Chapter 30: Elemental Dissipation

Chapter 30: Elemental Dissipation

Mars cut his steak with deliberate slowness, then paused and said, "By the way, Xazo, don't forget the welcome banquet tonight. I'll come find you at the library before dinner."

"Is the banquet also performed by elemental servants?" Xazo asked with a wry smile.

"Ah, yes, it is."

Mars shoved a piece of beef into his mouth, then frowned, realizing the issue: the other boy’s spiritual ocean had not been developed enough to perceive elemental servants. The banquet would be quite boring for him.

"Can I skip it? I’d like to stay in the library and keep reading," Xazo asked.

Mars nodded, swallowed the beef, and replied, "Of course. As long as you don't violate Deem’s 'Castle Code,' it’s fine. He hasn't listed the banquet as a mandatory event."

A burst of laughter erupted from the entrance of the dining hall, sounding particularly jarring in the quiet environment and drawing the gazes of many freshmen.

Xazo looked toward the source of the noise. It was three bloated figures, their faces sagging with so much fat that their features were obscured. They looked strikingly similar, equally obese, and were clearly brothers. Their brown hair was twisted like the tentacles of an octopus, and their eyes and noses appeared tiny against their fleshy faces—especially their eyes, which were embedded in the mounds of fat like two green peas.

The dining hall was a place for eating, playing chess, and cards; while noise wasn't strictly forbidden, most people conversed in hushed tones, unlike these three who spoke with unrestrained volume.

Xazo noticed they were senior students. Their standard-issue robes were similar to Mars', featuring colored patterns on the cuffs and collars. These were symbols of having completed the alchemy branch tests.

Toxicology alchemy was purple, pharmaceutical alchemy was green, and oil and oddity alchemy were blue and red, respectively. Their robes bore one purple stripe, two green, two blue, and one red, corresponding to an entry-level toxicologist, a proficient-level pharmacist, a proficient-level oil alchemist, and an entry-level oddity alchemist.

Mars, meanwhile, was at the proficient level in everything except oddity alchemy, where he was only entry-level. Students who possessed two proficient-level alchemies were known as senior students. Those with only one were intermediate students, and those with only entry-level skills were junior students. Someone like Xazo, who lacked even an entry-level alchemy skill, was classified as a freshman.

According to *Introduction to Meditation*, once all four branches of alchemy reached the proficient level, one could attempt to practice the most basic form of meditation.

"Who are they?" Xazo asked, withdrawing his gaze.

Mars’ mouth twitched, and a flash of disgust crossed his face. "The Richie brothers."

Richie... Xazo turned the name over in his mind. The name of the Starry Night Kingdom’s Minister of Finance was Richie. Quite impressive, to give birth to triplets who all possessed innate affinity.

"You don't seem to like them very much?" Xazo observed, glancing again at the trio’s boorish behavior.

Mars popped a piece of beef rib into his mouth, chewed it with a crunching sound, and said, "Indeed. And it has nothing to do with their background; after all, once you become a mage, worldly power is less significant. I simply despise their conduct and behavior."

Seeing that Xazo remained puzzled, Mars continued, "Do you have Deem’s 'Castle Code' with you? You might want to check what Article 15 says."

Xazo pondered for a second before reciting fluently: "[There are no elemental servants of mine within your dormitories; this is your private space within the school.]"

Mars blinked in surprise, forgetting to chew for a moment. "You’ve already memorized it?"

Xazo shrugged and nodded.

"Pfft." Mars spat the beef rib onto his plate. "There are no elemental servants of Deem’s in the dorms, but there might be those belonging to others."

Xazo’s fingers tightened on his knife and fork until they turned white. Senior students who enjoyed peeping were truly difficult to deal with; this was an unexpected complication.

"But... Mars..." Xazo checked the Richie brothers' robes again, confirming they only had one red stripe. "Can an entry-level oddity alchemist create elemental servants?"

"It’s a bit difficult. However..." Mars pressed his index and middle fingers together, rubbing them with his thumb in a gesture understood the world over.

