The Witch Returns

Asher slept like the dead after everything. He end up waking up late. "Man, my legs are sore." Asher struggled on to his feet. "I need to clean up the store before Cynthia gets home." He spent the remainder of the morning clean up the store. After about two hours, there was a ringing from Asher's license. After checking, it was Henry.

"Hello." Asher answered. "Henry, is something wrong?"

"Hello, Young Master. I thought I would report to you something that has been happening lately involving your stepmother and twin." Henry stated.

"If your calling me over this, I am afraid of what you are going to tell me. It most be something bad. I assume it has something to do with my succession of the dukedom." Asher stated.

Henry sighed. "You are preceptive as always Young Master. The mistress has been petition the aristocrats to replace you with your brother on the grounds that you are too sick to be an effective duke."

"You are kidding." Asher scratch his chin. "I did think she would actually do it." The aristocracy were effectively the noble branch families. Only the eldest children of nobles would inherit a noble title, land, and political power that came from that. The other children would be given a monetary sum that was set aside for them and set on their way.

A ten year old when through their public debut and is consider a young adult. However they are consider a full adult at the age of 16. For the second-born, this would be the age they lost their title of noble. They would still have secession rights, but only in cases that the main family was wiped out.

Asher was had little trouble believe that the aristocracy was the reason children were hidden for so long. Being forced out of their home for being second-born most have made most of them hate the first born and the main family. "They couldn't do anything could they. The aristocrats can not affect succession can they?"

"Normally yes, but your stepmother is a calculated woman." Henry said. "In this country, there are three main faction: The military which is controlled by the government i.e. the nobles, the merchant guild that controls the distribution and production of products, and the aristocracy which has the largest purchasing power. Even if the aristocrats don't have any formal political power like the nobles if enough call into question you're ability to be an effective Noble then they could call for a change in secession."

"Has this trick ever actually worked?" Asher asked.

"Only a few times. Usually their has to be a major scandal for it to actual happen, and right now she is using the rumor that you have mana sickness to say you are to frail handle the duties of a noble." Henry explained.

"And let me guess she is saying that Jude is more than capable than me." Asher asked.

"Yes. I believe that the aristocrats are more likely to support her." Henry stated bluntly.

"That makes sense Jude will own them a favor for putting him into the position, but you won't be telling me this if you there wasn't something else to it." Asher clicked his tongue.

"Yes. It has been well document that some of the aristocrats are not above assassination attempts. Right now there is no one who has noticed your disappearance and we have to keep it that way. I believe that right now you are safer than you would be here at the manor." Henry explained. "For now, do not come back to the manor. I will let you know how the situations develop."

"I see. Let me know if there is anything else happens." Asher told Henry. "And make sure no one notices I am gone."

"Yes Young Master." Henry hung up.

Asher continued his cleaning. "This is a mess. Now that hag decides to make a move. Damn bitch. I knew she wouldn't keep quiet, but now. She wasted no time I will give her that." His hand clinched in a fist tighter and tighter till blood began to trickle down his hand as his nails dug into his palm. Rage filled him over and over like sinking in to an ocean of hate.

He sunk deep and deeper. Twisted claws wrapped around him as the faceless monster inched closer and closer. It threatened to consume him. Its whispering voice filled the air, "No pain. No pain. No pain."

Asher was snapped out of his spiral by a knocking at the store door. Asher looked around confused before realizing he was still in the store. "Who is knocking?" Asher went and open the door. "Sorry we are clos...." Asher was mean with something soft and smothering him.

Cynthia jumped on him and press against her chest. "Oh my precious student. How I missed you this past week. I have been so lonely with out my lovely student."

Asher struggled and pulled him from the vice grip and finally able to breathe. "If you don't let me do, then you're not going to have a student."

"Oh come on. You're so mean. It has been so long since I have been able to see my darling student." Cynthia moaned. "I even made you that special grimoire for your core formation."

"And that's another thing. Why did you make it so flowery? I mean you said it was something to be taken seriously." Asher shouted.

"Oh come on I thought it would brighten your day." Cynthia retorted with a smile. She booped Asher on the nose.

"Do you take anything seriously?" Asher asked.

"Nope," Cynthia flatly replied

"Well at least you admit it." Asher sighed.

"I am glad to see that you managed to form your core. I am so proud. To think it has only been a month since you started." Cynthia laughed happily. "Now for your other assignments"

Asher pulled out a the potion and handed it to Cynthia. "Oh what is this? This is liquid heat. What are you planning on doing with this." She pulled of the top and sniffed the contents. "Seems well made for a first attempt. I would say 30... No 25% efficiency."

"Efficiency?" Asher questioned.

"It is a measure of how effective the potion is, and how well it is mixed. Most potions need a 40% efficiency to be considered a good potion." She picked out a beaker. "This is a device how we measure efficiency." Asher watch carefully as she dropped a drop of the potion into the beaker. The drop vaporized and filled the beaker with red smoke. "Now look on the side. These marker tell us the efficiency." Asher looked at the top of the smoke stop just under the 25 marker. "Looks like it is 24%. Not bad for a first time."

