Bookbound Bunny

When Lily returned to her room after grabbing a meal with Beatrice, she was pretty over the moon. Not only did she get information about her electives and consequently get permission to do the enchanting class, but she also received more of the mysterious glyph chalk.

I was very worried about using the few pieces I had left from the ritual. Now, not only did I get a box full, but I've learned that there's more in the dungeon.

She placed the box and slate on her desk and then jumped backward onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling. She reached down to her shirt and pulled off the badge, fumbling it around between her fingers.

"What a day," Lily sighed.

[It certainly seems that way. I'm glad that there seems to be a lot of opportunities for us here, and I'm eager to see what changes there might be in dungeons over the countless years.]

"It's exciting. Magic items, and now even chalk! I hope my first treasure is something exciting. Although I guess I should hope for something practical like that storage bag."

[One can never have enough storage space. If you don't find one, perhaps we can craft one with the right tools and reagents—unless you're willing to risk everything inside, you'll want something more substantial than ink, chalk, and even blood.]

"Even blood? Now that's a shocker. You and everyone else have gone on and on about how powerful it is. Now you're telling me it's not good enough?"

[It's a case of reliability. If your inscription is accidentally damaged, you can lose everything inside, and trying to recreate a connection to the exact same interdimensional storage space is not a simple task. Imagine someone smearing your blood glyph or rubbing out the chalk.]

"I see… so we'd need something carved or engraved directly, then?"

[Or sewn. Although needleworking glyphs were never my forte, I must admit.]

"I can't say I'm any good at it either… I couldn't even help Rose with her ripped pants."

[We will have to use magic to solve our predicament. But before worrying about anything like that, you need to decide on your electives.]

He floated over to the desk and opened the book's pages, causing the booklet to fall out.

"Well, before I even look, it's definitely enchanting. Alchemy too, as otherwise Camilla will lose her marbles… that Hearthcraft class sounded fun."

[Can you handle three?]

"I think so. Especially if I can substitute some classes around. I kind of feel like alchemy and enchanting might be free classes, thanks to you and Camilla."

[Free or not, it still takes up your time.]

"Damn, I really should have chosen time magic over astral," Lily said, giggling to herself.

Lily sat up from her bed and walked over to the desk, where she began reading through the booklet.

Alchemy 101 was what it said on the tin. The only interesting thing was that it mentioned the use of dungeon ingredients and put an emphasis on potions for adventuring. Healing potions and combat elixirs, both of which were pricey and something Camilla often praised as worth a fortune.

I know a few healing potion recipes, but I don't have any combat elixirs. Camilla was never willing to bend the rules on that, saying she'd be thrown into prison if she got caught.

Lily was certainly excited. The final thing worth mentioning about the alchemy elective was that it mentioned it used the alchemy license exams as the passing criteria and that successful first years would have an official Junior Alchemist License.

Not having to pay for the license exam is a big deal. Unless Camilla was exaggerating about it costing an arm and a leg.

Beast Handling tempted Lily, as she'd always wanted to see a unicorn. But the more she read about it, the more she realized this probably didn't suit her. While she was interested in the magical animals, she didn't exactly want to go through the effort of cleaning, feeding, and raising them.

As much as I'd love to see a unicorn and maybe brush one, I don't think I'd want to clean up its poop. Plus, I bet there are some hideous creatures, too. Beatrice mentioned giant spiders; what if I'm the one stuck on silk-collecting duty? That's a big nope for me!

Arakil made a small mention that it might be possible to get resources from the animals, like a loose feather or some magical fur, but he did stress it would only be a small benefit. The dungeon had a much greater chance of being their ticket to reagents.

Sorcerous Warfare was effectively a military class that would teach you official tactics and battle formations. It also mentioned that in the second year onwards, you'd be taught leadership and commanding a squad, as mages often took over such roles.

Lily instantly rejected the idea. Even though she thought the Mage Knights were cool and heroic, she had no plans to serve in the military. Plus, even though she was grateful for Richardus' lessons, she really thought he was too much of a stick in the mud and saw his military service as a direct result of that.

Thaumaturgical Agriculture sounded both interesting and valuable. It revolved around magical crops and herbs and could be seen as a direct pipeline into feeding the alchemy department. However, even though Lily could easily imagine some benefits from it, she rejected the idea because of the manual labor involved.

Even though my body is basically fixed, minus my height, I'm not exactly an athlete. I don't think I could handle plowing fields and tilling soil. If I was an earth mage like Theo, I'd probably jump at this opportunity. But unless I made some glyphs, I'd need to do it manually, and that's assuming they don't have some rule about doing the labor without magic.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Lily could easily predict that being the case, as her work with Camilla had pointed out some reagents being very sensitive to foreign Mana, and she would have to hold off on all Mana and glyphs until it was fully dissolved.

[Getting to keep a portion of anything you grow would've been quite an incentive. However, we could just buy it from other students if you were to sell potions or glyphs.]

Lily agreed with that idea, and once again, her time under Camilla had influenced her. She'd seen firsthand how the old woman turned her material costs into double, if not triple, the profit. Manufacturing was where the actual profits could be found.

Last but not least, there was Hearthcraft and Household Charms. Beatrice had hinted at this subject, and Lily still wasn't sure why. It covered magic in everyday life, from cooking to cleaning, but then it also shifted into creating charms to protect one's home.

"Is the protective charms why Beatrice gave the hint?"

