The carriage trundled away from Serena’s home and towards the academy. Inside, the pitter-patter of steadily increasing raindrops filled the carriage’s cabin. Serena sat, doing her best not to break out into a giggle. Amelia sat opposite her and judging by how she looked everywhere but at Serena, she wasn’t able to make eye contact.

“That was… something,” Serena said before biting her tongue to stop herself from laughing. With a mighty effort, she managed to squeeze out the question, “Did you… enjoy the dinner?”

“Uhhh…” came the agonised groan. Amelia didn’t meet Serena’s gaze. Instead, she turned her head slowly and let her body tilt until her forehead smashed against the carriage wall. “I think,” she mumbled. “I think I want to die.”

“Nonsense!” Serena replied cheerfully. “It was a wonderful introduction to my Mother and Greatlord Oshiro! You made…” she intentionally paused for dramatic effect, “...a memorable impression.”

“Uuhhhh!” Amelia whimpered, her eyes squeezed closed. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You devilish demon…”

“No!” Serena protested, forcing her eyes wide with innocence.

Yes. She was. There was no way she would miss the opportunity to make Amelia squirm. Just like the human had done to her dozens of times with her crass innuendos. “All I want to say…” Serena raised a finger and placed it on her chin, tilting her head in mock thoughtfulness. “I think we should donate to the Asamaywa Carpenter’s Guild.”

“Huh?” Amelia slightly turned her head, giving Serena the side-eye. “Why?”

“Well, for being able to create a dining table capable of withstanding such a brutal-”

“Stop! Oh my god!” Amelia wailed, half crying and half laughing. “I swear I’ll hit you! I really will!” Unable to keep it down herself, Serena broke out into a fit of laughter. She laughed heartedly until her belly ached. She would never have laughed like this before, but now she felt like she could enjoy the moment to its fullest.

Amelia pouted before moving to sit next to her. Her blond head rested on Serena’s shoulder. “I think I might have been… out of my depth,” Amelia mumbled. Serena placed a hand upon Amelia’s hair, massaging and running her fingers through it.

“Don’t worry about it,” Serena said soothingly. “When I was a teenager, Father took me to my first ball. Trying to set me up with some newly sanctioned Lord-Prospect or another,” Serena smiled, remembering the events. “I was excited but so nervous! The moment we started dancing, I kept standing on all his toes and almost tripped over in front of everyone! I thought I’d never live it down! Ha!” She continued gently rubbing Amelia’s head. “Everyone’s nervous the first few times in front of someone like my Mother. It’ll get easier.”

“She doesn’t like me, does she?” Amelia asked softly before clenching her fist. “She kept saying things in a way that I knew were sly comments, but I couldn’t figure out how to respond! It was so awkward…”

Serena made a noise of agreement. Her mother was masterful at her ability to control conversation and say ten different things with only a few words. Amelia couldn’t be expected to contend with her. Serena was confident that the benefits of having a Second Word Speaker aligned with her family would eventually win out over her mother’s disposition against humans. Serena didn't know whether that would happen over a few months or years. Hopefully, it was the former.

“At least your Father and Lani like me,” Amelia muttered.

“When one horn grows, the other withers,” Serena said pointedly.

Amelia was quiet momentarily before asking, “Can horns wither?”

“No.”

“...Stupid expression.”

“Yes.”

Amelia turned her head, looking up with glistening eyes. “Stupid demon,” she said with a weak smile. She quickly smacked her lips together. Understanding her meaning, Serena bent down and kissed her before wiping Amelia’s tears of frustration away.

“Stupid human,” she said, grinning.

“Mmm,” Amelia answered. She leaned away, moving the curtain and peering outside. “It’s raining hard…” she mumbled. “The moon’s really big.”

