“I’m sorry, Joey,” Lucinda says with a long face. “I booked master Iacchus because he is the best in Amorium and he has helped me with some difficult projects before. I thought your book was special...”
Oh, the book is special alright.
But the trouble seems to be that it’s not just special, it’s also capable of hiding its own contents and power from ordinary [Enchanters]. Honestly, it doesn’t make it spookier than it already is.
What does make this situation weird, though, is seeing Lucinda feel so down when they told me that the book sucks.
“Heh, don’t worry. It’s just a book. Why don’t we think about eating instead? I have a stove at home, and I bought some tomatoes and a few other ingredients. I made some hard pasta and bought a pot as well. What do you say; it won’t take me any longer than... twenty-five minutes to cook you a nice meal?”
Lucinda shrugs.
“Sure, let’s go.”
We walk in silence for a whole three seconds before I try to light up the conversation again. I don’t really want to talk much about this specific subject in fear she might reveal something that will change the course of my life, but I know she loves it.
“So, this academy you want to go to; I think my landlady went there as well? How come it’s so famous? Do they give out free wands with phoenix feathers and unicorn hair?”
Lucinda just stares at me and smacks her lips before laughing.
“No,” she giggles. “But it would be nice. The entrance fee is steep. And they have a harsh test in the middle of the first year. You must pass the Cantrips assessment, but that’s just the beginning. Seven months in, they test you on everything you have learned to see how quick you are at absorbing information. If you don’t perform up to task, you are expelled.”
“That sucks.”
“A little. But it means that all those who get to graduate are great [Mages]. The Nine Towers Academy is second only to Hydra education. But we know well what that means.”
“Do we?” I cringe.
“Right... you might not. Hydras have always been at the forefront of magical education. But their academy doesn’t accept non-Hydras. They broke the war treaties as soon as the Vanedeni capital fell to the Ahali.”
More gibberish... I see.
“If I want to become a great [Mage], Joey, and perhaps, one day, even an [Archmage], I need to go to the Nine Towers Academy,” Lucinda explains.
“It’s really hard to get anywhere if you are not apprenticed to an [Archmage],” she continues. “They hoard all the great secrets of magic and some of them have lived for centuries now. There’s even a Dragon among the current [Archmages] at the academy. And Dragons live much, much longer than any other creature.”
Do female Dragons generally have bigger boobs than female Elves?
Thankfully enough, I don’t actually voice the question—I’m not sure how she would take it.
“How come you want to be an [Archmage]?”
“I don’t want to waste my one talent,” she says, looking down at her feet. “Magic is all I have. I started later than most people. Now, I’m working on a few difficult spells that will hopefully impress one [Archmage] enough to let me be their apprentice.”
"Cool," I nod. "I had my own apprenticeships with some chefs. But it was more like I worked in their kitchens for a while, and then, I could just go my way. Aren't you bound for a long time if you go to an [Archmage] fellow?"
"Yes. The standard apprenticeship with an [Archmage] is longer than an average [Mage]. I'll be in my fifties by the time my magical contract with them expires."
"And you're fine with that?" I cringe.
"With all the levels one earns under their tutelage, it is not unusual to live up to a hundred and fifty, if not two-hundred years. I would still have a of time to research magic on my own and forge my own path."
"So, wait a minute. Elves live like... sixty to seventy years, but if you level up enough, you live longer?"
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"Yes? Right, I keep forgetting you apparently know close to nothing about this world. Are you sure you're not simply a bit dumb?"
I look at a smirking Lucinda and laugh it out.
"Dumb? I mean, I got the prettiest Elf in Amorium to come eat some pasta at my place. How's that dumb?"
"Pasta? Oh, and stop with the flattery. Magic is my only romantic interest."
"Is it, though?"
I receive a long stare in return, so I raise my hands, feigning defeat.
"Anyway," I smile, "pasta is... similar to noodles, just made of semolina. Like the bread we just had. I made it into spaghetti. It was hard, honestly. And I made a mess. I really hope Agostina won't nag me about flour everywhere."
"I did notice you were living in her building... So, you were talking about her. Do you know that she is not just a legit graduate of the Nine Towers Academy, but also a famous [Green Mage]? She worked with the [Farmers] in Amorium for many years. In her generation, few [Green Mages] were actually willing to do all the menial work that she did. But she contributed to Amorium's agriculture more than any other person in the city. That’s how she made so much money. Much more than your everyday graduate, too."
