Here we are.


Beta: College Fool

Cover Art: Dishwasher1910

Book 7: Chapter 5


Even though I was in the palace, easily the most opulent place in Vale, and as an honoured guest, I had begun to feel more and more claustrophobic. Not like a prisoner, not with how I was being favoured, but contained in the sense that I couldn't do what I wanted. I couldn't go where I wanted, speak to who I wanted or even trust that the limited amount of mail I was receiving wasn't doctored or spied on in some way.

Worse, I couldn't express any of that to my hosts without insulting them.

The other members of the Guild had promised to come by again today with Ellayne, but that wasn't until later, after classes. School was back in progress with the war over and I was only a little bitter that I didn't have the pleasure of slipping into the same normality once more.

In an effort to alleviate my boredom, and mounting frustration, I'd asked Hazel if there was somewhere in the palace grounds I could train. There was a small courtyard outside, little more than a square fenced off area with a dirt floor, but ideal for my needs. It was apparently used for displays, sparring and the very rare honour duel between Nobles – something which Hazel assured me was very rare, though more because of a general lack of skill and desire to make fools of themselves than any semblance of maturity.

Of course, the question of "why" I wanted to train came up soon after and being unwilling to explain it was because I felt trapped and on edge, I told Hazel it was to get a better grasp of my new Swordmaster Skills.

That, in hindsight, had been a mistake.

"Dividing Slash!"

As it had with Cinder, white light burst from Crocea Mors as I swung her, connecting with the armoured breastplate strapped to a straw dummy. Both were cleaved in two without resistance or even a change in momentum. The sword came through the other side and I had to sweep it up lest it smash down into the dirt and jar my arms.

There was an excited murmur and chatter from the eight or so Nobles watching me. One, a Scholar, furiously scribbled something down onto a piece of paper balanced on the back of some slate. Hazel stood beside him, attention split between me and the Scholar.

Funnily enough, being watched and recorded like some kind of unusual animal wasn't doing much for my temper, or my self-control. This was supposed to be my chance to work off some frustration, not perform for a gaggle of geese.

"Very good, Jaune," Hazel complimented. He clapped his hands and two Soldiers stepped forward, nodding respectfully to me as they collected the discarded armour, stand and straw dummy. They brought them back to Hazel, who inspected the cut. With naked curiosity, a few other Nobles leaned over his shoulder to look. "What is the descriptor of that Skill?"

Like I had for numerous before now, I explained, "Dividing Slash. A cutting slash that parts a foe."

Short and simple. It seemed like a lot of my Skills had far shorter descriptions than my Blacksmith ones. That didn't make them worse, of course. Much of my Blacksmith Skills had unreasonable rules or limits on them, like only being able to effect certain material.

"Interesting, if a little crude," a Noble lady, a Courtier, remarked.

"Now, now, Beatrice, I'm sure there's more to it than that," another tittered. "It did part the armour as well, and I doubt the good Swordmaster has the Strength alone to do that in so clean a blow." She smiled prettily in my direction and fluttered her eyelashes.

Despite myself, I felt my face heat up. I was no longer as innocent as I had been, but feminine attention was still what it was. "No, I don't," I answered honestly. "I might be able to break armour if it was weak enough, but it would dent and crack first. It wouldn't cut right through it."

Not like it had here, like a hot knife through butter. Except more so, because the armour on either side did not look warped at all. It was a perfect slice.

"Interesting that the same can't be said for the dummy," Hazel said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The armour is cut cleanly, perfectly, but the straw is distorted. Cut in places, pushed aside in others. The typical damage one would expect from a sword striking it, but little more. It's curious that the cutting edge, the Dividing Slash, cuts armour on both the entrance and exit perfectly, but not the dummy in the middle."

It was, I supposed, though I'd not looked close enough to notice it. "You have an idea?"

"Perhaps. It seems to me that your attack divides armour and little more. What you did to the body within," he indicated the straw, "is no more or less than what anyone else could do. The true damage is to the breastplate itself."

An anti-equipment attack, then. I thought back to Cinder, whom I'd used the attack on. Back then, I'd used it to cut through her weapons, and she'd certainly been surprised about that. After all, they hadn't been real weapons. They were flames summoned into the shapes of swords, yet I'd shattered them like they were made from cheap pig-iron that hadn't been tempered properly.

