Reincarnated As A Peasant - Book 2 Chapter 22: A Stone Mason's Mission

Landar

The next day, on Fourths day, or what in my mind I still called Thursday, after body enhancement training and cultivation, I had a few hours until Mana Theory. I used that time to help my new servants get acquainted with the teachers they’d been assigned too. Kai and his family enjoyed meeting the old gardener, whose primary responsibilities in the middle of winter focused around keeping one of the many underground magically run greenhouses running well.

“He reminds me of Sidrin!” kai said when I pulled him off to the side to ask how the introductions were going. “All business, and responsibility. But with an underside of mischief. I think we’ll get along well m’lord.”

After a few more introductions to seamstresses, groomsman, and other members of the staff with my household of drudges, things seemed to go very well. The drudges jumped at the opportunity to learn what they considered to be ‘real trades’.

With that done, I left to see about smoothing things over with the matron of the baths.

She wasn’t pleased when I found her labeling a new shipment of bath salts, but when I explained the situation in greater detail she was sympathetic to my cause. “Just tell them to leave the baths alone. That’s my job, not something they have to worry about.”

“Understood, thank you.” I didn’t have any money to leave a tip, something that apparently was common for high nobility to do with servants that weren’t their own. But when I tried to apologize the woman waved it off.

“Bah, you’re doing right but a bunch of folk who haven’t got two tin pennies to rub together. Go do that, and stop worrying about me.”

I thanked her again and left, hoping to be back in time to speak with Victor before Mana Theory started. I had some questions about the reading.

***

“So, at its most basic, Enchantment is taking a spell circuit, like this.” Victor pointed at the drawing he had made. It was a two dimensional representation of what a magic user would need to do with their mana to get it to attune to different elements. Either as it ran through a meridian. “And forcing it into an object on a metaphysical, some say spiritual too, and sometimes physical levels. Though you’ll only see a spell circuit physically burned into something if there is a lot of mana involved, moving very, very quickly through the circuit. You have to use some of your mana to actually reinforce the frame of the circuit, or matrix, if it gets anywhere near that strong.”

“Enough raw mana that it could destabilize the circuit without that reinforcement.” I finally understood what the reading had been saying. “But I have another question. What’s the difference between a circuit and a matrix then? The text uses them almost interchangeably.”

“Right, you wouldn’t know that. Well, a circuit is the very basic form you need to attune mana externally. But many people can accomplish that same feat by simply running theri pure mana through an attuned meridian first. A matrix is like a circuit but, waaaay more complex.”

Victory pulled out a sheet of paper he had been copying designs from, and unfolded it so I could see the entire thing. “This is a matrix.” It had dozens of basic circuits that I had just begun to recognize attached to it, and manipulated different kinds of mana in particular ways to attain a specific effect.

“What spell is that?” I was curious.

Victor grinned mischievously. “A spell every wizard should know by the time they leave school.” he waited as if expecting me to get it. When I just blinked at him in silence his shoulders dropped a little. “It’s fireball. Fireball.”

Victor was a bit pudgier then I was, clearly having lived a softer life. But despite his disappointment the image of him shooting fireballs down tunnels at fleeing monsters made me grin. It matched his rather intense personality well, I thought.

“And this one’s Lightning chain.” He pulled out another large parchment with an even more complex matrix etched on it perfectly. “If you reverse it, by feeding mana through it backwards, I hear it can be used as a bootleg chain lightning too! Super cool.”

“That’s pretty cool. Any chance I could borrow one of those to get sketches of the spell circuits off them some time?”

Victor looked uneasy. “Nah man, sorry.” His shoulders fell and he looked like he was worried I’d be angry with him. “My brother paid good money to get me these last year, and I’ve been practicing the spell circuits from them to get ready for school. They’re super expensive, even for my family. But hey, I hear we’ll get access to the library at the half year mark and we’ll be able to get tier one to tier three spell matrix’s and access to all the circuits too! That’ll be awesome.”

“Tier one to three? Hmmm.”

I already knew most of the basics of this. My Dash ability that I had mapped onto my knee meridians was a very basic matrix with only two circuits on it. One to shape mana into Physical attuned mana, and another for Wind based mana to help keep my body going in the right direction when I used it. But I didn’t know the terminology.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

While my Imbued Strike ‘spell’ was actually just the physical circuit. Or at least it seemed that way.

I suppose I’m not so far behind after all.

“Yeah most people start by learning the circuits as kids, and just use their active will to shape the effect they want. Those types of spells are called cantrips. They don’t do much once you get even a few levels on you. But when you’re level zero, or even level two? They’re super helpful.”

“Good to know. Hey, thanks man. This means a lot to me, the extra tutoring. Otherwise I think I’d be forced to take the remedial class.”

“Oh. Dude this is the remedial class.”

“Well yeah, but I mean the even more remedial class.”

