Chapter 57: A New Lesson (2)
The black-haired girl was simply outraged. She belonged to one of the ancient noble families, admired and respected throughout the Griffon Kingdom. She had always been treated like a princess of royal blood, no one had ever dared disrespect her.
Now, not only did she have to endure all those harsh words, but she also had no way to bite back at Professor Vastor. Threatening a mage belonging to an academy, was like spitting towards the sky, it would always backfire.
All he had to do to put an end to her career as a healer was to give her a bad evaluation. Having five siblings and being at the bottom of the line of succession, magic was her only redeeming feature.
She could only swallow her pride and answer:
"The lower tiers of light magic have two insurmountable limits. The first being that light magic can only enhance the recovery of the patient. If they suffered from an excessive blood loss or are already on the verge of death, healing magic is useless.
"The second limit…"
"Okay, enough. Your turn, edgy face." He cut her short, pointing his finger at Lith.
"The second limit is that it cannot regrow lost body parts, be it organs or limbs. Clean cut fingers or extremities can be reattached, but only if well preserved and within an hour from the amputation."
"Correct and correct!" Vastor almost sounded disappointed.
"Now, who can tell me how, hypothetically, the first issue could be solved?" Everyone raised his hand, once again.
"You, with the pauper face." He said to a petite girl with long brown hair, sitting a few desks away from Lith. Because of her small and scrawny build, it was hard to imagine her being twelve year old, she barely looked like she was a day past eight.
Clearly, she had suffered from malnutrition for a long time. Lith's sixth sense told him that the academy's uniform was probably the first pretty clothes she had ever had.
With all the stress from her first day of academy, the threats and insults from Professor Vastor had been the last straw for her. When she tried to answer, only hiccups came out, she was fighting back her tears.
'What a d*ck.' Lith thought.
His hand instinctively played with the Ballot, but he didn't activate it. It was her problem, not his. She had done nothing for him when he had been bullied twice that morning, so Lith had no reason to bother helping her.
His movements, though, didn't escape Professor Vastor's eyes.
'Oh, for f*ck's sake! I had almost forgotten about the bum with the Ballot. If that thing is recording and he bothers reporting me to the Headmaster, I will be in deep sh*t.
'Linjos has made it crystal clear that professors' tough love is now considered bullying, and has tried more than once to fire me. He's just waiting for an excuse to replace me with one of his angry lackeys. Dammit, I'm too old to lose such a good job.'
"I'm so sorry, young miss. I didn't mean to offend you. There, there. Take your time before answering." His voice was suddenly all milk and honey, offering her a handkerchief from his chest pocket.
Despite her frail looks, she needed but a second to compose herself.
"The only way to do it…" she replied sniffling from time to time.
"…would be to somehow infuse the patient with an external source of life force. But that's impossible. I worked as a healer since I was six years old, I've tried countless spells and always failed.
"Light magic cannot create or pass energy, only nourish what is already there."
The whole class nodded.
'Heck if I know.' Lith thought. 'The only patients I have ever failed were those that arrived too late to be saved. Not even my true magic could transfuse life force.'
"Correct, young miss!" This time he sounded genuinely happy, the class was starting to think he suffered from severe mood swings.
"And don't worry, here at the light department we will fix your growth problem in a snap, you have my word." After making sure that he was out of the hole he had dug for himself, he resumed using his snarky tone.
"The little one is right, light magic cannot do it. No matter how talented the mage or how complex the spell, it's impossible. Yet tier four light magic can. Anyone want to take an educated guess?"
The classroom fell silent, no hand was raised.
Professor Vastor sneered at their ignorance, puffing out his chest.
"Oh, oh, oh! Seems you still have much to learn. But you have come to the right place. The answer is: it's only possible by mixing it with darkness magic"
"What?"
"How?"
"The f*ck?"
Professor Vastor ignored their shocked expression and the exclamations filling the classroom. He waved his hands in the air, generating with first magic a black and white circle identical to Earth's representation of Yin and Yang.
"The greatest legacy left to us from Magus Silverwing, is the knowledge that light and darkness magic are but one. They perpetually dance together in all things. When one pushes, the other pulls.
"When light steps forward, darkness steps backwards and vice versa. When they are in harmony life thrives, otherwise only death awaits. The key to tier four light magic is weaving them together.
