The rest of Hatchday had gone by just as expected. Alwin spent the entire time eating cake with Gus, not leaving any for the rest of his classmates. And after a long and lengthy time in the bathroom, the sugar-filled Alwin literally ran laps around the Academy for no particular reason other than because it was fun, only to pass out in the middle of the corridor where a certain annoyed Potted Sprout carried him back into bed.

The sun was up bright and early, and so was Alwin. Not like he had a choice. A certain mean Potted Sprout had woken him up with multiple slaps of her leaf.

Why couldn't she have tried a gentler approach? Maybe she did, but he ignored it. That was most likely the case, but he was going to pretend that he even had this thought just so he could be justifiably mad at Uchronia.

Still, Uchronia dragged him all the way to the classroom, more accurately, she rolled him—allowing him to perform his cleaning duties all while getting a couple of extra seconds of snooze. Now that was efficiency.

Alwin was forcefully plopped onto his seat by a mad Uchronia as they waited for class to start. Yay, more time to sleep.

Less than a second later, the door to the classroom swung open. Boo, less time to sleep.

In walked a certain yellow triangular monster. Stopping in front of the board, he began to address the class.

"I hope you enjoyed your Hatchday. But there was one thing I forgot yesterday."

Wait. Was this what he thought it was?

Alwin's eyes shot open as he leaned forward in his chair.

Low murmurs veiled the class as they discussed amongst themselves what Milvus could be talking about. Only Urchonia kept quiet. Not because she was being a respectful student, but because she knew that Milvus didn't actually forget anything.

"That's right, class. We have presents!"

Yipee! Alwin launched himself into the air, performing a triple backflip before landing right back on his seat. He loved presents. Who didn't love presents? Now, where was the giftbox? Was it under Milvus' desk? Oh, he just couldn't wait to see what gift he was going to get.

"Settle down, class, especially you, Alwin. This present is a special one. Remember our talk about specializations yesterday? Well, we're going to have a special demonstration of the specializations by none other than the Ministers who oversee these departments themselves."

This time, it was Alwin to be silent. Not because he was being a respectful student and listening to Milvus' orders, but it was because this was such a boring present. Uchronia now leaned forward in her seat. He understood why. Being given a chance to watch a master of their art was truly a gift—a gift for losers like her! He didn't want experiences. He wanted material possessions.

"It was hard for them to clear time out of their busy schedules, so first and foremost, here to give a demonstration of Forging and Enchanting, let's give a warm welcome to the MOD, the Minister of Defence."

The class cheered and clapped as the door swung open once more. In walked the Minister of Defence, stopping right next to Milvus. A door swung open yet again. No, that wasn't a case of short-term memory loss. It was because the Minister of Defence was a fence. It wasn't even four fences enclosing an area. It was just a single stretch of brown planks, with a little fence gate in the middle and eyes right above them. Each time he spoke, that little fence gate—his mouth—swung open.

Now, Alwin knew he was called the Minister of Defence, but he wasn't expecting it to be quite literal. How could a wooden fence even forge? Wouldn't they just burn up next to the fire?

If they did, now that would truly be a treat.

Alwin leaned in close, eager to watch the Minister of Defence spectacularly fail. Was he a bad person for wanting something like this to happen? Maybe. But in his defence, he was literally just one year old.

"Hello, class," the MOD said. "As Milvus here has explained, I'm here to give a quick demonstration on Forging, followed by how to enhance the forged gear using Enchantments. Now I would like a quick show of hands. Who here intends to go into the Forging track?"

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As always, those with hands or their equivalent lifted them into the air, while those without resorted to Spirit Hands. Unsurprisingly, Uchronia raised a leaf. Surprisingly, so did Bion—though he used a dark tentacle.

"And who intends to join the Enchanting track?"

Bion put down his tentacle, while Uchronia kept hers raised. Flintlock, the Gun wielding Powder Monkey, raised up an ashened tail. He most likely wanted to enhance his gun. But why not join the Forging track to make better bullets? No idea. And Alwin didn't really care to extend this thought.

