TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY-SIX: Positive
Last Edited: May 10, 2026 (minor changes, epub updated)
******
“I’ve been using it as a tool to mark my page.”
“A <<bookmark>>,” said Stuart, holding Alden’s living leaf up so that the sunlight coming through the streamview cottage’s front wall filtered through it.
It was early Sunday on Anesidora and a weekday morning here. They’d agreed last night that if Stuart’s parents weren’t pounding down the door of the cottage to demand answers he should go to school and Alden should head back to Earth. But now they were both dawdling—Alden packing up too slowly and asking too many questions, Stuart eating his first meal in microscopic bites.
“I think the tree might appreciate it more if you wore this against your skin or set it out in your student house. Let it accompany you. You can give it back to the forest before your next binding.”
Alden considered one of his socks, which was being gnawed on by the ryeh-b’t in the corner, and decided he didn’t really want it back after she’d punched a bunch of holes in it.
“Is that what I’m supposed to do with a leaf like this?” he asked. “A little like what you did with the stick?”
“It’s one option…not an obligation. The tree gave it to you. Assigning emotions to the offering isn’t incorrect, but guessing exactly what the tree felt and trying to understand it in our own terms, isn’t likely to approach truth. This leaf is a wish to connect with you. Whether it was given to comfort you, honor you, or out of curiosity is harder to say.”
“But if I’m nice to the leaf, the forest will hear about it?”
“If you bring it back here. I don’t think a single leaf can convey something all the way from Earth.” He tilted his head. “But our planets are connected through the Contract, so maybe? I don’t know if anyone’s ever tried something quite like that.”
He looked at the leaf harder.
Alden zipped his suitcase. “As long as it’s positive.”
“It’s very positive! If I received one, I would wear it. They’re not spontaneously given frequently even to knights of Rapport I or my family. I could ask for one, but that’s different.”
“You think I can be a knight, and the trees do, too. That’s a lot more support than I did have.”
Stuart set the leaf back on top of Alden’s spell book. It was on the table, surrounded by first meal dishes. “I want to tell you that you don’t have to prove yourself…”
“But it would be untrue.” Alden went over to tug on the sock for Other Alden’s amusement. She sank her back claws into it and bit the hem of his jeans in retaliation.
“I have to prove myself, too,” Stuart said. “More than others.”
“You shouldn’t, and I shouldn’t,” Alden replied. “But we do.”
“So it is.”
“We’ll do it together.” Alden let go of the sock and rubbed the smooth warm scales on the side of the ryeh-b’t’s neck. “One step at a time. And shouldn’t we really do what we said we would and get you to LeafSong? I’d rather stay here and talk, but we’ve got at least a year’s worth of things to talk about now. We couldn’t cover it all in a few days even if we did refuse to leave the cottage.”
When they’d returned from the old house last night, they’d continued discussing Bearer and making plans for what they’d do in the coming weeks. It had been wonderful. But Alden had come down enough from his unprecedented string of emotional highs to feel concerned about how much he’d knocked over in Stuart’s life by firing almost every truth missile in his arsenal at once.
Yes, they were both excited and determined to move forward together. But only days ago, Stuart had had no idea that he’d be carrying secrets of this size, too. He hadn’t known that Alden’s news would put him even more out of synch with his family, or that he’d need to start thinking about having a partner for his knight career in a definite, immediate way.
And it wasn’t like he hadn’t already been dealing with his own trouble.
“With the Ro-den contract,” said Alden, “you really looked at what was going on with me and tried to understand what was wrong. And then you fixed the problem. My problem. Even though it wasn’t something easy. I…haven’t had many moments like that in my life. When someone else was paying attention and being present, when and how I needed.”
He’d been trying to put that thought into words since he’d been freed from the enforced secrecy. He wasn’t sure he’d hit it exactly on the mark. There were some vulnerable untapped depths to this gratitude, as well as some weirdness he didn’t want to get into about growing up with either no attention or the wrong kind.
“You did really good for me,” he said. “It’s all right if you focus on yourself for a while now. I know everything I’ve told you about me is new and…”
“Intense?” Stuart suggested.
“Oh, no! You called me the word.” Alden almost laughed. “I think of you as the intense one.”
Stuart did laugh.
“Because you are,” Alden insisted. “Ask Ro-den. Ask him in class today. In front of everyone.”
“That would be amusing, but not wise.”
“You have a funny-mean side.”
“He told me he was considering what was best for you just as much as what was good for himself. And he assured me that you had a close understanding of each other and that he believed you wouldn’t want to have your contract broken.” Stuart paused. “Those were all lies.”
“Of course they were.”
“And he intended to run over me with one of the campus carts,” Stuart said with a nod. “Before he realized who I was.”
“Huh?”
“I should say he only meant to threaten me. Everyone else was getting out of his way. Why should they have? He can’t run over students.”
“When was this?”
“Moments after I decided he might be responsible for your strange behavior. Alden, I don’t want to focus on myself to the exclusion of your situation. What happens to you from now on will affect me. And the reverse.”
“I know. I’m not trying to say let’s ignore all my complications. I think…I’m worried that the complexity of my complications is making them seem more urgent than you finalizing your own decisions. And they’re not. Me being a wizard, me planning to be a knight with you, me wanting to learn more about everything and needing your help to do it—those all matter. But they’re still going to be here causing trouble for a long time. Now that you know I’m The Bearer of All Burdens and can stop worrying about what I’m going to do for a skill, the most important thing for us is getting your feet planted on your final path. Right?”
“Yes, you’re right.” Stuart said it firmly, but his fingers twitched against the table.
“That’s what I mean by asking you to focus on yourself. It’s not that I don’t matter, it’s just your turn. I’m also trying to remind you it’s a good time for you to take whatever you need from me. You have to do all the hardest parts of this yourself, but if you find a way to burden me with some of it, do.” Alden held a hand to his chest. “I can bear it.”
“Are you going to be one of those knights who does that frequently?”
“Will it be a burden for you if I am?”
“I’ll endure it.” Stuart looked up at him. “I know it’s my turn. In the way you mean.”
Alden nodded. “I’ll be here as soon as you need me, for as long as you need me, even if Earth is on fire and your parents are trying to punish you by banning me from the Rapport.”
They had both acknowledged the possibility of that happening.
“I can get at least one more teleport favor, can’t I, Mother?” he added.
[Of course, Alden. If Stu wants you here, here you’ll be.]
Stuart inhaled deeply.
“You saw her message, too, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“So we’ve got that much of the future taken care of, whether you go to first binding right now or next summer.” Alden stepped over to collect his book and his leaf.
Stuart handed them to him. “Have you ever thought it would be better if I just became your votary?”
The words seemed to sizzle in the air even though he’d spoken them quietly. Alden was shocked by the question. And, after a blink, Stuart was flustered by it himself.
“I mean,” he said, glaring down at his own hands as he let go of the book, “some streams of thought must naturally lead you in that—”
“I believe what you’ve said about yourself,” Alden said. “And I’ll believe what you say in the future.”
He thought the question was probably no more than a hiccup, and just a little bit of proof that he was right about all of his missiles changing the landscape for Stuart in more ways than could be grasped in only a few days.
Stuart seemed much more displeased with himself about it than he should have been. “Why did I ask that?” he said darkly.
“It’s not like it was an insulting question.”
“It is, though!”
“To which of us?”
Stuart unleashed a shrill scoffing sound that made Other Alden drop the sock and flap across the room to check on him. Alden saved a plate from being knocked off the table by nudging it with his shin.
“See?” he said, while Stuart tried to protect his school clothes from a worried ryeh-b’t. “I’ve given you all of the stress and questions I’ve had all this time. And you’ve handled it much better than me, but you’re not perfect. You have to think about stuff.”
“I am not offering to be your votary.”
“I understand that.”
“I would be good at it, but I will not do it for you or anyone else. It is not my path.”
“I believe you.”
“What if my parents had heard me say that? Or Asay? Or Noh?”
Alden snorted. “I think, for at least a while, they’d be too confused about why the Avowed needed a votary to be excited that they’d finally forced you to do things their way.”
“Maybe,” Stuart grumbled.
“We’re all right,” said Alden. “I’ll see you in a few days if I’m not banned. Let’s get to work.”
******
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Alden’s school weeks now started on Monday mornings with “Accelerated Combat 1— A/B Fitness” at eight o’clock.
It was a class he had been mildly disappointed to have on his schedule because it was basically two hours of regular PE once a week, and he’d thought he could get more out of his time by using the slot for a workout with Bobby. After seeing how it was actually going to go, he was more enthusiastic about it.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the whole Accelerated Combat 1 class would be in the gym, but this Monday meet-up was only for the A and B-ranks. For their first class, they joined Instructor Ivanova at the track behind the MPE building. She explained that they’d have a different activity every week and hopefully a few guest instructors. She might set individual challenges for them based on their talents and whatever was going on in a particular session, but mostly this was going to be a fun, casual class where they learned from one another.
They could wear their gym suits or regular workout clothes. They were allowed to bring enchanted gear to try out if they had any. She’d give advice when she could, but the only real rules were that they had to show up, participate, and not kill anybody.
Their assignment for the first class was to play tennis with at least five different opponents. Ivanova had the track draw them lines to make “courts,” and they had its wall-style hurdles in place of nets. The basic rules of tennis popped up on their interfaces, but they were welcome to ignore them if their opponent agreed. They didn’t even have to use rackets if they didn’t want to.
Alden saw it as the school putting together a menu of other Avowed for him to choose from.
He let Max layer zones on both halves of the court so that he could practice taking advantage of the one that boosted speed and work on maneuvering around the other two. Then, Haoyu agreed to a more cooperative game where he punched the balls with Boxing Gloves and neither of them scored a point unless Alden managed to catch the ball on his racket with his skill instead of hitting it back. Since Haoyu had trouble sending the balls where he meant to, and Alden found halting a ball’s momentum with a racket instead of his hands a little brain melting, it was hard for both of them. They celebrated when they finally got it right.
By the second hour, Njeri and Lexi had both developed impressive accuracy that sent Alden running or jumping toward the least convenient corner of the court every time. And the Object Shaper played true to his class by redirecting the ball toward his own racket or away from Alden’s with swift gestures.
And, to make it a little more interesting, there were some new faces to look at. Everyone else was trying to play with the newcomers or size them up, so Alden didn’t bother asking any of them for a game. But he’d enjoy meeting them later.
They ought to be decent enough at whatever they do, he thought as he sprinted for the field house at the end of class. Since they’ve had a whole term to practice.
It felt odd not to head toward the gym locker rooms, but those should currently be crammed with S-ranks who’d just finished their special new S-rank-only class.
The field house smelled like new paint. There were showers free. Nothing to complain about, in Alden’s opinion, but of course people were complaining.
He heard them griping while he rushed to clean off and get into fresh clothes. They were so hung up on the fact that this was real MPE time for the S-ranks that they couldn’t appreciate how valuable the tennis games they’d just played had the potential to be.
Mehdi was commiserating with a Strength Brute, and Reinhard was explaining some idea he had about the Meisters getting together and trying to convince the school that they should be allowed into the S-only class because they were better at duels than a lot of the non-Meister S’s.
