A meow came from the floor beside me, and I turned to see Fortuna standing a few feet away, staring up at me with bright golden eyes. I noticed that he appeared almost fully grown, with sleek black fur and a thick frame. However, all of those thoughts were rooted in the assumption that he grew into a typical cat.

Welcome back. How did your trip go? Did you manage to kill any magic beasts?

I raised an eyebrow, surprised at his clearer speaking and longer sentences. His words before had sounded halting and stilted in my head, but now he spoke more naturally with flowing speech. I could pry later, but I still needed to get several tasks accomplished before the end of the day.

"It went well, though I got more injured than I would prefer. My skills were sufficient at the time, and I managed to kill a wolf by myself, but I still have plenty of room to grow. Thankfully, I managed to acquire something that may help speed that up. Come with me to Cortos' chamber, and I will explain there."

Teleporting, I walked to the desks along one wall and placed the containers of magic beast blood I harvested during my trip onto the table. All told, I managed to bring back four full vials, which should be sufficient for now. If it worked well, I could look into buying additional samples of blood from Simon's family.

"As you may be aware, there are alchemic mixtures that can improve cultivation in various ways. Most are complicated, expensive, and far beyond my means to produce, but I made a note of one in Cortos' collection of books that piqued my interest. It's called a Philter of Ancient Blood, and acts as a temporary boost to mana absorption speed. When properly prepared, a mage can take in mana several times faster than normal."

Impressive, but I thought you were avoiding increasing your power in favor of tempering. Wouldn't this go against that plan?

"Normally, but that's where we get into some unexplored territory. Cortos' chamber operates by forcing mana into the body, using the energy to strain the mana vessels while simultaneously repairing any damage. While tempering is incredibly quick with this process, it is still much slower than it should be, in theory. You see, ley lines produce an effectively unlimited stream of mana, but it seems in practice, the human body cannot absorb at the array's full speed."

I see, and you'll use this mixture to bypass that failing?

"Exactly right. I hypothesize that the Philter will let my body absorb a much higher surge of mana from the array and bypass weeks of tempering. Of course, there are two potential downsides. For one thing, it will be agonizing, even more so than normal. I will have to prepare the strongest numbing potion I can, to try and mitigate that side effect. Otherwise, I doubt I could withstand a full hour using the array."

And the second?

I sat down in a chair, sighing and closing my eyes.

"There is a genuine possibility this will cause severe injury to me, due to how much mana would enter my body. I am relatively confident this will work as I intend, but just in case I have also decided to prepare a Troll's Regeneration Elixir. I read about it in a book on typical wartime alchemic supplies, and it provides a long-lasting healing effect that should offset any damage. While it is more expensive than most healing potions, the safety is worth the cost."

Glancing down the ingredient list, I sighed again, wishing not for the first time that I had been born a noble. At a guess, it would take nearly all of my remaining funds for just a single session worth of supplies. And I would still need assistance to make all but the numbing potion. I had improved as an alchemist, but these were advanced mixtures that only a master could handle.

Or an apprentice raised by a family of master alchemists.

"Stay here. I am going to visit a friend. I will be back later tonight, okay?"

Yawning, Fortuna curled up onto a chair, and I chuckled before returning to my room, pocketing the list as I left. A few minutes later, I knocked quietly on a door, watching it swing open to reveal Simon.

"You're back!" he yelled, smiling and pulling me in for a hug.

I tensed, patting him on the back before replying, "Yes, I am. No offense, but I am not exactly a fan of hugging."

Coughing, he released me and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry. It was weird not having you around after a month of running around in the wilds. And although I like Amelia, it sometimes feels a bit awkward without you there. Although she promised to introduce me to her friend when she gets back to the Academy in a few days, so that'll be nice."

Smiling, I nodded and said, "I will be sure to come to dinner with you both soon. But before that, I wanted to see if you would be up for some magic training now. I know you wanted to see if I could offer any advice, and now felt like a good time, before classes take up too much of my time."

Grinning, Simon darted back into his room, returning after a moment with a dark blue wand in one hand.

"Let's go!"

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Moving down to the first floor, we found a small training room where we could have privacy. I crossed my arms and looked at Simon, gesturing towards the targets at one end of the room.

"Alright. I am good at perceiving and understanding a style, and it's flaws, but I need something to work with first. Show me what spells you know, and we can go from there."

Nodding, Simon aimed the wand at a training dummy and spoke a few quick words. I recognized the words "water" and "hit," but his speech was mumbled and halting. The mana running through his body felt poorly controlled and barely obeyed his commands, sputtering through the channel down his arm. I suspected the wand he used was doing the bulk of the effort, and I noticed tiny runes along its length glow a white color.

A few seconds passed before a misshapen sphere of water gathered at the tip of his wand, before it launched forward, slamming into the target. The wooden stand barely moved, and I hid a wince at just how little force carried into the surface. Although I knew I was an anomaly, due to Aether's inherent power, Simon's spell was still painfully weak.

"That was...good, Simon. Very good." I lied, turning to him and smiling.

