Theodore ignored her hostile look and sat down on a bench near her, overlooking the small area designated for testing or fighting or something like that. It seemed that way, at least. The woman stood there, eyeing him, but Theodore paid her no heed.

The sparring that the two were engaged in was interesting. It was a battle of magic, and one of them was clearly superior to the other. The blonde was faster, stronger, and more precise than the black haired girl.

"Is that all you can do, sheep herder?" the blonde mocked, her voice filled with disdain. "I'm disappointed. You can't even defend yourself against me."

"Shut up, you pampered noble!" the other woman snapped back. "You think you're better than me because you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth? Well, I've got news for you, princess. I'm no sheep herder"

"Ooh, I'm so scared," the blonde said sarcastically, turning incorporeal. "How terrifying. I'm shaking in my boots."

The second woman's attacks passed through her.

"Stop being a coward and fight me!" the other woman yelled. "Let's see how tough you really are!"

The blonde smirked, and didn't reply, choosing to attack instead. The second woman was struggling to keep up. She was clearly outmatched, but she wasn't going down without a fight, it seemed.

And were those attacks space affinity? Curious. It was unfortunate that she'd met her match. The blonde woman could turn incorporeal, somehow, and while space attacks would be absolutely dangerous for anyone, the way the blonde turned incorporeal basically nullified all her attacks.

The two fought, the black haired one losing ground and stamina. Theodore could tell she was starting to tire, and her attacks were becoming more desperate. She was getting frustrated, and she was starting to make mistakes.

"Just wanted to watch the sparring session. Interesting stuff," Theodore said to the woman standing there stiffly. "Sit down, the seat doesn't bite."

She hesitated, but sat down, much to his surprise.

"Who're these two?" He asked.

"The black hair is Eina. She's a space affinity." The woman answered simply. "And the blonde is Veronica. She's an illusionist."

"Oh."

An illusionist? Wasn't that a surprise. But, then, how could Eina not just "sense" her real form using her affinity? There being an illusion or not wouldn't matter in front of the fabric of reality itself... was it that her skill was too weak? That was probably the case. It would make sense, considering she seemed to be struggling.

"It's unfortunate that Eina will lose." He said. "Although space affinity is definitely strong, she is not skilled enough. Whereas this Veronica, now she's quite skilled with her illusions."

That was high praise coming from him. Now that he knew she was an illusionist, it hadn't taken him that long to figure out her location. [Arcane Awareness] was quite the skill.

"She'll learn." The woman replied, then looked at him. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, just interested in watching them fight." He said. "You're quite strong."

"I know."

"Are you their teacher?" He asked, curious.

"No." She answered.

"Then?"

She sighed. "I am Lady Veronica's bodyguard."

"Ah. I see." Theodore nodded. "Hm." Was she someone important? He thought about it, trying to recall information. "Aha! Isn't Veronica the Tower Master's student?"

"That would be correct. Lady Eina is a new addition to his roster of students."

"Oh? Interesting."

It made sense. Theodore watched as Veronica finally got fed up with the game she was playing, and went in for the kill. The second woman was tired, out of breath, and she couldn't keep up with the onslaught. The real Veronica, hidden under illusions, basically walked up to Eina, and delivered a spell right behind her, sending her flying and landing on the grass.

She approached Eina, her expression triumphant. "You lost, sheep herder. I told you that you would."

Eina scowled.

Theodore leaned back with an exhale. "Though, it's quite a shame, Lady Veronica will not be making it far with that attitude of hers."

The woman frowned at him. "What?"

"Illusion is a powerful tool, and she is quite talented in it. But, what good is a tool if you do not use it to its full potential?" Theodore asked. "She's playing around, she's taunting, she's being a bit too arrogant. Eina is a worthy opponent, even if a bit inexperienced."

"Ho?" Veronica said walking over, her face darkening. "And who are you to say that? Your mana signature is so weak I'm surprised you're even standing here in this place. You are not worthy."

He was amused.

"Veronica!" The woman sitting beside him was startled.

"What?" Veronica seemed a bit cranky. "Who is this guy. I've never seen him here."

