Zeek lay motionless on his bed, breathing slowly and deliberately. It would appear, to the casual observer, that he was attempting to sleep, except for the sweat-soaked sheets and pronounced blood vessels in his eyes. For the second night in a row, he practiced reducing his mana circulation to exhaustion. The next morning, he and Penny would meet Sirius to get a tour of the city. Two days after that he’d do the knight-trainee bootcamp. His schedule was going to get busier and busier, so he pushed himself hard in his free time.

He also couldn’t stop thinking about the task.

The very clear implication that he could die if he didn’t learn to artificially reduce his mana tier explained the frantic nature of his practice. But this skill was a bit more challenging than the previous ones. Accelerating his mana wasn’t too hard, but slowing it down felt like holding his breath. If all he needed to do was reach mana tier 4 and learn a spell, he’d have this one done in a week.

Slowing mana down while moving, even just a bit, caused him to lock up and go unconscious. A lack of mana in the body was normally a symptom of death. Sluggishness of mana, according to the book, was a sign of serious illness or injury. He was trying to force himself to reach an equilibrium between too slow and too fast. A day of sneaking glances at Penny taught him that even a normal person’s mana rotated very slowly. He hadn’t noticed it before because he had to concentrate to see it.

As for why he was lying in bed? The book recommended he attempt slowing mana while keeping completely still, a bit like meditation. So Zeek passed on the library, joining Penny only for meals, and stayed in his room to practice. Tonight was his last attempt before he would have to take a break for the day tomorrow.

Zeek lay in bed, focusing only on his arms. He used his focus to slowly draw mana away from his fingertips, then his hands, then up to the elbows. Each time he pulled the mana back, his limbs felt weaker…colder. But he was starting to recognize the right amount of cold, and the right amount of weakness. When the excess mana was out of his arm, Zeek used mana vision to examen it. The amount left was so small it was barely noticeable, and exactly the same amount the other mages had.

He managed to get the mana out of his other hand before his concentration slipped. Sighing loudly, he shook his arms, stretched briefly, and turned over to sleep.

Morning came too soon.

Zeek met Penny for a quick breakfast, rubbing sleep from his eyes the entire time, before heading outside to find Sirius. The young noble was in his fine robe again, golden sigil glinting in the early sunlight, and a frankly annoying grin on his face. Zeek yawned before waving, and Penny smiled shyly.

“Good morning!” Sirius said while patting a fat purse that clinked on his waist.

“Good morning. So what’s the plan today?” Zeek asked.

“I will take you on the finest tour of Lem that’s ever been. This morning we’ll visit my tailor, and I’ll get you both new robes for the coming semester. Followed by a tour of my favorite shopping district. Then we’ll lunch in the gardens of my family’s estate. After the midday rush ends, I’ll show you to the more well-known sites,” Sirius replied cheerily.

“That’s very kind of you. But you don’t need to do all that,” Penny said politely before Zeek could stop her.

“I insist. Zeek’s honor has humbled me, so I must show you a good time,” Sirius replied while bowing his head very slightly. At that moment, Zeek realized this kid was a real sucker. He seemed to think Zeek asked for such a minor prize because he was honorable. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Zeek just couldn’t think of anything else he wanted when he and Sirius talked a few days ago. Honestly, right now he wanted to go home and practice so he wouldn’t die in a few weeks. And he’d only ever planned on scamming Sirius for a nice meal. It’s not like Zeek was ever going to uphold his end of things if he’d lost the duel.

But…no sense in being impolite, Zeek thought.

“We’re looking forward to it,“ Zeek replied as he nudged Penny. Sirius didn’t notice her eyeroll before turning towards the academy gate and leading them away.

The morning activities were surprisingly fun, and not because of the tailor. Fitting Penny and Zeek for new robes took only an hour, and they would be delivered to the academy when complete. The other shops were something different entirely. It was a shopping district catering to mages and adventurers—the successful ones, to be specific.

Sure, there were your normal restaurants, inns, smiths, and general goods shops. Oh, and nearly all of those had some magic-infused variant a few doors down. Need an enchanted weapon? Buy what you like from the dirt-covered ogre-like man beating metal into shape, then walk two doors down and hand it to the soft-skinned, callous-free mage wearing thick glasses to enchant. Sick of robes and want a nice dress made from rainbow butterfly silk and scrawled with the best runes? Just buy the pattern and materials from a woman in one shop and take it to your magical tailor to complete.

