Diana glared down at the bowing four with unmerciful prejudice. It seemed fitting that a noble would look down upon the perpetrators and in truth, she did hold a sadistic glee in watching them squirm. The fact that they were people that she knew and somewhat respected should have only increased her pleasure. From a Wizard of high birth, watching rivals fall with no effort on her part should be delightfully fortunate.

She glanced at the closed door next to them.

Yet somehow, the instinctive pleasure dulled. The familiar feeling of victory didn't feel right. An absurd notion. She should be over the moon. They weren't her friends. They were her peers. Highly respected and powerful in their own right. Rivals that needed to be surpassed.

It was confusing. She couldn't make heads or tails of it.

She gave a tired sigh. The Hermit's tests must be getting to her. She can't even act dignified without remembering her words.

Everyone is equal in the pursuit of magic.

An offending statement to few and an ideal that contradicts with everything she was taught. Nobles have the equipment, the money, and the power to advance in their prospective fields. Students below her shouldn't even compare. Aster Spinel defied it. He argued with actions instead of words the reasons for such and within his lab, she learned.

The truth hurts.

"Why?" She deeply let out a quiet breath as she watched them stand back to a more normal posture.

Alice was the first to answer. "We were worried." Diana gave a dry chuckle at her words. The petite student was always straight to the point. Alice stared at her with concern. "You weren't acting like yourself today."

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay." Beatrice added, the gray haired student giving a small smile at Diana's confusion. "The student populace was dumbfounded by the lack of noble pride today."

She clicked her tongue at her words. She's not that obnoxious. "I can assure you that I am completely fine." She gave a small glare at their sheepish forms. "While I appreciate your concern, nothing significant happened that would warrant such behavior." Honestly, one bad day and the entire academy believes it's the end of the world. Still, her glare softened. "Thank you for worrying."

It would be impolite to ridicule someone for caring. Genuine allies are a scarce resource.

"Heh." Beatrice's smile widened. The student's tense form relaxed at Diana's words. "What kind of friends would we be if we didn't express concern?"

"The undesirable kind," Diana's response was dry. Her eyes held no emotions as she continued, "Nonetheless, your behavior today was unwarranted."

"She called us her friends." James's voice echoed throughout the halls as his words processed into each of their minds. Alice and Galahad widened their eyes in sudden revelation. Even Beatrice stuttered for a moment at the annoying man's words.

"I did not." Diana's eyes pierced at the smug man.

"No but you implied it." James looked triumphant as he pumped his fists in the air.

"We're peers." Diana glared. "And nothing more."

"We're friends." James practically ignored her statement. "We've gone pass the point of acquaintanceship, I believe. You've interacted with us more than any student in this facility." James pointed out with keen accuracy. Diana's eyes narrowed at the man's sharp observations. He's not wrong, per se. Out of everyone, they were the most tolerable. The irritating man continued. "And our conversations were usually neutral at best. I believe that makes us friends."

"It is normal to talk to your peers."

"Then why don't I see you speak with anyone else?" James raised his hand as she was about to respond. "And scolding your so-called peers for their lower standards do not count."

Diana bit her tongue as she glared at the smiling man. She had no response to that. He was right, suspiciously so. She never took him to be a perceptive man but recent events forced her to view him differently. What was once an idiotic failure of a noble turned out to be something threatening. It made sense, she supposed. Diana paused as she contemplated such a thought.

For someone who cared significantly about his social standing within this university, one must be observant and quick-witted of the social cues that happen all around them.

"James." Alice's words caught the man's attention. The petite girl's hardened stare gave him pause. She gave an apologetic smile towards her before shifting it back to the male in question. "We're not here to interrogate her. If she's still not comfortable acknowledging us as friends then it is perfectly understandable."

Diana sighed in relief. At least one of them had common sense. "Thank yo-"

"I understand the need to keep one's reputation." Alice continued, her face completely devoid of emotion. When it came down to it, the girl had an impressive poker face, which Diana would have appreciated were it not for the current situation. "While keeping our friendship a secret would be most undesirable, the student populace already received a substantial amount of surprises for today."

"You're not really listening to me, are you?"

Alice held a secret smile. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

Diana clicked her tongue. She supposed she could humor them, at least just for a bit. They're talented despite some of their blood status and skill is something she could not deny. "You're doing this on purpose."

"You're being stubborn." Beatrice smiled beatifically. "We're friends, no matter how much you want to deny it."

She hesitated at her words. She's not a fool. If she can, she will tell herself the truth. Out of the entire student populace, they are admittedly the only ones she could stand. They're...tolerable. That doesn't make them friends though but they are the closest to such a title. "I suppose..."