“Uh . . . Is there one?”

I shrugged my shoulders. I had no idea. “So, why are YOU in the remedial theory class anyway Victor? You seem to know this stuff already.”

His face turned red in a furious blush. “Oh uh. Well, I . . . I don’t take tests well. Like at all.”

Testing anxiety. Common enough.

The door opened with a clang, and in walked the professor. “Let’s get started, no time to waste today! Open your books to . . .”

***

The class let out, and I was one of the last ones to leave. “Master Landar,” Nigal appeared next to me as if out of thin air as I stepped out of the room. “You have a visitor waiting for you in the common room.”

“Oh? Who is it?” I asked, concerned.

“I do not know, but the gentleman was rather short, for being a foreigner. I need not remind you master Landar that you are currently maxed out on the number of servants and retainers you are allowed with you at the academy.”

One of Nigal’s workers walked past me carrying a bucket filled with soapy water. Behind her came a trio of my supposed ‘servants’.

Speak of the devil and he will appear I suppose. I thought as I watched the enthusiastic drudges follow the woman, who clearly looked more haggard than would be normal for that time of day.

“Indeed, it seems the school is overrun with your people.” Nigal’s voice hid the amusement I saw in his eyes.

“Thank you.” I took the offered letter he gave me, and pocketed it. Then I looked around, not knowing which way to go.

Do you know where I’m supposed to go, System?

No idea sir. I have a rudimentary map of the academy, but I do not know where the ‘common room’ is. That is perhaps slang I have yet to be exposed to.

“Is there a problem, Master Landar?” Nigal asked, and I could tell he was fighting to keep a smirk off his face.

“Yeah, where is the common room exactly?”

He smiled genuinely, a healthy mix of amusement and, was that satisfaction I saw in his expression?

“I would be pleased to show you the way. Follow me Master Landar.”

***

Gragon, of the Woodburner clan stood in the middle of a luxurious waiting room. Clean untouched couches filled the space, with rugs as clean as driven snow and made from a riot of multi-hughed sturdy fibers covered the floor.

Three servants stood at various stations, one for what looked like small finger food, another for clean water, and the third looked to be some kind of brew master. Wines and other clearly alcoholic drinks from the smell filled the small desk behind her.

Gragon stood at what to me looked like parade rest. “The master dwarf has refused any comforts of the common room. Despite reassurances that they are free to all guests.” Nigal explained, when I gave him a quizzical look.

“Yeah, that makes sense. They don’t trust very easily. Thank you Nigal, I think I can take it from here.”

“As you insist, Master Landar.” with that Nigal seemed to fade into the background and quickly disappeared. I knew he was walking away from me, but for some reason my eyes just seemed to slip off him.

Is he using some kind of ability? Wild. The ability to go unnoticed was a powerful one, in every world I had been in.

Shaking my head to clear it, I turned and strode into the luxurious room. “Boy, you’re actually still alive.” Gragon said with a smile. He reached a hand out to me and as I walked up I took it in a crushing grip.

“You’re gotten stronger boy. Not a bad handshake.”

“That grip is as strong as I remember,” I winced as his hand nearly crushed my unaugmented grip. When we released one another I felt a jolt of satisfaction as seeing him have to flex his fingers to get feeling back into them. Despite the fact I had to openly massage mine, it still made me feel good. “Thank you for coming.”

“Well, you said you needed help. And I and me clan ain’t ones to forget a debt. Or pass up an opportunity.”

“You repaid me the debt you had to my parents when you made this,” I pulled the ax out of the loop on my hip and handed it over for his inspection.

“Aye, me personal debt. But not the one I have to your parents. Besides boy, I like you. A bit anyway. You’d spit in a dragon’s eye, and I like that spirit of yours. Hope it hasn’t changed much.”

I grinned. “Trust me, it hasn’t. Just gotten a bit taller is all.”

“A bit? You’re nearly as big as a brick house. And almost as broad as your da too. I’d say you had giants blood If I didn’t know your father as well as I do.”

That made my grin grow. “Never thought i’d grow like I have. Always been a bit of a runt until just the last year or so.”

“Really? Sprung up like a weed did ya?” I nodded. “Well, sounds about right. I see you added a few of yer own scriblins to the ax.” He made a tisking noise. “Not bad choices, and competently done. But they lack a certain, how do you say. Artistry?”

“Anything wrong with them?” My heart sank as the thought I might have damaged the powerful and beautiful weapon.

“The runes are serviceable to be certain. Nothin to worry about. But they’re not masters’ work. More like something I’d expect from a skilled apprentice. But don’t fret. A few days under my care, and we’ll get those scratches to look like real runes.”

“I’d be grateful, but that’s not why I asked you here.”

“Then get to spitten the words boy. I don’t have an entire lifetime to wait.”

I smiled again as I took back the ax. “I have a mission for you.”