And just like that, he had taken the first step in his long journey to master magic. Just standing in the enormously spacious campus of the Elendir Institute of Magic gave him chills of anticipation.
The extravagant, vast buildings brimmed with more magical energy than Cæ had ever felt in his entire life. It tingled on his skin, sending shivers down his spine.
The infrastructure itself was a series of artifacts and enchanted items created by some of the most powerful civil artificers and enchanters in the entire nation. These measures strengthened not just the security but offered a wide variety of magical effects and utilities that aided with the objective of producing knowledgeable and competent mages.
"Please, come this way." Executive Neiman's tone was polite. "We can guide you with a tour around our campus another day, but for now, let us discuss the important matters first."
"Of course." To Cæ, a tour was hardly as interesting as coming to an understanding of the arrangements of his education and training at the Elendir Institute of Magic.
As he traveled across the campus, he caught glimpses of many students and apprentice mages.
Some were simply reading in the sprawling gardens.
Others were practicing magic in authorized magical spaces.
Many simply flew about the campus in what Cæ saw as magical frolicking.
He couldn't even blame them.
Many of them were still excitable adolescents, after all. The notion of flying freely in the sky was extremely thrilling to any normal person, let alone teenagers with sparkles in their eyes.
Cæ would be lying if he said he wasn't eager to learn how to fly. Although he had lightly hovered above ground in his exploration over the limits of magic, he had not truly attempted to fly.
For one, it would attract too much attention.
Nobody would miss a flying person in the sky, especially in the densely populated Colohen Slums.
Additionally, it was too risky.
If he messed up, he could potentially die.
He was not arrogant enough to believe that he could do no wrong just because he had been blessed with the extraordinarily powerful and rare gift of pure magic.
Eventually, they entered the main building at the very center of the vast campus. Executive Neiman led Cæ into his personal office before gesturing at the luxurious sofas in the center of the room.
"Please, Mr. Cæ, have a seat."
"Thank you."
As they settled themselves, maids placed cups of hot tea before them.
"Now then, Mr. Cæ," Executive Neiman began after having a sip of his tea. "Allow me to reaffirm, we are most impressed by your magical aptitude, and would like to offer you a sincere invitation to join our magicademy. May I confirm your interest in accepting our offer should it suit your needs?"
"Most certainly," Cæ replied with a composed tone. "My goal is to master magic. As long as the Elendir Institute of Magic is the best path to it—as it surely is—then I'm more than eager to join this magicademy."
"Mastering magic is indeed an admirable ambition." Executive Neiman nodded with a hint of approval. "Rest assured, our magicademy is certainly the most optimal path to that goal. With your aptitude, you are brimming with potential that only our institute is equipped to help you fully manifest and realize. In your particular case, it has come to my attention that you do not possess a background in magic that I would expect of someone of your age and magical aptitude. This is indeed highly unusual, but not unheard of. However, it also means that you will have to start at the basics with our Apprentice Program."
"I am aware that I will have to start from scratch," Cæ explained. "I am also aware that this is highly unusual for someone of my age. If you must know, I have spent most of my life in… impoverished districts. And thus, my exposure to society and civilization was warped and limited. Thus, I did not take a magical aptitude test at sixteen. It is unfortunate that I didn't; my life would have been different had I learned of magical aptitude."
"Your circumstances and background are indeed unfortunate," Executive Neiman said sympathetically. "Rest assured that this will not impede your studentship or your scholarship in any way. While other magicademies are imperfect and flawed in this regard, at the Elendir Institute of Magic, the only thing that matters…"
His smile grew reassuring. "Is merit. Of which you have plenty."
"That is indeed a relief to hear, Mr. Neiman." Cæ nodded. "I have experienced… less than welcome reactions and treatment in my life when people learn of my background. Putting aside my fellow students, I'm pleased to hear that the Elendir Institute of Magic prioritizes merit."
"We are strictly meritocratic in our system and staff," Executive Neiman confidently reaffirmed. "Now, having confirmed that you will be entering the Apprentice Program, let us talk about the fees of our education."
Cæ smiled helplessly. "I did read the amount specified for each year of the Apprentice Program… I'm afraid I don't have the magicapita to fund my own education."
"Please do not concern yourself with the fees, Mr. Cæ." Executive Neiman was eager to dispel his doubts. "We have commission-contract scholarship schemes precisely to ensure that those with merit and aptitude may gain the opportunities they deserve. With the talent you have demonstrated, we will grant you a scholarship covering any and all expenses you may have that are academic or academic-adjacent. It will also cover, within a certain limit, any other discretionary spending that you deem necessary."
Cæ's eyes lit up at his words.
