For The Good Of The Kingdom

Our final class of the day is Beastiology I, where we learn all about the monster species that inhabit our kingdom, as well as a handful of other creatures. Obviously, I’m super excited to be taking a class like this.

During my trip with Vincent, I was thankfully able to remember and rewrite a surprising amount of what I’d lost when my monster encyclopedia was destroyed—almost two thirds of it. And after all the new species I got to take notes on during our travels, I dare say my encyclopedia may be even better than it was before. And now I get to add everything I learn here on top of that? I just can’t wait!

As we walk through the door, I notice Arthur happens to be in this class. I give him a small wave, which he returns with a sweet smile.

I wonder if… maybe, if I could work up the courage to ask… if he’d be interested in eating lunch with me and Lucas?

Well, before I dwell on it too much, I should go talk to the professor.

I hand him a bouquet and we exchange a few pleasantries before class.

Somehow even shorter than I am, Winston Wildfoot is a hairy, tubby yet surprisingly muscular old man with a jolly demeanor. He's got kind lime-green eyes, a curly little mustache, and a full head of gray hair with a bushy beard to match. He’s dressed in rugged brown boots and a tan explorer’s outfit—even his wizard hat and the teensy feather sticking out of it are tan.

At the start of the lesson, he emphasizes the importance of understanding the monsters we encounter, explaining that it can be the key to successfully combatting them, avoiding them, or finding alternative ways of dealing with them. And with monster attacks rising across the kingdom, it’s—

…

It’s… not my fault.

I hide my smile with my hand and hold back tears as a weight I’ve carried for years finally lifts from my shoulders. The villagers… I wasn’t the reason any of them got hurt. We… We can try to make peace with the monsters without putting anybody in danger! We could even—

Lucas whispers. “Hey, Nora, what’s wrong? Are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah. In fact… I think I’m doing better than ever.” I smile.

***

I can hardly believe it! This class… it’s just so… so…

…boring!

Maybe it’s because we’re starting off with the most common species, but I already know all this info. It’s so limited. So basic. And sometimes, it’s even just—

“—So you must remember, Lesser Cockatrice will always reflexively attack if they sense hostile mana.”

“—Wrong.”

Wildfoot whips his head. “Excuse me?”

The whole class turns toward me.

“O-oh! Uh, s-sorry! I didn’t mean to blurt that out! It’s just, w-well… what you said is wrong. It’s not hostile mana they respond to. It’s eye contact.”

“Young lady, I’ve been teaching Beastiology longer than you’ve been alive. I think I know what I’m talking about. And this isn’t some obscure theory—it’s common knowledge. Unless you honestly expect us to believe you know better than the rest of the kingdom?”

“W-with all due respect, Professor… I believe I do.”

The whole class laughs.

“Nora, what are you doing?!” Lucas whispers.

“Um, professor?” a student interrupts. “My summon is a Lesser Cockatrice. If you’d like, we could just see for ourselves.”

“Excellent!” Wildfoot declares. “Let’s put this nonsense to rest.”

“You and Miss Littleroot, come up to the front.”

“Nora!” Lucas whispers sharply.

“Sorry.” I wince.

The student places his Lesser Cockatrice on a stool and steps aside. I take my place a few meters away, wand drawn.

“Well, Miss Littleroot? We’re waiting.”

I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes off the cockatrice as I conjure a large fireball aimed straight at it. The class starts chattering at my lack of an incantation, but it’s what happens next that really sends them into a tizzy—

Nothing.

Nothing happens.

The cockatrice just sits there.

I let the spell dissipate.

The professor stands frozen. “That… that just can’t be.”

I tuck away my wand and look the cockatrice directly in the eyes.

It immediately lunges at me.

Its summoner de-summons it in a panic just before it can reach me, sending the class into an uproar.

Wildfoot’s jaw drops. “How—how could you possibly have known that?”

I pull out my monster encyclopedia and flip to my section on Lesser Cockatrices before handing it to him.

“See? Right here.”

“What the—what the hell is all this?”

“It’s my monster encyclopedia. Back in my hometown, I ran experiments on monsters every day to learn more about them. It took a few thousand hours, but I ended up learning a lot.”

“Experiments? A few thousand—good goddess!” He hurriedly sets the book down on his desk and starts shaking me by the shoulders. “Miss Littleroot, I beg of you! We must share your findings with the academy!

