Teatime II

"If you knew, then couldn't others as well?" Aena said slowly.

"I've erased all the medical records," she replied quickly. "They won't be able to find out. At least for now."

Instructor Willowsage sure was thorough, having thought of everything. It seemed like she really wanted to keep the affair under wraps. Still, Aena wasn't being told everything; even if it was supposedly for her own good, it still unnerved her.

"Why exactly was it unsafe for me to consume a high-grade mana potion?" Aena said, testing the limits of the information available to her.

Instructor Willowsage remained silent for a moment. When Aena was starting to get uncomfortable and thought she wouldn't answer, she finally responded.

"It didn't contain the additional component for meridian opening. It wasn't an awakening potion. The pain came from forceful meridian opening."

"What do you mean by meridian opening?" Aena asked, fiddling with her teacup, "weren't they already opened?"

"No. They weren't."

Silence descended upon them once again. Not even Cassidy's light sipping could be heard.

'I wasn't awakened?' Aena thought. 'But the aptitude test…' As the gears turned in Aena's head, realization dawned upon her. It didn't make sense, but then again, nothing really did right now. The aptitude test worked by sensing the condensed mana in one's body—it was strange to think about it that way, but one didn't really need the prerequisite of being awakened.

She had mana without meridians.

New questions arose from her revelation, but she knew she would get no answers from them. However, there was one question that pushed to the forefront: 'Why me?'

The question threatened to escape her throat, but Aena bit her lip in an attempt to keep it in, her hands cutting into the edge of the teacup.

Sensing that Aena was lost in thought, Instructor Willowsage cleared her throat to change the topic.

"As you have probably been told, there is an academy-wide test that is scheduled to be held in a month's time."

The first examination. It wasn't an individual trial like the entrance exam but covered a broader scope of skills. Aena wasn't really sure about the details, as they changed every year, but it was always a blend of a standard tournament with some game that she imagined an old geezer who had too much time on their hands designed.

"Your mana is distinctive, so stay away from casting any spells during that time," she advised.

"Actually this is not just advice—I forbid you from doing so. Period," she said with a commanding edge in her voice.

Aena frowned. Although she was a newly learned mage, she was still a mage. If she couldn't cast spells, what could she do? Run around dodging projectiles like a headless chicken? Plus, she needed to do well in this tournament. She had to.

Sensing Aena's hesitation, Instructor Willowsage said, "Which is more important: your life or your achievements?"

Aena was a rational person. Although Instructor Willowsage was most likely exaggerating, it was undeniable that it still held a risk. It appeared she would have to find another way besides the examination to reach her goals. She sighed.

"But," Instructor Willowsage continued, "that doesn't mean you'll be absolutely defenseless."

What did that mean? Let someone carry her?

"You can still wield a weapon, can't you?"

That… didn't exactly seem very promising to Aena. She had never wielded any sort of armament in her life. She did develop fast reactions and some level of agility, but she was nowhere close to matching people who had practiced a weapon art since birth.

She would be like a lamb on a battlefield of wolves.

"You can still use mana though."

'Oh?' Aena's ears perked up at that. So there was a way around it.

"Internal mana signatures don't leave a trace in the air, so you can imbue an object to increase its innate abilities," Instructor Willowsage explained. "Weight, speed, piercing power."

"It'll only leave a faint remnant if it collides with another object, like a barrier or opposing sword, but that'll be almost unnoticeable."

"What about using mana to practice?" Aena asked. If she couldn't cast spells during the assessment, there was also the stipulation of not using magic during magic theory class.

"Don't worry about that, I'll apprise Keith of the situation."

"Keith?" Aena blinked. Who the hell was that?

"Your homeroom instructor? Keith Rutherfield?" Instructor Willowsage pushed.

Aena's mouth formed an "O." So it was that distant man. 'Keith. Huh.'

"But can we trust him?" Aena returned, pursing her lips.

"Definitely." Instructor Willowsages' eyes were ones of absolute certainty.

Aena remained unconvinced about her blind trust. Instructor Rutherfield didn't seem like a very persuadable or agreeable person from the get-go.

"How do you know?" Aena pressed. Instructor Willowsage coughed.

"Well…" she looked down, not meeting Aena's dubious eyes. "You could say we used to have a rather… intimate relationship."

Aena's eyes grew as wide as saucers. Willowsage… and Rutherfield?!?! Did they have a past together? Emmy was right, there was some rather juicy drama floating around the instructors… Well, at any rate, if Instructor Willowsage had so much faith, she would agree to her for now.

Regaining her composure, Instructor Willowsage said, "Kei… Instructor Rutherfield can manage your magic lessons. You can attend beginner magic theory, but just don't partake in any demonstrations or practices."

"Alright," Aena readily agreed.

So Aena was still able to learn magic and use it in combat, although not freely.

Okay. So she still had some means to fight back. There was just one big problem: the weapon itself.

"Um," Aena scratched her cheek, "so I still need a weapon," she said flatly.

Instructor Willowsage answered immediately like she was expecting the question.

"It depends, but we'll have to see what suits you first," Instructor Willowsage looked pointedly at Aena's short stature.

"Talent and suitability matter the most in the end, but a claymore or mace is definitely out of the picture."

"Dagger?" Instructor Willowsage suggested.

Aena shook her head. Although she wasn't afraid to engage in close combat, as Instructor Willowsage had said, it was only a secondary option. If she couldn't use magic, she didn't want to rely solely on daggers, especially since she knew they were tricky to learn.

"Pity, I could've taught you," Instructor Willowsage said disappointedly, but Aena could see that she approved of her shrewd decision.

"That probably leaves out hand-to-hand combat too…" Instructor Willowsage mused.

"That leaves most likely the sword, spear, or bow," she raised an eyebrow. 'Any to your preference?"

Aena thought deeply about the options. Those were the most practical, so she tossed out any notions of strange devices such as nunchucks or whips. It looks like her fantasies would never be realized.

"A bow will have to depend on your competency, so I'll arrange a tryout for that." She then looked at Cassidy.

"Cassidy here uses a sword, so she could potentially be your sparring partner… but your swordsmanship will probably be shoddy in only one month of training. I also don't know if she would be willing to undertake such a task…" she trailed off.

"What about the last option?" Aena asked.

"A spear."