Noah worked his jaw in thought. “Someone is just going around and assigning me students? I didn’t realize I could get more.”

Alexandra nodded, adjusting the sword at her side. At first, Noah thought it might have been meant to be some sort of threat, but then he realized that it was just a nervous tick. “I spoke to a woman at the administration building who gave me a list of the professors that could take on non-noble students that didn’t bring funding for Rune research. You were one of the only ones – and most of the others were either missing or not taking on new students at all.”

Meaning that if I don’t take her on, she might not be able to find a teacher at all.

Karina and Contessa exchanged a glance, both realizing that their requests had been sidelined for the time being. They were both smart enough to bide their time and wait until Noah finished with Alexandra.

“What exactly is it you came here to learn?” Noah asked. “I’ve still yet to actually figure out the purpose of Arbitage, if I’m being honest. I thought it was basically a babysitting program for noble kids with a side of some basic training.”

“It depends on the teacher,” Moxie said, finally getting over her silent laughing fit behind him. “Generally, families send their students to a specific professor because they have experience in something that the student wants. The general exams are only to ensure baseline competence. But, for someone without the backing of a family…”

She didn’t have to finish the sentence. For someone without money, the school taught whatever their professor decided to teach. Arbitage didn’t care about you if you weren’t funding them.

“You beat Gentil,” Alexandra said, clenching her fists at her sides. “And you’re a teacher, aren’t you? So you can teach me.”

“I can’t use a sword.”

“I can practice the sword on my own,” Alexandra said, but she did take a moment to look down at the flying sword hanging at Noah’s side. “I want to learn how to fight.”

Noah chewed his lower lip. Taking on a new student wasn’t something that should be done impulsively. He was basically promising to be responsible for her health and safety, not just teaching her.

It didn’t look like Alexandra had much choice, though. If she’d come to Arbitage and had already paid to get accepted, she was desperate.

“You can come to some of my lessons,” Noah said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had started to build up in the room. “If everything goes well and you mesh with my other students, then you can stay. If not, we’ll have to figure something else out. I know the school accepted you already, but I’ve already got a responsibility to them that I won’t sacrifice. Is that fine with you?”

Alexandra didn’t respond immediately, which raised Noah’s appraisal of her on the spot. She was actually thinking things through – even though there wasn’t much room for her to bargain, it was still a good quality to have.

“Yes. That works. Thank you,” Alexandra said. “I promise I won’t let you down.”

“Just focus on yourself,” Noah suggested. He looked back to Karina and Contessa. “Now would either of you care to explain why my room has transformed into a gathering hall?”

“I needed to find you.” Karina nodded at Contessa. “When I came to your door, she was here. I thought she might have broken in, so I started interrogating her. It seemed like she was telling the truth, so I decided to wait with her until you got back.”

“Alexandra showed up a little while ago, and I didn’t think you’d have wanted to send her away,” Contessa said nervously. “So I said she should stay.”

That’s… surprisingly not shitty of you.

“I see. And did you have any plans of what you’d do when I got back?” Noah asked. “I said you could stay here when we still had business together, but that is concluded.”

“What else am I going to do?” Contessa asked. “I’m not good enough of a mage to become an adventurer. My family won’t employ me because Evergreen had so much power that they’re worried I’ll try to sabotage them in her name, and no other family would hire me unless it’s to be a spy.”

“Have you considered just doing something other than being an adventurer or working for your family?” Noah asked.

Or just getting better at fighting?

“What? No.” Contessa stared at Noah. “Why would I do that? I’m a Torrin.”

Ah. Too proud to live a normal life, but not capable of actually earning a better one. At least she’s being honest.

“I see. And why is this my concern?” Noah asked. “Are you saying you want to actively work for me?”

Contessa shifted uncomfortably. “It’s not that different from what I’ve been doing, is it?”

“Except for the part where I have to pay you.”

“I don’t need that much. Just some money and a room that I can occasionally use would be enough. Just a bit of gold wouldn’t be that hard for you to earn with your–” Contessa cut herself off, glancing around the room and clearing her throat. “Your talents.”Stolen novel; please report.

“And what would I get in exchange for giving you a room and money? Is there anything worthwhile you could offer me?”

“Information. Nobody cares about what I do, and I still have some of the old connections from Evergreen. I’m sure some of them would be willing to feed me information that you couldn’t normally get.”

Keeping tabs on the Torrins isn’t exactly a bad idea, now that I think about it. Hm.

“I’m not opposed to it.” Noah rubbed his forehead. He’d been hoping for a considerably more relaxing return to Arbitage. “One hundred gold a month, provided you can provide me with something interesting. You can use the room – I’ll crash in Moxie’s, so long as she doesn’t mind.”

“Works for me,” Moxie said with a shrug.

Noah turned his eyes to Karina, trying not to let his weariness show on his face. “And you?”

“It’s urgent that you come back with me to the Linwick Estate. I ran into the family head, and he wants to meet you.” Karina’s eyes flicked to the book on Noah’s back. “About that.”

A flash of worry passed through Noah. Someone had figured out that he’d taken the artifacts out of the catacombs. It wasn’t like he’d been particularly stealthy about it with the whole collapse, but he hadn’t had much choice.

But, if they were really mad, Noah doubted they would have sent Karina to ask him to come back. They would have either sent assassins or a demand.