This was exactly what he had been aiming for and expecting. This was why he knew he could viably aim for the top magicademy in the entire nation without having to worry about the mind-boggling entry fees.
"A decade-long contract of magical labor, in accordance with magical labor laws of course, will be the bond of the scholarship after you graduate," Executive Neiman helpfully explained. "You will be contracted to one of the many investors, patrons, beneficiaries, and donors of our prestigious institute. If you are worried about being forced into magical labor that you are unwilling to, then rest assured that you are able to choose one of the many stakeholders of our great magicademy whose donations will fund your education. You will also be entitled to some say on the nature of the magical labor you will be expected to complete based on your specializations and so on and so forth."
Cæ nodded with deep enthusiasm. "Perfect."
This was exactly why he had sought the Elendir Institute of Magic in addition to its quality of magical education and training.
By the time his candidature ended, he would have more flexibility and actual choice to pick which power bloc and interest group he wanted to be contracted to.
"Additionally, you can also choose to be contracted with the Elendir Institute of Magic itself."
Cæ's eyes lit up with interest. "I can complete a decade of labor at the behest of the institute itself?"
"Precisely." The executive nodded. "Usually, this sometimes happens with the most desirable graduates, those that have performed tremendously well and are likely to go on to become Archmages. Getting their hands on a potential master mage is an extraordinarily juicy opportunity. The demand for the very top graduates is high enough that they can get away with being contracted to the university itself. They are thus not beholden to any single stakeholder. By contracting with our institute, we can essentially serve as a broker between you and our stakeholders. It maximizes exposure to many more parties than exclusively contracting with one of them."
"I see…" Cæ tried to hide his growing interest. "This way they can maintain autonomy and independence."
"Indeed. Of course, not all top graduates choose this route. There is also merit in going exclusive. You can extract more benefits from one party if you exclusively contract with them," Executive Neiman continued patiently. "Regardless, there are plenty of options and you hardly need to make a decision immediately. This is relevant only after you graduate from the Apprentice Program or, more likely, the Senior Program."
"That is true," Cæ replied. "Still, I was not aware of the possibility that you mentioned just now. That does sound more attractive to me…"
If he went for this option, then it meant he wouldn't have to choose among the four broader groups of corporations, the wealthy, the Mage Association, and the government.
He could have access to all of them without being beholden to any of them. His income would be less, but he had already long dismissed labor income as a desirable form of income.
"You can pore over it more extensively after you have joined our magicademy," Executive Neiman went on affably. "Another pertinent point to be aware of is that as a scholarship student, you will be expected to undertake some magical labor after you complete the Apprentice Program."
Cæ frowned. "Does that apply even if I join the Senior Program in the same magicademy?"
"The scholarship programs for the Apprentice Program and the Senior Program are separate," Executive Neiman replied. "And, naturally, the scholarship labor contracts are also separate. If you succeed in getting into our Senior program, then a delay may be permitted, but, generally, it is recommended to commence the fulfillment of some of your indebted labor prior to leaving the Elendir Institute of Magic."
"Hmmm…" Cæ fell into thought. "I see. Well even that is a matter for the future. There is no point in making a decision this early when I haven't even started my day in the Elendir Institute of Magic."
"That's true." Executive Neiman smiled. "Frankly, there isn't too much that demands your immediate attention and thought since you are entering the Apprentice Program. Most of the curriculums are mandatory and focus on the fundamentals of magic. It will be quite some time before you will run into an elective where you must make choices and choose a path forward within the vast and diverse fields of magic. Until then, you will be following a relatively fixed path and your most important priority will be to ensure that you are able to keep up."
Cæ nodded. "I understand. I think I have gained preliminary clarity of my time in the Elendir Institute of Magic. I'm sure that I can cover the details in my own personal time. However, I must ask because this wasn't something that I was able to find in my research on the maginet: how flexible is the Institute when it comes to extra-academic activities? Specifically, will the Elendir Institute of Magic allow the simultaneous pursuit of cultivation outside?"
"Of course it does." The Executive smiled. "Cultivation goes hand in hand with magic. You need to cultivate magicapita, which means you need income. The Elendir Institute of Magic also serves as a broker in the market for magic, allowing you to earn income from commission for your magical services."
"Ah… I don't mean income from magical labor," Cæ explained. "I was referring to entrepreneurial commercial ventures."
"…I can't say I have ever heard of a student pursuing business," Executive Neiman confessed. "Regardless, the institute merely demands a high attendance rate for mandatory courses and that your examination and test results remain above a certain mark. As long as you fulfill those conditions, you are entirely free to pursue any other activities in your spare time, including any and all business ventures."
A smile cracked at the edge of Cæ's mouth.
"Thank you, that was exactly what I was hoping to hear."
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