"I really am sorry about this, Prof. Whitman," I told the dorm head as we walked down the 5th floor staircase. "But is it really okay for me to continue visiting my senior?"
"If you want to," Prof. Whitman replied. "If it means that Ethan can stay out of trouble."
I felt an uncomfortable pang of pain as my conscience stabbed me in the chest.
"I-if it isn't already too much," I risked to add, "is it okay for my friends and I to use the 5th floor baths every evenings as well?"
"Yes, Rian have already informed me about that. As long as you don't bother your seniors, then you are free to use the baths after them."
"Thank you very much, Prof. Whitman!" I told him after giving a big sigh of relief.
I looked around the empty halls as we passed the 4th floor. The blaring alarm outside had already been turned off. There doesn't seem to be anybody else around, aside from the two of us.
"All students are required to stay inside their rooms in case of an emergency," said the professor, seemingly reading the thoughts in my head. "Except for fire or earthquakes, you are not to leave your rooms. It is stated in the Royal Mauve Academy handbook handbook, under 'Emergency Measures'. It is safer here in the dormitory than outside, after all."
"I'll keep that in mind, Prof. Whitman," I gave him a curt bow as we reached the third floor. "Thank you for accompanying me back."
I was bombarded with questions as soon as I entered our room.
"Where have you been?!" they all asked in unison.
"What was all that noise about?" Cat asked excitedly.
"Are you okay? You didn't get caught, did you?" Elliot asked with concern.
"Were you with your senior again?" Darius asked with a frown.
"Slow down, let me sit down and rest first," I said with a sigh. "first of all, I did get caught by Prof. Whitman, but he already knew about my morning baths with my senior, as well as our group using the baths every evening," I added quickly before my friends could react.
"He knew about us sneaking up stairs?" Elliot asked, wide-eyed.
"Yes, it seems that Senior Rian had already informed him about our nightlyuse of the bathsafter all the seniors have taken their turn."
"And that blaring noise?" asked Cat.
"Somebody broke inside the academy's library to... to take some books out..." I looked down at my hands on my lap.
"Don't tell me..." Darius mumbled.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Elliot said with a sigh.
"How did you know?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"Well, there's the way you said it," said Elliot, "and because you're the only person I know who is obsessed with books."
"I'm not actually the only one, you know," I objected.
"So, your senior went with you, didn't he?" asked Darius, his arms across above his chest.
"How did you..."
"I knew it!" Darius threw his hands up.
"How did you not get caught?" Cat asked with interest.
"I used a weakening spell on one of the windows before hand, then we used an inconspicuous and an inaudible spell to hide our presence from the guards before breaking in," I told him with a smile.
"Wow! That sounds so exciting!" Cat's eyes gleamed. "You should have taken me with you!"
"Don't encourage him, Cat," Darius frowned at us. "Patrick, that was very dangerous! What would you have done if you were caught red handed, breaking and entering in the library in the middle of the night, stealing books, and using magic illegally?"
"S-sorrry..." I mumbled.
"Darius has a point, Patrick," said Elliot, "is it really worth all the trouble just to takesome books out of the library?"
"I don't get it," Cat wondered, scratching his head, "you already go to the library almost every day, why would you still need to sneak in and take some books?"
"It's because of the magic tomes, isn't it?" Darius guessed right. "Your senior uses magic illegally as well, you probably went there to check the spell books, right?"
"That's right," I replied with a solemn nod.
"Too bad you triggered the alarm," said Cat.
"How did you get busted anyway?" asked Elliot. "As far as I know, all your spells work perfectly and your plans are always fool proof. So, was it your senior who triggered the alarm?"
"Well, actually..."
We were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Hey, you guys, did you hear that blaring alarm just a while ago?" asked Arman as soon as we opened the door.
I took a deep sigh as I started my story again from the very beginning.
"You really did all that?!" the four of them exclaimed after I told themmy story from start to finish.
"So, you mean to say, that your senior is now in possession of more than two dozen stolen magic books?!" Darius said in disbelief.
