Chapter 172

“Well, I can definitely see what you meant when you said you weren’t taught any style. “ The instructor said as he gently placed Ben back on the ground. “Your attacks were quick, precise and had quite some power behind them. That said they didn’t flow from one to another almost at all.”

“What was that!?” Ben exclaimed excitedly, the instructor's observation bringing him to the present. “There was almost no time to react from the moment you started to gather mana to when you cast your spell, not to mention you cast a second one right as I had a handle on the mud you created.”

“That’s how I cast.” Ajax answered.

“But you didn’t even open your mouth, I was looking for it, your jaw didn’t move.” Ben pressed in his excitement.

“I don’t chant my spells.” Ajax confirmed.

“What? … But, … then” he tried to make sense of it. “ I happen to know quite a few physical focused fighters who would want to learn how to do that.”

“I bet there would be.” The instructor confirmed before he changed the topic since the headmaster had warned him yesterday, there were bound to be questions but he wasn’t to let people push Ajax on them if he wasn’t forthcoming. “ It’s definitely something you can think about adding to the Academy’s knowledge base once you catch up on the basics a bit.”

“I bet you might even be able to get a noble title out of it if it can be achieved with any sort of consistency.” Dave nodded in agreement.

That was all news to Ajax, but it was a rather nice surprise. Not that he wanted to spread his way of casting yet as that might have people prepare counters for him, but seeing as he was going to spread the knowledge on how to refrain from spending your stats early maybe he could get a title from that. The title wouldn’t help him all that much but it would make settling in the capital much easier for his family in a few years.

“Maybe one day.” Ajax said noncommittally.

“Alright you lot swap partners, Dave you spar with Ben here while I talk to Ajax.” Instructor Gatecrasher commanded before he brought Ajax to the side.

“Yes, sir?” Ajax asked.

“From what the headmaster explained to me I am to treat you as an advanced student, but a student nonetheless.” the instructor said. “ Looking at it from that point of view, the best way for me to help you is to try and teach you a style skill.”

“I would really appreciate that, sir.” Ajax nodded with excitement at the news, having just seen how much of a difference a style skill could make after Ben fended him off despite the stat difference.

“Good, now I have a few styles that I think might work for you. All of them are rare styles, I know an epic style that might also work but I’d rather not have you learn that as it is a pure physical style and it would impede you from getting another epic style that is more catered to spellblades.” Ajax was hyped at hearing the news, though he also noted that skills actively impeded one from gaining others that are similar in the same or lower tier.

“That said, for the next few days you will be sparring with Dave and I will ask that you not hold back much from your usual fighting style, that way I can select the style that will best fit you.” With a more focused look Ajax felt the instructor use an inspection skill and [Enigma] told him he had gotten a look at his total and current , mana health and stamina.

“That’s quite the privacy skill you got there.” the instructor complimented. “I could ballpark your physical skills as close to two hundred and thought I should confirm the exact number sorry about that. Would you mind sharing your Strength and Dexterity?”

“Wha…” Ajax was about to ask about Endurance but he realized he would know that from his max stamina. “I have one hundred and eighty-five in all three physical stats, though I would prefer if you ask instead of inspecting me.”

“Oh,” the instructor winced, “Sorry about that, force of habit. Most nobles don’t care if their stats at such a low level are known. I can see why you would be wary of inspecting skills though.”

After the awkward interaction Ajax spent the rest of the class practicing his forms with the weighted weapons trying to calm himself down from the spike of adrenaline that getting inspected had sent through him.

Once the class was over Ajax made sure to drop his ring off in his office before he left the capital via the school gate. He knew the teacher hadn’t meant anything by it but his paranoia was both justified and not something easy to just get over so he went to spend the night in his field near the hives.

The previous training and the run out here had drained his stamina to around four hundred but he was still sitting on full mana. He spent the few hours before going to sleep injecting that mana evenly into all of the trees spread out around his hive, after all his first use of mana was in helping grow plants and he had vague memories from earth about specific pollen being used to specialize honey, therefor he wanted to see if mana would also have an effect.

With his mana spent Ajax took a look at the three standing hives and the small fort of unoccupied hives by the cottage, he should definitely find some time, either after class or during his free days to get the other hives set up. A look around also confirmed that he should also buy some flower seeds to set up around as the trees that were here wouldn’t be enough for all the bees he was going to set up.

The rest of the school cycle passed by quickly, most classes were introductory things he had learned in the village or covered aspects of the law and its interpretation, some covered subjects he was utterly interested in like calligraphy or dance. Nothing there had outright shocked him, though the lack of taxation on inherited wealth was a massive surprise to him as someone who had lived in America and had to go through getting his inheritance.

As for the few hours he had after school he spent most of them planting flowers, setting up his new beehives and infusing mana into the old tea trees. On the final night before his first delve with the class he visited Luna and Hatchet to talk to them about how his time in the academy had been, after all out here they were the closest thing he had to family.

“I do have to ask, did you tell anyone anything about interacting with the status screen?” he asked Luna as the night drew to a close.

“No, only Alfred Hatched and I should know about it. Why?” She asked.

“I was planning to use that knowledge for my first research project as a teaching assistant during my first two years at the academy.” Ajax answered.

“Why would you bother with that so soon?” Luna asked. “ I don’t mean to say you should keep the knowledge hidden, just that I think you would find dealing with the rewards that come with it rather troublesome.”

“Would I gain a noble title for something like that?” Ajax asked.

“Most definitely, you might even get a Marquis title depending on the ramifications.” Luna nodded. “That’s why I am asking, getting a noble title might actually take away most of the spare time you might have outside of class.”

“And would that title extend to my family?” Ajax asked.

“Yes, any title earned will also extend to any living family with direct relation to you. Parents, siblings, children and any current spouses.” Luna confirmed. “You will however be regarded as the head of the noble house.”

“My family will most likely be moving here in the next year or two. Closer to one year if my mother has anything to say about it.” He chuckled. “ Any chance I can pass off the duties to her once she gets here, the noble title might make things a lot easier for her.”

“You would still have the final say in any major decisions and will need to make appearances on any big events surrounding your  family but the day by day running could be passed off to your parents.” Alfred informed him. “In fact the day to day of most noble households isn't handled by the head of house.”

While Ajax hadn’t yet made a decision on if he should use the connection he has to his mother’s merchant family he knew that he wanted his mother to have a noble title when she arrived in the capital and met her parents again. With that the night ended and he went to sleep before his first delve with the class.