me a textbook answer."

Nathan's eyebrows furrowed as he concentrated.

"What I sense is earth…but that cannot be. Earth mana cannot manipulate plants."

Althea smiled. "Well, that is where you're wrong. Sun mana cannot do it, but land mana does not have the same restrictions. A mage using sun mana and mana can have different powers and limitations. That is why you will spend the next two days sensing the difference in mana."

The maids brought in pots of soil. "Two pots will be given to you. One has land mana. The other has sun mana. I expect you to be able to sense the difference by Monday."

And she was already giving homework on the weekend. The students at least looked eager to get to it.

"What is the third type?" Isa asked. "The Countess mentioned a third type of mana. How do we differentiate it?"

Althea smiled. Oh, she had hoped that someone would ask this question. The discovery had been surprising to her too.

"The third type of mana is the self type. This mana is almost exclusively used by those at the Grandmaster stage. If you encounter it, Isa, you will know."

Althea walked out of her room to wide-eyes and whispers. If land mana was a rumor, the Grandmaster stage was a legend. And every mention of it sent people into overdrive.

Now though, she had other, less pleasant things to do. The reports from the Deadre region had arrived.

Althea walked into a full cabinet meeting, the ministers absorbed in their own discussion.

"The reports were interesting, I take it?" she asked.

"The half-Elves even more so." the Minister of Defense said. "To accept them into the county-"

"The half-Elves are not citizens, merely refugees. And I think we may just have to get used to them. Tens of thousands will arrive over the next few years and settle into a new island I have bought." she said.

"A new island, your grace?" the Minister's eyes widened. "I would have thought it prudent to at least inform the cabinet before such a purchase."

"The purchase hasn't been made." Althea waved his complaint away. " And this is the decision of the royal council, the cabinet does not need to provide an opinion. There wasn't time for it anyway."

Perhaps dismissing it was a bad idea, but she wasn't going to get their approval for every little thing. The cabinet would turn into a parliament if that happened. And as much as she was for democracy, the ministers weren’t elected representatives either.

"Now, do you have anything else to report?" she asked. The Minister of Justice passed her a stack of reports.

"The cabinet has already read these, your grace. The scouts report that every single one of the beasts in the region have seen an increase in population. But none of them have reached beast horde level yet."

ALthea nodded. Not having beast hordes was good.

"But these regions are in severe need of a culling. I recommend authorizing the squads there to cull them." one of the other ministers chimed in.

"I agree. The military command should come up with a list of priorities, and then squads should team up and cull the populations as assigned." she said.

The Minister of Defense rolled his eyes. "There is no military command, your grace. The deployment did not give us any time to set it up."

"Well then, I suppose I will have to do the work myself. Steward Ven can help me." Althea replied. The Steward, for his part, just turned to look at her with his usual expression. The one she still couldn't decode.

"I would recommend calling them back, the beasts aren't a priority-" the Minister of Defense began.

"Why?" Althea interrupted, exasperated.

"What?" The Minister replied, his irritation clear.

"Why are the beasts not a priority?" she demanded. "Are they not dangerous anymore? Did you discover a way to quickly kill them? Perhaps you could share it with the county?"

"We-well, the beasts are normal! The Elves are not! I demand you deal with the Elven problem, your grace! Just their presence puts you at risk of being overthrown." the Minister said.

"Is that so." Althea said, her voice cold. How had this guy made it to the cabinet? "The beasts are suddenly normal? Was it not you who was panicking just the day before yesterday? How did beast hordes become normal?

The people would be very disheartened if they heard how little their Minister of Defense cared about their safety. As for the Elves, they are as human as they are Elf. And the royal council has made a decision. If you think you outrank the council, then you can convey that to the Duke Selorian. I certainly won't be so foolish."

The Minister looked red, as if he was about to burst into anger.

"And Minster." Althea continued. "I would be careful if I were you. As it stands, I trust the half-Elves more than you."

The cabinet descended into silence, the ministers staring at her. Althea knew that most of the previous ministers had died in the battle, the Minister of Justice was the only one from her mother's time. And even he was the deputy then.

The Minister of Defense was the only one from the old cabinet. The only Minister her mother hadn't taken with her to one of the most famous battles in recent times.

"I think your mother would be disappointed by your lack of care." the Minister said.

So that was how it was going to be.

"No, I think she would be proud. Take a week off Minister, the cabinet can do without you." Althea ruled. "I was twelve, not one when she died. I know who she liked, who she trusted, and who she despised. Do not think your tricks will work on me."

The Minister left with a huff, banging the door behind him. The servants were looking around in surprise and panic. Althea was sure the events would spread through the capital by the end of the day.

"Now, is there anything else or can I call this meeting to an end?" Althea asked.

"I would recommend asking some retired commanders from the Sentinal for help, your grace. An advisory position may be acceptable to some of them." the Minister of Justice said.

Althea nodded. But there was one thing that was heavy on her mind. A thing neither she nor the old Althea dared say in public.

The late Countess was an excellent ruler. An inspiration. A legend. A good friend. An inspiring general. A loving wife. The so-called perfect person.

But she was still a horrible mother. A mother that never taught Althea anything about governance. A mother that didn't once tell her that she loved her. A mother that didn't even bother to say goodbye.