After his bath, Ralf helped Zion into his daily attire while explaining the day's activities to him. "Your daily activities today will consist of lectures on geography, state history, economics and magic. Your lunch will be brought to you after your state history lecture and you'll be able to rest for a little while before resuming your lectures. After the lectures, you'll be coached in sword-fighting, riding and archery. Once the coaching is over, you'll be given some time to bath and prepare for dinner time. The king has also instructed me to inform you that he would like to discuss some important matters with you during tonight's dinner." Zion let out a loud sigh to express his displeasure at the long and tiring day ahead of him. He then composed himself and checked himself in the mirror as Ralf finished dressing him.
"Did my father mention what he wanted to discuss with me?" Zion asked his valet curiously.
"He didn't mention anything specifically, but it might be about the diplomatic marriage with the Princess of the Kingdom of Prugalla. I heard him talking to the Prugallian diplomat about it," replied Ralf as he held the door open, waiting for Zion to exit the room.
"Marriage with Cyra? She's beautiful, but she can be quite the airhead at times…," Zion said as he stepped out of his room. "But I suppose my father would have his reasons for choosing her. I'll discuss it with him during dinner. You may close the door now, Ralf."
"Y-yes, of course, my prince." Ralf had been busy eyeing a servant girl that was walking past and hadn't noticed that Zion had already walked out of the room. He quietly swung the door shut. "But then again Prince Zion, it is just an assumption on my part. It may not be the actual topic that the King wants to discuss with you."
"I'll bear that in mind. Take care, Ralf! I'll see you again in the evening," Zion said with a wave as he walked unenthusiastically to his lecture room. Ralf returned the wave as he began walking towards the servants' mess hall. Ralf sighed inwardly, it was going to be yet another long and tiresome day for him as well.
Zion was greeted with a disapproving glare by his tutor as he entered the room. "Prince Zion, your tardiness is most unbecoming," commented the old man as Zion sat down in his seat. "My apologies, I had to grab some breakfast on the way," Zion replied though he did not look very apologetic as he continued to munch on the pastry that he had grabbed from a servant on his way to the lecture room.
The old man let out a sigh, "My prince, I understand that you are not fond of your studies, but it is my duty to remind you that as the future leader of the kingdom of Xaevural, it is vital to have knowledge of the world around you to avoid being taken advantage of."
Zion rolled his eyes at the comment but he settled down and kept quiet nonetheless. Seeing that he had gotten his point across, the tutor began his lecture about Xaevural and the lands which surround it.
Directly north of the kingdom was the volcano known as Mount Xaevural, named after the kingdom which thrives because of it. Further north of Mount Xaevural were large and expansive forests, known as the Mysticgroves. The Mysticgroves was filled with all manner of magical beasts and various fae-folk and was the natural barrier that separated the northern kingdoms from the southern kingdoms.
The kingdom of Xaevural was considered to be part of the southern kingdoms and neighbors 3 other nations. The mercantile kingdom of Thandel to its south, the desert kingdom of Prugalla to its west, and the maritime nation of Naeca to its east. Naenia, the sister kingdom of the Naeca, was located south of Thandel and Naeca, and was surrounded by swamps and marshes.
The largest of the southern kingdoms was the Vraenad Kingdom. Surrounded by massive, impassable mountains and located to the south-east of Prugalla, south of Thandel, and the south-west of Naenia, Vraenad was a militaristic and brutal kingdom that had launched countless raids against the kingdom of Thandel. However, with assistance from Prugalla and Naenia, the kingdom of Thandel had always managed to hold back the forces of Vraenad at the appropriately named Scavengers Pass. The Scavengers Pass which was located within the borders of the kingdom of Thandel, was the only passage through the mountains which surrounded the kingdom of Vraenad. Surrounded by sheer cliffs on both sides, it had served as the bottleneck for the countless battles that the combined forces of Prugalla, Thandel and Naenia had fought against the hordes of Vraenad. Although the number of raids had decreased significantly with the construction of fortifications along the pass by the wealthy kingdom of Thandel, small squads of Vraenadians were still able to sneak in through hidden passes in the mountains to wreak havoc in the small hamlets located nearby.
Another notable nation was the Draoida Sovereignty, the magnocratic nation was well-known as the center of all magic and had a near absolute non-interventionism policy with other nations. Which was probably for the best as the magical might of the Draoida Sovereignty would lay waste to any nation that dared to challenge it, marking it as one of the most powerful nations. It was located to the north west of Xaevural, to the north of Prugalla and borders the western end of the Mysticgroves.
