Basic Thaumaturgy for the Emotional Incompetent [A Magical Academy LitRPG]

Min Hajin wasn't present in the Wing of Stratal Studies on the day of Fabrisse's return. Instead, when he walked in, he immediately noticed something strange—firstly, strange enough that Magus Exemplar Konan Kann was in the main chamber at all, seated at her usual place behind the resonant map table. But next to her was . . . another student.

Her puffy, reddened cheeks and a pair of doll-like eyes gave her an expression of perpetual surprise, as if the air itself had startled her moments ago, though he knew she could alter that expression effortlessly like a mask. Her attire only added to the oddness. A structured garment clung to her torso like a corset but was clearly designed for formal wear, ornamented with subtle embroidery that hinted at earth motifs and threadwork familiar to the Wing's apprentices. She also had the Wing's hat on her. Fabrisse winced at the mere thought of how constraining it must be.

Of course the other enrolled student in the Wing was Anabeth. But what was more surprising was that . . . she was practicing thaumaturgy.

In front of them rested a small, unassuming soil sample, contained in a shallow ceramic dish. At first glance, it appeared like just a clay-brown fragment of earth. Anabeth's fingers hovered above the soil, tracing delicate, deliberate patterns in the air as Konan's precise instructions guided each motion. Soon, the ordinary sample of soil was no longer ordinary. With every sweep and subtle modulation of her hand, the clay-brown surface began to transform, taking on a deeper, more fertile tone. Rich, earthy browns darkened with hints of amber and sienna, flecks of golden mica-like shimmer appearing as if minerals were crystallizing within the soil. The texture seemed denser, more pliant, as if it could cradle roots while supplying them with every essential mineral. A plant's dream.

Konan's gaze followed Anabeth's fingers like a living metronome. "Focus on the subtle interaction," she murmured. "Not power, but attention. Let the earth speak through your movement." Fabrisse didn't even realize Anabeth's hand was shaky until Konan's correction got her smoothing her motion.

When she finally lifted her hands, the soil held its perfected state: rich, dense, and radiant with mineral life. Anabeth's posture remained impeccable.

Konan spoke without lifting her face. "Kestovar," she said, "I have heard from Hajin that you did not attend for an entire week. Care to explain?"

"I was busy," He scratched the back of his ear.

Konan shook her head. "This is why I told Hajin to set a strict schedule for each of you."

"Kestovar," she said, inclining her head in a courteous gesture. "I don't believe we've met here in the Wing before." He stepped in closer and saw that her name tag read 'Anabeth von Silberthal'. Of course, that had to be Anabeth's surname. The surname alone ensured she came from a family of the upper echelon.

"You're practicing spells," Fabrisse murmured in awe. He didn't even know they got to practice spellcraft.

"Oh, yes," Anabeth said, her voice crisp and lightly playful. "Before Exemplar Kann let me touch anything remotely exciting, I had to spend hours classifying quartz by sample too. Such is the fate of an Earth Thaumaturgy disciple."

"What did that spell do?" Fabrisse asked in genuine wonder, stepping closer to examine the soil.

"Exactly what you just observed, Kestovar," Konan said. "The aether enriched the soil, enhancing its mineral content and improving its capacity to sustain plant life."

"Quite splendid, isn't it?" Anabeth said, her tone crisp and refined, a hint of delighted satisfaction in her voice as she contributed nothing to the conversation.

Fabrisse was momentarily rendered speechless. A lady called Anabeth von Silberthal doing . . . agriculture? That was not what he had pictured today.

"Kestovar," she said, her voice calm but unyielding, "you will need to catch up on what you have missed. After the exam season, we will begin field excursions, and you are expected to be well-versed in basic appraisal by then."

Fabrisse's eyes widened almost instantly. Field trips. The idea sparked something electric in him: real, hands-on experience. He imagined the thrill of examining raw quartz in rock formations, feeling its weight and texture, discerning its quality directly in the earth. The nearby cave he usually relied on suddenly seemed inadequate; with Konan leading, he knew they would go where the finest samples could be found, where the magic of the earth itself could be studied in earnest.

That would be the most fascinating thing in the world.

"But now, classifying quartz," Konan said.

"Oh."

That seemed to have been the last of their interactions, for Konan was about to retreat downstairs again. However, she paused, her sharp gaze flicking back toward Fabrisse. "Kestovar. Where is your hat?"

"Here, Exemplar!" Fabrisse's mind raced for half a heartbeat before he reached into his robe and pulled out the hat he had carefully kept for Stratal Studies. He perched it atop his head, but slightly askew, a fact Anabeth immediately noticed.