This was becoming something of an odd theme for my Skills. The ones I'd been through with them already and now this one, they often looked and sounded like simple offensive Skills, and yet came with some hidden, almost unseen, caveat.

Dividing Slash, a slash that caused no extra damage to people, but more to equipment. Swords or armour, it didn't seem to matter, though armour appeared to be cut while weapons shattered, at least Cinder's had.

Piercing Thrust, a stabbing blow that penetrated through magical shields and defences but was otherwise just a stab. We'd only discovered that one because no one could understand why a `Skill` would essentially be no better than a normal thrust. It was Crocea Mors going through and completely bypassing the magic on an enchanted helm that proved it.

Disdainful Strike, a fancy name for what was basically an overhead swing that – through some means neither I nor Hazel understood – removed properties from weapons. Not their sharpness or edge, et cetera, but more normalising them. Disenchanting, even. I could turn a powerful broadsword with multiple runes on it into a standard sword. It had no effect on armour.

That was only half my new Skills but seeing as each had taken almost an hour to fully understand and test, I wasn't sure we were going to get through many more. I'd also come to realise that I couldn't rely on the actual `descriptions` of them that I instinctively had in my head.

After all, "a mighty thrust that pierces a foe's defences" hardly equated to, "a typical thrust which ignores magical spells or defensive augmentations but has no effect on armour".

"Your Skills are certainly interesting," another Noble, Samson I thought, commented as I stepped out of the ring, brow slick with sweat. I hadn't had to move much, but between keeping myself a Swordmaster and using Skills over and over, I felt not exhausted, but satisfyingly sore.

"Thank you, my lord."

"No need for that here, lad. Just call me Samson."

"Samson, then. Thank you." I glanced over to Hazel, but he was busy talking to the Scholar, going over the notes no doubt. No help there. "Is there something I can help you with, Samson?"

"No, no, I'm just making polite conversation. Believe me, I know this is the last place you want to be. Ah, no need to answer that," he said, seeing my expression, "I think even the King and Steward know it, so don't worry to insulting anyone. We all know the situation isn't ideal, and we appreciate you being willing to put up with it."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"I thought you might be interested to hear a little news, however. It's about Ansel. That is your home village, no?"

"It is." My head perked up. "Has something happened…?"

"Nothing bad, I assure you. Last I heard, the King had sent out funds and tradesmen to help t rebuild for all those refugees you accepted. Capitol work there, though you shouldn't have had to take such responsibility on."

"Indeed," a Noble lady, a Reeve, said. She wore a mix of fancy silks and a leather bandolier bereft of weapons. She nodded her head and smiled. "Katherine, a pleasure to meet you."

"Yourself as well," I said with a bow. "But what do you mean I shouldn't have had to?"

"Well, only that it should have been the responsibility of Count Mellit, of course."

"Count Mellit…?"

"You don't know him?" Samson appeared shocked.

Katherine did not. "Apparently, he doesn't. The arrogant fool spent so much time here that it wouldn't surprise me if those he rules over fail to recognise his name. He is your Count," she explained, "The Count of Ansel. And several surrounding villages which no longer exist."

"I've never even seen him…"

"I'm not sure you'll be seeing him going forward, either," Samson said with a certain glee to his tone. "He's been stripped of his title and sent to apprentice under a Duke down on the Eastern coast. That ought to teach him to shirk his duties, and I'd be surprised if he ever reaches the position of Count again."

I felt a little satisfaction at that. "Sounds like it couldn't have happened to a better person. He never lifted a finger to help Ansel."

"Why would he?" Katherine asked sarcastically, "All the wealth is here, after all, in Vale. Really, he represents the worst of us. Samson here has a holding over to the west, don't you?"

"I do," Samson replied. "And I make it a point to visit once every other month. It's over a week's travel, but if I don't make time, then what reason do any of the people there have to respect my rule? They were thankfully spared from the war, though there have been a few bandits popping up. I forwarded a Quest to Beacon, paid from my personal coffers. As I understand it, a third-year team have already been dispatched."

Such assistance could have been useful to us in Ansel, though we'd made do on our own. It was good to know not all villages were abandoned by their Nobles, though I suppose Count Mellit must have been the exception, otherwise civil unrest would be a lot more widespread.

"That does leave Ansel without anyone to represent it," Katherine pointed out.

