A Bored Lich

'Come back,' Doevm said through his mental link to Thomas.

'But what if Jackal's alive,' Thomas replied through the mental link. 'That bastard got me killed. The informant might know more than he let on.'

'It hardly mattered,' Doevm explained. 'Luckily, Alexander figured something was wrong when the moon cracked. If the general hadn't returned I would have executed Jackal with an unfair amount of magic. It's a shame things don't always go to plan or else I wouldn't have as many questions floating around in my head.'

'Fine.' Thomas returned to the others and sat down. 'But I don't want to just leave things like this.'

'I understand,' Doevm said. 'More than you know.' He examined the bystanders as if one of them would leap out and use soulmana. Maker had allowed Doevm's reincarnation to "make things interesting". She never said there was only one champion. Doevm leaned back into his seat and let his mind wander.

'I've picked a fight with the world, haven't I?' Doevm thought to himself. 'Why me? What did a lowly Lich like me ever do to the world?' He almost laughed. 'Because there will always be beings who want to use me, and tear down what I've built for myself. If only I could just kill them all and be done with it. No, I can't think like that, not anymore.' He sighed, taking comfort in the fact that the people sitting around him were people he didn't hate.

"What a piece of shit Jackal was," Frey huffed. "Good riddance. What did other people see in that bastard anyway?"

"I kind of wanted to go piss on his body or something," Elero muttered under his breath.

"Same," Thomas said. "Although I kind of wanted to talk to the others."

Doevm leaned back into his chair and let himself relax.

*Random_Writer here. Imagine a transition to the next chapter, preferably with a sound-effect.*

The door to the council room opened, finally. The group stood to see Lance emerge, dabbing sweat off his furrowed brows. Doevm waved him over and the exhausted mage slumped down in his seat. "Those people poked and prodded at each and every single sentence," he said while fanning himself with his papers. "You should have seen their faces as I recited the individual rules of the academy's…" He trailed off, finding nothing more than impatience in the group's faces.

"Did it pass?" Doevm asked.

Lance let out a long sigh: "Yup." He slapped the papers down on the table.

The group stared at the seal of approval with delayed apprehension. "Oh," Doevm said.

"Just oh?" Lance asked. "This is a big deal! As of the present date, the study of dark magic is allowed within academy walls under strict instructor supervision. This is revolutionary. New spells and possibilities will alter how and what we mages teach for the rest of time."

"C-congrats," Frey hesitated.

"Yay," Elero mused.

"The counsel didn't object to dark magic?" Thomas gasped. "Did they lose their minds or something?"

Doevm shook his head: "There will always be people who object. With the War Monks gone, there was simply less of an objection."

"What's with you people?" Lance asked.

"Too much," Elero exclaimed, gesturing to her restored legs. "Good job though." The four patted Lance on the back but that only made his frown deepen.

"Ok, how about this," Lance said as he flipped through the papers. "I also suggested another policy, which was also approved."

Doevm frowned: "What other policy? What is this?" He resisted the urge to snatch the paper away, knowing in his blackened heart that Lance wouldn't betray him like those in the past. Guinevere's smiling face as she reached out towards his bookshelf, it was a stain upon his memories. Lance was different from her. He had to be. Doevm forced himself away from the edge of his seat. 'He's more than earned a little trust.'

Lance cleared his throat: "As a reward for helping to fight back the demon army, demi-humans are now permitted to work alongside humans. Of course there are restrictions but it's good enough for now." He paused, almost as if expecting applause.

"That was unexpectedly good to hear," Doevm said. "The kingdom should have done away with that policy a long time ago. When did you think of this?"

"When a group of Demis covered our backs," Lance said. "They used compound magic to fight the demons off, to save the students who couldn't defend themselves. Honestly, I'd been wondering for a while why the Demis were discriminated against. I never thought to ask myself why it had to continue. It was so simple but I just...didn't care?" He scratched his beard, which had bushed out in the course of a neglectful week. "No, that's not right."

"Because rules were rules, right?" Doevm asked.

Lance nodded: "I guess so." He stared off into space for a few moments, going over his words in his head. "Rules are rules," he muttered. "What does that even mean?"

"Progress, it means progress," Doevm said as he handed a spatial ring to Lance.

"What's this?" Lance asked as he examined the ring's contents. "Thirty books!? That's a heavy load for my students, even for beginner material. This goes well beyond overboard! Is dark magic really this intensive?"

Doevm shook his head: "Dark magic only took me an hour to write, and it's only one book."

Lance furrowed his brows. "What of the twenty-nine other books? I don't understand."

"They're other forms of magic."

"You wrote thirty books on different magics within days," Lance gasped. He took a single book out of the spatial ring and flipped through its contents, finding each page filled with detailed notes and descriptions. He swapped it for another and repeated the process, then again on a third. "What the hell? Who are you?"

Frey closed his eyes and nodded. "I can relate."

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Doevm said. "In any case, none of those basic magics are heaven-defying but it'll get the academy started on the right path, for once. Add them into the curriculum at your own discretion."

Lance paused. "Of course they aren't that strong. Other forms of magic are weaker than elemental magic, right?"

Doevm shrugged: "And isn't the dark element for acts of evil? Those books are what the new policy is about, necessary change. Who knows, maybe one day the academy will help discover a new form of magic?"

"Is that even possible?" Lance asked. Doevm was silent, staring at Lance with a stare so full of certainty that they almost seemed aflame. Lance let out a short chuckle. "And to think I considered myself your teacher."

"You were a teacher, in other ways," Doevm extended his hand. "It was nice to meet you."

Lance shook Doevm's hand. "It was a miracle to have met you. Good luck, and the same to the rest of you. There's a carriage waiting near the end of the capital. It'll take you wherever you want to go, no payment necessary. I'd like to talk more but the academy isn't going to rebuild itself." He waved goodbye and teleported back to the academy.

"So," Frey said. "What now?"

"Is there anything left for us to do here?" Doevm asked.