"I'm just a Rank 2."

"Oh? And what might be your focus?"

"Focus? Hm, elemental magic, let's say."

"Pfft." She snorted. "Boring."

"Oh, you think so?"

"Indeed, I do. That's some common and old stuff. It's so boring, so mundane, so unimpressive. The best of the best all use unique mana types and have Skills that are far above mere elemental magic. You've just chosen a boring path, and you'll never amount to anything."

"That's too bad." He said, standing up. He'd come here to meet the Tower Master, after all, not to get into fights with children. Theodore turned to leave, but Veronica wasn't done with him yet, apparently.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked, stepping in front of him. "You can't just waltz in here, insult me, and then leave."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

He hadn't insulted her though? Whatever. Theodore looked at her, then at the bodyguard who seemed ready to intervene if needed, then at Eina who was picking herself up from the grass, looking more annoyed than hurt.

"I have a meeting with Tower Master Seras," he said simply.

That made Veronica pause. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I highly doubt that."

"Believe what you want." Theodore shrugged and started walking around her.

"Wait," the bodyguard said, standing up. "If you truly have a meeting with the Tower Master, we should accompany you. We were heading there anyway."

He sighed. Now he'd have an entourage. Though, thinking about it, it might save him from having to navigate the tower himself. The place was massive, after all.

"Sure," he said.

Veronica looked like she'd swallowed something sour. "Fine. But don't think this means anything. You're still just a Rank 2 nobody."

What was her problem?

Eina had joined them by now, brushing grass off her clothes. She gave Theodore a curious look but didn't say anything, nodding at him once. Smart girl. Unlike someone else he could mention.

***

Theodore had to admit, the Enchanters' Guild knew how to make an impression. The interior was all high ceilings and floating lights, with enchantments literally built into the walls. Some of them he recognized—basic stuff like illumination. Others were more complex, layered in ways that would take him time to unravel. Not that he couldn't, just that it'd be tedious.

"Impressed yet?" Veronica asked, clearly expecting him to gawk like some country bumpkin.

"It's nice," he said mildly.

She huffed. They took a floating platform up—because of course they did, why use stairs when you could show off—and Theodore noted how smoothly it operated. The enchantment work was solid, he'd give them that. Efficient with minimal mana leakage it was all professional work.

"So," Eina said. "You're here to see Master Seras about what, exactly?"

"Enchantments," Theodore said.

"Obviously," Veronica scoffed. "But what kind? What could a Rank 2 possibly have that would interest my master?"

Theodore considered how much to reveal. Eh, they'd find out soon enough anyway. "Some new applications. Different approach to the standard methodology."

"Different how?" Eina asked, genuinely curious.

"You'll see."

Veronica made a disgusted noise. "Cryptic answers don't make you mysterious, they just make you annoying."

The bodyguard—Theodore realized he still didn't know her name—cleared her throat. "Lady Veronica, that is quite enough."

The platform stopped at what must have been the tenth floor or something. Theodore hadn't been counting. The hallway they stepped into was less ostentatious than the lower floors but somehow felt more impressive.

"Master's study is this way," the bodyguard said, taking the lead.

They walked past several doors. Theodore's [Arcane Awareness] was picking up all sorts of interesting signatures. Research labs, probably. Maybe storage for rare materials. The Guild clearly took their work seriously up here.

"You know. I still don't believe you actually have a meeting with Master. He would have mentioned it." Veronica said suddenly.

"Maybe because he doesn't tell you everything," Theodore deadpanned.

She whirled on him. "I'm his prized student! Of course he tells me—"

"Veronica." The voice came from ahead, and suddenly there was an old man standing in the hallway who definitely hadn't been there a second ago. White beard, twinkling eyes, the whole wise grandfather look. Huh, quite the classic look he had going on for him. Curious. "I see you've met young Theodore."

Veronica's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "Master, you... he really does have a meeting with you?"

"Indeed! I've been quite looking forward to it. Master Aldric spoke very highly of your work in Holden, your highness. Very highly indeed."

"Your highness?" Veronica murmured in confusion and Theodore heard Eina face palm loudly.

