Last night Will and Elder Thaddeus left the wedding massacre. The ride from the Tiger ancestral home to the border was quiet. The somber mood in the carriage was only made darker by the rainstorm the carriage was racing through.

After crossing the border into Fermion, the Wolfmen guard stopped at the border to wave goodbye. Escorting Will to the border was Stalking Wolf's last order. They told Will it was an honor to carry out their clan leader's last order and planned to do so with dignity to honor his life and memories.

Will and Elder Thaddeus crossed the bridge on foot, and hopped in a new carriage, with a company of Merchant Knight soldiers as their retinue. Even after staying a night in the barony, Will and Elder Thaddeus continue traveling to Guidon in silence.

On the carriage ride to Guidon, Will's memories with Eleanor replayed in his head, her helping Will in the library, her smiling in the kitchenette as they sat down for a meal, her encouraging Will as he practiced his spellcraft. He remembers their last lunch date with Lawrence and Holo. The thought about her last smile on her wedding day banquet.

Finally, Will pushed his anger down, and asked his master, "Were you aware of the attack?"

Elder Thaddeus looked at Will with soft red eyes, heavy bags hung below his eyes. "Yes, I sensed the attack before you and the others."

"Could you have saved her?" Will had to know the truth.

"Yes!" Elder Thaddeus, his voice was laden with heavy emotion.

"Didn't you want to save her! Don't you care about her! You probably could've said everyone, how could you let those people die!"

In an instant, the entire carriage felt like the inside of an oven. Will began to suffocate as he felt the heavy volcanic aura. Will felt he was being baked alive, he tried to move away from his master, but he felt glued to his seat. Will gulped for air, his lungs devoid of oxygen. He finally understood what it meant to be a fish out of water. Yet, even as he struggled to breathe, he felt happy, this is the emotional reaction he wants his master to show.

As Will faced turned blue, Elder Thaddeus hid his aura. Will collapsed to the carriage floor breathing heavily. Every breath felt like life returning.

"Do not ever question my feelings for Eleanor!" Elder Thaddeus said firmly. "She was a colleague and a dear friend. Eleanor was like a daughter to me for ten years, you have no right to question me?"

'Never upset a grandmaster wizard,' Will told himself.

"Will, you should have learned the beastmen pride themselves on their strength and battle prestige. To die in battle is an honor. You are aware in beastmen culture, humans are seen as inferior. If you or I fought, even if the Tiger Clan won and there were fewer casualties, the Tiger Clan would hold their heads in shame because of human help. By not fighting we honored their cultural ways, that is why they thanked me for holding you back. If I had saved Eleanor, she would have been dishonored by her clan and the Tiger Clan. More than likely, she would have been exiled from her homeland until she regained her honor," Elder Thaddeus lamented.

"That makes no sense! Wouldn't it be better to live in Fermion as an exile, than be dead?"

"Will, do you even know how Eleanor was treated in Guidon all these years? After I hired her, she was not permitted to stay at the academy. For the past ten years, she was treated like a slave, a second-class citizen. Even the humans in the southern district treat beastmen poorly. Holo and Lawrence were her only friends, and she once in a long while. You and I were the only humans who treated her person, instead of a talking dire beast. Do you think she wanted to live in those conditions for the rest of her life, never seeing her family again?"

"There is something wrong with the world when dying is an honor and living is a crime," Will lowered his head in shame.

That made Elder Thaddeus laugh, "That is why I chose you to be my disciple. You certainly think differently than others. Most nobles, knights, and mages do not care about beastmen culture or beastmen; yet, you treat beastmen as equals.

"Master, why did you choose me as your disciple? I heard cadets and mages, from more esteemed families than mine asked to be your disciple, but you turned them down. Why me?" Will had always wanted to ask but never found the right moment.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask me. I'm amazed you went this long, as curious as you are. Will, I chose you because you tend to treat everyone like an equal, no doubt because you see them as potential customers.

Your vice for greed extends beyond borders, and because of that, you are not tied to nationalistic military ideology. Oh gods there are so many of those idiots. I would wager, you plan to extend your economic empire to the Elvish, Dwarvish, and human kingdoms.

I also admire your strong reading appetite, how many other cadets your age do you see in the library routinely? It also helps that you are not too arrogant and selfish. I was surprised you parted with your coin to give to a church, you do not strike me as the religious type.

In the past, every young man or woman who asked to be my disciple wanted power for power's sake. They sought to become the strongest for themselves, not for others. With your power, with your training, with my lectures, you could have easily won the Infantry Commander Post, but ran for Quartermaster. You seek overwhelming physical strength and unmatched magic is not what you seek, that is the reason why I chose you, no, I sought you out," he finished.

"Thank you for telling me, master. But after this wedding, I realized I need to become overwhelming strong and have unmatched magic, if I want to be safe in this world," Will told Elder Thaddeus his epiphany.

"You shall have it Will, and much, much more," Elder Thaddeus said, clasping Will's shoulder.