"We've done alright on our own before," I said, a little belligerently.

"I didn't mean to suggest otherwise, Jaune." She smiled again, and I immediately felt a little silly for acting so. "You see, a Noble's duty isn't always in giving specific instructions; people can look after themselves just fine. Often, it's in acting as representation in the city, or in the Royal Court. Imagine for instance there is a drought or famine across the Kingdom. Well, the King would need to buy food and distribute it from the capitol. It's the Nobles job to represent their holdings and ensure they get adequate food."

"Had such happened and Mellit was still in power over Ansel, he might not even mention your names," Samson said. "Such a failure might mean that, through no fault of his own, the King fails to send grain to Ansel and the people starve. A good Noble is to notice these issues and bring them to the attention of the King when required, so that he might act in the interests of the people."

"Like glorified messengers, then?"

Samson winced.

Katherine laughed, "A little more administrative than that, but close enough. That is just one of the things we do, but it should be enough to point out why Ansel not having any Lord is an issue. They need supplies and assistance, and a Lord can petition for such things in Court."

"What is to be Ansel's fate, then?" I asked.

"Well, that's still up in the air," Katherine said. "But Samson and I, well, we thought we might push for you to be granted the position."

My mouth fell open. "What?"

"It's a surprise, I know," Samson said, "but hear us out. You already know that Ansel has been failed once by its Count, so the people have little reason to honour the words of another. You, on the other hand, have their respect and trust. You can do what is best for them and they will work together with you in turn. Additionally, having you as Lord of a village, or even a Town based on how Ansel is growing, might help alleviate the concerns we all have with the civil unrest."

"It's hard for traitors to instigate a rebellion with you as a figurehead when everyone knows you accepted a position from the King and are working with him. It would all but cement your allegiance to the crown."

"I, well…" It would do that, but wasn't this what Glynda had been talking to me about the day before? Hadn't she said this was all but impossible? "I don't know anything about looking after the day to day running of a village. Not as a Count, anyway."

"You wouldn't need to do anything," Samson said. "Appoint a lower Noble to serve in the position – I can think of plenty of Nobles who are too young for positions of power, but both qualified and eager to prove themselves. They would be loyal to you for a chance to prove to the King they can be trusted to accept greater responsibilities."

"You would be the Count in name, but let another handle the hard work," Katherine said. "This would be more of a political move to wave away some of the earlier dissent."

"Normally, games like this are played for a number of reasons," Samson explained softly. "I'll admit, we also benefit because it prevents one of our rivals having hold of Ansel. Katherine and I are simply too busy to take on another holding, but there are several Nobles I would not trust with it. Nobles you would not want to leave Ansel in the hands of."

"It was I who suggested we approach you directly on the matter," Katherine said, touching my arm gently. "Normally, we would suggest it and push on our own, but with you being new and inexperienced in matters of Court, I thought that might appear rude."

"And that it might alienate you," Samson admitted.

Katherine nodded, "That too. It doesn't hurt to humble ourselves to ask if you would be willing. The last thing we want is to play games without your consent and make an enemy here. This really would be best for Ansel. You don't want another Count Millett in control."

"No…"

"I can see you're unsure," Katherine said. She looked to Samson and shook her head. "We'll let you think on it. There's no immediate rush, though the King will want to have someone watching over Ansel before the week is out."

"I should probably talk to my friends about it…"

"By all means. I'm aware they're Heroes and not Nobles, but I'm sure they can offer valuable insight. In the meantime." Katherine held out a small piece of paper. "This is my room in the palace. If you want to talk, either about our offer or anything else you're unsure of, feel free to pay a visit."

I wasn't sure I would, it felt too dangerous, but I nodded nonetheless, taking the card and putting it away in one of my pockets. This felt like exactly the kinds of games I'd been warned about Nobles playing, but at least they were forward with me about it.

Probably because the `victim` of the game would be whichever Noble was trying to push to become Count of Ansel. They had a point; did I really want to trust Ansel to someone who only saw it as a stepping stone to further glory? Would Ansel even trust some unknown Noble after what happened to it before?

Maybe, maybe not. I wasn't going to run into anything foolish without thinking some more on it.

"Looks like we're done here," Samson said, noticing Hazel was finished. "Fare you well, Jaune. And good luck with whatever future tests the Steward wishes to put you through."

