Training, Trials, and Truth

Amber accompanies Wolfgang and Masaki to the library, mostly for something to do, but also because she secretly doesn’t want Wolfgang out of her sight.

Daiki shakes his head. “We left Dink at his uncle, and I hope the cat can help spy on how everything goes with Dink. To be honest, I feel a little bit of pressure for studying and I want to return to it.”

Daiki nods, then concludes, “Anyway, let’s go save Dink first,” he turns around with a decisive look on his face. “Like—‘guys, I know you are very busy with shopping and visiting shops, but you know we saw our little friend Dink. Even though he said he was fine, something felt off, you know? Like a gut feeling. And I think Ash agrees with me. Do you know any way we could investigate the situation with Dink without…?’”

Ashira insists, “We need to get justice for Dink, Bana.”

“Exactly what Ash is saying—we really need to get justice,” Daiki agrees.

Wolfgang turns to him. “What is it that concerns you?”

Daiki admits, “Well, you know, in the forest we have horror stories of people from the city with white shirts. They call them white beaters. Very ghostly stories. And I just feel very insecure about this. Dink was saying he was outside, but then the cat checked and he was still inside. It felt weird.”

Amber asks carefully, “You have any proof that this person is being abusive?”

“No,” Daiki says, “but we want to get proof. If we have proof it’s okay, then it’s okay—but we don’t have proof that it is okay right now.”

Ashira adds firmly, “We don’t have or need proof. We have something better—a gut feeling.”

The group debates. Tachibana suggests reporting suspicions to Clovis Major, who handles abuse cases. Wolfgang pushes back: “Accusing someone is something that should not be done lightly. A gut feeling is maybe not sufficient to blame someone and destroy someone’s life if it turns out to be wrong.”

Amber tries to balance both sides. “If you feel something is not right, I understand. You are of course concerned and want to check—that’s very kind and protective. I could accompany you just to check. I still have something in my bag from my old job that we might use.”

The conversation circles around Dink’s sadness and his uncle’s explanation about a broken toy. Ashira insists, “Dink was clearly lying and sad.”

Amber, thinking about her new role, says, “You want me to check it out? I can go to the house and—” but she’s interrupted when Tachibana mentions her contract with Wolfgang and that she never left Wolfgang alone before. Amber confirms, “Yeah, we disbanded it. We just chatted over dinner. Wolfgang is now a friend for free.”

They consider how to watch over Dink. Tachibana offers, “I could send my familiar.” Daiki brightens. “I think Dink would like a cat with wings.”

The group splits. Daiki, Ashira, and the winged cat head toward Dink’s house. Daiki spends the walk trying to speak with the familiar, casting a ritual. The creature flits between flying and walking, brushing against his leg, even sitting on his head like a hat. Daiki studies its behavior, fascinated. “So can I ask you—what’s your name, little cat?” The cat doesn’t answer but seems companionable.

He mutters, half to himself, half to Ashira, about the uncle: “This person seems like a scary horror person with a weird white shirt. He smells really bad, like he drinks a lot.” The cat perches on his head again as they near Dink’s house.

“We’re almost here. Ash, what’s the plan?” Daiki hesitates, then confides, “I can change into animals, but I don’t like doing it. Only if we really, really need to. Do you have any ideas?”

They arrive. Daiki points toward Dink’s window. “He lives here.” The winged cat takes off and lands next to the window. “Good. As soon as something happens, please find Bana,” Daiki tells it. He wonders aloud, “What should we do, Ash? I actually want to break in, but I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Ashira shakes her head. “Now we just wait until he’s the witness so Bana can take action. Now we just study, however much it sucks.”

Daiki sighs but nods. “Yeah. Did you bring some books? I brought my notebook. You brought your music—what if we write a song of the things we learned?” Ashira agrees, and they move to a nearby park to study while the cat keeps watch.

---

Meanwhile, Amber, Wolfgang, and Masaki take the long walk to a shop. On the way, Wolfgang and Masaki exchange knowledge—Wolfgang focusing on magical items and law enforcement. Masaki notices Amber’s new sigil on her armor and asks about it. She explains that Wolfgang’s near-death shook her so deeply that she swore an oath of protection to Auctur in the Golden Hall, determined to shield him and the group. Masaki is impressed.

