Just because he had made up his mind about what to do didn’t mean there was a way to achieve his new goal faster.

  But Orion had never been afraid of a little hard work anyway, so he didn’t let that get him down and immediately started drafting some more detailed plans.

  It’s all well and good to have found something to work toward, but it means nothing if you don’t know how to reach it. That’s the difference between a plan and a dream.

  The first thing he did was not to draw up a curriculum, no matter how much he might want to. Instead, he began writing letters. Several of them, in fact.

  “Dear Esmeralda,

  Circumstances have forced me away from the Sanctum for the time being, and I’ve taken up residence in Valderun for the next month, but I haven’t forgotten our promise to keep in touch.

  I've really appreciated your gift and would love to hear your opinion on the final result.

  Hoping to hear back soon,

  Orion”

  There. It sounds less officious than my first attempt, at least. It seems my habits with emails have carried over; I’ll have to keep an eye on that, but at least there’s no send button here, so I can always redraft it if I don’t like it.

  Building a connection with Esmeralda would be very helpful to him down the line, and he was confident that mentioning her gift would pique her interest. Maybe even enough to come find him before his stay in the city ended.

  “We’ll have to see. Even if she doesn’t come, she’ll write me back. She didn’t seem like the kind of person to leave a juicy bit of information to itself,” he muttered to himself.

  Sealing the letter by pressing a finger against the cold wax and heating it with a basic warming charm, Orion carefully manipulated a thread of mana through it until an Ω took shape.

  Perhaps it was a little vain, but he liked the idea of having a symbol, and his name did start with an O.

  With that done, he stretched, feeling his spine pop. His status growth was impressive, but his physique lagged behind enough that he was starting to get annoyed.

  Unfortunately, he just didn’t have time for a dedicated training routine. Oh well, I guess I can always cheat a little.

  Tapping a finger against his Computing Crystal, Orion fed it mana and issued his command, feeling the newest spell formula, HEAL(t) = Light x Align(tissue(t), Template(DNA?)), limit=Homeostasis, guard={dReplication/dt ≤ τ ∧ |ΔTemplate| ≥ ε}, come together through the lattice until the warm glow of Light mana filled his body, restoring any minor damage he might have caused himself by sitting on a chair, hunched over his work for the past few hours.

  “This might be dangerous. I have an excuse to stay holed up in my lab now,” he murmured, chuckling under his breath.

  Fortunately, that wasn’t necessarily the case. While he could technically count on the embassy staff to do his work now that he was officially under Yue’s protection, Orion didn’t trust everyone here, especially since he hadn’t forgotten the initial, cold reception he received.

  Zinnia especially seemed determined to steer clear of him and his mother. It wasn’t something he couldn’t understand, considering that the girl had seen her one chance at becoming a true apprentice snatched away right before her eyes in what should have been her moment of victory, but there was a limit to his compassion.

  And honestly, for this sort of thing, it’s better if I do it myself.

  Picking up the stack of letters he’d written that morning, Orion placed them all in the inner pockets of his lab coat before leaving his room.

  The corridors shifted around him, speeding up his pace, and before long, he was standing outside his mother’s laboratory, where he could hear several voices.

  “I still believe that the old method is useful in specific circumstances, but it’s clear that for most applications, the Concurrent Agents’ method is superior. There’s just no reason for a witch of a certain level to bother with basic ingredients handling, especially when we have so much evidence showing the difference is nonexistent,” he heard his mother argue in a tone he wasn’t familiar with.

  It wasn’t that Asteria was downtrodden or shy; rather, she always kept an almost cool detachment from most issues, even when it came to her specialty.

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  Yet here she was, passionately defending a point. Even more surprising, it was who she was arguing with.

  Two older witches sat at the side of the lab, both watching the proceedings with bemusement, while Elder Yue, in all her gloomy splendor, argued back just as fiercely. “Any study that shows no difference should be thrown out. The Principle of Mana Corruption makes it clear that even trace amounts of foreign mana leftover from tier two spells will significantly alter any brew.”

  “That is why I said basic ingredients,” Asteria shot back, sounding exasperated but oddly happy, “obviously, if you are handling a potion known to suffer from mana corruption, then an Agent is not something to pursue, but it is very rare to brew such things these days. Most potions are made in cauldrons designed to resist contamination. Moon Mother help us, we even teach Initiates to use fire spells for their basic brews! If minor contaminations were truly so disastrous, we would never get through a single class!”

  Yue’s eyes narrowed dangerously, but instead of stepping back from the incredibly dangerous woman, Asteria saw that as a challenge and moved closer. “I understand that you personally prefer the old methods, but some things are subject to change and improvement, whether you like it or not.”

  “Little girl,” Yue hissed, “I have seen more change in my life than you can possibly fathom. I have witnessed major factions rise and fall; I have beheld the mightiest dragonlords and watched them fall in battle. Change is my oldest friend, for I am the Sanctum’s Alchemist!”

