"W-we went into a rally in this shady place. I swear I didn't want to go. They told us we could be as strong as nobles. Improve our classes. Get levels easily. T-they gave us those potions, but I swear, I told Vanira not to drink them," the boy said.

"Where was that?! Who were these people?!" Evelisse barked.

The boy retreated, seemingly scared of Evelisse's vines.

"Let me take care of this," I said, standing between them. I adopted the gentlest tone I could. "What is your name, boy?"

The mushroom kid was called Avry Oen-Nara, and he was a Herbalist with an exotic skill for growing magical fungi. Avry was a lanky sixteen-year-old kid trying to pass as an adult. He was Belya Nara's second cousin, so he opened up when I mentioned I had met the girl and she had given me a geode the last time I had seen her. Belya Nara was the cool cousin who discreetly dragged him away from the excruciating family events to hunt for geodes near the Inner Sea. Family dinners at the Nara household weren't pleasant occasions, it would seem.

Byrne was tactful enough to guide Evelisse outside the room when she started getting impatient due to Avry's long introduction.

"Is Vanira going to be okay?" Avry asked with a trembling voice.

That was the million-dollar question. I had drained enough mana from Vanira to quench her rage, but Corruption wasn't an affliction one could treat with magic or potions. Vanira's Corruption was even more advanced than mine, encroaching on her arms almost to her hands, and up her body to her neck.

"The Healers from the Nature Circle will know what to do. There's no better place in the kingdom to get injured than the Imperial Library."

Avry's eyes scanned the bedroom, and his shoulders dropped. The sight wasn't comforting. The furniture had been thrown into disarray, black scorch marks covered the floor and the walls, and the smell of smoke was almost unbearable.

I needed to keep Avry talking.

"The more information we have, the more we can help Vanira. What happened at the rally? Do you remember anything about the people at the rally? Where it was? Any other students that were present?"

Avry sighed.

"It happened a few weeks ago in an empty warehouse in the Eastern District. Vanira never said how she found out about it. Everyone wore peasant clothes. They told us to use masks, and Vanira was smart enough to make me dress like a commoner. It was impossible to tell the hosts apart from the other guests, as everyone was in the same crowd, and I couldn't tell who anyone was with the masks. The speaker stood out, standing on a little stage, but they were masked as well, so I have no idea who it was," he said. "I don't think there were any others like us."

"Us?"

"Nobles," Avry whispered. "It was an anti-noble rally. They were saying really scathing things about the Academy and the Library."

"And you didn't inform Grand Archivist Byrne?"

Avry retreated into his metaphorical shell, almost ashamed.

"Vanira told me not to."

My teacher's senses tingled.

"You like her?"

"N-no! I'm already betrothed to someone else. Vanira isn't a people person, but she's my friend. Everyone believes she is arrogant and rude, but she's not. She's just… direct. She may be critical of others, but only because she holds herself to the same high standards."

I expected Avry to be vaguely creepy, but for someone who worked with magical mushrooms, he was a very likable person. Despite all the signs of violence in Vanira's bedroom, he was maintaining his composure extremely well.

"Do you remember what they said during the rally?" I asked.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"The usual stuff. Things people don't usually say out loud. They spoke about nobles abusing commoners and using fear to control them. They said we nobles hoard all the resources in the kingdom, making things shittier for everybody else," Avry said, with a bitter tone. "I don't get it. They should be thankful to us. We let them cower in our castles and fortifications when monsters appear. Imagine! The nerve of some people!"

After my ordeal with the Marquis and Janus, I was sure the commoners' complaints weren't as outlandish as Avry made them seem. One way or another, that was how things worked on Ebros. People's value depended on their Class and level.

I was sure usefulness wasn't the best rule to measure humans.

"When the rally finished, they offered us these potions. They said they were special, that they would allow us to climb to the same heights nobles do," Avry explained. Suddenly, his voice turned bitter. "I told Vanira not to drink them. She doesn't need them. She's extremely talented. She just doesn't realize it."

I asked a few more questions, but Avry's knowledge was limited. He had only attended one rally. Either Vanira only got invited once, or she kept it a secret from the boy going forward. The amount of potions in her room made me think it was the latter. Finally, I summoned a map of the Eastern District, and Avry pointed out where the old warehouse was.

Even with [Invigoration], I was starting to feel the day's exhaustion weighing on my shoulders. I rubbed my eyes. The normal bedtime for Scholars must have passed already. I thanked Avry one last time and joined Byrne and Evelisse.

"What did you find out?" Evelisse asked as soon as I peeked through the door.

"Are anti-nobility movements common around here?" I asked back. "Avry was invited to one of them, but please, don't be harsh on him. He's a noble from top to bottom and believes those things are foolish—"

"They are," Evelisse interrupted me.