With a laugh and a polite bow, Samson and Katherine departed, chatting lightly with one another.

Hazel strode toward me a second later, "Anything I should know about?" he asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Samson Arnor and Katherine de Blanc. Ambitious Nobles, but already established. I'm not sure what they would have to gain from you, though I would of course warn you to be wary. They're not normally ones to play games…"

"I think they were playing them with someone else," I said. "Wanting to stop other Nobles rising up. They seemed pleased to have me here, though. Helping the King, I mean."

"They would be. Ambitious, but loyal. Those who have benefitted from a given ruler will always be loyal to him. It is those who have not you need to worry about."

Made sense. Still, something bugged me. "Hazel, what's happened to the current ruler of Ansel? The Lord or Lady who never showed up to try and help us."

"Lord in this case, Jaune. Count Millett. You needn't worry about him. He has been exiled in all but name, at least for a while. Consider it penance, and a chance for him to prove he deserves a second chance at a later time."

So, Samson and Katherine had been telling the truth.

"Anything else?" Hazel asked.

"No. I think I'll head back to my room and take a rest."

Hazel nodded. "Fare you well, Jaune."

/-/

"Master!"

I grunted as Ellayne collided with me, going from shy and uncertain to excited and boisterous in a fraction of a second. She'd gained Levels, I noticed. It was all in how hard the little Fighter had collided with me.

"One Ellayne, delivered safe and sound," Yang drawled. "Quest completed! What's the reward?"

"My thanks?" I offered.

"Boo…"

"Actually…" I hesitated to say what I intended to, that I wanted to talk with Ellayne in private. Her secrets weren't really any of their business, nor mine, but I at least didn't want to embarrass her in front of them. On the other hand, asking them to come here and then immediately leave was no less a bad move. "Why don't you guys come in?" I asked instead. "How are things in Beacon?"

"Same old, same old," Yang said, sitting on the edge of my bed. The others took what seating they could, Nora and Ruby on the floor, Weiss on my only seat and the others standing, but leaning against tables or walls.

"It's a bit odd to slip back into lessons," Pyrrha added. "More so because Oobleck is holding a class on the war we've just been through."

"Yesterday's war is today's history lesson," Ren said.

I suppose that in a strange way the war was history. In time, people would look back on this and draw lessons from it. Or maybe they would repeat the same mistakes we did. Hard to say. I had the dreadful thought of me somehow being a key figure in said lessons but shook it off.

"Sounds boring."

"Delightfully boring," Weiss said. "A break from all the drama."

"How are things on your end?" Ruby asked.

Well, I can't say I expected them not to ask. I'd been thinking on whether or not to tell them about the offer from Samson and Katherine, and in the end decided that I would do so, if only to avoid accusations later. They listened in mostly silence, though Weiss piped up to ask if I'd confirmed the story about Count Millett was true.

"Hazel said it was," I said, noticing Ellayne's flash of panic. It was quickly hidden. "No other way I can do so without asking the King directly."

"No, I think the Steward is enough. Interesting. I'll admit I did think it odd no one ever came to visit Ansel, if only to count the fallen and ask if we needed anything. I assumed they were busy elsewhere, or that something more important was taking place. Not that it was a duty shirked."

"There will always be some bad apples in the bunch," Pyrrha said. "We can't tarnish every Noble with same brush."

"I think Jaune would be a great Lord." Ruby said.

"I think it's a terrible idea." Blake said at the exact same time.

The two stared at one another, the rest of the Guild brought to an uncomfortable quiet. I… If I was honest, I couldn't bring myself to feel surprised.

Blake was quick to shake her head, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying you would be a bad leader, they already made it clear someone else would be handling all the administration anyway. I just don't think it's wise to get involved in any of these games at all."

"But if he doesn't, then Ansel might get another bad Lord…"

"Might," Blake stressed. "Might. And don't you think the King would become a laughing stock if it did? He's going to be watching whomever he chooses carefully." Blake's eyes sought mine, and though they were calm, there was a certain insistence in them. "I don't mean this as an insult, Jaune. I'm just warning you… stay out of the Nobles' schemes."

Yesterday, I might have gotten angry at the insinuation I wasn't good enough to look after myself. Had gotten angry, in fact. Oddly enough, I didn't feel any such irritation now. "I'm not trying to get involved. I'm just telling you that they are trying to involve me."

