Night Training
“Shouldn't we stop that?”
Aidan had been assigned to the Magic Department. Partly because Eli was there, but mostly out of gratitude to Schuske, the senior student who had saved his life.
“I could help if you asked me to.”
“Leave it be. This sort of thing can't happen just once or twice, after all.”
Disputes between the Magic Department and the Theology Department breaking out every time the amal bloomed was a tradition as old as anyone could remember. For Schuske, a first-year, it was his first time witnessing it, but he'd heard enough about it from his department seniors to have his ears worn thin.
“Wasn't your department the one that needed the amal too? I know amallun is a precious ingredient, but letting the Theology Department monopolize it like this—that's just not right, if you ask me.”
“If they got this far, it means Professor Waite gave them permission. What grounds would we have to stop them?”
“What do you mean, no grounds? That guy is rude beyond rude. Who just walks up to someone and calls them an idiot? Argh, thinking about it again makes my blood boil!”
Bayul and Eli barely managed to grab Aidan by the arms as he turned to storm off.
“Hold it in, Aidan. We need to get out of here first. Schuske, you come too.”
Any longer, and a fight might break out again. Bayul and Eli quickly ushered their friends out of the clearing. Outside, as expected, the paired-off groups were already making their way back along the path they'd come.
“Professor, in there—”
“That's enough. We'll talk once we're out.”
Cutting off Schuske's words, Professor Waite blew his whistle. He was just as furious at the Theology Department's conduct, but right now, getting everyone safely out of the forest came first.
“Still, it's strange. The amal harvest could easily have been scheduled after the herbology class. It almost feels deliberate, like they wanted to disrupt the lesson.”
“Quinn, you've hit the nail on the head.”
“Huh?”
Eli's explanation was simple: the bishop of the temple and the head of the Magic Department didn't get along. The two had once been close friends, but word was that some incident had driven a wedge between them.
“That's the whole reason?”
“As far as I know.”
Nod.
When Schuske, walking ahead, gave a small bob of his head, Aidan's face twisted in disgust.
“It's not even much of a secret. They get into these ridiculously childish fights at every meeting. The Magic Department files a strong protest about the amal harvest every single time, but the Theology Department's influence is so strong that things always end up like this. Still, you guys got lucky. At least you actually saw the amal.”
“True. The students behind us walked all that way for nothing. I'd feel bad for them.”
“There'll be another chance next time.”
“Will that guy show up again too?”
“That guy?”
“The one who called me an idiot earlier. Grown tall as a beanpole, and with a face like a bad omen!”
“You mean Elaine?”
“Eh? Bayul, you know him?”
“I ran into him briefly when I was called to see Professor Rothius this morning. He seemed very polite and well-mannered at the time.”
“Well-mannered? Hey! Your eyes must be broken! That face is plastered with mischief from ear to ear—he looked like he had the foulest temper alive!”
Taking Bayul's reply as if he'd taken the man's side, Aidan worked himself up and started shouting. From somewhere far off, a whistle shrilled, as if to tell them to quiet down.
“Aidan, you're going to trip walking backward like that. Watch out!”
“Exactly. Stop looking back and walk straight ahead. Your temper's nothing to sneer at either, you know.”
“What's that supposed to mean? We're both foul-tempered, so that makes us the same kind of person—is that it?”
“Don't jump to conclusions. I was just saying you'll hurt yourself if you trip.”
“That's not at all what my ears heard.”
“What words could possibly sound pleasant to those ears of yours right now? I give up. I give up.”
Only after Eli finally surrendered did Aidan stop looking over his shoulder.
“Good job, Rai.”
“I did it on purpose, you know.”
At Bayul's praise, Eli whispered with a grin. Aidan shot the two of them a suspicious sidelong glance, but by then they had reached the entrance.
“Outside at last?”
Stepping out of the forest, warm sunlight wrapped around them, and smiles spread across their faces without any effort at all. The gloomy woods had never been to their taste. Standing in the sun, it felt as if every unpleasant thing that had happened inside was being blown away—that is, until a nasal voice cut through the moment.
“So now you crawl out?”
Bayul, who had been waiting with his eyes glued to the forest exit, watched Jared come stomping toward them in a towering rage.
“Want to go another round?”
There could be no more perfect target for venting frustration. Aidan stepped squarely in front of Jared.
“Get lost, pauper.”
“Why not finish what you were saying earlier? Calling me a thief, were you?”
“I'd love to, but that brute of yours keeps getting in my way.”
“Oh, you mean that beast thing?”
“That's the one! You wanna die?!”
With a coarse curse, Jared's fist came up. They'd been sniping at each other since the start of the semester, but it had never come to blows before—Bayul's little comparison must have stung worse than anyone realized.
“The professors will be out any minute now. If you're going to lunge at someone, go ahead and try. I'm ready for you.”
“You think I can't? Someone like you—”
“Jared!”
One of his gang came rushing over and grabbed his arm. At almost the same moment, the whistle sounded, announcing Professor Waite's emergence.
“Let go of me!”
“Did you forget you already got a demerit over the poison rose? Rack up another one here and you're in real trouble!”
“Who cares about some measly demerit? He dared compare me to a beast!”
Apparently, the wound to his delicate pride ran deep. Jerking against his friends' grip as if there could be no greater humiliation in the world, Jared glared daggers at Bayul. Just then, the whistle sounded again.