"Dark magic takes the energy from the donor, while light magic allows it to enter the patient's body without a backlash. Balancing them is the key to success."
'F*ck me sideways!' Lith thought. 'How can I be so stupid? I read that goddamn book hundreds of times, I should have understood this years ago by myself. I wish I was more talented in magic, or at least smarter.'
'Hey, that's offensive!' Solus rebuked. 'I'm way smarter than you, and I have failed nonetheless. The real problem is that our approach to magic is too naïve. By my maker, I hate feeling so useless. If only I still had my memories…'
"Excuse me, Professor, I have a question." Snob face awoke them from their self -pity moment.
"If here at the White Griffon we mix light and dark magic together for healing, what's the difference between us and the Black Griffon? Can't they do the same?"
"The difference, dear snob face, lies in the purpose. Here at the White Griffon, we are proud of our light magic department, where we can cure almost everything.
"At the Black Griffon, they specialize in destroying things."
The rest of the hour Professor Vastor showed them again and again the simplest tier four light magic spell until everyone was capable of performing it.
The fastest students turned out to be young miss, an arrogant faced kid, snob face, and edgy face, in this order.
Lith had done his best. He needed to experience the spell with fake magic, before being able to reproduce and enhance it with true magic. Yet he ended up in fourth place.
After that, Professor Vastor opened a Warp Steps that brought them right outside the academy's hospital.
'Lith, by keeping the portal open for so long, the Professor gave me the time I needed to clear its mystery. The reason why the staff can create them with such ease is because of the ring with the academy's insignia they wear.
'The whole castle is a giant artifact, they simply use the rings to tap into its powers. If your uniform has so many functions, I can't even imagine what something as big and powerful as this building can do.'
Lith didn't reply, he just wondered how powerful Solus could be, compared to the academy, if she regained her old power. He had only found mentions of magic towers in fairy tales, and they were described as something unfathomable.
According to the lore, within their own magic tower, a mage was nigh omnipotent. But fairy tales also told about fairy godmothers, elves, sprites and happy endings, and he had yet to meet someone that took any of those things seriously.
When he had spoken about them with Nana, Lark and the Marchioness, they had all mocked him for his childish daydreams.
When the students entered through the double doors, they found it hard to believe to their eyes.
The academy's hospital ward would put any Earth's hospital to shame. The floors were able to self-clean, the beds would move and massage the patients' bodies to avoid bedsores, and they constantly monitored their vitals.
The air was fresh and clean, free from the smell of disinfectants that usually plagues these kinds of places. Everything looked more like out of a celebrity resort rather than a place where people went to die.
"What a marvel of magic!" Said the arrogant faced boy from before, a fifteen-year-old 1.65 meters (5'5") tall with red hair. "But I suppose it was to be expected, since you were the one designing the whole thing, Professor Vastor."
"Yurial, my boy!" Professor Vastor finally recognized him.
"Long time no see. How is your old man, Deirus? Being an archmage is a big burden, you must be ready to step in and help him as soon as possible."
"My dad is doing fine, thank you. I'll send him your regards. With your help I'm sure I will be able to keep the family tradition."
"But of course! Mage bloodlines are highly treasured here at the light department. I hope you'll show all those snotty nobles and poor commoners what a true magician is made of."
'I stand corrected.' Lith thought. 'He does discriminate, just not the way I am used to. He seems to be a sucker to magical families instead of noble ones. I guess not every Professor can be like Trasque or Nalear.'
Just thinking her name sent a warm feeling throughout his body that Lith hastily suppressed. He despised himself for his weak, hormonal body, wasting his precious time and energies on teenage delusions.
Lith could not afford any slip-ups, the trial round was about to begin, and he was determined to shine among his peers.
Chapter 58: The Importance Of Status
Professor Vastor was true to his word. He brought them to the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and asked them in turns to diagnose the nature of the patients' condition.
Vastor would take notes about their answers, to confront them with the charts. He wasn't allowed to give them scores on their first day, but he didn't hesitate to harshly reprimand those who missed any detail, humiliating them in front of the class.
Because of the nature of the task, the class was split into two groups right after each one of them had examined their first patient. The following rounds allowed Vastor to further split the groups based on the students' degree of expertise.
