The next day Major Arthur returned. He offered me a contract, which I read. It contained the deal he offered yesterday. I would agree to attend the academy and serve for 10 years in the royal military after graduation. Part of my pay would go towards the cost of my education. If I failed, or got kicked out of the academy, I would have to repay all the money they spent on me. If I ran away it would count as desertion.
After I signed, Arthur removed my collar and left me some clothes. “You have 15 minutes to get ready. Your escort is waiting in front of the building. Good luck.” Then he left to give me some privacy.
I touched my exposed neck. The collar was gone. I could barely believe it. Tears ran down my face. But I did not have time! I quickly got up and wiped myself with a wet cloth in the attached bathroom. Then I put on my new uniform. Black pants, a black belt, sturdy black boots and a black shirt. A silver wolf was visible on the left sleeve. Thankfully the clothes were designed for a foxkin and there was a hole for my tail.
After getting dressed I left my room. I was unfamiliar with the building but helpful signs pointed me towards the exit. I realised I had been in a high class hospital. That explained the private room. I could only shudder at the thought of how much that must have cost. Outside four people with five horses were waiting for me. Arthur was not among them. Three of them wore chainmail and an open-faced helmet. The fourth was a human woman, protected by a breastplate and metal bracers. Interestingly her arms were exposed. She wore a circlet instead of a helmet. She had long black hair, blue eyes and bronze skin.
“I am Koyuki, my lady.” I introduced myself with a bow.
She snorted. “I am no lady. I am Captain Sarah and we are here to escort you to the Wolf’s Den.” After seeing my confused face she clarified: “That is the Royal Military Academy. Most soldiers call it Wolf’s Den. Can you ride?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Perfect. We have a horse for you. Mount up, any further questions can be answered on the road.”
I climbed on my mount and followed Sarah. The other soldiers formed up around me and we were off. I still had so many questions but I decided to wait for the open road. The soldiers seemed alert. Did they fear an attack? Was that just their normal behaviour? Maybe it was connected to the incident at the auction? But why would anyone target us?
Whatever they feared, nothing happened and we left the city without trouble. The guards at the gate just waved us through. After a while I finally decided to ask more questions.
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“Captain Sarah, why am I getting an escort? Why not just send me with a caravan?”
“Girl, you survived a death cloud. Not just survived, I heard you only passed out for a few hours. Your affinity for death magic must be huge. If we can turn you into a proper necromancer you will be a valuable asset.”
Was I that important?
“You joining the royal army will strengthen the royal family. A few nobles might be very upset about that. Not to mention our neighbours. Ilestria will be really unhappy. They think death magic is evil and such nonsense.”
“But… I don’t know any magic!” I protested.
“I can feel the magic in you girl. Trust me, it is there. You will learn to use it soon enough.”
“You can feel my magic?”
“I am a spellblade. Any trained magic user will be able to detect your power, until you are trained to stop it from leaking.”
“Leaking? Is that dangerous?”
“Ah, no you are not leaking death magic. Despite your affinity your mana is neutral. Most people have very little mana and will never be able to become a mage. Those with the potential can learn any school of magic they wish. Affinity just makes it a lot easier. It also helps to protect you from your magic. If you tried an ice spell, without the affinity for it, the cold might hurt you as well. You can get around that with magic items, or runes to strengthen your body, but there is always a cost.”
“What affinity do you have? And what is a spellblade?”
“Full of questions, aren’t you?” She asked with a smile. “A spellblade is just a mage focusing on weapons and body improvements. A part of my magic is constantly used to reinforce myself. My arms are not covered so I can access the control runes. At some point I might be able to achieve that with thought alone, but most people need physical contact. I have different configurations that enhance my speed, strength and durability. I can change the ratios based on the situation.”
I listened, fascinated. Magic was not a topic I knew much about. It was not considered important for a maid.
“Can I become a spellblade? What other types of mage are there?” I asked.
“It’s not impossible but it would be hard. And they will likely try to discourage you from it.”
“Why?”
“There are a lot of different specialisations for mages. You will learn more about them at the academy. The most relevant for death magic would be a necromancer, someone who controls the dead, or a death knight, which is a version of a spellblade. The reason necromancers are so valuable is their ability to control an army. The dead are cheap and effective troops. You can easily replace them, often with the corpses of your enemies. Also, they won’t run.” She paused a bit, thinking, then continued. “It’s not like death knights can’t have their own minions but by focusing some of their magic into their body they will never have a large army. And by fighting at the front they are vulnerable to attacks. Especially since death magic has great offence but very little defence.”
I digested that information. Basically I would be more valuable to the kingdom as a necromancer. Focusing all my power on controlling an army. It would also make me rather vulnerable in close quarters. So I would need guards, who could be used to keep an eye on me.
“You said it would be hard, why?”
“Any kind of spellblade needs to master a weapon, and their magic. I assume you were never trained to fight. You might already struggle with the basic training for normal mages. You will have a long way to go to catch up to your fellow students. You will be very busy, even before school begins.”