"So the higher the potion efficiency. The more powerful the potion?" Asher asked.

"Correct. 100% efficiency is the highest and would be considered a treasure." Cynthia explained. "A 100% effective health potion could save some one from fatal injuries, or you could downgrade it."

"Downgrade?" Asher asked.

"Taking a highly effective potion and diluting it to mass produce weaker potions. It is common practice in the medical field, especially with health potion." Cynthia explained.

"I don't know giving up a potion that could save someone from fatal injuries. Seems stupid to me."

"Yeah until you learn one 100% health potion can be downgraded into forty 40% potions." Cynthia explained.

"I see so rather than focus on the effectiveness they mass produce weak potions because fatal injuries are not as common?" Asher scratch his chin as he thought it over.

"You got it. This potion would not be consider good because the effectiveness is too low, but as a novice mage it is to be expected." Cynthia stated.

"Novice? That's because I just formed my core, right?"

"You don't know about tiers." Cynthia exclaimed. "I figured you would already know about them."

"I know a little."

"The tiers, or aetheric tiers, refer to how much mana can be stored in the body at once. The higher the tier, the more mana, the more powerful spells they can use. They are divided into three domains: Earth, Heaven, and transcendent. The first domain is Earth, and it is divided into three tiers: Novice, intermediate, and Advanced. 90% of the world's population never leave this domain."

"90%? Are you sure that is not an over estimation?"

"No. Most of the people in this town are intermediate at most with a few advanced sprinkled in. It comes down the fact that advancing in hard and time consuming. Most people will choose to lead simple lives rather deal with the hassle."

"I see. So I am currently the bottom rung of the tier system."

"Yes. The next level is Heaven unlike earth it has four tiers: Knight, King, Saint, and Emperor." Cynthia continue.

"Wait if knight is in the heaven domain then that slime..." Asher thought.

"It should have killed you, but these tier ranking only tell the mana that can be stored in the body. Not the skill the user has. Slimes are unintelligent as a species. The react on blind instinct. It would be hard but it is not impossible for someone to be a knight slime provided they are smart about it. Don't let it go to your head though. Most monster can just overpower you, and some are much smart and trickier than you. You got lucky."

"I see.." Asher thought back to the fight with the knight slime. He already knew he was lucky as it had almost killed him but to say it was that much more powerful.

"The final domain is transcendent and it has three levels: mythical, divine, and cosmic. I can count on one hand the number of people who have reach divine in all of history, and even less have made it to cosmic. This is also the domain you need to reach to join the Grand Sorcery Commission."

"The Grand Sorcery Commission?" Asher explained in shock.

"Yep. Along time ago, the Sorcery Commission was supposed to be a intermediary between nations. Now it is just a way for the nations to show what muscle they can flex. Every seat on the Commission is at least a Mythical level mage, and I think one or two might be a divine." Cynthia explained. "They get practical nothing done because the nations are wary of each other. Anyway those are all the tiers. They are used to describe people and monsters based on how strong their cores are."

Asher nodded as he jotted down what Cynthia said. "I see. Then what tier are you?"

Cynthia smiled and put up her finger to his soft lips. "That's a secret.."

Asher looked at her in disappointment. "That is not cute."

"I will have you know I am very cute." Cynthia scoffed.

"Yeah.... Right..." Asher sighed.

"Now you learned in incantation right." Cynthia clapped her hand together to signal the change in subject.

Asher took a stance with his feet firmly on the ground. He took a deep breath. 'Picture it clearly every detail.' He took a deep breath before beginning his chant:

I call upon the daydreams and nightmares alike

I command you feast on my power

And come forth from that place of dream

Manifest thyself into this world under my command

Let all bare witness to the march of the funeral band.

Bring it forth in this place.

Let the world distort to my vision.

"Fantasia." A dark ripple moved outward from Asher that coated the entire store. The room change from the dust old store. To an open field full of flowers.

"Oh wow," Cynthia's eyes grew wide in wonder as she looked over the flowers. " A mass illusion incantation, and it is so detailed." Cynthia knelt near one of the floors to see a ladybug crawling along the petals. "Full marks."

Asher let go of the spell causing the scene to disappear. Fantasia was a massive illusion need over 200 MP to use. It was the most powerful spell he had. The spell can stealthily cast and it trapped the target in a realistic illusion. If Asher uses it, he can even hid behind the illusion to disappear.

Since illusions can only be broken if they can recognize the entire illusion and few people will suspect the size of this spell, they will be looking for Asher and realize they are standing in the illusion.

"Thank you," Asher said. "I do have a question."

"Oh and what is that?" Cynthia asked cheerfully.

"I want to know about dungeons."

Cynthia smile disappeared and her lips became crease across her face. "Why do you want to know about those?"