However, someone had managed to read the inscription before Tim erased it. That same evening Yantau came to visit him.

"Hi! Is it true that you teach writing?"

There was no point in denying it, and Tim nodded his head in agreement.

"Meikli and I want to learn too, because there's no way to write spells with the signs we know how to use. We've tried learning by heart, but, as Master Aerg rightly pointed out, it requires a phenomenal memory."

Offering his help to Ri-Bo, Tim never expected to have to deal with a whole bunch of his classmates. But it was too late to turn back: to say 'yes' to one of them and 'no' to another would mean an undeserved insult to the latter. Or you must have a very good reason for saying no. But Tim didn't have one.

"All right, then," he agreed. "But you'll have to be taught separately at first, because orcs and tilfings have already mastered the alphabet. Find out if anyone else wants to come, and we'll discuss the details again. And if they are too long to think about it, then according to the principle: you snooze, you lose."

"I agree. Thank you for not saying 'no'. Meikli said she had seen an ad for your class, but when I went to see it, it was gone. Therefore I decided to visit you and clarify the situation."

"You were not mistaken," Tim confirmed dryly, letting him know that the audience was over. The lycos, however, were in no hurry to leave.

"I'm terribly sorry, but may I ask you for one more thing?"

"As long as it's not to the detriment of my health and doesn't take too much time."

"Just a little bit, and it doesn't hurt you at all. I just want to try a spell on you."

"On me? Thank you, I'd rather not."

"I'm sorry, I didn't put it quite right," Yantau said, embarrassed, "the spell I actually apply to myself, but only someone else can evaluate the result of its action."

"Well, that's another matter. What spell you want to cast?"

"Eyes Away. It's interesting to know if I really am becoming invisible."

"Let's see if you can do it."

Aiming the wand at his head, the lykos carefully recited the formula. The outline of his figure became slightly blurred for a moment, but there was no further visible change.

"Can you see me?" without waiting for a reaction from Tim, Yantau asked.

"No worse than before. But the theory is said that you should still be visible at Eyes Away action. People around you just lose the desire to look at you."

"Have you lost it?"

"It wasn't particularly strong," Tim answered humorously. "But at least it hasn't weakened."

Yantau grimaced a little.

"So it did not work. That's a pity."

"Maybe it would have worked if I hadn't known beforehand. I guess you're lucky if you walk past a crowd of people and no one notices you."

"I'll give it a try. Thanks again!"

After that he left, and Tim breathed a sigh of relief. No, it wasn't that he didn't like the lycos, he was just a little tired. He had too much to talk about today, he needed some time alone. In similar situations on Earth he simply locked himself in his room, turned off his cell phone, and his parents tried not to disturb him for no particular reason. If someone knocked on the door right now, he wouldn't even open it. Let them think: either he is not here, or meditating. By the way, it's not a bad idea to put some sort of plaque on the door that says 'do not disturb, meditation in progress'. I'll have to get to work on it sometime, Tim thought.

Once he had recovered a little, he decided to concentrate on the upcoming Mind Magic class. Or rather, to prepare for it a spell worth at least a couple of points. Pulling from the shelf a thick manuscript detailing the wisdom of this kind of magic (Khalid-amga had strongly recommended it - old, but expertly written and not difficult for even very young wizards to master), Tim almost dropped it in the air. Fortunately, it didn't crumble from its dilapidated state (perhaps a strengthening spell has been cast on it), only one of the pages had fallen out and was now lying on the floor. Though no, it wasn't a page from a textbook at all, but rather a torn sheet from a grimoire, and folded in four at a time. Curious, Tim picked it up and unfolded it. It was a course schedule! It looked like something similar to that hanging on the doorstep of their classroom, but when he looked closely... Well, who's stopping us from putting it up here in its entirety?

The schedule for the fifth month of the year 2256th from the founding of the school.

Day 1 - Citron Eye - History of Magic. The emergence of the Ring of Worlds.

Day 2 - Yellow-Orange Eye - Mind, Mentoscopy.