  Once again, that should have been incredibly threatening. However, Orion sensed no hostility from either woman. In fact, they almost looked pleased.

  Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, he stepped back from the door and walked away. Whatever strange method his mother and her old mentor were using to reconcile, he wanted no part of it.

  “And you are sure this will reach her, even if her current residence is within the Shadow Lands?” Orion pressed, peering at the bored teenage boy with a frumpy shirt and bags under his eyes.

  “It will. The couriers never miss,” was the laconic reply, and Orion had to give it to him. He made it sound foolish to even ask.

  It’s not my fault that I’m suspicious, given how chaotic things are right now. The bandits who attacked us might have been acting on behalf of the dragonlords, but that doesn’t mean the roads are safe for a lone traveler.

  Yet, he supposed that anyone whose whole job was to deliver a letter somewhere would have ways to make sure it stayed safe.

  With a sigh, he closed his eyes and nodded. “Alright, then I’ll pay for five letters. Four of these are going to the Lunar Sanctum, and the last is the one that’s going to the Shadow Lands.”

  “That will be seven silvers,” the teen replied, barely glancing up to grab the coin once Orion placed it down.

  It was a decent amount of money, enough to rent a room for several days in Silverpeak if one didn’t overspend on frivolous things, but given the risks involved, he didn’t feel too bad about it.

  With that task finished, Orion was free to explore Valderun on his own. Well, not exactly on my own…

  Behind him, he heard a barely audible sigh, followed by light footsteps.

  He didn’t need to look behind him to know that a twenty-something witch was following him, having been assigned to babysit—er, protect him while the waters settled after the last council meeting.

  Magistra Kissea had caught him before he could slip away on his own, and soon after, she had the poor woman following him with strict orders to keep him safe.

  [Pauline Andrés - Lv. 97] [Black Night Witch - C-Rank]

  Considering that she appeared at least six or seven years younger than Asteria, her nearly reaching the third tier was quite an achievement. So much so that he was sure someone like her had better things to do.

  Yet, she had never complained, despite being forced to follow him all around the city, and he knew for sure she wasn’t shirking her duty, as he had noticed her cast very subtle divination spells more than once.

  It seemed that the incident with the guards before the Magisterium had spooked several people, because Orion saw similar scenes to his own everywhere around him.

  Scions, talents, and valuable members of various factions, both minor and major, walked around the city with their retinues. It was clear from the way they kept looking back at their guards that this situation wasn’t common.

  It will take some time before everyone feels comfortable letting their future hopes go around without protection. I have to say, it does feel a bit strange for so many powerful kids to have gathered here, but then again, this is the capital, and every faction has a separate branch here.

  The wards that blocked offensive magic were still present, of course, and strong enough to ensure any attempt at violence would be stopped quickly and violently.

  Yet, as Orion turned onto a less busy road, he saw another armed group, which told him that trust in their protection would be slow to rebuild.

  This time, however, it wasn’t just the guards who were ready for battle, but also the one they were escorting.

  Behind him, Orion felt Pauline stiffen, which was enough to tell him these people shouldn’t be underestimated. His quick inspection confirmed that suspicion.

  [Burtes Mahira - Lv. 87] [Paladin of the Vigil - C-Rank]

  [Onton Aspes - Lv. 91] [Merciful Blade - C-Rank]

  [Jordan Flanel - Lv. 44] [Squire of the Morn - C-Rank]

  Well, that looks exactly like what I was looking for.

  Based on their detailed armor and powerful-sounding classes, these three were obviously members of the Radiant Vigil, the paladin order that controlled much of Cyril’s northwest coast.

  He had already met one of their members during the council meeting, but at that time, he hadn’t been able to learn anything due to the powerful wards of the Complex.

  Now, he might finally satisfy his curiosity.

  The Radiant Vigil is known for producing some of the most righteous people in the Magocracy, and it’s one of the few factions that doesn’t focus solely on developing magic. They might not be interested in the University when I pitch it, but having a good relationship with the most martial-focused faction will likely be helpful. I’ve been researching them since the hearing, and I’ve prepared a strategy specifically for this occasion.

  Considering that this Jordan was yet another extra ranker, it was clear to him that he wouldn’t get a better shot at this.

  Luckily, Orion knew exactly how to handle meatheads. After all, he had been forced to share his apartment with several of them for years as a student, and even though he managed to resist their ways, some things managed to slip past his defenses.

  Tilting his chin up in a quick motion, he made sure to meet the other teen's gaze, “‘sup?”

  A spark appeared in Jordan’s eye, and Orion could tell he understood the greeting for what it was. A subtle symbol of brotherhood for those aiming to sculpt their bodies.

  “‘Sup, man? Just got some training done,” he said, and Orion knew he had him.

  “Oh?” He asked with fake interest. “I can see that, you’re looking big.”

  The bright grin he received in response told him everything he needed to know. I’m in.

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