He shook his head, replying, "You don't have to spare my feelings. I know water magic is terrible for fighting. I doubt there's much I can do to fix that."

I paused, thinking about his words. Water aspects were typically considered ill-suited to combat, relegated to auxiliary positions, and trained to support allies, rather than directly engage a foe. But that did not mean they were completely ineffective.

"What sort of cultivation method do you use?" I asked after a minute of thinking.

"Uhh...Origin Breathing? I didn't have any intention of learning combat magic, and alchemists don't need a lot of mana, so I never bothered choosing a new one. I suppose if I want to defend myself, or handle a fight, I should think about changing." Simon replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

Of course, the noble could afford a dozen methods but decided to stick with arguably the worst choice. Again came that familiar stab of envy mixed with annoyance. Still, that was not the end of the world. Simon had not chosen a path yet, and that meant I might be able to exercise control over his choices.

"Water magic is considered poor in combat because it lacks the raw destructive power of fire or lightning magic. But in exchange, it retains a versatility the more volatile aspects lose. You can heal, manipulate the battlefield, distract enemies, and still do damage, although you will need some creativity to flourish." I recited, recalling the details from books on magic.

"So what should I do, then? I can't cast too many spells, or I'll run out of mana. Should I focus on improving my control or how much mana I have available? And what about which spells to chose? There are so many of them, and I have no idea which work best or which are the strongest." Simon replied, each sentence coming faster. It was a habit he fell into when stress and anxiety began to mount.

"One concern at a time, Simon. First, your control over mana and your syntax are both terrible. Remember, the incantations focus the mind, which helps direct your spellcraft. Even if you are never planning to become a war mage, perfecting the spoken words of magic and your control will be key."

"Okay, so focus on those exercises. But what about spells? I learned Mana Bolt, which is what I cast earlier, but it doesn't feel sufficient. I doubt I could even knock out a person if I hit them with it."

"I would recommend you learn four spells. Specifically, I would recommend a healing spell, a defensive spell, an offensive spell, and a control spell. Water magic relies on physical force, rather than innate destructive potential, so try and find spells that produce consistent streams or waves, instead of static balls. And for support, I would recommend something like an ice or fog spell."

"Will that be enough to keep me safe in a fight?"

"Not directly, no, but you will rarely fight without allies. Water mages specialize in supporting other casters, and you should focus on that, rather than try and make yourself into something your aspect does not suit. Leave direct combat to mages like Sophia and Leon, who have aspects suited to doing damage."

Nodding, Simon replied, "That makes sense, thanks, Vayne. I think I'll talk to my father tonight, and see if he has any suggestions for good methods to start using. I doubt I'll ever be a true master, but I don't want to be a burden next time."

"Before you go, I wanted to ask for your help on something. I need some alchemy supplies, and I thought I would purchase them through your family, to make sure I got the highest quality I could find." I said, pulling out the list I prepared and handing it to Simon.

He scanned the page, nodding and muttering under his breath several times before looking up to me with a smile.

"Not a problem! I will ask my father about sending along these as well, and will let you know the price after I talk to him. I'm curious what you need all of these for, though."

"Potions to help my lords, sir. I am not sure why they need them, but it is not my place to ask. But that reminds me, I may need your assistance preparing the mixtures when the time comes. Would you be able to help me?" I said, mentally crossing my fingers. I was confident he would agree, and although I disliked bringing him too far into my schemes, I knew I needed assistance with alchemy.

"Of course! Just let me know, and I'll set aside time to help. Oh, but it's getting late, and I want to talk to my father before he gets ready to turn in for the night. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Vayne." Simon said, speaking over his shoulder as he exited the room.

Letting out a breath, I nodded once and made my way back upstairs. If Simon listened to me and trained consistently, he should turn out to be a useful mage in combat. I had the beginnings of an idea, and I would need several skilled mages for it to succeed, but first, I had to turn Simon into something formidable.

Waiting by my door was a female figure, and I felt a jolt of surprise, which faded when I realized it was Sophia. I had expected someone else, and a mixture of relief and disappointment made itself known. It seemed Sophia wanted to waste no time in setting me onto the task of strengthening her.

"My lady, how may I help you?" I said, bowing my head respectfully.

"Here. These are three cultivation methods my father provided me, all designed for lightning mages. I want you to examine them, and let me know what you find." she said, pushing three small booklets into my hands, each a few dozen pages long.

"Of course, my lady. I will get started right away." I answered, bowing again and reaching for my door. She nodded once, before turning on her heel and leaving me.

Stepping back into my room, I shook my head and, with a thought, returned to Cortos' sanctum, setting the books down onto my desk. I could visit Amelia later, but I wanted to get started working through these methods first.

You're avoiding her.

"I'm prioritizing, Fortuna. Romance takes a backseat to survival, and I am sure Amelia would understand if she knew everything."

Opening the first booklet, titled "One Thousand Bolts," I resigned myself to not getting enough sleep tonight. It was starting to look like I had a long night of studying ahead of me.