"Okay, and does anyone know anything about Forging or Enchanting?"

Everyone else put down their hands—or their equivalent. Everyone but Uchronia. The MOD spotted Uchronia with her leaf still raised, calling her out.

"You there. I see you've kept your leaf raised the whole way. Are you serious about both wanting to join Forging and Enchanting? And do you truly know anything about the topics, or is this the class clown I've heard about from Milvus?"

Alwin giggled. Uchronia? The class clown? Man, this MOD knew how to throw out some hilarious jokes.

"No, sir. I'm very much interested in learning both Forging and Enchanting. Yes, I do know about these topics, but I only have a surface-level understanding and extremely limited experience. And while it may be rude for me to ask this, I would be honored if you could take me on as a direct apprentice."

Right. Uchronia was jealous that the Minister of Magic took him on as a direct pupil. He knew she had plans to get a Minister to take her own as a student, but he thought there would be a lot more nuance in that plan. Directly coming out and asking? Now, that was an Alwin-type of idea, not something he expected from her. Guess that showed how desperate she was. Either that or she was still on that Hatchday high. He knew he still was.

"Milvus, is she serious?" The MOD turned to the yellow triangle, hoping for some clarity on the situation.

Milvus simply smiled and nodded.

"Wow, I knew this class was special, but I didn't expect this. You there, girl, what's your name?"

"Uchronia, sir."

"And tell me, Uchronia, what do you know about Forging?"

"Forging is the art of shaping raw materials into a new form. Beginner forgers start work with raw metal, as that is the easiest material to work with. As a Forger continues to gain more experience, they will be able to forge more than metal. Even materials typically not associated with Forging—like fabric—can be transformed into something special."

"Decent summary."

"What about Enchanting?"

"Enchanting is the process of imbuing objects with power. Runes are typically how an Enchanter gives these objects power. Though those truly skilled are able to go deeper into the object. Rather than giving them effects externally, they are able to draw out the latent power within the object."

"Again, pretty basic summary. I take back what I said earlier. Just because you know how to regurgitate whatever you've read doesn't make you special."

Uchronia's leaf twitched, just ever so slightly. No one else caught it other than him. A combination of knowing what pushed Uchronia's buttons and that his vision was predominantly movement-based.

"I know this may come off as rude, but please, Minister. Let me prove it to you. Let me prove that I'm worthy enough to be taken in as an apprentice."

"What are you proposing?"

"Let me show off my skills. Let me prove that I am worth teaching."

"A Forge-off and an Enchant-off? You do realize, I haven't lost a single battle since I've taken up the title of Minister of Defence, right?"

"Yes, I am well aware of your accolades."

"Very well, only if Milvus permits it."

"I believe that it will be a good learning experience for everyone."

Uchronia scowled, but immediately switched back to an expression that could only be labeled as angry gratitude—better known as anger-tude.

"Thank you, Mr. Milvus and Minister of Defence. It is an honor."

Uchronia hopped off her seat, walking toward the front of the class.

Milvus hit a button under the teacher's desk, sending it down below the ground. The floor opened up right in front of the MOD and Uchronia. Rising up from the ground was an anvil with multiple hammers of different shapes and sizes resting on it, and other weird tools like tongs. Beside the anvil was a small furnace with a bellow sticking out of it.

Lastly, resting on a pedestal were the ingredients themselves, raw metal. No idea what type, but it was most likely iron. Not because he was well informed on the topic, only because that was the most basic metal he could think of at the moment.

Wait a minute. He did say he would help Uchronia get an apprenticeship. Technically, it was Niwla who said it, but he liked Uchronia enough to help her out. And what was the best way to guarantee her an apprenticeship? If she lost against the MOD. A plan was already forging in his mind. It was going to be perfect.

Just ignore the fact that mind Niwla just slapped his huge, bulbous head with his wing.

This was going to be the perfect Hatchday present for Uchronia.

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