CHAPTER LXIII (63) - DINNER DATE

For the next few days Kizu went through the motions while in classes. He had long since surpassed the skills taught in Elemental F so he spent most of those classes now sunbathing alongside Ione. Not a lot changed in History F as he continued to ignore the lecture or get kicked out for chatting. In Combat F, Arclight still wouldn’t allow him on the field during any physical exercise. As a result, he was excused from the midterm. He heard more than one of his peers in the class call him lazy or a teacher’s pet as they finished, drenched in sweat, much to his chagrin. For Enchanting C each of the students was working on their own individual projects to present at the end of the week. Since Kizu planned to showcase his enchanted gloves, his project was already complete. He spent the class tinkering with them though, trying to optimize the grip and increase the weight load. The midterm in Astronomy E required him to create a star chart from scratch. While several students grumbled and struggled, Kizu knew the star positions like the back of his hand. He admittedly went a bit overboard with his star chart. Once he started, he mapped out far more than any of the other students in the class. And far quicker too. What took him one class period, took his peers half a dozen. He had to hold himself back from going any further when he realized just how far ahead he was. And in Brewing S, Kizu had been placed in a group project for his midterm. He originally intended to use an animal transfiguration recipe, but the other two students took initiative and mostly ignored Kizu, handing him off simple tasks like chopping ingredients. Normally, he would have been frustrated by that, but he’d gotten to the point where he preferred being ignored. The manic, thin Professor Knoff attended these classes and liked to call on Kizu at any possible opportunity, often doing so in a way that belittled the rest of the S class. This resulted in a lot of building resentment for Kizu by his peers. The potion his group brewed for the midterm was far below his skill level but doing the simple menial tasks for it gave him time to sort through his thoughts. Most of his genuine study time for brewing occurred after class while working on personal projects. Despite his eccentricities, Knoff knew the subject and always answered his questions readily, if not necessarily clearly.

The class he found himself focusing the most on was Music F, of all things. Over the past few months, he had discovered that he really enjoyed playing the piano. It gave him a connection to his sister in a way that nothing else did. When he closed his eyes while playing, he could visualize her there. And, unlike the other percussionists, who spent the class goofing off, he felt like he was actually improving. He was at a point where he could read sheet music. Not extremely quickly, but he understood it at least and could even play a few songs with both hands simultaneously. When his midterm presentation rolled around, the few students in the front row who actually paid attention in the class applauded him. Though the professor continued to look disinterested as he simply made a mark on his clipboard before calling the next student up.

Every day after classes, Kizu went down to the ship and continued working on the repairs. His air bubble enhanced in size over the next few days, but he still struggled with movement. And he still worked only from inside the ship, remaining cautious of the giant monster that lounged in the depths. From the deck, he sometimes watched it with his spellsense as it swam around the perimeter underwater. Both inside the underground lake and outside in the cove. Kizu considered trying to trap it in the cove at the bottleneck point at the waterfall but decided against that. Stealing two thirds of its home from it felt cruel. Especially since there was a solid chance it might be sentient or Awakened.

When he was on the ship, Anata would follow him everywhere like a silent shadow. She loved the food that he brought from the dining hall, but never showed a lot of interest in anything else. From what he could tell through his bond with Mort, when he wasn’t onboard, she spent most of her days on the deck, looking out towards the cavern’s entrance. Kizu suspected that when she slept she still projected her soul out to explore the world around her, but she thankfully never dragged him into it anymore.

“What’re you doing,” Aoi asked, approaching him.

“Fishing.” It was one of his favorite parts about owning a ship. He spent his rare downtime with a rod in hand. The fish he caught were pretty impressive as well. On his first day he figured that if the magical creature in the bottom of the lake had enough food, there must be plenty of fish to go around. And his assumption instantly proved correct as he snagged carp after carp.

“Why though?” Aoi asked. “We get all the food we want from the dining hall. And there’s no way for you to cook them without risking a fire on the ship.”

“Carrying food down everyday is a pain. And you can eat most fish raw. If you know what to avoid.”

But, more than that, fishing simply relaxed him. It had always been one of his favorite duties back in the basin. An escape from the crone and any other responsibilities. It was just him and the fish.

At the end of the day, he started releasing his catches back into the lake. There was no way he would be able to eat all the fish he caught. He stared as one of the carp flopped back into the water. It seemed to wave goodbye before it darted away.

He tried to mentally prepare himself for tomorrow. The day he had scheduled to take Emilia out, and he still had no idea where they were going to go. He hoped his 13,000 remaining Yennies would be enough for a good meal. Every time he started looking into places to go, he ended up overwhelmed and gave up.

He slept even worse than usual that night.

“You look like a corpse,” Basil said, sitting down next to him in Enchanting C. Kizu looked over at him. Today, Basil wore a fairly normal body. He looked like he was from Hon, with bangs that drooped over his eyes slightly and a dozen freckles dotting his face. Basil had regained a bit of his lost mass in the last few days, but he still looked slender and a bit gaunt.

“I have a date tonight,” Kizu admitted.

