One night, a sound like a tree trunk snapping in half echoed across the darkened grounds of the Academy, as if a peal of thunder had started from the ground and not the sky. Few heard it and most of those who did hoped the thunder was a harbinger of some of some rain. Shortly afterwards, a crimson star burned low and small in the sky, surprising the nocturnal officials of the Astrology Research and Development Department. They scrambled to point their instruments at it while the usual excitable Seath-case curled up in the corner in the fetal position and cried about the rebirth of the gods or the dragons or the Old One of myth or possibly the sky falling.

Before they could properly look at it, however, it died, snuffed out as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving the sky as dark as ever.

Maria Campbell, smelling of smoke, sneaked happily back to her dorm, cradling money well spent, the sack she was carrying a little lighter.

This also led to the Astrologers of the academy getting into a pissing contest with the Astrologers in the capital, who were adamant no such star had appeared. This went on for a while…


With her increase in status, Maria didn't actually get a bigger room, since a knight was among the lowest of nobility, and this was the smallest room available already. She was told that she would be given quarters for her servants, stable space for her horses and parking for her carriage, but as she didn't have any that was mostly moot until she hired some. Huh, she should probably find some of those to take care of her mother, shouldn't she? Maybe Miss Shelley would have some recommendations.

Her laundry seemed to come back faster though.

Such considerations, however, were pushed from her mind as she soon had to make preparations for the school festival.

Lady Claes blinked. "We have a school festival?"

"Yes, Lady Claes. Please wipe your mouth," Maria said, and sighed as Lady Claes scrubbed at the crumbs on her face with the back of her hand. "No, with– thank you, Lord Claes." Her brother had just handed her a handkerchief with a sigh. "Lady Claes, if you do not start carrying your own handkerchief to deal with crumbs, I shall have to stop making sweet that cause crumbs."

Lady Claes blinked, then stared. "But… that's nearly all of them!"

"Unfortunate, but if crumbs are going to go everywhere…"

"N-no, don't'! I-I'm sure I have a handkerchief somewhere, I swear!"

Maria nodded. "How fortunate. As I was saying, in regards to the school festival, many have already petitioned to establish stands for products such as foods, crafts and games. There is also a request to organize an orchestral performance and petitions for, among other things, a ball and a play to feature members of the student council."

Maria furrowed her brow and looked up. "Lady Claes, please look at me and answer honestly. I promise I won't be annoyed. Was this school festival your idea?"

Lady Claes blinked. "Eh? I didn't even know there was one! Though, it sounds fun… but why are you asking me?"

"Because this proposal will have every noble in the school acting like commoners at the harvest festival, throwing every rule of propriety out the window and having students, many of them high nobility, acting as if they were tradesmen, merchants, common gleemen, cooks and serving folk, and will have the student council parading themselves about as actors," Maria said blandly. "So I have to wonder if this is a real thing the school actually does."

Prince Alan started laughing.

"Huh…" Lady Ascart said. "Now that you phrase it like that, it does sound like something Katarina would do…"

"But I didn't!" Lady Claes said. "No one told me! Hey! Why did no one tell me we'd be doing something this fun?"

Maria gave her an intent look, but seemed genuinely upset she hadn't been informed beforehand. Maria nodded, then sighed. "Well, regardless, expect a sudden increase in paperwork. We shall have to oversee preparations, approve or deny requests and proposals from students for ventures, and, if the petition reaches the threshold value, probably have to rehearse for a short theatrical presentation, like common actors." Mari actually scowled. "The petition specifically specifies the Student Council act it out. I don't see the point. If they want to see people acting unlike themselves and putting on an affected persona for their entertainment, they should just attend court and watch the courtiers begging for money."

Prince Alan laughed harder, and his brother joined him. Lady Hunt gave a grudging chuckle of agreement.

"Priorities!" Lady Ascart said, looking surprisingly intent. "Do they include a preferred story for the play?"

"There is no included preference in the petition," Maria said.

"Then can we do Justine, and the Fortunes of–"

"No!" nearly everyone else in the council said.

"You all have no taste! Most of you don't even know what it's about!"

"We can guess," Lady Cavendish said.

"This is all in addition to any other work individual council members will have to do in pursuit of their own ventures for the festival," Maria said. "To provide you enough time, the council will be dismissing early for the duration. Everyone is expected to continue to provide output of their usual standards."

"Ooh, I can set up a vegetable stand, my crops should be ripe for harvest by then!" Lady Claes said, eyes shining bright.

"Denied," Maria said flatly. "That would be unsuitable for the Academy." Then, because she looked crushed, Maria gently said, "Why don't you set up a food stand of some sort using them as ingredients? Perhaps you can make those fried potatoes the children enjoyed. "

Lady Claes' eyes lit up. "Ooh, yes! We planted a lot of potatoes, We can use them all so they don't go bad!"

