Melody of Mana

I needed a few moments to think, to organize my attack. In that vein I decided to go for the lowest of hanging fruits.

"The sphere is research that I'm not yet bringing forward. In fact, most of what you're on about is."

Rooke looked at my lamp. "I am inclined to believe that this is research, but my main concern here is if it's dangerous."

"I doubt that."

"I do not, because everyone who so far has looked at it gets the feeling that it is... off. What even is this thing?"

"You can surely understand the rune sequences," I huffed. They were written right there on the surface.

"There are ways to hide the true ones..."

"No, it's just a lamp."

"... then why does it..."

"Personal research, but harmless personal research. Which I will expect you to stay out of as per our agreement."

"Very well, I can ignore that so long as you don't do anything dangerous with it. It was incidental for us to find it anyway. The main concerns are your bouts of unconsciousness and the fact that you are appearing with unbelievably valuable materials that your explanation for is nonsense."

"Well, as for my laying unconscious, that is me doing research on my core, and also none of your business."

"Research? Without taking any kind of note or anything? Not recording any result? Even if it were in code in some manner that only you could understand that would make sense, but you've done none of that. You've just spent hour after hour laying there. That is the appearance of narcotics."

"Oh yes, let me take notes, because my room is so secure from intrusion. I'm sure nobody would barge in and search through such things." I let the sarcasm drip for a few moments. "As for what I'm researching, that should be obvious, it's the core. Which you already know I've spent a lot of time thinking about already. Since you've searched my room and found that I don't have any narcotics, that should do away with that suspicion as well."

Rooke picked up the phial that contained... my guess was potassium, and put it on the table.

I opted to head him off. "Another sample I acquired, and not one I would advise consuming. I opted not to tell Professor Hern about that one because I don't think it useful."

"Oh? And what would happen if it were consumed?" Rooke looked doubtful.

As way of demonstration I walked across the room, picking up a cup from my bedside and filling it with water. I then used a minor movement spell to toss the metal sample in, wherein it immediately started tossing out fire and sputtering around. "That. I found that one while trying to measure its density. Sadly I have no more of it, or I would invite you to have a bit."

Rooke actually seemed a bit put off as he looked down at the glass. I'd managed to easily demonstrate that the metal wasn't a drug. I'd also destroyed it quite nicely so he couldn't look into it any further.

"Very well, on to my final concern. The appearance of these materials is so far outside of the norm that I cannot ignore their making their way onto our campus. Do you know how rare sky-metal is?"

"Obviously not, that is why I took the sample to Professor Hern."

"It is uncommon enough that he has never seen it before. Professor Hern has seen diamonds the size of your thumb, pure gold plates inscribed with magic, magical items the likes of which you can hardly imagine. Never has he held a sample of that material. My understanding is that he thought that it might be a legend, only put in his reference books because others had it in theirs. Here you show up though, with a sample you 'bought in the market off of a merchant you didn't know.' it's not believable."

"I did buy it off a merchant whose name I do not know."

"Alana, that's bullshit." He seemed actually irritated by that answer.

"The truth is often stranger than fiction professor. That you cannot believe it is not my problem. Do you have any other concerns that would cause you to go through my things?"

"The bouts of torpor were our main concern. That alone was enough." Professor Lur spoke up finally, she'd spent the entire time sitting in the corner rather quietly.

"Care to explain?"

"There are... certain narcotics sometimes used by young wizards in an attempt to boost their power. The main side effect is visions which incapacitate the user for a period of time. Well, that and the fact that they tend to be fatal."

That sounded like some kind of psychedelic, not something I wanted. "There are drugs to make your magic stronger? That seems..."

"Did you miss the part where they are often fatal to the user? Every few years the school sees someone try, often someone who has failed their entrance exam before and wants that bit of extra boost to get through. They almost invariably perish from that effort."

"I'm already more powerful than most of my peers, I've no need to kill myself trying to gain more."

"Indeed you are. A girl from no noble family who is stronger than most. That does nothing to allay suspicion. In fact it serves as a point of concern," she continued.

"Well, if you lot must know, I've been looking into two pages in the core that Dean Lorrae told me of." I waved a hand to bring up the codes for the 'guide' and 'help' functions. "It was my understanding that these were well known enough to exist and they are extensive."

"You're looking into those? Have you learned..." Rooke began.

