Matty smiled as he followed behind Luka. He believed that the young master was a magnet for trouble. Hence, Matty must be even more vigilant in protecting Altima's Godson from harm. The escort continued to hover behind like a persistent stalker.
Luka felt uncomfortable with Matty's closeness, but he couldn't do anything about it. After all, Pope Demetrius commanded Matty to serve as Luka's bodyguard at the academy. Thus, Luka tried his best to ignore his living shadow.
The new student slowly explored the offerings inside the library. Luka soon discovered that the first two levels covered recent history, law, and geography. The third floor dealt with magic tomes. When Luka tried to enter the fourth floor, a force field gently pushed him back. The two stone sculptures guarding the entrance came alive. "Child, you do not have permission to enter," the dragon guardian said in a cold, stony voice.
"Well then, how do I get permission?" Luka asked.
"The headmaster must adjust your student ID card," said the replica of a griffon.
"Thank you for informing me," the student replied and bowed politely. Luka turned around and descended the staircase back to the third floor. From his cursory examination of the bookshelves, the mage realized that this floor contained mostly introductory magic books with some intermediate-level material. Luka assumed that the librarians stored the advanced grimoires within the guarded section.
"Why don't you visit the headmaster and seek his permission to enter the fourth floor?" Matty suggested.
Luka shook his head. "I'm an incoming student, and this is only my first day of school. How can I persuade him to let me check the advanced material? Even I'm not convinced he would do so."
Matty laughed.
Suddenly, someone interrupted. "Shhh!"
The escort made an apologetic gesture toward the librarian.
Luka ignored the incident and focused his attention on the bookshelves. The visitor came across two surprising topics: leylines and astrology! The student decided to read an introductory book on each subject. He took a seat and began to read the leylines book.
When the reader opened the front cover, Luka saw a map of Zaleron and became astounded! Contrary to his assumption, this world was not a planet! Instead, it was a plane enriched with elemental energy. Moreover, the boundaries of this dimension resembled a jigsaw puzzle. Luka quickly closed the book and read the cover to learn the author's name: Sir Klatko Smolensky. He memorized this identity and decided to research the writer's works later on.
The mage then reopened the book and spent a fair amount of time studying the map. Luka noticed that many Life Trees stood along these magical lines. He assumed that the long-lived, sentient creatures used leylines as nutrients. The reader counted three dozen Trees of Life in total.
Luka wondered how accurate it was; he decided to travel and investigate these locations once he graduates from the academy.
About ten minutes later, Matty joined the table and began to read an intermediate book on herbology. He found it on the first floor. The material covered herbs and medicinal plants which grew outside Tirli City. Matty wished to search for and gather them if he had free time during the weekend. After all, his escort assignment only covered school days. Anyway, Matty assumed that Luka wouldn't want him to tag along on weekends.
The two stayed inside the library until the bell rang at noon. They returned the books to the shelf and departed the building.
Once outside, Luka brought out his pets again.
Bel jumped into his arms and stared directly into Luka's eyes. [Food!] The rabbit demanded with a crazed look.
Gripper rubbed his stomach for emphasis. Hoot!
"Yes, let's go to the mess hall," Matty agreed.
"Sure," Luka nodded and took a moment to recall the map of the campus. The navigator realized that the school cafeteria was southeast of the library. The leader turned his body and began to walk in that direction.
Many students traveled in the same direction and crowded the paths. However, when they noticed Bel and Gripper, the kids parted ways for Luka's group. "They beat up Rory's gang!" someone hissed aloud.
"Don't look at the animals if you want to keep your life!"
"That freshman defeated six upperclassmen by himself!"
"He looks so handsome! Beauty and brawn? Altima isn't fair!"
"That's the co-valedictorian of the incoming class! I thought he was just a nerd! Talk about looks being deceiving!"
"Is he going to start a group? If so, where do I sign up?"
Matty grinned as he listened to the loud chatter.
Bel and Gripper puffed out their chest and enjoyed the adoration from the crowd.
