Published at 31st of August 2026 11:54 am

Chapter 172: The true price of high prices

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

The next day I go to school as usual. I don’t mention the armour to Terry on the way to class, and on the way from class to the study session I pull Adrian aside and ask them not to mention anything they heard about my actions over the weekend.

“Ah, yes. I was wondering about that,” they make a meaningful glance at Terry and cast a silence spell. “I assumed that you acquired the item for another? If so, worry not; I won’t ruin the surprise, though I do wonder how he’ll respond to it.”

“…What do you mean?” I ask, a pit of worry forming.

They shrug. “Well, I really shouldn’t say. My family are advisors for political matters, not interpersonal, and it’s never good to comment outside one’s expertise. Still, from what I know of the presumed recipient’s nature, I suspect the dealing might be more complicated than you expect. But strictly as a political advisor, I would point out that there are other ways you could use such a thing. Ways that could result in great profit. Greater even than what you paid.”

“…Thanks,” I say, unsure if I mean it. I suppose I probably should. Even if I think they’re wrong, it is in their nature to contemplate these things neutrally, and I shouldn’t think ill of them for doing so when so many come to them precisely for those insights.

“Think nothing of it,” they say with a sort of sing-song quality. “And don’t worry. I’ll speak to the others subtly (by which I mean by spell) and ask them not to speak of it until later… Though I’m not even sure if they’ll have heard of it. They are so distressingly out of touch. Emily may have, though she does make a point of resting on Primday (a bit antiquated, but she does so fashionably) and so may not have heard. Erik probably will have, though. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem to get him to hold his tongue. He is often so quiet anyways.”

Concurring, I don’t think much of it, though I do notice Erik looking at me strangely after jolting from what I assume is Adrian’s silent message spell. He glances at me again in a way that feels hesitant as we sit down, but it’s not until after the food arrives and we’ve started eating that he finally speaks.

“I heard your name mentioned yesterday, Malichi,” he says, oddly serious.

“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow, glancing to Adrian, who can only shrug.

“Yes… My sister mentioned it. She was surprised that we’ve been in a study group together.”

“Oh… right… Well, what did she say?” I had, somehow, forgotten that he’s Erika’s brother. Mostly just wanted to forget about her, I suppose.

He shrugs. “She said something about a falling out.”

“That’s accurate.”

“You should apologize,” he states flatly.

“Why?” I ask, mood instantly soured.

He shrugs. “She’s usually right.”

My face twitches at this. I could have stopped it, but I wanted to convey the irritation. “Look, she was the one who communicated badly. Moreover, I was recruited into her little club. If they had such strict entry requirements, she should have checked if I fitted then. So, I’m sure your reflexive family loyalty is admirable, but I would thank you to stay out of it.”

“Malichi…” Ser Terry starts, but cuts off with a glare.

“Don’t…” Don’t ruin the good thing I have planned by starting an argument. I know his position; I don’t need to hear it again.

Erik looks between us, mouth slightly open, but nods. “I understand. Forgive me. It seems I spoke without understanding once again. Though, I will say that I spoke not just for her benefit. She has… well, an ironic ability to hold onto a grudge, whether justified or not. It seems that her club has come under strain since you left, and she blames you. A reconciliation before it’s too late may save you both trouble later on.”

“Sigh… I understand. Thankyou for the warning. I suppose you were just trying to spare me your normal experience.”

He looks away, slightly embarrassed. “She can be hard to handle sometimes, yes. Perhaps more difficult for me though, as she is my sister and I cannot get away from her. Something I may have neglected to account for in my advice.”

I nod, and we continue with our study group. Afterwards I ask Terry to come with me to give him something. At first it’s pleasant just walking with him in anticipation, but then he asks a question.

“If Erika apologized to you, would you go back?”

“What? Oh, um… Maybe. I mean, I do have a lot more going on now than when I left.”

“Yes, the… gambling.” He tries to hide the distaste he feels for it. He succeeds with his tone of voice, but there’s a faint twitch of his mouth that reveals it.”

“Among other things… Why? Do you disapprove?”

He opens his mouth to deny, but slowly nods. “A little. Probably just my knightly sensibilities. At least I think the club would be a better use of your time.”

“Obviously, you’re underestimating just how much coin I’ve been taking,” I respond glibly, though I take his meaning. I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I am glad he answered honestly. That he didn’t try to hide his emotion for my sake. I think I would have been upset by that. Strange, coming from me, I know. But I think maybe this is different from the things I hide. At least, I shouldn’t hide things directly pertaining to our relationship, and neither should he.

Still, the gambling has become a large part of my life. I do games at least twice a week now, sometimes three. Probably just practice games at random taverns for the near future, but who knows what Viscount Monroe will produce. But maybe that’s part of what attracts me to Terry. He has a sort of inviting warmth that feels somehow in conflict with winning coin off others. So, I don’t think I’m upset at his feelings towards the game, nor do I even know if I wish they were different.

After several seconds needed to think this, I sigh. “How would you even produce an apology anyways? I didn’t think you knew the person in question.”

