It only took a few minutes for the healer to come out calling for Lilith, who hopped up and followed her into the hallway.
---
“Alright, please lay down on that bed,” the healer instructed her.
Lilith hopped up on the wooden ‘bed’, then looked at the healer a bit more. She should’ve been a mage like her, so Lilith wanted to get a good look. She was a green eyed redhead in scrubs and had a satchel filled with various medical instruments at her side, but that was about it. She just looked like a normal human. Nothing really ‘magical’ about her.
“All the way down,” the healer instructed.
Lilith laid her head down.
“So, what needs fixing?” The healer asked.
“These ribs got broken.” Lilith poked at them.
“Ow. I wouldn’t recommend touching them then.” The healer brought out a large crystal orb and held it over the ribs.
Lilith felt her looking over her ribs, so she directed her own senses to where she could feel the healer’s senses around the orb, and so they crossed senses.
“Oh!” The healer flinched back, dropping the heavy orb, but catching it in her magic. “You’re a mage?”
Lilith nodded.
“Oh! Congrats!” She put her orb back near Lilith’s ribs and looked around more. “Did you do this to yourself then?”
“Mhmm.”
“That’s rough. Sorry you had to go through that.” She looked over Lilith’s work. “Oh no, I really wouldn’t recommend silk for those. That takes about two years to dissolve. I don’t know how fast you’re growing, but there’s a chance it could stunt your growth in those areas.”
She looked over Lilith’s body more, slowly moving the orb over the ribs. “Some blood settled at the bottom of your lungs. How long ago were you injured?”
“A few days ago, I guess?”
“I see.” She gently removed some of the harder blood from the bottom of Lilith’s lungs along with the surrounding pool. Interestingly, the blood that was touching her lungs didn’t really coagulate. “Breathe out slowly for me now.”
Lilith breathed, and a bunch of small red blobs floated out.
The healer looked over her for a while after that, tightening and loosening some of the stitches, before letting out a breath. “There’s not much else I can do here without damaging things. Make sure to come back in a couple of weeks.” She pulled a paper out from her bag and wrote some notes on it. “I’ll want to check on those stitches.”
“Okay.” Lilith took the offered note and pocketed it.
“Oh, and drink this.” She pulled out a potion bottle with some reddish liquid inside. “You can sit up now by the way.”
Lilith slowly sat up, careful not to mess with her ribs, before taking the potion and drinking. She was expecting something bitter like the medicine back home, but it was actually a pleasant mix of sweet, salty, and savory. Curious, she moved her sense over the fluid, and it felt a bit like the magic orb the healer was holding, but much weaker.
She shook the potion and used her magic to get the last drops, then frowned when it was completely clean.
“I know, good stuff right?” The healer smiled. “Well, that should do it! Make sure to come back in two weeks!”
“That’s it?” Lilith tilted her head.
“Yep. You did most of the healing yourself after all. Oh, where’d you go to school for that by the way?”
“Oh yeah! I was going to take a test for school soon!” Lilith said excitedly.
The healer blinked. “Huh? But who taught you?”
Lilith shrugged. “I uh, I saw it in a dream.”
“...I see.” The healer stared at her for a bit, then shrugged. “Well if you want, you can ask me for a reference.”
“Oh, thank you!” Lilith smiled and looked down at the note. “Doctor Pana? Like Panacea?”
“Panagiota actually.” She walked over to the door and waited for Lilith to follow. ”Well, let’s bring you back now.”
---
Lilith bounded over to Sebastian as Dr. Pana came out the hallway behind her, but the receptionist called them up before she got all the way there. “Lilith? Sebastian?”
He got up and they both headed back over.
“Looks like that should all come out to…” The receptionist looked over the note Dr. Pana gave her. “Ugh, doctor’s handwriting,” she muttered.
Sebastian could feel a cold sweat coming on.
“2 silver,” she said.
“Wh— huh?” He blinked.
“Was that too much?” The receptionist tilted her head.
“Uh, no? Isn’t it way too little?”
She raised an eyebrow and pointed to the note. “It says here it’s a routine checkup for a rib injury. Routine checkups tend to be much less expensive than the initial healing.”