“Not long now till moonfall,” Serena replied, peering out her window at the moon. The next moonfall was about a week away. She planned to take Amelia to one of the viewing towers to watch it. “Hopefully, no idiots get caught out and hit.” After each moonfall there would be a mad scramble for everyone to gather as many crystals as possible to sell to the authorities for processing. More often than not, a few daring demons - perhaps fathers with children who have empty bellies - would risk the falling crystals and try and harvest early.

“Does it damage the buildings?” Amelia asked.

“Sometimes, but if you look, most of the buildings have reinforced roofs,” Serena explained. “And those that don’t have coverings that can be pulled over.” Most architectural designs across all cultures incorporated sloped roofs to help minimise the expected damage. The falling moon crystals did slow down as they got closer to the lumina as the aetheric-lumina reaction became stronger, but the larger chunks could still go straight through a non-reinforced flat roof or kill someone unlucky enough to be in its path.

“How much falls?”

“Across the Eastern cities and their inhabited surroundings? Tens of thousands of tonnes, give or take.” Serena wobbled her palm. “Far more throughout the Great Wilderness, although accessing it isn’t viable for most.” Speakers and other talented adventurers could venture out and harvest, but those with that capability often had better options for income. The exception was red crystal, which was traded at a premium due to the war effort. Serena heard there was a booming business for those willing to risk the desert sands.

“So much…” Amelia said to herself.

A comfortable silence took over the carriage. With a background of soothing rainfall, the pair of them stared out their respective windows, lost in their thoughts. The carriage jolted as it came to a stop and Serena realised she’d lost track of time and they’d arrived at the academy.

Someone was talking to the carriage driver. Despite the heavy rainfall blanketing the city, Serena could easily make out the conversation. A female speaker was explaining that the academy path was being repaved and that it wasn’t suitable for a carriage. They would need to walk. The driver - a long-term employee of House Halen - argued quite passionately against the inconvenience but ultimately relented. With the sound of boots splashing through water, the figure knocked on the carriage door. Serena opened it, revealing a drenched figure; their raincoat and hat had not sufficiently defended them against the pouring rain.

“Lord Halen!” They called out. “I apologise for the inconvenience, but you must walk from here! We’re repaving the entire road, and the carriage won’t be able to get past!”

“Who are you?” Serena demanded.

“I’m Instructor Kawas!” yelled the figure through the rain. “We drew straws to see who would come out here and get you!” Instructor Kawas leaned slightly, looking past Serena at the other occupant of the carriage. “Lord-Prospect Thornheart! Welcome to Asamaywa Academy! Do you prefer to be addressed as Speaker or Lord-Prospect!?”

“Umm,” Amelia bit her lips before collecting herself. “Lord-Prospect is fine, Instructor Kawas!”

“Excellent! I apologise for the weather! Please follow me; we’ll be there in no time!”

Serena climbed out of the carriage, instantly becoming drenched by the rain. She hadn’t had the foresight to bring a rainhat. Nevertheless, the frantic rain and the air getting colder by the day did little to distract her. Even without Amelia’s wards, Serena’s aura was sufficiently powerful enough that she could sleep in a freezing, muddy trench perfectly fine. Of course, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t seek better sleeping arrangements if possible.

Amelia followed and the moment she stepped off the carriage, her aether surged. The sudden unannounced spellwork caused Serena to prepare herself instinctively while Instructor Kawas stepped back with an expression of surprise. Soon, it became evident neither of them needed to have worried, as an external ward formed several meters above them. At about a dozen square meters, the ward generously blocked out the rain and the noise of the water took on a cosy, muffled quality.

“Your-” Instructor Kawas began yelling but quickly stopped, realising she could talk normally. “Your talents seem true to the rumours, Lord-Prospect Thornheart.” The instructor took a moment to peer at the ward above. “So large… and so quickly cast… and so silently…” She peered at Amelia momentarily, an element of awe forming in her eyes. “I hope all human mages aren’t this capable.”

“Don’t think you’ll need to worry about that…” Serena muttered.

“Lord Halen?” Instructor Kawas said with a tilt of her head.