Day 3 - Smaragdine Eye - Mathemagic.

Pink Eye - Enchantment. Strengthening with incrustations.

Day 4 -

Day 5 -

Day 6 - Smaragdine Eye - Druidism. Control and subjugation of magical creatures.

Orange Eye - Light. Healing of fractures.

Day 7 - Citron Eye - Elementalism.

Day 8 - Light-Green Eye - Alchemy, practice.

Day 9 - Citron Eye - The Elements. Etheric amplification.

Day 10 - Orange Eye - History of magic. Shamanism.

Day 11 -

Day 12 -

Day 13 -

Day 14 - Citron Eye - Twilight. The theory of the Curses.

Pink Eye - Conversations about the structure of the Universe.

Day 15 - Yellow-Orange Eye - The Looking Glass.

Day 16 - Smaragdine Eye - Spirit. Telekinesis, exercise in pairs.

Orange Eye - Enchantment. Combination of symbols.

Day 17 - -Yellow-Orange Eye - Transformations. The limits of changing the essence of things.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Day 18 -

Day 19 -

Day 20 - Citron Eye - Druidism, a test assignment.

Day 21 - Citron Eye - History of Magic. The great sorcerers of the past.

Pink Eye - The Elements. Multi-elemental magic.

Day 22 - Orange Eye - Light. Repelling undead.

Day 23 - Yellow-Orange Eye - Mind. Positive Influence Charms.

Day 24 -

Day 25 - Light-Green Eye - Alchemy, a test assignment.

It turns out that five hundred years ago students studied many more subjects than they do now! Among them alchemy (a kobold would surely have agreed to become their teacher), enchantment (the essence of which is roughly imagined from the experience of computer games), elementalism (it is not quite clear what is meant by this, although the concept of the Elementals is already obtained), mathemagic (what can magic have to do with mathematics?), and the Looking Glass (for some reason Tim remembered the story about Alice at once). Three classes on the history of magic! And for them, they didn't even bother to read the introductory course. Or talks about the structure of the Universe - Tim would have loved to take part in them, he would surely have learned a lot. Where was the progress that the Principal boasted about the day they arrived at the school?

And one more thing: the voice coming from the cube was not that of an old man. Did Master Ven'A'Sash really deceive them, but what for? What difference does it make to the pupils if the Principal is young or old, if he is kind and attentive to them? There is something behind that. But what is it?

Tim suddenly felt a great urge to discuss his suspicions with someone. Of course, he couldn't tell the first person he met about them. From among his friends he had to choose someone who wouldn't twist a finger at the temple and advise him to relax and put the 'nonsense' out of his mind. And preferably one who would be able to advise him on something sensible. Mez'A'Shib was best suited for that, and Tim was about to pay him a visit when he heard footsteps in the corridor. He didn't want to show anyone this sheet so he decided to wait a little. It may be better to invite the drow here tomorrow, Tim thought. He may not be home right now.

Mez'A'Shib indeed wasn't at his room; he'd waited until Pulsok and his bodyguards had calmed down and left, and then he'd gone into the woods. As he believed, after the goblin's 'soul-saving conversations' few would venture out. And, accordingly, no one would interfere with the gathering of the next batch of ingredients for the kobold. Moreover, he wished to look around that glade of withered grass once more time. What if there was a clue as to who had worked magic on it and why?

But he couldn't reach his destination, for there were voices ahead of him and Mez'A'Shib had to hide under a nearby tree. Then he moved noiselessly to the next tree where he could see as well as hear those who said. What was his surprise when they were his countrywomen!

"...so where is he? How much longer are we going to be stuck here?" Shin'Ye'Het was clearly not in the best of moods.

"Relax, Shin, he'll be here," Kakh'I'Geg pronounced with a touch of subservience. "He knows how dangerous it is to have you as an enemy."

Mez'A'Shib's ears perked up. He wondered for whom the 'princess' was out in the woods at night. No one takes a friend on a date, so it's strictly business. And the 'other party' must have a very good reason for it - the First Daughter wouldn't lift a finger over nothing.

