Published at 16th of February 2024 2:21 pm

Chapter 39. Everybody Likes Pudge

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Nox had yet to make plans to join in on the revelry. However, Sixthday evening was the only time Pudge didn’t have prior engagements. They avoided the cafeteria and left the campus without eating dinner. The streets were busier. After all, it wasn’t just students visiting stalls and taverns and indulging in the after-dusk market. Citizens and independent delvers visited them, too.

The aromas outside the campus were more tempting. They didn’t need to rely on royalty, aristocrats, their retainers, and individuals born with famous last names to achieve success. The stalls sold grilled offal, cheap cuts of meat, and rough sweet treats one would find at a large family feast. It was the kind of food one would find at Mou’s table instead of in Queen Mercer’s dining hall.

Much to Nox’s delight, Pudge gravitated towards skewered meats and mushrooms. They were cheap, and Nox didn’t mind splurging on them. Since he needed information and favors from the shorter man, he paid for their food. Despite Nox’s insistence, Pudge bought them mead. The pair didn’t talk much. Instead, they ate, drank, and watched the sights. Bright colors, fire eaters, dancers, and more filled the streets with entertainment.

Women gravitated toward Pudge. He made no move but received arm strokes, smiles, hair tousles, and a couple of invitations to join larger groups. Meanwhile, Nox got no attention from them at all. He got glances and occasionally a polite nod but wasn’t the focus of their attention. It didn’t offend Nox. He enjoyed watching Pudge brush off beautiful women most men, including Edward and Louis, would fawn over. Most importantly, the shorter man appeared unfazed by the interest—even when it came from individuals wearing royal grabs or adept delving badges.

“How do you do it?” Nox asked when he couldn’t contain the questions any longer. “You don’t even appear to be trying.”

“I’m not,” Pudge answered, no less casual than his usual demeanor. “Honestly, it can get annoying at times. I wish there were a way for me to turn it off.”

“So, it’s your magic?”

“Perhaps?” He shrugged. Taverns had expanded their seating to the streets and gardens outside. The pair found seating at one such venue. “Have you read about how certain foci can change a person’s personality or aura?”

“You mean like how Flame Conjuration in the star used to drive the mage insane eventually?” Nox asked. “Weren’t cases like those deemed strictly anecdotal?”

“They were, and I might be a future anecdote,” Pudge said.

“You can’t stop there, buddy.” Nox prodded when Pudge spent a minute saying nothing.

“Tubby little boys don’t get a lot of opportunities. Without family, there’s rarely anyone to hold their hands or teach them trades or cantrips. I was a traveling scribe’s whipping boy. I took care of his horses, washed his clothes, cooked his food, and did whatever he needed me to do. My tasks included making illegal copies of spell scrolls. One day, one of his unsavory deals went south. While he and his mark quarreled, I grabbed what I could and ran.”

“So you pulled a cantrip into your star without knowing what it did?”

“I learned how to build a star while copying books. Unfortunately, I knew nothing about runes or spell shapes. However, repetition burned them into the back of my mind. I didn’t know what my star housed until months later when Dean Woodson found me working in a stable. My way with the horses appeared unnatural.”

“Charm?”

Pudge nodded. “No one can tell me what’s wrong. Perhaps I did it too well. Maybe the methods I picked up from my former master’s books were outdated processes from a time prior to the current mana system. Dean Woodson and Dean Bjornson—he heads the research department—believe I’ve unconsciously developed an aura. It doesn’t use any mana and makes me especially likable. People who I find attractive appear to feel the same way about me. It’s as if the aura finds possible mates in my mana zone and draws them toward me. A lot of women are appalled when I tell them what it is and keep their distance. Some don’t mind.”

“I can’t tell if it's a blessing or a curse,” Nox commented, thinking about the implications of such a power. Typically, only magic beasts had natural auras. After reaching adept rank, Aether Warriors learned to radiate them, but they had conscious control over the essence fields. “What does the active version of the spell do?”

“Much of the same. It’s far more potent than the aura. I only use it on the beasts I tame and train. It makes them susceptible to my suggestion, guidance, and arcane manipulations.” Pudge downed his mead and faced Nox. “Is this the only reason you wanted to spend time with me tonight?”

“I just wanted to get to know you. We live together, after all.”

“Don’t do that with me,” Pudge said. His expression turned serious for a moment. “I was upfront with you. The least you could do is show me the same respect.”

“Lillin and I are in danger of getting kicked out,” Nox replied.

Pudge leaned closed, his volume dropping significantly. “Did someone find out what she really is?”

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Nox stiffened. As far as he could tell, no one besides Mou had figured out Lillin’s secret. She had never confronted Nox about it. He doubted there were many others.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about—”

“I’ve developed my magic beyond Charm,” Pudge said. “I study animals, guide their growth, and take them to realms beyond the ordinary. My senses and spells extend beyond them to beasts, including those born of dungeons. I know.”

“Have you told anyone?” Nox asked. The music around them grew louder, and the crowd added their voices to the bard’s song. The singing got so loud Pudge had to lean in even closer.

“It’s not my story to tell. The pair of you mean me no harm. I can tell. If I ever deem you’re a threat to this city, or you’re about to change sides in the war—”

“I won’t.”

