Ethan walked until he reached Clumsy Bettie's corner. She had been making hand gestures and muttering things when suddenly she stopped and turned her face to Ethan in surprise.
She blinked several times, wondering why he would come to her. Why would anyone come to her? She suddenly had a frantic expression on her face.
Ethan began, "Clum…" then he stopped, clearing his throat before continuing, "Elizabeth, may I seek your counsel?"
She looked a bit more shocked. That had never happened before. Someone coming to her to ask about anything.
Then she readjusted herself and nodded for him to go on.
Ethan proceeded, "What do you know about sealing magic? One that uses one's blood as a binding agent?"
Clumsy Bettie narrowed her eyes slightly for a bit, as though intrigued he was asking about spells of that nature.
She then spoke in a timid feminine voice. "Sealing magic with one's blood as a binding agent is very powerful magic. Tier 6 or 7, at least."
Ethan nodded his head in understanding before adding, "Are there ways to break such types of spells without having to resort to the same caster or another related by blood?"
Even though Ethan had left Eduardo with the task, he still knew the possibility of finding another Hemilton caster who knew the spell and was talented enough to cast it was going to be hard. And he did not want to wait idly.
Bettie shook her head and said, "It's why blood is used as a binding agent for such spells. That way, only people of the same bloodline would be able to undo the sealing."
"I see," Ethan muttered. And although he didn't show it, he was disappointed hearing that.
"But…" Bettie began, raising a finger up. "Every spell has a loophole, even the strongest ones."
"A loophole?" Ethan repeated.
Bettie nodded, affirming what she just said. "Yes, it could be some sort of counter spell or brewing up the right potion, but there's a loophole. Perhaps if I knew what this sealing spell was used to bind, then maybe I might know what might serve as a counter."
"Oh, it's nothing at all. I only got curious," Ethan said. Truth is, he wanted to tell her.
That it was a sealing spell used to restrict people's inherent nature, without specifically mentioning whose nature.
But he chose not to, because he didn't want to complicate the conversation any further than it had to be.
He then decided at that point that he'd let it be until Eduardo came to him with results from the task he was given. And if there was nothing to show for it, then maybe he'd reopen this conversation with Elizabeth.
Bettie nodded after hearing him, and Ethan said, "Thank you, but there's one more thing."
"Okay…" she said, waiting on him to go on.
"Can I employ you as a tutor to teach me more spells?" Ethan asked with a straight face.
Even with his high talent level, his skills as a caster were appalling.
"W-wh-whattt?" Bettie stuttered. Her eyes were in shock and widened. She did not see that coming at all.
Some heads in the class turned in their direction for a second before returning to what they were doing. It was just two weird people talking. Nothing to see there.
Ethan continued without giving Clumsy Bettie any real chance to process what she just heard. "The lessons will happen in my house, and I'll pay you one gold grit for every hour you spend teaching me everything you know about the caster class."
Bettie's internal conflict only just worsened. One gold grit per hour? That was far above the minimum wage in Gritnia.
Bettie was silent for a few more seconds until Ethan asked, "Hello, say something. Will you do it?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just, uhh… I didn't see our first interaction ever leading up to this point," Bettie said, still in amazement. "But why me? My talent as a caster is only at B class."
"It's our first interaction, true. But no caster in this class can deny that when it comes to the knowledge of magic, you do the best job."
Well, if one spent most of the three years of their academy life in the library reading texts on magic and spells, it was only a given they were bound to grow more knowledgeable.
She'd know things far better than most casters.
Elizabeth's cheeks went red, and she smiled and turned her face away at the compliment.
"So will you do it?" Ethan asked again.
She nodded without saying anything more.
Actually, she never had a problem with being a tutor. If anything, it was a good start to the fulfilling of her life's goal to be an academy tutor.
"Good. We begin today at the end of class. My house," Ethan said, then turned away and left before Bettie got the chance to protest the venue of the lesson.
Elizabeth's knowledge of magic was why Ethan wanted to not just ask her questions regarding the sealing but also wanted her to be his tutor.
He could have easily afforded another with a higher talent, but most people with higher talents only cared about the strongest spells to master, without actually knowing proper magic foundations.
Make no mistake, the end goal was definitely having stronger spells than mere Fireball, but true mastery came from knowing your foundations.