Alden did agree that the situation wasn’t fair, but these three were overlooking how much they’d sucked during this class. They’d been sending fuzzy yellow rockets into orbit. Lexi had had the same problem at the start, not quite getting how his Avowed strength translated to a tennis racket, but he’d taken the opportunity for what it was and adjusted until he looked like a Racket Meister. Which had to be the point for someone in his position.
It must feel pretty boring and delicate to them, though. Not like firing arrows or dodging a throw from Big Snake that makes the ball explode.
“Alden, what do you think?” Reinhard demanded when Alden stepped out. “This is stupid, right?”
“Don’t ask him. This kind of thing is more at his level.”
That little barb came from Winston, who’d been surprisingly focused on his performance instead of his drone all class. Alden couldn’t find any approval for that, or even much annoyance at the attempted insult.
“I got a great workout,” he said, raising the shaker of peanut butter and protein powder he’d packed before leaving the dorm in salute. “I’m going to make the most of it. And I’m glad we don’t have to wear uniforms anymore.”
He had on a comfy brown shirt, and he was letting his leaf ride on his arm, carefully held in place by his auriad. Both were hidden by his long sleeves. He was training to fight chaos. It was a new year. He would give these complainers the gift of his positivity whether they deserved it or not.
“Me too!” said Mehdi. “I spent my stipend on new outfits. I’m going for something more East F this year.”
Alden hadn’t realized there was a specific look associated with eastern F-city. He supposed he’d find out what it was when Mehdi made it to their next class. “Sounds good. See you in Coursing.”
“See you there,” Mehdi said.
“You’re in Coursing?” Reinhard asked.
“He’s in Coursing?” Winston demanded.
“Whose team is he on?!” they both asked at the same time, with a note bordering on outrage in their voices.
Whoops. So much for spreading a better attitude, Alden thought, letting the closing door be his only answer. They sound pissed.
He added water to his shaker at a fountain. One of the new faces passed behind him while he was there.
“Alden?”
“Yeah?” he looked around. “You know my name?”
The girl smiled wide. “Of course.”
He didn’t like that ‘Of course’ was such a fair answer to that question, but she seemed nice enough. Her name was Opal, which she delivered with an eye roll despite it being a fine name and her wearing opalish looking studs in her ears. She had long auburn hair and a figure he was going to get tired of a few people trying to make into a conversation topic after every class.
Most excitingly, she was another B-rank. And second most excitingly, she’d brought rice balls to share with everyone.
“They’re just rice and seasoning. I can’t really cook much,” she said, “But I had a morning MPE last quarter, and we were always starving afterward. I thought this class would be the same.”
She pointed a wand that didn’t look much different from the one Stuart used to levitate things at a rice ball and sent it toward Alden’s waiting hand.
“I’d make it spin for you,” she said, making a couple of loose casting motions with her left hand in the direction of the ball. “But I got rice all over that girl Olive when I was trying to show off a minute ago, and she didn’t seem okay about it.”
B-rank Adjuster. With a wand.
Alden wasn’t going to gossip with someone he’d just met about another classmate, but knowing Olive…she was freaking out about the possibility of being worse than another B-rank. Max and Alden regularly beat her in duels. She was sensitive about it. Here came a girl Adjuster with an “O” name who might be able to do the same, and that person was throwing food at her?
She probably won’t care about the “O.” That’s just me being weird.
“Thanks for breakfast,” he said. “So, do you make stuff spin with a spell impression? And what you do with the wand is also a spell impression?
Always good to see more spells in action.
“Yes. My skill is boring. It just lets me sense the location of anything I have an active spell on. That makes it possible for me to send things behind me without losing track of them and stuff like that.”
“Neat.” He was thinking he’d have to treat her somewhat like a Shaper when they fought. Anything he wasn’t preserving might get yanked out of his hands or thrown at him.
“Can you lift people?”
“I’m size limited,” she said. “People are too big for now.”
He should be able to hit her with the heaviest of the heavy sandbags then.
“You look like you’re thinking of how to duel me.” Opal was squatting beside her big container of rice balls, trying to get the lid to snap back on.
“No. Well, only a normal amount. I was having appropriately violent thoughts for a student here.”
“Don’t worry.” The lid of the container finally sealed with a pop. “I’m not somebody to be scared of. I’m in this class because I was having trouble matching the pace last quarter. I wasn’t terrible, but you know….” She shrugged. “B stuff.”
B stuff.
“If you want to study together sometime or get in some practice, I’ll be around,” she added.
Alden doubted he’d take her up on that, but he thought about her while he downed his shake on the way to the MPE building.
Opal and the other new faces here today had already taken a Combat 1 class previously. Right now on campus, there were two Combat 1’s. Brand new students were placed in the regular one. Alden and most of his classmates from last quarter, who’d had the half-term introductory MPE course, were in this accelerated class.
There was a regular and an accelerated version of each of the basic six “Combats” that made up the core gym classes for hero program students. Passing two accelerated courses would allow someone to skip a number and go to the next basic course. So if Alden passed this term’s Accelerated 1 and next term’s Accelerated 2, he could jump straight to Regular Combat 4. He’d still have to have the same number of MPE gym class credits to graduate, but if he did that, he could replace the combat class he’d skipped with an extra elective, like Rescue or Coursing.
This created some more flexibility and was a way for students to move forward a little faster or slower depending on their situation.
Not that everyone viewed it as an opportunity when the faculty recommended they step down to an easier level. Søren wasn’t with them this morning because he was taking Regular Combat 1 instead, hoping to get his Shaping under control at a slower pace and then maybe bounce up to rejoin them in Accelerated Combat 2 next term. He was the only one who’d agreed to do that, even though there were a couple of others who must have been given the same suggestion by their advisors.
I wonder if I’ll still be here for Combat 4, 5, and 6. Or what.
Last term, that thought would have been tangled up with choosing season panic. Now it was just a thought.
He’d do his best, enjoy school as much as he could, and get ready for the day when Stuart was ready to go be knightly together.
It’s good.
Almost everything is really good.
When he was on Anesidora, he wanted messages from Chicago a little more than when he was busy in Rapport I. Jeremy was texting like usual. Boe though…
He doesn’t exactly seem angry anymore.
Boe had sent a picture of himself holding up the toy caboose Alden had bought him and rolling his eyes. He’d sent another one that said he’d read the letter Alden had included with it and, “It was well written. I understand.” Whenever Alden messaged him, he replied with something that sounded close to right.
Close to right. But not quite.
I’m pretty sure we’ve officially hurt each other’s feelings at this point.
It had happened before and been fine before. Alden was trying not to worry that it wouldn’t be this time.
It’s harder when we’re this far apart.
He didn’t know what to do other than keep being Boe’s friend while he waited for the messages to feel right again.
“Too slow!” Mehdi shouted, sailing past him and running ahead down the hall and into the classroom where their Coursing class would be meeting four days a week. On Fridays, at the indecent hour of five AM, they’d be meeting in the gym instead to run obstacle courses with their teams.
“Were you racing him?” asked Ignacio, poking his head out of the classroom door as Alden reached it.
“Mehdi? Only in his imagination.” Mehdi was wearing baggy black pants with light-up stripes on the side now. Maybe that was East F style? “I heard that Kon had conned you into joining our bonkers team, Shrike. What were you thinking?”
A blue elastic hairband hit Alden’s ear. “Hey!”
“Say nothing negative about our team, or I’ll kick you out and you will no longer be Konstantly Awesome with us,” Kon said. “Sit. Sit your Rabbit butt down. This is our team seating area.”
He started slapping the tops of desks in the back right corner of the room. Seven of them. To get into this class, they had to be on a team. Runs would be five people or fewer, but they were supposed to have alternates.
Kon had put this team together with remarkable speed considering it had all been accomplished last week while people were making final adjustments to class schedules. But the more remarkable thing was that he’d gotten this team approved when its composition was sort of rough.
“I’m thrilled to be here,” Alden said sincerely. “And I’m looking forward to practicing with all of you guys. But you have to admit our team looks…not like the others. We’re a more creative grouping of talents.”
“Alden, would you give me back my hairband?” Everly called from a few seats over. “He took it from my desk.”
“Don’t help her, Alden. She could have been one of us, but she chose the worse option. Love means nothing to her.”
“I want to be <<more social>> this term,” Ignacio said. “Kon says we will have fun.”
“Yeah, we will,” said Alden. “We don’t have to win to learn a— ”
“Why are you so negative today?” Kon asked.
Alden blinked. “I’m not. We’re going to learn a lot and come up with some interesting strategies.”
“We’ll win!” said Kon. “Say we’ll win. Try it.”
Their teammates were taking the desks he’d slapped. Alden, Kon, Haoyu, Lexi, Mehdi, Jeffy, and Ignacio.
The other teams in the class were made up of hero program students who’d been at CNH longer, with the exception of the girls occupying the cluster of desks to their left. And Vandy had put that team together. It was her, Everly, Tuyet, Maricel, Jupiter, Rebecca, and Heloísa.
If Alden looked at it one way, it was a group of girls who all liked hanging out together. But if he looked at it and compared it to their own team—
“We’re going to die so much in this class,” said Haoyu, slipping into the seat beside Alden. “Except maybe if there’s a water obstacle. Hi, Vandy!”
“Nobody wore their uniforms,” Vandy said, looking at them all with disappointment. Her own uniform was neat as a pin.
“I look forward to dying with you whenever there isn’t water, Kon,” said Alden. “And possibly when there is.”
“At least the weakest member of our weakest team has a sense of humor.”
The words made Alden stiffen. They’d been said offhandedly, and it wasn’t some idiot like Winston saying them. It was the adult who’d just entered the room. He was a tall man dressed mostly in black, including the black socks he wore with no accompanying shoes. He had a disinterested look as he stood there blowing on a cup of coffee.
“I’m Instructor Ash. Sit down, everyone who’s not sitting down. I don’t want to wade through a flock of you to get to the front.”
All the students went quiet. The only sounds were rear ends landing in seats.
“Nice set of rings,” Instructor Ash said to Alden as he passed on his way to the front.
Alden wasn’t sure if that comment was meant to be an insult. The instructor said it in the exact same whatever tone he’d used to call Alden weak. And though the words had gotten the entire class to stare at Alden, Instructor Ash just went to the smart board and started writing on it. With a hand covered in more rings than either of Alden’s hands.
Are they real?
Alden reached out with his authority to check. He was trying to do more of this type of thing even though it didn’t feel natural. Yesterday, he’d practiced with the kit Stuart had put together for him, trying to feel the patience and life of a wild nyip pod.
That was too hard still. This was much easier by comparison.
Yep. Most of those are enchanted. They’ve got something more to them than metal and wood.
I can tell just by trying.
“Weakest for now.”
The words came out in a whisper. Alden hadn’t meant to let them out at all. He was just feeling the truth of it in a new way. Only Haoyu heard him well enough, or cared enough, to acknowledge him.
With a thumbs up.
Alden grinned at him and returned the gesture. Then he pulled his tablet out of his bag to start taking notes.