"We always knew they would," Yang said. "You're the new big thing."

"At least for now," Nora added.

"Now is all they need. Think of it, if you get into power you'll need a Noble to look after it. They said they were busy, but they might have allies, or children or other family members for who being a Count, or even just a steward to a Count, is a pretty big step up in the world. Since they helped you get into power, they'd also expect you to cut them a favour. Might be accepting their pick of steward."

"Which wouldn't be a bad trade," Ruby pointed out. "I mean, Jaune still gets Ansel, Ansel gets a good leader and even if one of their family cheats their way up a little, it's not a bad thing, is it?"

"It's not," Blake agreed, "If that is their plan. The fact is, we simply don't know what their goals are."

"I agree with Blake," I said, surprising each of them and – to my secret amusement – Blake, too. "I'm not here to make waves or get dragged into stuff. Yeah, Ansel might benefit from having me in charge, but it might not. Meanwhile, I've got Beacon, the Greycloaks and Salem to worry about. I'd have less time for Ansel than ever. They deserve someone who has the time for them."

And as Blake said, the King would have to pay attention to who was picked, because if he didn't, he'd only fan the flames of unrest. Even if it was someone who saw Ansel as a stepping stone, they'd want Ansel to do well, since it would be through successful governing that they'd earn their advancement.

"Well… that was easier than I thought it'd be," Weiss commented.

Blake met my gaze and offered a slow, approving nod.

I shrugged back and tried not to let it affect me. I'd not agreed to make her feel better or try and win her over. I'd agreed because I thought it was the right choice, not that Ruby was wrong, either. It was just that after Roux and the King of Mistral, I wasn't feeling all too trusting of the Noble Caste.

Call me paranoid, but a Caste that relied on using Charisma to literally force people into doing what they wanted, wasn't a Caste I wanted at my back, whether or not I could resist it. I'd experienced the foul effects of Charisma one too many times, first with Roman, then Tyrian controlling all those people in Mistral, Roux in Magnis and now the King forcing Cinder into a do or die situation.

"Honestly, I can see the benefits in both sides, but I have to agree with the decision you've made," Weiss said. "I think caution is warranted in this case and you were there, so you would have a better read on those two Nobles than us."

"Is that your way of saying you're going to trust me to make my own decisions?"

Weiss' face fell.

I instantly felt like an ass.

"That was a joke."

"Not a very good one," Nora grumbled.

No, it wasn't. With a sigh, I ran a hand through my hair. Time for a distraction. "Has Ozpin told you guys anything about the Greycloaks? I got a little from Hazel and the King, but not enough to really know what's going on."

To my relief, the distraction worked, Pyrrha looking up with a smile. "They've gone into hiding, or at least are gathering their strength. The end of the war seemed to take them by surprise and we've not heard of them since. Ozpin is keeping his eyes open, of course, and I think anyone going on Quests is still being warned to watch out for them, but we've heard and seen nothing."

"That's not to say they're not still out there," Ren said. "Chances are, they're looking to enact some other plan, or maybe just rethinking whatever they were working on to factor in the war having ended. We've bought time, though. That's a victory of its own, I think."

"The King and the Court think they're building up information." I quickly explained the theory Saren had posed. "The idea is that with each wish, they narrow down how Salem twists it and get closer to being able to make wishes without consequence. The big thing, then, is figuring out what the real wish is."

"Immortality?" Ruby suggested.

"World domination?" Nora added.

"Infinite wealth," offered Weiss.

"There are too many possible wishes," Pyrrha interrupted before it could get out of hand. "I guess that's a bad thing. Any of those could be twisted pretty horribly, especially world domination."

"Summon infinite Grimm, have them slaughter everyone and leave the wisher as the last person alive," I summarised, seeing one such route myself. "Instant world domination, of a sort. If you're the last person alive, you're king. Or queen."

"Yes, which is why I imagine whomever is behind the Greycloaks is willing to be patient and bide their time. There's no point making a wish when you know Salem is going to make it kill you. It does open a crack in their armour, however. Take out those making the wishes and their research stalls. Cause enough problems, and the one in charge will become desperate."

"Uh, do we want them to become desperate?" Ruby asked.

"Not so desperate that they make a reckless wish, no. But desperate enough to push for more people to make wishes, giving us more leads to investigate. Somehow, I don't get the feeling Salem wants to destroy all humanity."