"All right, let's wait a little longer. I don't like it, though. On Galhiri, those who tried my patience were then brought up with sticks and whips. And if it was any of the boys, I'd take the whip myself. Do you know what kind of whip I had at home? Pure gold, with eight tails, and a dozen sharp spikes at the end of each. One blow and blood all over his back. It's beautiful. I still wish I'd brought it here."

"What if we made it ourselves? I'm not sure about the gold, but everything else is realistic."

"Go ahead, then."

"Why me? Let Nhel'Yu'Min do it, she's got nothing better to do. By the way, where is she?"

"I thought she was here... Nhel, where are you!?"

"I'm here. Just crouched under a bush for a while," was heard from somewhere on the other side.

"You're a pisser. And since you got us all excited, you'll have a small but responsible task: to make a whip out of the materials at hand. Such one that serves long and hurts!"

"But I do not know how!"

"If you can't, we'll teach; if you don't want, we'll make you. Or do you think I should do it myself?"

"Of course not, Shin, because whips are made by servants!"

"Alas, there are none here. However, if you find a suitable candidate, we will try to 'persuade' him."

"I have a suggestion," Kakh'I'Geg voiced. "There's a drow here who deals with inferior races and is a bit odd. They must have been too soft on him back home. I think we can fill that gap."

"You mean Mez, don't you?"

"Well, who else would I be talking about?"

Mez'A'Shib clenched his fists in anger. They won't get him. He's had enough of 'homeschoolers'. He won't allow anyone else to make fun of him!

"And if he rebelled, what would you do?"

"Then you'll do to him what you did to that grass!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, it wasn't me!" Shin'Ye'Het was furious. "My gift, Black Venom, is not for stupid plants! Only for those who annoy me! So count to fifty, Kakh. If he doesn't show, you'll see how my gift works."

"Can I add mine one?" Nhel'Yu'Min said flatteringly. "Let him writhe in pain!"

And then Mez'A'Shib made a mistake: burning with desire to know who they were so eager to see, he stepped forward and stepped on a dry branch that snapped in half with a crack.

"Who is here?" all three girls immediately tensed.

There was no point in hiding now, no point in staying where he was. Mez'A'Shib darted in the opposite direction from the trio and headed for the entrance to the school. Someone was approaching; most likely 'he', but a face-to-face encounter with him was not exactly what the drow had in mind. And so, having made a detour and made sure there was no chase, with a spurt he overcame the last meters of the course. It wasn't until he was in the tunnel that Mez'A'Shib could relax and catch his breath. It was a pity, of course, that an unfortunate oversight prevented him from finding out what that "summit" had been about. The one who organized it played with fire... or scheming something disgusting, both bad and despicable, that would surely interest the 'princess'. Apart from Zur'U'Fes, there are no other guys from his people here, but she wouldn't go into the woods for Zur's sake, she wouldn't even go out of her room. No, it was someone else; what a pity, he could never find out who it was. But there was no point in going into the woods again, it wasn't safe now. The best thing to do was to go back to his room and pretend as if he hadn't left it.

In the meantime, Tim hid the sheet with the course schedule he had found in the wardrobe under the bedclothes and began to study the sections of the Mind Magic textbook. There were more than enough spells in it, as they say, for all tastes and colors, but most of them, for one reason or another, were not suitable for him yet. After scrolling through almost half of the textbook, he found a magic that was both practical and accessible even to neophytes. Without much thought, Tim transcribed the formula into his grimoire. With any luck, no one else would guess the same thing.

Reaching for his textbook again, Tim sensed that someone was at the door. No more footsteps were heard, just the sensation of the presence of a person, obviously not a ghost. But why doesn't he knock and ask to open the door? Trying to eavesdrop? But why? There was no one here but Tim, and he didn't seem to be in the habit of talking to himself. Two opposing feelings struggled within him: fear, urging him to keep a low profile and not reveal himself until the uninvited guest had gone, and curiosity, urging him to find out who this guest was. Curiosity won out in the end, and Tim opened the door. Behind it was his roommate from the 26th room. That was the person Tim least expected to see - the gaarsh never visited or invited anyone to his room. So, apart from the fact that his name was Ashshaat, they knew essentially nothing else about him.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"What for?" Tim asked mechanically, waiting for it to continue.