"Yeah..." I scrunch my nose. "She looks like she is a good [Mage]. Now, her niece wants to become a [Mage] as well, it seems. But she says she doesn't have what it takes, and that's why she won't help her.
I look at Lucinda, expecting her to say something about how Agostina was mean. I mean, it's her niece for God's sake!
"Magic is a calling. I understand her. I probably wouldn't teach magic to anyone who doesn't show at least as much dedication as I do."
"You know what? I truly wonder if I could get the [Archbaker] class. Maybe that's what's happening with me. I'm just so good that I can't get the basic one. Maybe I need to step up my game, bake something truly delicious, and then, I'll just skip ahead of the line," halfway through what I'm saying, I shoot Lucinda a wink with a tongue-click, my custom move.
"You are so dumb," Lucinda giggles.
Not a great joke, fellas, but this is medieval times, alright? What could their standard of comedy really be?
But, most importantly, I changed topic.
I don't want to stop liking Lucinda just because she said something asinine. Again, like with Agostina, I understand the sentiment because I've seen it with other chefs and bakers on Earth. The problem is that you'll often find people who'll discover their love for baking little by little, and not all at once. If you refuse to give a chance to people like that, you are simply immature, no matter where you are in life.
Point in case, I would teach Flaminia how to bake even though she's being childish.
How about that?
...
Lucinda looks over my shoulder at the iron skillet, where I'm putting the tomato puree and having it slowly evaporate. The rune control is too simple here, so I have to move the pan around to avoid burning it.
"What are you making again? I have never seen this."
"So, this is yet another recipe from the same region that the Altamura bread comes from. They are called spaghetti all'assassina, which roughly translates to 'the murderer's noodles.' However, the history of the dish is tied to a chef that made it super spicy, and the customers complained about it. But since the expression translates very poorly, the most appropriate translation would probably be 'criminal noodles'—as in, they’re so spicy, it’s criminal."
"You know, that really doesn't sound promising," Lucinda looks at the skillet with a concerned look over her face.
"Why? You don't like spicy food? Hell, I sourced the spices from the merchants myself and made the spaghetti by hand. That's really hard, Lucy."
"What did you call me? And no, I mean that ‘criminal noodles’ is a terrible name for a dish."
"Lucy. Lucinda is a bit of a mouthful, Officer," I joke. "Why, is that a problem?"
"No. Do whatever. It's just... weird. I suppose Humans shorten names. Elves don't."
"Listen, it's either you or Lucillus getting Lucy. And one of you two might beat me up for it. I simply chose the one least likely to. Also, I should visit him. Haven't seen him since he recommended me for the job."
"You sure you picked well?" Lucinda says, throwing a light jab at my arm and putting her fists up like a boxer.
"Oof, that looks dangerous," I laugh.
"And there's more where that came from if this dish sucks, Joey."
Man.
I want to marry this woman.
"No worries. Take a step back, I'm going to remove the garlic from the tomato purée."
Lucinda takes a seat in my apartment as I take the handmade spaghetti and carefully place them in the skillet.
I have another pot with more tomato sauce mixed with salt and water. I start adding the spices on top of the spaghetti.
"See, the interesting thing about this dish is that you don't cook the spaghetti in a separate pot of water. Instead, you cook them like you would a risotto and—"
"Rottenbone, you don't have to explain everything," Lucinda says with a yawn. "I'm not going to accidentally become a [Cook], trust me. Why don't you tell me something else instead?"
"Whatever you want, Lucy," I turn briefly to shoot a wink at her.
"How come you chose the one bakery where only women work? Are you dipping your ears around?"
I almost drop the pot with the tomato sauce when she asks the question, before recovering nonchalantly.
"Lucillus introduced me to Happy Bakery," I say a bit defensively.
"Did he? And he didn't mention that his cousin apparently only hires women? I mean, that must have been something you considered."
"Did I? Man," I shake my head, "I don't think I did. Really. Wouldn't have influenced my choice at all."
"If you didn’t tell me you knew about truth-stones, I'd be double-checking your statement right now."
"And do what, arrest me?" I snort.
"Why not," I hear Lucinda stretching herself and groaning like a cat.
"That would break several laws, no?"
"I'm sure I could get away with it," she shoots back.
As I turn for a second, admiring the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon, a warm smile colors my lip – it's not a sneaky one. For the first time since I got here, I feel my heart truly warming up to this world.
"I suppose you would, wouldn't you?" I keep smiling like an idiot.