Alice smiled. "Even if you do not, I consider you a friend." The others nodded their heads in agreement. Diana's face flushed at their warm gazes. She clicked her tongue. Such emotions aren't befitting of a noble.

"Whatever." Despite her best efforts, her head moved away. A moment of weakness. She needs to cover it. "Let this matter be absolved. I'm sure there are better things to talk about."

"Yeah," James's hands motioned her entire body. Unlike other students, his expression wasn't a perverse one. A sly smirk blossomed on his lips as he gave a suggestive glance, "like why you are wearing the Hermit's clothes."

The group's eyes widened as they noticed the familiar button-up shirt and black pants that the Hermit wore. Alice's look turned arctic while Galahad and Beatrice blushed before looking away.

"T-This isn't what it looks like." Her face turned a deep crimson. Gods damn it, why did she stutter?! "The Hermit was t-testing me and my clothes got dirty and he w-was o-offering and-"

"Offering huh." James's grin widened to a gargantuan amount. He whistled. "Oh I bet he did. I bet he 'tested' you real good. To dirty the entire uniform...it must've been an extreme 'workout.'" James winked, his right hand forming a thumbs up. "A Hermit and a noble." He feigned a thinking pose. "I believe I've read that somewhere."

"Don't put words into my mouth!"

"I'm sure the Hermit's got that covered."

"You will die."

"Don't we all?"

"Your death will be a painful one."

James cackled, his body already jumping into action, his legs running away from the enraged noble. "This is too easy!"

XXX

"Aster!"

"No."

"You didn't even know what I was going to say." Oleander almost tripped at his sudden answer. Aster ignored it with the grace of a practiced individual. Sorry Oleander but this Hermit is currently trying to get back into the groove of things. After the events of having to teach a student and almost winging the entire lesson (he had to take past experiences with his own mentor as an example), a break to practice his art would be heavily appreciated.

"I don't need to know your response to predict that whatever you're planning is probably a bad idea." Aster's monotone voice echoed throughout the comfortable atmosphere. Ah, if only every location was like a lab. Quiet. The familiar hum of the Hermit's second home is something that he'll never grow tired of.

His safe haven was recently invaded by a steady stream of visitors though. Doing that test was more trouble than its worth. 'Do the challenge they said, it will get everyone off your back they said.'

Lies! Slander! It only got more people interested in him. Too much social interactions!

Oleander stubbornly trudged on. The man's eyes held a glint of determination that Aster has rarely seen. Ever since Emilia's appearance, the man was obstinate in his goal of getting Aster outside. Something so out of this world that it was almost heresy. Scratch that. This is definitely heresy. A Hermit isolates itself from society for the pursuit of greater knowledge. Going outside to meet new people...well, that's simply preposterous!

"Aster."

Seriously, all he wanted to do was study dragon eggs. Their relations with chickens was a pleasant surprise. Biological Manipulation can read DNA along with molding genetics to create unique mutations. Knowing that chicken eggs helped create a solid foundation to studying dragon biology was welcomed with excitement.

"Aster."

Now to bypass the dragon's natural magic resistance. Brute force was an option but he would prefer using a more efficient method.

"Aster!"

He can't manipulate the egg directly without overpowering its natural defenses. However, his Oedipus Challenge taught him that indirect magic could be utilized. Bacteria to physically alter dragon eggs. Possible? Debatable. Needs further testing. Dragons have strong immune systems. Not infallible. Viruses? Possibl-

Boink.

"Ow." Aster gave a quizzical stare when Oleander's hand bopped his head. That didn't hurt at all but the sheer oddity of one of the esteemed professors of Fernum-Magnum even having the audacity to bop his head was attention-grabbing. He gave a small frown. "Did you just bonk me?"

"Aster." Oleander completely ignored his question. His hands clutched Aster's shoulders with a grip as fierce as ten strong-men. "We're going outside."

"No."

"Yes."

"I've already had enough social interactions to last a month." Aster slapped away the man's grip. Not everyone can be prodigies of social communication. Nor can anyone be handsome with enough wealth to rival the stars.

Good-looking bastards. Definitely not jealous or anything.

Definitely not.

"Aster." Oleander repeated his name as if gospel. Stop using it all the time. Yes, that is his name, don't wear it out. There were tears in the redhead's eyes. What. Oleander stop acting so odd! "Throughout my life, I had to watch as my best friend brooded in his little Hermit hut with no family or friends to keep him company." He wiped those tears away. "Now, all of a sudden, people are visiting you! Even Emilia genuinely likes you and she's scary as-"

"Okay," Aster flicked his friend's forehead, "I see your point."

This is getting out of hand.

"So you're coming?"