They reach the shop, a modest but welcoming place with purple flowers out front. The smell of the flowers gives Wolfgang a sense of clarity. Inside, a stylish tiefling greets them warmly. The group inspects the shelves of potions, pills, and tablets, questioning her about quality and custom orders. Amber jokes, Masaki browses, and Wolfgang negotiates to sell his alchemist’s fire. They leave with new knowledge of the shop’s offerings, planning to return later.

Wolfgang decides to head to the library. “Okay then, I will go to the library to study,” he says. “I can go by myself if I’m the only one studying. I don’t mind—I don’t want to bother you, Amber.”

Amber waves him off. “No, of course you’re not necessarily bothering me. But if you go alone… Sorry, I have to get used to this whole new thing. I almost wanted to say your wish is my command—but that’s not our deal anymore. Bien sûr. Just—okay, Monsieur Wolfgang. Whatever. Just go.”

“That sounds amazing,” Wolfgang replies with a grin.

Amber smirks. “I’ll be here.”

---

Amber looks around, restless. She has already done her research on the portal and the contracts. “What the heck am I gonna do now?” she murmurs.

Wolfgang’s voice echoes in her mind: It’s leisure time. Go practice. Go to your temple, go heal someone. Just enjoy practice.

Leisure time—it feels alien to her. But the idea takes root. She decides to train. She recalls that Clovis Major is not her cup of tea anymore, so instead she looks for a nearby facility. Thinking she could use a sparring partner, she seeks out Masaki.

Masaki agrees readily. He needs practice too, preparing for his practical exam, running through possible scenarios so his sword skills don’t grow dull. Together, they head for the Golden Halls, where Amber trained as a paladin. Her master shows them to a practice room and gives permission to use it whenever they wish, even offering to stand guard while they spar.

Amber lights up. “Merci, Gron.”

In the practice pit, Amber and Masaki set their terms: five rounds, all-out, but not lethal. Amber readies herself, flames licking at her form as she enters a furious rage. Masaki, calm and focused, sings in Elvish as his blade song begins, shadow gathering around his weapon.

They clash. Masaki hurls a chromatic orb that Amber dodges easily, then meets her charge head-on. Her greatsword swing grazes him, fire still searing his flesh despite his evasion. He responds with steel and shadow, blades flashing, one strike drawing blood, others glancing away.

Amber switches weapons, battleaxe now in hand. Her blow crashes against the shimmering wall of Masaki’s magical shield. She snarls in frustration, leaning close through the sparks. “Who trained you, huh? Pretty fast.”

Masaki smirks and taunts. “Try to keep up. What have you been doing since you left Clovis Major?”

The duel grows harsher. Amber’s bloodaxe carves into him, necrotic energy spilling through the wound—yet it doesn’t bite as deeply as she expects. Masaki teleports away, taunting her with his speed.

Blows and spells trade back and forth. Psychic pain wracks Amber, striking deeper than steel ever could. She rallies, golden energy glowing faintly as she steadies herself with a second wind. But Masaki presses his advantage. His blades flicker, cutting into her again and again, until both fighters are bloodied and breathing hard.

At last, Amber hurls her battleaxe across the pit. It spins wide, embedding itself in the wall with a solid thunk. The impression it leaves makes clear—had it struck true, the fight might have ended then and there.

Barely standing, Amber forces a laugh. “Okay, okay. You are the most trained between us. You could replace me.”

Masaki shakes his head, wiping sweat from his brow. “I definitely could not. Your hits were heavy. One landed, and I almost blacked out. That was some actual power.”

Amber sighs. “If I’d been able to hit you more, maybe. But you are fast. Almost as fast as my brother. Maybe faster. I don’t remember.”

Masaki’s expression softens. “He certainly was an inspiration… is an inspiration. All right. We should get patched up, see what the others are doing.”

Amber agrees, smiling faintly. “I’d appreciate that. I look like shit.”

Masaki chuckles, casting a quick prestidigitation to clean them both up. Despite the laughter, Amber still feels the lingering sting of his psychic strikes. They hurt more deeply than she lets on, gnawing at old scars in her mind.

They walk out together, teasing one another, already speaking of beer.

---

Meanwhile, Wolfgang studies in the library, absorbed in tomes of magical items and spells. Elsewhere, Daiki and Ashira pore over their own notes, preparing for what is to come.

The party spends the night at the Chubby Angel. The next morning, around half past eight, they gather for breakfast.

