Strategy Meeting & Sweets II

Gracia drags Libarius by the wrist as they leave Summe’s office. Libarius walks clumsily, struggling to match his cane to the quick steps Gracia takes. It’s not until they’re a ways down the hall that she realizes. She pulls her hand away from Libarius’ quickly, again her face red.

“S-sorry.”

“There’s no harm done. But let us be off, we ought to discuss our strategy some.”

They make their way out of the Magic Institute. They walk through the narrow, winding streets of Polaris. They pass the fountain, then they are sat at the table nearest to the door, Libarius’ cane leaning against the side of the table. He had walked so surely that Gracia hadn’t questioned it until they sat down.

“Hold on, I said I didn’t want to come to a cafe!”

“Ah, I had forgotten. However, if we’ve already arrived, what’s the harm?” Libarius turns to the waitress, the same from the previous day. “I need to further my research, so bring me whatever three desserts you think best excluding those I’ve already eaten.” The waitress nods and leaves, Libarius being strange enough to be remembered and strange enough for her to want to limit their interactions where she can. Gracia resigns herself.

“So what are you thinking we should do?”

“Well, for starters, we ought not rely on those other students. If they truly are so flippant as to prefer gallivanting to the proper study available to them, then we cannot rely on them to train, nor can we rely on them to even fight. Furthermore, we ought not bother with either Theo or Stella, both of whom will offer no strength even if we were to devote all our time and efforts to them.”

“Ah, I guess that’s true…”

“Indeed. Even if we were to get Theo casting spells in time, the bodily circuits that govern them would still be nascent. No matter how skillful he might be in other areas, his magic will simply be far too weak to be any help. And in terms of Stella, it’s doubtful we could even break the curse.”

“Is it really a curse that powerful?”

“I believe so. It’s similar to mine in that it seems to make her tongue-tied, though it goes beyond even what has been done to me.”

“So that’s what’s stopping you from casting spells?”

“Yes. If I try to speak the magic language, or to put magic into plain language as is my wont, my mouth will seize up and no sounds will come at all. In her case, it’s a greater prohibition. If I had to wager a guess, one on ‘truth’ itself.”

“So you mean she’s been cursed to lie?”

“Not so simply, only in regards to her prophecies, and likely there’s another prohibition regarding the curse itself. To make another guess, I would imagine that she was sent away from the temple due to the curse.”

“I hadn’t thought about it, but it is strange that she’s at the Magic Institute.”

The waitress returns and places three plates on the table, one with a slice of cake and two pastries. Libarius cuts them in half, then deftly rearranges them to place one half of each on a single plate, pushing the other two plates with the other three halves to Gracia.

“You haven’t eaten at all today, so shouldn’t you just eat all of it?”

“I haven’t much of an appetite.”

“Actually, shouldn’t you eat a proper meal?”

“No need to worry, I’m sure I will be made to sooner or later. To return to the topic at hand, I would guess that the temple had grown weary of dealing with a lying oracle, especially considering the likelihood they hadn’t realized that she was cursed. Even a mage of your skill hardly realized, so it’s unlikely the half-mages had at all.”

“Libarius, it’s rude to call the priests that.”

“Is it?”

“It is. Not even my master’s master still called them that.”

“Very well then. But even further, even if I were able to devote all my time to the curse and broke it, it is unlikely to help us much. Those priests, they have so many regulations. Cannot prophesy for your own sake; cannot look into your own future; all oracular activity must be thoroughly reported back to the temple. She cannot help us in the first place.”

“Well, it’s better off like that. They help to protect us.”

“I suppose that is the case. It is a Taboo without it.”

“But… You’re right… But I feel bad about ignoring her. And Theo too.”

“Ah, speaking of ignoring students, Callidus and Victoria both require little instruction. Though the others were middling, either of them on their own ought to be enough even for that weakling, so we need to do little for them. Our efforts are better focused elsewhere.”

“So you think we should focus all our efforts on six students?”

“That’s right.”

“Doesn’t that seem… wrong for a teacher to do?”

“Is it? If you have a better plan, then out with it; you must have a much greater wealth of experience when it comes to the teaching of magic than I.”

“I don’t. For the whole time I’ve been his disciple, I’ve been my master’s only disciple.”

“How long have you been his disciple?”

“Since I was eight.”

“What a waste, for such an incredible mind to have only a single disciple for the past decade.” Gracia laughs, almost sadly.

“I’ve thought the same thing.”

“But that reminds me. Your master seems to know Father, but Father has never mentioned him, not even as I became his subordinate. Do you know their relation?”

“A little bit. He doesn’t talk about himself much. But it seems that right before he took me in as a disciple, Master and the Major General had been cooperating on some sort of task. I think it had been for a couple years, even. Actually, I met the Major General once before, right after I became a disciple. Master had taken me to this gathering. He met with the Major General and introduced me, then he left me in the care of a maid accompanying us and went to talk with him privately. I don’t know what they talked about, but Master left right after, and then nobody saw the Major General at an event since then.”

“I wonder, might Father have taken issue with you, or with Mr. Tetricum for taking you as a disciple?”

“I wouldn’t know, but I guess there must’ve been a reason. What were you doing ten years ago?”

“That would be around when I sustained my injury, but I doubt—”

“No, isn’t that the most obvious reason. Of course he would stay home if you were hurt that badly.”

“Is that it? Well, not that such a thing matters.”