Luka rolled his eyes and ignored the comments. He soon found an open table. "Bel and Gripper, you guys should hold our seats. I'll get you some food."
[I want meat!] Bel demanded.
Hoot! Gripper agreed.
The two animals stretched their bodies and hogged multiple seats.
Some students watched with amusement from adjacent tables as Luka and Matty joined the long line for food. Troublemakers took the opportunity to approach.
"What are these foul beasts doing in the cafeteria?" a noble student asked haughtily.
"Someone should make them buzz off!" a lackey suggested. When he casually used his foot to kick the white rabbit off the chair, Bel returned a perfectly-timed kick to knock the boy back into the aristocrat.
"What are you doing, you buffoon?" the leader asked and pushed his follower away.
Luka and Matty noticed the bullying. When Luka tried to leave the line to defend his pets, his escort said, "I'll go."
Matty hurried over to the table and stood before Bel. He smiled politely and asked, "Why are you guys messing with my master's magical familiar?"
The lackey rejected the claim forcefully. "That's a stupid rabbit. There's no way it's a mage's familiar! Stop lying!"
The escort pulled out a medallion from under his shirt.
The students winced when they saw a coin depicting sunshine. They recognized the symbol as belonging to the Divine Church of Light!
Matty confirmed their suspicion when he said, "I swear in the name of Altima as her priest that this rabbit is the familiar of a mage."
"Let's go!" The aristocrat turned and led his group away. Many mages within the faculty owned magic beasts and often dined with their pets. Therefore, the school allowed these creatures to eat in the mess hall under the owner's supervision. If he tried to kick the rabbit out, the faculty would vehemently object in fear of this turning into a new school policy.
Matty decided to stand nearby in case other students tried to harass Luka's pets. He will join the food line again once Luka returns to the table.
Luka reappeared after approximately ten minutes carrying a tray containing three plates. Piles of meat stacking a foot high loaded two platters. The third plate included a normal portion of poultry and salad. Luka distributed a plate of beef to each animal. He sat down and watched as Matty returned to the line to order food. Thankfully, the customer line was much shorter now.
Luka was surprised to learn that the mess hall permitted only two food servings per student and charged extra if Luka took more; the school charged five gold daily for meals. He had to pay a gold coin for the third serving. Luka could not avoid this extravagant expense if he didn't wish to starve in the afternoon. Moreover, Luka was mindful of his duty under noblesse oblige to spend money at the academy.
The other students watched in amazement as the meat quickly disappeared in Bel's mouth. They couldn't understand where all that food went inside the small rabbit's body.
Matty eventually returned with a tray containing a bowl of oatmeal, a cup of milk, and an apple. He smiled at the dichotomy between a small meal for a big person and a big lunch for a small animal. The bodyguard finished his portion at the same time as the two pets. When a group of students approached, Matty braced for trouble again.
A student with a black stripe on his armband stepped
forward, bent a knee, and faced the floor. "Salutations, my lord. My name is Laslo Domonkos, the second son of the Domonkos count family with territory inside your duchy. I apologize for not greeting you sooner."
The group behind him knelt on the ground.
"Please get up. We're all students here, and our family backgrounds are irrelevant," Luka replied. He held out a hand and pulled Laslo to his feet. The count's child had straight blond hair that dropped to his chin and dark, emerald eyes. He possessed a tall, lanky frame but the elegance of an aristocrat. Luka then surveyed the uniforms of the gathered students and confirmed that they were all freshmen.
Another boy stepped forward to address his liege. His skin was a dark tan color, and his uniform barely contained his large, muscular frame. His raven, curly hair resembled bushes. "My name is Marius Nyland, third son of the Nyland baron family within your domain. We heard rumors that a freshman fought off a gang of upperclassmen by himself at the training grounds. And that person owns a rabbit and a gorilla. May I confirm your involvement in this brawl earlier?" he inquired politely.
"Your information is slightly inaccurate. Matty helped as well," Luka replied modestly and tilted his chin toward his bodyguard.