“Never mind.” Serena decided to change the subject quickly. “What subject do you instruct at the academy, Instructor Kawas?” She gestured along the path. The instructor took her meaning and began leading them through the wet and muddy academy grounds.

“Air tactics,” the instructor replied.

“Where did you serve?” Serena asked. Unless you were a Speaker, it would require an unbelievable amount of talent to be allowed into an instructor position. The vast majority of academy instructors would have earned the position through their service record. Instructor Kawas, from Serena’s best guess, was a second-circle mage. She must have had at least one deployment.

“Did two years on the destroyer Fubuki. Got hit in the battle for Ravensburg. Went down. Ever since then, I, uh…” the instructor paused and Serena caught a tinge of red forming on her cheeks. “I was never able to sail again. I get terribly airsick whenever I’m on a ship, you see. It was fine before we went down. Now… Not exactly the most glamorous ending to a military career, is it?”

“Could be worse,” Amelia pointed out. “Could be dead.”

“Aye,” Instructor Kawas nodded. “Could be. Careful.” She pointed at a particularly slippy part of the road where construction meant they had to tread across the muddy grass. “Was given a choice. Fill a ground tactician role on the front, or become an assistant instructor here. I figured my brain would be better used teaching air tactics to the promising students here than me sitting in a command bunker somewhere getting shelled while I pushed models around on a map. Oh, speaking of air tactics, Lord Halen. Many of us are tremendously excited to hear how you and your officers approached Port Highwind.”

“I’ll find time to go over it,” Serena said. “What’s going on here?” She pointed at the construction work along the path. They seemed to be laying down pipes just underneath the pathway.

“Steam pipes,” Instructor Kawas explained. “For heating. The pathways freeze in winter and you have students twisting ankles and bruising this and that.”

“Don’t you salt the pathways?” Amelia asked.

“Salt’s expensive these days,” the instructor explained. “And we’ve had our funding increased every year for the past five. Budget’s three times what it was when you were here, Lord Halen. Hmm… maybe I should ask for a raise…” While Instructor Kawas mumbled about salary negotiations, Serena looked around. With her eyes that easily saw through the darkness she could see many new buildings had been erected in the years since she had last been here. She noted the new additions to Instructor Kawas.

“Aye,” she replied. “War demands more warriors and mages and more of those require more students and more students require more infrastructure and teaching and more of that…” Instructor Kawas took a much-needed breath. “...Requires more funding,” she finally finished.

“How many instructors?” Serena asked.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Hmm… not sure, but the total staff across all departments is a little over two hundred for fifteen hundred students.”

Serena felt her eyes go wide. Fifteen hundred students? When she was a student, she was one of about four hundred. In such a short time the academy had almost quadrupled in size! Greatlord Oshiro must be pouring gold into this place!

“We’re here.” Instructor Kawas stopped, and Serena looked up, feeling a sense of nostalgia at the familiar three-story building. The main door was closed but from within she could sense a small gathering of talented individuals. It seemed that a dozen instructors had elected to wait for their arrival. Serena briefly wondered if they were here for her, the war hero, or Amelia Thornheart, the human Speaker.

“Is that…” Amelia mumbled while tilting her head to be almost sideways. She was pointing upwards, and Serena followed her finger to see that she was pointing at the great wooden beam above the main entrance, where a series of fake sword marks were made to trick the first years into thinking it was some fantastic secret technique. About two-thirds of the way across were the marks Serena added in her second year as a reward for winning that year's tournament. She tilted her head and noted with some satisfaction that yes, her marks still resembled a smiley face.

It even had a little tongue!

“That’s it!” Serena said with pride. Seeing Instructor Kawas look confused, Serena explained the story, prompting the woman to laugh.

“If I win the tournament, could I add marks?” Amelia asked.