Comments (293)
This chapter is both art and magic wrapped into one neat little package! Invoking the right feelings at exactly the right time, so that we as the readers feel what Alden feels when he's making the authority connection with Ignacio. *chef's kiss*
I suppose Alden was overdue on some bad luck with instructors. But a rabbit, Earth's most overqualified repairman, a tank, Lexi, a man with the manic energy and social graces of a squirrel, a water brute scared of the emptiness of the ocean, and the Lord of Knives in a team in a class called Coursing? That's fucking mental, I love it!
“She had long auburn hair and a figure he was going to get tired of a few people trying to make into a conversation topic after every class” Damn, what a way of saying she’s smoking hot while immediately cutting off anyone’s hope of a ship
He rejected Natalie. I don’t think there would be much hope regardless
This has probably been covered before in detail but I’ll add my thoughts just in case it hasn’t So to theory craft a bit on how word chains (and a little bit how attribute points work) I think it’s a neat application of magic. And has potential ramifications for how some avowed might “double up” on stats. So to my understanding word chains are effectively trading away the potency of part of one’s authority in exchange for getting a proportional boost later. Or vice versa. So today they give part of their ability to project their peace of mind onto themselves and the universe. In return they later get a authority boost allowing themselves to have greater mental stability. It’s a form of exchange that doesn’t necessarily have hard numerical limits or values. the resulting chain could potentially have some proportional effect to the recipients of the chain. So a stronger person might be giving a relatively larger sacrifice than whoever receives it, but also gets a proportionally larger boost during the positive half due to relative “stats”. If word chains more or less work proportionally to the person using them (which I don’t think 100% tracks but might have some truth) it could mean the stronger an avowed gets the more word chains could “pop off”.
So if stats as i understand them do work mostly as a person being able to impose themselves upon the universe more, it could also mean that wizards could use their free authority to boost themselves relatively easily if they felt the need. A less transactional means of boosting their presence. My secondary part of that theory is that avowed might be able to do the same with their free authority on a subconscious level. So when Big Snake talked about “doubling up” on stats it might have been him using free authority to get his stats higher. It would explain why the process stopped (he couldn’t consciously control it, and his free authority would eventually stop working). As well as explaining why wizard wouldn’t explain how he could do it again
Some time ago I spotted a daikon bag charm and immediately adopted it because it reminded me of our favorite protagonist. It now lives happily on my backpack. Then, in a moment of impeccable taste (obviously), I bought carrot earrings. And somehow, this escalated—now people are convinced that giving me vegetables will make me happy. Look what you’ve done, Sleyca. I’ve become a rabbit.
I can't sleep, Sleyca. Any chance the chapter is ready to publish now?
unfortunately it's an approximate release date so it will likely be out either late or a day later
Interesting that the ward-anchoring trees are so partisan towards the art'h family (makes sense, given the historical blood-feeding) and the knights of Rapport I. All those Declared going into the woods to ask the trees for help holding them as they enduring their first bindings. All those suffering knights stepping up to volunteer for their final rest intending their bodies to go to feed the trees. There's a lot of blood in a body; I bet the trees like getting such rich willing compost.
Plus potential identity fragments from those who willingly went to rest
I'm convinced Sleyca intentionally avoids fulfilling our predictions here. Nobody predict the stuff I want.
I gotchu bb.
I'm almost disappointed that max isn't on the coursing team but with Max being a very large foil/rival character for Alden it makes sense. Also poor max probably doesn't want to touch coursing with a 10m pole
Why not? What is the difference between this coursing class and MPE? Sounds like they’re gonna be doing the same thing.
Next affixation Alden wishlist: (wrong answers only) 10 points into formation - Tank Rabbit 5 points into hearing - Long Ear Rabbit 5 points into speed - Bouncy Rabbit 5 points into Smell - Sniff Rabbit 1 level into bearer. Super body rabbit supremacy
Honestly throw 50 points into strength. Go arm wrestle Lucille.
Well hello, hello, March 26th...
An auspicious day indeed. I eagerly await the promised feast.
Looking forward to today's approximate chapter! I hope we get to learn more soon about Alden and/or Stu's perspectives on their near-term and long-term future. Where do they expect to be headed? What do they think will be in their way?
I'm hoping for a nice slice of life chapter as we see the art convo class for this semester. And uni students!
Oh man uni convo class, so excited, legitimately
Happy belated birthday to Alan, by the way. Born on March 25th. EDIT: Alden! Darned autocarrot.
Alden, Happy Birthday (approximate)!
I wonder if doing coursing together will help Mehdi get over his THING about Alden?
I'm not sure Mehdi has anything against Alden other than ingrained rankism. Outside of gym and gym-related topics, Mehdi seems like a decent person.
I like how mother used Stu instead of Stuart
I didn’t catch that! Mother is tea
General belated thought that in addition to being happy Marciel stayed at CNH, I'm glad she joined a coursing team. She seemed to enjoy that in gym so it seems like it'll be good for her.
I bet Jupiter's happy she gets to join two/thirds of the artists from the much-admired Crafting Castle of Maiming (126). And Vandy could help her with boosting her cactus pitches! I'm glad Maricel is (presumably) no longer avoiding her roommates; this seems like a choice to come be more social again, as well as pushing to develop her talents.
Alden should practice preserving Shrike's thrown knives. Become the danger rabbit. Shrike could toss him the leading knife (deniably, by carrying doppelganger knives,) Alden could release a surprise knife storm if enemies target or turn their back on him, Shrike could redirect the knife back to his hand in flight from wherever, and thus the course becomes significantly more treacherous for the opponents. And Ash has to eat his words!
But preserving magic doesn't quite work the same as preserving regular stuff. Remember the airbag spell in the here-to-there?
Hmmm I wanna predict what happens in the next chapter but there are so many options just for the school angle. We are like 2 classes deep into a week long reintroduction. Would like to see what coursing looks like, but that could be glossed over a bit until they get to actual courses to run. The Artonan conversations/performance class should be fun. Finally regular MPE with expanded classmates Outside of school we have potential level ups for bearer. Especially with the super charged training Alden has been doing + realizing his entrusters can boost his output Stuart getting in trouble for the Ro-den incidents/Stuart POV Ro-den POV? I do and don’t want this. Feels like it could wait a bit till later for me Rank up discourse really has me wanting to see that described somewhere. Give me Random Lessedi POV talking about it. Somehow someway lol
in the Artonan conversations/performance class there might be weirdness, the teacher is an Artonan, and Alden has a commendation, from the 4th general no less. To humans, that's significant, the Artonans it's SIGNIFICANT. I am looking forwards to the rest of the week's classes reveals. And enjoying a lower levelled intensity in the story.
"If Stu wants you here, here you'll be." Hmm. Mother's phrasing doesn't exactly promote equality between Alden and Stu. I haven't known contracts to lie or exaggerate frivolously -- it's very expensive -- and I'm sure they operate largely according to the letter of Avowed contracts, so perhaps she sees Alden as Stu's summon in a sense. And Stu seems to have picked up on it in turning it around and immediately probing Alden's own reaction to the thought of Stu being Alden's servant. Those two just can't catch a break from that moral quandary! I dig it.
Idk about the inequality angle your thinking, there could be something to it. However, my interpretation was it is Mothers job is to manage the knights, more or less... and the Primary's happiness is Stu's continued existence, which is helped by Aldens friendship, so what is a simple teleport when "3 of her knights" want Alden to be there for Stu for his affixation, there he will be. Back in their first phone call, Stu said "Evul may use common System resources like this as much as she pleases." about phone calls, and Emban teleported into the forest to throw paper flyers, so a simple teleport could be just free to use for the art'hs for whatever reason because of all the good they do.
Less than 48 hours (approximately) to the next chapter! Super Short Super Supportive Observations - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1. Defeating cheating in sports: D-rank Sway with the detect lies specialization: 1.1. "Have you used performance-enhancing substances such as [list of substances]? 1.2. "Have you been selected by the Contract?" 2. Lute will never be a knight, even if he has a limitless skill. 2.1. To him, his skill is a chore, rather than a passion. Being able to sense his authority would be pointless torture. 2.2. If Lute had affixed Shaper of Water (which was a far better match to his character), things could have been different. 2.2.1. Even with Shaper of Water, Lute wants to be a musician, not a building puncher. 3. Alden needs something to do while recovering from his next affixation. 3.1. Learn more wordchains. 3.2. Guitar. 4. Upcoming Events. Before Chapter 300, we are going to get either: 4.1. Boe's Secret 4.1.2. This will involve Alden making an illegal trip to Chicago. 4.2. Stu Affixes
My theory is that if there were ever going to be an actual unlimited skill for chainers, it'd be a skill that allows you to directly support a failing chain with your own authority, making it easier for people near you to complete the chain...and at high levels, it'd allow you to create brand new wordchains of increasing potency.
I only started Super Supportive a month or so ago, and I'm wondering how many books I should count it as for my New Years Resolution to read 50 new books this year. I could be hardcore and say it's just one book, but has Sleyca said anything about how they might break it up? I'm pretty sure the series is over 1 million words now and if the average fantasy book length is closer to 100k words then this would be about 10 books. I feel like breaking the story up like that wouldn't work. I'm thinking: Book 1: ch1-63 berry picking arc Book 2: ch64-114 Chainer arc Book 3: ch115-190 submerger arc Book 4: ch191-260 here2there, beat up winston arc Book 5: ch261-present: choosing season arc Those are long books, but it lets most of them have rising/falling action/climax/etc. Any thoughts?
Months ago someone said the word count exceeded the harry potter series already. Someone will know the word count, I'm sure
Ooooh, just realized the next time Esh sees Alden, a MAJOR crack is going to be healed.
>>> They could wear their gym suits or regular workout clothes. They could bring enchanted gear to try out if they had any. She’d give advice when she could, but the only real rules were that they had to show up, participate, and not kill anybody. Sooooo... those rings are going to eventually come into play, aren't they? I bet someone (Winston?) is going to do something ill considered.
Also wouldn’t mind Alden using rabbit stat boosters on occasion just to mess with people
I’m embarrassed. It’s been some time since Alden had some Earth time, I think I need a character list.
I was a little overwhelmed at first too, but I'm trusting the process
Yeah that last arc was cool, but now we're back in the gym! Kidding aside, looking forward to more interesting Artonan insights from Aldens collegiate language course.
A year from now, Stu and Alden on their first trip to Goldbush meet the chainer assigned to their knight group…and it’s Hazel Velra
Alden immediately burders Hazel and feeds her to a demon.
I wonder if Stuart is internally a bit weirded out by Alden when he casually drops examples of “the universe kinda likes me”. We got a small glimpse during Stuart’s internal dialogue during Alden’s wizard reveal. “The universe finds some voices more persuasive”. Now he knows Alden got a living leaf from the forest. A rare honor even for knights and local people. And he has been taking care of it without understanding the significance of the gift fully. Just casually using it and feeding it water and magic light. I’m imagining Stuart going “people say I’m weird, but what is this dudes deal? *positive version*”
You're right. He even used it as a bookmark! For the one bit of reading most important to himself, his growth, and his dedication, it's true. I'm waiting for the trees to demand a bromeliad-based auriad so it can practice Wan-tel's art.