"My name is Matty. Regards," Matty introduced himself cheerfully.
"My lord, all of us are freshmen students and your vassals. We wish to serve you and protect you from retaliation by the upperclassmen gangs," Laslo pleaded.
Luka smiled faintly. "Matty, please show them your medallion," he requested.
The escort complied, and he heard gasps from the crowd.
"Pope Demetrius assigned Matty to accompany me while in school. Are you suggesting that the Divine Church of Light is an insufficient deterrence against troublemakers here? And you'll do better against them?" Luka wondered aloud.
"Of course not!" Laslo quickly denied and waved his hands. He looked around anxiously because he worried that someone would snitch on him to the church.
"I appreciate your loyalty to my Heavensfell duke house, and I wish to reciprocate your sentiments. If you run into trouble, you may seek my aid," Luka said generously.
"Thank you, Lord Heavensfell!" The vassals bowed deeply.
"Let's move along, guys! We're disturbing our lord's meal!" Laslo said and led his group out of the mess hall.
Matty hid his disappointment in Luka's rejection of his vassals' offer of assistance. Matty's persuasion failed, and Luka showed no desire to create and lead a faction at the academy.
Chapter 56
Training Maniac
After lunch, Luka returned to the library and devoted his time to exploring the third-floor bookshelves for new magic. He took two books to the table and began to read them. The first book focused on magic manipulation and provided mental exercises to improve the mage's control over his spells.
The second volume was far more erudite: a comprehensive classification system of all forms of magic known to exist. Wiseman Guerino proposed that magic be categorized with a Venn diagram because they followed the natural laws and overlapped. Moreover, the attribute system (air, water, fire, earth, light, and shadow) was harmful to young mages because it discouraged them from pursuing basic magic proficiency.
The writer believed that as long as a person inherited mana, he could perform any magic to a certain degree. But the author noted that some unfortunate children were born without mana, and he knew of no instance where they overcame this disability.
Luka felt fascinated by the author's ideas because they were too radical. Guerino believed in a holistic approach to teaching magic rather than force students to become specialized mages.
While Luka buried his head in books, Matty declined to do the same. Instead, he closed his eyes and meditated after a brief prayer to Altima. Ever since Matty finished his apprenticeship and became an official priest, the young man prayed to the goddess several times daily.
Matty was thankful to Altima for guiding his life. His parents were merchants but died on the road when they encountered bandits. His relatives took over the remaining assets and threw Matty out of the house. He lived in a church-run orphanage. Without their shelter, Matty would have joined street gangs and lived in the slums. Instead, he grew up healthy and became a respectable member of society.
Matty opened his eyes when the bell rang five times. He asked quietly, "Luka, are we having dinner soon? Although the kitchen closes at eight-thirty, we should go early to get a good seat."
Luka looked up from Wiseman Guerino's book with a frown because he wanted to spend more time reading. But Luka realized that if he delayed going to the mess hall, they might run out of seating by the time he arrives. Hence, Luka decided to go now. He closed the books and returned them to the shelves.
The group retraced their steps back to the mess hall to grab dinner. Since they arrived near the opening time, the place had few customers, and the service line was short.
Luka decided to avoid trouble by keeping his companions in dimensional storage until he grabbed a table. He chose a light meal of chicken noodle soup and bread for himself. Then he picked two servings of meatloaf for Bel and Gripper.
The cafeteria worker did a double-take and examined his customer more closely. The servant couldn't fathom how Luka would eat three servings by himself. He noticed the big kid standing next to Luka and assumed the meatloaf was for his friend. But when Matty chose a meal of fish and rice and nothing else, this forced the worker to reassess his assumption.
After Luka and Matty left the service line and sat at an empty table, the two animals joined them. Unbeknownst to the party, the curious employee's eyes followed them. When he saw Bel and Gripper eat the meatloaf, the worker shook his head at Luka's generosity. After all, the boy paid an extra gold coin to feed his pets. This sum of money was more than he could earn in a week. The cafeteria worker ignored them and focused on his work.