“Instructors can’t enter,” Serena explained, shaking her head. “And even if you were a student, Speakers cannot enter. It’s too much of an advantage.” Serena didn’t mention that even without Speaking Amelia could probably quite easily power her way through the tournament. She decided not to mention the great Speaker Olympiad which took place in Centralis every four years. If she did, Amelia would surely turn up and cause a tremendous ruckus!

Once they moved off the muddy ground and onto the stone foundation, Amelia cast her cleaning spell, and every iota of mud and water vanished from their clothes and bodies. Instructor Kawas saw this with wide eyes. “That’s amazing spellwork!” she exclaimed. When Amelia offered to do the same to her the demon nodded enthusiastically. Once the spell had been cast the instructor pulled at her clothes in awe. “They’re bone-dry…” she muttered.

“Instructor Kawas, I believe we have a party waiting for us,” Serena gestured towards the main door.

The instructor snapped out of her trance. “Yes, apologies, Lord Halen!” She pushed the heavy door open and waved them in. “May I formally welcome you both,” she said proudly as they stepped through. “To Asamaywa Academy!”

Of all the things Serena expected when she stepped into the entrance hall, a round of applause wasn’t one of them. A dozen senior instructors clapped heartedly, with some bowing slightly with respect. Some she recognised, albeit the passage of time had etched itself on their faces, and some were unfamiliar. Serena soaked in the applause awkwardly. She waited for it to die down before offering her bow.

“It’s an honour to be welcomed so warmly by so many senior Instructors,” Serena intoned politely.

Before anyone could say anything else, a gruff voice called out, “Let’s see, let’s see!” From around the corner, the head of the academy, Grandmaster Jun, appeared. Striding forward, his imposing figure stood out amongst the crowd of talented instructors. His clothes were damp with sweat. Had he just come from training? Serena was surprised to find just how similar he looked to Grandmaster Gu.

Which wasn’t unexpected. They were brothers, after all.

He stopped before them, his towering figure standing more than a full head height above Serena. She’d forgotten the presence this demon carried with him. When she was a student, her knees would shake near this man. Thankfully, she was made of sterner stuff now and was able to face him with an expression full of respect rather than fear.

“Serena Halen…” he grumbled, eyeing Serena up and down appraisingly. After a moment, his gaze lingered on Amelia who, to her credit, seemed unfazed by his steely stare. “Amelia Thornheart…” He clapped his hands together. “Come to my office tomorrow, both of you!” With that, he turned and strode off.

Back to training, most likely. Well, the man was known to dislike small talk.

Once he’d gone, one of the instructors approached her with his hand outstretched. When Serena took the demon's hands, she could immediately tell he was a great warrior far beyond her capabilities. His horns suggested he was ethnically Eastern, but the blue tinge in his otherwise red eyes suggested he had some Centralis heritage.

“Nathaniel Endo,” he said smoothly. “Department of Combat Training. It’s an honour to be working with a war hero, Lord Halen.”

“It is I who should have the honour, Sir,” Serena responded. She knew this name. Nathaniel Endo was a known dual-Speaker with a long list of achievements that far outstripped Serena’s somewhat limited career in the military. “But please, call us Instructor and Assistant Instructor.”

Nathaniel nodded before moving on to shake Amelia’s hand. “You have the soft hands of a mage, Assistant Instructor Thornheart. Yet I hear you’ve taken an interest in the sword?”

“That’s right,” Amelia grinned. “Serena, I mean, Instructor Halen has been teaching me! Also, I’ve had further instruction from Grandmaster Gu of the Kenhoro Academy!”

“So I’ve heard,” Nathaniel mused, rubbing his chin. “Never had the honour of training under him myself. What’s he like?”

“Didn’t take him long to start shooting me with a pistol,” Amelia replied, referencing the enhanced training the grandmaster and Serena put Amelia through.