“Oh, uh, I don’t know… it’s a little embarrassing. I didn’t write this thinking anyone else would read it.”

“Please! Information like this, it could save lives!”

“R-really?! You think so?!”

“I know so! If you’d just agree, I promise you we’ll ensure you’re credited for your contributions! You’d be paid too, of course! At least one gold coin!”

“Woah! A gold coin?! For the whole thing?!”

“No, don’t be absurd—”

“Oh, I guess that was a silly—”

“For each page.”

“WHAT?!” I scream.

The class erupts.

I—I can’t even count how many cheese buns that’d buy me! I could pay back Vincent! I—I could buy a house! I—oh my goodness, I think I’m getting lightheaded.

“I’m so sorry, you’re right, that’s not nearly enough—”

“Professor Wildfoot, I—”

On second thought, maybe it’s best not to tell him I’d happily hand it over for free.

“Just stop, please! My heart can’t take it anymore! I’d be happy to help.”

“Oh, this is just excellent! Excellent! What incredible news!” He shakes my hand up and down so hard it feels like I’m about to lose an arm. “I’ll let you know as soon as I’ve set up a meeting! I’ll see if I can get the other monster researchers to grant you unrestricted access to the summon stables as well so you can continue to run experiments here!”

The summon stables?! That’s like—hundreds of monsters! I—uh oh, I really do think I’m gonna faint…

Wait a minute! Did he just say—

“Monster researchers?! I’m not the only one who researches monsters?!”

“Of course not! The academy has several of us!”

“So you all like monsters too?!”

The room goes silent, and Wildfoot’s smile disappears.

“Like monsters—what on earth are you talking about? They’re a plague.”

I look behind me to find the whole class staring. Disapproving glares. Uneasy murmurs. Even Lucas is taken aback. And for the very first time, I see Arthur wearing something other than a smile.

He looks at me with unmistakable disgust.

“Uh n-no! I didn’t mean l-like them! I meant—l-like to research them!”

Liar.

“Hm…” Wildfoot strokes his mustache. “Well, I’d be lying if I said it isn’t exhilarating discovering new information… and I do quite enjoy the fieldwork.”

“O-obviously they’re dangerous—but, that’s all the more reason to learn everything we can!”

Hypocrite.

“Indeed.”

I turn to the class. “P-Plus, it’s for the good of the people! That’s why we’re all taking this class—to save more lives, r-right? It’s our duty as summoners!”

Coward.

“Well put my dear!” He turns to the class. “Now that’s why we truly study beasts—for the good of the kingdom!”

GONG! GONG!

“And what better a note to end on than that, my students! If that doesn’t get you excited to learn, I don’t know what will! I eagerly await our next class together!”

He gives me an approving nod and stars back toward his desk—

“Nora.”

I spin around. “Y-yes, Arthu—”

He’s… not mad?

“Your dedication to the kingdom is truly inspiring. I knew there was something special about you. I continue to find myself wanting to converse with you more and more.”

“R-really? I also—um… actually, A-Arthur?”

“Yes?”

“W-would you, maybe—and y-you don’t have to say yes, but, um… would you be interested in eating lunch with me tomorrow?”

“Hm… to be frank, I had planned to spend all my lunches training.”

“Oh.”

Of course. He was just being nice when he said I make for lovely company. He was probably only interested in us helping each other become better summoners. I should’ve known someone like him wouldn’t actually want to spend his free time with someone like me, but… it doesn’t make the rejection hurt any less.

Still, I… I should probably stop bothering him.

“I understan—”

“But for you, Nora, I suppose I can skip the occasional training day.”

“R-Really?”

“Training is important, but I find myself rather looking forward to the thought of spending lunch with you. Assuming you’ll have me, of course.”

“Of course!”

“Well then, I look forward to tomorrow.”

“Me too!”

As Arthur walks away, I spot Lucas exiting the classroom.

“H-hey, Lucas! Wait up!” I run after him. “You’re heading to the crafters’ workshop after school, right? Would it be okay if… I joined you? You said crafting’s really important to you, and… well, you’re important to me, so I’d really like to learn more about it.”

Lucas stares at me for a long moment, then lets out an exhausted sigh.

“What’s wrong, Lucas?”

“Nora, I just…” He shakes his head. “Never mind. Let’s just go.”

…I hope he’s alright. Whatever’s bothering him, I gotta find a way to cheer him up when we get to the workshop!