So, it was a matter of "money power."

"Is there any way to detect elemental servants?" Xazo shifted uneasily, finding a more comfortable sitting position.

"Don't worry, they won't come to look at you. Who would want to see a guy with his backside bare? The Richie brothers are only interested in girls." Mars looked displeased. "They’ve never succeeded, though. Every time Deem catches their elemental servants, he destroys them on the spot. But they just keep using piles of gold coins to buy new ones from outside the castle."

Xazo scanned the surrounding tables; many of the new girls seemed completely unaware of the Richie brothers' voyeuristic tendencies.

Mars, sensing his thoughts, tapped his soup bowl with his fork to draw Xazo’s attention. "I checked in front of their dormitory before I came here. Deem has arranged six or seven elemental servants to patrol there. Right now, they each have an elemental servant trailing them at all times. The Richie brothers can't bypass Deem’s surveillance."

Xazo let out a sigh of relief. "Will the academy expel students like that? I mean, without considering their background or personal talent?"

"They would be expelled, and their memories of the academy would be forcibly erased by Headmistress Beatrice herself." Mars’ tone turned indignant. "However, the Richie brothers have a perfect excuse for why their elemental servants might appear in the corridors of the girls' dormitory."

Xazo leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "What excuse?"

Mars scraped some meat off his fork with a knife and said with a helpless tone, "Elemental Dissipation. It’s part of the senior-level curriculum. When you’re as close to practicing meditation as I am, your mentor, Kulov, will tell you about it."

Just as Mars was about to cut another piece of steak, he noticed Xazo still looked like he wanted to press for more, so he set down his cutlery and interlaced his fingers. "Fine. I’ll explain it briefly."

"After taming wild elements through meditation, they transform into docile elements that live in our spiritual ocean. That much is in the *Introduction to Meditation*."

"Mm-hmm," Xazo nodded, signaling him to continue.

Mars spread his hands. "But you must understand, our emotions and mental states are constantly changing. Sometimes you’re tired, sometimes happy or sad. In short, your emotional state affects your spiritual ocean."

"When a docile element feels your spiritual ocean is in a terrible state, it will sneak away when you’re not paying attention and revert to a wild element. This is what we call Elemental Dissipation."

"Elements have consciousness? They have their own preferences?" Xazo asked in astonishment.

Mars shook his head. "No consciousness, no preferences. Only suitability. Everyone’s spiritual ocean has a unique structure, suitable only for specific forms of elements."

"That’s why we learn alchemy. It’s a skill that cultivates elemental affinity much faster and more efficiently than painting or blowing into furnaces. Whether innate or acquired, as long as there is elemental affinity, it helps you identify the wild elements suited to you, minimizing the possibility of elemental dissipation."

"So that’s the principle..." Xazo leaned back, appearing to grasp the concept.

Mars pointed toward the kitchen. "Elemental servants are the product of the Elemental Embodiment discipline. They require constant maintenance to stabilize the internal patterns. It’s a standard assignment in that class."

"Otherwise, like docile elements, they’ll drift from their posts when we aren't looking and wander around—which is also a form of Elemental Dissipation."

"The Richie brothers use this as their excuse. They arrange for lookouts, and the moment they receive word that Deem is coming, they sever their connection to the elemental servant, forcing it into a state of dissipation. The abandoned servant carries the brothers' spiritual imprint, but there is no evidence to prove that it was under control rather than in a state of dissipation before it entered the girls' dormitory corridor."

Mars took a sip of his soup. "It’s gotten a bit cold." He rang a bell, calling an elemental servant to take their vegetable soup away to be reheated.

Though Xazo didn't know the specifics of the operation, just hearing Mars’ description made it clear that such matters were difficult to prosecute. The principle of "innocent until proven guilty" applied to school rules and the "Castle Code" alike—not to mention the Richie brothers had a powerful father in the secular world.

He just hoped no girls would fall victim to them.