After this conversation, Will's frustration with Elder Thaddeus extinguished. The two continued to banter. As they rode to Guidon, the weather slowly improved. In a week, the rainy weather gave way to sunny cloudless skies. The sun radiated down as master and disciple contentedly chatted.

As they spoke, Will learned new information about the upcoming school year. Unlike first years, the upper-grade level courses were offered one day a week. Second-year cadets took core courses on battle tactics and troop leadership. This was meant to prepare them for commanding army troops upon graduation. Even though Will was in his second year, Will was considered a quasi third-year student due to his passing out of first-year Theory and History classes, and his prominent discipleship to Grandmaster Thaddeus.

This year, he would read books on strategy, and old battle reports written by generals on the tactics. For troop leadership, he would read books on military leadership. Moreover, as a quasi-third-year cadet, he would become a second lieutenant within the nation's army. Will learned that fourth-years were promoted to first lieutenants upon graduation.

The core courses for the Mage Academy were transmutation and conjuration. In the second-year conjuration course, the second-year mages would summon familiars. Will had never heard the term familiar. Elder Thaddeus told him a familiar was a spirit animal who served as a life-long companion.

In addition, upper-level cadets and mages could take electives. Elder Thaddeus explained he could choose up to three electives. Lucky for Will, he had the option of taking electives at either the Mage Academy or Knight Academy.

The available electives were noble etiquette, home economics, horseback riding, jousting, archery, master of arms, enchanting with ancient runes, formations, herbology, alchemy, arcane blacksmithing, divination, music, and art.

Elder Thaddeus suggested that Will enrolls in noble etiquette, arcane blacksmithing, and formation. Noble etiquette reinforced noble protocol. Only children of nobles were allowed entry into this course and were considered mandatory for all nobles. Arcane blacksmithing was the only elective that compliment Will's earth magic. Elder Thaddeus said this elective would help Will gain a better understating of metals, spells like [iron lance] would be improved by taking this course. The last elective was formations like the one Elder Thaddeus used to create the vortex in Will's mana pool.

Will could make out Guidon on the horizon as they finished planning Will's weekly schedule. At the Knight Academy, Will would take battle tactics and troop leaders, the first, third, and fifth day of the week. On the second, fourth, day of the week, he would take transmutation and conjuration at the Mage Academy, and study further on the weekends. They would start the morning off with Tai Chi, in the afternoon he would work at the library or guild. In the evenings and weekends, Will and Elder Thaddeus would practice his spellswordmanship. Will vowed to become stronger this year. He would never feel helpless again.

The carriage stopped outside the Guidon gate, as the guards checked over their residence paperwork. Will looked at Guidon's large white walls, giant gate. The order rows of houses, shops, people were a welcomed sight for Will.

The carriage moved over the cobblestone streets to a small cottage. The weeklong trip was exhausting, and Will's back was hurting from sitting too long. He the carriage pulled to a stop in front of the ornate Mage Academy gates. The gates gave Will a bittersweet feeling, he was happy to be back in Guidon, but it would be hard to imagine a schoolyear with Elder Li.

"Welcome back Sir. William vont Ballard," Vanessa said in a soft formal voice, she curtsied.

Will chuckled, he had gotten used to being called mister or seen as a commoner. What a strange feeling to regain his noble rank.

Elder Thaddeus directed the coachmen to his cottage, as Will and Vanessa spoke.

"Hello Vanessa, what news of businesses?" Will asked. He enjoyed reading corporate reports, it gave him a familiar sense of his glory days back on Earth.

"Sir, while you were away the business saw growth. The release of the game Go received immediate acclaim. The Knight Academy has adopted chess, and it's reported third- and fourth-year students will use the game for the battle tacit classes. The Knight and Mage Academy's each ordered over 200 boards. The theatre is well attended every night, and the troubadours remain happy. The casino has become a tourist attraction and has seen the largest growth in the two months. Also here are Mei's letters with her weekly reports," she finished giving Will another curtsey."

"Thank you, Vanessa, it sounds like you did a fantastic job. Please prepare a staff wage increase proposal for me to review. I plan to open a new building shortly, a bank, please prepare accordingly.

"Yes, Boss Will," Vanessa said turning around to leave.

Will stared at the Mage Academy gates for a few minutes, before stepping foot on the campus. He saw the cottage door, and his memories with Elder Li, Teacher Li, his friend flooded back into his consciousness. He opened the door to Elder Thaddeus sitting down at the kitchenette table patting Archimedes.

"Oh, Archimedes told me he's excited about your return. He's been dutifully watching over your growing piles of gold. Funny really, he sleeps on the gold. It's his bed. Oh, bother, I'm afraid it will be rather difficult for him to move," Elder Thaddeus chuckled.

Will chuckled with Elder Thaddeus, laughing at Archimedes, before Will realize exactly what he said, "Wait Archimedes spoke to you?"