Chapter 12 - The Unveiling

My room was located on a fourth floor, at the end of the corridor I saw a great double-doors that led to my suite, they were made of polished wood and had striking, ornamental handles resembling dragons. The entrance was just magnificent.

Clothilde went ahead and opened the way, making me wonder from where a big ornamental key did come from. Head Maid entered the apartment and taken a long, careful look at the furnishings.

-" Your quarters appear to be satisfactory, Milady. " She said officially, as if it was the most casual thing ever.

I took a look around, impressed and unsteadied by the apparent splendour. My gaze wandered from richly embroidered blue carpet to intricately carved ebony set, of a table and chairs, then to walls covered by a panelling made of polished wood. I couldn't stop looking at everything - white silk curtains, metal chandeliers that had shining gems instead of candles, multiple cabinets, with glass windows, spread along the walls.

-' This is nothing short of palace quality... ' I froze in astonishment. -' I was expecting a sort of apartment, but something of this scale... not to mention that there are three more doors, no doubt leading to bedroom, study and servant quarters... '

-" Is something the matter, Milady. Do you, perchance, find the place not to your liking? " Clothilde's question brought me back to reality, also...

-' Was it my imagination or did I catch a barest hint of smugness from her? Can't be... must be my imagination for sure? ' I forcefully shook my head to get rid of unnecessary thoughts. -" That's not it, Head Maid. The place seems appropriate enough, I was just wondering about...tomorrow's activities. " I quickly came up with a question to cover my slip up.

Realizing that we were still standing at the entrance, I went into the room letting maids closed the doors behind me.

-" About that, Milady, Master entrusted me with a message and... certain other things for you. I took a liberty of depositing them in the study. " Clothilde informed me casually, making my eyebrows arch in surprise.

-' When did she do that? She was with me the whole time. Hmm, and why can I sense an ominous vibe there. Sheathing's not right! ' I tried hard, but couldn't track the source of my unease.

Deciding that standing there was a waste of time, I followed maid's direction and went into the study where I was welcomed by a grand writing desk made of brown wood. I could see a matching, intricately carved chair that was turned towards the fireplace located in the back of the room.

My gaze went back to the desk and a sizeable mountain of books that was laying on it. I went closer and noticed an envelope laying on the pile of books.

Impatiently I opened the letter, using ornamental letter opener that was laying nearby and neat rows of text spread before my eyes:

" Dear Apprentice,

I sincerely hope that you are in a good health while reading those words. I have gathered a veritable library for your convenience and I do hope that you will put it to a good use. I am aware that some aspects of the curriculum in the Academy may be considered lacking, therefore I urge you to not dwell on them too much and improve yourself beyond the scope of what's taught. To assist you...well, you should know that already. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours.

Yours Sincerely,

...

Ps I wonder if you know how hard to get and expensive those books are. "

-' Er? What? ', I could just feel imaginative question marks popping around me.

-' What did he meant with health and what should I know... ' Suddenly realizing something, I jumped to the side and fumbled for the knife, which was still securely stored in my pouch.

I gave a Clothilde an anxious look, but she was unfazed, calmly standing few meters away from me and not alarmed by my strange behaviour at all.

-" Took you long enough, or rather, pathetically long " An unfamiliar voice sounded from the throne like chair near the fireplace.

-" Initially I wanted to poison the letter or extend a *professional hug*...but I decided against it after you have saved me some trouble. " The person stood up and walked from behind the chair...

-" Y-you! " I stuttered.

-" Surprised? " He smiled smugly.

-" A bit. " I admitted and continued. -" I knew you are not a mere coachman, but I have taken you for a spy. "

-" Oho, so apart from pretty face and crafty tongue, you seem to have some good instincts after all. Anyway, lets get introductions out of the way, lately I am fond of the name Oliver and I will be supervising your education at the Academy. Unless, you had a change of heart and decided to become a Mage after all? " He spoke in a light tone while moving to sit on the desk.

-" Definitely not, I am very grateful for the assistance that you and Master are offering. Though one thing keeps gnawing at my mind - why everyone is treating Adventurers in a such ondescending manner? Is it limited to the Kingdom of Gis or is there more to it? " I decided to voice a question that was on my mind for a long time.

-" Hmm, a peculiar question... ", Oliver had a thoughtful expression on his face. -" Though a really important one, I guess it all goes back to the older days. Adventurers back then were much stronger, don't get me wrong there are still some powerful ones showing up from time to time, but it all boils down to quality, the adventurers that started appearing lately are much more...unprepared and stranger. "

-" What do you mean stranger? " I asked, curious.

