We took seats at a nearby pastry shop. I've always wanted to try having cake for lunch.

I ordered lemon cheesecake, Natsuki raspberry cheesecake, and Agnia some kind of chocolate cake. As normal, Natsuki fed me some spoons of her own cake, and while I am normally overjoyed, if a little embarrassed, when she feeds me, I was a bit disappointed to find that it tasted almost exactly like my own cake.

Agnia waited for us to eat a few bites of cake, before herself taking a spoonful. Then, she spoke.

"Ivory is the single most precious resource in this world. Unlike gemstones, it holds actual power, namely, the power to control all forms of magic... or so it is said. There are no elephants here in Legoria, and they are quite hard to experiment on even if you do find one in Nalanda, so it is unclear how much of what is said is true. My current research is focused on ascertaining the truth of the matter."

"I see. But it has nothing to do with me."

This is Natsuki's unique skill. She says something along the lines of it has nothing to do with me, and in an instant shuts down any and all conversations she doesn't want to take part in. Only someone with no fear of other people can speak such words.

But Agnia parried that blow without breaking a sweat.

"It very much does. Those horns of yours are made of something that at the least is comparable to ivory. As proof, consider this. When I cast enhancement magic on my own eyes, I was able to see everything in this town— except your horns, which appeared to me as an empty void. The only material known to exhibit this property is ivory."

As expected of a sorcerer of the... Investor's Bureau, was it?

"Wait! It's possible to cast magic on your own eyes?!" Natsuki jumped up, excited, and apparently not having heard most of what Agnia said.

"Yes, though it is extremely dangerous for someone of your experience to do so. Unless you have the requisite magical control, it is something akin to... a baby playing with a kitchen knife."

Natsuki sat back down and fell silent, probably thinking about the possibilities of such magic.

Silence.

Nobody was speaking, or eating cake.

Well, if Natsuki isn't going to say anything, I guess I have to...

"Agnia, we understand your position. However, from our perspective, what benefit do we get from assisting you with your research? Until you make that clear, I am not sure we can advance this discussion."

Agnia placed her elbows on the table, and her eyes glowed. She pointed those eyes at me, and then at Natsuki. "You two... you're adventurers, aren't you?"

I felt a strange sense of pressure from those eyes, and found myself unconsciously pushing my chair back. "Yes... that is the case..."

"But, due to your own weakness, or something of the like, you doubt you'll be able to make it as adventurers... is that an accurate judgement?"

Natsuki jumped up, as if she had been awakened from a reverie, and pointed angrily at Agnia. "How do you know that?!" I suppose that she was doubting whether Agnia was in cahoots with the priests. I don't think that's likely. The talk of ivory is too out-of-left-field to be another setup.

Agnia relaxed back in her chair, and her eyes stopped glowing. "I can more or less tell from the texture of your mana. Rough flows that leak like colanders. You can't go on any real adventures like that. And if you're walking around delivering letters, you must have been walloped by something out of your league." She pointed at the very small stack of letters I had left on the table.

Natsuki, too, relaxed and sat back down, her suspicions apparently eased. But she nonetheless crossed her arms and spoke confrontationally.

"And? If it's true, what is it to you?"

Agnia covered her widening smile with one hand. "You are weak, but you do not want to be weak. How fortunate is it for you, then, that someone who can make you stronger stands here right before you?" She did not correct herself to say "sits" instead of "stands", as one might do for comedic effect. "I, Agnia, the Crowfeather Witch, shall teach you two proper magic, in exchange for your cooperation with my research. Is that not a reasonable deal?"

Natsuki's shoulders first sagged under the realization of how Agnia had, in essence, "won" this discussion, and then perked back up, as mine did, thinking about this offer. But she did not uncross her arms or lighten her tone.

"I'd like to take you up on your offer, but what does it mean to teach proper magic? Yuki mostly uses a sword. Can you teach them spellsword techniques? If you can't, then as far as we're considered, you won't be able to hold up your side of the bargain."

For my sake, Natsuki threw such a beautiful hardball... that makes me happy.

"You negotiate hard..." Agnia sighed, and took a few bites of her cake. Then she sighed again. "You're going to Wetzlar, right?"

Wetzlar, the Antiphase Metropolis, the crown jewel of southern Legoria, and the closest major city to our hometown in the hinterland. I don't know what antiphase means, but that only makes me want to see it more. Honestly, I can't wait to get there. And so I blurted out, "Yes!"

"Then! I have a good friend in Wetzlar. An aura user, in fact. I will have her teach Yuki here about magic weapons. Is that fair?"

An aura user?! I thought those were just myths... it's said you have to be a master of magic to create an aura, and a master of your weapon to maintain an aura, and thus only the most elite of warriors can hope to become aura users. I can learn from a real aura user...?

Natsuki turned to me. "Yuki, what do you think?"

Almost bouncing in my chair, I had to strain to restrain myself. "The research is entirely your burden, so I think you have to decide, but... I think it's good."

Last night, Natsuki had said, if we're weak, that's the end of it. But that's not necessarily true. We can just become stronger. And this is that chance. I don't want to let it go so easily.

"Alright." She smiled. "Let's go with that. I'll help you with your research, and you'll teach us both magic, and Yuki about spellsword technique. No weird research, though."

Agnia pumped her fist, minimally. "Yes! Then it's decided. Though, one warning. I'm a public servant, so I can't get involved in Guild business unless people are very immediately about to die. Just keep that in mind."

I had to bite down on my smile to avoid making it too wide. "Looking forward to working with you, umm... professor?"

"Yes, that's right. I may be on sabbatical, but I am a professor. Which is why we're starting tomorrow at 8:10 AM. Be prepared!"

Agnia devoured the remains of her cake.