The first group was comprised of those who had chosen the Master healer specialization, lured in by the prestige the title implied. Yet they lacked either any experience in the healer practice or the resources to have a proper tutor to make up for it.
Vastor was immediately able to spot them since they were only able to use Vinire Rad Tu, the ubiquitous tier one diagnostic spell.
In the second group, instead, there were snob face, edgy face, young miss, Yurial, and all those who had a diagnostic personal spell at their disposal or even more than one.
Much to his surprise, the archmage's son Yurial was equaled in talent and precision to the snob faced girl, while the young miss and the edgy faced kid ran circles around them, standing out like hawks among crows.
Edgy face, especially, had proven to be capable of finding minor details, that even the academy's Master healers had missed in their diagnosis. It was nothing big, but he was also able to suggest ways to improve their prognosis, hastening the healing process.
Vastor hadn't reached his age and social standing by letting something insignificant, like his personal prejudices or preferences, stand in the way of his best interests.
'Commoners or not, those two smell of success. Even that snotty faced brat is damn good. She is able to hold her ground against a pureblood like Yurial. I have always been proud of my knack for recognizing true talent.
'I don't care if the spotlight I'm under is mine or someone else's. As long as I get to maintain my status and position, anything goes. I have to get in their good graces before anyone else.
'After they get famous, I would be a nobody. Right now, I'm their whole world. Time to jot down some names and remember them properly.'
"I'd say we have some winners." While talking to the top four students, Vastor's voice had lost any trace of sarcasm and disrespect. He spoke with a soft and amiable tone, like a grandfather talking to his beloved grandkids.
"Would you mind introducing yourself properly to the class? It would motivate them to work hard enough to compete with you all."
'If they are delusional enough to believe they even have a sliver of hope, of course.' He inwardly sneered.
In his mind, Vastor had already separated the cream from the milk, and the milk from the p*ss. He was merely being polite.
"My name is Friya Solivar." Like everyone else, she was wearing pants not a skirt, so while giving the curtsy she held up her robe instead.
"My mother is Duchess Solivar, I hope you have heard of her."
Vastor's eyebrow rose while he was racking his brain, trying to remember.
"Ah, yes. I heard only praises about how she managed to stop that terrible flood last year. Such an ingenious woman was bound to have a gifted daughter. I'm sure you have a bright future ahead of you."
He skipped Yurial, he doubted that even those boneheads could have missed him flaunting his status of archmage Deirus' heir.
After making a few gestures to one of his attendants, Vastor stood in front of the petite girl, smiling kindly.
"My name is Quylla from Cerea. I'm twelve years old." Quylla didn't know etiquette or how to introduce herself, so she just gave Vastor a deep bow while sharing what she deemed to be relevant.
"So young and yet so skilled! You truly are a diamond in the rough." Vastor received a bottle containing a purple liquid from his attendant, that he gifted to Quylla with a small bow.
"Here, this is one of the best tonics our Master Alchemists can prepare. Drink a glass of it every night before going to bed, and you'll grow up like a mushroom. I'm sure you'll become a beautiful lady."
Quylla took his bait, hook, line, and sinker, blushing up to her ears from the compliments. She had never received anything so precious in her life, so she held the bottle like a baby, stuttering her thanks.
Contrary to his expectations, edgy face had taken out his notebook, literally jotting down what the others had said. He made the brilliant move of using water magic to write instead of a pen.
'Perfect silent water magic. My gut never fails me.' Vastor's smile widened, he was sure to have struck a gold mine.
"Showing respect to your competitors is always a smart move, young man."
Following the etiquette books he had stored in Soluspedia, Lith took a step back, in a sign of respect towards Professor Vastor, before performing a deep bow.
"I always write down everything that's significant, to make it easier to remember. The three of them are the only ones worthy of attention, after all."
After the poor first impression he made during Professor Nalear's class, Lith was brimming with confidence. Thanks to Invigoration, he was certain to have performed better than anyone else.
For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like the proverbial frog in the well. He had finally found something he was actually the best at.
After the way his classmates had treated him, Lith didn't care to keep up the appearances of civility. He was already a pariah, someone they threw trash at without care. He had nothing to lose anymore.
