Fascinating. So hex facilitates the passage of aether...
While it might prove difficult to make use of this information directly, it was certainly good to know. And it had been proven that hex birthed dark spirits, so it was something that needed to be handled with care.
“Might there be some tools in development that take advantage of these emerging properties?” Arcus asked.
“Um... Not that I’ve heard of.”
The experienced lecturer stepped in. “Hex is not something that a magician of integrity should think to use. He should instead avoid it as much as possible. I would advise against following your current line of thought.”
“Yes, sir,” Arcus muttered. Hex seemed to be viewed in a similar manner to kegare, or defilement, a concept in folklore from the man’s country. More specifically, it was “filth” that appeared to attract hex in this world. He had heard that Lainur, as a nation that forged ahead in all things magic, paid particular attention to keeping its streets clear of defilement and filth.
“Where did that question come from, Arcus?” Joanna cocked her head.
“Nowhere in particular. I just wondered whether hex could be of any use in general.”
“Always looking for an opportunity to deepen your knowledge of magic, I see. It is no wonder you were able to protect His Royal Highness.”
“Oh, well...”
“No need to be shy! You’re a hero!”
“Joanna.”
She shrieked. “I’m sorry!”
Clearly the experienced lecturer disapproved of her wasting lesson time on idle chitchat.
She’s the type to get wrapped up in her own little world, huh? Arcus thought as he watched her apologize profusely to her senior.
Once the lesson was over, Arcus and Rusiel exited into the corridor.
“What’ve you got next, Arcus?”
“Let’s see... Dueling.”
“Wait, we’re allowed to take dueling?! I thought that didn’t start till halfway through second year.”
“You’re talking to a special case. Lady Claudia is mentoring me personally. She booked out the entire second training grounds just for me. Gee whiz, am I lucky or what? Ha! Ha ha... Ha.”
“Wow. D’you think you’ll make it to fifty duels by the end of the week?”
Since their first bout, Claudia had challenged Arcus three times. He hadn’t had a choice but to accept, and even had a loss under his belt at this point. Still, his two wins put him in the lead, which he supposed proved he was worth his Order. At some point he would have to put his foot down though, right?
“I don’t get it! I just don’t get it! Lady Amy isn’t like this, right? Or am I missing something? I mean, what the hell?!”
“Come on, chill a little.”
Far from chilling, Arcus gnashed his teeth for a bit before resigning himself. “All right. I’m gonna go get ready.”
“Catch you later. Good luck.”
As his friend saw him off, Arcus stepped foot into the courtyard. There, he caught sight of a pink-haired girl all by herself. Her frame was absolutely tiny, but she wore the student uniform. Her lids sat heavily over her eyes, like she was close to nodding off. There was something else that caught Arcus’s attention despite all these details.
“Are those ears? No, wait...”
She seemed to be wearing a strange pair of hair accessories. At first glance, they looked like animal ears. She staggered around the courtyard like she was looking for something, glancing this way and that. When Arcus continued to stare at her, their eyes met.
“Whaddya looking at? Wanna ask me something?”
“Huh? Oh, um, no...”
The girl folded her arms and looked at him side-on. Her sleepy eyes narrowed to a bewildering degree. “I guess you needed more time to come up with a good answer, huh? You’ve got all the tact of a walrus creeping up the shore to a potential mate. I mean, come on!”
“That’s a lot of assumptions to make about someone you’ve only just met.”
“It’s your fault for not answering me properly! Did you wanna ask me something or not?”
“No. I was just wondering, to myself, why you were looking around all over the place.”
The girl pouted and turned her head away. “And you think that’s any of your business?”
“Not really.”
She clearly didn’t want him involved, so there was no point pushing it. Especially when she was being so short with him. Arcus turned to leave.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“Where am I?”
“In case it isn’t obvious, you’re at the Institute of Magic.”
“That’s not what I asked. Even parrots think before they speak. Are you stupid or what?”
“No, they don’t! They just repeat whatever you say to them! You could let me get a word in edgewise without insulting me, y’know!”
“Where am I, then? Tell me!”
“The courtyard! What, can’t you figure out that much?”
“The courtyard? Not the training grounds?”
“What part of this looks like a training ground? It’s way too small.”
“This has to be the training grounds! That’s where I was heading!” The girl looked genuinely astonished. She cast her gaze this way and that, like a baby penguin separated from its colony.
Arcus was taken aback too. The training grounds were on the opposite side of the Institute. She would have had to be walking in the completely wrong direction to end up here.
“Wait, I’ve heard of people like you,” he said. “You’ve got zero sense of direction, don’t you?”
“That’s some assumption to make about someone you’ve only just met! Where are your manners? Maybe you could find a shoebill that’d be willing to teach you some!”
“Are you serious right now?! Plus, you oughta count yourself lucky I even know what a shoebill is!”
“Take me to the training grounds!”
“Why should I?”
“’Cause I don’t wanna be late for my lecture and get in trouble! Duh!”
After a profoundly heavy sigh, Arcus gave in. “Fine.”
This girl obviously had issues with communication. Still, seeing as he was heading in that direction anyway, he didn’t lose much by bringing her along. Annoying as she was, there was no real reason to refuse her. When he beckoned to her, she reached out her hand.
“My hand,” she said.
“What about it?”
“Hold it.”
“What?”
“Oh, wake up! I don’t wanna get separated!”
Arcus bit back his doubts about her being able to cope in everyday life. She’d only insult him with an obtuse animal metaphor if he didn’t. His best bet was to take her to her destination without making any careless remarks.
She already looked exasperated the moment he took her hand. “What’s with the long face?! You look like an abandoned duckling!”
“Don’t worry about my face. Can’t you go one second without commenting on something?” It didn’t help that she had compared him to something undeniably cute this time around.
“My name’s Millia. What’s yours?”
“Arcus.”
“Okay.”
With that, he began to lead the way. He couldn’t help but wonder what made him such a magnet for oddballs.