There were bookshops filled with copies of tomes made by a scrivener-specialized mage from frequent trips to the academy’s library. The better alchemical shops employed a mage part-time to use mana and spells on their finished products. Another shop, filled wall to wall with rust-colored robe-wearing scholarly types, made custom-sized spell models. A glance in the window showed bracelets similar to the ones Archi and Uno wore when bringing Zeek and Penny to the capital.

“I thought all mages were employed by the kingdom?” Zeek asked Sirius, as he pointed out the spell model shop.

“They are. Any shop employing a mage is either fully owned or sponsored by the royal family. This,“ he waved his hand around, “is where you go if you take up a crafting type affinity.”

“So all the crafters live in the capital?” Penny asked.

“Most of them are required to stay here, yes. They can get travel permits to go visit family or leave if they’re assigned tasks. But generally, crafters spend their whole lives living in Lem,” Sirius explained. Penny frowned.

“Generally?” Zeek asked.

“Well, some types of non-combat affinities are needed throughout the kingdom. Wardsetters are the best example. There’s a core of ward affinity mages who travel around doing upkeep on forts and major cities. Plenty of construction type affinities spend most of their time traveling as well.”

“Are any mages allowed free travel around the kingdom?” Zeek asked.

Sirius grinned. “Only war mages, one of the many reasons why I prefer that affinity.”

“Wouldn’t the royal family want to keep all their war mages safe and sound in the capital?” Penny asked.

“Some of them are kept here all the time. But war mages need to experience life-and-death situations to grow, so they travel with teams of knights handling monster requests. Some war mages even work as higher-tier adventurers if the kingdom wants. But unlike non-combat affinities, war mages are given a permanent pass to travel around the country so long as they check in with local garrisons along the way,” Sirius answered.

Zeek nodded as Sirius answered more questions for Penny. Zeek already knew that his method of increasing mana tiers wasn’t known in Numera, he just didn’t know why. He wasn’t going to admit it either, especially after listening to Sirius talk. The only reason they let war mages travel was their mistaken belief that only stress and danger increased mana. If they knew a proper exercise could let you sit in your room and progress, goodbye travel.

Still…he couldn’t help but wonder if the missing knowledge and the book’s rules were all linked somehow. There were just too many questions, and he hadn’t found anything yet. The best plan for now was to continue completing tasks and unlocking information.

Sirius and Penny chatted until the group reached a small manor a few blocks away from the shopping district.

The front looked like several row houses clumped together, the only difference being this one had a single large door with a guard standing outside. Sirius led them inside as the guard saluted. They found themselves in a large room that was…majestic…to say the least. Oil paintings lined the wood-paneled walls, reflecting light from a floating crystal chandelier. Suits of armor, plush carved benches, and a main staircase framed the room. A delicate middle-aged woman with hair so blonde it was nearly white stood in the center of the room in front of a brown-robed man holding a serving tray.

“Mother! These are the two I was telling you about,“ Sirius chirped, his voice moving up a half octave. The woman smiled and approached. Zeek couldn’t help but stare as she seemed to glide across the room, her ornate frilled dress hiding her steps. She was the picturesque noble lady. Penny didn’t speak, but her fidgeting showed she felt the same way. This wasn’t the type of person they were used to meeting in Hake.

“A pleasure to meet you both. The Earl and I have heard the story of your duel at every meal the past few days,“ she said. The smile on her face never wavered but the edge in her voice told a different story. As if to dispel any doubt, Sirius ran forward and hugged her tightly before turning to them.

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Zeek rubbed the back of his head while Penny spoke for them. “The pleasure is ours, my lady. Will you be joining us for lunch?” Zeek was thankful to have his polite friend there; every response he thought of included a splash of sarcasm. Sirius’s stupidly innocent look made him hold back. The kid was clearly a momma’s boy.

“Yes, the earl will as well. Our servant will lead you to the gardens while I fetch him. Please make yourselves comfortable, I’ve been looking forward to meeting my son’s new friends,” she replied with the same stiff smile, before turning towards the staircase. Zeek heard Penny gulp as the woman walked away.

Oblivious, Sirius began waving them towards a back hall. The servant led the way into a garden in the center of the home, which was more of a giant square compound with a hollow center. Sirius took the opportunity to point out every painting from the freshest to the most worn and explain what each of his ancestors had accomplished.

Zeek and Penny nodded politely, realizing the young noble was genuinely trying to be friendly towards them. After a few minutes of delay, they took seats in the center of the garden. A table was set out with fine linens and shining white plates. The servant busied himself hurrying to and from another door with trays of finger sandwiches, pots of tea, a bottle of wine, and hot towels Zeek later learned were for washing your hands.

