A week later, I was called to the headmaster’s office. Surprisingly, so were my friends. Nyx joined us, riding my armadillo.

Inside the room were Erik, Irene and Princess Olivia. I immediately curtsied, as did my friends.

“Your highness.” We greeted her.

She smiled at us. “At ease. I am happy to see you again! When your undead dancers suddenly collapsed at the ball, it caused a bit of a stir. Some even thought you were weak. Of course, those people looked a bit silly when it was revealed that you defeated an ambush. Not to mention your more recent exploits in the forest.“

“Thank you, your highness.” I replied.

“You can call me Olivia, we are all friends here. Anyway, I heard of your most recent accomplishment. Nyx is a tier three undead.” She looked at the feline in question.

Nyx sat up straighter. “Meow.”

“Ah. I heard she does not speak our language. How curious. Would you give me a demonstration of your powers?” She asked Nyx.

Surprisingly, Nyx looked at me. I nodded towards her. Then, a pen on the headmaster’s desk started to float. It floated towards Nyx, who caught it with her mouth.

“You are teaching her the basics, I approve.” The princess looked pleased.

“We have decided that Koyuki will get a provisional permit to have a tier three undead.” Erik said. “Further, we cannot overlook the magical accomplishments of your group. A joint casting is not something first year students should be capable of. While Koyuki’s potential has been obvious for a while now, you three have surprised me. At the end of the year, we shall conduct a proper assessment of your cores.”

That would be interesting. I had no idea how much mana my friends really had.

Erik continued: “That is not all. Besides your normal exam, we shall test some of your advanced techniques. You will have to perform a joint casting.”

Stolen novel; please report.

My eyes widened. Did they want us to create another vampiric undead?

“This is where I come in.” Irene said. “I will help you prepare for the exam. I volunteered after hearing about your accomplishments. If you pass the advanced test, it would be enough to become an actual senior mage, for those with a big enough core.”

“Don’t let this go to your head. You are still expected to attend your normal lessons.” Erik cautioned.

“Sir, may I ask a question?” I inquired.

Erik chuckled. “Yes, Koyuki. Go ahead.”

“Can you become a senior mage and still be a student?”

“Of course. To be a senior mage, you need to be capable of advanced magic and have a big enough core. You do not need to graduate from an academy. In theory, you could achieve this with private tutoring. Most senior mages do have a bit more experience though.” He chuckled.

“While this is uncommon, it would not be a first. I seem to recall another mage who achieved that…” Olivia said, while looking at Erik.

“I caused my teachers quite a few headaches, back in the day.” Erik admitted with a smile.

I had to admit, I knew very little about our headmaster. I knew that he was an archmage. And I was pretty sure he had served in the military. Maybe I should try to find out more.

Erik offered me a card. “Here is the permit for your tier three, don’t lose it. The document has a magical seal. It also includes your permission to have a larger number of combat capable undead.”

I took the card. My eyes widened, there was a picture of me on it! It listed me as a student and an authorised necromancer in service of the kingdom. The card was made of metal and had a small green gem on the top right corner.

“The card can be magically updated. It is a very useful tool for identification. Sadly, it's too expensive for widespread use.”

“Thank you, sir.” I said.

“I also want to remind you, that you are fully responsible for your undead's actions. A tier three might be intelligent, but as their master you are accountable. The law does not care if your undead has misinterpreted your orders. Do you know what that means?” Erik stared at me.

“Yes sir.” I replied.

“Good, you owe me one pen.” He said.

I was confused at first. Then I looked at Nyx. She was currently chewing the pen she had levitated earlier. I felt so embarrassed! My face grew red. “Nyx!” I shouted.

She looked at me, while still chewing.

“I am so sorry!” I apologised to Erik, and bowed.

Erik stopped glaring and laughed. Olivia chuckled.

“Don’t worry, I am not actually mad. But you might want to teach her proper behaviour.” He said.

I was still mortified. And it happened in front of the princess! Nyx did not seem to feel any kind of shame. She happily chewed the pen.

“You are dismissed.” Erik said. We saluted and left.

“Somehow, we got even more homework now.” Helena sighed.

“Making more vampiric undead does not sound too bad.” Cassie added.

“I think they want us to cast a joint spell where we all mix our magic. That will require training. And hopefully less puking…” Skadi said.

“What sort of spell could the four of us cast together?” Helena wondered.

“Maybe we could create a super potion?” Cassie suggested.

“I need a drink.” I announced. I was still feeling embarrassed.

“Now that sounds like a good plan.” Skadi agreed.