Chương 24: B1 - Chapter 23: Becoming a Noble

Zeke arrived at the location where he was supposed to meet Maximilian. It was an old mansion, nestled among the trees on the academy grounds. He hadn't known that such a secluded place existed on campus. The building appeared ancient, with peeling paint and an almost dilapidated roof. It seemed to be embroiled in a losing battle with the surrounding fauna. The architecture was definitely out of place among the modern buildings of the academy. Zeke hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had the right location.

But his doubts were laid to rest when he found the plaque at the gate.

'Ehrengarde — von Hohenheim residence', it read. He squared his shoulders and approached the front door, the echo of his footfalls the only noise disturbing the quiet. As he reached out to knock, the door swung open a fraction. Zeke peeked through the crack, his nerves jangling.

"Hello?" he called out tentatively.

"Is anybody here?" Even after waiting for a long moment, there was no reply. Zeke stepped inside and was immediately amazed by what he found. The interior was clean and tastefully decorated. Even though most of the furniture was covered by white sheets, the few pieces that had been unveiled, managed to take his breath away. Elegant furnishings and intricate carvings adorned every last one of them. The decor didn't look ostentatious but rather exuded a sense of quality and refinement.

Zeke couldn't help but feel awed as he looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of his lavish surroundings. But even after the boy awoke from his trance a while later, Maximilian was still nowhere to be found. Zeke scanned the room, trying to get a clue on where the nobleman might be. As he looked around, he noticed a number of magical contraptions scattered about. Some were glowing softly, while others were humming with energy.

Zeke couldn't determine the purpose of any of them, but he had a feeling they played a crucial role in whatever it was Maximilian was up to. Zeke approached a strange construct that appeared to be some type of harness. He picked the contraption up to study it more closely. The bundle of straps and loops seemed to be designed to fit a human's torso, but no matter how hard he tried, Zeke couldn't determine its purpose.

The only hint he found was a round metallic disc that seemed to be located at the spot where the heart would be.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" a voice called out from behind him. The boy was so startled that he dropped the harness as he spun around. There, Maximilian stood, only a couple of steps away. Zeke had not noticed the man's approach at all. The old man's eyes were sharp as he took in the boy's guilty expression.

"Snooping around, are we?" he asked.

"No, sir, absolutely not!" Zeke protested.

"I was looking for you when I found this… thing. I was merely curious as to its purpose, that's all." A chuckle escaped the old man as he watched Zeke squirm.

"Calm down, boy," he said.

"I know that you were just curious." Zeke stayed silent as the man approached, his heart racing. He had made his decision, and now it was time to see if the old man would follow through on his offer.

"Soooo?" Maximilian asked.

"Why have you come to see me?" Zeke took a deep breath and spoke up in a firm tone.

"I've come to accept your offer, Maximilian. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to create a better future for myself and my family." Maximilian beamed, a look of pride crossing his face as he spoke.

"I knew you would come around. I have no doubt that you will have a bright future." Zeke calmed down a bit upon hearing the genuine excitement in Maximilian's voice. The old man gestured for him to follow, and Zeke obediently fell into step behind him. They entered a room that resembled an office, and Maximilian motioned for Zeke to take a seat at the table. Two formal-looking contracts lay on the surface of the desk, and Zeke recognized them as legal paperwork.

"This is the point of no return, my boy. There won't be any place for regrets after this," Maximilian warned, before motioning for Zeke to read the contract. The language used was surprisingly concise, with little in the way of legal jargon. Zeke attentively read through the entire document, noting the various provisions and clauses. But as he reached the end of the page, he was surprised to see the position that Maximilian wanted him to assume in his family.

He carefully read the passage again to make sure he was not mistaken. … the contractee will assume all privileges and duties associated with his Station. The designated position of prime heir of the von Hohenheim family will belong solely to the individual 'Ezekiel of Feldstadt'. The contractor agrees to undertake all necessary measures to ensure the proper… Zeke stared at the words for a moment, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Maximilian was offering him the chance to become his heir, the one who would inherit his title, fortune, and estate. He had suspected that the old man had big plans for him, but he had never expected anything like this. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Prime heir?" he asked in a forcefully calm tone. Despite his best efforts to hide it, a bit of his excitement had leaked into his voice.

"Calm down, boy," the old man said with a chuckle.

"Of course, it would be the position of prime heir. My family only has two members after all: You, and me." Zeke visibly deflated upon hearing this, causing the old man to burst out laughing. Maximilian consolingly patted his shoulder and in a reassuring tone, he said, "It's still quite a good offer. Even though my family doesn't have many members, I am still a very respected and powerful mage. Also, I'm pretty rich, if that sort of thing is important to you." Zeke felt better upon hearing Maximilian's words.

Now that he thought about it, this arrangement was in line with his wishes as well. He had never wanted to be part of a large family anyway. From what he had seen, most nobles only banded together for the sake of convenience and power. He had much to be grateful for. Maximilian was offering him a chance to become a noble. It was a chance to inherit his wealth and status and, much more importantly, to learn magic above what was taught at the academy.

It was a rare and valuable opportunity, one that Zeke would be foolish to pass up.