"Please file your venture proposal as indicated," Maria said.


Keith Claes wasn't very close to Maria Campbell, for all they seemed to share the goal of teaching Katarina to curb her eccentricities now. The commoner– the knight, he corrected himself, still getting used to the fact– the knight was always a serious person who used to avoid Katarina and, as had been proven, seemed afraid that Katarina was trying to seduce her. Which was ironic considering that was the usual effect Katarina had on people, except she was never actually trying, and most people it happened to seemed to like it. Liked it too much, hex them.

Still, after the incident with Rafael, she'd apparently relaxed considerably and, while definitely not having been seduced– Keith knew the signs all too well– she was certainly far closer to Katarina now, treating her like an irresponsible younger sibling– something Keith also knew all too well. Even so, he would at best call their relationship an amiable acquaintanceship by a shared acquaintance. He was closer to Rafael than he was with her, and he had vivid memories of Rafael putting his most beloved person in a coma and coming at him with a sword.

He was admittedly still a little sore about that.

Still, as a once-commoner himself, when the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance had asked him to ask his father to support Maria's knighthood, he'd been willing to in the name of commoner-solidarity, especially when the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance had shown him the list of things they knew for sure she'd down. He'd been in at 'saved children'.

He sincerely doubted she knew he had done so, so he had to wonder why she had sent him an invitation for them to meet.

He only agreed because she was one of the few people he knew for sure wasn't about to confess to him or anything. Anyone who saw her soften around Rafael, which was like… well, the closest thing he could compare it to was seeing his mother go from a cold, distant duchess into a fluffy, clingy, swooning, lovestruck idiot when she private with father (barring some servants who were long used to it and Keith stopped thinking there because he was sure that at least once the servants hadn't left the room when mother and father had gotten amorous), but anway, anyone who saw her with Rafael would know in an instant she was smitten, even if she was sometimes strange showing her affection.

So he showed, safe in the knowledge there would be no danger of anyone's dishonor, and safer when he found that the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance and their brother Alan had been invited as well. They all shared the semi friendly, semi-wary nods of friends-but-rivals as their host nodded to them. They were meeting in one of the library reading rooms, as this was apparently not Student Council business.

"Your highnesses, your lordship," she said in greeting, and bowed instead of curtsying. Which made sense, as she still wore one of her trousered ensembles, but at least she had shifted from a commoner bow to a courtly bow. For a born commoner, she knew proper protocol better than anyone Keith had ever met, except his own mother. "I greet you and thank you for accepting my most humble invitation. I regret having no refreshments to offer you, as food is forbidden in the library."

"So, that propriety polearm just lodged itself in completely, huh?" Alan said, making himself comfortable in a chair.

Maria tilted her head to show she had heard but otherwise didn't acknowledge the comment. "I shall be swift, as this is meant as an introduction and prologue. I wish to invite you to my new estate, such as it is, for a demonstration of practical applied alchemy, and how it may be used for an entertaining demonstration upon the occasion of the school festival. Should you find it of interest, I would like to invite you to join me in a venture that will create an artistic presentation on that day."

"Applied alchemy?" the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said, sounding vaguely interested. "I'll admit, I'm intrigued. You've come up with many interesting ideas, Lady Campbell, so if you say this is going to be entertaining, I will take your word for it."

"How does it rate on a scale of purple flame candles?" Alan said, sounding completely serious.

She took a moment to consider it. "At least three times better than the candles," Maria said.

"It's not just three candles stuck together, is it?" Alan asked suspiciously.

"No," Maria said.

"Will it cause me paperwork?" Alan said, still serious.

"Probably not for a few months," Maria said.

"You already know it's going to cause paperwork," Keith said. He eyed the door.

"Proper transfer of valuable assets requires correct documentation to be legally recognized," Maria said.

Keith stopped eyeing the door.

"Oh, the fun kind of paperwork," Alan said, only slightly sarcastically. "Well, all right. I'll take a look at… whatever it is. It's not some way to turn lead into Titanite, is it? You haven't gotten scammed already, have you?"

"Why would I turn lead into Titanite?" Maria said.

"A pity," the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said. "It's always amusing watching them try to convince me I should part with my money for a cheap trick."

"I would not insult you like that, your highness," Maria said. "If I wished to part you with your money, I would do so with an expensive trick."

"Oh? How interesting." the ADVERSARY And Enemy Of The Alliance said. "How expensive would such a trick be, for reference?"

"It would be in the coin of greatest value to the realm," Maria said. "Lives and power."

There was a pause.

"Sounds about right," Alan said. His brother nodded.

"Are you sure you used to be a commoner?" Keith said. She reminded him so much of his mother right now…