Chapter 372 – Binding Choices

Chapter 372 – Binding Choices

Kai brushed a speck of dust from his cuff and rechecked his pocketwatch. Precisely on time. He smothered the nagging sense that he’d forgotten something. Paranoia tickled that feeling on most days, and he had no time to dally. His knuckles lifted to the redwood door beneath the golden plaque.

An even voice answered before his second knock. “Enter.”

Dispelling his Shadow veil, he politely slipped in. The faint smell of aged parchment and lavender suffused the office. His gaze swept over the tomes and gleaming memorabilia lining the shelves. He stopped before the desk, back straight, stiffly performing the proper greetings he’d rehearsed.

“I apologize for the short notice. I came to accept the offer.”

Professor Thornwyn set her quill on its glass holder and raised her attention to him. The carmine ink of the interlocking diagram glimmered fresh on the paper. “Mister Veernon.” Behind her horn-rimmed glasses, her studious gaze chipped the confidence in his etiquette, as if she’d found a misplaced book in the library and was deliberating where to shelve it. “I had not expected to see you so soon. I assume you wish me to become your formal advisor?”

“Yes.” Kai nodded. “If the offer is still open…”

Don’t squirm. Don’t squirm. How does she make me feel guilty even when I did nothing wrong?

As if reaching a conclusion, the lines in her expression eased. “The terms still stand. Not everyone considers informal offers binding, but it would be incredibly poor form for a professor to retract their word to a student.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“I know you didn’t. And no offense was taken.” She smiled faintly. “Please, take a seat. You still had six days to consider my offer. Do not misunderstand, I’m glad you came before the last-minute deadline, though a little surprised. Are you entirely sure? Don’t you have a page of questions for me?”

Uh… is she making fun of me?

“I don’t need more time.” Kai settled into the plush chair. “I’m sure.”

“That’s good. I would assign you ten merits for your comprehensive decision-making. But you should know, advisors can’t award merits to their advisees, even during ordinary lectures. Before we discuss the details of the contract, I’m curious what made up your mind. Not everything has a value in your status. And there are few things more valuable than honing your decision-making process. Any unusual event or advice that influenced you?”

Just a moody butler. No… no way she knows, besides, I’ve got nothing to hide. Don’t squirm. Don’t squirm.

“I’ve thought about it plenty. It’s a generous offer. I can’t say if anything stood out in particular. Well… maybe the Trials. I realized how much I have to learn about magic theory and my skills.”

Her eyes widened a fraction before her expression returned to a stern teacher’s visage. “Congratulations are in order. First ranking. It’s relieving to see you’ve not let one achievement get to your head. Few things have ruined more promising students than complacency.”

Jolene leaned back in her chair. The freshly inked diagram and tomes vanished, replaced by a porcelain tea set on a tray. “Actually, I’d like to go over your experience in the Trials. That’s one of the exercises I do with all the students I mentor. The recordings I reviewed missed several crucial moments. Why don’t you walk me through your experience and thought process? We can leave your skill usage for later. What were your best decisions? And which were your worst?” She poured from a pitcher too small to hold the volume flowing into the glass kettle. “Would you like a cup? Conjured water doesn’t quite taste the same.”

“Sure… I mean, yes. I’d appreciate that,” Kai said, unsure of what the proper response was, only that he’d botched it. Memories of the Trials tangled into his thoughts with a surge of knotted feelings. He realized he’d been unconsciously steering his mind away from the experience since he’d escaped. His fight with the Pale Stalker stood out with painful sharpness, while exhaustion muddled his memories of the latter half.

Not a terribly pleasant experience. But nothing compared to the Sanctuary.

Noticing Jolene’s inquiring gaze, he schooled his expression. It couldn’t hurt to see how she planned to advise him. “Uh, I’d say teaming with Alden was my wisest choice. For what I could have done better. There are a few things…”

His story gained coherence as Jolene quizzed him on his every action and how he could have behaved more optimally. Her pursed mouth didn’t look very impressed with how he’d rushed into the tunnels without studying more of the clues. She pinched her nose with a pained scowl at how he’d brute-forced the door maze.

“That was an unorthodox strategy.”

“It worked out. Well, until the spider cave.”

Despite the blows to his pride, he enjoyed himself. Sipping jasmine tea and arguing about optimal strategies had a nostalgic air, reminiscent of his teachers at the estate. Pose a problem and puzzle out a solution. An oddly similar methodology, though Jolene had a more guided approach.