“He wants to meet me? Not needs to?” Noah asked.

“Is there a difference? He knows about the artifacts,” Karina said, stressing the last word of the sentence to make sure Noah understood her deeper meaning. Both of his robberies had been discovered, not just one of them.

But, no matter what anyone claimed, they didn’t have a way to prove Noah had the Records of the Dead. At least, he was pretty sure they didn’t. After all, the alarm was nowhere to be found as the book was gone, eaten by his grimoire.

“If you mean this artifact, then all I can say is that nobody was using it,” Noah said. “I don’t believe there’s anything further to address. I didn’t take anything else.”

Karina’s eye twitched. “You know that isn’t true.”

“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. The catacombs collapsed after I messed around a bit and checked some other artifacts out. Our dear family head is welcome to come meet me at Arbitage, where we’re on neutral ground.”

Where he can’t try to kill me without at least having to think for a second about the consequences, as minor as they may be for someone as powerful as a family head. I wonder if Karina ratted me out of her own volition or not.

Noah’s eyes caught on Karina’s legs – or, to be most accurate, the leg that she should have been missing. It was covered by her pant leg, but there was definitely something there where there hadn’t been before.

“Nice leg,” Noah said. “You managed to get a healing potion for it, then?”

“I didn’t, but don’t change the subject. This is important,” Karina said tersely. “If you don’t come with me, they’re going to send assassins after us. You have to meet with him.”

“Threats are not a great way to get me to agree to anything. Now that I know the head of the family is pissed enough to be sending assassins, why would I ever leave campus? As I said before, if he wants to talk, then he can come here.”

Karina ground her teeth. “He won’t. At least, I don’t think he will. Jalen–”

“Jalen?”

“That’s his name. Jalen basically dragged me off the streets of the Linwick Estate when I got there. He’s strong, Vermil. High Rank 6, I think. He thought I took the artifacts at first, but when he realized I didn’t, he gave me the choice between dying or coming to find you.” Karina’s voice steadily raised, though it never quite reached a yell. “He literally healed my leg in a blink. Don’t you realize that you can’t fight someone like this? Just talk to the man!”

I don’t blame you for looking out for your own hide, but there’s no way in hell I’m going to waltz out and let myself get squished by a new Linwick asshole.

Maybe I should have a chat with Father and see who I’m dealing with. Devil you know, eh?

“All he made you do was come find me?”

“I don’t think I can risk saying much more than that, but I swear that’s all he said he wanted me to do. He was going to find you himself before I got myself caught up in the mix. If you ignore his summons, I have no idea what he’ll do to you – or me.”

“My students?” Noah asked, his eyes narrowing.

“He didn’t say anything about them. I… I don’t think he’d go after them. He’s a bit insane, but he felt genuine in wanting to only speak with you.”

“What do you mean by not being able to risk more, then? If you really want to convince me to do anything, shouldn’t you be sharing literally everything that happened?”

“For all intents, I have. That’s everything that I’m allowed to share, but I swear that it’s all that really matters. I can tell you that there’s another part, but it’s got more to do with me than you.” Karina glanced over her shoulder as if the head of the Linwick family was going to sprout from beneath Noah’s bedsheets and drag her, kicking and screaming, to a pillowy death. “Can’t you just trust me?”

“No.”

“No,” Lee added. Noah was pretty sure she’d only said it because she was bored of getting left out of the conversation.

“But–”

“Discussion over,” Noah said, suddenly remembering that he’d had this entire conversation in view of Alexandra, who was looking at Noah like he’d just revealed himself to be the crime boss of a city. He adjusted his jacket and shook his head. “If you want me to meet this guy, make it worth my while. And stay away from my students. You’ve used up all your warnings.”

Assassins or not, I’m not just going to waltz out of Arbitage and deliver myself to the Linwick Estate. Jalen is welcome to send assassins if he wants to. The worst they can do is kill me.

The blood rushed from Karina’s face and she nodded her understanding.

“Alexandra, do you have a room?” Moxie asked. “Or anywhere at all to stay?”

“Yes, I’m in the student housing,” Alexandra said. “I haven’t looked at my room yet, though. I came straight here.”

“Go head back and get some rest,” Moxie said. “Meet us by the Transport Cannon tomorrow morning at sunrise. That’ll be our first lesson of the semester.”

“Understood.” Alexandra straightened and gave Moxie a curt nod before darting out the door and practically sprinting down the hall.

Noah was torn between laughing and rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was pretty sure Alexandra was getting the wrong idea about him and Moxie, but it was probably a little late to go about fixing that now. He’d have to wait until class.

“Are we done here?” Noah asked. “Because, if so, I’d like to be left alone. I’ve got some prep work to take care of before school starts up again.”

Karina looked like she wanted to argue, but she let out a heavy sigh and remained silent. That was more than enough for Noah, who stepped out of the doorway and headed for toward Moxie’s room. A few seconds passed in silence as Karina and Contessa sat alone in the room. Then Karina cleared her throat. “So, you get to stay?”

“Looks like it.”

“And Vermil isn’t going to be sleeping here?”

“Gods, I hope not. He’s terrifying.”

“Good, good.”

They were both silent for several seconds.

“Say,” Karina said, drawing the word out. “Do you think this room is big enough for two people? I might need somewhere to stay for a little while.”