I snorted at that. "Why bother? We're below her and a source of entertainment."

"Exactly." Pyrrha's smile fell. "Though I think she might make an exception for you, Jaune. She didn't seem pleased with what you did the last time…"

"Yeah well, it was that or be killed by Watts." I shuddered at the memory of it all. "Let's talk about something else."

They were happy to oblige. For a good hour or two, the conversation switched back to Beacon, tales of what was going on, how the new students were doing and how Quests had been put back on the active boards after the war ended. It sounded like a lot of Beacon had been put on pause for the war, and now, with only half the year remaining, many of the first-year students were panicking and rushing to get their Annual Quests done.

On the bright side, all years second and up had been granted a pass by virtue of the war itself counting as our Annual Quest. That was probably necessary, since if Beacon had to find Quests for all the second years and higher, they'd be in deep trouble. It wasn't like we hadn't risked our lives just as much as we had in Atlas or Mistral, anyway.

Eventually, the rumble of stomachs and the sun dimming through the window heralded time running low. For once, there wasn't any arguments, however, which left everyone, me included, with relieved smiles.

"We'll try and come back again tomorrow," Pyrrha promised. "And I've been looking for news on Ansel that we can bring back. I'm sure they're doing well, but I mailed your family and asked them for an update. I hope you don't mind?"

"Not at all. I'd appreciate any news I can get." As everyone began to file out, I caught Ellayne by the shoulder. She'd been curiously silent through the whole conversation, barely paying attention to anything. Under my hand, she flinched. "You guys go ahead. I needed to ask Ellayne something anyway, and I'm sure she can catch up."

"Sure. You want me to wait downstairs for her?" Yang asked. "I can walk her back."

"If you would."

"No problem."

Ellayne continued to stay silent as everyone left, and remained rigid even as the door closed, leaving us both inside and alone. I had a feeling I knew why, though it hurt a little that she thought I'd hold it against her.

Then again, wasn't it the same with what I'd done to the Guild?

"So," I said, looking for an opener. "I met your brother." Subtlety had never been my thing.

"Y-Yeah…" Ellayne huddled even smaller. "S-Surprise, I guess? Ha… heh…"

"He spoke well of you. Seemed really proud of how much you've achieved." Because it felt right, I added, "I'm proud as well, you know. You're a lot stronger then you used to be."

"I know…"

Her voice was so quiet, so tiny.

Taking her by the shoulders, I turned her around, sat her on my bed and knelt down. "Ellayne, what's wrong? I didn't mean to bring you here and interrogate you. I just wanted to ask some quick questions, make sure of some things. Nothing more."

Her eyes barely met mine. "You're not angry?"

"Why would I be? Ellayne, you know what I did. How I lied about my Class. What right do I have to criticise you for lying to me? You told me your parents were Heroes. They weren't, were they?"

"No…"

"They were Noble Caste."

"Yes…"

"Why are you so ashamed of that? Are you ashamed of your broth-"

"NO!" Ellayne's eyes flashed as she surged up. She froze for a second, seemingly unsure if she felt brave enough to shout at her `master`, but held her ground. "I'm not ashamed of him. Never! Hazel is the best brother ever. I won't even let you say otherwise."

"Whoa, whoa. I wasn't saying he was bad, I promise. Just trying to understand why you wanted to keep it hidden."

"B-Because it would be weird. People born between Castes don't do well. The Caste below resent them for who their parents are, and the Caste above resent them for not being as pure. Meanwhile, your parents get accused of sleeping around or having dirty blood."

"Did that-"

"Our family has Hero blood," Ellayne said, shaking her head. "We knew it did. It was something my parents used to boast about… but only because it was distant. Used to have. Past glory. They weren't as happy when I was born a Hero." She looked away, angry and hurt. "Always loved Hazel more, always taught him more, more time and attention. I was the burden, the disgrace. Or the disgrace waiting to happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Past Heroes are good because they're dead and gone. You have their glory and they can't mess up, but I was weak, even as a Hero. You saw how I did in the First Quest. I would have failed. My parents knew that, and they wanted to hide me away. Make it so that I couldn't technically fail by marrying me off to someone far away, make it so that whatever I failed at would be his problem, not theirs."