Was just doing a reread and came across the fact that Boe can tell his secret to Alden if Alden can make a contract. Now that Stu knows and Aldens been released Stu can help him make that contract and we can finally get Boe's big secret.
“Then I’ll figure it out. I don’t think I’ll manage it before you leave, though. I can’t possibly get the info I need in the next few days, unless the System’s willing to give me the instructions itself. System, could you do that?” [No.] Boe looked startled. “It answered on my interface, too.” Group chat with the System. What an afternoon. “Can we not just do a magical contract through you somehow?” Alden asked. “System-moderated. You’re the Contract for an entire planet. This should be right up your alley.” [You completing such an agreement yourselves will produce a more ideal result.] “Why?” Alden and Boe asked at the same time. The System didn’t answer.
Continuing my recent obsessive re reading of the chainer arc, I truly think Aulia has set up her own demise a little bit at a time. Over and over again. Dismissing Lute from her attention most of his life. Because he wasn’t “obviously” loved by magic.
Then she props up Hazel and basically forces her into the worse version of Hazel she could be. Hazel under the immense weight of her “grandmothers” nonsense hates Lute for getting the perks of being a velra, without having to deal with all the stuff she has to do. “I’m special but barely have any time to do stuff I want, and he gets to do it.” Naturally she never bothers to understand that Lute has problems of a different sort. So Aulia through Hazel drives a deeper wedge between herself and Lute.
Hi, I only recently started Super Supportive and just caught up to the current chapter (amazing stuff). I have a question that's not really related to this chapter. Can Alden become an A-Rank if he levels up enough? I know S-Ranks can become hyperboles, but does that happen for lower ranks too? There was a conversation early in the story where Alden was comparing levels and ranks but I think Boe cut him off saying they didn't have time to discuss rank theory. Edit: Thanks for all the discussion everyone! Sounds like the answer is yes.
Yes, any rank can rank up however the only actual recorded cases are A rank and S rank because of the way the system operates which dissuades growth in the way needed to do so among other things
I wonder if Alden will go visit the tree that gifted him that leaf the next time he visits the Rapports. Will he ask Mother for help translating between himself and the tree? He's done it before.
"His hand fell on a ladder rung, and the feel of rough, knobby root under his palm gave him one more reason to hesitate. [Climbing this isn’t offensive to the tree that made it, right? It’s not going to be insulted that a human hauled his heavy human body up?] he asked through a text to no one. He waited for the reply, sure it was taking longer than usual. [Your questions are so delightful this morning. No tree will be insulted.]" (205)
This has got major "new cast of characters in the new season' energy and I love it. The only downside is that we have so many characters, and Alden is kind of just whatever about so many of them, that I'm never sure if a new character matters or not when we meet them.
Alden needs more hearts to crush!
Sorry, I'm not really following. Could someone explain what this new class is and why there's new people? I know Alden swapped his courses at point, but why were the others surprised he was in coursing still.
they were surprised he was in Coursing because Coursing requires you to be able to find 6 other hero program students who are willing to form a Coursing team with you, and then the team has to get approved. winston and reinhard cant imagine anyone wanting a B rank rabbit on their team, and presumably they tried applying to teams who were looking for members and got rejected, so they're mad that Alden got into the class and they didn't. Alden mentions coursing in the chapter Thunder if you want to go reread that :) as for the new people, alden's group of students in the hero programme were admitted to CNH at the middle of the academic term. CNH has heaps of admissions cycles because of how avowed get sent to the island in a constant stream year-round. now that a brand new term has begun, the people who are doing decently well in Alden's group can join up with the people who are falling behind in the admissions group that came before them. this is mentioned in more detail in chapter 71.
What other teams would you guys like to see? I want: Team RageBait Marsha S Rank Glave Meister Winston A Rank Speed Brute Reinhard A Rank Bow Meister Ob J. Cheper A Rank Object Shaper Unnamed Friend of Winston A Rank Brute Unnamed Extra S Rank Adjuster
"Ob J. Cheper" This is too perfect. Sleyca pls make this canon xd
I was a little surprised that Max isn't in the courser team. But after some thought I realized that he would probably dominate the team coordinator position leaving less room for Alden and Kon to shine as people persons. So narratively speaking, it was probably a good move. I would like to see more Alden/Max interaction though, I'm a fan.
Also, Kon got the team together. He is not that close with Max compared to Mehdi, Alden, or Haoyu. Shrike is the additional firepower they needed, and Kon has spent time with him at the Superlatives club. He also probably is the substitute for Everly. Lexi is Kon's brother, so yeah. Makes a lot of sense why it is exactly these six.
"She probably won’t care about the “O.” That’s just me being weird." Okay, taking bets. 5 imaginary bucks says the next time we get an Olive POV she comments on the O name. Any takers?
Just bucks? In this inflation? Make it argold an I may consider my chances 😉 .
I'm starting to think that all the fuss about the missing knights is going to cause Stu to get away with his crime without anyone noticing. At least for longer than he expected. (Or maybe I'm just hoping it because I think the results will be funny.) ....Which, for someone with Stu's personality, will probably be infinitely worse than getting caught and punished. They'll probably realize the demon hide is missing at some point, but I wonder if it's before or after a stressed out Stu confesses his crime. :)
I'm expecting Stu to calmly inform them he took it. waiting to be in trouble isn't badass.
The tree which entrusted its leaf to Alden gave him something of importance to itself- is this a powerful entruster that carries sone if the rapports power with it and Alden can dip into this strength? If he tries to wear the leaf differently, maybe over his heart, will it become live saving armor?
I don’t know how it would need to work, but I like the idea of Alden having a reliable entruster or two on hand at all times. Leo the post drop, rapport forest, Stuart, the system. Get all the backups
Alden saying, "I look forward to dying with you whenever there isn’t water, Kon. And possibly when there is” comes across quite differently when you remember Alden has recently decided yes, there are things (and people) worth dying for. Alden isn't being negative, or being self-deprecating to be funny, when he stated his initial assessment of what his likely experience in this course is going to be like. He expects to gym-die a lot, and to have fun, and to learn and come up with interesting strategies. Succeeding in Coursing for Alden isn't defined by avoiding dying, temporarily or permanently; it's defined by advancing his educational goals, and helping his team and his teammates advance their goals.
Alden doesn't want to permanently die soon, and he's not intending to, and he's determined he won't, but he absolutely is going into Coursing I and other training for his future knight service with Stu with a clear-eyed sense of how big the current power gap is between himself and his chosen peers, at CNH and in the Rapports.
Stuart completing the family’s traveler’s ritual in ch. 283: The long leaves that had been laid against his inner arms and around his neck settled and bound themselves, distinct from his own skin but just as comfortable. … “I will return to you soon with riches and knowledge from foreign lands.” 1. I love it when the boys have parallel experiences. Alden wearing the leaf while traveling, like Stu did, is very satisfying, even if he has to use his auriad to hang onto it. 2. Now that Alden’s wearing the leaf, it feels like he’s going to be fulfilling the art’h traveling ritual’s promise. At least if he returns the leaf to the forest before his next binding, as Stu has suggested. I wonder how that’ll affect his relationship with the art’h lands. I mean, we already know that the house is very enthusiastic about his blood.
Mother likes him. The Raport likes him. Stu likes him. I suspect all of those will be very important to keeping him alive when it eventually comes out to other Artonans about what Alden has become.
Guys, I got a wild idea. What if Joe still has the artificial demon, and it's one of the Thegundese hoppers he hauls everywhere with him?
Stu told us Joe destroyed the artificial demon rather than let it be confiscated. That's the official story. But we saw Joe's thoughts during the confrontation with Stu in 284, which suggests something different: ||| [The demon hide] would never be confiscated. They hadn’t even managed to confiscate the artificial demon. ||| That's an odd thing to say about something he means to hold onto. Destroying it isn't much better than having it confiscated. Which got me thinking, what if the artificial demon is still alive and he has it stashed somewhere? What would that have to look like? What kind of creature was it? Where could it safely be kept?
Thanks for the chapter!
Opal seems cool, and the way her skill keeps target the same way Alden's does is interesting. Hope we'll learn more about her and see an interesting dynamic between Alden and her while training.
Opal marked her first victim with a rice ball. She‘s obviously a secret assassin sent by the B-List and poor Olive was understandably distraught when she noticed Opal‘s killing intent.
I have a backlog of forty chapters on my latest RR re-read. This was a satisfying chapter. And my current Patreon ends tomorrow. I think... System, tell me how long it will take for Royal Road to catch up to here. I'm ready now.
Not long enough
Am I the only one mildly alarmed by Jupiter and The Leaf being in the same room together?
I bet she can smell the leaf.
I love the fact that we keep seeing Alden *naturally* learning new words in conversation with Stu, like the word for "bookmark" at the start of the chapter. It is one of those things that makes the world and the characters feel so real. A funny thing to me though is that Alden is going to speak the *weirdest* Artonan when all is said and done. First, he learned from a Thegundese child with no contract translations or adult supervision. So he has a backwater accent and a childish vocabulary. Then, he is continuing his learning from *Stu* of all people. Now, Stu is a fine, intelligent person, but he is not normal. I don't remember which chapter talked about this, but Stu's mother only taught him certain Artonan vocabulary growing up, so that portion of the language is still what is most natural and familiar to him. On top of that, his personality lends itself to a certain... rigidity? strictness of dignity in expression? intensity? it is hard to really categorize, but it is hard to refute that Stu just speaks differently than his peers. Furthermore, much of Alden's other language exposure comes from the hn'tyon culture, which I would hazard a guess is distinctly different than mainline wizard culture in its vocabulary choices and conversational rhythms. (Okay, for those who couldn't guess, I am on the autism spectrum. High masking. I pay attention to these things because I have to!) Anyway, Alden will likely end up highly fluent in Artonan, but the more astute listeners will hear him speak and wonder what kind of mad genius he had for a teacher.
Informal & childish from Kibby & formal from Stu does sound like a fun, messy linguistic “one of these things is not like the other” mash up.
I went to physio the other day and had a discussion with the therapist about uncoordinated muscle fibers. Apparently they can get out of sync and contract inconsistently, but with therapy, your nervous system can quickly reset and relearn how to coordinate them properly. Makes me think about wordchains. Alden's wordchain is essentially instantly setting your nervous system for perfect muscle firing coordination, as well as proprioception and balance improvements. I wonder if that has lasting effects. Once your nervous system "gets" it, it should stay that way for a long time. Or would paying back the chain undo the effects?
Lute and Alden both seem to think it’s good for helping your brain learn the right way to move. It may or may not bee important that both of them normally sleep through the bad half, so it’s not having much effect on their experience.
I enjoy Sleyca’s creativity of imagination in gym class in general, and when I was reading about the new freeform gym hour, I got really excited that she’s carved out this little creative corner to play with. I mean, how fun is this — “The basic rules of tennis popped up on their interfaces, but they were welcome to ignore them if their opponent agreed. They didn’t even have to use rackets if they didn’t want to.”