“Woah! Look at you. Big hotshot.” Basil clapped him on the back. “Who’s the lucky lady?”

“Emilia. But don’t go spreading it around. It might not go well and the less people who know about it, the better.”

“Maybe with that sort of attitude! Anyway, do I look like a gossipmonger? Give me a bit more credit, Kizu.”

“I don’t even know where to go,” Kizu admitted glumly.

“What does she like? Seafood? Something spicy? Or maybe something a bit closer to home? There are a few different places you can find food from Edgeland in town.”

Kizu thought about it. “Is there anywhere I can get mutton?”

“Yeah, Thistle’s Flavors has a good selection of cuts. It’s a bit expensive though. How much savings do you have?”

“13,000 Yennies.”

“As long as you don’t get any wines, you’ll be fine to dine.” Then he raised up his scrying orb and sent the restaurant a message, reserving Kizu a table.

Kizu let out a sigh of relief. One less thing to worry about. “Thank you so much Basil. You’re a lifesaver. I was starting to regret asking her out.”

He waved away the thanks. “It always feels like that at first. You either are giddy with excitement, or a complete wreck. First time is always the worst but don’t worry, it gets easier after a hundred or so first dates.”

Kizu shuddered. He couldn’t imagine going through this a hundred times. He felt horrible.

He arrived at the academy gate almost an hour early. He worried about the fact he still wore his academy uniform but didn’t have a huge selection to choose from. It wasn’t until a few minutes before the meeting time when he remembered the custom outfit Basil had made him for a dinner party. He had barely stopped by his dorm after getting back from the World Dungeon and had completely forgotten about it. That stressed him out even further as it was now too late to change into it.

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Emilia arrived right on the minute at six o’clock and thankfully, also still wore her academy uniform. She greeted him warmly and took his arm as they walked down into town. Her hand there felt like a strange weight. Both comfortable and uncomfortable paradoxically.

“So, where are we going?”

“I know your relatives trade lamb, so I booked us at Thistle’s Flavors.”

“My relatives?” She stared at him blankly for a moment before animating with realization. “Oh! Them. Yes. Sorry, I’ve got a lot of family. It gets a bit difficult to keep track of sometimes.”

“How big is your family?” Kizu asked. He had been wondering for a while.

“I have 29 aunts and uncles. And around five hundred cousins. Give or take about fifty.”

“How?” Kizu said, flabbergasted.

“Tainted usually give birth to twins, triplets, or quadruplets. I’m a bit of an anomaly in being an only child. As far as I know, I’m the only one in my extended family.”

“How does your country support so many people?”

Emilia shrugged. “Edgeland is a big place. And, because of the thousands of entrances into the World Dungeon, it has a high mortality rate. Monsters escape from the dungeon and it’s not unheard of them to raze entire villages overnight. My entire extended family is a linked trading company. More wealth means more safety, so we have a much higher survival rate than most people.”

They arrived at the restaurant. Kizu was proud of the fact he made it the entire way at a decent pace without a visible limp. The aroma of freshly cooked meat wafted through the building. A server wrote down his name then escorted them to a table.

Kizu looked around the elaborate restaurant. A chandelier sparkled overhead, illuminating the other patrons who all looked perfectly manicured for the setting. He felt supremely self-conscious, like a kid playing at being an adult.

“Is that Professor Kateshi?” Emilia asked him.

Kizu followed her eyes. Sure enough, Kateshi sat at a table across from a Hon man with parted hair dressed in a vest and cravat. She appeared completely absorbed in a heated discussion with her brow furrowed and a deep frown. The man turned his head towards Kizu and met his look with icy blue eyes. The scar along his neck gave away his identity. Warlord Inari Kusatta. The man who had overseen Kizu’s duel with Ulric. And the man who had used an advanced air elemental spell to stop Kizu from being able to verbally forfeit the match. If he recognized Kizu though, he showed no sign of it as he broke eye contact and returned his attention back to a disgruntled Kateshi.

“That’s Inari, isn’t it?” Kizu asked Emilia quietly.

It was her turn to follow his eyes. “Yes. The warlord. Not surprising Professor Kateshi is getting dinner with him. She used to be one of the best curse breakers in Hon and also spent years acting as an emergency healer for a royal delving unit. She’s perhaps the best connected professor at the academy.”

“Inari’s a delver?”

Emilia nodded. “Most royals head at least a few expeditions. It’s a rite of passage for nobility in Hon. But those lower in the hierarchy tend to keep up with the practice for far longer than royals closer in the line of succession.”

Kizu did his best to put Inari out of his mind as a server came over for their order. They both ordered lamb, though Kizu just randomly selected his from the menu and wasn’t really certain how it was going to be prepared.

“What else does your family trade besides sheep and wine?” Kizu asked.

“A hundred different things. It just depends on the branch of the family. My family specializes in wines. Though textiles are perhaps the biggest export over the entire company. But also, woodworking, jewelry, tea, weapons, and leather.”

“Do you produce? Or only distribute?”

“Depends on the family.”