"Ellayne…"

"Hazel found out, though. Hazel was the only one who ever cared about me. He confronted them, and when they wouldn't change their mind, he went to the King instead. Hazel was the family's prize toy, being the Steward, right hand of the King himself. It was a huge scandal that he spoke out against them. Our parents were humiliated in Court. Us, too, but Hazel never cared about that, as long as I was okay. Besides, the King approves of him. His position was always safe."

"He sounds like a good man," I said, because it was all I could say.

"He is. Hazel got me a chance to go to Beacon, but he couldn't interfere in any other way. I was still weak, and worse, if I failed, it would fall on him instead! My parents have all but disowned me, and since he stuck up for me in Court, my success or failure is his. That's why I was so nervous," she admitted. "If I got kicked down to Soldier Caste, everyone would have seen what my parents tried to do as the right thing, and Hazel as an idiot for interfering."

"Not everyone," I said firmly. "I'd never agree with your parents."

Ellayne's smile was just a little embarrassed. "Y-Yeah well, you're different."

"Does anyone in the Guild act like that?"

"No," she admitted.

"Do your friends outside it act like that?"

"N-No…"

"Then maybe you need to have a little more faith in the people around you." I smiled and ruffled her hair. "But I didn't actually call you here to dig into your past, Ellayne. I just wanted to check some things against you, see if you could shine some light on them."

Her face lit up, she seemed eager to try. "Sure! What do you need?"

"Well, the first one was just to confirm Hazel was your brother. I think we've got that one down. The other, though." I paused. "Have you had your Stat lessons with Oobleck yet? The one where he goes through the Atlas scale."

"That was in the first week."

"Good. Do you remember when he got down to Res, what he said?"

Ellayne took on a thinking posture. "I think he said not much was known and not to worry about it, because Heroes don't have high Resilience."

Resilience. She called it that, not Res. Oobleck had professed to not know the name, and that was probably truth, as few other people did. The Noble had, however, and so did Ellayne here and now, without a hint of hesitation.

I leaned forward. "Do you know what Resilience is, Ellayne?"

"Sure. My parents told me and Hazel about it. It's the Mental Resilience Stat, the defence to mind magics and attacks. Like how Strength is the attack and Constitution the defence, or Dexterity is to hit, and Agility is to dodge. Attack and defence. Resilience is the defence to Charisma's attack."

Attack and defence.

It made all too much sense.

And to think, the answer had been under my nose all this time. By now, I'd started to figure it out. Hard not to with Roux and the King of Mistral, but having it confirmed here proved that the Nobles knew, that they knew, but kept the information hidden from the public.

"Thanks, Ellayne," I said, patting her head. "Why don't you go and find Yang?"

"Hm." She hopped up and away but paused before the door. "You should be careful, master."

"Huh?"

"The Nobles," she said. "Their games. You can't just back out like everyone else said. If that was their plan, it would be a weak one and they wouldn't bother with it. If they have a plan that involves you, it'll use you whether you agree or not. Them talking to you, them asking you in the first place, that was just a part of their plan, just another scheme. There will be more to it. You need to be careful."

I nodded in return, the serious expression I wore showing her I'd heard and taken what she said seriously. Message delivered, Ellayne let herself out and closed the door behind her.

More schemes, huh?

Yeah, that sounded about right. I'd have to keep my guard up, but it was hard to even think of that at the moment. Instead, my head spun with the revelation Ellayne had granted, that and an answer for why that Noble in Court had been removed, why he'd been horrified at my Resilience score in the first place.

A system was only as strong as the checks and balances that kept it in one piece. The Caste system worked because everyone was locked into place. The Labour Caste were too weak to move up and needed, as much as I hated to admit it, the protection of the Soldier and Hero Caste.

The Heroes in turn needed the production capabilities of the Labour Caste, and the Governance and Admin of the Noble Caste. The Soldier Caste was essentially a subset of the Hero Caste, albeit lower and tasked to defence more than actively hunting Grimm.

The system worked, but it also worked against people trying to break it. It had defences. If those of the Labour Caste tried to rebel, the Soldier and Hero Caste could suppress them through force of arms. If the Soldier Caste tried to rebel, the Heroes could outpower them.

But if the Hero Caste tried to turn on the Nobles, what could the Nobles do? I assumed they were – and it felt a safe assumption from what I'd seen – weak combatants. They were suited more for administration, diplomacy and other things. In a way, each of the Stats had their own area of expertise.