Sirius’s mother arrived shortly after with a wiry middle-aged man in tow. He wore a dark red vest over a black shirt and pants. A pin on his chest carved of gold formed the same symbol as Zeek’s, but with three green gems encrusted across the top. He had trimmed blonde hair, like the knights’ military haircuts, but his face was softer and relaxed. He had the air of a scholar, not a warrior.

Sirius stood as his father approached and Zeek and Penny mimicked him, but the Earl waved his hand for them to sit. He took the chair across from Zeek after guiding his wife into her seat. Zeek couldn’t help but flicker on his mana vision; this was his first encounter with an archmage, after all.

Zeek almost sputtered when he saw the mana patterns in the earl’s body. The light of his mana was much brighter than the journeyman mages he’d seen before, but it was so disjointed. A light flow went from his radiant center into his left arm, and the rest of his body was as normal as a non-mage’s. But his right arm matched his core’s intensity completely, the mana racing back and forth. It felt so much denser than anything he’d seen so far. The earl glanced at him briefly but said nothing.

“Welcome to my home. I’m Turginet Yenson, Earl of Numera. But save the formalities for court, Turgi is much less of a mouthful,“ he chuckled at his own joke.

“Thanks for having us, Earl Yenson,“ Penny replied.

“Great place you have here, Turgi,“ Zeek said. Sirius actually blushed, and his mother stiffened. The earl just laughed as a servant began pouring tea and distributing food.

“Thank you, young man. Are you the Zeek I’ve heard so much about?” he asked.

“Yep,“ Zeek replied.

“Then let me thank you again for beating some sense into Sirius. I’m very excited to hear your perspective on the duel.“ He grinned as Sirius blushed again. What a strange guy, Zeek thought.

“Zeek is very sorry for that, aren’t you, Zeek?” Penny started. Zeek of course ignored her, as did the earl.

“I’m surprised you aren’t angry,“ Zeek replied.

“Not at all, we’re a family of war mages, after all. You know the most common way new war mages die?” the earl asked. Zeek shook his head.

“Overconfidence. They tend to be top of their class in the academy. The first to learn spells and they learn more variations than the crafters. They end up going to fight with a skewed understanding of their power. All it takes is one arrow slipping by, and that’s it,” the earl explained. His wife scowled very briefly, but long enough for Zeek to notice it. Sirius was fidgeting with his food.

“Father, you’re so fatalistic,“ he whined. The earl scoffed.

“You remind me of Old John. He had a lot of advice like that,” Zeek remarked.

“Oh, John Sampson?” the earl asked.

“Yeah, he escorted me and Penny here. He agreed to let me join in the knights’ bootcamp next week.”

“Didn’t tell you his rank, I bet. He’s annoyingly humble, that one, but he’s one of the finest trainers our kingdom has. And a decorated veteran.”

“Rank?” Penny asked.

“John Sampson, Knight Captain of the Order of the Willow. Did he ever say some sage-like thing about bending branches?” Earl Yenson asked.

“No, why?” Zeek wondered.

“It’s the motto of their order. The strong branch bends with the wind,“ Sirius explained, the earl nodding along.

“Brutish man, but excellent with a sword. He’s kept the earl safe many times,” Lady Yenson added.

“Yes, I know him well. But tell me more of the bootcamp. I’ve never heard of a mage attending one. What brought that about?” Earl Yenson asked.

“The knights were training every morning, so I asked to join them. Old John said he’d show me a few techniques if I agreed to participate.”

“Young man, that was one of the best choices you could make. The war mage self-defense course is paltry, and the academy has resisted every attempt to force swordsmanship on perspective mages,” Earl Yenson explained.

“Really? Old John said something similar, but I couldn’t figure out why.”

“Well, the most common defense is it takes time away from mastering spells. But that’s not the real reason. Any graduate knows we have to spend considerable time resting between spell training sessions. It’s more a matter of old fogeys, unlike myself, who believe a uniform army is best,” Earl Yenson replied.

“You don’t agree, Father?” Sirius asked. Lady Yenson shifted in her chair.

“It’s been probably a century since we’ve had a war. Plenty of skirmishes now and again, but none of the battles you read about in textbooks. Our tactics are all developed around a frontline with mages in the back under protection. And we obey a very strict chain of command. There are a few of us who, with our experience, think the tactics are outdated.”

“What would you do differently?” Zeek asked. Lady Yenson audibly groaned this time. Apparently this was a favorite topic of the earl, who appeared almost gleeful as he finished his sip of tea.

