I return to the Mud Hare's abode before nightfall to fulfil my agreement to teach them and explain the arrangements I've made with Greg on their behalf. When I ask their ages it turns out there are five members young enough to begin the training.

"Why can't you just teach us all?" an older member complains.

"I could," I respond, "but there'd be little chance of success and some risk. The process flays your mind and makes you less able to deal with your surroundings – easier to be ambushed or the like. In fact, none of the five I'm teaching should leave this building until I'm confident they're able to handle it."

There's some grumblings, some of which surprisingly comes from the youngest boy who proclaims "I want to be a knight."

I look at him frankly. "Well, good luck, but I don't know the first step. You'd have to find someone else and convince them to take you."

"Can't you find someone?" Klar asks, her tone not quite confrontational and slightly amused.

"I could," I say with raised eye, "but I won't pay for it, and if you can pay their fees then you don't need me to introduce you."

"You couldn't exchange favours or something?" Klar presses. It's odd, I get the sense that this is her idea of keeping her promise not to speak out against me. As if she thinks she's doing me a favour by bringing up possible objections so I have the opportunity to rebut her. Well, I suppose she's not entirely wrong.

"That would be a bad deal," I state, "a knight's favour would be worth far more than what they typically charge to train. Besides, you know full well that my teaching five students is worth much more than what you're paying me at the moment – don't ask for more." I direct the last comment at the greedy child who shrinks back as the others seem to acknowledge my point.

"It's true," Jule, the girl who spoke up in my favour during the initial meeting, says, "we're very lucky to have you. We shouldn't complain just because we aren't getting the exact thing that we want."

She jabs the complaining boy with her elbows who mutters softly enough that he no doubt thinks no one can hear "You're just saying that because you are getting what you want."

Ignoring this, I begin the lesson. I acquired a number of crystals and strings while I was out to teach them that divination method to start with. Cantrips are a more traditional beginning, but divinations will be more immediately useful in their situation. We have a little time before sundown so I spend it teaching them how to make their own properly apportioned pendulums with the gifted crystals.

I teach them the chant for the divination and have them all repeat it while reciting the associated riddles to prime them for the negotiations. Then, once I'm confident they're all chanting correctly, I leave them to it to do my own training.

Flush with Anar's grace it is of course ideal to study his associated spells, and the only one I'm close to learning is the liquifying beam. Fitting as today's events make it seem more urgent than ever. If I'm going to involve myself in this place I'll likely need to dispose of more bodies, and I can't rely on my clients to handle it every time when one slip up could end me. (In fact, I made a few divinations on the way here to make sure they followed my instructions.)

I make significant progress, more even than I would expect under this level of boon. It's like the pressure I'm feeling is similar to the pressures the spell exerts. That part of me wants to retreat from the situation – to flow back to an easier state, which is fundamentally what the spells does albeit unto others.

This is of course absurd – a trap laid by the eye to… well not divert me as I do think this mind state is helping, but perhaps there will be later consequences for following it. The metaphor seems apt – perhaps even useful – but is probably only there so I'll misunderstand something more fundamental.

As I'm deciding whether to pursue this feeling as an avenue, Jule lets out a shout, pointing at the sky in terror.

"Oh, good, you saw it," I say smiling in a hopefully calming manner and ignoring the protective posturing of the older members whose hands rest on weapons, "that was faster than expected. It doesn't mean you have talent or anything, but it is hopeful."

"W-what was that?"

"What did it seem like?" I ask leadingly.

"…Like I could control everything, and I should be afraid."

"Skipping ahead, very promising... and dangerous."

"Can I make it like that again?"

"Yes, though for right now only when you're chanting and probably only during liminal moments… sunrise and sunset for now… Do you want to?" It will be interesting if she's eager to re-experience the Eye qua Eye.

"… I don't know. It was scary but also pretty?"

…Okay, so that's a thing. If she wasn't already my client I'd probably snatch her up and make her one. As it is I'm tempted to take her out of the section to train in a safer spot, but that might complicate things in a number of ways – not least of the potential for Jack thinking I'm taking a hostage in this stage of our relationship.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"Very promising," I deliberately understate. "To answer your question, we call what you experienced the 'the Eye that makes the world inverting its gaze upon you', or 'the Eye' for short. It is in that state which all learning of magic must be done."

"What does that even mean, the 'The eye that…?'" she stumbles on the exact phrasing.

"… It's better if you aren't told quite yet. You might reach the wrong conclusions without much more context than I can fill in an evening." Better for me at least – solipsism might actually make her a better mage.

We continue our respective chanting until the sun is fully down. Two other members see the Eye, the complainer among them. He seems conflicted about doing so. Awed in one sense and distraught at progressing away from his preference… plus the standard terror of course. Though he does seem happier when I tell him that Knights experience the Eye too and it'll be a while before his path is fully set on the off chance that he finds a knight teacher.