“Good. I sensed a change in her when you returned from the dungeon. It was an overall positive, but I understand the implications.”

“Only the deserving suffer.”

“And who is the judge? You?”

Nox didn’t have an answer for Pudge. He had spent years wondering whether he had any right to choose Lillin’s targets. Even though she was always the one that struck the final blow, Nox accepted the responsibility for all the resulting deaths. Halfway through his teens and near the cusp of adulthood, he spent one too many sleepless nights pondering the implications of his actions.

Much like with Victor and Roque, Nox occasionally let his emotions get the better of him when making a decision. Sometimes, the evidence of murder, rape, or trafficking was far too circumstantial even for his standards. However, Nox’s gut told him he was right. Lillin often said she could smell it on them, too. Even though he had grown to trust her, he occasionally wondered whether she spoke the truth or it was her appetite talking.

“Yes,” Nox answered honestly. “I have no choice but to make the best of a bad situation.”

“If that’s what you want to call it.” Pudge chuckled. He waved over a server, and before long, they had two flagons of mead, steak-and-kidney pies, and braised red cabbage laid out in front of them. The smell was too enticing, and the duo attacked the flaky parcels of meat hungrily.

“So?” Pudge spoke again when they were halfway through their meal. “Are you going to tell me why you wanted to meet?”

“Lillin and I received sponsorship for only the first half of the semester. Paying for the rest is our responsibility. We’ve only successfully gathered half the necessary amount. If we don’t find a way to make the rest in the remaining three weeks, Lillin and I will be done at Woodson University.”

“And how do I tie into this?”

“We believe the city has a market yet untapped,” Nox replied. He nodded at a group of women wearing the university’s coat over their dresses. They sang and danced along with the bard’s song. “Beautiful. Vain.”

“Rich. I see what you want to do. If you want me to use my magic to take advantage of them, that’s not happening, Nox.”

“I’m not going to take advantage of them!” Nox feigned offense. “I want to give the women of the city what they want. Lillin scouted the boutiques selling skin treatment ointments, hair-dyeing formulas, and cosmetics. They charge obnoxious amounts. I don’t know if they import their product or only a handful of alchemists supply them, but they have a monopoly.”

“And you want to break said monopoly?”

“Exactly! If you could talk to your regular partners and find out what they like to use, can’t find but would like—”

“That won’t work,” Pudge said. “Most of my partners prefer discretion. They seek me out. Things might get ugly for all involved parties if I go looking for them.” Nox’s shoulders drooped, but Pudge grinned as he continued. “However, I’ve kept everything these lovely women left behind. This includes cosmetics, perfumes, and various other sundries. You’re welcome to all of them.”

“That’s even better!” Nox exclaimed. His lips spread into a wide smile. Their beverages arrived. Nox toasted his new friend, and they both drank.

“It's kind of silly limiting yourself to just selling to women, you know?”

“I can’t think of many products to sell to men besides hair serums. I suppose some aristocrats might appreciate skin-cleansing ointments and brews that make them feel like they just bathed.”

“What about contraceptives?” Pudge asked. “The products currently available on the market cause cramps, bleeding, and apparently stomach pains for weeks. Not everyone can afford an expensive healer’s services.”

“That’s—” Nox frowned, pondering the requirements of such a product. “Current contraceptives are derived from parasite and symbiote purging concoctions. They scar the body over time and can potentially rob a woman of their ability to reproduce. Mou—my aunt—prepared a preventative measure for her daughters. It was experimental, and the alchemist's houses blocked further production for some reason. There is no one to stop me from doing the same here, though.”

“Sell it at a premium until you have enough money to pay for your semester and the next,” Pudge said. “Then drop the price and make it available to the general public.”

“Better yet, I could sell the patent when I’m done,” Nox said. “Thanks, Pudge. I think you might’ve just given me the key to continue my education. That’s assuming I can recall the recipe and recreate the brew in time.”

“You’re an intelligent lad, Nox. I’m sure you can pull it off. Maybe you’ll do something good for the world instead of judging it for… you know.”

The pair discussed how easily available contraception could improve the lives of everyone and not just mages. Pudge even waved over a handful of women and asked them how they’d feel about such a brew. They got a positive response, but Nox couldn’t tell whether it was genuine or related to Pudge’s aura.

The idea of paying five gold for a month’s supply of such a brew felt like a good deal to Nox. He knew delvers and aristocrats would have little trouble paying the amount. From what he remembered of the ingredients, they were cheap. The glass containers housing them and an accompanying dropper would likely cost more than the materials that went to each bottle. Nox was sure his profit margins would be huge, and he couldn’t wait to sprint home and list everything necessary.

Then Pudge and his new lady friends pulled Nox onto the dance floor. Before he knew it, he had his arms around a gorgeous Imperian woman’s waist and her tongue in his ear. Half a year had passed since he last enjoyed the touch of a woman, and Nox surrendered to the moment. They danced for what felt like hours, and his partner had little interest in talking. The two men lost track of each other long before the evening ended, and Nox didn’t return to the apartment until late the following morning, feeling lighter and significantly less stressed.

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