“R— routine checkup?” Sebastian gaped. Even if Lilith was a top healer, there was no way she could do the work to perfectly heal a rib injury like she had with just the materials he had in the caravan. Whoever did her checkup was either being lazy or overly kind. He hoped it was the latter.
The receptionist checked the paper again and looked back up at him. “Yep. That’s what it says.”
“Huh.” He pulled a couple silver out from his pocket. “W— well, here you go.”
“Thank you!” The receptionist smiled, then grabbed the coins and tossed them in some drawer like they were annoying to look at.
Sebastian paused at that, then backed away and walked out with Lilith. “So I guess you did a good initial healing, huh?” he asked.
“I guess?” Lilith shrugged. “That healer pointed out everything I did wrong, so maybe not. But she also pointed out that I didn't die.”
He breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed the door open. “Oh, so she was just kind enough to save my wallet then.”
Lilith shrugged, not sure exactly what he was talking about.
Once they were out the door, Sebastian started walking further away from the cart.
“Huh? Where are we going?” Lilith asked.
“To one of the top schools so we can get you admitted,” he said.
“Wait, but…” she reached up to her ears. “They’ll know, beastgirl…”
He slowed down, then stopped. “Good point actually. They could assume you should get a lower score. It’s not like I’ve never seen a beastfolk mage, but they’re rarer.”
Lilith’s heart sank.
“Alright, you go back to the cart and wait for a bit. I’ll go ask them what we need to do, then we’ll get you some new clothes to hide your ears,” he said. “You remember your way back to the cart, right?”
“Mhmm!” She nodded, then stepped back and hesitated a bit before running back to the cart.
He watched her for a bit to make sure she was taking the right directions, and breathed a sigh of relief when she did, then walked towards someone that was strolling by.
“Excuse me,” he asked them, “do you know where I could enroll a magically gifted kid?”
---
Eventually, Sebastian found his way inside some grand building. There were a few kids at a table to his left looking at papers, and a few rushed through behind him. Ahead, a tall man with a graying beard looked up from a few papers on his desk as Sebastian walked in.
“Yes?” The man asked. “You’re a bit old to be a student here.”
“Ah huh.” Sebastian nodded. “I’ve been asking around for the best place to enroll a magically gifted kid, and about three people said this place.”
“Oh? How many people mentioned other places?” The man asked.
“None. There were plenty of people that just didn’t know though.”
“I see.” He stroked his beard. “You’re a bit persistent then. A trait I hope you passed to this kid, because they’ll need it.” He looked around and stood up partially to look over his desk. “Where is the kid though? Did you bring them with you?”
“We just got here and she’s recovering from some sickness we got while traveling.”
“That’s unfortunate. What sickness is it?”
“Something I couldn’t pronounce.” Sebastian shrugged. “If you really want, I’ll bring her here later, but for now I might as well record the enrollment requirements and anything else she’ll need.” He pulled out a small booklet.
The man looked at the booklet for a second. “Fascinating. Merchant?” He shrugged and pulled out his own book and talked as he flipped through it. “The main requirement would be her aptitude. If she’s capable enough, we’ll take her. Heck, if she’s good enough, she might even get a full scholarship!”
“R— really?” For the first time in a long while, Sebastian couldn’t hide his interest.
“Indeed!” The old man used another book as a bookmark, then pulled out a few more books and stacked them on the desk near Sebastian. “As long as she knows her math, science, and magic well enough, she gets in free! I’d say that’s worth the investment.”
“How much!?” Sebastian asked, looking at the books titled ‘AA Math’, ‘AA Science’, and ‘AA Magic’ near him.
“For these?” The old man looked over the books. “Hmm… two gold per book.”
“Are you sure it shouldn’t be one—”
“No haggling.” The man held a hand up. “It’s a set price that I don’t have control over. If you don’t have it, you don’t have it.” The man reached over to pull the books back.
“Wait! I have it.” Sebastian grit his teeth and pulled out the necessary coins.
The man grinned as he took them. “Wonderful! Was there anything else you wanted to ask about?”
“Hmm.” Sebastian thought for a bit, annoyed as he watched his coins disappear. “Is there any dress code?”