“Oh…well…” Why does he look embarrassed? “I have been having tea with the woman who came after you that time – Ellen. She’s been telling me about their troubles. It’s clear that Ligryn is completely indifferent to the proceedings and might as well not be there. I asked her why she goes, but she just gives vague answers about seeing if it’s useful. That just leaves three effective members, which really isn’t enough to produce much research, so the meetings are getting both dull and tense, with Erika becoming snappish towards everyone but Ligryn. It’s got so bad that the commoner has threatened to leave, which would effectively end the club, at least in Ellen’s eyes.”

“I see,” I say. “Odd. I’ve been meeting Ellen too – twice weekly, though one is only in passing. She hasn’t mentioned this.”

He shrugs. “Perhaps she thinks it would upset you?”

“Or maybe she realizes that it would be a bad idea, given my past interactions with her friend.”

“Maybe… but bad for whom? I still think it would be good for you, and if the club is collapsing anyways… well, you can’t make things worse, can you?”

“…Maybe… Fine. If you want to talk to Ellen about talking to Erika about talking to me, then I give my blessing. Just don’t expect too much. Even if she does apologize, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said I was busy lately, and not just with the gambling.”

“I understand,” he says, smiling in a way that makes me doubt that. He pulls me in for a side hug, and I find myself smiling back as my face is pressed into his side for several strides. It’s an awkward walking position, so I pull away slightly, but let his arm remain around my shoulder as we go.

I ask Marcus to bring some tea when we get to the dorm, which he produces quickly. I wait until he’s done to saunter over to the locked armoire (which I’ve been monitoring constantly via remote sense) and insert the key. “I’m sorry this took longer than I meant, but I have finally acquired that gift I said I’d get you.”

“Oh!... Um… I almost forgot about that.” Why does he seem nervous? Not just nervous, but worried? He clearly hasn’t forgotten, though that almost seems truthy in an inverted way that I don’t quite understand.

“Well, no worries. I didn’t feel pressured, but I did want to get it to you. Well… here it is.” I feel suddenly at a loss for words. Every introduction to the item I spent so much time and, well, blood (though not my own) on now seems awkward, so I just reveal it and let it speak for itself.

He gasps at first, no doubt struck by the beauty of the form and unique colour. He walks up to it, feeling the smooth metal and blinks in surprise as he realizes it’s not painted. Enraptured, he continues examining it, bending over for details, but then, seemingly realizing something, he straightens and chuckles faintly.

“Is something funny?” I ask.

“Oh,” he says, clearly startled at my hearing his faint emission, then gives an embarrassed grin. “Well, it was silly of me, I know. But I had this crazy notion that you might go completely overboard with the enchantment level, but it seems like a reasonable amount of symbols.”

“Oh, of course! The symbols! I should have said,” I say, feeling silly at my gaff at presentation. “The visible symbols are just utility functions. You know, cleaning, sizing, repair, mobility, sensory unimpedance and easy donning. All of the protective symbols are three dimensional, so are inside of the metal.”

“Three… dimensional?” He stutters, slack jawed in a way I find endearing and a little cute (if I understand that word right). “How many?”

“Oh, well… let’s see… Where’s the user manual… Ah! Right… Each metal piece has a minimum of two embedded symbols, one for protection and one to connect it to the others in the array,” his face blanches as his head snaps toward the set comprised of (in addition to the large main torso pieces) dozens of interlocking plates of various sizes, the smallest of which placed over the joints in a way to allow a reasonable flexibility. I continue. “But the bigger pieces have more… let’s see. Each helmet piece has five… major limb pieces four, minor limb two, neck five… hands, varies, groin five, waist three and torso twelve. All total… Two hundred and eleven.”

Terry, who had been sipping his tea while I was tabulating, suddenly spits it out in a way that I can’t help but laugh at. “Two hundred and eleven! Three dimensional symbols! How is that possible‽ I thought each three dimensional symbol increased complexity exponentially.”

“Ha! No, don’t be silly. Exponential would be absurdly difficult… I mean, it’s not linear, but it’s not exponential.” I say this as if I wasn’t under the same misunderstanding previously.

“But the rate of increase is still greater than linear, right?”

“Oh, um, it’s an s curve. Interestingly, the armour actually got to the point where each additional three dimensional symbol increased complexity less than a standard two dimensional one. But I guess they ran into the limit eventually.”

“Malichi! How much did this cost‽”

“Ha… Terry, don’t you know it’s rude to ask that about gifts?” I say, nervous though I shouldn’t be. I mean, why should he care about how much I spend?

“How much?” he repeats, in a very serious and low tone.

“…” I suppose there’s no reason not to tell him. I mean, it is semi-public anyways. “Er… Sixty… one.”

“Sixty-one? Like… Medium Gold? I suppose that’s not too bad for plate…”

“No, Terry. Sixty-one large gold.”

“Large? Malichi, I can’t accept this.”

“Why not?” I say, utterly baffled. Surely he sees how useful it’ll be against Bart.

“It’s just too much.”

“Too much what? Too much care for your well-being?”

“That’s not fair.”