-" Well you do not die, do you? " He stated in a heavy voice.

I was shocked by the question and shook my head a bit. I didn't expect AI to worry about such things.

-" And you disappear from time to time...I guess that's as much as I can say. " He added, somehow his voice grew wary at the end.

-" What do you mean? Can say? " I kept gathering details.

-" Its all related to the Will of the Gods, in olden times Gods called forth their Champions to spread their influence across the world. Long story short, they fought, world shook, terrible magics were unleashed and priceful pacts struck. In the end Gods removed their direct influence from the devastated world, leaving only apostles of faith, priests, which can call forth barest of Gods touches. " He gave me a strange look.

-" Let me guess...the Champions are still being summoned, but you call them Adventurers, as they no longer have a divine purpose? " I finished in astonished voice.

-" Correct, though you will not find any that will talk about those things. " Oliver stated matter-of-factly.

-" Why? You do. "

-" Those who dig too much into Godly works risk their Wrath, and it is a truly terrifying thing, I assure you. I told you much, hopefuly enough to stop you from further pursuing the subject. Also, before you ask... " He raised a palm to stop me from asking a question. -' That's the main reason why I or anyone will not want to know what happens during the time you are away. " Oliver seemed really concerned with the Wrath part.

-" You have mentioned that Adventurers are different now, what did you mean? " I decided to change subject slightly.

-" Hmm, Adventurers have ceased to arrive around 5 years ago. Some treated it as a sign, while others ignored it. As far as I am concerned nothing changed. Whether one arrives from beyond the city or beyond the world, it's all the same just another stranger. Though the difference is there, new Adventurers seem to be immortal and are back after few days after being killed. That, and most of them

seem really...out of place, some are just like children, other seem barely sane. "

-" That explains most of the attitude I guess, thank you for the explanation. If you ever wish to hear some explanation from my side please let me know and I will reciprocate as much as possible. "

-" That won't be necessary. Anyway, that detracted us quite heavily, let us focus on more mundane matters. As I mentioned, you have saved me a lot of effort by getting that Raghnall as your private tutor. I still find it quite amusing, especially considering your name. " Oliver spoke in a light hearted tone.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

His words finally lit warning signs in my head.

-" What's wrong with my name? Everyone keeps mentioning it. " I asked warily.

-" Well, telling everyone in general and Head Master specifically that you are *daring* requires certain kind of courage. Don't tell me you didn't know that almost every mage can translate that language? " Mocking tones could be heard in his last question.

With a hand over my face I had to fight really hard not to bang my head on the nearest wall...

He chuckled as he said:

-" Don't worry it's all good, as long as you can keep it up, that is. " His words were playful, but somehow I felt threatened by the remark.

-" Can we change the subject, please? " I asked in a weak voice.

-" Very well, we should focus on your training, otherwise I foresee tomorrow's class being...uneventful or rather unfruitful. " He mocked me again.

Dutifully I picked up the bait and asked in a deadpan voice:

-" What do you mean? "

-" I have seen great many mages and I dare say, that only a handful could cast half decent spell in that outfit of yours. "

-" Somehow I am sure that you already know the trick to get around that. " I responded cuefully.

-" As expected of the Daring One, straight to the point. " He kept the mocking tone and jumped from the desk, assuming a more direct pose.

-" I will not delve into spell casting, you have tomorrow's classes for that. What I want to teach you is that casting spells do have certain requirements, one of which is an ability to shape mana into spells. And that ability does not work properly if one is wearing magic inhibiting clothing. You can of course wear full plate armour without a speck of magical inhibition whatsoever, but what for? " He gave me an expectant look.

-" Do you mean to say that magic use is so prevalent? " I answered, noticing a satisfied expression on his face.

-" Precisely, from lowest guardsman to strongest hero, everyone is using mana in one way or another. While most are not that dangerous and you will be fine in your plate-mail, there are many who can strike through it like it's not even there... if it isn't reinforced that is. " Oliver kept giving me pointers instead of answers.

-" So how one casts a spell in such...richly decorated clothing? " I said and made a move that encompassed my silver embossed attire.

He smiled at that.

-" Actually, those decorations will be a way for you to cast spells. Your whole attire is infused with four tiers of Channeling Runes " As Oliver watched me he had a satisfied look on his plain face.