"Borrowed, not stolen..." I tried to correct him, and was answered with a glare.
"Wow, that senior of yours really is something," said Arman with a whistle.
"Exactly! The way he brought you back flying in the air with windmagic! I wish I could fly like that, too!" said an over-excited Cat jumping up and down his bed.
"That senior of yours is sure to get you in trouble next time!" Darius nagged at me. "I say, you should stop seeing him!"
"But the books I picked are still in his possession..."
"But would it be safe to keep those books here with you?" asked Arman. "What if you get caught? Where would you even hide them?"
"Arman's right," Elliot agreed. "Your senior is staying at the 5th floor, he's probably a vassal of one of the crown princes. Meaning, he's from an influential family, and would most probably have good connections. He could easily betray you if push comes to shove. He might even turn the tables on you, and say that you stole the books on your own."
"I'm sure he wouldn't do that," I assured my friends with a little laugh.
"What makes you so sure?" Darius asked with a frown.
"Because I trust him, as much as I trust all of you."
The four of them stared at me and sighed.
"I guess Lycan and me can always help you fight our way out in case they try to take you to the Ivory Tower," Cat said with a grin.
"I'll take care of your disguise, I have plenty of clothes to cover you up with!" added Arman.
"You can probably stay in one of our estates in case you need to hide..." mumbled Darius.
"I have a lot of connections as a merchant, we can get you a new identity right away!" whispered Elliot, his thick brows moving up and down. "Just say the word, and we'll all gladly keep you safe."
I couldn't help but laugh a little bit more.
"I don't think there's any need for that," I told my friends.
"Well, better safe than sorry, right?" Arman grinned at me.
"Just know that we'll always be here for you, which is more than you can expect from a senior you don't even know the name of," Darius said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Oh, but I learned his name today," I said proudly, "Prof. Whitman called him Ethan."
"Hmm, Senior Ethan, huh?" Arman said thoughtfully.
"Ethan?" asked Elliot with his brows raised. "He has the same name as..."
"The third crown prince!" Darius said with a gasp!
"The what?" I asked with a laugh. "There's no way..."
"Didn't you say he was under probation?" Elliot asked me wide-eyed.
"Yes, but the third crown prince was said to be confined in the Holy Temple..."
"That's just what they said in the news," Darius told us, "he could be anywhere in the empire."
"But isn't Ethan a common name?" asked Arman
"Does he have pale purple eyes, about the same shade as his long hair?" Darius asked me.
I stared at him with my mouth open.
"It figures," he added with a sigh, "I should have known when you said that he was obsessed with chess and studying."
"But, he's a good guy, right?" asked Cat who stared at us one by one.
"Should be, since he haven't told anyone about Pat using magic," said Arman.
"Wasn't he confined in the Holy Temple for gifting his father a controversially banned book about greedy emperors?" asked Elliot.
"That's right! He can't be as bad as the first prince," I pointed out. "The second prince, Senior André, is a good person, too!"
"That's true," said Cat with a nod. "And he's Pat's friend so he can't be that bad!"
"Well, that nice friend almost got you caught stealing books in the library," Darius pointed us.
"'Almost'," Arman said with a mischievous grin. "I'd like to meet with this Senior Ethan, he sounds like a fun guy."
"Actually, he's not supposed to meet other students since he's still under probation," I informed them. "The only place he can go to aside from the 5th floor dorms, is the library."
"Woah, that would be sooo boring!" said Cat.
"Figures, since he's supposed to be confined in the Holy Temple," said Elliot.
"No wonder he keeps asking you to play chess with him," said Arman.
"Maybe we can come with you to visit him in the morning?" Cat suggested. "That way, he won't be so lonely!"
"Guys, he's under probation, he's already lucky that Prof. Whitman let's Pat play chess with him," Darius reminded us. "Supposedly, only his close vassals should be allowed to interact with him."
"That means Senior Rian is his vassal, then," said Arman.