Byrne made a finger gun and put it against his head.

"The last peasant revolt was twenty years ago in the Eastern District. Since then, the monster activity has spiked, and any remaining mutineers have gone into hiding. As expected," Evelisse said, her words filled with poison. "There were rumors about a revolt two years ago, but in the end, nothing happened. Whatever plan they were concocting, it just fizzled. Do you think it is connected to the Energy Boost Potions?"

"Most certainly," I replied. "These potions were distributed at the rally, but I don't know if the rally organizers and potion distributors are the same group."

Evelisse let out a long sigh.

"Adrien told me you conducted a flawless investigation during his stay at Farcrest," she said. "Do you think you can take care of this? Discreetly?"

That was certainly outside the scope of my contract as Instructor, but I was going to do it either way. As much as I felt sympathy for the struggle of the common man, I wasn't going to let a bunch of potion dealers distribute dangerous substances among cadets. I suspected that whoever was behind the Energy Boost potions viewed the commoners as nothing more than a disposable resource.

The fact that the potions corrupted people couldn't be a random occurrence.

Evelisse wanted to keep the incident under wraps for a reason. The Academy and the Library were the heart of the royal family's power. Any scandal involving them could shake the kingdom's foundations, and the royalist faction needed all the credibility they could muster until the Farlands campaign was complete.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

One potion was relatively harmless, but taking many simultaneously had turned a regular non-combatant into a frenzied killing machine. I wondered if this was a targeted attack. Cadets and Novices from poorer backgrounds lived under a lot of pressure to survive in this overly competitive world. They were the perfect victim of this scheme.

Evelisse gave me a sharp glance.

"I will let you know as soon as I discover anything," I said. "Discreetly."

An hour later, I was on my way back to the Academy. I was tempted to use my wind powers to expedite the trip, but with the place on high alert, I wanted to avoid more trouble for the night. Elincia's warning echoed in my ears. You are a Prestige Class, be mindful of your powers. [Mirage] was always an option, but I wasn't testing my luck. The strongest warriors in the kingdom were concentrated in the Academy, which meant a few of them should have extremely powerful detection skills. Rhovan and his Knights would be glad to shoot me down under the pretense of a security breach.

The path into the teacher's bedrooms had a dozen more sets of stairs, so I decided to crash at the Cabbage House. The cabbages in the farm patch were covered in dew, and the sun was rising in the east when I reached the door.

I stretched my hand to grab the knob, but the door opened before I could touch it.

"Good morning, Leonie," I said, adopting my usual 'oblivious teacher' demeanor. "You are early today."

The girl jumped back like she had seen a ghost.

"We were just going to the mess hall for breakfast. We should have enough time to start training at the usual time, sir," the girl replied.

Leonie sounded twice as polite as usual. Behind her, the other cadets gave me similar overly-courteous greetings. Even Odo and Harwin greeted me like I was some sort of extension of the Stormvale Family, and those two seemed to believe that showing respect to anyone other than Malkah was equal to undermining their liege's honor.

"Everyone, come here. We need to talk."

I guided the cadets to the well. Maybe it was my exhausted expression, but they exchanged anxious glances, almost like I was there to scold them. Last night, I had hurried to my bedroom to get the Mage Killer Gloves before meeting Byrne, and so I didn't have time to properly congratulate them.

"First, I want to congratulate all of you on passing the selection exam. You have worked harder than any other Cadet in the Academy, and you deserve it. Still, I want to make a special acknowledgment," I said, clapping my hands and looking at the back of the group. "Harwin and Odo. What you did in the maze was beyond generous. You committed to the group's well-being even to your detriment. That can't be left unrecognized. Please, a round of applause for Harwin and Odo."

The henchmen blushed.

"W-we did only what was necessary for Lord Malkah to pass," Harwin said.

"Don't try to hide it. I was there, watching and listening. You two forfeited your totems so others could pass. If I remember it correctly, you said you should give your totems to Rup and her team," I said with a mischievous smile.

"No, we didn't!" Odo quickly replied.

"Certainly not," Harwin supported him.

"Having just two totems didn't get us anywhere."

"It was like wasting food for the sake of it."

Malkah was enjoying the show. It didn't escape my attention that he was the one who clapped the loudest. Being genuinely happy for others was a rare trait, even more so in this world where Class and Level usually generated more envy than admiration.

Rup raised her voice over the applause.

"So, you didn't think I could pass the exam, and decided to give me your scraps?" she said, squaring up. "Rup Jorven the Third will not take this kind of disrespect."

Odo stepped back, raising the palms of his hands.

"We don't like you either, but you are an asset to the Stormvale Family."

"Yeah, for a runt, your skills might be useful to Lord Malkah someday," Harwin added.