It’s also the second tennis mention. Wonder if Sleyca is a tennis enjoyer or if it’s purely coincidence
I've been thinking about something in this universe that I hope someone can spoil for me. It is my understanding that it's been hinted at that inter dimensional travel is causing or exaserbaiting chaos spread. Can't remember where i picked that up, maybe the part where Stu was explaining first contact with earth. If I'm wrong please let me know, but if I'm right I really want to know how much so. Does every action cause chaos expansion. Does Alden giving fruit cause Stu to have other world chaos causing mater in him? Like radioactive chaos causing particles . Does eating on artona do the same thing to avowed when they go back to earth? Is it just the transporting that's the problem. Is it the first teleportation that causes some kind of universe rift alowing chaos in? Does chaos exist in earth and atonas universes without teleportation and does it go away if all teleportation stops? I want to know selfishly because we have had this done in Star Trek where the thing that makes the universe fun and meaningful(warp speed for them) becomes the enemy destroying the universe.
I doubt it's a matter of every action causing and equal and opposite amount of chaos to appear, on account of them not all being very dead and chaos-y. And while it was mentioned that the Artonan explorer who discovered Earth risked creating and/or summoning chaos in their search, it was explained that it was a byproduct of whatever they used to find and/or access it (can't quite remember which, and the explanation was fairly vague anyway). Additionally, I believe Stu mentioned at one point that there are methods of interdimensional travel that are more chaos-inclined than others, but it seems like a manageable problem?
The turn of phrase in: 'Whoops. So much for spreading a better attitude, Alden thought, letting the closing door be his only answer.' This really says it all, doesn't it? Doors often represent choices in Super Supportive. Sometimes irrevocable choices. This passage indicates that concerns about Winston are in the past for Alden. Sure, he's the weakest /for now/, but he knows full well that he's not going to stay that way. Winston could win all of their duels going forward, but why should Alden care? Winston's barbs are utterly irrelevant. He is behind a closed door in a room Alden has left for the last time.
I genuinely love the recurring door themes throughout this story. It makes even simple actions, like just leaving the locker room, feel impactful
New fridge thought this morning. What if Alden gets Esh or Lind to entrust him with something before MPE one morning? Could he tank Masha’s attacks with a knight-powered shield long enough to get a stalemate?
Does Alden get access to all of his entruster's power or just part of it? If only part of it, does this amount go up as Alden's authority increases?
Also why do I feel like this is Alden's last year in human school? With less than a year until Goldbush (including several months of recovery time post-affixation) And if deepening or bonding can be sensed by others, that knighthood reveal would be even sooner? Which likely means no more human school. It doesn't seem plausible that he can fight chaos as an exposed knight while maintaining that Quiet Rabbit profile on Earth.
You know, I'm not sure. He won't be summoned often, but he will be going to places like Goldbush, and he will have long periods where he won't be able to use his Skill. CNH did say they won't hold it against him if he gets summoned. I suspect he'll still get a human education, but it will involve a lot of tutoring and interdimensional homework. I suspect Alden wants a human education, and that's the deciding factor. CNH wants to say the commended guy graduated from their program.
I love how that thumbs up has layered meaning. Haoyu's showing his support and belief in Alden's determination. But Alden isn't just driven. He knows for a fact that as a knight and potential bond-mate, he'll grow extremely fast and eventually become strong enough to throw a meteor onto a giant demon… or at least beat his S-rank classmates. Another highlight of the magnitude & uniqueness of his secret knighthood.
This was a great chapter. On another note… “the cottage” just invokes a different mood these days 😅
Exactly the right mood! 🥰
I liked the contrast between Winston saying a dumb insult and Instructor Ash doing it. Alden can handle both of them just fine, but that doesn't mean it isn't weirder, ruder, and more upsetting to hear an adult who's supposed to be on your side and a part of your education doing it
Yes, well said!
Sounds like Ash is a real Ashhole... I'd call him an Eshhole since he's probably an Esshole too, but I wouldn't want to associate someone like that with Esh-erdi.
Ash is an Esshole. Such an Anesedorian insult, it's great.
Someone asked me to bring back the essay-length breakdown I'd made of TKA (Team Konstantly Awesome), so here goes: * Alden: (Rabbit, B) Support. Alden was capable of completing almost the entirety of the last obstacle course "on his own" with a length of entrusted rope. His skill enabled multiple bypasses. He is physically a baseline human, except on Ground. Then he's a baseline human on a trampoline. He is very vulnerable, and will likely be the first target of any rival team. * Kon: (Adjuster, S) Support. Kon has a few very niche skill applications. He can reset obstacles. He can also move his teammates past things by strapping them to stuff and pulling a "flying dogcrate" maneuver. We shall call this the "dogcrate express." He will likely be the one people put over the finish first, except in niche cases. * Haoyu: (Dura-Brute, A) Tank. Haoyu will likely be the one to clear hazards and exit tunnels ahead of his team. He can also act as an anchor for things like wind attacks and physically block enemy attacks. He is pure defense. * Lexi: (Meister of Mind Writher, A) Bodyguard. Mind writher is excellent at clearing, moving and cutting. It is a very versatile tool and a good deterrent for anyone looking to "cross the line" into allied territory. He can also probably cripple opponents with Mind Writher, if his teams needs someone on offense. * Mehdi: (Agility Brute, A) I don't know what Mehdi will do. His skill is a threat detection bubble that makes him a very difficult target when paired with his speed. Mehdi can probably clear a good number of obstacles on his own. He may get Alden's rope into place, or pass items to Kon to Sea-Say with. * Jeffy: (Aqua Brute, S) Get in the water Jeffy. Without water, Jeffy is "Building Puncher C." You can do a lot with high strength. There are a good number of obstacles (like the half-ton blocks) that are functionally just a strength check. He will excel at those, if his team can get him to swim. I do wonder if his object locator spell impression can be used to guestimate how another team is doing in the water. * Ignacio/Shrike: (Meister of Knives, S) This is the team's primary offense. The rest of the team's attack power is incredibly niche. Ignacio is the one who actually trains with the intention of hurting people. He is physically enhanced, but to what degree? In another comment, I suggested that TKA is rather low on offense, and I stand by that. Alden has a sling. Kon can reset obstacles. Lexi can cripple an opponent. Jeffy can life-jacket someone. But, no one on this team has an ability that would make their opponents' course significantly more difficult. They can't add hazards or block off obstacles, like Maricel or Everly. TKA has remarkably good defense. Their strategy is going to have to be executing the course faster and with fewer setbacks than their opponents. It's risky. That kind of run would require a breakneck pace. Fortunately, they have the kind of people who can move at the necessary pace. Even Alden can move scary quick when leveraging a wordchain. The main danger to this team are environmental hazards. How many of Alden's team can get through the fire trap from the last time it was run without a movement penalty? That said, each member has a couple of very niche scenarios where they will likely dominate. Jeffy's is obvious. What would let Mehdi shine? Something with dodging? What about Shrike or Kon? Something to think about.
One thing I wondered the last time I read the obstacle course's chapters: would a strategy that simply ignored the other team work better? Obviously you'd defend when one of the other guys moved to the attack, but when your team gets an attack, just don't do anything. This might work best when your team is all defense and no offense. Your defense resets one of the other guys. Crazy stuff like this is one of those things that gym is for. If it works, great! If it doesn't, well, don't do that again.
With the way Boe is acting, Alden should ask Stu specifics about secrecy tattoos. That'll either head off a Boe-splosion or let Boe explain his situation.
Stuart's offer to become Alden's votary really struck me. I know it was probably just him finally showing some of his nerves at what would be a very scary step to take, but it also occurs to me that it might not be as wild of an idea as it seems at first blush. Yeah, he's been dead set on being a knight, but I have to wonder what would happen if he realized that he and Alden have such synergy that he would love being his votary. There's also the fact that Alden is the only one beside his father who believes in him. I think he could give up being a knight for Alden when he could never have given it up for someone who had such little faith in him that they thought his being a knight was a guaranteed death sentence. I'm not saying that will happen, but this is the first time I've wondered if there is another path for Stuart that he could accept and be happy with.
NO. BAD BUTLER. NO. This is *exactly* the shit his parents have been saying to him. "Stu, you'd be such a good votary. This is some kind of attempt to replace Sina, isn't it? I know you want to honor her memory, but this isn't the way. You just have to find the right person! You can have exactly the relationship you wanted with her, just with someone else, someone just as worthy. Better, even. [Your life would be worth more, serving in this safer way, than it would risking yourself in this ill-advised manner for a path you have surely romanticized.]" Is there a path where Stu *could* do this? Yes. Is it the right thing for him? No. Listen to the words he has said about himself and believe them. He has chosen knighthood. He has considered it long and carefully and decided which of many possible future Stus he wishes to be. He can still change his path, but if he does, he will always be the Stu who backed down, who settled for less the moment the holy universe offered him more. It will be a bitter taste in his mouth until the day he dies that he could have been an explorer who built connections between worlds, who could have had a << profoundest love >> with a fellow knight, who could have gone with him to seek the broken heart of the universe. Instead, he gave it up to be in some ways a better helper - always able to cast, so knowledgeable in magic - but in others worse - not able to follow him past a certain point, not a living guarantor of Alden's wellbeing. Just a wizard, not a knight, and he surrendered the path the very moment someone cared enough to walk it with him.
It's going to be interesting to see if they will get a setup like they got in the obstacle course: run through the same course two days in a row. Or: new course every time. The second means no strategizing like the big meeting in Ch. 123.
I'd think the best way to do it would be at the end of a class be "this is the next course" then its homework style planing time, but a new course every lesson. Or alternatively, there's a course randomisation every run, so that students who run at the start of the class are not as disadvangaed compared to those at the end of the class who got to see the problematic areas.
Re listening to the chainer arc, and oh boy do I still really hate how Anesidoran society slowly warped those kids. As mentioned elsewhere, good riddance paragon. You will not be missed
Re read about done, and I have some conspiracy theories about what went down Jessica was so desperate to prevent Lute/her child from being a non avowed she did something drastic. Supported by the way she talked to Lute about “not being sure” of him becoming an avowed. Aulia likely noticed but couldn’t prove it, or figure out what it was. Decides to watch him for his early childhood Lute grows up with Jessica hammering home he won’t be avowed. And prevents him from doing anything that could draw attention to him. *deeply suspicious* Aulia doesn’t see anything indicating Lute has potential so she eventually stops paying him much attention. Lute gets selected, and Jessica thinks whatever her scheme was worked. Decades of personal anguish and borderline manic actions have paid off. Her son is an avowed. And a Potentially very powerful one. Immediately starts to plan how to get Lute Chainer. Discovers in her mad dash she doesn’t truly understand her son. Needs to figure out how to make Lute see the “correct” choices. Aulia is partially vindicated in her suspicions towards Lute. Long forgotten. Uses the chaining test to fully realize what Lute is capable of. And is convinced she let herself miss the talent she had been searching for Aulia and Jessica now both need/want Lute to take chainer. They scheme how to make it happen I think Lutes father (if it isn’t just Cyril) might be genuinely earth shattering. So much so that Jessica took extreme actions to cover it up. Marrying a guy she didn’t truly love, emotionally manipulating her son. Preventing him from chaining and potentially being good at it. Making him attend avowed school even though he hated it. All of these things point to her thinking Lute would be avowed. Almost entirely certain of it but not quite. So in summary for my super unhinged theory - Lutes dad is an Artonan. Whatever genetic modification that was done to Jessica somehow made it possible for her to have a child with an Artonan and she has been desperately covering for it ever since
Have I ever heard uttered such a sad statement followed by such a high compliment as, "I…haven’t had many moments like that in my life. When someone else was paying attention and being present, when and how I needed." I don't think I have before. It's been so great to read this story. Thank you.