Daiki clears his throat, his voice oddly strained. “Listen, I think I want to finish practicing. There was something I didn’t figure out yet. I don’t know what ethics of magic is like here, how it’s different. So I’ll make one last effort, one action of studying, to find out about the ethics of magic in this world. I understand my answers might be right, but I don’t know for sure if the way I see it matches how the people here see it.”

Ashira waves off the topic. “We’ll go to Dink after the exams. During the exam, I’ll just tell them what they want to hear… easy peasy.”

While Daiki studies, he discovers a section on the code of magical law—how ethics are codified into punishments. He reads examples of how charming someone in a city is treated, and why such actions are forbidden. The reasoning makes him pause: why shouldn’t you charm people? Because you take away their power. Daiki tucks this thought away for later.

Quietly, he muses to himself, I hope they treat plants and animals the same way as they treat people here with this so-called ethics… I hope I remember this for the test today.

---

Meanwhile, Amber spends the day in another part of the city. After the recent fight with Masaki, memories of her brother’s abduction surge back—his disappearance, Wolfgang’s death, the pain it caused. With her new but fragile strength as a paladin, she finally gathers the courage to revisit the alley where her brother was taken. She lingers there, searching for any details she might have missed, and wanders the neighborhood, lost in memory and thought. The more she recalls, the stranger the memory seems: her brother standing, then suddenly a portal—no gradual forming, just there—and the red-haired Oni with fire in his eyes already behind him. The details are blurred, foggy. Still, the image burns itself into her mind.

Masaki spends the morning digging for information about the practical exam. Speaking with several red cloaks at Mage Guard Keep, he hears different stories: one recruit faced a simulated ambush, another had to rescue a dummy from a collapsing building, another escaped a chamber filled with poisonous gas under time pressure. Each tale differs wildly. The only consistent advice is this: know your spells and use them creatively—sometimes in ways they weren’t meant to be used.

Wolfgang also studies in the morning, focusing on the dangers and ethics of magic. Ashira simply revises.

---

After lunch, the group regathers and makes their way to Mage Guard Keep. At the entrance, a Mageguard greets them.

Daiki says, “Well, we are here for a very important test—you know, for the paper thing.”

Wolfgang presents the letter of recommendation. “From Lord Wise and Kane.”

The guard provides them with forms to fill out—name, age, race, residence, family—and directs them toward Hall B.

Inside, Daiki looks around expectantly. “Is there a buzzing bee?” He finally notices a building marked with a large letter B. “Oh… the letter B.”

They proceed into the hall. A woman explains the next step: each of them must pass through the Hall of Truth, one by one. There, under a Zone of Truth, they’ll be asked a few questions to verify their identity and intent before the written exam.

Daiki immediately volunteers to go first. “Thank you. See you later, Ash and Wolfie.”

“Good luck, Daiki,” Wolfgang replies.

Inside the Hall of Truth, Daiki feels the pressure of the spell settle over him. He accepts it. Three examiners stand in the room.

“What is your name?” one asks.

“My name is Daiki.”

They question him about whether he has taken the exam before, what is expected of him, and the truth of the recommendation letter. Daiki answers earnestly, stumbling at first over Lord Wise’s name, then correcting himself. Satisfied, they permit him to move on.

The classroom beyond resembles something he’s never seen before—rows of desks, a larger one at the front. He takes the very first seat, right up front.

One by one, Wolfgang and then Ashira undergo the same process. Ashira requests to take her written exam in a separate room where she can sing to herself, as she insists she must.

In the exam hall, the examiner outlines the rules: three subjects—magical law in urban areas, spells and magical items, dangers and ethics of magic. The test is written, multiple choice, and absolute silence is required.

Daiki whispers back to confirm, “So, no noise, no sound?”

“No noise, no sound,” the examiner repeats.

Ashira negotiates her separate room, humming and singing her way through the test.

The others remain in the hall. They tackle the questions, recalling the past three days of study. Magical law, arcane knowledge, and finally the tricky ethics of magic. Daiki, drawing on his last-minute research that very morning, answers with surprising clarity. Wolfgang struggles in places, but trusts he has done enough.

By the end, each finishes and lays their paper at the examiner’s desk before returning to the waiting room. Masaki is already there, having done his theoretical exam already. Amber is still elsewhere in the city. Eventually, Ashira joins them as well, humming as she arrives.

Daiki beams. “Yay, we did it!”