Chương 182

Waking up in his own bed was not what he would have once considered a luxury, but after the military campaign he'd endured, he would never take it for granted again. Sure, he hadn't really been forced to rough it. Being the Veil Priestess' son had given him several privileges, including his own tent and camp bed. But curling up in the soft comforter was a level of luxury that simply couldn't be achieved on the march.

Hearing his room's door open was not part of the fantasy, but he cracked one eye, flinching immediately as sunlight blasted in when the shutters were pulled.

"Gah! Why?!"

"Your sabbatical has ended, moonbeam. It is time for your lessons," Asteria said, not without a healthy dose of amusement. Despite the pain such an action caused him, Orion opened both his eyes to stare at her in horror.

"What? What lessons?" His incredible mind was trying and failing to find a way to connect such a thing with him, but as the fog of sleep lifted, he realized what she meant.

"Wait, you don't mean that I have to go back to class, right? I have achieved a rank-up! I'm probably better than most assistant instructors!" Now, if only his voice didn't sound so whiny, he might have had a chance to persuade his mother. Unfortunately, Asteria wasn't convinced by his reasoning.

"Orion Voidwalker!" she thundered, and he got out of bed on instinct alone. It wasn't so much that she was intimidating him. Asteria had long since learned how to keep her tier four aura from affecting others, and he had more than gotten used to her presence. No, it was the natural understanding all children shared that when a parent adopted that tone, they had better move.

And so he got dressed, mumbling just how pointless this whole thing was, and how he could learn so much more on his own if he was just given the freedom he needed. Of course, he never said anything at a high enough volume to be mistaken for real criticism. He knew better. A solid breakfast spread awaited him once he emerged from his room, dressed and feeling refreshed enough to face society, though he paused when he noticed that the kitchen was much more crowded than he was used to.

Sola and Elara, the two witches who had assisted his mother with the regeneration elixir, were busy moving about, alternatively cleaning dishes with spells and laying out more food on the table, while Pauline and Eire sat on either side of his mother, who was nursing a cup of what strangely smelled like…

"Mou!" he exclaimed, deciding to temporarily ignore the sudden increase in traffic. He plopped into his usual seat, barely remembering his manners enough to nod respectfully to Magistra Gisele. The old witch was a contemporary of Yue, though age had been unkind to her, as shown by the numerous wrinkles and the crooked way her shoulders bent. Still, she played a key role in their escape from the Sanctum, taking over the Potions Department for Asteria and making sure they had everything they needed to leave.

She gave him a gentle smile and pushed over the steaming pot of heavenly nectar.

"Oh, I needed this," he sighed, pouring himself a cup and breathing in the aroma. Unlike the brews that could be found in Valderun, which were more spiced but less complex, the local kind was sweeter, but also very floral, with subtle notes at the end that he'd missed.

"I was about to say that looking at you, people would think you'd just returned from a war, but that is what happened, however short it might have been," Pauline chuckled, earning laughs from the other witches. Orion didn't bother to deign an answer, instead taking his first sips, then pulling a platter of fried bread and eggs toward him. Usually, he wasn't one to go for heavy foods so early in the morning, but he had the feeling he would need all the strength he could get to survive the day ahead.

A low chatter surrounded him as his mother reacquainted herself with the situation within the Potions Department. Apparently, there was quite a lot of excitement, given her sudden elevation to Veil Priestess, as it meant not just higher prestige among the various internal factions of the Sanctum, but also many more opportunities to participate in high-level brews that would have been impossible for a Magistra to direct. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Along with that, however, was a snag.

"As expected, Elder Morliana maintained the pressure throughout your absence. Her acolytes were often seen lurking around, looking for lone witches to harass and possibly convert, though I've done my best to prevent them from succeeding or disrupting our daily activities as much as possible," Gisele said while Orion speared a particularly juicy sausage.

He gave the two younger witches a glance, surprised that they didn't seem bothered by being assigned to servant work, but they didn't bat an eye as another plate was floated toward them, immediately setting upon it with a vengeance. They're probably just happy to be part of this kind of meeting.

It's become normal for me, given my constant interactions with mom, Yue, and lately Candra, but being in the presence of a Veil Priestess, having the chance to listen and learn from them, is one of the greatest honors a regular witch can hope for. Those two were still young and talented, and his mother's interest in them suggested they had potential. This was a valuable opportunity to get closer to the rising star of the Sanctum they'd be fools to miss.

"She hasn't stepped up herself?" Asteria asked. But Gisele was already shaking her head.