"No."

"Please." Oleander was now begging on his knees. Does Aster's social status mean that much to him? He blushed at the thought. Stupid redhead. No one cares about Hermits. Stop being a genuinely concerned friend. He's not used to it! "Just one small favor, Aster. I'll pay you back for this." The earnest expression on the redhead's face looked so fragile.

Aster's eyebrows quirked upwards before looking away. No! He's a man of isolation. Bred and strengthened by experiences of failure. The Hermit's heart is hardened with the experiences of awkwardness. No plea shall reach this practitioner's conditioned iron will! You will not touch this man's feelings for this Hermit is a veteran of denial!

"Aster, please. For your best friend."

Warning! Warning! His walls have been breached. Too much friendship! Abort! Abort!

"..."

Gods damn it.

XXX

"I hate you." Aster's glare was absolutely venomous.

Oleander's smiling face held with impressive will. Surely, his friend has endured thousands of spiteful words and adapted to the Hermit's bile. An impressive feat. His friend gave a small hum. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You took advantage of our friendship."

"For your own good." Oleander grinned broadly. "Are you really content with only me, Aster?"

"Yes." Even having one friend is an accomplishment for a Hermit. He's done his lifetime quota of friend-making. One friend gained. That's enough for him. Why does he need more? "I'm more than content. You maybe a heretic beyond measure but you're also a proficient researcher with the patience to listen to all my ramblings. An impressive feat for no one else could have the attention span to listen to my genius."

"Truly, I am honored," Oleander rolled his eyes, "to think that the great Aster Spinel would bestow this lowly Wizard with the highest of compliments."

"The sarcasm is obvious, heretic," Aster smiled, "but with enough work, I am sure I could reform you into a working member of society." Oleander feigned horror at the statement before chuckling at their banter. Aster's grin broadened at his friend's contagious laugh. He missed this, he truly did.

Maybe this walk outside might just be worth it.

"Hermit?"

Or maybe not.

Curse his rotten luck.

Aster turned towards the direction of the voice. An orange-haired man, dressed in Fernum-Magnum's signature blue coat widened his eyes. Their walk took them out into the vast, flowing fields of Fernum-Magnum's campus. Tall pristine, white buildings dotted the landscape, the impressive architecture looking more like a bustling city than an institute. Aster's gaze scanned the setting with the patience of a researcher. Now that he thought about it, a large group of students were following them.

What.

Why didn't he notice this?

Why was Oleander completely fine with it?

"To think that the most sought after Wizard decided to actually leave his little lair." The man strolled towards their group. Immediately, an arrogant aura descended upon their group. The man's green eyes held an emotion he couldn't recognize. "Color me impressed. A Hermit willingly socializing with the rest of the masses." The man smirked as he switched his attention to Oleander. "Or did the redhead force you to go?"

Hey! Aster can socialize just fine (not really)! It's just that he didn't want to.

"Am I supposed to know you?" Aster quirked an eyebrow, unfazed at the obvious slight. He looked at his friend for help. Oleander frowned at the man.

"Ala." Oleander gave a polite smile. "How are you today?"

"Good." Ala chuckled. The orange haired Wizard's attention was focused solely on the Hermit. He raised his hands midway. "I believed we haven't met, Hermit. I am Professor Ala Barberry." Ala's smirk was nigh taunting. "Wizard Extraordinaire."

Oh great. One of those kind of Wizards.

Joy.

He accepted the handshake, the Wizard's grip wrapping tightly around his. "Aster Spinel." The Hermit easily replied. The man probably already knew. Man, word spreads fast around here. This is why Hermits live like they do. Privacy and freedom! The ability to freely research their branches of arcane with no restrictions, an allure that he sorely missed.

Ala's smirk only grew at his introduction. "A pleasure," the man languidly released his hand from Aster's grip. Sarcastic, witty, and good-looking. Great and with his professor status, there was no doubt that the man is wealthy as well. Just his kind of person.

"What are you doing here, Ala?" Oleander finally intruded in their conversation. The man's golden eyes held a wary expression that troubled Aster. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?" .

"I am in class," Ala waved away Oleander's concern with practiced ease. At both Oleander and Aster's confusion, he continued, "I decided to bring the combat class outside. Practicing highly advanced offensive spells would be significantly easier with more room to perform them."

Combat classes. Aster peered at the forming crowd behind Ala. They wore similar uniforms to the normal student attire yet it lacked the golden embroidery that adorned them. It looked streamlined, equipped with ornate, shining white metallic swords and sleek silver armor.

Magic Knights-in-training. Add in the fact that an even larger population of the normal student body was observing the spectacle with curious and fascinated excitement, there is no doubt that all of this was intentional in Ala's part.

