Beneath the Dragoneye Moons
Chapter 656: Countless Joyful Dawns X

361 Years after Elaine became a professor at the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft

Running a large organization was more involved than we’d initially expected, and we spent far longer at the Myriad Flame Phoenix Sect than we had initially planned. We couldn’t just up and leave when we were done and let the administration figure things out, no. We were the administration, which meant carefully selecting and grooming our successors before leaving.

Most of us. Fenrir enjoyed the pampering far too much, and when it was impractical for a huge wyvern to follow Iona on one of our various fun projects, he lazed around the highest peak, letting the ladies feed him, scratch him, and generally coo over him. We got the occasional hilarious letter about someone not believing the rumors, and getting a faceful of angry wyvern. They were courting death, they couldn’t be surprised when death came and found them.

I had a deep and abiding love for the School of Sorcery and Spellcraft. It had been my home, our home, repeatedly over the years. The first place I’d found my footing, the place we’d gone to teach, and the place we kept returning to, time and time again over the years. Often, just to update ourselves on how languages were evolving. I spoke anywhere between six to thirteen languages, depending on how archaic I was allowed to get and how much it had shifted. I wasn’t counting ‘three versions of Hakka’ as three different languages, no matter how irritating it was. Sometimes we’d teach for a single semester, sometimes we’d teach for a few years before wanderlust and boredom had us exploring the world once again.

I wasn’t easily bribed, but when a job offer came in to work at The Sovereign School of Hapensburg’s for Genteel Traditions and Courtly Etiquette, they managed it. The place was about as stuck-up as the name and it was exclusively for the upper nobility around the world.

“Where all the rich kids can sniff each other’s butts.” Was how Iona described it, and it sent me into fits of laughter.

“Should we do it?” I asked. My wife grinned.

“Let me handle the negotiations, and yes.” She’d said.

I’d been a little surprised when she negotiated the position of [Master-At-Arms] for herself, then grinned at her plan.

A whirlwind of activity found us at Hapensburgs as the school year started, students trickling in from around the world to spend the next ten months under our gentle ministrations. I was the staff [Healer], which made my job a breeze, and let me get paid the entire time. It also included unfettered access to one of the oldest libraries in the world, one filled with tomes that had survived the prior cataclysm. It even had a great number of titles the School lacked!

I was absolutely going to make copies and hand them over to Martin when we were done.

[The World Around Me] was nearly large enough to cover all of Hapensburg’s, letting me passively spy on everything and everyone. I couldn’t reach the forest surrounding the luxurious campus, but I wasn’t Arachne. A part of me was continuing the brutal work of my Heal rune. Organelles were finally done! I could move out of the subcellular level! Which, naturally, increased the complexity exponentially. Mostly, I was focused on scanning the library titles to find new delights. Oh hey, there was a section of the library that was probably supposed to be a secret. The Grimoire of Hollowed Stars and Whispered Runes… The Elder Compendium of Forgotten Sigils and Howe to Draweth Them… A Most Proper Accounte of Domestic Provisions and Pantry Lore… Ahha! A Record of Minor Scandals and Notable Births in the County of Witherford!

In other words, shameless, shameless gossip, written down. It might as well be filed in the fiction section!

The hospital wing was empty, and with any luck, none of the beds would ever be occupied. The moment anyone, anywhere, in Hapensburg’s grounds was injured, they were immediately healed back to the picture of perfect health. I had a cozy arm chair with pillows and blankets, a nice desk with my feet on it, and a plate with three mango pits. Alas, my poor self control, my daily ration hadn’t made it until my first book.

I [Teleported] the fiction novel off the shelf, sent an ink splotch onto the check out ledger, cracked the book open and got started.

At the same time, [Luminary Mind] let me multitask, and I was most interested in checking out Iona’s first class. This was the moment she’d been hoping for after all those months of prep time… and to be honest, I wanted to watch as well.

Iona was pacing back and forth between the first students that were trickling into the salle, her hands clasped behind her back. Most of the students were between 16 to 19, with only a few outliers. They laughed, joked, and pushed each other around as they filed in, and Iona narrowed her eyes.

No proper respect for the place. No respect at all. Normally, we were teaching people who were excited to be there and learn.

She gave it a minute, but the students were more interested in talking with each other than settling down and politely listening to the Valkyrie. I could see the miniscule shrug as Iona decided she needed to take control of the class more firmly than usual.

“Students!” She instantly commanded the room. “Settle down! Please, take a seat or a knee as you see fit, and we will begin.”

Only a few of the students sat down on the mats, and flushed in embarrassment as the others teased them. One of the boys stepped forward, looking down his nose on Iona in spite of her having a solid six inches on him.

