“What is he even up to?” Magister Sterek grumbled.

“The Glastian? Sir?”

Sterek turned to his assistant and contemplated slapping her across the room, but that would be stupid and unproductive. He was neither. She was just one of those dumb puppies who thought he could do no wrong because he had hired her, and thus was a good person. He had hired her because she was talented and cheap, having probably fallen on the wrong side of some noble. Not worth the trouble of recruiting. She didn’t know how to leverage her skills.

“Yes, Nara. The Glastian.”

“I’m sure the Academy will know what to do with his accusations. Sir.”

She stared at him with her wide peasant face and toad eyes, begging for validation. Gods, she was so naive. Maybe even a security risk.

“That is not the problem. Renegades like him who have lost everything will resort to underhanded tactics. He has nothing to lose. But instead of doing anything, he’s staying in that stupid manor of his all day long.”

“You… have him under surveillance, sir?”

Shit. he should not have said that. Got to maintain plausible deniability.

“Gossips,” he lied. “Washerwomen eager to earn a few irons to report to me. Not that they’re saying much. He must be up to something. Has to be.”

“Perhaps prison broke him. I mean, I would not know but was he not severely punished?”

“You don’t understand. He was called the Red Mist on the walls, because that was what his spells left behind. He never rested and he never left those… subhumans he eventually betrayed his homeland for. You have to admit he was committed and skilled if the rumors are to be believed. A man like that is mad but he has to be respected. Besides, Nara, heed my words.”

‘You silly cornudon’ went unspoken.

“Never plan your success on someone else failing.”

“Maybe it’s the girl?”

“What girl? Oh. Her? I do not think so.”

“She could be doing his bidding.”

Sterek considered the words in silence. It was true what they said. Wisdom could come from the simplest minds.

“She’s one of the worst of them. No otherworldly magic, no ground-breaking knowledge, no local network. Poor choice. Hm, but perhaps she is a messenger for an agent. Good idea, Nara. I will see if I can get eyes on her.”

***

Viv’s first two weeks at the Academy ended in the blink of an eye, with mixed results. Her enhanced stats meant she could read and memorize material at an incredible rate… but so could everybody else. The workload of books to read and questions to ponder was astronomical and way beyond even the craziest earth prep schools. She had to remember the history of the continent, major families and cultural differences for the ethics and etiquette class. The military class required her to read battle reports and conflicting witness testimonies, learn variations on standard doctrines and general names and personalities. She found herself calculating the range of an artillery detachment on a flank of an old war just to see if they could have sniped a famous arcane fencer. They could not. She had drawn the curve to show he had been too far. It was insane.

It was also incredibly useful.

Most of Solfis’ knowledge was theoretical. Now she was learning how people fought for real in modern wars. It reinforced her opinion that she had been right to overwhelm the red mage guarding Prince Lancer immediately or she would have been in trouble. Her understanding of what local people were capable of and how they thought increased dramatically, at least for nobles and in the context of war. A skill she had never used also proved its utility.

Polymath: Beginner 4