Spells in this world were classified into Tiers: 1 to 9. The tier of a spell determined its strength and complexity.
In recent times, Tier 6 spells had been the highest tier any caster could cast on their own, and even that required an S-class talent level.
Tier 7 to 9 spells were things for legends. That power could only be replicated by really powerful magic items or casters who had reawakened.
Those ones were known as Grand Casters.
——
Ethan returned to his seat with some feeling of satisfaction. Almost immediately, screens popped up in front of him.
[You Completed a Self-Imposed Objective: Making Inquiries About the Seal]
[Reward: +800xp]
[You Completed a Self-Imposed Objective: Acquiring a Caster Class Tutor]
[Reward: +1000xp]
[Total Experience Points: +2,600xp]
And then he told the system in his thoughts, "Show me the things I could possibly level with my exp amount."
[1000exp required for Summoner Level 2]
[1500exp required to raise Guardian talent from E to D]
[2500exp required to raise Ranger talent from D to C]
[2500exp required to raise Warrior talent from D to C]
He muttered, "Hm," then thought to himself, "So if I decide to raise Warrior or Ranger talent, I'd be using all my experience points."
However, his chain of thoughts was drawn away from the invisible screens, which disappeared from his sight when suddenly Percival Arcorys, the white-haired werewolf in a three-piece silver suit, entered and sat by his corner.
"Ethan, you wouldn't believe the absolute beauty I just saw on my way here!" Percival began in a slightly deep voice and an excited look on his face.
Well, it's not like there was a time he wasn't excited about something.
"Who?" Ethan asked.
"Isabella!" Percival replied, which made Ethan shake his head, asking again, "Who's Isabella?"
"You don't know Isabella?" His eyes widened in surprise. "No way! That's the Princess!"
Ethan sighed and shook his head. "King Tudor has, like, what? Twelve? Thirteen daughters? How am I supposed to know he has one named Isabella?"
"I know all of them, and it's eight daughters, but twelve children in total if you're counting the boys," Percival said, then added, "And I kid you not, Ethan, Isabella is so beautiful."
"Yeah?" Ethan said, tossing him a bare reply so Percival would wrap it up.
Percival nodded. "Yeah, and you know what? I think I'll shoot my shot. No way she refuses all this, right?"
He stretched both of his arms to the side, almost theatrically, as if trying to flex the muscles his suit was barely containing.
Ethan shook his head comically and said, "Good luck."
"Wait…" Percival said abruptly, then sniffed the air around Ethan twice, that it made an audible sound. *Sniff. Sniff. "Why do you smell different?"
Ethan had a puzzled expression on his face. "What do you mean?"
Percival lifted his head and stared at him oddly. Then, as if realization just struck, he turned toward the rest of the class until his eyes stopped at Beatrice's corner.
She was not there.
He turned back to Ethan.
"Wait. Where's your crazy girlfriend?"
Ethan let out a sigh. "I don't date Beatrice anymore."
Percival looked even more shocked than he had when Ethan said he didn't know who Isabella was. "Are you joking?"
"I'm serious, man," Ethan said, barely paying Percival's look of surprise any attention.
Percival's surprised expression turned into absolute joy, and he suddenly leaped up into the air and landed on the table with both feet, yelling to the top of his voice, "HELL YEAHHHH!!!"
And as if that wasn't enough, he went on to release the wolf's howl. "A-aw, a-aw, whooo!"
The entire class groaned at the sound of the howl.
The vampires quickly put both hands on their ears in an attempt to block the sound away, but unfortunately, they had enhanced hearing, and the werewolf's voice that loud was going to reach them either way.
"Dear Lord, Percival," Ethan muttered, turning aside and rubbing his forehead as if trying to hide how embarrassed he was by the scene.
Percival landed back to the ground, still with that excited expression, when suddenly his wolf ears twitched as he heard someone mutter something from the far right.
"The wild mutt forgets this is a class."
Percival snapped toward the sound of the voice. He thrust his hand out, and his muscles bulged a bit as veins surfaced while his nails lengthened into claws.
"Oi, Vamp Boy, want me to come over there?"
His voice suddenly went menacing, and his eyes glowed the same blue flare of mana now seeping from his body.