Strength, Constitution, Agility and Dexterity were for fighting Heroes and Soldiers, even if everyone could use them to some degree. Intellect and Wisdom were for magic-users, but also for Nobles for admin purposes.

Charisma and Resilience were, by process of elimination, for the Labour Caste and Noble Caste. There was crossover, of course. A Blacksmith used Con and Str in order to work the forge, while a Hunter used Dex and Agi to hunt deer and game, but you could break down some of the Stats and say they were the typical "Hero and Soldier" Stats, and then put others into "Noble and Labour" Stats.

It was weird to think the lowest and highest Caste shared the same primary Stats, and weirder still to see how big a difference that had. If Nobles best Stat was Charisma as I'd seen with the King of Mistral, then what was really different between my Mom – who also prioritised Charisma as a Shopkeeper – and the King of a country? Skills, sure, but they both focused on the same Stats.

The only difference was Levels. The Labour Caste were traditionally low-levelled, which meant that even with good Charisma scores, they didn't get to use those parameters enough to make a difference.

And that was telling.

If the Hero or Soldier Caste could each crush the Noble Caste and rise above them, as the Mages had in Atlas, then surely there was something stopping them. Something that had prevented Mistral and Vacuo following the same path. Judging from what happened to Cinder, that something was Charisma. Heroes had relatively low Charisma, Oobleck had said – but then so did I, and I'd been able to resist the King of Mistral and Lord Roux.

Which meant it was all about Res. Resilience.

Charisma was the attack stat, Resilience the defence. Heroes had tragically low Resilience, Oobleck had said as much. It was an unused Stat, mostly D's with the occasional C across the board. Cardin had even called it a dump stat, a worthless stat for NPC's.

But if it was the defence against the Noble Caste's Charisma, then I could see how they'd remained in control. The only ones with the Resilience to challenge them was the Labour Caste, who were not only kept so low a level that they couldn't develop it, but who could never fight their way past the Soldier and Hero Caste.

Until I came along and proved that it could be done. Someone with Hero Stats, Hero Levels, but a Resilience score high enough to fight off even the King of another country. I was the very proof of concept of their demise. Of the Caste System's demise. Because without balances, without limits and protections, any such system would fall to pieces.

If I could do it, how many others could do the same?

The Nobles weren't afraid of the Caste system being fractured, or of Labour Caste becoming Heroes. They were afraid of a new Caste entirely appearing, one that might have the influence and Stats to supplant them entirely.

And I was the first of that Caste.


A revelation I'm sure many others have made ages ago. I probably should have brought it in sooner, but it just fit better in the Book which looks AT the Noble Caste. I think what I really should have done was make it all much subtler, make it harder to figure out. I think having the reveal here is fine, but that the mistake was giving too much information before and making it too easy to realise.

Anyway, lessons learned. This chapter has more on Jaune's new Class, his Skills – which are all awkwardly gimped for some reason, and little bits of political scheming in the background. Also some of, though not all, of Ellayne's past.


The below is "just" for his Swordmaster Class. Stats are identical as Blacksmith, but the Skills, etc, are not. Note that, as mentioned in the chapter, Jaune's Skills have a subtly different "reality" to their description. As such, the base descriptions may not be accurate. This is intentional, naturally.


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Jaune Arc

Level 42 (+5)

Swordmaster

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Str: 141 (+24) (A)

Con: 110 (+19) (B)

Dex: 34 (+11) (C, formerly D)

Agi: 60 (+18) (B, formerly C)

Int: 65 (+10) (C)

Wis: 100 (+20) (B)

Cha: 19 (+3) (D)

Res: 168 (+32) (A)

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Passive Skill

-Blade Bond-

Increased Damage with sword dependent on length of time the exact sword has been used. More time, more damage. Less time, lowered damage.

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Known Active Skills

-Dividing Slash-

A cutting slash that parts the foe

-Disdainful Strike-

A blow to cut down or defend from attacks of an arcane nature

-Piercing Thrust-

A mighty thrust that pierces the foe's defences

-Part the Reeds-

Energy drawn into the blade extends forth to strike an enemy

-Heaven's Cutter–

An attack from above with the force to shatter solid rock

-Four Flowering Petals-

Four blows in quick succession from four different angles, defying an opponent's defences

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Flowery names for a purpose.


Next Chapter: 5th November

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