Moving Up in the World

— 6 days until evaluation —

Oliver slouched in his chair. “So there aren’t any spoken spells? Just magic tools and diagrams?”

Levi nodded emphatically, “Magic spells are done by putting mana into the symbols, but that’s not the only way to use mana!”

Oliver raised an eyebrow.

Levi opened the magic book to another page, “Through training, people use it to get stronger or make their eyes better. Stuff like that.”

The book was fairly simplistic and fairly short, if still efficient and quite helpful in elaborating on the systems of the world.

Mana seemed to be a personal energy which could be shaped in certain ways to produce supernatural effects– or, it seemed, could be directly used to enhance certain physical functions such as senses or muscular capacity.

The example image for ‘external’ magic consisted of a stereotypical mage the likes of which Oliver had seen around the Scholarium and occasionally on the street.

Long and layered robes covered in all kinds of patterns and symbols, with a big hat or hood, and often a wooden implement. The more surface area for magical circuits, the better, it seemed.

For ‘internal’ magic, a more rough looking fellow– rough compared to normal folk, not just to academics. He wore somewhat patchwork armour, and wielded some kind of mace. The images caption; ‘adventurer’.

Hopefully what Levi had managed to cobble together qualified him for entrance into the school.

The test was in the middle of the day, so Levi would need to spend some time at the Ministry in the morning.

—

Upon opening the office door, Levi jumped, frightened by the apocalyptic mess.

“Why is the room trashed?”

Levi looked like he wanted no part of what Oliver had to deal with on a daily basis.

Oliver might have left, had circumstances been different, but he’d made his bed. He’d lie in it.

Oliver shook his head theatrically, “Politics, young man, politics.”

“What?”

Oliver sighed.

—

The people taking the test were mostly older than Levi, with the exception of a little redheaded girl wearing quite noticeably better clothing than everyone in the vicinity. She was escorted by a maid…

Maid?

For some reason, the discovery of a maid was more impactful than the magic school, which is strange given that maids do exist on Earth.

Somehow, the uncanny familiarity made the maid seem more fictional than actual fiction.

Somewhere between fantastical and not.

Whatever the case, most of the attendees were older teenagers, with the exception of a couple working aged people.

Oliver joined a line with Levi, who was carrying a small leather bag containing some stationary they’d bought preemptively.

Although they hadn’t had the time to source a robe or magic crystals, which might need to wait until Oliver’s next payday, they’d figured that the chances of failing were low enough not to worry about waiting to get everything else Levi needed.

If he failed, they’d have to resell the gear or use it for something else.

They reached the front of the line, and the same lazy wizard receptionist–from three days prior–accepted the fee.

Oliver let Levi follow the other test takers into the building.

He began to turn around to leave, then realised he didn’t know when to pick Levi back up, he reversed his turn and faced the receptionist. "How long is the test, by the way?”

“They’re to be given thirty minutes, results will be available immediately afterward.”

“Oh?” That sounded fast, although his exam had been much the same.

So many exams in this place.

—

A wiry old man wearing standard grey magical robes waited in a hall adjacent to the new Scholarium applicants.

He scanned them with his eyes as they made their way into a testing room– as had been his routine for the last couple weeks.

The man himself, while no recent pursuer of knowledge, was a new addition to the ranks of the Scholarium.

He had little to no access to the bureaucratic elements of the institution, even if he was making record time in the progression of his magical study, it wasn’t as impressive due to his advanced age, so it afforded him little notoriety.

He contented himself with watching over new arrivals, watching for the way they wrote their words, the way they added their numbers.

—

As the test-takers finished streaming out, Oliver grew increasingly concerned.

When the last person left the building, Oliver marched up to the lazy wizard who was about to slip away.

“Hold on, hold on. Where’s Levi?”

“Who?”

“One of the two young kids, you saw the rich brat leave already, it’s the other one.”

“Not that it’s my business sir, but that rich… child happens to be part of the city’s ruling family.”

Oliver spoke through gritted teeth, "Tell me what I want to know, now.”

“Point taken, sir, you’re free to enter if you wish to search for him, he may have taken a wrong turn.” The miser gestured to the hallway, and Oliver marched past him, paused, and turned back.

“How am I supposed to know what turns he took.”

The man sighed. “Something about this gives me the feeling it’ll be a long day.”

But he led the way.

Oliver’s heart started beating faster as they meandered through the modest halls.

He called out, receiving upset looks from disrupted scholars and practitioners

“Levi! Where’ve you gone!?”

They traced the short distance pretty fast, Levi nowhere to be found.

He questioned people, gave Levi’s description.

Everyone shook their heads.

He kept looking, inside rooms, a perimeter around the building, some nearby alleyways…

It was increasingly obvious to Oliver. This was intentional.

Most likely the fault of Emilia’s detractors, this was personal.

Reluctantly leaving the area Levi had gone missing, Oliver began sprinting toward the ministry, arriving in record time.

Oliver was a man on a mission, spotting one of the helpers who had warned Oliver off working for Emilia, he grabbed the man roughly by the shoulders.