Her eyes sparkled, and a small, stifled giggle escaped her. "Really, how many pockets do you even have?" she asked.

"More than one," Fabrisse said, adjusting the hat so it sat straighter.

Konan turned briefly to Anabeth. "Von Silberthal, if you have the time, assist Kestovar with aetherically imprinted classification. Ensure he learns the proper method."

"Of course, Exemplar," Anabeth said, inclining her head with impeccable grace, her voice lilting with genuine delight. Fabrisse felt a small thrill at the idea of having the best Stone Thaumaturgy student he knew offered her guidance.

Konan's robe swished as she finally retreated down the stairs. The moment Konan disappeared from sight, Anabeth glided over to him (gracefully, of course, as anyone with a surname von Silberthal could not possibly do anything spontaneously and excitedly). "Kestovar," she said, her voice low and eager, a hint of playful urgency threading through the refinement, "I hope you found my book of help to you?"

"Yes—"

She immediately moved on to another topic. "How did you throw a Silico-Dormant Obscura, Grade Theta? You must tell me."

He couldn't even get a word in before she continued, "Was it the Eidralith? Yes; yes. It must be the Eidralith's doing. The artifact has blessed you with the exquisite faculty of animating otherwise inert stones."

"I—"

"Kestovar. I heard from Assistant Hajin that you borrowed four Trinav quartz the other day. Excellent choice, I must say. Trinav quartz can hold resonance imprints remarkably well for a Common-grade," Anabeth said, her voice lilting with admiration. "Such is due to their unusually uniform lattice structure and low internal stress. The crystal matrix allows for a stable resonance, meaning that once an imprint is inscribed, it retains both intensity and nuance far more reliably than other ordinary quartz. Fascinating, isn't it?"

"Well, yes—"

"You must tell me of all the inert rocks you can interact with." As she spoke, her braids bobbed gently with the sway of her movement. "In return, I will tell you all I know of resonance imprinting within Common-grade rocks, as it appears to be a subject that particularly captivates your interest.

This girl is impossible. How does she have that talent of making geology sound like high art?

Hold on. How does she know exactly what I need?

He came here with a purpose: to learn which stones would boost his attribute and level up his Stone Resonance Carry in the process. According to Trajectory Insight, this was the method of levelling up which made the most sense:

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

"I've been meaning to ask," Fabrisse said with a grin. "How different is the resonance imprint of a Trinav quartz to, say, a Cimberlance?"

Anabeth's eyes brightened. "Ah, a delightful question," she said, her tone crisp and lilting, as if she were about to reveal a secret. "While I cannot speak to subjective effects, one may observe their inherent qualities quite clearly. Let us head to the rock archive." She spoke, took two steps forward, and gestured at the cabinet behind her. "We are at the rock archive." She slid open a drawer. "Trinav quartz, naturally," she murmured, lifting a crystal. She set it carefully on the table before her, then moved to the adjacent section. "And here—Cimberlance. Now we can compare the samples properly, with aetheric detectors and magnification tools at our disposal."

Anabeth placed the Trinav quartz beneath a small aetheric lens mounted on a brass stand. The lens didn't magnify visually in the mundane sense; rather, it resonated with the crystal's vibrational matrix, projecting subtle waves of color and shimmer across the surface of a polished observation plate. "Observe," she murmured, tilting the lens slightly, "how the lattice refracts the aetheric currents. The uniformity allows the waves to spread evenly, without interruption." Tiny golden pulses flickered steadily across the plate, reflecting the crystal's calm, expansive resonance.

She then retrieved a miniature aetheric scanning wand, running it along the surface of the Cimberlance. Light arced along its facets in jagged, staccato flashes, each pulse corresponding to the minute fissures and inclusions within the stone. "Here, you see the lattice is slightly irregular," she said, her voice crisp but lyrical. "The fissures create localized resonant amplifications. The energy is concentrated, precise, yet unpredictable. One might say it behaves almost pointillistically, as each facet interacts discretely with the aether."

Fabrisse had already begun comparing the two patterns. Trinav, even and steady, would likely reinforce a constant, stable aspect. That tracks with RES. Cimberlance, with its localized spikes, would make the aether inside harder to control if one can extract it. That suggests agility and quick reaction, maybe? It can either boost my DEX or SYN.

Anabeth tilted the aetheric lens toward him. "Here," she said. "See the patterns yourself. Observation is as much a part of mastery as any inscription."

Fabrisse took the tool carefully. He lifted the Trinav quartz into place, adjusting it beneath the lens.

Anabeth picked up the Cimberlance, offering it to him next. "Do examine this as well."

Fabrisse took it, adjusting his grip. The pointillist flashes leapt under the scanning wand, vivid and fractured. He could feel their intent, their unpredictability.