Say what you will on Ala, the man's cunning. Creating a noticeable display of strength on a professor's part against the Hermit will lower his reputation. The patronizing tone and the lax form he radiated only made the gathered crowd subtly look down on the Hermit. Manipulation of the human mind. This isn't magic but a fine understanding of the human psyche. Psychology utilized in a large scale.

Aster inwardly chuckled at the thought. Impressive but it hardly fazed him. Mind tactics won't work when one doesn't even care about their reputation. Peer pressure? Never heard of it.

Still, something about this professor rubbed him the wrong way. Aster narrowed his eyes before the palpable arrogance that the professor radiated. He held an obvious bias against Hermits. Probably threatened by his stay. The reputation of the university is at stake and the man no doubt disapproved of the Headmaster's decision.

"Indeed," Aster casually agreed, a smirk growing on the man's lips. His expression instantly dimmed Ala's smirk, "and I can see that you are doing a marvelous job at it."

Sarcasm is the poorest form of wit but looking at the man's offended face, this was totally worth it.

"What are you implying, Hermit?"

Aster ignored his words.

"Truly, you are the epitome of maturity. To take time out of your surely busy schedule to talk to a lowly Wizard like me," Aster gave a small bow in mock gratefulness, "I'm certainly honored. Why, your students must look up to such a studious role model such as yourself with awe." The implications were clear. Ignoring your students' lesson in favor of shaming an honored guest?

You're not the only one who can manipulate a crowd, Ala. Sure, I only know this in theory but the human mind is such a malleable thing. It'll accept almost anything with enough coercion.

The gathered crowd shifted uncomfortably as they felt the obvious taunt in his voice.

Ala's smirk quirked upwards. Aster could see the growing annoyance in the man's emerald eyes. "Indeed," the man chuckled amicably. Even with his inexperience in friendly gatherings, Aster could tell that was fake. "I always choose my students first. Their education is important to me."

"If you say so."

"Oh, I surely do." Ala nodded. His face shifted into a somber expression before giving a polite smile. "In fact, I believe that this could be an amazing learning opportunity for all of us."

"Oh?"

"Indeed," Ala's smile widened. He waved towards the Magic Knights before him. "In fact, your appearance is nothing short of convenient. Magic Knights hunt down Wizards, their specialization focused on taking down magical practitioners with merciless and efficient impunity."

Aster frowned at his words. Uh oh. He didn't like where this is going. Judging from Oleander's rapidly shaking head, neither does he.

"With your...unique background, they will be able to undergo a peculiar experience that no other university could offer." Ala spread his arms out as if granting a merciful gift towards the gathered party. "Don't you agree, Hermit?"

No.

"Of course." Aster's smile was nigh strained. That's what you get when talking with professors, a tug of war of war on a verbal scale. You win some and you lose some. "What do you have in mind?"

"This is a combat class," Ala stated as if it explained everything. To be honest, it kind of did. "Our trainees have no experience combating your kind. It would be most beneficial for them if they observed how a Hermit fought."

Logical. Annoying but sound.

"You're proposing a duel?"

"If you are willing."

Aster brooded at the thought before glancing at his friend. Oleander was shaking his head, the man's usual healthy flush paling at the words thrown. He could see the worry that danced in his golden eyes. His friend's concerns would have caused Aster to naturally decline. Appeasing a concerned Oleander would save him from a lot of trouble in the future.

Yet Ala has backed him into a corner. Decline and the students would become bolder and the more malicious and biased of them would finally step out and challenge him. His reputation would decrease significantly and the mysterious magic that he performed in his challenge would only back away the curious for so long.

Accept then he would have to fight a combat instructor that is also a prodigious professor of Fernum-Magnum. Lose and his previous concerns would become reality. Win and maybe with a show of actual strength, people might back away.

Fighting a non-living cage, no matter how indestructible said cage is will inevitably be different from actual combat. No fast reactions but intelligence and resourcefulness utilized as expected of Fernum-Magnum.

Fighting is not in Aster's repertoire. Researchers do not fight. They have self-defense magic but anything beyond that is out of his reach.

Ala is a combat instructor of Fernum-Magnum. That should explain everything.

Needless to say, he was at a disadvantage.

"When?"

However, disadvantages could be covered.

Ala hummed in contemplation, "A week. Same time and place."

A researcher has no chance against a Wizard with fighting experience. A fact. Hardly debatable but a researcher is a natural problem solver. All they need are resources and the time and they can solve any obstacle that blocks their path to enlightenment.

Ala is an obstacle.

He has a week with resources freely given in Oleander's lab.

So naturally, Aster agreed.