Stealing Your Cloak
The subject made Xie Yu's heart skip a beat.
There were still six days until the exam results were made public, as stipulated in the rules. He had relaxed and settled down to wait, burying his eagerness to learn his results after the exam deep in his heart. But when he became certain he had achieved a perfect score, he still felt a surge of joy. There was probably no second perfect paper in Black Pine City.
Of course, Xie Yu's face remained impassive. He pretended to look out the window, as though none of it had anything to do with him.
"A perfect score? That's even more impressive than that fellow who scored eighty points six or seven years ago and got into the capital's Supreme Academy." Though Kaiming was impressed, he didn't pay the matter much mind.
This was a very important matter to Xie Yu.
The teacher and his former student were talking about other things, things that had nothing to do with the person who had gotten the perfect score.
"Pre-apprenticeship education in Black Pine City may flourish for a year or two," the old man remarked. "Unfortunately, I'm old now and can't teach young students anymore."
"You're retired anyway, but I'll have a hard time of it." Kaiming put on a troubled face, though he couldn't quite keep the amusement out of his voice:
"I can already see it. The number of young clients I have will shoot up next year. Who knows how many children will be driven mad by their families, or drive themselves mad chasing so-called dreams? It'll just be a repeat of what happened a few years ago."
At that, he looked back at Xie Yu. "Good thing I took on an assistant."
"You..."
The old man shook his head and sighed, as though he didn't know what to say. "You're still young, yet you're neglecting your magic cultivation for a few paltry gold coins. I've always thought highly of you, but you..."
"Yes, you're right. I'll keep it in mind."
Kaiming merely smiled and didn't argue.
After a brief farewell to the old man, Kaiming left the forest ranger's cabin with Xie Yu and headed toward the center of Black Pine City Forest Magic Academy.
Following Kaiming, Xie Yu couldn't stop thinking back over the exam paper.
Kaiming, too, seemed much quieter than before.
One fellow, however, had become chattier than ever.
Kaiming walked quickly, his stride setting his cloak fluttering so that it occasionally brushed the back of Xie Yu's hand or his thigh.
[Shy gray-black cloak (affection increased to 30):] [Phew, that old grandpa is as scary as ever. I didn't even dare speak while I was there.]
Scary? Xie Yu was taken aback. His instinct was that the old man was quite nice.
As Xie Yu recalled, the old man cared a great deal about his junior, Kaiming, and had every air of a veteran teacher. Even in retirement, he still patiently instructed a student from years ago. Though he was sarcastic and ill-tempered on the surface, everything he said showed concern.
"Your teacher seems like a good man, Mr. Kaiming," Xie Yu said.
It was both a question in response to the cloak and a way to strike up a conversation with Kaiming.
"..." Kaiming glanced back at Xie Yu, an unfamiliar awkwardness showing on his face. He suddenly lost his earlier talkativeness and gave a vague reply:
"Really? Of course."
[Shy gray-black cloak (affection increased to 35) thinks you're an idiot and says reproachfully:] [Mr. Assistant, you're so silly! That old man was urging Kaiming the whole time to kill you, devour your spirit, and refine your soul.] [Are you too slow to notice? I feel like you really need protecting.]
Kaiming remained silent and walked a little faster, sending the cloak flying higher, as though it were about to wrap itself around Xie Yu.
Xie Yu's steps faltered. He could hardly believe the words he was seeing.
[Shy cloak (affection 40) shares information with you:] [That old man is a senior teacher at the Forest Academy and a member of a branch of the Brown Family. In the field of spirit and soul, he's probably the most powerful person in all of Black Pine City. Because he went too far in his cultivation, a teaching accident cost eleven students their lives. It was a serious violation of kingdom policy, so he was placed in protective retirement.] [The "cultivation" and "proper business" he talks about mean devouring people's spirits and souls.] [When Master Kaiming brought you here, he thought Kaiming had finally seen the light and that you were food Master Kaiming had brought him, so he was very happy at first.] [Then Mr. Kaiming saw through that and declared that you were his assistant.] [That made the old man unhappy.] [Then he thought Kaiming wanted to keep the meal all to himself, so he cheered up a little. He thought that, at least, Kaiming had seen the light and understood cultivation, which wasn't bad either, so his mood improved a little more.] [It wasn't until he realized that Master Kaiming really was using you as an assistant that he got angry and scolded Kaiming for following a crooked path and neglecting his proper business.] [Oh, right. He's so old and still has no offspring. I heard Kaiming say it's because he ate his own son when he was young.]
The cloak's words sounded like the ravings of a madman.
They differed enormously from the facts Xie Yu had just seen and heard for himself.
For a moment, Xie Yu even wondered if he had really gone mad. How could he make such conjectures about a senior teacher in the field of magic?
"If you'd bothered to pay attention in my classes back then and recalled what I taught you, your spiritual power wouldn't have failed to see clearly over a mere few hundred meters."
The old man had looked so frustrated at Kaiming's failure to live up to his expectations when he said that. His concern for Kaiming couldn't have been fake.
How could it possibly be as the cloak had described?
Suddenly, something the three-story wooden clinic had said echoed in Xie Yu's mind:
"He was a two-star mage ten years ago, and ten years later he's still a two-star mage... It's only because he hasn't managed to kill a single patient all these years that he somehow earned a bit of a reputation."
If everything the cloak had said was true, then all those words had an entirely different meaning.
And everything made perfect sense. What the cloak had revealed explained it all anew.
"Is the old gentleman very skilled in spirit magic?" Xie Yu pressed.
"He's certainly a little stronger than me... What? Are you envious? Let me remind you, young man, you'd better show my teacher some respect. Don't speak carelessly about him." Kaiming slowed his pace as he spoke.
[Shy cloak (affection 40) says shyly:] [Oh my, we're suddenly so close!] [Mmm, Mr. Assistant, don't forget that the old man can hear you.]
Xie Yu, of course, hadn't forgotten that.
He was careful in both word and deed, merely trying to verify the truth of the cloak's words by approaching the subject indirectly.
"I just remembered that you're a two-star mage, so your teacher... Sorry, I don't know much about what level of power corresponds to what rank among mages. I was just curious."
Although he knew from the exam reference materials that there were five star ranks for mages below the level of magus, those were just dry words in a book, with no practical point of reference.
"Teacher was born a noble and became a three-star spirit mage a long time ago. He's continued to improve over the years, but he can't be bothered to get his rank reassessed."
Kaiming was clearly unwilling to elaborate. He stopped halfway through and changed the subject:
"In any case, you'll understand matters in the realm of mages when the time comes. For now, focus on being a good assistant to me."
After leaving the forest that surrounded the entire academy, Kaiming, clearly familiar with the way, bypassed the teaching buildings and headed straight for the central administration office.
[Shy cloak (affection 50) says expectantly and happily:] [We're going indoors. Master Kaiming is going to take me off, ah.] [Mr. Assistant is going to hold me gently in his arms, right in front of Master Kaiming!]
This cloak seemed to have some peculiar preferences.