“Indeed there is!” The man nodded. “The students here are exemplary of the Solis Kingdom! So they can’t be in dirty or cheap clothes. Luckily, they all have the option of wearing the standard uniform, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Uh, but are there any specific rules?” Sebastian asked.
The old man stroked his beard. “If she doesn’t go with the standard uniform, you’ll want to ask a clothier and get a receipt. No one’s going to sell clothes for a student here if they thought it could tank their reputation.”
“Alright, I guess that works.” Sebastian wrote a few notes down. “Anything else I should know? Oh, do you know the test times and enrollment times?”
“Of course.”
---
While Sebastian was away, Lilith watched people pass by for a bit, but hid in the cart whenever some large men would park their own caravans and step out, since they reminded her of the bandits. Eventually, she got bored of people watching, so she laid back on the blankets and tried to force herself back to Wispy’s lake. She closed her eyes and relaxed.
After several minutes, she could see a faint image of him waving at her, which became clearer and clearer, before it faded to nothing. Now she felt more relaxed, but she hadn’t quite made it there.
She was starting to go through her second attempt when Sebastian got back.
“Alright, time to do some clothes shopping,” he said as he stacked a few books near her.
She gasped and almost hopped out of the cart in excitement at that, but stopped herself before she could injure her ribs again and excitedly, but slowly pushed herself out of the caravan.
---
The first store they went to was a small wooden shop on the outskirts of the edge of Solis. It reminded Lilith of home a bit, except for the clothes hung up everywhere. The store was larger than any clothes shop at home too. Then she noticed some of the clothes and looked at Sebastian.
“Ooh, is this where you shop?” Lilith asked. She could see some stuff that looked close to what he was wearing.
“I might’ve picked up a thing or two.” He shrugged and went to the shopkeeper. “Excuse me, do you know of anything that would be up to standards for uh, the Lagora magic school?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Nope!” The girl at the front shook her head rapidly. “No. Absolutely not. You must be insane or out of the loop if you’re coming here for that.”
“Er, then do you know a store that would be up to standard?” Sebastian asked.
“I don’t know, try something actually in Solis.”
---
The next store they went to was a small shop closer to the center of Solis. The building was made out of stone instead of wood, and everything looked a bit more expensive.
“Excuse me.” Sebastian walked up to the shopkeeper. ”Do you know of anything that’d be up to standards for Lagora magic school?”
The shopkeeper shook his head guiltily. “Sorry, but I don’t think I’m quite at that level yet.”
Sebastian grit his teeth.
“Oh, if it’s a money problem, you could just go with the default uniform they give you!” The man tried to help.
“Unfortunately that’s not an option.”
“Huh?” The shopkeeper glanced at Lilith, then noticed her ears. “Oh. I see. The tail might need something special. Unfortunately I’m even less qualified if you need to make modifications while still being up to standards.” He frowned, looking over Lilith.
“That’s…” Sebastian blinked. “Uh, alright. Do you know a place that would do it?”
“Sure!” The shopkeeper smiled. “Once you exit the door, turn right and follow until the plants end, there will be a run down magic shop, turn left there and continue through the alley…”
---
The next place was larger, made of marble and mirrors, and much richer. Sebastian wouldn’t be surprised if everything here was made for nobles. In fact, once he looked around, he could see some very well off merchants and politicians mingling around. He was more than a bit out of his depth here.
“Hello sir,” a receptionist in a suit walked up to him. “How may I help you?”
“Uh, yes.” He motioned to Lilith. “I plan on enrolling this one in Lagora.”
The receptionist grinned at that. “Oh, I see. I hope she has what it takes.” He looked over Sebastian, then Lilith, who was still in another pair of her old school uniform. “So, you want something better than the default uniform now that you have the option?”
Sebastian frowned, then quieted his voice down and leaned in. “We both want something that hides her ears, in case someone judges her just from that and gives her a lower grade.”
“I see.” The man frowned as he leaned in to hear. “I doubt the test proctors would judge her like that, but I can’t say it’s completely unfounded.” He leaned back. ”I take it she’s been judged for that before?” He glanced at Lilith, still frowning.