“What's all this racket? Everyone, line up properly!”
Now that they were out of the forest, a headcount was essential. Professor Waite moved down the line himself, counting off.
“Bayul, remember how lucky you are.”
If looks could kill, Jared would have been a murderer at that very moment. The boy stalked back to his spot wearing the expression of a man driven mad by injustice.
“He seems seriously pissed off.”
“Hm. He'll probably try something before long.”
Aidan and Eli could take care of themselves (Eli was even confident of winning), but Bayul was the problem. If someone was with him at all times, fine—but knowing Jared, he would absolutely strike the moment Bayul was alone.
“This won't do. Quinn, you do something about it.”
“...Why me?”
“You're the one who summoned the spirit, aren't you?”
“So?”
“What do you even have a spirit for if you're not going to use it? Put it to work!”
“...So what you're saying is, I should somehow arrange for this guy to be able to command spirits?”
That was the gist of Aidan's utterly pointless rambling. Quinn laughed hollowly at the absurdity of it all—and then Eli piled on.
“Ooh, that's a great idea. Jared can't see spirits, right? What if he mistakes it for a ghost and runs off screaming in terror?”
“Pfft—that sounds hilarious! Let's do it tonight! Right now, tonight!”
“...Um, is it really okay to use Innocent like that?”
“Of course it is! Your personal safety is on the line here. Have you never read about how mages fight? Fire and water flying everywhere! You should practice until you can do the same!”
“And here I thought I was supposed to be the harmonizer of the natural world...”
Bayul had never once imagined using spirits to fight anyone. All he had ever wanted was to be of help to someone.
“Bayul, scolding Jared is harmonizing the world. Can you really let a guy like that keep running rampant?”
“That's right! Exactly! Hear, hear!”
“By the way, where's Innocent? She's still not here? Where does she wander off to like that? Doesn't she get tired?”
“That's all well and good, but—do you have a place?”
“A place? What place?”
A headache was creeping in. Quinn pressed his temples hard and spoke slowly and deliberately.
“You said you wanted help learning to summon spirits. Where are you going to do it? You need a practice spot, don't you?”
It was a problem no one had thought of. Aidan and Eli went mute as if they'd rehearsed it together, and all Quinn could do was sigh.
“...Would the dorm room not work?”
“Too small. And crowded places aren't safe.”
Bayul was the greenest of beginners. If a water bomb went off mid-practice, the children nearby would be in danger. Bayul himself seemed incapable of even imagining such a thing happening—but Quinn could feel it. The sheer magnitude of the power slumbering inside that body.
“So what we need is a wide-open plot of land that no one ever visits. Somewhere safe...”
“How about the Water Garden? You know, the place Innocent loves. Too exposed?”
“The staff quarters can see it. It's right nearby.”
“Oh, right, that's true. Hmm, so where would be good?”
“Oh! I've got it!”
Aidan, who had been racking his brain with his chin in his hands, thrust his hand high into the air.
“Where?”
“Where is it?”
“Just follow me. It's an absolutely killer spot.”
Chapter 5 — Night Training
“Wow. It really is a killer spot.”
Bayul and his friends, following Aidan to the place in question, fell silent for a long moment. What lay before them was the liveliest, most dynamic scene they had witnessed in recent memory.
“Well? Plenty of room, right?”
“...Roomy, all right.”
“As you can see, there's hardly anyone here even in broad daylight. At night, there's nobody at all. It's absolutely perfect for training, isn't it?”
“Is it, though...?”
Eli stole a glance back at Bayul. It was ostensibly to ask the person concerned for his opinion, but there was a very particular wish shining in those eyes.
“Will no one really come by, even at night?”
“Anyone who's ever smelled this place once would never come back, I can promise you that.”
Answering Bayul's worry offhandedly, Quinn pulled out a handkerchief and clamped it over his nose. In his entire life, he had never encountered a stench so foul.
“You'll get used to it after a while. It smells a bit, sure, but you won't find a safer spot than this.”
“Is that all... their doing?”
By their, he meant the goats, pigs, chickens, and the rest of the livestock. Indeed it was. The killer spot Aidan had proudly led them to was a grazing pasture, where farm animals romped to their hearts' content.
“Loosen up those faces, all of you. Are they the only ones who poop? We eat and we expel too—it's the same for everyone.”
“I had no idea the Academy even had a place like this.”
“This is a very important place that provides you all with your daily bread, so take a good look.”
“Providing you, maybe. Why is it 'us all of a sudden'?”
“Because I'm a vegetarian.”
“Oh, right. That's true.”
Bayul had only learned it a few days ago, but Aidan didn't touch meat of any kind. When Bayul had asked him why, the boy had answered in exactly one sentence: Because it doesn't taste good.
“Still, if someone has to feed them and clean up after them, wouldn't the staff be in and out pretty often?”
“Worry not, dear friends. All of that gets handled during the day. These guys all get shut into the barn you see over there at night, so it'll be super convenient for training.”
“I really don't think it'll be convenient at all...”
There it was again—those eyes. This time, Eli gazed at Bayul brimming with desperate pleading.
Please say no. Please refuse. I'm begging you.
Bayul, caught in an impossible position, was still hemming and hawing when—unexpectedly—Quinn stepped forward.