Seriously, was there something in the water here? Did nobility cause brain disease? It wasn’t like… oh no, it had been enough generations since the Cataclysm that the people in power could be acting stupid. Damnit. I double checked my healing, and noticed Iona subtly scratching her thumb, checking that it was active herself.

“Who are you, and what house are you tied to?” He asked.

“I am Iona, known as the Dusk Valkyrie. It is possible that you’ve also heard of me from the Myriad Flame Phoenix Sect. The more important qualification is the [Headmaster] of Hapensburg’s believed I was the best qualified individual for the post, so sit your ass down!” Iona roared.

Most of the students sat down, and whispers about ‘that level’ rapidly passed through the crowd. The one idiot was about to acquire a terminal case of iron poisoning. Honestly, I’d be doing everyone a favor if I dropped my healing, including his poor future subjects. Alas, I had sworn otherwise.

He started to bluster wildly about his ‘unmatched skills’ and other nonsense. I knew Iona could easily talk him into things with her silver tongue, given enough time. I also knew my wife, and she was far readier to commit violence to get things done than I was. Mouthing off to a combat instructor? Cripes. It was probably faster this way, and my wife did need to consider everyone’s time. Iona pointed to one of the boys that had sat down first.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Count us off please.” Iona asked, as the noble idiot drew his sword. Iona didn’t bother arming herself. A whole number of customs and traditions started to be belted out - terms of the battle being first blood, bowing, steps, and all sorts of other things I promptly ditched the memory of. The customs would change in a few years and a few kilometers, no sense in learning it.

“Three, two, one, begin!”

Iona blurred forward as she punched the noble. It normally would’ve exploded his chest into chunky salsa, but I was here and rolling my eyes at the show. He was flung back, cracked his head against the wall - again, should’ve been extraordinarily lethal - and collapsed back down onto the ground.

I was impressed the building was still standing. Iona’s audience was watching with wide eyes and open mouths, and I wasn’t too surprised. It was doubtful they could’ve had any sparring or training at that intensity. Iona started to pace back and forth between them.

“Order Valkyrie was a knightly order from the last era. We mostly died out when we took on an opposing army a thousand to one, and drew even. A thousand to one… and half of us were squires, not even full members of the Order yet. I’m going to take a moment here to remind you in the training salle, I outrank all of you. The only person I don’t outrank is a [Monarch], and that’s because we are considered equals. In here, I have the weight and authority of a king. How can I possibly teach you without it? With the laws against harming nobility? I will be teaching all of you the proper courtly way to duel and fence, as each of your respective cultures demands, and I will also teach you all how to kill. How to fight for your life against impossible odds and come out the other side alive. First thing is most important. Conditioning. If you can’t run, if you can’t lift your weapon, you will die. I want eight laps around Hapensburg to start. Let’s go!”

With some grumbling, pushed along by lethal glares, the nobles started to run around the campus. Ahhh, it did a soul good to see egos deflated.

Mine was perfectly sized, no need to modify.

My mind continued to wander around the campus while I turned the pages of my book. I laughed at the serendipity of coincidence. At the same time I was reading about an affair, a young couple was gleefully showing each other how much they’d missed each other, having shaken off their [Chaperones]. Naturally, the two were engaged to other people. I had some sympathy, neither of them had any say in it. Well, I was the school [Healer], I had some minor responsibilities. I wrote a quick letter, then [Teleported] a pair of potions onto the girl’s nightstand. It’d be her choice if she wanted to take any of them, and my note made it clear that it was covered under [Healer]-patient privilege. I couldn’t tell someone, even if I wanted to.

Would’ve been fun to gossip with Iona, alas.

Two girls cornered a third in another hallway of Hapensburg’s, and I sighed to myself.

Bullying. Thank all the gods and Artemis that I had avoided that particular scourge in this life. I’d had more than my fill of them my first time round and I far preferred harsh Rangers and drill instructors yelling at me to pick up my feet versus taunts, comments, and the social quagmire of high school.

Elaine was here, all knowing, all seeing. I had plenty of experience running the Sect and handling situations like this, although most of my favorite tools weren’t available. Couldn’t restrict arcanite, make the girls run laps, or threaten to expel them here. The School was significantly better in that respect.

I [Teleported] just around the corner, adjusted myself, and walked in on the situation.

“Girls.” I said with my best disapproving teacher voice. “What’s going on here?”