“Where is he? This isn’t a joke.”

The flustered and slightly frightened man stammered out. “W-what. What are you talking about, I have no idea what you mean.”

Oliver gritted his teeth, and released the unofficial finance worker. “Take me to your official, take me to him immediately.”

Just then, “Oliver?”

Emilia appeared holding a stack of documents, she’d had to get them herself due to Oliver’s tardiness. “What’s going on?”

As the helper started leading Oliver away, he responded hastily, “Levi never came out of his entrance test. Somewhere between the test room and the exit, he must have been taken.”

Emilia looked extremely confused, and set her stack of papers on the floor.

“What? What if he’s just lost.”

Oliver exhaled, strides lengthening, “Just a few days ago, a higher official tried to buy me away from your service, some Curtis.” Emilia blanched, Oliver continued.

“He told me I would regret working for you.”

That was all she needed to know, apparently.

They reached an office, and Oliver swung open the door.

It was a much larger room than Emilia got to use, in a different section of the building.

There must have been six or so people at various desks, and overlooking them all,

“Middle Official Terique, I have questions.”

Terique looked up from his desk, which didn’t seem very heavy with paperwork.

There was a fancy nameplate, and a cute little puzzle cube on the corner.

“I wasn’t expecting you, Lower Official Emilia, Oliver.” He smiled greasily.

Oliver assumed Terique already knew, but explained the circumstance anyway.

After listening, Terique laced his fingers.

Emilia spoke up, "This is further across the line than you’ve gone before.”

So Emilia knew something– it wasn’t the time. Oliver took a step forward.

“Now, what needs to happen so I can see him again.”

Terique was silent for a few more seconds, averting his eyes.

After that though, he focused back on Oliver, and grinned.

“If you want to see the boy again, stop working for Emilia this second– no, actually, keep working for her. Just testify against her in the presence of three High Officials.”

Satisfied with his scheming, Terique sat back and placed his hands on his belly.

Emilia looked horrified, but Oliver just twitched. “Ok, sure, now tell me where Levi is.”

Terique paused. “No, testify first.”

Oliver was shaking in anger, in urgency. “How long will it take to do that?”

“About… three days to coordinate it-”

Oliver’s thoughts went– white.

Oliver snapped, Oliver didn’t snap often or for little reason.

The last time it had happened was something of a major event Oliver would rather forget.

He leapt across the desk at Terique, pushing him and his chair flat on their backs, he straddled the Middle Official, holding his collar in both fists.

“This isn’t a FUCKING JOKE. WHERE IS HE.”

Terique’s face went pale, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’ll find out where he is right now, don’t hit me.”

Oliver snapped out of the worst of it just as fast as he’d snapped into it.

Dammit, it happened again.

He climbed off of the mountainous Official, and Terique scrambled to his feet.

Then- Terique started running toward the door, spitting invectives all the while.

“-YOUDARETOUCHMEI’MAMIDDLEOFFICIALYOU’LLBESORRY-”

Oliver stood there, stunned. In a daze, he picked up the Official’s chair, and then sat in it, and put his head in his hands.

Emilia spoke again, “There’ll be trouble for that.”

“I’m aware.”

Emilia dropped the subject. “What’ll we do now, we still have to find Levi.”

“We can go straight to… You said ‘we’?” Oliver looked up, confused.

She crossed her arms. “Yes, ‘we’, you’ve been caught up in my troubles, of course it’s ‘we’.”

Oliver shook his head. “We can head to Curtis Ledrein’s office, he’s the one who made the threat in the first place.”

Oliver got up, and clenched his fists. “Somebody will answer for this.”

Emilia had a pained look.

—

- As Oliver was scouring the Scholarium -

In a secluded dorm room, on the third floor where students could stay - if they had the requisite coin - Levi sat down on the simple bed, across from him, the strange wizard man who’d asked about Levi’s math.

The only people who would know about his math were from Earth, According to Oliver.

Oliver wasn’t perfect, but Levi knew he was trying his best.

“Young man, might I ask, do you know what this is?”

The thin wizard pulled out a modern glasses case, and showed Levi the brand on his spectacles.

“My name is Stephen Millard, or Professor Millard. I worked at a university, teaching physics. I’m from Canada.”

Levi widened his eyes, so it was true! “You’re from Canada? I’m from America!”

Then Levi cocked his head. “What’s physics?”

“It’s the science of how things move and interact with each-other. The building blocks of the world. But that’s not a concern right now, of course.”

The old man leaned in, with care, but clearly eager to talk to someone from home. ”What’s your name, young man? It must have been especially hard for you.”

“My name is Levi, I came to this world with my… dad.” He said, averting his eyes.

The Professor perked up. “Oh? Where is he?”

“They got him.” Levi looked down at his lap and scrunched his hands up.

“Ah…” The old man wasn’t as surprised as Levi might have expected.

The professor tentatively continued, “You must have worked really hard to get enough gold to take this test by yourself, then?”

Levi’s eyes widened, “Oliver is waiting for me.”