The geography lecture ended at around mid-day, the sweltering heat from living so close to a volcano combined with the gentle sunlight that shone in through the windows had made Zion very drowsy and he struggled to stay awake as his state history lecturer, who was also his father's head scribe and the master historian of the castle, droned on and on about how the Kingdom of Xaevural was founded, the myths surrounding its founding and the traditions that had been passed down throughout the generations. "- and so, the mighty King Brunaulf the First made a pact with the dragon of Mount Xaevural following the Great Eruption and there hasn't been another major eruption since then. Did you get all that, my prince?" the wizened head scribe asked Zion as he turned over for the first time since he began his lecture.
"U-um… Y-yeah… I got it," Zion replied with a half-hearted grin. "I'm so sleepy right now… Hopefully lunch arrives soon" he thought to himself. As soon as the thought manifested in his mind, a knock on the door could be heard and a servant brought Zion's lunch to him.
"I shall leave you to your lunch then, Prince Zion," said the old scribe as he bowed and left the room, completely unaware that Zion had slept through most of his lesson.
Lunch was luxurious to say the least, Zion was served a fine cut of drakeling meat with a side of corn, salted potatoes and some peas and a cup of chilled water to wash it all down. In Xaevural, many different species of drakes make their nests among the stony crags and hidden caves that can be found on the sides of the volcano. The larger, wingless drakes were often used as beasts of war, whereas the smaller drakes were hunted for food. These smaller drakes- termed drakelings, had small wings and were about as big as goats. Due to the small wings, they were not capable of sustained flight and could often be seen gliding around and off the sheer cliffs of Mount Xaevural. These drakelings were considered a delicacy in Xaevural and only nobles and royals were given the opportunity to enjoy them. The flesh of a drakeling was tender, and filled with fat that sizzled when cooked, releasing a very addictive aroma. After Zion finished up his lunch, his economics tutor strode in with a huge bag full of stuff. "Good afternoon, Prince Zion!"
"Good afternoon, Mr Jelric! How have your travels been?" Zion replies enthusiastically. Of all the tutors he had, Mr Jelric was by far his favorite. The young and charismatic Thandelian merchant frequently travelled around the various kingdoms and occasionally brought back unique and interesting souvenirs that he would then use as a form of "bribe" to gain the prince's attention during his classes. Not that Zion minded it in the slightest, he recently got a rare and special writing apparatus made in one of the northern kingdoms that allowed its user to write constantly without needing to dip it in ink. According to Mr Jelric, the device utilized a unique rune that converts stored magical energy into ink, allowing the user to write at any time and at any place without having to carry a heavy bottle of ink. Zion had been overjoyed when he received the gift and had carried it with him ever since.
"I have been most well, I recently returned from a trip to Prugalla and guess what I brought back for you?" Mr Jelric said with a sly smile. Without waiting for his student to reply, Mr Jelric took out something wrapped in leather and as he unwrapped the leather, Zion's eyes widened in anticipation and awe. Revealing a curved sword still sheathed inside a leather scabbard decorated with intricate designs and symbols.
"May I?" the eager prince asked as he hopped from one foot to the other enthusiastically.
"Of course! It is your gift after all," Mr Jelric replied with a wink. He too, was eager to see how his student would react when he saw the actual blade itself.
With the permission granted by his tutor, Zion unsheathed the sword from the scabbard and held it up against the sunlight that was shining into the room to get a better look at it. It was a beautiful sword, undoubtedly made by a master blacksmith. The steel had a bluish tinge to it and had beautiful wave-like patterns. The edge itself was sharp enough to slice a man in two effortlessly and the hilt was wrapped with oiled leather made from the hide of the giant horned lizards that were native to Prugalla.
"It's beautiful," muttered Zion as he turned the blade over to inspect it from the other side.
"Nope, it's a scimitar!" replied Mr Jelric cheekily. "And a very well-made one as well, its made from Prugallian treated steel which is much tougher than conventional iron and steel swords. Seeing as how you'll be of age soon, I felt that it would be the perfect gift for you. Now then, shall we begin our class?"
"Of course, Mr Jelric!" Zion replied cheerfully as he sheathed his new scimitar and returned to his seat.
"Now, do you know what the primary export of Xaevural is?" Mr Jelric asked the prince.
"Gemstones, the heat from the magma stored inside the volcano and the high pressure inside the volcano result in an abundance of gemstones which are then mined and either traded with or sold to other kingdoms. We covered this last lecture, did we not?" replied Zion.
"Indeed, now do you know why gemstones are considered such precious commodities?"
"Because they're fascinating and used as a symbol for wealth?"
