It was difficult, but Maria was able to submit all her schoolwork the next day. She had difficulty walking straight and had to regularly use light magic to clear her head the next day, but she did it.

She was also able to do her part for that day's paperwork. She wasn't sure how, as that part was a little foggy in her memory, but it likely wasn't while she was unconscious, no matter what anyone said that she'd been writing in her sleep even as her head lolled and she snored. She was a hunter. Hunters didn't snore, or they'd be killed by beasts who heard them while they were sleeping standing up.

A good night's sleep had her feeling refreshed again, though still feeling tired, but a good breakfast fixed that. It occurred to Maria she'd been eating poorly the past two weeks as she was absent, skipping lunch and sometimes dinner. In hindsight, that probably contributed to her mounting exhaustion. There was only so much Light Magic could do without the raw materials of the body, after all.

The day after that, she had proceeded to bake the cookies Maria owed Katarina for her assistance. Given the amount, she'd opted to buy her own ingredients instead of using the school kitchen's.

Even Katarina had stared in astonishment at the huge cooking pot filled with cookies that Maria had presented to Katarina. "I… don't think I can finish that," Katarina said, not seeming able to believe the words coming out of her mouth, to gasps of astonishment.

It had taken her until noon the next day, bringing baskets of cookies to snack on in class while the professors pretended they saw and smelled nothing. Maria had agreed to make smaller payments in future.

With the return to the academy, Maria found she was woefully behind on the material, and she worked diligently to catch up while hoping this sudden infusion of knowledge didn't drive her mad and start trying to figure out the secrets of the universe. Fortunately, practical lessons was no problem. After all, absent a wielder of Dark Magic, Light Magic did precisely one thing, and it was not to generate visible light. Oh, there were rumors and stories about their being lost knowledge about other ways to use Light Magic, but that was clearly in the same silliness as the mythical magics of sorcery, hexes, pyromancy (unless that was just an early for of Fire Magic), miracles, the dark flame, painted worlds, soul crystals, the creation of living creatures from combining two or more beings and golems made of things other than dirt that could function independently of their creator.

Maria spent the time during practical lessons catching up with the theoretical coursework. She also finally had time to read and answer the letters from her mother as well. She'd been too busy to write recently and all her mail had been going to the Academy, so this was her first opportunity to read them. The first thing she did was write a brief summary of what she'd been doing that had prevented her from corresponding with her mother.

Afterwards she reread and concluded that she clearly hadn't been properly planning anything. She had probably needless wasted a lot of money with her foolishness. She decided not to include that, lest her mother be appalled at the lack of fiscal sense her daughter had showed.

Maria also started receiving short reports from Rafael about what was being done. The outhouses had finished early, and he had taken the liberty of designating room in the manor for her exclusive future use, with the assurance it was NOT that woman's. The rescuees where mostly staying out of the way of the people Rafael already managed to hire and where mostly leaving the manor at night. Rafael had arranged torches and lanterns for light for them, and kept an eye on them from his window. Fortunately, they were all at breakfast in the morning, but he seemed quite worried they might run away.

Maria told him to prepare supplies for anyone who wanted to run away and leave it where they could find it.


"It's disgusting it took you only three days to catch up on all the paperwork," Lady Hunt said, actually looking disgusted at the reduced pile of paperwork on Maria's desk.

"Well, Lady Claes is still finishing off her cookies, so I didn't need to bake anything," Maria said, putting down her pen and calling eldritch light to her hand to relieve the pain.

Everyone else put down their pens and raised their writing hands, looking at her pleadingly.

"Ah, I see. You all just wanted me back for my Light Magic, didn't you," Maria said blandly.

"Yes," Lady Ascart, Lady Hunt, Lord Claes, and the Third Prince all said blandly.

"I have ice, I'm fine," Prince Alan said, raising his hand that was encased in a thin layer of ice that wasn't melting. "I'll take some if you're offering though."

Such a pity Prince Alan seemed to have no interested in claiming the throne. At least Prince Ian was as sensible.


Rafael realized he probably hadn't thought this 'helping his girlfriend' thing through.

The people best suited to working at the manor were the ones who'd already worked there. He himself had recommended his old valet.

It just sort of slipped his mind that Rafael Walt was supposed to be… well, not Sirius Dieke. And that everyone who'd worked at the manor would, of course, know what Sirius Dieke looked like.

Fortunately, there was a solution!

"Rafael, Chiharu-chan is asking if we have any rice. I told them no, but I was wondering if the cooks knows how to cook wheat noodles in broth?" Katarina said, pulling a cookie from the basket she was carrying and munching on it.

"I think they do," Rafael said, his voice reverberating. "I'll tell them, although it might need to be for tomorrow."

"Thanks Rafael!" Katarina said, pulling out another cookie.

"You know, you don't need to finish them all off right away," Rafael said.

"But if I don't they'll go bad!" Katarina said. "And I don't want to ruin the children's dinner!"

"You could leave them some for after dinner," Rafael said.

Katarina brightened. "Ooh, that's right! I'll leave them the other basket in the carriage!"

Rafael facepalmed. There was an echoing ring.

"Rafael, can I ask you something?" Katarina said as she reached into her basket.

"Sure," Rafael said.

"Why are you wearing that helmet?" Katarina asked guilessly, as she munched on another cookie. "And can you even see? I mean, it doesn't even have any eye holes."

"I can see just fine," Rafael said. And he could. The helmet designs from the time of myths were amazing like that. "Um, I'm sort of trying to not be recognized by the people who knew me as Sirius Dieke."

"Ah," Katarina said, nodding. She reached for another cookie. "Wouldn't a pair of glasses and a hat do though? That's what I do when I'm trying not to be recognized. "

"I… don't think that covers up enough of my face to work," Rafael said.

"Well, I'll take your word for it," Katarina said. "Cookie?"

"Sure," Rafael said, enjoying the wonderful Maria cookie.

Wonderful things, helmet designs from the time of myth. You can eat or drink anything without taking them off! Very convenient.

The children kept throwing rocks at the back of his head to make it ring, though.