Later that evening, I told my friends about my meeting. Nyx was still hiding in her box. She had made a small window and was watching us through it.

“You are going to train a cat? That is going to be interesting.” Helena commented.

“Technically, you can command her.” Cassie pointed out. “You could force her to obey.”

“I don’t want to go that far. I think we can reach some sort of agreement.” I responded.

“So you are going to bribe her. You will need a lot of treats.” Skadi said.

“Bribery could work.” Helena mused.

“I am not just gonna give her an insane amount of treats. A few, sure, but I think I will need to convince her it's in her best interest.” I said.

My friends stared at me.

“Reason? You think reason is going to convince a cat?” Cassie asked.

“A very smart cat.” I pointed out. “Surely she wants more power.”

“She probably wants more minions. Hey, can she raise her own undead?” Helena asked.

“I… I have no idea.” I admitted. A tier three could learn magic and she had a death magic affinity. What would stop her from raising her own undead? Could a necromancer have an army of tier three undead, who all had their own army?

“Isn’t she more like a spellblade? Using her mana for enhancements? Would she have enough to control other undead?” Skadi asked.

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“Her core is certainly very small, for now. Until it grows a bit larger she won’t be able to control much.” I said.

“Isn’t she also getting mana from you?” Cassie asked.

“Yes. That is how normal undead feed and how you control them. For a tier three, it is mostly the control aspect that matters. The mana they are getting is not enough for proper spells. The abilities, like the blood control of our armadillo, are very cost efficient. But they are natural abilities. The spells she can learn will need her core.” I explained.

“So, what are you going to teach her first?” Cassie asked, then she looked at the box. “Or trying to teach her.”

“I am not sure. Maybe I should start with telekinesis, like we did? It is a spell that teaches you some good basics. Or I could focus more on the death magic side. I wonder if she can use a spell to enhance her natural abilities, like the frost breath? We could do a lot of experimenting!” I was getting somewhat excited, now that I started to think about the possibilities.

Nyx seemed a lot less excited as she glared at me from her box. I smiled at her, then I ordered the armadillo to retract its blood. It was my undead after all. The frozen blood liquified and was absorbed by the armadillo. Nyx was left sitting in the open. She did not look amused. Blood appeared once more as she commanded the undead to restore her box.

So we spent a few minutes with me dismantling the box and Nyx restoring it. My friends watched the spectacle with amusement. Eventually we stopped. Nyx looked exhausted but smug, as she was currently inside a box.

“You tricked her into training.” Helena sounded impressed.

Nyx looked horrified, as the truth set in. I could have simply commanded the armadillo to not obey her. Instead I had let her undo my orders on purpose.

I was slightly concerned that Nyx would hold a grudge, but when I awoke the next morning she was in my bed. I would need to get her some treats. I was serious about training her but I also wanted to reward her. And maybe it did help her grow, which would be nice.

The following days were interesting. Nyx had always joined me in class, but now I tried to get her to pay more attention. Meanwhile, she tried to look as uninterested as possible. But I had a feeling she did want to learn at least some things. Magic appealed to her. Working for it did not.

I made some progress in my evenings, trying to teach her. I did start with telekinesis. My plan was simple. I hid some bones for her to eat, at difficult to reach places. She could jump rather high but she had limits. And while she could sort of jump on a door handle, she could not really turn a key. So I could hide things in a locked chest, with the key inside the lock. With telekinesis she could open it and get a treat. Bribery did go a long way.

Our antics were not entirely unnoticed by other students. That Nyx was a tier three was still a secret. But they did see her ride my armadillo, inside a box of frozen blood, a lot. While she was on my head occasionally, the idea of a personal mount seemed to appeal to her. Especially, since she could shape the box in any way she wanted. And she did get creative. One day, she even added some towers to the corners, making it look like a castle.

Two weeks later, Gronir approached me after a lesson.

“Koyuki, the word of your tier three undead has reached Princess Olivia. She has decided to visit and personally have a look at Nyx. Afterwards you will get your permit. I would not be surprised if she wants to make the information public. You are going to be even more popular soon.”