“Expert Jon?” Amon called, blinking at the alchemist before him. His eyes flashed down to Mika, and his mind raced, trying to understand the situation. ‘Has Mika done something terrible? No, it doesn’t seem like it.’

“Good evening, Right Hand,” Jon replied. “I have come to inform you of some matters, if you are not busy.”

“No, not at all,” Amon replied, quickly, stepping back to invite the Expert Alchemist inside.

Jon glanced around the home, recalling how they had moved a few years ago after Mika had asked for the Head to support his sister more. There were rumours that the girl had injured her meridians when she was younger, but they said that her meridians had not only healed, but had strengthened.

‘It couldn’t be, could it?’ Jon thought, aware of the young boy beside him. ‘No, that’s too impossible.’

Impossible.

The word struck the back of Jon’s mind. Impossible? Mika’s entire existence was impossible. Though he couldn’t be sure of it, he was certain that the boy’s alchemy was greater than his own. No, it wasn’t that he wasn’t sure of it, it was that he had no evidence for it, but he was certain that the boy’s alchemy was greater than even his father’s.

‘Could you also surpass my grandfather?’ The thought invaded Jon’s mind like a poison, though he quickly let it slip away. He had come with a task to complete, and such thoughts would only cloud his judgement. ‘I can’t make a mistake after becoming sober.’

There was the promise to keep between Mika and himself once he was completely sober, and remained so until Mika was satisfied.

The home was furnished as well as it should have been for someone of the Right Hand’s pedigree. It was well furnished, but not too ostentatious. No doubt his abode was the second greatest, after the Head’s.

“Please, take a seat,” Amon offered, motioning to a plush sofa.

The alchemist took his place on the sofa, relaxing into it, though it wasn’t quite as lovely as the couch within his office. He had spent a small fortune to procure the soft fabrics from the east, which was known for making the best furniture.

A servant brought some tea and snacks, with quite a few blocks of cheese. Mika’s eyes fell to the cheese, realising some of it had been the cheese promised to him. However, he let the matter go since it was to show politeness to the alchemist.

Martha and Ami approached, having heard that the Expert Alchemist had arrived.

“Good evening, Expert Alchemist,” Martha said, bowing her head. Jon’s position was even greater than the Head’s technically, though they were currently on Black Hand grounds, so Jon would need to show them appropriate respect too.

“Good evening, Miss Black Hand” Jon replied, accepting the tea. “This must be young miss Ami?”

“Good evening, Expert Alchemist,” Ami said, greeting him in the way of the cultivator, with her palm over her fist.

“I am glad to hear that you are better now.”

“I thank you for your kind words,” Ami said, glancing up at her mother, hoping that her words were rightly righteous.

“I have come to speak about Mika and his test,” Jon said, causing the Black Hand family, including the guards nearby, to lean in. “Typically, one would need at least a fifty to become a Page. In our guild, one needs at least fifty five, which weeds out the average alchemist, and it will all but guarantee that they will have enough skill to become an Expert, not quite the level of a genius, but not far off. One must score at least seventy to be considered a great genius, and an eighty for the Elder and I to consider teaching them personally. I am uncertain if he is at the level of where father and I should teach him, but he scored more than seventy.”

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Martha clutched at the hem of her shift tightly, her knuckles almost turning white from the news. She did her best to keep her emotions in check. Her husband, on the other hand, couldn’t help his expressions as his eyes went wide.

‘My son scored above a seventy? Not just fifty, not just fifty five, but higher than seventy?’

“I would like to discuss with you the conditions in which Mika will study under myself,” Jon said.

Amon and Martha were unable to contain their shock for a moment, and a drop of sweat dropped down the side of Amon’s face. It was good news, of course, but it also meant that the treasury of his family would need to be emptied. “It is our blessing for Mika to be taught by yourself, Expert Jon.”

