There were a lot of strange looks when they joined the rest of the students in the cafeteria in the morning, and Wolfe couldn’t quite figure out why.
They had all seen them yesterday, and other than the bond, nothing had really changed. The difference between Familiar and Consort wasn’t noticeable to others, as far as Wolfe knew, so there shouldn’t be a reason for the looks that they were getting.
“So, what exactly were you lot up to last night that you needed such a powerful ward around your bedroom? We could feel it from the third-year dorms, and they’re on the other end of the building.” One of the girls teased.
Well, that would explain it.
“We just used the same one that everyone uses at home. It locks the door and soundproofs the room.” Cassie shrugged.
“And when cast by a Rank Two Witch, it’s so noticeable that it woke half of us up when you refreshed it.” One of the students pointed out.
“Sorry about that. We forgot that there is a need to moderate the power level of spells here. We are in our own hallway in the Den, and the stone blocks the sensation of spell casting from the other areas for the most part.
With the increased Mana Density and all the spells being cast around the place, it would be a total mess if we had to keep everything to a minimum.” Cassie apologized while Ella smirked at her.
“Even Ella knows that was painful on a personal level. Your keeping it to a minimum is our ‘trying our best.’ But you really should teach us that spell before you leave. It seems like a really good one.” The student laughed.
“Oh, that’s not a problem. It’s actually in the textbook. Second year, page 218. That’s where we learned it from.” Ella replied.
Someone pulled out their book and flipped it open, then laughed.
“It’s in the Domestic Servant section of the book, the one that only the dropouts who are looking for work in Noble Witches’ houses bother to read. Who would have thought that such a useful spell was hidden right under our noses?”
“There are a lot of spells like that. Things you don’t think you need to know until you see them. Not every day is combat, even on the front lines of the Monster Tide, so knowing more utility magic is really important. There just isn’t enough time to learn it all at the Academy.” Cassie agreed.
The witches in the room all started pulling out their books and going over the spell while they ate. It wasn’t a hard one for them to learn, and it was pure Witch Magic, so they wouldn’t have any issues activating it without reagents.
“Alright, we are off to go build our ride home, and you all need to get to class.” Ella declared, rising to her feet once the meal was finished.
“That’s just not fair. I wonder if the Professor will let us watch it. Maybe we can get some inspiration from seeing you at work. What are you going to make? Can you make flying brooms?” Someone asked from the back corner of the room.
“Wolfe is actually the specialist in flying staves since he can use both Air and Gravity Magic. But no, today we’re going to make an airplane to fly home in instead of putting everyone on a broom and leaving them in the elements for two days.”
That was about what it would take the average witch using a regular enchanted staff to fly to the Den from the Academy. Even the APC was a faster mode of travel, and it didn’t leave them open to attacks and the weather.
“Seriously? Isn’t that a bit too ambitious? I’ve never heard of a magical airplane.” The staff member on duty in the hallway outside the cafeteria asked.
“We’ve already got one that we have been using to fly trade goods. But it’s too small for what we’re doing today, so we’re going to make a larger one and fly it home as the test flight.
It’s covered in defensive spells, so there isn’t any big risk, and we already know that everything works. We only need to see how well it flies compared to the smaller airframe.” Wolfe explained.
Professor Miranda walked in as they were talking and glared around the room. “Most of you have two minutes to make it to Professor Ashcroft’s Alchemy Lab. The students who have class with me this morning, please follow me to the back fields.”
That sent the students running. Nobody wanted to be late to Professor Ashcroft’s lab, and even the draw of seeing Cassie and Ella at work making an airplane wasn’t enough for them to risk it.
“So, you’re bringing your students to watch us, are you, Professor?” Wolfe asked politely.
“Indeed. The first years have better things to learn, but the rest of these students are supposed to be learning spellcraft right now and watching a practical demonstration of multiple Arrays interacting should be very enlightening.”
“Multiple linked arrays? I don’t think that we learn anything that advanced in class.” One of the students gasped.
“And that’s why you’re going to watch it today. Perhaps you can get some inspiration from watching how it is done, which will let you advance in your understanding of magic and help you pass the exams. Don’t think that I don’t know you are struggling to make a passing grade in my class Miss James.”
The students laughed and followed their professor out of the room while the staff moved out to clean the tables, and Wolfe stretched his tired muscles. They hadn’t planned to put on a show, but they might as well make a spectacle of it.