A Bright and Shiny Life

Allan doesn't have much to say when I get back. He is pleased that the plan worked, but worried about the interaction. He especially doesn't like that I'm being thrusted even further into the business of the royal family, but admits there was likely nothing I could do to avoid it. He's much more concerned about the claims regarding the hidden reasons for the prolonged insurgency.

"I'll look into it. Just don't spread this around, especially if you're right about what she meant."

"Princep Talia confirmed it directly when I asked in the carriage."

He pinches his eyes shut and sighs. "Why would you ask her? Now she knows that you know."

I shrug. "I needed a way to make myself seem interesting, and I don't think your methods would have worked for me. Besides, it seems to have worked."

"…Fine. I guess I'll just add making sure there aren't elimination squads after you to the list of things to do."

I raise a questioning eye. "Surely if I had stumbled onto a death worthy secret, the Princep wouldn't have hinted at it in public, or at the very least killed me herself."

"…Aren't you supposed to be the paranoid one? … Never mind. Regardless of the goal, did you enjoy the party?"

"Um…" Did I? I guess it was nice, but I was distracted by the mission and then the revelation.

He sighs, having clearly read my thoughts in my face. "It's all right. Just, do try to enjoy the Equinoctial. I know it'll be hard with all the stress around it, but give yourself a few moments to soak everything in."

"… All right, I'll try."

He smiles. "Good. Now, etiquette lessons."

We spend the rest of the time till sunset going over various rules. When I climb to the roof, I find myself relaxing at the familiar sight. Chanting in a group has its own enjoyable quality to it, and can be a benefit, but sometimes I need the solitude.

About halfway through the session, I finish learning the liquifying beam.

I rush downstairs to the training room, lock the doors and immediately try it out. The lights in the room seem to dim as a several inch thick silent lance of purple light emits from my hand for about fifty feet… Far too short. It takes about ten, maybe eight, seconds to cast, during which even a mundane could close the distance. However, there are a few details that make it more practical than I initially assumed.

First, unlike my shield spell, I can cast it while moving, though no more than a brisk walk. Moreover, sustaining it after the initial cast doesn't hinder movement at all. Of course, running around with a fifty-foot death beam emitting from your hand isn't ideal, and trying to sustain any other spells with it nearly drops me unconscious with pain, but the other details help.

Second, I seem to be immune to my own beam. The Biblio said I would be, but it takes me a few minutes to work up the nerve to test it out. When I finally bring my other arm near it, though, I see my worries were unneeded. A few inches away from it, the purple light starts to bend around the limb, then snaps to the other side at around midway without ever getting closer than a few inches to my flesh.

I get the sense that this should be perfectly obvious and expected, but the knowledge as to why has been erased as part of learning the spell. Perhaps I'm not just emitting the force from my hand but my whole body? Is the immunity just for my own casting, or would it protect me from other peoples' too?

Well, it's not like I'll be encountering anyone else who knows the spell any time soon. It seems even more associated with Anar and far more difficult than the concealment spell, and the empire's mages haven't been able to learn that one even after three years of studying the captured Biblios. Still, it is concerning. The beam is supposed to be able to penetrate shield spells as if they weren't there, but if the beam grants general immunity to similar effects, then there may be other ways to counter it. I'll have to look into it.

The third detail is that while the fifty-foot beam is far too taxing to maintain with another spell, I can reduce the power to make it easier. Normally, reducing the power of a combat spell reduces its potency, but for some reason, it seems to only reduce the range instead. Again, I would probably understand why if the Eye hadn't erased the foundational knowledge.

Still, I won't complain about a benefit. The minimum length of the beam seems to be about two feet. Unfortunately, reducing it that far doesn't reduce the strain to a 25th of normal, but it is significant. I still get a headache when I sustain it with a shield spell, but it's a dull ache at a level I have long since learned to ignore.

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I also find I can pulse the beam back to its maximum length for a fraction of a second, though I stumble from the pain the first few times. Eventually, I figure out that the pain is manageable if I reduce the shield to about half power before I do it. Though I don't like doing that, as it weakens it to the point that even a mundane might penetrate it. Still, the time saving is more than worth the brief vulnerability, and I'm certain I'll overcome the limitation in a few months.

Right now though, it's time to test what it can do.

I have a servant bring in a number of miscellaneous items as targets. The first is a large chunk of the cheapest meat available. The instant the beam makes contact, there's a splatting sound as the chunk collapses in on itself into a sticky red puddle.