[In all likelihood, yes. If you recall, Rose is currently living inside the dungeon, and other students are too. Learning how to create protective charms would be highly beneficial for protecting your camp. In addition, magical cooking and cleaning would also be helpful in keeping yourself in tip-top condition.]

"Cooking and cleaning in the dungeon? Really?"

[Would you prefer eating nothing but rations and staying in the same stained clothes for days, if not weeks? The same could be said about traveling while on an adventure; there won't always be a convenient inn where you can stay.]

"Oh… that makes perfect sense," Lily admitted. "Did you do a lot of adventuring in your days?"

[I was never an officially registered adventurer, but I certainly partook in some activities with them—trust me, you never want to smell the inside of a set of full plate armor. I did, however, do a lot of traveling, and being able to upkeep and secure yourself every night is an extreme luxury.]

"Sounds good to me, and I already wanted to take the class."

She continued reading about it and saw a repeat of what was briefly mentioned before. Professor Melina said that by learning to use magic in your everyday life for even the most mundane chores, you could improve your magical control elsewhere.

[If you eat, sleep, and breathe magic, you're bound to get further benefits down the line. I greatly approve of this methodology.]

"Plus, who wouldn't want to use magic to do their chores? It sounds heavenly to me."

[Unfortunately, not everyone shares that opinion. Sometimes, you'd run into someone who believes magic is only to be used for noble purposes with lofty goals. While other cultures could see magic as a curse that should be used sparingly and cautiously. Of course, magic is just a tool like anything else, and it's up to the individual to determine how they utilize it.]

"Really? There were people like that? I thought you said magic was for everyone back then."

[That was my personal belief, and I always tried to embody it, but some cultures and races believed otherwise. Some royals believed that only the purest of blood should have access to magic, forbade the peasants from it, and deemed them practitioners of witchcraft.

An even more extreme example was an entire species of elves who believed that Mana was a finite resource and should be used sparingly. That odd belief led to them wanting to exterminate every other sapient race who could learn to wield magic.]

"That's horrible…"

[Indeed, although considering the current world, it's almost like their prophecy was somehow strangely true. They'd be horrified if they were alive in this day and age.]

"Yeah… I really don't like that magic is only available to some demis unless they are lucky enough to have a bloodline. I really want to make your dream of 'magic for everyone' a reality."

[I'm glad. It seems that the fairies messing with fate magic was a blessing for both of us.]

Lily smiled happily before finally returning to finish reading the booklet.

"I think I'm sticking to just my original three. I don't really like the implied physical labor in the other two, and I definitely don't want to do anything with the military. Plus, I get the feeling whoever is in charge of it would take one look at me and laugh their head off when they saw how small I was."

[You'll hear no complaints from me as ultimately it is your decision. ]

"Speaking of hearing from you… we need to figure out a better communication system."

[Is something the matter?]

"There were multiple times you mentioned something, but I obviously can't reply! Like you talked about the dungeon getting upset like it was a person."

[Do dungeons no longer think and feel in this new world?]

"I… have no idea?" Lily replied. "This is the first I'm hearing of it. Aren't they all just mazes of stone full of monsters and treasure?"

[Outwardly, they may appear that way, but a dungeon could be easily recognized as a living organism, and the environment within it is like its body. The corridors and rooms are like their veins, while the monsters are their blood flowing throughout. Some can develop rudimentary personalities and can even have their own obsessions, which usually are revealed through a common theme throughout the dungeon.

You could also think of them like a predator luring in its prey or even something like a pitcher plant if you struggle to see them as a beast. They want to lure victims into their depths with the promises of treasures and feed off the dead.]

Lily gasped in surprise, "They feed on the dead? But surely the school doesn't let students die? Wouldn't the dungeon then starve?"

[No, it wouldn't starve because dead monsters also count.]

"Now I'm even more confused… don't the dungeons create monsters? That's like me eating my own hair or drinking my own blood, isn't it?"

[Er… No. This is the issue with using analogies.]

Arakil sighed and paused; he seemed to be thinking of how to explain it to her.

[The dungeon has a core, much like your Mana Core. It can spend its "Mana" to summon monsters, but it can't control the monsters directly and can't force them to attack one another. Thus, it lures adventurers, who will either die within or slay the monsters. Both outcomes are what the dungeon can feed on. If that wasn't enough, the mere presence of people inside it can also be a source of sustenance for it.]

"It feeds on people while they are inside it?" Lily cried out in horror.

[Apologies, I'm giving a poor explanation of this. Yes, some dungeons can feed off of people just being in their dungeon. To be more clear, they can feed off your expended Mana when a spell completes and dissipates; that would usually become ambient Mana, but dungeons can feed off it instead.]

"Oh! Okay, that makes a lot more sense, especially for a magic school. Anytime anyone casts a spell, it would be getting some food then!"

[Yes… let's end the explanation there. Going back to the original topic, though, about communication, I could be silent if you prefer? Oftentimes, I just think out loud, as I tend to do.]

"No, I don't want you to be silent. I just want some way to communicate between us."

[What about redirecting your Mana? You could put Mana in your left hand to indicate no and your right hand to indicate yes.]

"Huh… I guess that would work, at least for questions."

[We can come up with other types of signals as we need them, but keeping it to a simple yes and no for now should be good.]

Lily nodded happily and finally closed the booklet. She planned to immediately register for her electives tomorrow so she wouldn't dare miss the spot, and then she wanted to try to find the Maranix building.

From what Beatrice told her during their meal, each faction had a small building outside the main castle dedicated to them, with a few rooms and secret training grounds.

Maybe I can even make a friend or two.