A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"Like what though?" Oliver asked. He was already struggling with his academic subjects. Mathematics, Advanced Strategy, and the academic portions of Field Medicine were all stumping him. His lack of practice with a quill, and in reading was holding him back to an immense degree.

He'd begun doing a few minutes extra before bed, in an effort to improve the situation, but he had yet to see any promising results.

"Alchemy, perhaps? Since you have such an interest in monsters, and their uses," Verdant said.

It was a suggestion that Oliver hadn't considered. Alchemy…

"What even is Alchemy, Verdant? Is it anything to do with magic?"

"I would not say the two are unrelated… It is certainly the most occult of Academy courses, I might say. But as far as I know, they do not deal in anything related to mana. Their primary concern is Transmutation. They're able to coax various reactions out of different materials, much like the Chemistry course, but with a more… Organic nature to it, I'd say?" Verdant said.

"Though, I might add, this is far outside my own field. I did not manage to chance myself an Alchemy class during my days at the Academy."

"Hm…" Oliver glanced down at the form that Volguard had given him for the transfer of classes. It indicated the timetables of various potential subjects within the same slot. "If I did sign up for Alchemy, I'd have my first class the day after tomorrow. That could be a good opportunity to gather information before we return to the forest on the weekend."

Glancing at the same form, Verdant nodded in agreement. "You wished to explore other species this time, did you not?"

Oliver nodded. He'd been able to briefly glance at a book that Verdant had given him, detailing more information on monsters from the Grand Forest, helpfully levelled.

"If possible, I want a proper fight," Oliver said. "There's the Phantom Horse, the Ivy Giant, and the Boulder Crab that have so far caught my interest," he said nonchalantly.

Verdant's face went pale, and nearby Oliver heard the sound of a dropped teacup shattering against the floor. They both glanced over at Peter, who'd tilted his tray of tea as he carried it over, losing one of the well-filled cups in the process.

"Sorry," he said quickly, "I'll get this cleaned up. Please, don't mind me. You were in the middle of discussing something outrageous, were you not?"

"Outrageous?" Oliver asked. "That book that you gave me indicated that these were all creatures just slightly stronger than a Hobgoblin." The book had been well detailed, including information all the way from mating habits, to a ranked danger level that helpfully compared the difficulty of defeating each creature.

"Every single one of them are so-called 'King' Monsters. As in, the minimum requirement for their defeat, is a whole faction or a highly skilled member of the military. A student defeating them in single combat is an impossibility," Verdant said, but the way he said it seemed to imply something else, something that he was reluctant to say.

"An impossibility, as in, it hasn't been done before?" Oliver asked.

"Correct. Unlike with the Hobgoblin, there is not a single recorded case of a King Monster being slain in single combat by a student. Even for a whole faction – a hundred men, or more – it would be a big event dealing with the hunting of one. The school staff would ensure that they are involved, they wouldn't get permission for the expedition otherwise," Verdant explained.

"Awh, that ruins it," Oliver complained. "You're saying we have to clear this with the school before we even attempt it? And even then, we'll be getting one of them dragging along with us, ruining the fun?"

"Until you earn a rank, I suppose," Verdant said. "You'd have to be Gold-Ranked to be able to lead a party there without permission."

"A rank?" Oliver repeated. "Hang on, you never mentioned anything about ranks before."

"That's because it isn't a test that is available to students, usually… Though I do wonder if they'd give it to you."

Peter's cloth swished across the wooden floorboards, as he mopped up the last of his tea. "I must say," he said, "that the conversations we've been having here lately are… of the oddest sort. I can't help but feel out of place."

Verdant smiled at that. "I doubt there are few that feel relaxed when they are around the sort of feats that Lord Patrick keeps performing."

"I'm not doing it on purpose," Oliver protested. "These King Monsters, they're worth a hell of a lot of gold, are they not? Or at least, the ingredients that they produce will be. That's the aim at the moment. I'm only now aware of how pitifully small my purse is compared to the rest of you. Of course, I'd take certain measures to fix that."

"Certain measures, he says," Peter mumbled. "Usually that involves a letter home to one's family, explaining their circumstances, not casually plotting the slaying of a King Monster."

"If money is your primary object, my Lord, then it would seem prudent to gather information on the prices of the ingredients belonging to various creatures beforehand. Given that it is sure to be a hard-fought battle, one might make sure that he is getting the best possible reward," Verdant said.

"That's true…" Oliver nodded. "I still have yet to visit the Academy's Market. Damn it, there's so much that I don't know."

"If you are certain that is what you wish to do, then I will see whether I can clear the expedition with an appropriate member of faculty before the weekend comes around," Verdant said. "You need not worry about that particular part of the process. Though, perhaps you should warn Lady Blackthorn about it in advance."

Oliver grinned in relief. "That's true. Thank the Gods that you know what you're doing, Verdant, 'cos I certainly don't."
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Midafternoon, and there were still a couple of hours of light left. The streets had been shovelled clear of snow in this part of the Academy, but that did nothing to stop the biting cold of the air. A pair of gloves, a thick coat and a hat – they were a minimum.