Emissary of Nothingness - Chapter 76 - Leaky Mug

When they arrived, the tavern was already packed to the brim. As usual, however, Reyna had demonstrated her resourcefulness and secured a reserved table for them in a corner of the first floor, allowing their entire group to settle in comfortably.

Sometimes they chose other establishments, usually far more prestigious ones, but for an occasion as important as the end of another semester, they had almost unanimously chosen the Leaky Mug. With its dark wooden tables, cozy lighting, and the ever-present scent of beer, it reminded Arien of the old Irish pubs back on Earth.

It was one of the cheaper options in the Port and lacked the wide selection of sweet wines the girls frequently complained about. What it did have was Lady Lorice.

The owner had graduated from the House of the Harp long ago and, for reasons Arien had never learned, remained at the Academy and turned the tavern into something of a haven for young artists. Senior students and visiting alumni regularly took to the small stage on the ground floor, and students from the House of the Harp rarely needed much encouragement to join them.

Thanks to Pori's Dome of Silence, only muted sounds of music and conversation drifted toward Arien as he sat with his friends. After several rounds of drinks, they were more interested in talking and debating than listening to the harpists, violinists, and singers performing below.

That usually came later in the evening.

"Did you hear that Adam challenged Bazyl to a duel?" Pori asked.

"Again?" Gilly replied with obvious boredom.

"What was it this time?"

"Apparently Bazyl manipulated someone from Adam's class. And you know what Adam's like..."

"Crazy? Rude? Arrogant? Crude?" Reyna laughed.

"Brave," Will quietly interjected. "He protects weaker people. That's a good trait."

"Oh, Will, you sweetheart," the red-haired girl groaned. "He's gathering followers. I'm certain that once he gains enough influence through them, he'll sell them out for the right price."

"Rey, do you always have to assume everyone has some sinister hidden motive?" Arien asked with a sigh.

"Not everyone," she denied. "But Adam certainly does. Otherwise his actions make no sense. He's gathering students from poor families to strengthen his position as their leader. It's obvious."

"Or maybe he's simply protecting people like himself. People who got into the Academy thanks to their mana but don't have power or money backing them," Arien argued.

Arien personally held their fellow student in fairly high regard. Adam Uthelson had many of the qualities Arien used to associate with heroes in fantasy novels: talent, ambition, a tendency to protect weaker people, and very little patience for compromise.

"We all know what a jerk Bazyl is."

"Arien, sometimes you can be incredibly dense," Reyna groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "The struggle for equality between classes has been going on for centuries. Every time someone from the common folk climbs the social ladder, the first thing they do is join the higher class and pull the ladder up behind them. That's just how peasants are. All they care about is money."

“Interesting,” Arien said, smiling. “The things I learn about myself. Conversations with you are always so enlightening, Rey.”

“But... Arien...” Reyna faltered as she realized what she had said.

“What? I’m the fourth son of a farmer. I assume that puts me among the peasants you were describing so fondly.”

He wasn’t actually offended.  He simply enjoyed watching her squirm whenever he managed to catch her off guard. It was such a rare sight.

“Arien, but you’re... well... different,” she finally managed. “Surely all of you agree that Arien doesn’t speak, look, or behave like a farmer’s son.” She turned to the others, clearly hoping for rescue.

“Don’t look at me,” Gilly said, visibly enjoying Reyna’s discomfort. “My great-great-grandfather was still a peasant. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and count the coins in my purse. Must be my peasant instincts.”

"I've never even heard anything about my great-grandfather," Matt added.

"Alright, that's enough. Stop bullying poor Rey," Pori interrupted, as usual attempting to keep the peace. "We all know she wasn't talking about anyone specifically. Though you really should learn not to generalize people like that, Rey. You know perfectly well that nobles and merchants will sell themselves just as readily for money and influence. The only question is the price."

She gave her friend a meaningful look, and Arien had the distinct impression Pori was referring to something beyond their current conversation.

“You’re right,” Reyna admitted quietly.

“I heard Prince Cedrick is planning to go to the Lost Provinces during his eighth-year expedition,” Sebastian said, changing the subject.

Gilly snorted. “Of course our golden boy is going on some grand adventure where he’ll probably discover a few Portals and come back with a chest full of artifacts.”

“Someone sounds jealous,” Arien observed.

“Someone’s about to get kicked,” Gilly shot back, glaring at him. “Cedrick this, Cedrick that. If he weren’t Prince Leonard’s son with the resources of the Crown behind him, he wouldn’t be any better than the rest of us.”

“I heard he trains all day,” Will said quietly.

Gilly took a long drink from her cup. “We train a lot too!”

“And apparently nobody ever sees him at the Port,” Will added, meeting her stare.

Matt cleared his throat loudly. “Who knows? Maybe three years from now, we’ll be heading to the Lost Provinces ourselves.”

Arien raised his cup. “I’ll drink to that. Death to the Monsters!”

“Death to the Monsters!” the others echoed with laughter, raising their cups.

“Wouldn’t that be incredible?” Gilly’s eyes lit up. “A real adventure, extra levels, and amazing loot on top of it!”

“I wouldn’t get too excited about the loot,” Pori said.

“What do you mean?”

“The Lost Provinces are crawling with Monsters, but most of the artifacts were collected long ago by thousands of expeditions before us.” Pori brushed a strand of hair from her face. “There may still be treasures deeper inside, but even Platinum Tens are afraid to go that far.”