As for myself, I feel like I'm on the cusp of learning the spell, but there's still some hidden obstacle in the way. Something about the fundamental nature of liquidity which in some way relates to the division of substances. I don't know what the knowledge could be, but I can already tell the Eye will demand its erasure as part of the price.

Once we're done with our respective chanting, I go over details with Jack and his lieutenants, Klar among them. I assign a tagged bird to him and tell him to feed it and how to tie messages to its leg. He still can't read or write so I prepare papers with a range of symbols indicating problems that might arise or if I need to come immediately.

I also designate a tea house closer to the academy and a time that I'm free each day which I can meet Klar as my liaison should that be required. To that end, I give her a large silver to acquire clothes from Greg that will blend in better at the meeting spot. She seems rather pleased by this for some reason beyond the obvious practical and opulent benefits.

I also tell him about Greg's representative coming and his suggestion about reclaiming territory next to his operations.

"Are you ordering us to retake that territory first?" he asks with clear disdain for the notion.

I shake my head. "I'm your patron, not your boss. I told you, the territory is yours to do as you see fit. I don't know enough of the situation to decide if retaking that territory is worth it, I'm just informing you of an added benefit to better inform your decision." Oddly enough this increases his dissatisfaction, so I decide I might as well double down by emphasizing a point that I hope hasn't escaped him. "Just to make sure it's clear, our agreement was to protect you from threats you can't handle yourself, which does not include fights that you start. I won't fight wars of expansion for you, though I will help supply them to an extent."

He considers this briefly then smiles slightly and nods. "Understood. I'll decide about the territory later." Odd that, he clearly hadn't realized that but took it much better than I expected. Almost seemed pleased, or rather satisfied. I don't even think he's planning on twisting my limits by provoking attacks without technically acting first.

He also acts oddly when I tell him I'm using my first request already to provide John protection. Tense yet relieved when I say I have a task, more tense when I say it's out of section, and suspicious when I say the guards will be learning reading and writing while performing their task.

Well, I suppose I was never under the delusion that handling a man used to being at the top of his group would be simple.

After that I teach them how to make slings from strips of fabric and how to use them (pebbles for now, bullets later). They have a hallway just long enough to practice in, which I restrict their use to since I don't want it known they have them until they can reliably hit – likely at least a month with persistent practice.

I also show Klar the basics of using her sword, though I mostly just teach her basic posture and grip with the idea of her relying mostly on her general fighting experience. I also give explicit instructions not to fence with any other sword user, since anyone else who carries a sword will almost certainly be better with it.

She's rather obvious about using the training to attempt seduction: frequently asking me to manually correct her posture unnecessarily and other methods to connive bodily contact with a suggestive tone. I don't mind it; it's the obvious thing to do and it doesn't seem to interfere with her learning, but it doesn't elicit the desired effect either. I just don't find her attractive, though there's no obvious defect to explain why.

I leave after everyone has been instructed in the basic principles of slinging, which is about an hour after sunset. I get back to the dorm about an hour later and want to sink into the bath exhausted from the various interactions made – each one potentially so important for my future – but I refrain in favour of divination.

I did some divination after killing Henry, but there was only so much I could do in the field, and I couldn't learn anything abstract. So, I spend another two hours setting up two thirds of the full array of wooden rods with words tailored for the situation written beneath.

Another hour of questions later and I'm certain that Henry's family will not connect his death to me specifically. They will however discover that the Mud Hares have a new patron, but will not investigate further than that. So, a partial success I suppose.

It seems like they're writing the entirety of the Thrushes off as a loss as the surrounding gangs descend on them in Henry's absence, and so no longer care about the gang's enemies. Especially since while they'll learn that the Hare's new patron is a noble, they will also discern that I'm not from one of their rival houses and that my actions were not directed against them. Just random chance that their investment was lost which they'll accept graciously; just part of the game.

I feel conflicted. Part of me despises them for their calm discarding, but part of me knows I'd do the same with enough incentive. After all, the point of my activity there is to raise a corrupting force that can expand outside of the section, and I will gladly sacrifice my clients to do so. But these nobles aren't acting with a grand goal, but just as something to pass the time and make minor profits or inflict minor losses to their social rivals.

I'm starting to see Greg's point about their pettiness.

My divinations done, I close my eyes as I slip into the boiling bath, then jolt back awake as I remember I was going to work on assignments this weekend but never did due to all the hustle gaining clients and extra etiquette lessons from Alan.

…I'm too tired to deal with that now. Nothing incomplete is due until the day after tomorrow, I'll have time after the Applied Divination study group.

…No wait, there's the mandatory irregular lecture then… Ugh, I'd better work on some now.

I drag myself out of the tub to retrieve my nexus disk, books and paper then slink back into the tub where I work late into the night until I slip into a deep and relaxing sleep.

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