Chapter 430 - My Original Stash #30 - Born in a h_e_n_t_a_i world but all I want to do is learn magic! by Grademaster (2/2)
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”Garret, Tinami” Ikasa said, snapping my eyes from my journal. ”Stay after class.” The men in class glared at me, getting private time with one of the hottest women at the mage academy. What, did they think that I was going to bang them both or something? I was hardly the best looking guy in class, though I was at least a little muscled so I could avoid the fat bastard lifestyle and prepare for life as an adventurer. Ikasa probably wanted me to tutor her or something. I'd been asked twice, though never by a teacher, and I politely declined both times.
”Alright.” I answered her, shrugging and returning to my journal. I was trying, very unsuccessfully, to make new spells. I had half a dozen improvements to the ones I already knew, though, and re-reading my entries was good for my memory.
”Okay.” Tinami said cheerfully.
She was one of the commoner students, like me. I was pretty sure that she wanted to be a shaman, a rarity in the human kingdoms. She was also one of the more popular students because of her attitude towards… well, everything.
The students filed out, a few taking their sweet time to chat on their way out. Tinami was drawing something, her tongue sticking out of her lips like a derpy puppy, and Ikasa staring into her desk. Eventually, when we were the only ones left, Tinami stuffed her drawing into her pocket and walked down to some chairs by Ikasa's cluttered desk. I dropped my things into my satchel, something every student used to carry their papers and enchanted quills (inkwells not needed) and walked down to join them.
”So what's this about?” Tinami smiled. If she didn't know then maybe this wasn't a tutoring talk.
”It's about your recent acquisition, ah, what did you name her?”
”You mean Levant?” Tinami's smile grew brighter. Did she get a pet or something? Wait, she wanted to be a shaman. Did she get a spirit to bond with somehow?
”Yes, her. Would you bring her out, please?”
”Sure!” Tinami closed her eyes and I focused on my magical senses. I got a vague sense of lightness from her, aside from the normal bubbly feeling. The two feelings separated and I saw a pale woman coalesce from white smoke that appeared out of nowhere beside Tinami.
She managed to find an air spirit? Did she take a hike into the woods when nobody was looking or did she somehow find her just lying around somewhere? Though judging by how the magic of the spirit, Levant, felt, she was pretty weak. Stronger air spirits, I'd heard, felt more like the air before a storm, or in the genuinely strong cases, like the cutting winds of a storm. I'd only read about it, though. Magical senses tended to be subjective.
”A p_l_e_a_s_u_r_e to meet you, Levant.” Ikasa nodded respectfully.
”The same.” The spirit spoke, her voice sounding a little faint.
”I've asked for you three because of a question Garret asked two weeks ago, whether he could get tutoring in wild magic,” Tinami and Levant stared at me for a moment before Ikasa spoke again, leaning back in her chair. ”The academy doesn't teach that course so he'd need an apprenticeship, as I told him, or he'd need to trawl through the library for more information. I asked Elma to find a few tomes on the subject but the academy doesn't have anything substantial, nothing good enough to teach the subject in anything other than the academics of the subject.”
I raised an eyebrow. Ikasa did that for me? Elma was an old bitch to the students and hard to deal with on a good day, though she was a hell of a librarian. I'd never seen a speck of dust on any of the books and torn pages were a rarity. That Ikasa actually tried to help without me asking her… she must like me more than I'd thought.
”When I heard that you found Levant I thought that you might be able to help him get a foothold in the subject. I know that he can teach himself well enough. In exchange he can tutor you in runes. I know you need help with the effect portions of your circles.”
”Well… yeah, I know a little wild magic, I learned it from my mom, but my schedule's a little full.” Tinami didn't immediately jump at helping me, which was fair enough. I hadn't made the slightest effort to get to know her or anyone else in the school, really, besides Alex and Grim. We'd shared maybe four sentences in the year and a half of shared classes.
”Garret has several third circle spells under his belt, which he can perform flawlessly.” Well geez, thanks for the privacy, Ikasa.
”What?!” Tinami looked at me with wide eyes. I could feel the grimace creep onto my face.
”I'm ahead of the curve. Lots of mages can do third circle spells.”
”Well yeah, but none in our class,” Tinami rolled her eyes. ”Why the heck aren't you bragging to every person who will listen? Goddess knows that June was smug for weeks about getting that calming spell down a few weeks ago and what do you mean flawlessly?!” She turned to Ikasa.
”She means that I can do it without mana waste.” I said to Tinami, dragging her attention back to me.
”Goddess…” She muttered. Then her eyes widened and the smile blasted into existence, probably blinding me a little in the process. ”Sure I'll help you learn wild magic! But you've gotta teach me a third circle spell! And you're gonna help me do a second spell flawlessly!”
I thought about that for a second. Third circle spells weren't just laying around somewhere. Mages passed on spells to their apprentices only and typically tried to keep them private. The better known a spell was the easier it was to devise a counterspell, after all, and the academy only had first and second tier spells, and none of the really 'fun' ones, namely the s_e_x spells. ”I'll teach you a third circle spell and help you with as many spells as you can learn while you teach me wildmagic.”
”Deal!”
”And you'll keep quiet about my casting ability.”
”Why?” She asked immediately, her smile never fading.
”If I made people jealous it would get in the way of my learning and people would pester me to teach them or try to be my friend to get whatever 'secret' I have. Besides, I don't want the attention.”
”So it's not because of a dark family secret that you'll have to swear me to secrecy to know?” She teased playfully leaning in closer. I glanced up at the ceiling and wondered if I could summon a demon to teach me wild magic instead. It wasn't illegal to summon demons if you had a license and instructor Rotgut in combat studies would be happy to recommend me…
No, better to endure the teasing for a few weeks. Besides, demons extorted the hell out of mages to teach them magic.
Tinami giggled at my silent suffering. ”Looks like you two have this worked out,” Ikasa said, sounding satisfied. She stood up and started walking out of the classroom. ”Let me know how your arrangement works later. I'll see you on friday.” She left the room and I turned to come face to face with Tinami, her eyes sparkling, Levant peeking over her shoulder.
”Wanna get started right now?”
”… Fine.”