Yeah that hurt my heart to read a little bit. I hope he gets the chance to talk about that with Yenu Pezth even if it's "offscreen".
In the continued much deserved roasting of Winston; how much do you all wanna bet he has made zero progress understanding his skill or learning judo since assessment day? Doubt he has really progressed for leveling purposes either. (Edit for those wondering - the judo thing is something he off handedly bragged about doing in the future, that I refuse to believe he actually is earnestly trying to learn)
Dr.Dark, I must object to your casting aspersions on earnest young Winston, someone on his way to becoming one of the most powerful, well respected heroes of the future. I have been following his socials closely, and he is not one to make empty claims. In fact, he is a dedicated, hard worker and nothing if not a man of his word. Not like that arrogant, boastful rabbit.
I've got a question for the commentariat about jewel names. I've personally met people named Beryl, Ruby and Pearl. I know of people whose surname is Jewel or Diamond. In this chapter, we have an Opal. In a book I read a long time ago, there was a character named Tourmaline. Has anybody else met / heard of someone named after a precious / semiprecious jewel?
I know 2 women called "Jade".
I’m very curious what set up types we will get to see during coursing. If it’s all variants of the version we saw before, or if we have some range
In the televised uni team matches the courses change
> [Of course, Alden. If Stu wants you here, here you’ll be.] This shows there is not much favoritism concerning more powerful knights, when it is about the survival of a knight. Probably the contracts' core protocols are involved.
Does it? We could interpret this as: - A minor favor to Alden, which he earned both by his work on Thegund and his commitment to future knighthood - A minor favor advanced to Stu, as part of his commitment to knighthood - A minor favor to some knight relative of Stu's, who has asked the Contract to help him in small ways if it can - A minor favor to Esh or Alis, who are invested in Alden But regardless of who the favor is really *for*, it's a *minor* favor. I'm sure Mother would do much more for a more powerful knight.
I've always been intrigued by the way Sleyca occasionally pointedly refuses to give a character a name. Alden still regularly interacts with the Object Shaper, the dude has been active and even had dialog in several chapters. And I always wondered what the hell was up with The Girl with Tailor Environment. It is unusual to have regular (minor) characters that never have their names revealed. I wonder what Sleyca's purpose is for this, if there is one. It doesn't seem accidental.
I think there were a bunch of brutes in class who didn't get named either. The Object Shaper became a bit of a meme, and it feels like Sleyca leaned into that.
Hmm I wonder if there is a time skip incoming.
Things aren't stable enough for a time skip. On the artona 1 side, Stuart is soon to affix and there's going to be conflict with his family very soon over what he did. On the earth side, we have an entire timetable of new classes to be shown before they can be skipped, and also the situation with Boe. Probably a bunch of other active short term plot threads I haven't mentioned too
Shouldn't Alden have known the rings were magic anyway because of his useless points in Sympathy for Magic? I guess he has been working on ignoring that for quite a while now. (Also looking I forgot the name of the stat so I checked out chapter 24 and wow it's been a long time since we've seen a blue box)
Sympathy for magic wasn't a generic magic sense. It allows avowed to see and interact with certain magic tools that they may have to use in their work. Enchanted rings don't necessarily have magic buttons to press, so won't necessarily be visible through it
I can't wait to read Jupiter's reaction to Alden's leaf. 😄
ooo good call. She would probably pass out if she tried to manipulate it
This is gonna be exciting.. I love seeing another hard-ass professor for Alden to impress. Also, isn't it nice having a clear purpose and direction in life? Trite BS like petty powergames and barbed off handed insults just slink off you because you know that what you're doing is beyond whatever others think of you. This is one of those stories where I kinda get hyped when someone new gets introduced. It's a fun feeling. I hope to see more of Opal and Instructor Hard-ass-- err Hard-Ash
Klein was a hard ass professor because he believed (incorrectly) that it was the right thing for Alden. Ash, according to all evidence we've seen so far, is just a jackass.
Aldens Fridays are going to be tough. 5am MPE gym followed by Artonan culture.
I could see Instructor Ash either having a chip on his shoulder (not cutting it as a hero?), or he's just very blunt. The bittersweet thing is that even if Alden exceeds his expectations somehow, it'll ultimately just reinforce his elitism since Alden is actually a special exception.
Apparently he's one of those instructors who like to pick favorites, a rankist, and a jerk. If he is, then I hope Alden proves him wrong
Lore keepers, can someone please remind me what chapter Winston (or another character if I’m remembering it wrong) talked about a B rank who wanted to rank up. Because some posts down below have me thinking it might’ve been Opal
Not at my computer right now, but I'd guess it would have been one of the everybody everywhere all at once chapters.
I wonder if Alden will ask his teammates to contribute sentimental items to his mechanisms to include their authority strength into them.
What if Stuart's parents decide that Alden shouldn't be locked away or banished, but make him undergo knight school, including things like classes on summoning etiquette? Alden would be super busy with education in both worlds. Makes me tired thinking of it.
If Alden is banned from the siblinghold by some of Stu’s less supportive parents (like Aymeg), and Mother transports Alden directly to Stu anyways, how will the family react? What meaning will they take from Mother overriding their decision? Will they try to remove Alden? Do they have so much respect for Mother that they’ll accept her interference? The idea of knights having to interpret & react to that — to Mother using her finite resources to go against them in favor of the choices made by Stu & his human… I kinda want to see it.
Chekhov’s ’Mother’s promised teleport favor’ is hopefully going to pay off! Edit: You really don’t put that kind of thing at the start of a new arc for nothing!
To quote Alden from way back in chapter 128, "I’m at this school because it’s an educational facility, and honestly I find it tedious how almost everyone else seems to think it’s a magical dick measuring facility instead."
omg this is such a good quote to pull out thank you
Dang, it seems like Esh’s concern about the harsh light that comes after totally revealing yourself to someone might be rearing up. I can totally see Stu not wanting to be off his “helping Alden out” train. Which is extremely not a Stu thing to do, but homeboy needs Kibby to believe in him or something
Yaaaaay more Jeffy in Coursing!
* Alden, Kon, Haoyu, Lexi, Mehdi, Jeffy, and Ignacio. Alden's team has very little offense or range. Some of those obstacles are going to be rough, too. How do they disable things like the fire trap? I guess Alden can make shields for some of them and Kon can tie people to thrown objects and Dolphin-Chant them along. How do you hinder your opponents without directly attacking them? Outside of their very specific niches, most of Kon's team looks like physically enhanced humans. * Vandy, Everly, Tuyet, Maricel, Jupiter, Rebecca, and Heloísa. That's four shapers, a ranged meister and two brutes (jump & strength). The girls' team is pretty scary. Jupiter and Maricel's power compliment each other quite well. It seems heavy on the casters, but that sounds like it may be a theme in this class.
"very little offense": Kon throws a grenade. Uses his skill on the pin. Grenade reforms. Kon throws again. I call it the Mad Bomber Kon plan.
I wonder if Winston actually moved out of his dorm.
Winston and Finlay gotta bail ASAP to make room for Stu and Roman.
I love how Alden is just... so much more relaxed and unbothered now that he made the biggest life decision
I hope it lasts all day. Life can find ways to take away your chill.
It will be interesting to see if Alden has different goals for his skill in the Combat and Coursing classes.
I absolutely love the implication that there are 'those knights' that constantly reference their skill in conversation. That'd be a remarkably fun thing to do, and how could anyone complain? "Oh honored warrior against chaos, please stop making jokes about your great suffering we are not allowed to talk about". Grade A humor right there.
Also, I am 1000% sure Evul is one of those knights. Alden and her have a great opportunity to bond by annoying Stu with skill references and metaphors 😄
I read "black socks sticking out of his jeans" and thought "socks aren't made like that!" To me it sounded like his socks were showing at his waistband. Maybe turn that into "showing below his jeans" or something that sounds more like they're between his shoes and jeans than coming out the top of his jeans.
I pictured it as his socks being pulled OVER the bottoms of his jeans 🤭 glad I was not the only one who struggled with that picture
Is it weird that i want Alden to be a skill mentor for the other B's and his friends? Joe already said he taught him decades worth of system knowledge and that was BEFORE he gained an authority sense and the perspective of how Artonans actually think about Skills.
Not weird at all! I've been hoping he could mentor the good ones, and he's done pretty well mentoring Kon though not specifically skill related. Stu has weighed in about Haoyu's build before, maybe he'll talk more about what the others could do with their skills to Alden and he could pass on ideas.
Is anyone else excited to see what happens with opal? None of the named characters thus far have had boring arcs, especially none in the context of MPE, but some of them lead to super exciting developments, and I’m excited to see which route Opal goes down. Especially since she’s a new named character in (possibly) Alden’s last consecutive semester at school
I wonder how long it's going to be before people start asking if she and Alden are dating.
“ She had long auburn hair and a figure he was going to get tired of a few people trying to make into a conversation topic after every class” Once again, an amazing physical description without actually giving a physical description. I love this line; so well crafted.
As well as the characterization it adds for Alden as well.
Seems like we are back to “regular programming” :) I’m excited to see how Stu and Alden move forward! Exciting
This isn't regular at all! We got through an entire gym class in one third of a single chapter. Rather than you know, five chapters and 19000 words to cover a single class.
Nice to be seeing a more confident Alden at school. He's earned this
TFTC!
> “And he intended to run over me with one of the campus carts,” Stuart said with a nod. “Before he realized who I was.” Stu doesn't know that Ro-den was "just" enjoying watching students jump out of the way by making them *think* he was going to run them over. It's a very good casual reminder that though Stu knows a lot, he does not have a complete picture, and neither do we.
He qualified this just a bit further down: “I should say he only meant to threaten me. Everyone else was getting out of his way. Why should they have? He can’t run over students.” But, point taken.
Ok, this is gonna get me in trouble, but I have to say it. Opal. She is, I am sure, a lovely young woman with many lovely qualities. But "can't cook but still brings food" + "body that is going invoke converstation" + "not a rabbit but IS B rank" + "If you want to study together..." (she threw that line in so clean and subtle like brick unto head, but of COURSE Alden missed it). Now, in the shippinig wars, OBVIOUSLY Stuart is way WAY out in front of everyone else. But as a Natalie Forever OTP person, having first Opal introduced, and then MARICEL COMES BACK (like, literally she is physically present in the story as opposed to just mentioned). Oh, Alden X Natalie shippers. Stay strong. I know we were torpedoed on screen in the harsshest way possible, but don't give up hope!
