The Fourth Year Botany Class wasn’t being taught by Burne, but it was, unsurprisingly, being taught by a Thistle. Maybe this was only natural. Of the noble families, the Thistles had the closest relationship with herbs and nature.
Of course, it was a family of Soul Mancers—the Gianni Dukedom Clan—that truly monopolized herbology, alchemy, and things of the like. But the Thistles weren’t all too far behind.
Unlike the other Thistles in this branch of Imperial Academy, though, Teacher Vibra Thistle had been here from the start. She was an old woman that looked like she had a closer foot to the grave than even Burne, but she had a sharp shrillness to her voice that made her sound decades younger.
The class took place in a field rather than in the normal classroom setting. All around them, there was greenery and shrubbery. However, if one took even the most ordinary of leaves too casually, one would suffer.
The best outcome might be itching a layer or two of skin off.
The worst might be an immediate death.
There was a reason this class was buried beneath so many prerequisites.
Of all the mature-looking faces around, Theron stood out like a sore thumb as a result.
One could join the academy any time before their 17th birthday so long as one could pass the entrance exam. This meant that there were some Fourth Years here that were already into their twenties. A 14-year-old like Theron would certainly look out of place.
Unlike the other Thistles, Vibra seemed to take a liking to him almost immediately. There was a hint of discontent at the start, but between his questions and his attentiveness, her heart melted.
This was already the second day Theron had attended this Fourth Year Botany Class, and she already couldn’t look at him without smiling.
"Alright, that will be enough for today. Your task for today is to make it out of this maze of greenery. We are nearing the halfway point of the year, so this challenge will be substantially greater than what you are used to."
Vibra smiled and looked toward Theron. "Little Theron, would you like to start at the middle of the maze? You’ve only been with us for two days, I can give you a handicap."
Theron shook his head. "I would like to try if it isn’t too much of a burden for Teacher."
A light chuckle came from Vibra. "You do that, then. Good luck, everyone," she turned to the rest, her voice becoming shrill once more, "sharpen up and don’t let a child beat you."
Roots rose up from the ground and wrapped Vibra up. They pulled her down into the ground and she vanished without a trace.
Inwardly, Theron’s eyes narrowed. ’A Thistle that specialized in herbology… is certainly a completely different sort of challenge.’
It seemed like a good thing that those like Vibra who took this path were rare amongst the Thistles. But now wasn’t the time to focus on this.
Theron turned and much of the class had already dashed out. He, however, wasn’t in a rush. He wanted to make it out safely, and as Vibra had said, this was only his second class. Until now, he had yet to fully integrate his former knowledge with real hands-on experience.
What better chance than now?
After scanning the region, he stepped forward.
He had only taken three steps before he paused. After two or so seconds, he sidestepped and then continued.
Though Vibra called this a maze, it wasn’t exactly that. There weren’t tall hedges. From a bird’s eye view, it would look like a normal field allowed to grow wildly. In fact, Theron could see a straight line right toward their destination, the small figure of Teacher Vibra already there.
Deciphering what plants you were dealing with, how they might interact with those around them, and acting accordingly… that was the true maze.
The furthest ahead was, of course, the two best-performing students of the class. They were about a dozen or so meters ahead of the second place students.
Nara and Vaelen. Nara was a Vermouth, a member of their Earldom. Vaelen, however, was much like Theron, not of noble blood, but a great talent in alchemy nonetheless. ℟ἈŊỌBΕ𝐬
Nara was already 20 years old this year. Vaelen, however, was just 17 years old. The dynamic between the two was extremely competitive, and their deductions were quick.
As they got closer to the end, they would only get quicker. Right now, they were still probing the difficulty.
Theron sidestepped again, but just as he was about to allow his foot to fall to the ground, he paused. He raised a finger and dropped a tear of water.
A vine suddenly shot up, snapping at the air right beneath his feet. When it hit nothing, it gave up quickly and vanished. The ground didn’t even look disturbed.
’So many sensory carnivores around here… there’s something about this maze that breeds them. How interesting
Carnivorous plants were very territorial, but this was already the second time Theron had avoided one.
He pulled his foot back and stood in place, his eyes calmly sweeping things.
This maze wasn’t set up at all. It was allowed to grow wildly on purpose, that way the challenge of making it out would be different every time. If the students could prepare in advance, what would be the point?
Because of that, unique mutations were bound to appear from time to time, and this one, if Theron was correct, was particularly fascinating.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the understanding to grasp it entirely. He only had an inkling.
’There must be a strong Yin Mana hanging around if so many have formed. But with how vibrant this field is, that doesn’t feel like it makes sense. In which case
Theron raised a finger again.