"If he's Valerian Le Chante, then yes, he would be Prince Ethan's maternal cousin, and his closest friend and vassal," Darius informed us.
"Le Chante?" Elliot sounded surprised. "They're a well known family who produce top magicians in the empire!"
"Yes, but Valerian only manifest during the ceremony of the purple flame on his 4th year here in the academy," Darius told us.
"Unless he hid his powers in purpose!" Arman said with a gasp. "After all, manifesting here in the academy is so much better than getting stuck in the Ivory Tower since childhood!"
"Oh, no wonder Senior Rian's such a nice guy, too!" Cat said with admiration.
"Exactly!" I agreed. "I'm sure we would all be good friends once given the chance to meet and interact more often."
"I think so, too," agreed Elliot, "isn't Prince Ethan a cousin of yours, Darius?"
"All three princes are actually my third degree uncles," he corrected him. "Still, you shouldn't acquaint yourselves with the third prince. He has gained a negative reputation as the lazy black lout of the royal family. Getting close to him will only attract trouble."
"What's a black lout?" asked Cat.
"It's what you call a rude and aggressive person," answered Elliot.
"It's because he's well known for his short temper," continued Darius, "at least that's how I've known him. He rarely goes to social gatherings and hardly talks with other people. It's a good thing, though, that he has never shown any ambition for the throne, thus the other two princes don't bother him much. All he does is spend his days in the royal library whenever he's in the capital."
All four of my friends turned to look at me.
"I guess you were meant to be best friends, then," laughed Cat.
"But think of the consequences," Darius insisted, "if they find out that the grand duke's heir is in good terms with the third prince..."
"Oh, I'm not interested in politics either, and I'm only an heir in name," I told him. "And wasn't the title of grand duke given to the first prince when he came to age? My father's just a regular duke now."
"I won't exactly call it regular?" said Elliot, scratching his head.
"Never the less, your title still holds, and the goddess' blood in your veins is one of the purest in the empire. You're even part of our group who have faced the first prince head on! Surely, being a close ally of the third prince would make Nigellus be more weary of you!"
"Who cares about titles and allies anyway?" Arman spoke up. "If you haven't noticed already, most of the attention are on you and Elliot, I'm even more famous than Patrick is for being the new star in the apothecary class!" he said proudly.
"What about me and Lycan?" Cat asked, pointing at himself.
"The both of you come in third. You come as a pair, after all!"
"Wow! We're in third place?!" he squealed happily.
"You really shouldn't worry too much, Darius," Elliot also assured him with a gentle smile "I know what you went through is no easy ordeal, but you can't live in fear and worry your whole life. You need to put your trust on us, too."
"That's right, Darius," I took his hand in mine and gently squeezed it, "we have already won against him, and we can win again as long as we fight together."
"And the more there are of us the better, right?" Cat added with a beam.
"That's right!" Elliot agreed.
"I guess you all have a point," Darius finally agreed.
"Of course we do!" Arman said with a grin. "Now, aren't we gonna get changed? It's time for us to get ready for class!"
Our conversation ended there as we left for our morning classes.
We met each other again, come lunch time, and was surprised when Senior Rian approached our table.
"How's lunch?" He asked us as he hunched beside me.
"It's good as usual!" Cat answered him cheerfully. "Aunt May's food is always delicious!"
"What do you suggest I bring back for my friend, then?"
I felt him touch my hand and draw a circle on my palm with his finger.
"The cottage pie tastes fantastic, it goes well with the cheesy garlic bread and this Yorkshire pudding drizzled with gravy," said Elliot with a satisfied smile that reached from ear to ear.
"I'll take two servings of that then," replied Senior Rian. He left our table shortly, but not before slipping a small cloth bag into my hand.
"That's a gift from a friend," he whispered, "keep it safe."
"What did he give you?" Darius asked as soon as Senior Rian left.
"Just a small bag," I replied, placing the dimensional pouch inside my pocket. I have a very good idea what was inside it. I know how important it is, as well as how dangerous.