I can't wait to see which attribute it boosts me.

But no resonance flowed into him.

Oh no.

He'd forgotten to remove the quartz from his back robe pocket.

Fabrisse's eyes darted toward Anabeth, who was still watching him with the same crisp, attentive poise, The intensity of her gaze—so full of expectation and curiosity—had been delightful earlier. Now, it was an obstacle.

He swallowed, realizing he couldn't just reach into his robe pocket and lay the extra Trinav quartz on the table with her scrutinizing him. That would be . . . improper, almost theatrical, and utterly distracting. He leaned in and shifted his weight subtly, pretending to adjust the aetheric lens, while his fingers hovered near the hidden pocket.

"Uh . . . perhaps," he muttered, trying to buy time, "we should, uh, examine this one first?" He lifted the existing Trinav slightly higher, hoping to redirect her attention to the scanning wand's jagged flashes.

"Whichever you want," Anabeth said and immediately followed up with another topic, "I heard from Lugano that you also picked up a Meridian pebble. That one's particularly inert, isn't it? Yet . . . quite beautiful. Tell me, why do you enjoy inert rocks so much?"

Fabrisse's mind immediately went into overdrive. He could feel the Trinav quartz in his back pocket, warm with latent resonance, practically begging to be moved to his satchel. He could not let Anabeth's question distract him; not now. Not while he was trying to maneuver the rock unnoticed under her unwavering gaze.

"Uh . . . well," he began, voice tight, words jumbling into nonsense, "the—uh—the inert . . . aetheric fields, they, uh, oscillate in . . . interesting . . . patterns, yes, patterns that, um, reveal, uh, subtle harmonics of . . . resonance fields?"

"By definition, inert rocks do not store aetheric fields, Kestovar." Anabeth squinted.

"Oh, I mean . . ." He slid a single Trinav quartz from his pocket, tilting slightly to shield it from view. His other hand, discreetly, opened the flap of his satchel. A quick, silent transfer later, the quartz was safely tucked inside, leaving no trace of his overfull inventory. He exhaled quietly, a small, victorious smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Ah, yes . . . exactly. Inert rocks," he murmured, letting the words drift ambiguously, hoping Anabeth wouldn't notice the sleight-of-hand.

"You can even find aetheric imprint in inert rocks too!" Anabeth swiftly concluded. "Amazing! How much aether can a Meridian pebble store?"

"Well . . ." Now I only need to grab the Cimberlance quartz. I don't even need to put it in a pocket; holding it now would confirm its property.

He could hear Anabeth still chirping beside him, but he'd already tuned out the specifics. The weight of the Cimberlance settled firmly in his palm as he reached out for the rock. He held it at just the right angle, feeling the subtle vibrations against his fingers. He turned it slowly, letting the facets catch the ambient light while keeping the aetheric scanning wand trained across its surface. What a beautiful little thing.

I knew it! My guess is spot on! My rock knowledge is once again validated.

He grabbed the Cimberlance tightly in his hand as he murmured an excited, "Yes!"

"Exquisite! I knew you would agree to it!" Then Anabeth's voice registered in his ears again.

"Huh?" Hold on. Agree to what?

"The dinner is to be held this Wednesday, in three days' time. I would strongly recommend that you attire yourself appropriately, as you would be expected to present yourself suitably."

"The dinner?"

"Yes," Anabeth's smile held an odd sort of self-satisfaction. She didn't grin the way Liene did, but that was as excited a member of the upper echelon could allow herself to show. "My family would love to know how anyone could manifest aetheric manipulation on a Silico-Dormant Obscura. Please do not mind their teasing, if they do tease you. Such is the fate of the boys I bring home. I have told them countless times that I do not like boys in that way, but they never ceased the jokes."

What? Why? Who? How? When did this happen?

"Wait, no . . . I mean . . ." No. I have to decline this request, whatever it is. Didn't I already make plans with someone else this Wednesday?

"If my family likes you enough, they can even teach you a few secretive Stone spells." Anabeth's smile curved delicately. Her hands rested lightly on the table as she leaned just enough forward to emphasize her point, the measured tilt of her posture lending a teasing intimacy to her words.

"Oh. Uh. How good are the spells?"

"Mmmmm," she put a hand to her chin. "I'd say Tier II and Tier III. We hold the archive to the largest collection of Tier III Stone spells, if you're interested in that."

His palm started sweating profusely. The spells. The gains. No! You're conspiring against me, Eidralith, by giving me this quest! "I . . . I am interested." He gulped.

Anabeth didn't grin, but her twinkling eyes did it for her. "That is settled then. You are to come with me this Wednesday."