Interesting that the liquification extends beyond the point of contact. I didn't expect that. Is it object based, or just a radius around the visible light? But that doesn't make sense, because if it is just that the kill zone is wider than what can be seen, the meat should have turned into a puddle before the visible portion struck.

The first few days after learning a spell are always a bit frustrating, along with the excitement, as you run into unexpected oddities that you feel you should have expected. But I feel like that period will last much longer with this one.

Next, I test a block of wood which comes with its own oddity in the form of the small wooden table I placed it on liquifying too. Though in this case, the beam takes about a second of sustained contact to reduce the target.

I curse as the effect spreads, then curse again as the table legs hit the ground with only most of the top being liquified, with the end point of the effect seeming deformed as if melted metal, though cool to the touch. That almost seems to suggest that it's both object based and has a radius. Maybe conductivity would be better to describe the effect. Does it only conduct between similar substances, or any solid making contact?

That question is answered a few moments later after I stack the legs into a platform on which I place a large stone block. Despite the beam being angled away from the wooden legs, the legs liquify first after only a second, causing me to jerk the beam away to avoid hitting the floor. Interestingly, while the block is mostly intact, the part where the beam hit has that same melted look to it as the table did. Yet when I place the block on a more durable platform, it doesn't seem to deform much more until about three seconds when it suddenly collapses all at once into a grey slurry.

This leaves me with a dilemma, as my final test was meant to be a lump of steel, but I have no platform to rest it on. The floor is enchanted and so likely more durable than the metal, but I don't want to risk it, especially since I doubt the self-repair can handle that much damage. So, I resign myself to trust the ratios in the Biblio and estimate five seconds to liquify steel or ten or more if enchanted.

Still, I do perform the final test by placing a second chunk of meat in contact behind the metal. As expected, despite the beam not being anywhere near it, the meat instantly turns into a sticky puddle. The Biblio said it would work this way, but I needed to see it myself. After all, it says that even magic plate armour won't delay the effect, and that's something I needed evidence for to trust.

I look around, immensely satisfied with my tests, but a thought strikes me: Is there a need to share this spell with Allan? The use case is obviously for removing bodies, and I know he'll disapprove. I want to share the excitement, but there's no reason to risk an argument.

So instead, I cast cleaning on the stranger liquids, then take the leftover targets and cast firestream on everything to make it seem like the missing material was from testing that out. I can't hide the missing stone block, but multiple servants carried those in, and they had no reason to count them.

As I leave the room and head to bed, my hands begin to shake. I've been learning this spell off and on for over two years, and I finally have it. The utility is astounding. I could probably kill someone in the imperial palace with it and not get caught… Well, maybe not. They probably divine for active spell effects in addition to bodies. Anywhere else though should be fine…Can I sacrifice with the spell? Have the finishing blow be from the beam instead of a dagger? I could go to a lower security area and test it out…

I splash cold water on my face to snap out of the thought. I need to have control. I can't let myself come up with excuses for seeking sacrifices out. I should only sacrifice those I would kill anyways, and … maybe only nobles. I don't know… Yes, only nobles. No more cheap offerings. Only the best for me from now on. I'm resolved, no more dithering.

Only the best, yes, I like that. Not just for sacrifices, but in general. Why accept anything cheap? Well, maybe not the best, but quality in everything at the very least. I am a noble, after all. It's not like I've been living cheaply with Allan, but I haven't consciously embraced the luxury either. I've enjoyed it, but remained largely indifferent to its continuance. No more.

My dorm room, while much less lavish than my room here, is much better than anything I've had before coming to the central district. It will be my new standard of luxury. If I ever find myself in a worse lodging, I will endeavour to return to its level. As for food, I shouldn't just get the free meals from the school. I should pay for the better food. I…

I'm doing the thing with money again. I thought I had that under control after getting an expensive client, but it seems like it was waiting to resurface. It's the new spell, I know. I feel empowered. Not unreasonably either. If I have time to cast the beam, I can probably kill full knights like flies now. Never mind how big a caveat that is. So, my sense of worth, no, my sense of ability to impact the world has increased significantly. It's only natural that I feel more confident with money.

But the spell! The excitement after such a long time of study… it's dangerous. I shouldn't make life decisions in the rush of a new spell, even ones as minor and reversible as what to eat for lunch. If I keep at it, I'll probably talk myself into finding reasons to declare fealty to one of the princeps thinking my help will make them the heir or something equally absurd.

I need to… sleep. Not like I'll be able to with this much excitement. Well, might as well… try…