"Partly, but the primary use of gemstones is to create magical artifacts that help store magical power. Gemstones have a naturally large capacity for storing magical power and are often used by magic users as power reserves. You might want to write that down, Prince Zion," said Mr Jelric before continuing his lecture. "And because of how vital gemstones are for magic users, it makes sense that the nation that imports the most gemstones every year would be the Draoida Sovereignty. The remaining gemstones are then sold to the Kingdom of Thandel who then acts as the primary distributor to the other nations."
"So, gemstones are the lifeblood of the country, what happens if we run out of them?" Zion asked.
"Well, then Xaevural will lose its primary source of income and will have to find other alternatives. Hopefully such a day would never come, but as long as the mining of the gemstones are maintained at a sustainable rate, it would be highly unlikely to run out of it."
Zion nodded at the explanation and jotted down a few notes on some nearby parchment.
"Now as for imports-," Mr Jelric was interrupted by a loud bang as the lecture room door was swung open with great force. Standing in the doorway was a short and pudgy man wearing blue robes, "I do believe that it is time for my lecture now… Mr Jelric," the contempt in his voice was clear as he walked into the room.
"Ah… Mr Ulvi-."
"That's Grandmagus Ulvior, merchant. Remember it," spat the mage.
"Very well, Grandmagus. I was just finishing up the lesson, perhaps you could give us a little more time?" Mr Jelric said diplomatically.
"I will not have my lesson time shortened due to your incompetence, I have a strict schedule and I intend to keep to it. Now, please leave us, Thandelian!" replied the pompous mage.
"Very well, we'll continue this some other time, Prince Zion. Farewell," said Mr Jelric as he packed up his bag and left the classroom. As soon as he left, Grandmagus Ulvior waved his hand once and the door instantly slammed shut behind Mr Jelric. "Now then, prince. Where did we left off last week?" he asked.
"You were explaining about Myticus, the magical energy contained in all living things. That was kind of rude though, what you did to Mr Jelric."
"Do NOT presume to lecture me, prince. I am your tutor, not the other way around. People like him need to be put in his place. Now shut up and listen!" Ulvior said rudely. Seeing that the prince had quieted down, the Grandmagus started his lecture:
"Now, as I have told you previously, Myticus is the basis for all magic. It should be treated as a building block for various different types of spells. All living things have Myticus, however the amount stored in their bodies vary. For example, those of Draoidan descent, like me, will naturally have larger Myticus reserves compared to the rest of you. However, it is possible to further increase the Myticus reserve of an individual through practice and training. When an individual runs out of Myticus, they will be unable to cast anymore spells or perform anymore magic. This is known as Myticus deficiency and can lead to feelings of fatigue or in certain cases, unconsciousness. The effect of Myticus deficiency is not permanent, and with enough rest, the Myticus of a certain individual will eventually be restored. Another important thing to take note of is that the amount of Myticus used, will affect the strength of your spell. So, a small flame like this-," Ulvior conjured a small flame on his fingertips as a demonstration, "- will consume less Myticus than a large flame like this," he said as he fed more and more Myticus into the small flame on his fingertip, soon turning it into a massive ball of fire that could easily set the entire room on fire. Zion shielded his face with his hands in an attempt to block out the heat. "However, as long as the spell is not yet released, the Myticus can be absorbed back into one's body, like this," as he said this, the ball of flames grew smaller and smaller as he absorbed the Myticus back into his body, reinvigorating himself. "Did you get that?" he asked Zion. Zion could only nod his head, not daring to say anything else. "Very good! Next, we will talk about the different uses of Myticus. As I have demonstrated, Myticus can be converted into various different elements, like fire, water and air. As you can imagine, this is very helpful when in combat, and the versatility of a skilled mage is not to be taken lightly. However, Myticus can also be stored in inanimate objects like gemstones to be used as power reserves. The Myticus stored in these objects can then be used to replenish a caster's own reserves thus increasing the amount of magic that they can use. Besides that, runic magic is also a very important field of magic. Runes are often drawn on inanimate objects and what runes do is that they force the Myticus to exit in a specific way. For example, if an ice rune is drawn on the bottom of a glass, the Myticus that is transferred into the glass will be forced out of the rune, creating a cooling effect until it is all used up. Understand?" The prince nodded. "Very well then, that concludes our lecture for the day, you may now leave the class." Prince Zion stood up, thanked his lecturer and quickly left the room. Once outside, he let out a sigh of relief. The Grandmagus had terrified him and he had been tensed throughout the entire class, what kind of tutor conjures a giant fireball in front of his student? It was almost like he was threatening him to pay attention. "I hate that pompous Draoidan idiot. The nerve of him to threaten a royal like me! My father shall hear of this!" Zion thought furiously. As the angry thoughts ran through his mind, Prince Zion slowly made his way to the castle's courtyard.