"Is that a di-" Started Elliot who quickly covered his mouth with both hands.
Later that evening, I didn't go to the library. It was, after all, still closed for investigation after the incident that morning. We went straight back to the dorms instead to check out the pouch Senior Ethan sent me.
It was the same size as Elliot's pouch, but was a dark purple color, made of luscious velvet, smooth and soft to the touch. Elliot gasped as soon as he saw it.
"Oh, my goodness! It's a purple pouch!" he blurted out. "That pouch is an exact replica of a royal artifact that can contain a hundred of a thousand different things!"
"That little thing?" Arman said with disbelief. "How much would something like that cost, then?!"
"About as much as a grand castle in the royal capital!" said Darius.
"Wow! That much for such a small bag?" Cat asked in amazement.
"My red pouch is a downgraded replica of it. Mine can only fit 10 of 50 different objects below 5 pounds in weight, but this little beauty," he said while taking the pouch from my hand and holding it up ceremoniously, "this can contain a whole armory and even a whale's carcass!"
"Why would I want to carry a whale's carcass?" I asked with a chuckle.
"Can it carry a whole carriage, too?" asked Cat.
"Even a small hut! It can fit anything that isn't nailed to the ground! It can't carry anything living, though," he quickly added, "aside from plants."
"Go ahead and see what's inside!" Arman pushed me.
"It's probably just the books I took from the library," I told them. "I'm not sure how to use it, though..."
"Actually, you won't be able to use it unless it's passed on to..."
Elliot trailed off as I pulled a thick tome from inside the pouch.
"Oh, did Senior Rian cast the pass over spell on you back in the dining hall?" Elliot asked me.
"Hmm... he did draw a circle on my palm earlier..."
"What else is inside?" Cat asked excitedly.
Sure enough, I was able to take out 18 thick magic tomes from inside the small pouch. I also found a crystal chess set, a luscious black cloak that reached to my ankles, soft tan deer skin gloves, and several sketches based on the drawings he took of me the other day.
"Now that you've taken all the stuff inside and know what they are, you can now reach in the bag and think of a particular item to pull it out," Elliot explained as I placed the books back inside.
"How convenient," said Arman. "I could surely use one of those when I take over our apothecary... I better make that my number one priority item as soon as I rake in the gold."
"I still can't believe you took all those book from the library..." Darius shook his head as I kept two tomes by my table to read later.
"Are there pictures inside?" asked Cat who took one of the books and started flipping through the pages.
"C-careful, Cat," Lycan, stopped him. "M-magic books are d-dangerous..."
"That's right, Cat, you might read a spell that turns you to a frog or a gnat!" Arman said with a scary grin.
"What are you using all those books for, anyway?" asked Elliot.
"For more knowledge, of course," I answered with a smile. "I'm actually looking for a spell that would help me store more mana in a never ending cycle, much like Prof. Novil's perpetual motion machines."
"What would you need something like that for?" Darius asked with a frown. "A magician's body already attracts mana naturally. You don't need a 'perpetual spell' to gather more. Where would you even store it if all your mana cores are already full?"
"I would just like to try doing something like that..." I said timidly. "You see, I'm still too weak to cast the spells I really want to learn, so a spell like that can supply me with enough mana to use immediately, even if I don't have enough mana cores yet to store them in..."
"I think that it's a great idea!" said Arman who sat by my side to look at the books. "Hey, maybe you can teach me that, too, since I'm already doing that meditation you thought us. I bet I'll get a mana core faster if I have a never ending mana machine in my chest!"
"It wouldn't be that simple though, I first need to formulate the spell and see if it would actually work," I replied with a little laugh.
"Well I'm sure you'll formulate it soon! You're so good at this, after all," he said, looking at Darius who still kept a frown on his face.
"As long as you don't push yourself too much," Darius reminded me.
"Of course, I promised Senior Ethan after all," I answered with a smile which only deepened Darius' frown.