Two week have past since joining the Thieves' Guild. Right now, I am heading to the practice range on campus. As expected of a royally funded academy, the facilities include a large field where the students can try hitting targets as far away as five hundred meters. There are even arrays to help improve mana recovery between spells.
However, I am going there not to practice, but to vent my frustrations. Apparently, for every element at every mastery level, there are eight spells: one for attack, defense, maneuvering, buffing, debuffing, manipulation, enchanting, and special purposes each. There are some spells that are still undiscovered, of course, such as the novice metal attack spell, but the magic academies and guilds have apparently stifled all research towards certain spells such as my [Fade I] that they deem to dangerous. Like giving eight-year-olds the ability to set anything on fire at will isn’t dangerous, too. Seriously, the magic history teacher said that three hundred years ago, entire armies would march out in asbestos armor to circumvent [Ignite], the most basic fire spell.
I don’t actually care what the school does and doesn’t teach me – I’m here for free after all – but did they really have to literally rip out every page that mentions those spells out of every book and call it “natural wear and tear”? They actually have the gall to call some light spells black magic, because some thief can use them to sneak around easier. I am proud of my [Novice Light Thief] job, thank you very much.
My [Light Beam III] repeatedly hits the training dummy in the eyes and groin. The dapper lightning magician in the range stall beside me keeps glancing over nervously, as if he is a target dummy, too. I figure now is a good time to stop anyways as my rage at the system has faded. Boss Eight, the thief with that many fingers, has a mission for me tonight, and I don’t want to be to low on mana beforehand.
After about twenty minutes of meditation in the mana recovery array, I am back to full capacity and leave back to the dorm room to get ready. The hall is as typical as usual for off days: girls are gossiping in flocks of two to four every now and then; the younger students are excitedly talking to their parents who stopped by for the day; and three boys standing in my way staring down at me. No, that last one is atypical.
The one in the middle speaks up when I get close, “You are Robin, right?”
“You are Leo, right?” I reply. That stumped him. The [Analyze III] has some interesting effects when used as a spell. The most interesting is that the data appear as a flashy table instead of the markup list of my own menu.
After some hesitation he continues, “Do you know what we want?”
“No.” How could I? Ah, perhaps [Analyze] or [Examine] can tell me that at higher levels. “I’m not there, yet,” I finish.
“Well, we want you to quit the school.”
“No,” I snap back.
“You see, if you stay at this academy, those of us who don’t take kindly to some uncultured orphan hanging around will make your life here a living hell,” he responds while narrowing his eyes.
“Is that a threat?” I ask.
“Uh, yes,” he says, a little unsure, and it is at the moment he finishes saying the ‘s’ that I release [Blind I] and jab him in the throat. His two wingmen get kicks to the back of the knees as I pass by, disappearing around a corner before they all regain their bearings.
I hear a “You Bitch!” back from whence I came followed by some heavy steps, but none of them are at the level that they can track me if I don’t what to be found. Why do people keep calling me a dog, anyways?
Walking into our shared room, I see Cassiopeia studying at her desk and ask, “Hey Cassy, do I look like a dog?”
Disgruntled at the interruption, she turns to me with a sour look on her face and responds, “Not really, why do you ask?”
I answer honestly, “People keep calling me a bitch and I was wondering why.”
“What?”
“I said, ‘People keep c-’”
“No, I mean do you seriously not know?”
“Yes.”
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She sighs, “They are not mistaking you for a dog, but saying you are no better than a dog. It is supposed to be an insult.”
“Oh,” I respond. “Is it a common insult?”
“For someone like you, yes.” By this time, I have already undressed and taken my huntress outfit out of my ‘dresser;’ in fact, I pulled out of my inventory while reaching inside the drawer – a technique Boss Eight recommended once. “Is that your only pair of underwear?” she changes the subject.
“Yes.”
“Does it not get dirty?”
“No, they’re self-cleaning.”
The princess exclaims in alarm, “Where’d you get enchanted underwear?”
“I don’t know,” I reply. “I had them on when I woke up in the cathedral without memories.”
“Oh,” she pauses. “Do they have any other enchantments?”
“Yes, they are both indestructible and impossible to remove without my consent, and they both have some anti-pervert enchantment, too.”
“W-what are they called?”