Hey, Alden is gonna be officially recognized as a knight one day, which means he will be able to summon avowed! and what was the first thing that he did when he got money for the very first time? Hired his very own chef! I think that was foreshadowing for the part Natalie will play in the future of the story. I don't have any single person in mind for who I ship Alden with, I just hope it happens for him, cuz I LOVE romance and love stories! (also, I doubt this is gonna happen, but Artonans seem much more loose with the whole just one partner thing, so every shipper can, in theory, hope to dream)
Soup soup soup
So much juicy goodness this chapter. Thank you, Sleyca <3
Stuart is still relatively new to the college experience! They don't go tattling to mommy and daddy if you miss a couple days of classes. And it's not like anyone else in his family sees his therapist. Hard to say how long, if ever, it will take for the gossip about his house of welcome to arrive. As for the demon chest, how often are they in the supply closet anyway? By the time any of it is discovered, it might be way too far down the road to put any pieces together!
They were doing inventory a few chapters ago, so it's not impossible they'll notice sooner rather than later.
"And the Object Shaper played true to his class by redirecting the ball toward his own racket or away from Alden’s with swift gestures." Poor Object Shaper still doesn't have a name, and I love that he doesn't.
Maybe his name is Oscar Schneider? Or Omkesh Sajwan?
Thank you for the chapter! Loved every little thing about it. I am so upset that Stu said that about being Alden’s votary! I love Other Alden. And I was thinking that Alden says he has the trees’ support and Stu’s support in being a Knight. And he should remember he also has Mother’s vote. If the Trees, Stu, and Mother were at my back I would feel very confident indeed.
I agree about poor Stu, but getting cold feet about something so scary is understandable, and he recovered quickly.
Huh if it's so easy to reach out and detect magic with authority I wonder why wizards don't instantly sense Alden's auriad and know it's real and aligned with his authority
It's something that has to actively be done, I believe it's seen as rude to do and Alden doesn't know that/doesn't care because humans can't sense it, and I imagine to Artonans it's completely normal for people to have enchanted items and they wouldn't instinctually know it's an auriad under his clothes. But I could be completely wrong about all that
The amount of things Sleyca keeps track of in this story is wild. I'm sad we didn't get dialogue from Maricel this chapter, she felt like the first person Alden really connected with after getting back from the moon and I really don't want their friendship to just peter out. It'll be interesting to see her and Alden actually compete as we never really got that as far as I can remember? But I'm really looking forward to this new casualness Alden has with his authority and how he's going to use it in school. He basically has mental tracking now no? Even if it's just for enchanted items as opposed to feeling for others' place in the universe that'll still be a massive boon
We've learned from Shane and Ilya that Stu and Alden can't hide out in the cottage forever.
They can have a week or even two at the cottage, they'll have so much fun. 😍
Pretty sure being a real wizard makes Alden already the strongest in the room, in terms of flexibilty, authority, and potential. Not to mention the strength of his character and sheer resilience. I know Ash was written to piss us off, but it worked.
Speed is the thing Alden doesn't have as a wizard. It seems that this is a common thing, too. Drusi-otta had to use a wand during the pig-punching incident, and Joe had to use his base authority to slam the cart into reverse.
“I’ll see you in a few days if I’m not banned." Sleyca's so good at keep me on tenderhooks waiting for the next chapter. Now I need to know if he's gonna be banned... or if Stuart's parents are going to even notice, lol.
I wonder if they're too focused on Goldbush. Only Ryada noticed him taking the ritual bath.
Also i kinda expected max to be on team konstantly awesome.
There's still hope! They're expected to swap teams around every now and then, it'll be cool to see Alden and Max actually work together since they seem to mesh so well strategically
I wonder what Opal’s secret sauce is that got her into the program? Her first description of her powers didn’t make it sound like she could do anything an A couldn’t.
She sounds similar to what Andrej's angle is with Throughblow. Being able to operate without sight is a significant edge in combat
"It had been wonderful, but Alden had come down enough from his unprecedented string of emotional highs to feel concerned about how much he’d knocked over in Stuart’s life by firing almost every truth missile in his arsenal at once." I love how Sleyca put this.
I wonder if Alden will eventually be able to say, "entrust this match to me"
Matches are easy, though. Maybe a match mid strike.
A bit late, I think I get why Stu said he shouldn't help Alden's skill along with his authority too often (said after the puddle shield). Is that part of the deepening process? He might trigger the catching-up effect? That was back before Alden spilled all his secrets, so is tandem skill use back on the table?
I think it’s a kind of handsy thing to do for someone with an authority sense. Could verge on inappropriate and invasive when the avowed can’t feel it or properly consent.
Is Ash one of those teachers that picks one kid to bully so the rest of the kids are scared of him and fall in line?
To be determined. Shrike mentioned Alden to Ash and Alden has been all over the news for months.
Phew, as much as I enjoyed the previous arc and am glad about its (tentative) conclusion, I'm also kinda looking forward to more school time with low intensity level ! Especially now that Alden is free from a lot of his burden (heh) and can adopt what I believe will be a healthier mindset for his Hero classes. I was suffering withdrawal from not seeing enough Haoyu, Lute, Lexi, Kon and so many other characters I cherish ;-; Idk how to feel about the new instructor, I don't want to dislike him too fast, he might just be jaded and not very invested not intense compared to the others. It'll depend on how he acts with the other students I guess. Anyway, I'm excited for what comes next ! Thanks for the chapter, as always :)
Its gotta be time for the real Lute arc. Theres no way they spent the 20 chapters and while back doing a deep dive into Lutes backstory in great detail without the plan for him to get in on the chaos hunting team. Plus the hint from the tattoo guy about power being the ultimate factor in contract enforcement. Lute weird ability to forever stack word chains on himself to insane levels. This semester is 1000% going to be about Lute overthrowing the she devils contract through sheer power after Alden makes some offhand comment to Stu and they discover how absolutely abnormal it is that he can stack chains like that and they get to talking about his contract problem.
Man, this series continues to be peak. So excited for more gym shenanigans after Alden really commits to going all out.
“Have you ever thought it would be better if I just became your votary?” Anyone remember when/where it was recently that one of the siblings told Alden that Stu was going to die because the family had caused him to doubt himself? I’d like to reread it now. Because here it is. Stu feeling so safe with Alden that he lets down his guard & the doubt slips out. To his horror.
246 Baby Blue Rel invites Alden to visit the Bokabv baby
I’m so pleased at where this story is headed. I mean, I’ve loved this story since I started but man… Sleyca just can’t disappoint.
It will be difficult for Alden to yoink the enchantments off of Ash's rings. Maybe if Ash tries to strike Alden, our Rabbit could convince himself that Ash was 'giving' him his rings? Bad as he his, I doubt that Ash is that unprofessional / criminal, though! Still, if the opportunity arises...
> Alden nodded. “I’ll be here as soon as you need me, for as long as you need me, even if Earth is on fire and your parents are trying to punish you by banning me from the Rapport.” Please don't raise flags Alden. I can see a Boe related emergency happening at the same time as Stu's affixation all the way from here!
The last time we had foreshadowing like that, Aimi Velras was worried about meteors to the face and Anesidora sinking.
He should steal the enchantments of his Intructors hand when he shakes it and looks him in the eye
Yes, this is both possible and desirable. No negative consequences could possibly result from criminal property damage when the school knows he has an enchantment-suppressing skill.
Now that we know rank, level, and trust, of an entruster, plus importance of object entrusted matters for BoAB, Alden should get his school friends to bring stuff to class S Ranked Jeffy’s personality is perfect as an entruster And old farm’s like his Grampa’s are crammed full of useful items, especially sentimental but outdated, or slightly broken but repairable, that you keep because you have a barn and never know when you will need to Jerry rig something in the middle of the night 🎬 Edited to correct Jeffy’s name
I am thinking bring along some Natalie food. Offer it to Jeffy, but only after it has made it through gym class unscathed.
So did y'all notice that Alden has a new trick? The cooperative game with Haoyu is the first time we've seen him preserve an object without having skin contact at the moment of first preservation, isn't it? He can move a preserved object to a bag, but I don't think we've seen him preserve something *in* a bag while leaving the bag unpreserved, have we? Edit: Wait. No, I take it back. Prior to the Winsterminator fight we saw him preserve a sling bullet in a moving sling, and then removed the bullet to use as a missile. ...I was all excited, too.
Agreed. Plus he managed it while preserving momentum! Very cool.
Oh yeah, here he is. Klein was initially introduced in the position of a-hole teacher, but in true sleyca fashion was flushed out and given a degree of nuance and redeeming qualities that make him actually pretty likeable at this point. This guy though, Ash? Yeah, I have a feeling he’s a-hole through and through, and he is in store for some serious humbling down the line that I am eagerly anticipating. Though I am still looking forward to watching Klein get properly humbled as well.
Klein should have made his discomfort with Alden being let in less obvious but I understand why he was reluctant to let Alden in, given the information he had at the time.
Its nice that Alden spoke to and was responded to by Mother here, I'm sure that Stu still has doubts because Sina stopped talking to Mother after affixing. And to add on, its kind of a vote of support for Stu that Mother will ignore the rest of the family in favor of him should it come to pass. It was also much more personable of a response compared to the business-like speech when he asked about skills, perhaps this was the first time he's had that from her, but we have seen so little of his preparation.
I think it’s the difference between Contract and Mother. Mother has the personality.
I was about to read a comment and then it disappeared. Patreon if you are eating the comments I demand a refund (of comments, not $). Poster, if you deleted your entire essay length post analysing T.K.A. then I hope you repost soon as my essay length anaylsis post is lonely.
Seconded
Jeffy got in!
*rips shirt in celebration*
Ooo Alden finally started learning how to catch things on his preserved objects. I completely glossed over that detail on the first read
Catching one of Tuyets darts on a shield? who knows...
And so we meet the infamous Professor Ash... and he immediately lives up to his reputation.
*lives down to
I like this, a return to normality, after the highs of the previous chapters. I'm glad the secret was not exposed or Stu having his life blown up (yet to both). We need some normal chapters to recover, just as our characters need normal.
I do hope we get a POV of the art'h family reaction. If only to understand which sacred ancient wizard line he crossed for reasons they don't understand.
Wonder if Alden is going to take a more active role in helping people like Ignacio with their power use problems
Now that he is free of restriction I feel like he could totally get on the Midoriya level of skill analysis, especially with authoriative investigations aiding him.
Team Konstantly Awesome Analysis: Alden B Rank Pickling Rabbit Kon S Rank Adjuster of Time Haoyu A Rank Dura Brute Lexi A Rank Mind Writher Meister Mehdi A Rank Agility Brute Jeffy S Rank Aqua Brute Ignacio S Rank Knife Meister Thoughts: Despite being called the weakest team they have only one less S than Team Vandy and naval superiority. Tuyet is a little better than Ignacio in the context of last terms coursing that was shown. She takes out a person entirely by putting them to sleep instead of a 'kill' that just puts them back at the start. The cloud of knives is just less effective compared to her slightly longer range/increased speed. Especially with the 'one attack' rule from last quarter (Though an Esshole like Ash might not favor that setup). They are Brute and Meister heavy and light on Adjusters/Shapers even if we count Alden as one. Jeffy also has a lot of spells for a brute but it's still not very comparable to an actual adjuster/shaper especially with the niche use cases. Finding objects isn't all that usefull in coursing. It would be interesting to see Jeffy take bouancy to it's other extreme and allow people to 'float' though the air. Sky Moves! I mentioned this in another comment but there is a good ammount of synergy for Alden between Kon, Jeffy and Ignacio. The team cooperation looks excellent except for brotherly love and Medhi/Ignacio being wild cards. I'm excited to learn about Mehdi's skills. He has threat detection. Alden is the obvious target for greifing. The build of this team means that most other members could score a counter if targeted, so while Kon will probably also get some Aggro, both will probably need to move with guards. Alden/Ignacio and Kon Jeffy seem like good matchups power wise but Alden/Jeffy seems like a better Jeffy option and Lexi will probably want Kon/Lexi if Kon isn't being annoying about it.