I swelled my presence in the way that could make Legions shut up and listen. Alas, egos the size of small suns and an utter lack of life experience made one terminally immune to the type of threats and body language I was using. Seriously, where were these noble brats coming from? Exterreri wasn’t perfect… but all hail democracy. The most incompetent people were weeded out, and… okay, fine, I was editorializing a bit, there were way too many legacy [Senators], and occasionally an [Emperor]. Better than the nobility still.

The ringleader sneered at me.

“There’s nothing here to concern you. I’m Heiress Anastasia Rubywood, daughter of Duke Rubywood. You may curtsey and run along now.” She waved her hand dismissively.

“Who?” I asked with a cheeky grin, enjoying as Anastasia went red with fury. The girl they’d cornered was slowly inching along the wall, looking to make a break for it. Smart gal.

Before Rubywood could say anything I continued on. “Never heard of the man.”

Mmmm… damnit, this was just like the Guild Master. If I gave someone an aneurysm with my words, that counted as harm.

“Just wait until my father hears about this!” She screamed. The bullied girl bolted, dropping some of her books. I [Teleported] them back into her hands. She fumbled them, recovered nicely, and took off. “I’ll make sure you never work another day! You’ll be begging on the streets by the time I’m done with you!”

I raised an eyebrow at her friend.

“Are you sure you want to be associated with her?” I asked with a jerk of my chin. “Doesn’t seem too stable.”

I wanted to facepalm as soon as I said that. Given how pale the girl went, she wasn’t exactly thrilled either, but whoever Rubywood was, they must’ve had some local pull on her. Damn. Time to defuse. No patronizingly patting her head or name dropping any of the true big fish in the world.

“Listen, Rubywood. Your father is probably a big deal where you come from, but you’re on a larger, global stage now. You’re not just dealing with your area, where I’m sure your father’s the big fish. But that’s a very, very small pond. The way you’re going about things, you’re creating a reputation for yourself already. A poor reputation, and one that’ll haunt you the rest of your life. This behavior is how your peers will remember you. Are they going to want to send contracts to a brat who screams profanities and hides behind her father? Or are they going to want to deal with a level-headed peer of the realm? You’re doing yourself absolutely no favors, and I can tell you one door that’s already forever closed due to your activities today.”

She glared at me, hands on her hips, but I could see the subtle trembles.

“What door could that possibly be?” She spat, but with less venom. I smiled, leaned in, and stage-whispered to her.

“I’m never going to make you Immortal.”

I could always change my mind, of course, but right now the girl needed a firm kick in the seat of the pants, and access to Immortality was a pretty big carrot. I vanished in a cloud of glitter as the two girls gasped and immediately caught up to the original one. She jumped as I appeared out of nowhere.

“Sorry about that!” I told her. “I’m keeping an eye on things, but if they give you any more trouble, let me know and I’ll step in again.”

She cautiously nodded, but right as she opened her mouth I swore.

“Got to go.” I tersely said, before chaining [Teleports] to get to the top of the highest tower.

Someone had directed a monster towards Hapensburgs. No idea why, but the ankylosaurus was high level, had a storm of metal swirling around it, and looked pissed. Terrible assassination attempt? Trying to tank Hapensburg’s reputation? Genuinely a monster wandering over? Didn’t really matter now, did it? I could send a letter to Iona and she could try to track the beast… but she was also responsible for a number of students. It was Hapensburg’s responsibility.

Decisions, decisions… under my healing, the kids here could take on anything. Was it worth letting them have a crack at the beast? The first of Iona’s runners would turn a corner and see it in a few… no, make that twenty seconds, they were slow. Was it worth utterly disrupting things for the experience? It wasn’t what this school was about, although it could be interesting to forge bonds between various people. If the trio from earlier all had to face down the monster in a “life or death” fight, they’d possibly end up the best of friends after.

But oh, the drama, paperwork, and dreaded meetings. I wasn’t even to lunch on my first day and I was already constantly finding myself pulled from my books. How much worse was it going to get? I had a library to read, damnit!

Wasn’t worth doing this too dramatically… just a little, in case people were watching the overall situation. I tweaked my [Radiance Beam] to be as bright and as powerful as possible, then annihilated the dinosaur’s head and cut its body in half from where I was standing on the tower, two miles away. The charred remains of its body fell to the ground in two smoking halves and I flashed through the castle back to my domain before anyone could blink the lights out of their eyes and trace the attack back to me.

The three mango pits were staring accusingly at me from where they were sitting on the plate.

“Fine.” I muttered to myself as I picked the book back up. “Mangos after the daily disaster, got it.”

I turned the page and snickered at the tale of Billy the Beetle.

For everything going on here, it certainly wasn’t boring.

Mission accomplished.