“Sometimes I think I was born too late,” Gilly groaned. “How am I supposed to gain extra levels if everything we’re strong enough to defeat has either already been killed or is claimed by the Factions to strengthen their own members?”

Nobody seemed to have an answer to that.

“Which subjects are you going to miss the least?” Madri asked at last, idly fiddling with pieces of the dismantled artifact spread across the table in front of her.

“Comparative Mana Theory,” Gilly said.

“MMS,” Arien replied at the exact same moment.

Madri shot him an offended look. “Arien, what exactly do you have against Mana Measurement and Standardization? Those are incredibly important subjects, not only when creating artifacts, but when using them and mana crystals as well!”

“Maybe if Hentrey didn’t make us calculate every single microthaum of mana we lose from keeping two mana crystals in the same pouch, the class would be a little more interesting.”

“But things like that are extremely important when planning an expedition!”

“You can always buy one extra crystal and save yourself the trouble,” Arien said, ignoring the look she gave him. “What about you, Gilly? Why Comparative Mana Theory? I thought Foundations of Magical Safety was your personal nightmare.”

“It was annoying, sure,” Gilly admitted. “But at least something exploded every now and then when the Master overloaded an artifact. Listening to theories invented by old geezers two hundred years ago made me want to jump out the classroom window. If Master Bronwick didn’t reuse the same exams every year, I probably would’ve failed.”

“Arien, keeping too many crystals close together can also—”

“Madri, please. Not another lecture. How about this: before every expedition, I’ll consult you so you can calculate everything properly.”

She stared at him for a moment, seemingly unable to decide whether she should be offended that he had interrupted her.

Then she smiled faintly. “Consultations cost money.”

“And I’ll gladly pay for them if it means I never have to calculate any of that myself,” Arien agreed.

He turned toward Reyna, who had been unusually quiet.

“Rey, what are fifth-year classes like? You probably know better than anyone.”

She looked at him seriously.

“Prepare yourself. Everything up to now was just play.”

Everyone fell silent, waiting for her to elaborate, but Reyna only shook her head and looked back down at the table. Arien caught Pori and Sebastian exchanging a knowing glance.

“Did you hear that the King has a new mistress? Apparently she’s some countess,” Leli asked, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"The King always has a new mistress," Sebastian said. "That's like saying the New Empire and the Old Empire are preparing for another war."

"They actually are preparing for one," Matt suddenly interjected.

"Exactly. And the King has a new mistress. Some things never change."

"No," Matt shook his head. "I'm not talking about the usual border skirmishes. There will be a major war. The biggest we've seen in decades. It's practically certain."

"Matt, anyone who reads newspapers has been hearing that a war is coming ever since the last one ended. When was it, a hundred years ago?" Reyna replied. "Eventually someone will be right. It could just as easily happen in our grandchildren's lifetime."

“I don’t read newspapers. My father says so.”

That silenced the table. Matt rarely talked about his father, but everyone knew he held a senior position in the army.

“And how does he know?” Reyna asked.

“Do you know what large wars require?” Matt countered.

“Soldiers,” Gilly answered.

“Food and steel,” Matt said. “Large campaigns are won by whoever can keep an army supplied. My father says the biggest wars are won by bureaucrats as much as generals. Heroism, training, powerful mages, brilliant strategists, none of it matters if the soldiers have nothing to eat or fight with.”

"The recent rising prices of grain and iron ore," Reyna murmured.

Matt pointed at her. “Exactly. Both countries have restricted exports while buying everything they can from foreign markets. Prices have skyrocketed. Remember the riots in the League two weeks ago? Bread prices tripled overnight and people flooded the streets. The New Empire and the Old Empire have already angered many nations with their actions. They wouldn't risk their reputations and finances unless war was highly likely."

"Did your father say who'll win?" Arien asked.

After four years at the Academy, Arien finally understood enough about Arinthe to follow conversations like this. Wars between individual nations were common, though the last conflict to engulf most of the continent had ended more than four centuries ago, when the Empire of Three Suns failed in its attempt to dominate its neighbors and eventually fractured into smaller states, including Wyndor.

"The Republic, the League, maybe Wyndor, and several other countries that will happily sell supplies to both sides," Matt replied.

"I hate wars," Leli said. "There are so many more interesting things to do. Why does everyone prefer killing each other?"

Arien took another sip from his glass. “Speaking of fighting, have you heard anything about Fenork? Apparently Tyranny raided the eastern border again.”

"A small raid. The army has already secured the area," Reyna answered confidently.

"Our army always seems to secure the area after we've already been attacked," Arien replied bitterly, remembering the columns of smoke from eight years ago. "Why doesn't Wyndor strike back?"

"Because nobody knows who to strike," Gilly unexpectedly answered.

Everyone turned toward her.

"What? My father was in Tyranny after the first attacks. A few years ago I managed to get the story out of him."

"The army never entered Tyranny," Pori objected.

"Officially it didn't," Gilly agreed. "That would've been considered a formal invasion." She smirked. "My father took leave and went sightseeing with a group of friends. If you know what I mean."

“Will you tell us?” Arien asked, leaning forward.

If Gilly’s father had actually crossed into Tyranny after the attacks, this might be the first reliable account Arien had heard from someone who had been there.

Hopefully, you’re looking forward to the story of Kroton’s fall. One chapter story :).

Any wild guesses what happened there?