Lilith nodded.
“Unfortunate, but I guess it can’t be helped. I suppose I could give you a discount to make up for it.”
Sebastian let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in.
“So, what kind of attire would you like?” The man asked Lilith.
“Ooh! Something quiet I can move around in, maybe fuzzy. Oh! that purple over there looks nice!”
Sebastian’s breath caught as soon as she mentioned ‘purple’, the most expensive dye possible, but he held back and let Lilith choose. As long as it didn’t cut into the tuition savings, it could just come out of the coin allotted for her.
However, as he followed and saw the clothes she pointed out, he realized he’d have to make sure she at least didn’t pick out something so extravagant she’d be made fun of.
---
Once Lilith picked out her clothes, Sebastian found a relatively cheap inn at the edge of Solis they could stay a few months at until winter ended.
“Thank you very much sir.” The receptionist smiled as he took the gold coin Sebastian gave him and handed him and Lilith their keys. “That should pay for this month’s rent.”
Sebastian struggled to push through the deep feeling of loss as yet another coin was taken from him, then trudged over to the rooms they’d be staying in.
Meanwhile, Lilith flipped through a few pages of one of the books he gave her. “That’s dumb. Why’d they do it like that?”
He grit his teeth. “Hey! No saying ‘that’s dumb’ about the test books. If they expect you to give a certain answer, you give that answer. They probably have some deeper reason for whatever you’re looking at that you’ll come across later.”
Lilith looked at him, then back at the book. “Eh, maybe…”
He walked down the hall and found their door. “By the way, over these next months, I’m going to find a way to make back all the money I just lost here, so I’ll be out during the day. Those books are gonna be what keep you company instead, so you should learn to like them.”
“Eh?” Lilith’s shoulders sank. ”I can’t replace you with a book…”
“Oh. No, uh.” He sighed. “Look, I need to make money somehow, or eventually we can’t eat. I got a lot stored in coins, but in terms of inflows and outflows I’m way in the negative. Besides, you really need to get into school.” He paused, remembering something. “You can’t replace me with a book, but maybe you can find some other kids to study with?”
“Huh. That’s a good idea.” She handed him back the book, then ran off.
Sebastian held the book and stared as she left, then shrugged. Even if she got lost, someone would be able to help her just by taking a look at her key.
---
It had taken her time to ask people where Lagora was and get an answer, then that old man took a long time answering whether she could study for the entrance exam with other potential students, and then she had to walk for a really long time to get to the closest one of those potential students, but finally, she was here. On the bright side, the marble statues, fountains, and flower gardens around this area were really nice.
She knocked on the marble door a few times. After a few seconds, a man in a suit that reminded her of the guy at the fancy clothes shop opened the door. He looked around for a second before looking down.
“Is Malena here?” Lilith asked.
“Oh, hello there. I take it you’re one of her friends.” He turned and called out. “Malena! One of your friends is here to see you!”
“Oh really? Coming!” A girl rushed out, then froze when she saw Lilith. “Who are you?”
“I’m Lilith!” Lilith waved. “The bearded guy told me you wanted to study with others too!”
“The beard— Yeah, a month ago.” She paused, then smiled. “Wow, it took long enough for someone to want to study together. How far along are you in the books?”
“I just got them,” Lilith said.
Malena froze.
“I feel like I should skip ahead though.”
Malena unfroze, then hesitantly said, “Well, come in. Let’s see where you’re at.”
Lilith walked in and looked around at the marble walls, the gold trimmed paintings, the rugs, the swords on some of the walls… and still managed to follow Malena to a marble and gold table. There, Malena laid out her books.
A woman in much less expensive clothes was already there waiting for them. She must’ve been the tutor.
“Oh good, you brought the books,” Lilith said.
“You brought a friend?” The tutor asked.
“Yes.” Malena flipped through a few pages. “Okay Lilith, how many degrees are there in a triangle?”
“One eighty,” Lilith answered instantly.
Malena flipped forward a bit. “Okay, estimate the area under the curve from zero to one defined by the function f of x equals x cubed minus two x squared. Oh, wait a second.” She looked around for some paper and searched through a nearby drawer.