Lith would treat them exactly as they had treated him, with spite and showing no mercy.
"My name is Lith from Lutia. I'm twelve years old too."
"Twelve years? Lith?" Lith was already taller than him, (AN: Lith is 1.6 m aka 5'3" high) so Vastor had failed to recognize him.
"I've heard so much about you. Heck, everyone here has. Guys…" He was allegedly talking to the whole class, but he looked only at the other three, to make sure they paid attention.
"…Lith, here, is the one that cracked the so-called 'curse', a unique poison that had eluded even the best of us. Have you heard about it?" Friya and Yurial nodded, whereas Quylla and many others shook their heads.
Vastor's heart bled at the idea of wasting so much paper, but he couldn't make a single copy of the report just for Quylla. The other students would have complained about such blatant discrimination.
While his attendant was handing the reports, he kept tending to his gold mine.
"A twelve-year-old hexacaster, with great talent in light magic to boot, that's how he got his admission."
Between his build, height, and everything they had learned in the last minutes, Lith's classmates were looking at him with new eyes, even a hint of respect. Friya and Yurial regretted what they had done earlier.
If instead of throwing trash at him they had managed to get in his good books, maybe he could have taught them so much. For a second, Friya thought that she was the only one to have another chance.
After what happened earlier, this Lith was clearly sensitive to feminine charms, and she was quite pretty. But when she smiled at him, opening her mouth to start chatting, he looked at her with such a cold glare that it sent shivers down her spine.
His eyes were empty, like those of a predator that's about to rip its prey apart. Friya swallowed back her hopes and pretended that nothing had happened.
"Lith, my boy, you should smile more. If you keep glaring at everyone, how could they ever notice how handsome you are?" Vastor patted his shoulder.
'Me? Handsome? What a bootlicker! How can he even think I didn't notice his 180° turn of attitude?' Lith thought.
'I think he knows you did, he just hopes you don't care. Solus replied. 'As for the handsome, yeah, you are not at Trasque's level, but maybe if you dropped the teenage serial killer look…'
Quylla too was regretting what had happened earlier, but for entirely different reasons. She didn't do anything against Lith, but she hadn't helped him either. Like the others, she had always kept her distance.
In hindsight, she should have helped a fellow commoner of her own age. But he was tall and scary, so she mistook him for a noble. On top of that, her classmates scared her even more.
"Well, enough with the rounds, I've already got what I need. Let me show you all where the real magic happens."
Vastor walked them through a few corridors and into another ward. The plaque above the door was self-explanatory "Missing Limbs".
"As you should have realized, this is where we move the patients that have lost one or more limbs after stabilizing their conditions. We can actually regrow them from scratch, but it's a long and difficult spell. Follow me."
The ward was almost empty, only a couple of beds were occupied. Unlike the ICU, it was filled with flowers and magical paintings, making the atmosphere soothing and pleasant. The walls were magic frescos, depicting sunny woods that were so vivid that they seemed real.
Professor Vastor brought them around the bed of a twenty something year old blonde guy, who was missing most of his right arm. Only a small stump remained.
"Students, allow me to introduce you to captain Zarran. He lost his arm in a skirmish against the Gorgon Empire while defending the northern borders of our Kingdom."
The man was clearly embarrassed. Unlike most of the ICU patients, he was awake and clear-headed. Despite the fact that they were politely greeting him, he couldn't help but feel like a horse at the market, ready to be probed and examined mercilessly.
Suddenly, the ward's double doors opened again. The man who walked in drew the attention of all the staff and almost all students. From their gasps of admiration, Lith could deduce that he was either Professor Marth or Manohar.
'Bright blue mana core.' Solus pointed out. 'My money is on him being Marth.'
'Not accepting the bet.' Lith replied.
"Professor Marth, so nice to see you." Vastor said with a smile from ear to ear.
"I was just about to explain to the fourth-year students about the regrowth procedure. Do you want to do the honors?"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Legion20
Legion20
I have good and bad news. The good news is that in the next chapter will appear together 2 cameo characters that until this point have only been mentioned. The bad news is that unless a miracle happens, tomorrow i will upload no chapter.
Life has kicked me quite hard today and idk if I manage to recover in time.
Sorry, guys, finger crossed.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
2,336 Power
stone 
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