Nathaniel laughed at the reply. “Sounds like what we do here, although we typically wait a little longer than a few days before shooting our students.” His statement caused a ripple of laughter amongst the other senior instructors. He took a step back. “You’ll both be seeing a lot of me,” he explained. “Although, Assistant Instructor Thornheart, you’ll be working under Instructor Inoue, our resident expert in combat magic. She’s…” Nathaniel looked up, as if hoping the words would fall into his mouth. “...Not here right now, but you’ll surely meet her tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait!” Amelia chirped.

Nathaniel bowed and left the entrance hall. Once he had left, the remaining instructors all stepped forward and introduced themselves. Some only gave a polite greeting while others were more friendly. Some reminisced with Serena about her time as a student while others were more interested in Amelia.

“Ryosuke Yamamoto, Department of Leadership and Ethics. Instructor Halen, it’s an honour to see you again. It feels like yesterday you were in my classroom!”

“Sarafina Nakajima, Department of Intelligence and Security. I’ve been told you’re due for a refresher course on the latest cryptographic methods. It’s dreadfully boring, but I’m sure we can manage.”

“Kenji Tanaka, Department of Tactics and Strategy. I see you’ve already met my colleague, Instructor Kawas. We would be delighted to hear about your adventures in more detail, Instructor Halen.”

“Emalina Honda, Department of Medical and Battlefield Care. Assistant Instructor Thornheart. I am very interested in discussing your healing magic. Could I possibly steal you for a few lectures?”

One by one, they came and went. Serena did her best to memorise them all. It was a surreal experience to have so many people she looked up to hold her in high regard. She couldn’t help feeling her ego bubble up just a little.

There were more departments than when she was a student. A demon named Sebastian Kimura led the newly created Department of Communication, while Noel Yamaguchi led the Department of History and Military Studies. There was also Mina Shimada who headed the Department of Logistics, which had recently split off from the Department of Naval Operations, led by Kaito Mori. A gruff demon who smelled of grease and metal called Gregory Takeda taught the Department of Engineering. Apparently, he knew Allston, her Chief Engineer aboard the Vengeance. Finally, there was Joey Ito, who put the students through the seven hells with his Department of Physical Training.

After everything was all said and done only Instructor Kawas and Instructor Nakajima remained. The latter yawned before telling Serena, “Instructor Halen, your lodgings are this way.”

“Assistant Instructor Thornheart, if you could follow me this way,” Instructor Kawas politely bowed.

Serena raised an eyebrow. “We’re not to be in the same building?”

Instructor Nakajima shook her head, waving pitch-black hair. “Instructors under Nathaniel stay in the main building. Those under dear Lunaria are all housed in the new building for the Department of Aether Studies. Is there a problem?”

Serena shook her head.

“No problem!” Amelia said cheerfully. She whispered to Serena, “I’ll see you tomorrow!” With a wave, she bounced away with Instructor Kawas speed-walking to keep up. Serena resisted the urge to sigh.

“Strange human,” Instructor Nakajima muttered.

“You’re telling me,” Serena answered.

Serena hoped she’d be able to sleep this time, without Amelia’s warm body nearby. Even on the Vengeance, they had separate hammocks but were still in the same room.

Maybe she could hug a pillow instead.

Thinking about how she could best arrange bedding to resemble her dear human, Serena mumbled simple replies to Instructor Nakajima’s questions while she led her through the building.

image [https://i.imgur.com/0ETpTo1.png]

Amelia hummed as Instructor Kawas led her through the hallways. They left the main building through a side door and headed towards another building. Amelia didn’t need to cast any magic for the rain as the academy had built a wooden structure covering the path between the two buildings.

“It’s well-lit,” Amelia said, noting the numerous aetherlights that shone with a sharp white light, illuminating the rainy night.

“It used to be gas lamps,” Instructor Kawas replied. “With all the new funding we’ve been able to modernise quite a bit.”

They continued into the Department of Aether and began climbing the long spiral stairs that snaked their way all the way to the top floor. The building was perhaps ten stories tall and Amelia noted they’d used wooden beams to try and hide the steel beams used in its construction.

