With our purchases tucked neatly away in my [Pouch of Holding]. I kept one small bottle of dwarven water out and handed it to Mae. She uncorked it immediately, taking a deep swig and sighing in relief, as though she had been parched for days.
Once again, I found myself strolling through Sale's busy streets with a woman clinging to each arm. Mae had clearly decided her new pastime would be provoking Lira by acting outrageously flirtatious with me.
Every wink, every press of her chest against my arm, every sultry "Master" was aimed less at me and more at making Lira sputter.
And Lira, to my amusement, rose to the bait every single time. Yet she never once told Mae to stop, simply fired back with insults and threats of her own.
We passed vendors calling out their wares, smithies ringing with hammer strikes, and children darting between carts. The energy of the port city buzzed around us, but my focus remained on the two women competing at my sides.
"Baby," Lira said finally, breaking the stalemate, "before we go back, there's another place we need to stop." Her tone was gentle but serious. "Now that you've reached the third form of mana channeling, we should test your aptitudes and measure your mana pool officially."
I tilted my head. "So there's a place for that here?"
"Yes," she replied. "The academy maintains a contact point in Sale. Potential students and unaffiliated mages can have their attributes tested there."
Mae grinned. "Oh, this will be fun."
It only took ten minutes of weaving through the streets to reach the building. Unlike the busy shops and taverns around it, the academy office was quiet and reserved. White stone walls rose around polished wooden doors, and a crest of quills and starbursts was carved above the entrance.
Inside, the air smelled faintly of parchment and incense. A single receptionist sat at a polished desk, quill poised over a ledger. The moment we entered, she looked up, and her eyes widened slightly. Both Lira and Mae gave her subtle nods, and she returned the gesture with a respectful bow. Clearly, the two of them were more famous in academy circles than I had realized.
Before I could even adjust to the quiet, I was ushered forward to stand before two strange objects placed on a pedestal.
The first was a large glass orb, perfectly smooth, with faint wisps of light swirling inside it like smoke trapped in crystal. The second was a square metal plate etched with sigils, its surface gleaming with an iridescent sheen.
"That's mana-reactive mythril!" Mae announced proudly, tapping the plate with her finger. "One of the first projects I helped develop back when I was a student. It reads mana patterns and records results in text."
Her pride piqued my interest, but before I could pepper her with questions, Lira gently took my hand and placed it on the orb.
"Baby," she said softly, "just do what you've practiced. Perceive your mana, gather it, then channel it into the orb. Let it flow, and the devices will do the rest."
I closed my eyes. By now, sensing mana was second nature. I pictured the glowing streams that coursed through me, veins of light under flesh and bone. I gathered them together at my center, forming a dense pool just below my ribs. Once it felt stable, I guided the energy down my arm, through my fingertips, and into the orb.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then the orb flared to life, glowing so brightly that shadows leapt across the room. Threads of light danced inside like lightning caged in glass. After a few seconds, the glow dimmed and vanished.
All eyes turned to the mythril plate. Golden script shimmered into existence across its surface. My improved reading made the words clear:
Mana: SS-Rank
Aptitudes: Physical Enhancement (Supreme), Explosion (Strong), Programming (Variable)
Mae was the first to react. She let out a low whistle. "SS-rank mana? Unreal. No wonder he can handle those pistols. His output's prodigy-level! Lira, where in the skies did you dig this guy up?"
"Arcadia," Lira replied simply, though her tone carried weight. "That backwater doesn't test commoners, so no one ever discovered him. He was a farmer's son and an opportunistic ruin diver until a few weeks ago."
Their eyes lingered on me with new intensity, and I shifted uncomfortably under their scrutiny. "I guess," I said slowly, "that means my results are… unusual?"
"Unusual?" Mae barked a laugh, then shook her head, suddenly serious. "Max, SS-rank mana is a one-in-a-million occurrence. There are fewer than a hundred people across the entire Meritous Faction who have it. And three aptitudes? That's more like one in ten million. The combination of both?" She leaned closer, eyes narrowing. "If you'd been identified as a child, the state would have claimed you. By now, you'd already be sitting as an officer in the Meritous Magical Core."
Her words sent a chill down my spine.
"But you're lucky," Lira said quickly, taking both my hands in hers. Her golden eyes shone with warmth. "You're an adult, and you belong to no one but yourself. As my partner and as an academy employee, you're as free as any skyfarer."
Her reassurance eased the tightness in my chest.
Mae tilted her head, smirking again. "On the bright side, I get a new apprentice! I've got the Programming aptitude too. If you study under me, maybe I'll spend less time rolling dice and more time teaching."
Lira giggled and kissed my cheek. "See? Even Mae can be useful. And your aptitude for physical enhancement explains your sharp reflexes with pistols. As for explosion magic....." She shook her head, smiling, "That's going to cause trouble. The professor for that class will be very… interested."
I was still reeling. I'd known my mana capacity was odd, but three aptitudes? It was overwhelming.
Still, the thought of learning one-on-one under Lira and Mae stirred something inside me: anticipation, and maybe just a little fear.
We left the office in good spirits, talking animatedly about what my studies might bring. Lira teased that she'd have to keep me from blowing up her office with experimental spells. Mae countered by promising to get me addicted to gambling and rune inscriptions at the same time.
But our laughter died the moment we stepped out into the street.
Three dwarves stood blocking our path.
The first was tall for his kind, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a tailored suit that reminded me of the fine clothes I'd worn at the captain's dinner. He might have looked like a respectable merchant, if not for the jagged scar running from his temple to his jaw. His eyes held no warmth.
Flanking him were two companions, each with a sword strapped to his waist. Their postures were easy but coiled, like predators waiting for a signal.
The man in the suit spoke, his voice smooth but edged with steel.
"Mae," he said, lips curling into a grin. "I think it's about time you paid me back."