"Thank you for seeing me, Tower Master," Theodore said with a slight bow. Why, he couldn't sense the old man's Rank in the slightest, after all. It was like he was a mundane human.

"Oh, none of that formality, my boy! Come, come, let's talk in my study. You girls can come too, might learn something interesting."

Veronica looked like she'd been slapped. Eina just looked curious. The bodyguard remained expressionless as always.

The study was exactly what Theodore expected from someone of Seras's position. Books everywhere, artifacts on every surface, and at least three experiments running simultaneously in different corners. One of them was definitely doing something with space—or was that gravity?— judging by the way the light distorted around the object. Though it was contained in some kind of a barrier, so Theodore wasn't worried.

"Tea?" Seras asked, and Theodore nodded. "Now then, Theodore, I must say, your refrigeration system is absolutely fascinating. The bathhouse too, some of the enchantments there are interesting. But the refrigerator... the way you've layered the enchantments, or the way you go about enchanting itself, it's quite elegant."

"Thank you," Theodore said, accepting the tea. It was good. Really good, actually.

"Though," Seras said after a few sips himself, stroking his beard, "I must confess, they're not quite enchantments in the traditional sense, are they? The structure is all wrong. Or rather, all right, but different, very different."

Theodore had expected this. The old man was sharp. "They achieve the same results."

"Oh, indeed they do! Better results, even. That's what makes it so intriguing." Seras leaned forward, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "You wouldn't happen to want to share how you do it, would you?"

"Not particularly," Theodore said pleasantly.

"Haha! Fair enough, fair enough! Can't blame an old man for trying. Though I assume you'll let us study the finished products?"

"Of course. Learn whatever you can from them."

"Wonderful! Now, I suspect you didn't come here just to let me fawn over your work. You're a practical young man, according to Aldric. So, what brings you to my tower?"

Theodore set down his tea. Here came the real conversation. "I have ideas. Lots of them. But implementing them on a large scale takes time and resources, things that I'd rather not waste setting up myself."

"Ah, and we have the infrastructure already in place," Seras said, nodding. "Very sensible. You want us to handle production and distribution."

"In exchange for a fair partnership, yes."

"And what would you consider fair?"

Theodore had thought about this. "I provide the designs and initial prototypes. You handle manufacturing, distribution, and sales."

They talked for a bit about the details before Theodore named a split.

Veronica made a choking sound. "That's—"

"Quiet, dear," Seras said mildly. "The adults are talking."

She turned red but shut up.

"That's a rather aggressive split," Seras said, but he was smiling.

"Most don't have products that will revolutionize how regular people live their lives," Theodore countered. "The refrigerator alone will change food preservation across the kingdom. The bathhouse will make hot water available to anyone who can afford the initial installation. And that's just the beginning."

"Oh? You have more ideas?"

"Dozens. Heating systems for entire buildings. Cooling systems for summer. Water purification that doesn't require a mage. Lighting that adjusts to the time of day automatically. Using electricity to power things, many other little cantrips and actual products" Theodore listed them off casually, watching Seras's eyes grow interested with each one.

"And you'd share all of these with us?"

"Through our partnership, yes. But I have conditions."

"Of course you do." Seras was grinning now. "Go on."

"First, I retain all rights to the underlying principles. You can study the products, try to figure them out, but the core methodology remains mine."

"Reasonable."

"Second, I have final say on any modifications or improvements to the original designs."

"Also reasonable."

"Third, I want access to your research materials and libraries whenever I'm in the capital."

"Oh, that's a big ask, my boy. Some of that information is quite sensitive."

"I'm not interested in your guild secrets. Just general knowledge."

Seras considered this. "With some restrictions on the most sensitive materials, I could agree to that."

"Fair enough."

They went back and forth for a while, ironing out details. Veronica looked increasingly frustrated that her master was taking Theodore seriously. Eina just looked fascinated by the whole exchange. The bodyguard might as well have been a statue.

"You know," Seras said eventually, "you're quite the negotiator for someone so young."

"I know what my work is worth."

"Indeed you do. Very well, I think we can come to an agreement."

They shook on it.

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