Instructor Kawas tried a few times to prod a little at Amelia and her magical talents but she was given mostly non-answers. Amelia would hide her true skills up her sleeve. Only Serena was allowed to know everything!

“You’ve been appointed an assistant,” Instructor Kawas suddenly said when they stepped off the stairway. Amelia stopped, not being able to stop her mouth from dropping open.

“Me?” she asked, pointing towards herself. “An assistant?” Seeing Instructor Kawas nod, she added, “What would I need one for?”

“All the minor tasks that might take time away from your teaching or training,” the instructor explained. “Passing messages to other members of staff. Retrieving or returning books from the library. They can also assist you with experiments, should you conduct any.”

Amelia nodded. The reasons made sense. Still, could she act appropriately as someone’s superior? She supposed all she needed to do was channel a bit of the confidence Serena displayed in her infamous Captain mode. “Who are they, a mage?” she asked.

Surprisingly, Instructor Kawas shook her head. “Due to your interest in swordsmanship, someone made the decision to have a warrior assist you. It caused a bit of politicking because while you’re a Speaker, none of the senior students wanted to work for a, uh…” the woman suddenly looked down.

“Work for a human, right?” Amelia said with a reassuring smile.

“Apologies, Assistant Instructor Thornheart.”

“Don’t be,” Amelia waved it away. “So you found someone, right?”

“Right,” Instructor Kawas nodded. “They- ah! Here we are…” they stopped in front of a door. “These are your quarters. You have your own bedroom, reception room and bathroom. You’ll find appropriate clothes and other necessities inside. Your assistant will be able to help you with anything you require. Speaking of…” Kawas motioned to a door at the end of the hallway, from which a soft yellow light bled through the gaps in the doorframe. “They seem to be awake. I suggest you introduce yourself.”

“O-okay!” Amelia clenched her fist. Before she had taken two steps, Instructor Kawas stopped her.

“A bit of a warning. They don’t actually know you’re a human. They’ve only been told they’ll be working under a talented Speaker for a semester and jumped at the opportunity.”

“They don’t know who I am?”

“Well, they’re a foreign student. From Kenhoro…”

Oh? Did Grandmaster Gu recommend someone? It sort of made sense. Kenhoro was more cosmopolitan, so finding a student who would be okay working with her would be easier.

Still, it was strange they didn’t tell them who she was.

“Don’t worry!” Amelia said reassuringly, more to herself than the apologetic-looking Instructor. “I’m sure we’ll get along fine!”

“That’s a relief,” Instructor Kawas said with a sigh. “Then… I’ll leave you be. Any problems, you can contact reception at the bottom and someone will come and sort things out. Goodnight, Assistant Instructor Thornheart.” The woman bowed, and soon her steps vanished down the winding staircase.

Amelia gulped and approached the door of her assistant. Casting some magic to quieten her footsteps and disguise her presence, she crept right up to the door. Straining her hearing, she listened. Footsteps. Someone was inside and by the sound of their feet they were pacing back and forth. Were they as anxious as she was? Hopefully they were. It would make things easier for Amelia.

Taking a deep breath, Amelia wore her very best lets-be-friends smile and knocked quickly on the door. At the sound of her knocking, the person inside squealed.

A woman, by the sounds of it.

There was the sound of frantic movement that stopped on the other side of the doorway. Amelia could hear them take their own deep breath.

The door opened and revealed Amelia’s assistant holding a lantern.

“Hello!” Amelia quickly chirped. “I’m Amelia, pleased to- Y-y-you!” She felt her eyes go wide and she raised a finger at the surprised demon who in turn dropped the lantern. It shattered upon the wooden floor.

“W-what are you doing here!?” the assistant cried out, a note of fear in her voice.

“T-that’s my line!” Amelia exclaimed.

Mel stuttered, her expression looking every bit as confused as Amelia felt.