"There's no context professor. Whatever code or language they're in isn't ours, and it's not Atali. Similarly there doesn't seem to be any parts that are in either of those. Trying to gain insight is going... slowly. There's also an absolute mountain of that documentation, whatever it is, so trying to sort through it even lightly is daunting." That should be enough to get them off my back, and I even managed to put in that I was going into the core, but implied that I wasn't learning anything, a total win for me.

"Well... it seems I owe you an apology then Alana. I oversaw a rather serious invasion of your privacy, I do hope you'll understand my reasoning and forgive me." Rooke lowered his head a bit. While he spoke the words, I was still pissed.

"I understand, if you have any further concerns, do try speaking to me first professor." I let my tone tell him just how agitated I was. "As for the moment, I've a number of things that must be taken care of."

"Oh?" Professor Lur looked a bit confused.

"Why yes, firstly I need to retrieve my sample of sky-metal from Professor Hern, since he clearly can't be trusted with it. Then..." I looked over at my maid, who was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. "Oh Emma, there you are. I have no need of a maid who cannot maintain my privacy. Get your things and get out by the time I return." I turned back to the two teachers. "Then I need to go complain to the Dean about people getting into my research. Finally I need to see about finding a new maid. I would appreciate it if you lot could close the door on your way out." With that I turned and left. The last thing I needed was any of them coming up with something I'd actually done wrong, or some suspicion that I couldn't easily deflect.

Professor Hern and the Dean would have to come first. I needed thinking time as I went. My main problem was the maid issue. I'd seen through her work how much I actually did need one while here, a few days wouldn't be an issue, but long term it would be a problem. Where to get one that wasn't a spy was the problem though.

Asking Kala if she knew someone was a decent option, but I couldn't be sure her Order wouldn't send me somebody to look over me. For the same reason asking The Shield was a low option on my list. They would certainly have a spy who they would send me, and probably would be happy to do so if I requested. As for others who might help... I knew most of the other bards in my year fairly well, but probably not well enough. Pinea also might know someone, but it might be the same issue as I had with Rooke. She was a rather high ranked noble, so she'd have connections, but anyone she helped me find might really be in it for her and her family. The only other nobles I really knew well were Dietrich's family, and that was a hard no.

Hern didn't even question anything. As soon as he saw me, and the angry face I was making he just handed over the little ball of sky-metal. I could, and would, test it later to see if I'd lost any in weight or volume, but I was fairly sure he wouldn't be that bold when he was clearly in the wrong. I wasn't sure how mad I should be at him compared to Rooke, but I wasn't all that surprised he'd told the other professor.

Dean Lorrae was also in his office when I came by. It occurred to me that I didn't know when any of my teachers actually went home, or if they did, but I managed to catch him.

"Good evening Alana. I suppose that your presence here, and that angry look on your face means that Professor Rooke didn't find anything incriminating?"

"Correct. I am quite irritated that after violating my privacy he found, and questioned me on, my research."

"Understandable, does this have to do with the sample of metal you 'found in the market' then dear?" I could practically hear the finger quotations.

"Why does nobody believe that?"

"Because it isn't believable. I've seen plenty of strange things though, so it's not a big matter. Since you're angry about his questions what exactly would you like me to do?"

"Do you have any advice on how to keep people out of my things?"

"Certainly, there are a number of magical chests and the like that can be opened only by the one registered as their owner. Can you find the issue though?"

"Anything you give me you will probably know how to bypass?"

"Mmm, quite so. My advice would be to think of something yourself, that will probably be the most secure."

I wanted to beat my head on a wall. He wasn't wrong, but that also didn't mean he was being particularly helpful. I would have to come up with something, something only I could follow if I really wanted it to be secure. That would be an absolute pain too.

I briefly considered if the one who'd made the core had the same issue, and what his solution had been. I knew there was no obvious answer, but I'd look and see if he had any advice on locks and the like that I might find useful later. There was probably something buried deep in there that would help.

"Any ideas on where to find a maid that would actually be loyal to me and not someone else?"

"That's probably impossible Alana. Everyone has their own interests, and you don't have nearly enough connections to get someone from your family or the like. No, I would take a different path."

"What's that then?"

"Find someone skilled, and accept that they are going to report on you to others. If you go into it knowing that then you need only hide the things you want hidden. You can even feed others misinformation if you do it skillfully. It's what I do, and it is quite fun," he said with a chuckle. Dean Lorrae might be a bit weird, and very prone to bouts of laughing at others, particularly Professor Rooke, but he did know a whole lot of things.

As I left his office I had new things to think about. I would need a new maid. I could, and should, use this to build a connection between me and others. All I needed to do was accept a lack of trustworthiness.