“How is it not? I thought… I thought there was no such thing as too much for… this thing we’ve become to each other.”

“I don’t know who told you that, but they’re wrong. Even in love there’s boundaries. Distances that can be shortened with time, but it’s just… the intensity.”

“Intensity? It’s just coin, Terry.”

His face twitches. “Coin ceases to be ‘just’ anything when it’s measured in stacks of gold.”

“Agh. No, not really. Terry, you need to understand that I like spending coin. It makes me feel good. If not this, I’d find something else, and at least this is useful. At least this way I’m helping you, and spending coin on you feels even better.”

“Even so, it’s too much. I understand it makes you feel good, but understand how it makes me feel too.”

“Then how does it make you feel then, if not gratitude?”

“Trapped. Trapped by that gratitude. Malichi, before just now I haven’t had a thought of us parting. But now, I can’t help but think how awkward it would be. How much harder it will be if things don’t work out with me owing you this much.”

I scoff. “You owe me nothing. It’s a gift. But if your knightly sensibilities do create some strange sense of obligation, then when our relationship ends, simply offer to return it. I will either accept it or – if our parting is amicable – still feel your safety is worth it and refuse to reclaim it. Where is this awkwardness that you claim?”

He stares at me for several moments, then glances down with a chuckle. “Suddenly, you seem the sensible one.”

“Was I not before?” I ask, eye raised in perplexion.

He exhales and leans against the wall as if greatly fatigued. “Who knows. Heh. And here I thought you’d declare that we’d never part or something like that.”

“What? Why would I say that? Forever is beyond our minds’ ability to comprehend, so any declaration regarding it is, by definition, a lie.”

He leans his head back and laughs. “This really is just a practical thing for you, isn’t Malch?”

“Well, there is some complexity of emotion, such as the thrill of spending coin. But yes, mostly it’s as you say. I care for you, Terry, and so want to keep you safe. So, I procured you the best protection available with my resources. Unfortunately, Tanyth’s plate is currently in use by a Princep and so is unavailable; therefore you’ll have to make do with second best.”

He laughs again, but in a more wheezing manner, collapsing on himself. “And here I thought… No, no that’s wrong too. In a way this is even more romantic… No, that’s wrong again. What I mean to say is that somehow, this frank resolving of a problem is even sweeter of you than if you meant it as a grand romantic gesture.”

“…Yes. I don’t really understand, but yes… What did you think though? I won’t let you off on that.”

“Oh, you know… I thought you were being smothering. It doesn’t matter. I understand the intent behind this gift now, and can accept it. Thankyou. It means… way too much, but in a good way.”

“I see.” I don’t see, so I just stand there staring in silence, looking for some clue in his face.

Seeing me floundering, he laughs again, but in an endearing way, and picks me up in an embrace that sees us both reposed together on the long chair. We cuddle like this for a while, me listening to his heart beat, feeling as relaxed as if I were in the bath… How would I feel if I were in the bath with him?

Flustered by this thought for some reason, I babble. “Oh, um, I should tell you just in case you get the wrong idea. It’s a very good set of armour, but it’s, technically, not invincible. For one, you’ll need a gambeson to go with it.”

“I have a gambeson.”

“I mean an enchanted one. I’ll get you one when I have more coin.”

“Malichi, I think I can manage that on my own.”

“…Fine, but only if you promise not to skimp out. It’d be absurd for such good armour to have something cheap underneath.” He hesitates, but nods, so I continue. “Anyways, I haven’t tested it, but the sort of heavy crossbow I didn’t shoot you with that one time might be able to pierce it (hence you needing a good gambeson for an added layer). Also, it was made after Tanyth’s death, so it does have protection against sound based attacks like cascade orbs, but I wouldn’t risk a direct hit.”

“Ha! Meaning it’ll handle an indirect one? Are those the only things I have to worry about?”

“Well, of course any sufficiently powerful mage – say an archmage – might be able to blast it open. Emily might have a good chance of getting through the heat wards with enough time… Oh, make sure you have the helmet on if you suspect airborne poison.”

He laughs again. “Malichi, I know you’re trying to make sure I won’t be overconfident with this thing, but if those are the only things I need to be worried about, then you’re somewhat having the opposite effect.”

I stare at him in horror. “Well… don’t. It’s only meant to keep you safe for things you would normally do, not act as a licence for extra risk taking.”

“I know, don’t worry.” He grins and runs his hands through my hair, then, in the same motion, grabs me by it and pulls me in for a kiss. Suddenly, my worries vanish… but then reappear, and I force us apart to stare seriously in his eyes.

“There is one more thing. If you see a beam of silent, pale purple light, perhaps fifty feet long though it could be much less, emitted from the hand of a mage, do not approach them. The armour will do nothing. Just run.”

“I… I don’t recognize that spell effect.”

“It doesn’t matter. Just promise me you’ll run.”

“…All right. I promise I’ll run.”

“No matter what it will cost you,” I insist with increased seriousness.

“… No matter what it’ll cost me.”

I stare at him for a few seconds to make sure he means it, then smile. “Good. Now, where were we?”

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