Knowledge that he couldn't see my face was a poor consolation, as his assumption that I was surprised was correct.

He raised his eyebrow mockingly before continuing:

-" I will not delve into details, suffice to say that three sets are in inactive state for now, leaving only the weakest active, or rather the easiest to use. As to the semantics, apart from constructing a spell inside your body, as you will be instructed tomorrow, you will need to learn how to include a runic formation into your... lets call it mana web. In theory it works in a way similar to wizard's staff, but instead of being a purely a power boosting implement it is actually a part of your...mana web. Have fun figuring that out tomorrow. " Oliver gave me a crooked, sadistic smile that transformed his unassuming face into a sinister mask.

-" Wait, what do you mean tomorrow? Weren't you going to teach me? " I asked with a premonition of doom.

-" Well, I am going to teach you, just not that. I am not a spell caster, and my role here is to supervise your growth, but I cannot work magic so you better learn fast, hopefully your teacher will be able to help you. By the way, do not mention other rune sets, if asked say that they are part of the protection web ", He explained in an apologetic voice, which did not match the smug look that he had on his face.

-" Could you, at least, explain how those Channeling Runes work? " I asked, hoping for some remark that would allow me to do some reverse engineering or something.

-" Well, I guess. But, after I do, we are square. " He said simply and shrugged.

I looked at him blankly.

-" Since I am not going to teach you any magic theory, I want to make it square. Therefore I told you about Adventurers and now about runes. I am not going to owe you any debts, especially since you seem awfully good at extorting them ", He said in a serious manner, and I couldn't decide whether I should be angry or flattered by his last statement.

I sighed.

-" I will take it as compliment. Please explain. "

-" As mentioned, most armours are infused with various properties that inhibit magic, to counteract that face Channeling runes were created. Mages incorporate them into their mana web, don't ask me about it, I just invented this term five minutes ago. Runes are crafted to work together with magical defences in a way that they are not inhibited. Unfortunately there is a downside, they require a certain amount of power to function, usually making even a weak spell quite mana intensive. Luckily power invested in runes is not lost, quite the opposite actually, runes seem to boost power levels of the spell substantially. I cannot provide exact specifics, but I was told that the weakest set of your runes should use from thirty to fifty percent more power than usual, while nearly doubling your power output. "

-" Wait, isn't it just plain broken? It means that not only are the spells stronger, but they are also more efficient. " I exclaimed, appealed.

He smiled at me.

-" Have you even wondered how much that one set of runes costs? Certainly it would be quite cheap even if it wasn't offering anything... not. Also, I bet it actually makes spells harder to cast, especially if weaker effect is desired. " He gave me a mocking bow at the end.

-' Great, just like freakin' Bat*an, best super power of all - money. ' I gritted my teeth in annoyance.

I was beating myself over the debt I had, which ceased to look like skyscraper and was awfully close to a space port of an off world shipping company...working overtime.

I hung my head in defeat.

-' That is just too cruel, I will be a slave in no time at all... '

-" Don't tell me you are down from just this much... " He asked mockingly.

-" . . . " I didn't grace him with an answer, just gave him a nod for goodbye and started to leave.

-" Hey, don't beat yourself over it, assassin services do not come cheap after all... "  He stopped, as he must have realized that saying that as an assassin and my tutor, was not helping.

-" I will retire for the night. " I informed Clothilde in an empty voice.

-" Yes, Milady. Please come this way. " she led me to a bedroom.

-" I bet you will be able to get it straight! I was in a debt too! I fumbled the job that one time and had to pay for services of two Masters so we don't loose face. Though it wasn't as bad as y... Master must have high expectatio... " The doors of the study were closed by maids, cutting him off.

I was really depressed, I let myself be undressed and laid to bed.

-' Maybe I should re-roll? ', I wondered briefly...

...But quickly dispelled the thought. I dreaded to admit it, but I grew quite used to that bod...I mean avatar...

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Hey~, Author's here~

How do you like *the Truth of the World* revealed? Let me know your thoughts.

Also, I would like to know if I am not too overbearing with amount of lore I am trying to push on you lately. Is it too much?, should I try to space it more?, I hope its not getting to the encyclopedic stage yet? QQ *shiver*

Still I hope you liked it...

Cheers,

Mea, the Scared Overlord

[ Wait! What? Who is getting annhilated?! Last time Author freaked up reality was bleeding supernovas left and right. Quickly somebody say something! ]

NEXT CHAPTER: Chapter 13 - The Meeting