Tell me I’m not unconsciously chasing the same style. No, it’s probably a coincidence…

The questions left little time to ponder as he subtly probed about the irregularities that had nearly killed him. If Professor Thornwyn knew what had gone wrong during the Trials, she was exceptionally skilled at looking appalled and measuredly outraged. Without comment, she set down her teacup with a clink and jotted down a note in a deep-pink diary, face cold and unreadable.

“That will suffice for today. I expect a two-thousand-word essay about augmenting your ten best and worst decisions. I hope you’ve taken notes with Mnemonic Mastery.”

Wait! When did I agree to extra homework—

“Assignments are independent of my potential role as your advisor. You can turn in the papers at the secretary’s desk on this floor before the break ends if you can’t find me.”

“Yes, professor.”

“I’ll look forward to reading your arguments.” She set down her porcelain cup on the tray with a thinly satisfied look. “Have you seen a mental specialist about your encounter with the Pale Stalker?

Kai’s puzzled frown seemed answer enough.

“Being exposed to a Stalker’s fear aura during an intense experience is known to cause lasting effects on an unprotected mind, especially at your age. They surely must have told you? Did you not receive a full medical checkup at the end of the Trials?”

“Maybe. I don’t remember much.”

His vague shrug seemed to hit her like a suckerpunch. “Merciful Moons.” Her quill whipped toward her hand as she drew another sharp note in the deep-pink diary. “Raelion has medical professionals available to every enrolled student. All confidential and bound by soul oath.” She winced as a second page separated from her diary. “Take an appointment. The academy covers the fees for any injury sustained during formal education, whether they’re physical or not.”

The note fluttered into his hand, written in elegant, cursive letters.

Medical Ward, Palladium Tower, 4th floor. Open any academic day from the 6th to the 18th hour. Ask the clerk at the entrance for more information. Specify the cause (Trials).

Kai stored the paper. “I’m really fine.”

“Are you?” She glanced at him over the rim of her glasses.

“Of course.” Probably not, but the Pale Stalker didn’t rank even in the top ten worst encounters he liked least to think about, and the stuff he actually needed to work through would land him into an unknown amount of trouble. Oath or no oath, that wasn’t a gamble he wanted to take. “Though I appreciate the info, professor.” It took all his focus not to fidget under her gaze. “Shouldn’t we discuss the contract? I have a few questions.”

“Of course you do.” The tray vanished in her spatial artifact, and she withdrew a thick folder from a drawer. “Those are Raelion’s standard obligations and expectations between advisor and advisee. My draft contract is on the last page. Ask any doubts. I’m sure you’ve already deeply researched the material.”

Hmm… yeah.

Kai flipped through the pages with the nonchalance of a guy who definitely wasn’t reading them for the first time. No, sir. What fool would sign a contract without doing their homework?

I did have an inkling I’d forgotten something…

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Leaving her office eight days ago, he had intended to comb the library for information. Then, he had gotten thrown into the Mid-Term Trials, followed by a shady butler breaking into his living room. “I should check that I’ve not missed anything else.”

His mind split, darting over the dense, bureaucratic language. After the initial sweaty panic, his nerves settled. He recognized several sections from the Student’s Codex and various snippets from other readings. “What do the expectations of obeisance and filial duty entail? Also, about upholding your master’s honor.”

“The wording’s a remnant of tradition. Like every similar relationship, Realion’s mentoring takes after from the old mage-novice apprenticeships. In practice, you need to observe the proper forms, be respectful and present yourself with dignity in public. Don’t worry, I don’t expect a horse to fly. I’ve tempered my expectations. Just avoid embarrassing yourself or getting expelled, that would reflect poorly on me.”

“I see. What about the agreement of disciplinary precedence?” He prodded, half for curiosity and half to buy time.

Beyond the legal contract, mentoring relationships carried centuries, if not millennia, of baggage, custom and tradition. Even with Raelion applying just the lightest veneer of those ancient obligations, the implied expectations gave him a headache.

He might be entitled to Jolene’s ‘earnest instruction’ for his education and status growth, and committed to put forth his most strenuous efforts and assistance in Professor Thornwyn’s academic endeavors, but there remained few hard laws. The mentorship was more a pact of intent than quantifiable returns—an agreement based on trust and informal understanding.

Even guaranteed monthly hours meant little. A professor might consider sitting in the same room or having him act as their unpaid secretary ‘teaching.’

Despite all that, the deal looked incredibly skewed in his favor. He had few guarantees, but also had the most to gain. Most of the professors’ reward came from the prestige of mentoring a promising student and the unstated expectation of future repayment after graduation. That naturally didn’t include resources and favors traded between Houses that often accompanied mentorships.

Kai massaged his temples and reread the last page. In two hours of conversation, he’d learned more about high-blood ties than he cared to, reinforcing his conviction to stay away.