“Like how Harvey’s family does both?” He felt cold, thinking back on the Tainted boy. His betrayal still stung, despite being over a month old for Kizu. In his classes the last couple days the boy had been absent, much to Kizu’s relief. Though it hardly mattered since Harvey likely would have continued to ignore him regardless.

She blinked and processed the question for a moment. “Yes. His family is a small branch. Just a few of them if I remember right. They have a farm.”

“Why did you two come here if things are already set up for you back home? You’ll continue in your family’s business, right?”

“Mostly connection building. Same as most people here. Knowing people is vital to creating new trade routes and mutually beneficial agreements. The academy is perfect as we get to work with other students and hopefully see what their natures are really like. And these connections extend further, as well. When your peers are the ones creating laws in the future, it’s helpful for them to have a happy memory or two of you. A fun party now can result in a trade embargo being vetoed in twenty years.”

“It seems kind of strange though to come to an academy for magic, just to build connections in an entirely unrelated field.”

“It’s not like we’re just going to stop being mages after we graduate. On the contrary, mage traders are in high demand. Nobody wants to rob a shipment when you might get a fireball hurled at you. And being able to recognize poisons and cursed items isn’t exactly a useless skill when at a hostile negotiation table. Though, I admit, the less magical classes like numerology and politics tend to be the most useful.”

Kizu found himself drawn into her words. Not because he found them particularly interesting, but because she spoke them. She passionately continued to preach about the benefits of international connections. Kizu continued to contribute more questions to keep the discussion going, but for the most part he just listened.

When their food arrived. The conversation lapsed as they ate. The meat was tender and delicious. The seasoning mixed with the lamb’s flavor for an explosive result. About half-way through, he asked his date how she liked it.

“It’s a bit well-done for my taste,” Emilia admitted. “You can tell it’s prepared by a chef from Tross. They’re always overly cautious about their cooking. But it’s still very good.”

Kizu honestly couldn’t believe how lamb could ever be prepared better than what was currently on his plate. But he nodded his agreement, not wanting to disagree with her.

“I won’t stand for this bullshit again, Kusatta! The last time you meddled in academy politics I was the one who got burned for it!”

Kizu looked over his shoulder to see Kateshi standing, glaring down at her dinner companion. Kizu wasn’t the only one looking either, several other nearby heads had swiveled toward the two of them at her outburst. Inari said something to Kateshi, at a normal volume, too quiet to be heard. She just shook her head and stormed off. The warlord then slowly turned his cold gaze and again looked directly at Kizu.

Kizu jerked back to facing Emilia who, for her part, still had her eyes on her food.

“It’s wiser,” she said. “Just to listen. It’s unnecessary to let everyone know you heard by bringing attention to yourself. Keep your eyes to yourself and don’t acknowledge the drama and others will forget you were there altogether. You will fade into the scenery, as easily forgotten as the tablecloth’s color or the number of napkins.”

“Why does it matter?” Kizu asked.

“Insight into others’ relations is vital for a wise trader. In a business deal, knowledge is leverage. The more leverage you have, the more power you command. Besides, it’s commonplace for someone to storm out of a restaurant like this. It happens almost every night. No need to obviously bring your attention to it.”

Emilia lectured him. He vaguely recalled his parents mentioning some similar things to him at their dinners before arriving at Shinzou Academy. But while they had lectured to him with expectation and condescension, Emilia approached the subject with passion. She seemed excited to explain to him about the inner workings and mind games of trading. Kizu found himself once again completely enraptured by her words.

The exchange between Kateshi and Inari faded to the back of his mind as the night went on. Long after they finished eating, they finally stood to leave and Kizu realized that the warlord had disappeared from his seat. Not that it was surprising, as the restaurant’s patronage had dwindled to a small fraction of what it was when he had entered at the start of the evening, but he still found it disconcerting that he never noticed the man’s departure.

Kizu paid the bill. Thankfully it stayed under his meager budget, but it still depleted most of his saved funds. He really needed to find more ways to make money in the near future.

“Next weekend is the Shinzou’s Festival of Light,” Emilia said as he walked her to her family’s villa.

“Festival of Light? Sorry, I’m not familiar.”

“It’s a celebration of the humanoids’ conquering of evil. During the darkest day of the year, most people go out and bury something that represents their metaphorical demons while the sun is up, and then at night, they create a lantern and send off their deepest wishes into the skies.” She paused. “Usually the latter is done with a loved one.”

Kizu’s eyes widened and his walk stiffened as they continued on. Surely she wasn’t implying what he thought. But his mind struggled to find any other conclusion.

“That’s…really interesting,” he said, trying to buy himself time as they approached her villa. “I think I actually do remember doing something like that with my sister when I was little.”

“After adolescence, you usually find someone special to go with. Until you have a family of your own.”

Kizu struggled to ignore such a massive hint. They stood on her doorstep. He had to act now. Tentatively, he took the bait.

“Would you like to join me next week?”

She beamed at him. “Yes! I accept.”

Then she leaned in, placed a hand on his shoulder, and kissed him.