“Two things. First, central command-oriented tactics are great in big wars when you need to churn out soldiers quickly. Everyone must learn less to become effective quickly, but several records show the issue with that method. If a line falls apart, or the command is killed, the battle is lost. So I’ve been lobbying for a mission-based structure. Soldiers and mages grouped into smaller units who execute tasks but have high levels of freedom in how they do it. It takes longer to train them, but the monster kill requests are the perfect place for that,” Earl Yenson explained.

“So if one group falls, everyone else can continue to function,” Penny remarked.

“Exactly! My second proposition is to train soldiers and mages more broadly since they’d be filling different roles. Mages should learn swordsmanship and knights should add a course on archery and woodcraft to round out their capabilities. It would take longer to train them, but it’s time we have. The surrounding countries have been relatively peaceful for decades now. Well, relative to the past, that is.”

“I can’t imagine my sweet Sirius holding a sword. It offends the nobility of mages,“ Lady Yenson said. The earl just frowned.

“That’s because you’ve never been surrounded by beasts and out of mana. That sword you hate has kept me alive more than a few times in my early days,” he chided.

Lady Yenson turned her head away from him before replying. “I’ll go check on the kitchen. Our food is coming out slowly.”

“Go help your mother, Sirius, I’ll keep the guests entertained,” Earl Yenson ordered. Sirius didn’t seem to notice the tension and nodded absently while following behind her.

“We’re sorry if we brought up a sore subject, sir,” Penny said quickly.

Earl Yenson waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it. She’s a great mother but overprotective of him. He never mentioned it, but I’m sure you met him when he was with his noble friends.” Zeek just laughed.

The earl sighed. “It’s always a struggle for houses like ours. We aren’t landowning nobles, so our title isn’t hereditary. Sirius is under great pressure to perform, meanwhile many like to cling to our house because of past accomplishments. They’re a terrible influence. A true noble’s lifestyle is basically guaranteed comfort. I’m ashamed to admit I went through the same phase as Sirius.”

“We don’t know anything about nobility, really. Our village was a week’s journey from the capital. No one ever met the noble who owned our land,” Penny explained.

“Well, you’re about to get a real education then. But don’t let it bother you too much. One of the benefits of magic is your accomplishments are worth more than your title,” Earl Yenson replied.

Zeek wanted to steer the conversation away from nobility. “By the way, Old John mentioned a few archmages who learned the sword. Are you one of them?” he asked.

Earl Yenson chuckled. “John would probably say I’d learned a few tricks but not enough. He’s talking about others.”

“Are there many archmages in Numera?”

“Not many. Some are archmages of the crafters, I’m not sure how many of them are around. In the Order of War Magic, there are a dozen of us,” Earl Yenson answered.

“Is that a lot?” Penny asked.

“A bit more than the surrounding countries have, but our order is similarly sized to the rest.” Zeek nodded as he listened; that was consistent with Archi’s explanation.

“So Zeek,“ the earl said while buttering a piece of bread, “you can move your mana a bit already.”

Zeek choked on his sandwich. Penny handed him a glass of water as she rolled her eyes, as if to say playing with fire only led to getting burnt. The earl found the entire exchange amusing, based on his cheeky grin.

“How can you be so sure?” Zeek challenged.

“I felt it when you first sat down.”

“You can feel mana without touch?” Zeek asked.

“Archmages get a sense for it over time. We tend to advance our magic further than others. Besides, you’re using it instinctually. Sirius told me you moved as fast as an experienced knight during your duel,” Earl Yenson explained.

Penny kept a straight face while Zeek lied. “My recruiter said I unlocked it. But I don’t have much control over what it does.”

The earl nodded knowingly.

“It happens in prodigious mages. In very rare cases, mages can use mana to increase their bodies’ capabilities. That archmage who learned the sword figured out how to do it, which is one of several reasons why he’s the strongest of us. If you become a war mage, he might even be able to give you advice.”

“A friend told me war mages die young,“ Zeek replied. The earl clicked his tongue as his eyebrows slanted together.

“How frustrating. It’s more dangerous than sitting in the capital, but not any more than a farmer living on the edge of wilderness. And the rewards are much better. But I won’t reveal your secret if you decide to pursue something else,” Earl Yenson said.

“Why not?”

“Because you’re going to do me a favor.”

“What favor?”

“Take Sirius to that bootcamp with you…and convince him not to tell his mother,“ Earl Yenson smiled.

“Not giving me a great impression of nobles, Turgi,“ Zeek replied, and the old man began to laugh.

The book vibrated in Zeek’s pocket, but the archmage didn’t react.