Lilith started talking, “x to four over four minus two x to three over three. X is one, minus x is zero. X is zero gives zero. X is one gives one fourth minus two thirds.”
Malena had the papers now, but she was curious how Lilith’s attempt at mental math would go.
“Three times four is twelve. Three twelfths minus… eight twelfths. negative five over twelve.”
Malena flipped through the book a few times, then looked back at Lilith. “Th— that’s correct…”
“Oh, she’s really good at math,” the tutor said, impressed.
“Yes!” Lilith fist pumped.
---
Meanwhile, now that ‘Wispy’ was able to see how Lilith performed on the different tests she took, he was able to get some numbers representing her performance. Since the book only had example problems and answers, he graded her on the various subjects based on what he thought she and other people should be capable of.
As he mulled over the memories of her performance, he regretted that he couldn’t have just replaced all the teachers in her previous schools, or take more hours from her day to teach her. She may have been way ahead of other beastfolk from Slimefrost village, but that really, really wasn’t saying much.
Eventually, he had a full report card floating in midair.
Lilith Smit
Math capability:
Arithmetic
Algebra
Adv. Algebra
Geom.
Trig.
Calc.
Diff Eq.
Discrete Math
Topology
Abstract Algebra
Prob and Stat
Computation
B
B
C
D
D
C
F
F
F
F
C
F
Science capability:
General
Biology
Physics
Magic
Earth
Overall
B
C
B
C
D
C
Magic capability:
Electric
Heat
Time
Mana Sense
Earth
Bio
Cold
Air
Telekinesis
Fire
Water
Telepathy
Gravity
Light
Tele
C
C
D
D
D
D
D
D
F
F
F
F-
0*
0*
0*
*This grade is too low. You have dishonored our school with your existence.
“Oh Lilith…” Wispy lamented. “No, you’re not a D student yet! I still have months to get you into shape! And maybe that slacker of a noble kid too!”
He turned to another report card to the side. “We’ll pick up on self-defense later. Except for Mana Sense.”
Lilith Smit
Body:
Constitution
Strength
Dexterity
C
D
B
Mind:
Intelligence
Wisdom
Charisma
Willpower
Perception
A
F
D
B
B
Soul:
Devotion
Resilience
Empathy
C
C
D
HP: 7.2/10
Head
9/10
Reduced kidney filtering leaving brain exposed
Torso
2/10
Torn muscles and lungs
Abdomen
5/10
Kidneys filtering excess myoglobin
Arms
10/10
Legs
10/10
MP: 9/10
Exhausted from Sense practice.
Abilities:
Attacks
Perceptions
Guards
Vessel Break
B
Mana Sense
D
TK
F
Nerve Break
D
---
As they were all preparing over the next months, studying, sending letters back home, and for some reason Lilith sleeping several more hours than usual, a giant of an adventurer looked over some of the job postings in a local tavern.
One of them advertised "Teach the new generation of adventurers!" to C rank adventurers or above. He could never go above C rank without joining the military or studying magic, and he wasn't feeling particularly loyal, nor did he have the free time for magic, but he at least qualified for this. It wasn't the type of job he usually took, yet he still tore down the posting and sat with it at a nearby table, then took out his wallet and pulled a few pictures out. They were drawings of his wife and kids with the word "missing" at the bottom.
He took a deep breath, and started thinking about what he could do—
He felt an intense pain right below his shoulder as runes glowed. He reached for his arm to pull off the sleeve and show everyone to maybe get some help, but the pain grew more and more intense and his muscles froze. Then, he remembered hearing from a guard as he danced around the subject earlier, 'anyone caught will just be sent back, by order of the king of Solis'.
There was nothing he could do. They wouldn't give them back, and he couldn't take them back. But maybe they'd feel different about his children if the lives of their children were in his hands.
With that thought, the glow from the runes died down, so he gathered his things and walked up to the bartender, then pressed the posting down.
The bartender looked down, then back up, eyebrow raised. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
The adventurer faked a smile. "Better than moping around doing nothing."
---
Eventually, test day came. Hopefully all of Lilith's hard work would be worth it.