Rup punched Odo, but her wrist bent like the boy was made of concrete and she was made of butter. Odo didn't seem to recognize the punch as aggression.

"Second," I said, catching the cadet's attention again. Maybe it was my imagination, but their reaction time to my voice was faster than usual. "I know you are ecstatic about the results of the exam, but be cautious. Lord Astur pulled a massive stunt for the first selection exam. He is likely to do it again. Don't lower your guard and keep working like the biggest challenge is yet to come."

The cadets nodded. If the System's effect on Ebrosian society had a saving grace, it was that most people blindly believed in progress, no matter how small it was.

"Third," I said. "There have been dangerous potions circulating on the market. They are purple Energy Boost Potions. If you come in contact with them, don't consume them, and inform me immediately. Okay? That's all. You have the day off."

The cadets grinned and didn't wait for me to dismiss them before running towards the main building.

The sight of Vanira's corrupted body seemed to be burned in my eyes, but I decided not to spoil their party yet. I would have plenty of time to ask them about anti-nobility rallies and Energy Boost potions later. Now, I needed to rest for a while.

I entered the Cabbage House and put an old chair in the corner of the room. The cadets haven't yet taken their personal belongings back to the barracks in the main building. I made a mental note to remind them. Now that the most stressful part of the course was done, there was no reason to keep them away from the academy life anymore. Then, I closed my eyes and instantly fell asleep.

It felt like I had closed my eyes just for a second.

When I opened my eyes, Cabbage House was filled with the smell of baked dough. Talindra crouched by the hearth, her messy red hair tied in a precarious knot that looked one tug away from unraveling. Her fawn ears poked through the sides, moving and flickering to catch the sounds of the old house. A crude iron skillet rested on the embers. Talindra cut a piece of dough, flattened it with her fingers, and threw it into the skillet.

My inner clock told me exactly four hours had passed.

It wasn't lunchtime yet.

"Good morning," I said, pushing the heavy wool blanket away.

I had no memory of covering myself with it.

"Good morning," Talindra replied. "Breakfast?"

I stretched my back and approached the hearth.

"Did you make the kitchen gnomes angry or something?"

The kitchen personnel weren't keen on giving food outside the scheduled time, but we were in good standing with them. They had even delivered food directly to the Cabbage House more often than not. I didn't see why Talindra was cooking her own food.

"Sometimes I like to taste the flavors of home," Talindra said, using her vines to flip the skillet bread. "Before becoming a Silvan Witch, I was a small-time Herbalist in Mistwood. Most of our money came from dealing with herbs with the Alchemist Circle in Mariposa, so I spent most of the time in the woods alone."

Despite our success in yesterday's exam, she seemed worried.

I noticed that she was avoiding my eyes.

"Did you get in trouble with Grand Archivist Evelisse?" Talindra suddenly asked.

I got on guard.

"We met last night, yes."

Talindra let out a deep grunt and launched into a rapid stream of words.

"Grand Archivist Evelisse summoned me this morning for the first time since I became a Preceptor. She acted extremely nice and even offered me Embermint tea. Then she ordered me to keep an eye on you and inform her of your movements."

Talindra breathed deeply.

I smeared butter on the bread and took a bite. It tasted way nicer than I expected. The dough had a note of rosemary, oregano, and spring onions. No wonder this was Talindra's comfort food. It might have just become mine, too.

"Are you listening?" Talindra said.

"If you just betrayed the leader of your Circle and the aunt of Prince Adrien, then no, I didn't hear anything," I replied, holding a smile. Despite living with Risha and Astrid, I wasn't yet used to such demonstrations of loyalty. They made me feel inadequate. Still, I knew the only possible answer to someone's loyalty was to rise to their standards.

"She tasked me to spy on you!"

"I understood that part."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Talindra said, stomping her hoof.

"It does," I replied. "For starters, you are putting yourself in a compromising position for a dude you met a month ago."

Talindra massaged her temples like she was suffering from a chronic, persistent, and debilitating migraine—the migraine called Robert Clarke, probably.

"You are my friend!"

"And you are being irrational."

Talindra's expression changed from exasperated to angry.

"You don't get a say!"

"I'm pretty sure I have a say!"

Talindra's vine whipped my shins, but before I could complain, a powerful mana signature appeared near the cabbage patch. Someone was using strong wind magic outside. Talindra also seemed to detect it because his ears shifted towards the door.

"Lord Clarke, I have a message for you," a young man's voice reached us. "It's urgent."

I jumped to my feet.

"We are not finished, you… Clatterhoof!" Talindra whispered.

I opened the door to encounter a young man dressed in the black and yellow robe of the Magician Circle. He was an Adept, which meant the message was extremely urgent. The man pulled a piece of scroll from his tunic and handed it to me.

Vanira passed away. See me. ASAP—Samuel Byrne.

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