“[The Divine Panties of Chastity] and [The Divine Sports Bra of Chastity].”
“You have divine artifacts?” she almost shouts. “Other than yours, there are only five in the entire kingdom!”
“I guess I shouldn’t go around undressed then, lest someone tries to steal my underwear.”
“You shouldn’t be going around undressed anyways!”
“Why not?” I inquire.
“Haven’t you heard of modesty?”
“Yes, it’s being moderate in one’s estimation of oneself, or unostentatiousness, but I have no need to estimate myself when I know exactly my capabilities.”
“More importantly, it means wearing clothes that don’t reveal a lot of skin.”
“Interesting,” I comment. “What about it?”
“You need it: it is a necessary virtue for every proper young lady to have.”
“Don’t show a lot of skin, got it,” I add to my mental checklist. “Well, I’m going to be late, so see you later.”
“Where are you going?” she asks as I open the door.
“A girl’s got to have her secrets,” I say with a wink. The baffled look on her face gives away that she did not expect that, so I take advantage of the break in her defense to close the door and retreat down the hall.
After a few minutes of running and jogging, I arrive outside the tavern above Boss Eight’s cellar. Walking in, I take a seat at the empty table in a corner. The waitress knows me and my tastes, so without asking she brings a mug of apple juice in front of me. Sipping at it, I decide to check my menu while I wait:
menu
Skills
* Combat:
* Skip Step Evasion III
* Dagger Techniques IV
* Bow Techniques III
* Light Barrier II
* Light Beam III
* Lightning Rush I
* Fireball II
* Flame Wave I
* Ferrokinesis II
* Tracking I
* Fade II
* Pickpocketing II
* Lockpicking I
* Silent Step I
* Blind I
* Civil:
* Examine III
* Analyze III
* Cartography I
* Court Etiquette II
* Reading VI
* Mana Detection III
* Candlelight II
* Ignition I
* Summon Water I
* Sprinting II
* Stealth II
* Purify I
* Meditation I
Status
* Identity:
* Name: Robin
* Age: 16
* Sex: Female
* Job: Novice Light Thief
* Home: Capital Magic Academy dorm 18-201
* Gauge Levels:
* HP: 94/94
* SP: 60 /76
* MP: 623/623 + 5/5
* LP: 100
* PP: 10/10
* XP: 678
* Summary Statistics:
* Level: 57
* Combat Level: 29
* Civil Level: 28
* Rank: 31.9
* STRength: 10.1
* DEXterity: 20.2
* STAmina: 10.3
* INTeligence: 61.2
* WISdom: 45.4
* WILlpower: 14.3
* CONviction: 3.15
* FAIth: 37.5
* CORrectness: 99.9
* Tier: E+
* Equipped Items:
* Simple Green Archer’s Hat
* Simple Green Huntress’s Blouse
* Simple Green Huntress’s Skirt
* Plain Leather Belt
* Plain Leather Archer’s Right Glove
* Plain Leather Archer’s Left Arm Guard
* Basic Hunting Dagger
* Standard Ironwood Longbow
* Plain Leather Quiver
* Plain Arrow ×15
* Mild Poison Tipped Arrow ×5
* Plain Leather Boots
* The Divine Panties of Chastity
* Indestructible
* Cannot be removed by anyone other than the wearer even after death or on accident
* Under no circumstances will the wearer’s privates be revealed while equipped
* If anyone without sufficient mental resistance looking at the wearer nefariously gazes upon them, they will immediately lose interest
* The Divine Sports Bra of Chastity
* Indestructible
* Cannot be removed by anyone other than the wearer even after death or on accident
* Under no circumstances will the wearer’s privates be revealed while equipped
* Automatically alerts the wearer of ‘Peeping Toms’
* Thieves Guild Members'
*
* Slightly modifies Appraisal readings
* Boosts mana pool by 5 MP
* Firenze Magic Academy Student ID
* Glass Mug
* 300 ml Apple Juice
* Measurements:
* [[withheld]]
* …
Inventory
* Equipment:
* ₣322.62
* Academy Uniform Blouse
* Academy Uniform Skirt
* Academy Uniform Kerchief
* Academy Uniform Vest
* Red Hair Ribbon
* Ordinary Iron Buckler
* Plain Black Cloak
* Thieves Dagger