"Elder Morliana is traditional in that sense, too. She almost never acts personally when there's no Veil Priestess on the other side, preferring to let her people handle the work." Orion could remember more than one occasion when that had not happened. Her cornering him in the dark corridors near his lab was still fresh in his mind, but he supposed that was all part of her long game with Yue.

"That's good," Pauline said.

"We might have a few moles to deal with, but as long as she didn't personally offer anyone anything, their position should be shaky enough to identify them easily." The others nodded, and Orion took another sip of his mou, feeling his shoulders relax. She's not going to be able to do anything. The High Priestess' intervention alone should be enough to keep her away for a while, and I won't be spending much time here. Hopefully. There was still the issue with his lessons.

He had hoped to attend only a few, those that held any chance of teaching him something useful, but given his mother's choice to wake him up so early, he probably wouldn't be that lucky. Noticing that he had finished his breakfast, Asteria gestured with her hand, levitating his plate away.

"Son, I will be very busy in the upcoming days, both with establishing myself as a Veil Priestess and handling all the rites required, as well as reclaiming my position as the Head of the Department. You will have a few days of downtime before you need to worry about being called upon, so make sure to spend time with your friends and attend lessons regularly for now." That was all she could say with people not in the know around, and Orion understood her point immediately.

He sighed as he stood up, but still reached over to gently squeeze her hand.

"I'll be fine, you worry about doing your job, I'll do mine," he said with a smile. Eire also stood up, and he was suddenly reminded that she was still his teacher. After everything they'd been through, it was difficult to see her in her old role, but that remained her official position.

She offered a timid smile, as if expecting him to complain, but even though he still had reservations about her—and he probably always would, since he wasn't the type to just forgive and forget betrayal—he believed she had earned a modest amount of respect, both for saving his life on the Floating Bridge and for how she behaved during the campaign. He gave her a curt nod and turned away as a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"Let's go," he muttered. Returning to the Sanctum was as chaotic as he'd expected, made worse by the High Priestess herself summoning him and giving him a mission, even if it was only a smaller part of her actual plans. All that was to say that although he'd been back for just over twelve hours, Orion hadn't yet found time to visit his friends. To his surprise, none of them had come looking for him either.

He'd expected Selene to cannonball him the moment he stepped through the coven's door, but he still hadn't seen her shadow. He and Eire reached the classroom with a few minutes to spare, so she gave him a nod and slipped inside, probably to review the current material, since she had also been flying over the Belt for the past few days. He sat down on the bench outside, kicking out his legs and looking around.

Eire told him today would only have two lessons, a Transmutation Arts class she would teach, and a Charms lesson. Of the two, he was most worried about the latter since Morliana had taken over that class, but considering how busy his mother was, he doubted the older woman would have enough free time to manage it. Hopefully. She's definitely petty enough, but with the High Priestess watching me and an actual emergency happening, she'd be smarter to let things settle down before taking any further action against me.

"Would you look at that?!" Recognizing that voice, Orion looked up and saw the smiling face of Sir Theron looking down at him. The man hadn't changed much since he'd last seen him in Eire's study, when Orion had requested a leave, but he seemed more relaxed now. Next to him, Madame Julia also seemed surprised to see him, though she quickly recovered and smiled warmly.

"I see you've made it back, Orion. And you've grown quite a bit, if the rumors are true." He wasn't surprised that word had spread. Despite their seemingly ascetic lifestyle, there was little witches enjoyed more than gossip, so he'd expected his involvement in the battles above the Belt to be known before lunchtime.

"I have achieved Tier Two while in Valderun," he said earnestly, surprising them with how openly he was sharing.

"That's… I would have said it was an absolute record in the Sanctum's history just a couple of months ago. But still, very impressive," Julia said, tucking a crimson lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, very impressive," Theron repeated warmly. But Orion was fixated on the strange phrasing Julia had used.

"Why would it have changed in the past couple of months?" he asked. The two lecturers eyed each other. Clearly, there was something going on. Something they weren't sure how he would react to, which left only a few options since he wasn't exactly known for being the most empathetic person.

"Well, you see…" Theron began, only for Julia to cut in.

"Someone else achieved the same result as you did," she said, and Orion blinked in surprise. Among all the things he'd expected to find, another first-year student reaching Tier Two. He racked his brain for clues about who it might have been. He hadn't paid much attention to his classmates, but he was sure he would have known of anyone who fit that profile. The only person who had ever been in competition with him was…

"Yes. It is Selene," Theron sighed.

"Forgive our hesitation, but you'll soon see why we're tiptoeing around the issue." Julia grimaced, but didn't add anything. That was when the buzz of chatter came from the other end of the corridor, and Orion turned around.