I see Haoyu and Lexi as the bodyguards of T.KA..
Maricel is back! Let's goooooo! I'm really interested to see what's changed with her since we last saw her. Knowing Maricel, she'll probably act fine and dandy, but I'm willing to bet there's gonna be some considerable stress under the surface. It's a good thing this most recent arc has given Alden such surety of self, because it looks like this one will push his Super Supportive-ness to the test!
Oh man, that teacher's gonna be a hoot isn't he? I smell some deep insecurities on that man already. So many rings and a disinterested attitude while calling others weak immediately? Yeah he reeks of it. 😒 Thanks for the soup!
Isn't Ash the teacher that was pointed as being one of the most elitist? (I think by Rahul?)
This paragraph hit hard: “With the Ro-den contract,” said Alden, “you really looked at what was going on with me and tried to understand what was wrong. And then you fixed the problem. My problem. Even though it wasn’t something easy. I…haven’t had many moments like that in my life. When someone else was paying attention and being present, when and how I needed.” That's some raw truth and deep insight right there. Loving Alden's self-reflection, brutal honesty, and brave vulnerability, as always. Top tier writing, thank you. Deeply moving.
Although controversial I can see the advantage of that different kind of class in the morning. Wonder if Alden ever plans to align his fake rank with his actual rank now? Cause I don’t think it’d worry him as much? Maybe?
Alden will have issues with upgrading his profile because the school will expect him to get skills or spell impressions or carefully implemented foundation points. going straight from lvl 4 to level 10(+2 free) without getting much in return will raise plenty of its own questions when 3-4 levels a year is considered extremely fast. even 1 or 2 levels will have the teachers involve themselves in an annoying way. best he can do is just keep advancing and finding new skill uses and just keep saying "i guess the system is being a bit odd not giving me level up notices??"
On reread, Reinhard and Winston's indignation at learning Alden got into Coursing is so funny to me. Guys; *guys*. Everyone had a taste of what your versions of 'team player' looked like last term - if you each want to be team captain so badly, you have to actually be successful at recruiting people to work with you and then show your team does better for having you in it. You're not S-ranks; you're not outstandingly talented; and you are currently known more for being immature and argumentative than actively helpful.
Reinhard was almost friendly last time he was around, so I forgot he is basically diet Winston when annoyed lmao
Opal should be fun — a more normal B, and in the class Alden would have picked if not for Gorgon’s advice. Interesting that she didn’t come to the B-list practices. Looking forward to getting to know Ignacio and Jeffy better, and to Medhi getting to know Alden better. And I can’t wait to see Alden start to relax his self-limiting behaviors and show off his real strength as he gets more comfortable with his Choice.
Lol, Rahul said at the start of B-List that Francis and Beebee had scared off a bunch of the latest freshmen with their antics.
Gosh I hope we're in for some surprises this semester
Team Vandy Analysis: Vandy S Rank Wind Shaper Maricel S Rank Ground Shaper Jupiter S Rank Life Shaper Everly A Rank Ice adjuster Tuyet S Rank Dart Meister Rebecca A Rank Jumper Brute Heloísa A Rank Strength Brute Thoughts: Three different shapers and a Dart meister give them ranged supperiority when attacking. Will we see a return of the Workshop? Everly can handle the fire box but there might be a different element used in the new term/course. Everly and Vandy might be able to magic the wall climb while the brutes might be able to 'brute' force it. Little water potential unless Everly took some thing special but that is unlikely. Two brutes can move objects and the shapers might be able to either move their elements or do something like what Alden does to move things by surrounding blocks with their elements. Everly is the obvious target to incapacitate so I might go for Tuyet (to avoid sleep darts) or the brutes instead (less obvious target). Team Femme Fatale is looking sharp, or in Jupiter's case prickly. I'm a bit sad Marsha didn't join but it wouldn't make narrative sense.
Everly could end a run if she uses an attack to freeze an opposing teams water obstacle.
Way back when we first meant Klein, a lot of commenters didn't like him because of how he talked to Alden, but I liked him and thought he was being responsible using the information he had available. Ash is not like Klein.
I was thinking the same thing
Yay for more school chapters
New classes, new students, new teachers. All of this aligned with a new outlook for Alden… the new quarter is off to a good start!
Ash the Asshole efficiently established
Esshole or S-hole to be more accurate.
I love that Stuart brought up the votary possibility. I think it was necessary to adress the elephant in the room, but also that a Season of Choosing SHOULD involve complete freedom to examine ALL possibilities. If there was no pressure from parents and no need to prove them wrong - what would Stuart choose? He needs this, a completely judgement free zone to decide and to reconfirm who he wants to be. On a different world and on a different note, I love that Alden lives rent-free in Reinhard's, Mehdi's and Winston's mind. They are so obsessed with him. As for the new teacher, I enjoy the new villain of the week that will be inevitably by crushed under the Burderer's heel one day. Finally, I love that Alden is living on cloud nine. Rank-drama who? Higschool drama what? He's above it. He didn't get put into a human zoo for naughty knights, he escaped the jaws of terribly limiting contract, and none of these folks can touch Alden emotionally now.
I like that votary Stu was brought up, and I like how it was rejected. The thing I disliked most about the votary Stu fandom was that they were ignoring what Stu had said about himself, just as much as his family was.
Where is this leaf coming from, I don’t remember
After his affixation by mother after Thegund, when Alden woke up in the forest nesr the siblinghold it fell from a tree at Alden and he put it into his auriad-spell-book.
So good soup! Thanks Sleyca!
I hope Alden annoys Ash by exploiting the peculiarities of his skill to perform above his level. If he wants to serve someone, and they trust him to serve them, his skill acts as a lever on their authority and becomes much stronger. There are multiple quite powerful people on his team who would be able to help him this way, Shrike, Kon, and Jeffy are all probably strong enough to help him do improbable things, and are humble enough to form the kind of working relationship and trust that makes it possible. When he's serving one of them, he might even be able to do stuff like block Tuyet's darts. Kon's a good one because he's team leader, and that means self defense, especially if Kon recently told him to do it for the sake of the team/him, could potentially qualify. I wonder what Ash will think of Alden as his power continues to build on itself, he learns more and more powerful chains, and starts using the authority of others to boost himself in order to serve them.
Ignacio can throw him knives and he can launch them like he did with Big Snake. He can extend Kon's object time like with the Wand, and he can create selective bouyance on objects with Jeffy (preserved to go down and unpreserved to shoot back up.)
Thanks for the chapter Sleyca! Go make that teacher eat his words Alden!
Ah the infamous rank elitist prick teacher. I look forward to your views being crushed. Great chapter. Glad we get to start seeing new school dynamics. 10/10 team of personalities for coursing.
Maybe the rings, too. I wonder what level of obnoxious it would take for Alden to strip the enchantments off them in punishment. So far, Ash is every bit of a prick as Trash-nor.
It annoys me that Alden is too polite to push back at people like Ash. I get that it is the mature thing to do and Ash would definately turn any response to his advantage but I'd still like to hear someone go, "oh the low ranked instructor is teaching this class" have Ash respond with "I'm an S! Rah!" and then get shut down with "Why would that matter? I meant your rank on RateMyTeacher.com it says you consistently fail to provide adequate instruction."
Alden will have his chance to make a < righteous scholarly exit > in due time.
Popo is right
Indeed, he has correctly described his own preferences.
I’m kind of obsessed with the narrative perfection of Alden starting a new school semester at the same time as he begins this new chapter of openness in his life. Beautifully executed, Sleyca!
Ahhhhh. Another good one. Starting off a new arc.
I want Alden to stop holding back. No one in this school understands what Alden is capable of at this point.
Except that if he does, he’d have a lot more people interested in him than there already is. Not to mention Aurelia and the infotech guy possibly wanting to kidnap him to learn how to use magic, or how the artonans on earth would react to him
Phew we can finally put the "stuart becomes aldens votary" to rest
You know, Stu gets to be funny-mean to Superior Professor Worli Ro-den just by showing up to class now. It's really only fair that Alden also gets a professor who could use an attitude adjustment to be Alden Ryeh-b't at. (Dear lord, Ash, are you *jealous* of Alden's ten-ring armor set? Are you really trying to actively bully one of your *students* by being snide at him in class and naming him as a preferred target for all the other students? Wow, insecurity much? I was expecting you to be on the unprofessional side given what Rahul shared previously, but I thought that was going to be expressed as ignoring Alden, not trying to find opportunities to sneak in putdowns.)
I am so delighted that Ignacio decided to join Alden and Kon's team. Ignacio is an excellent team player; like the trees gifting an occasional leaf as an expression of a desire to connect, he likes to loan out his knives, which makes an excellent synergy for Bearer. Maricel is back! Stu and Boe are both have a bit of a wobble in their own way, but at least Alden has Mother's promise that she will reunite them by teleport if Stu really needs Alden. When will he get to go to Chicago and give Boe the biggest hug?
Ah, I've been hoping this would come 'today'! (OK, it's after midnight for me, so officially no longer 'today', but it remains 'today' for my circadians!) I also liked the switch to Alden being more encouraging of Stu than he's been able to before. Perhaps Stuart will be the super supportive's support?
Well, that teacher's an asshole. Man, it's weird to be slowing back down again after that blitz of chapters, but I'm loving Alden's new self-assuredness. Now what I really want are some Stuart POVs.
One of the dirty truths of life is that the adults - whether teachers or parents - do have favorites, even if they manage by great effort to keep that secret from themselves. Another truth is that any adult who ever tells a child that they're the unfavored one, by word or deed, is a raging jackass.
I wonder if Alden will ever bring up seeing the memory of Stu's sister taking her rest.
I'm sure it will come up eventually, but it isn't really something you bring up in casual conversation, or really at all, if you can help it.
I’m glad we get to see instructor Ash this quarter, I reread the chapter where Rahul complains about him a few hours ago and wanted to see how that’d turn out
Do you recall which chapter that was?
Waluigi
Just reading the first sentence made me giddy! Finally we are talking about the leaf!
This will be my last chapter for a while o7 Thank you very much for the delicious soup, thank you the community for being so cool and engaging, and I wish you nothing but the best Sleyca
Happy trails until you return.
chapter woke me up from sleep
Lmao I literally just laid down to sleep
Just when I got internet working in South Korea! Onya sleyca!
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Thanks for the chapter Sleyca! Ash will be the true embodiment of his name soon enough. He had awoken the bloodthirsty rabbit, and there will be consequence.
The main consequence will be that the 'weakest classmate' of the 'weakest team' will end up being the best member and the strongest team.
Yay!
Woohooo!