Jon smiled. “I am glad to hear it. Though we could not accept him when he was younger, he is at an appropriate age to accept him, with the appropriate skill level.”

Martha narrowed her eyes, trying to keep her tears at bay. Ami, on the other hand, was vibrating slightly, trying to contain herself. She knew she couldn’t act up in front of the Expert Alchemist, since there was the matter of face to be considered.

“I will tell the Head the good news,” Amon said, keeping his voice calm and clear. “Ah, no,” he said, having revealed how flustered he was. “What are your conditions, Expert Jon?”

“Typically, we would ask you to sponsor your son’s education, but in this matter, I do not believe it would be appropriate.” Jon’s eyes met Amon’s, whose thoughts were racing even more now.

Amon raised his brows. This news was equally as shocking, for what kind of alchemist waved away the sponsorship. Amon sat up straighter, since this was a more important matter than he realised. As the Right Hand, it was his duty to protect the Black Hand family, and this was such a situation.

Jon smiled. “Our conditions are quite unique for the young sir, due to his… condition.” ‘Did I really have to use the word twice?’

‘If he is fumbling with his words, then perhaps he is as nervous as us?’ Amon thought, though he gave Jon the time to clear his thoughts.

“Mika’s mental abilities are stellar for alchemy, especially for his age, but his practical ability is at a different level.” Jon clasped his fingers together, taking a moment to compose himself. ‘I can’t lie, but I can’t tell them the truth? Young master, you surely are terrifying.’ It would have been one thing for the alchemist to make up a lie, but it was another to try and word it so that he wasn’t lying to the boy’s family.

‘If you dare to lie to my family, I’ll crush you.’

It had been the warning the young master had given Jon when they had discussed the plan.

“We believe it would be best for Mika to rest often. We will teach him during the mornings and he will spend the rest of the time at home. There may be times when we will take him out for field study, but otherwise he should spend much of his time at home. Due to this, the sponsorship would not be appropriate, as he would spend most of the time with his family.”

Amon remained silent, unsure of the situation. ‘I see. So it would be unreasonable for us to pay the sponsorship fee, but they’re still teaching him, aren’t they?’

“In matters of the young sir’s education, I hope you are willing to give us complete control,” Jon said, leaning in slightly as he stared into Amon’s eyes.

‘So that’s it,’ Amon thought. Typically, the education of a young sir of a family would need to be different to those of commoners, for there was a certain rank that the family expected their children to reach, and a certain level of favouritism. However, what they were asking was the ability to set the pace of the education for the young sir, meaning he could remain a Page and they wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. It was a deal the Right Hand had to refuse, but he thought about it for a long moment.

Mika had scored above a seventy, which meant that his knowledge of alchemy was stellar. Yet, if he scored an average of seventy, it must have included his practical ability. If his practical ability was low, then didn’t that mean that his knowledge was great?

‘Does that mean the Alchemy Guild has a plan in mind for Mika that is out of the ordinary?’ Amon used his mind to figure out the maths of the situation. ‘If Mika scored a…’

Jon could see that Amon had picked up the bait.

‘No, Mika’s practical score must have been less than fifty, meaning that his knowledge score must have been extremely high. Does that mean that his practical score was a forty and his knowledge score was one hundred? So they’re saying that Mika doesn’t need much time to hone his knowledge, but rather, he needs to spend the time getting better at refining pills and such instead of studying books? I heart that studying makes up ninety percent of a Page’s education. Does that mean that Mika’s knowledge is at the level in which he could take the rank up test sooner rather than later, but he needs to hone his ability to refine pills?’

Amon stared into Jon’s eyes. ‘So you don’t want our family meddling in matters we do not understand? However, he is still a member of our Black Hand family.’

Jon smiled, noting the look within Amon’s eyes. “We are hoping that you consider the matter.” He summoned out a small box from his ring, placing it on the table before them.

From the smell of it, Mika already knew what it was. ‘So, you have chosen death.'