The Academy's Unluckiest Bastard - Chapter 4: Flowers and Mana

Following besides Lucy, Lucas found himself enjoying as she marvelled over the countless flowers. He found it fun pointing out the rarer types amongst them till he knelt down surprised to see emberpetals. 

“Lucy, look at this flower just be careful touching the petals.” He gestured to her a flower with pink petals and red trims to the. Six pointed leaves could easily be looked over in a larger display of flowers but it was useful for resisting colder temperatures around plants. “It’s an Emberpetal, these are hard to even cultivate. They need access to mana to feed on as they begin to make their roots.” He took her hand and guided her to touch the petal as she gasped. “The warmth of the petals comes from the heat generated in the process of absorbing and refining mana. It’s said you can find one in the winter since the patch of flowers won’t have any snow around it.”

Lucy smiled in turn at how excited he looked. “The warmth is nice.” Giggling it was amusing to see Lucas rave about each and every flower they looked over. “Is there any reason you know so much about flowers despite being a combat student?”

Lucas nodded with a grin. “There was a gardener in the family estate. While everyone else avoided me, he didn’t. When I got frustrated or upset with my lessons and training I would go to the gardens. I would stumble on him managing the flowers and eventually he began teaching me everything I knew about them. He even gave me a book for my ninth birthday that was full of magical plants and herbs. When I learnt a few herbs he would ask me questions on them and show me them if we had any in the family gardens.”

“So how come you didn’t choose to study herbology or plant sci- Oh it was probably the fact you’re from a military family.” Lucy said with a sad smile. She enjoyed feeling her hand in Lucas’ he was warm like the flower and gentle. “But if you had the chance would you learn herbology and alchemy?”

Lucas nodded as he let her hang go making sure she did not hurt the flower. “I suppose I would but I don’t have the mana for alchemy.”

“You can still develop your mana during your years in the academy. Isn’t that what they do for those who had not awoken mana or had a formal education in it yet?” She looked confused at his rebuttal.

Shaking his head he sighed as he stood up, a hand out for her to take. “I mean I literally do not have the mana. Like a complete lack of mana.”

She still looked confused. “Like no talent or something?”

“I have a broken vessel.” He admitted to being a little embarrassed. Lucas had come to terms with his disability even when his family did not. But it still stung to admit.

“B-Broken Vessel? Like as in the actual condition?” Her voice went quiet. It basically wrote off your ability to use magic and any form of magical ability entirely. “But how are you meant to go into Combat Studies without being capable of mana usage?”

“I’ll just find a way like my father always says. I have a stronger body that heals a lot faster than a normal human. I’m sure it’ll be something I can work around.” He chuckled as they sat down on a bench. “Besides it’s more to be aware of the combat strategies and with my family in the military I will most likely end up as the leader of a small squad. Not exactly glorious but my life will be put to use at least.”

Lucy went quiet mulling over his acceptance to a death sentence after graduation. “Surely you could change courses. Prove your skills in herbology or anything. There’s no reason to be on the frontlines.” 

“They would never let that happen. It would be a mockery to tradition. Maybe if I get lucky they’ll just leave me at a village on the border to start a branch family. But first I need to complete military service. I just want to at least enjoy my time in the academy. But I really can’t afford to drop my specialisation otherwise my father will cut me off funding. So I’ll just roll with the punches. At Least I made a friend right?” He gave a hopeless smile as put an arm around him.

“Yeah, we’re friends.” She glanced away not wanting him to see her pity for him she blinked away the growing tears and took a deep breath. “Well we still have time before the combat examination tonight so let’s go check out the rest of the dorm building.”

Yet as he got dragged along by her enthusiasm he did not realise someone had been watching them from afar. Pushing aside the prickling sensation to anxiety.