"Thank you," Zeke said, his voice sincere.

"I won't let you down." Without any further hesitation, he bent down and signed the contract as well as the copy. Maximilian had already put his signature on both of them. The old man had not been lying, he really must have expected Zeke to come around. Maximilian grinned, his eyes twinkling.

"I have no doubt, Ezekiel. We have much work to do, and I have a feeling that great things are in store for us." He led the way out of the study and Zeke soon found himself sitting on a comfortable couch near the fireplace. Maximilian had taken the seat across from him.

"Now that the formalities are out of the way, time to get down to business," Maximilian said, his voice full of enthusiasm.

"Let's start by figuring out what you've already learned, do you know about spell engraving?" Zeke shook his head, a look of embarrassment on his face.

"I've heard the term before," he said, "but I'm not certain what it means. I'm sorry." Maximilian looked astonished, but he didn't let it show for long.

"I can't believe they didn't teach you about spell engraving yet," he said.

"I bet those brats in the elemental classes learned about it on the first day! Well, no matter, we'll get to that soon enough. Do you know how affinity purity is determined?" Zeke shook his head again. He had been told that he had a perfect and two greater affinities, but he couldn't really explain what the terms meant.

"I see," Maximilian said.

"What about Imbuement and attunement then?"

"I think I might have heard of them," Zeke said in an unconvincing tone. His voice was barely above a whisper now. He felt like a failure for not even being able to follow along with the most basic terms. Had he just been wasting his time for the past weeks? He suddenly felt like he had learned absolutely nothing in his time here. What had all this suffering been for? All the hardships he had endured… for nothing? The thought of how useless his struggles had been brought tears to his eyes.

Zeke furiously rubbed his face, trying to regain composure. He did not want to appear weak in front of Maximilian. He had promised the old man that he would not regret his decision, and he was determined to keep that promise. Maximilian just watched the boy in silence. His face was unreadable. Zeke feared that he had already disappointed his new mentor.

"It's not your fault, you know?" the old man finally said.

"…what?" the boy responded in a listless tone.

"The fact that you don't know about those things, that's not your fault," the man repeated.

".. ok," It was clear that he didn't believe a single word the old man was saying.

"Im being serious," Maximilian said.

"You're just saying that to cheer me up," Zeke mumbled, causing Maximilian to burst out laughing. His heartfelt outburst managed to dispel most of the gloomy atmosphere that had started to build.

"No, that's not the case," the old man reassured him after he had calmed down.

"Remind me again, what are your affinities?"

"Blood, Space, and Mind," Zeke responded. He still felt a little down but he was interested to learn where Maximilian was going with this.

"Exactly! Blood, Space, and Mind," Maximilian repeated.

"Do you know the properties of those affinities?" Zeke nodded at the question, "We've learned about that, but none of the descriptions seemed to fit me."

"That so?" Maximilian questioned with a raised brow, "I would be very surprised if that was the case. You can say what you want about Mind Mages, but there is one favorable characteristic that you all share. Care to guess what it is?"

"Being smart?" Zeke asked.

"Nope," Maximilian said with a smirk.

"Most of you are pretty clever, I'll give you that, but it's not what I'm referring to. No, what every single Mind Mage I have ever met had in common was an insatiable hunger for knowledge. They are always eager to learn something new, to do research, and to find out how things worked. Does any of that sound familiar to you?" Zeke thought about it for a moment. This did indeed sound familiar. He had done his own research since he was old enough to talk.

Had he not come up with his own meditation technique before turning ten years old? The reason he had not linked this trait with his Mind affinity was that he had been like that for as long as he could remember. It was not something that had started with the awakening of his core.

"…That has nothing to do with my affinity," Zeke protested weakly.

"I've been like that for years."

"Ahh yes, the age-old question of what was first: Affinity or Personality," the old man stated with a sage nod.

"Tell me, is it not possible that you have a Mind affinity because your personality is like that?" This statement threw Zeke for a loop. Was that how it worked? This went against so much of what he had been told.

"The other students all claimed their personality had changed, however," Zeke argued. A smile spread across Maximilian's face. The old man clearly enjoyed an academic debate.

"Good catch," he praised, "Thats because they are from noble families. Their cores are what I would call… unnatural."

"Can you expand on that?" Zeke asked.

"I think you'll be able to figure that out for yourself, given time. I'll give you a hint though. How do you think it is possible that almost every single Feuerkranz has a Fire affinity? Do you think they are all born with the same personality?" the old man questioned with a twinkle in his eyes. Zeke fell into deep contemplation. Maximilian was content to give the boy a moment to think it over. Minutes passed in silence, with Zeke's expression changing several times, as he was considering all the possibilities.

"Something to keep in mind," the old man finally said.

"But back to my original point. The reason I said that this is not your fault is because you are a Mind Mage. You lot will almost teach yourselves if given even the slightest opportunity. I consider it a grave failure on your teacher's part that you are missing that knowledge." Zeke thought seriously about Maximilian's words this time. He finally gave the man a hesitant nod.

"Excellent!" the man exclaimed, "Lucky for you, you have one of the most knowledgeable Arch Mages of the empire teaching you personally. So, you ready to prove me right?"