[That guy working at the food line stopped staring at us.] Bel noted. He already detected the servant's attention toward his group. But he felt no malice from the man and assumed the worker was curious about Bel and Gripper eating in the mess hall.
Luka ignored the remark because he feared that Bel was trying to create more trouble for him. Instead, Luka drank his soup at a faster pace.
Matty smiled because he assumed that the young lord was starving. "Would you like to try some fish?" he offered generously.
Luka shook his head but continued to eat his meal. He wasn't sure if Matty was joking or serious. Regardless, it was improper for a master to take from his servant. However, it would be okay if Luka gave Matty food because of their existing master-servant relationship.
Also, Luka offered aid to his vassals for a similar reason. Frankly, he wasn't familiar with their noble houses (since Luka went away for a ten-year apprenticeship). He assumed the students were truthful in describing their relationships with the Heavensfell family.
Luka waited in silence until Matty finished his meal. The fish had many tiny bones; therefore, his bodyguard spent more time to eat and avoid swallowing the fishbones. The group departed as the mess hall began to fill up with students.
Luka walked directly back to his Larkspur residence hall. When he arrived, Luka turned around and said, "Good night, Matty." He offered a friendly wave goodbye and entered the dormitory.
Drinara was in her office, which had a window to see visitors entering the lobby. She nodded politely at Luka. "We have a nine o'clock curfew. I won't do checks because I'm not your momma. But the dorm doors will close on time. If you return late, you'll be locked out and sleep outside," the dorm mother warned.
"I understand." The student walked up the first flight of stairs. Then he activated his Spatial Sense to confirm no one was around. Luka teleported directly into his room and let his pets leave their storage. They quickly claimed the large bed.
Luka sat at his desk, took out his school textbooks, and began to do his homework. The admission package included these books and syllabi for his classes, includi
ng arithmetic, history, law, geography, and writing. In other words, they were the topics covered in the entrance examination.
The student strongly desired to remain in the Elite Class for all three years of attendance. Therefore, he felt motivated to do his homework diligently. Luckily, the assignments were simple (for now), and he completed them by the eighth bell in the evening.
Luka decided to take a nap and asked Bel to wake him in an hour. Instead of joining the furry animals in bed, he slept at his desk.
Once the period expired, Bel woke him with a big slap on the back. Whack! [Good morning, sunshine!] The familiar greeted with an innocent face.
"I should know better than to ask for your help," Luka grumbled as he felt the heat in his back from Bel's hit. As he stretched his body, the master asked, "Did anyone visit my room?"
[Yes, your dorm mother checked on you. She saw you asleep at the desk. What a liar!] Bel snorted.
Luka nodded. The dorm mother tried to lull her residents into a false sense of security by declaring that Drinara won't conduct bed checks. Her action proved otherwise.
Luka also confirmed his hunch that Drinara possessed a master key to his room; thus, Luka needed to take extra precautions during the night. "I'm going to train for a while in the shadow realm. I need you to stay here and watch my room," he requested.
[Well, it's not like you keep valuables here but whatever.] Bel shrugged.
"I'm going to cast an illusion. You'll pretend to be me and asleep in the bed. Gripper will sit in a corner and catch anyone trespassing into my room," Luka explained his plan.
The rabbit rubbed his paws in anticipation. [I like it!] He jumped into bed and pulled a blanket over his body.
The mage cast an illusion on his bed; the caster took a moment to check his handiwork. Once Luka felt satisfied, he activated the Shadow Keystone and instantly arrived in his private realm. The owner looked around the courtyard and saw nothing unusual.
Luka summoned seven Improved Shadows and sent them mental instructions. He sought to re-enact the schoolyard brawl and figure out ways to improve his actions during combat. Luka felt displeased that someone tried to backstab him and wanted to explore ways to counter such activity. He admitted that kicking six students into a dogpile was showboating and inefficient. The fighter concluded that this action stretched out the encounter and created an opportunity for the backstab attempt.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 46