"I tried to test your ability to thoughtspeech, and mentally asked permission to be your guest. I got no answer, but since the door opened, you heard me."

What a day it is today, everyone is trying to experiment on him, Tim sighed.

"Actually, I just sensed that there was someone outside. Well, if you're here, come in, please."

"Thank you," Ashshaat bowed ceremoniously, pressing his hand to his chest.

Once inside the room, the gaarsh apologized again.

"May I borrow your Mind Magic textbook, just until morning?"

"Why didn't you get your own?"

"Why, I borrowed it from the library. But under the cover was a completely different book that had nothing to do with the magic of the Mind. Someone must have made such an original joke. It was late today, or I would have gone to exchange it. I'll definitely do it tomorrow."

"But I actually need a textbook myself..."

"At least until the blue eye! I'll be sure to return it!"

The blue eye will be lit in about three hours. He can't sit that long, his fatigue is already taking its toll, Tim thought. The prospect of being awakened in the middle of the night doesn't warm him up either. On the other hand, how can you refuse when they look at you almost as if you are the last hope?

"All right, you can have it till morning. But I'll ask you for something in return."

"What is it?"

"Can you tell me a little bit about dragons?"

"What exactly do you want to know?" after a moment's hesitation, the gaarsh asked.

"What are they really like?"

The story of the winged lizards went on for a long time - every now and then Tim had to ask leading questions. As it turned out, there are a lot of dragons, and they're all different. Some are peaceful and friendly, and some are angry and aggressive. The smallest are about the size of Ashshaat himself, and the largest are about the size of a two-story house. They communicate with each other and with the gaarches through thoughtspeech (telepathy, Tim realized). Their behavior and attitude depend primarily on the color of their skin. The most dangerous are black dragons, ruthless carnivores that would attack even their own kind. A meeting with a red dragon may be unpleasant, too - they often stay in a bad mood because of suspicion that someone tries to steal their treasures (even if no one around has such thoughts). Blue dragons are the only dragons that can not only fly, but also swim, and even dive to hunt for fish. White ones are very clever, they know many legends and tales of events that happened thousands of years ago, and they will gladly tell you about them, if you ask them respectfully, of course. Yellows are able to stay in the air longer than anyone else without landing to rest, and therefore love to travel. It is said that some of them have even been to other worlds. And finally, the green dragons are the most numerous and industrious; in the mountain valleys they grow edible plants and even raise cattle - stupid flightless lizards named wirrishshch. Using the terminology familiar to earthlings, between dragons and the gaarches is 'peaceful coexistence', and in some places even 'fruitful cooperation'. For example, dragons like very much gold jewelry, but they cannot make them - only to mine ore with inclusions of precious metal or precious stones. In return, they share some of their spoils and help fend off ushaarhes, reptiles that resemble enormous crocodiles standing on their hind legs, from the settlements of the gaarches. If you befriend a dragon, it will allow you to ride him, and there are those who fly dragons in Ashshaat's tribe. Ashshaat himself does not yet have such a friend, but after school he will try to get one.

At the same time, Tim found out what the notorious dragon's breath was. It turned out to be a special kind of magic, inherent in winged lizards since ancient times. Black dragons spew a poison cloud (they're insensitive to their own venom), red ones spew a stream of fire, blue dragons freeze everything around them, and green ones spray acid. The white dragons can hypnotize you with their gaze. And the yellow ones use a kind of magic hammer that knocks an enemy down and throws him back, breaking his limbs in an especially hard blow.

They talked for a long time - a little more, and the blue eye would light up. Now it is unlikely that Ashshaat will have time to return the book to him before class begins. Fortunately, that formula will suffice. Such a long story about dragons is worth something, too!