"Wait… you're the teacher?" Leo exclaimed.
From the reaction of the others, it was immediately clear that Leo wasn't the only one surprised by this. More than one face contorted into a frown. Even so, nobody could easily speak up.
"This isn't some prank, is it, young lord?" David asked.
"No, I am completely serious," Zeke responded. After observing the other students, he gave an order. "All of you, if you have anything to say, please do so. Don't worry, I won't hold it against you."
Hesitantly, a giant of a man in the back of the classroom raised his hand. Zeke recognized him as Linus, one of the four guard captains. He pointed at the man, urging him to speak.
"Young lord, nobody disputes that you are a genius. But don't you think it's a bit arrogant that you want to teach us?"
Zeke nodded. "Who else shares this opinion?"
One by one, all of his prospective students raised their hands. Even David, Margret, and Kerim were no exception. The only one who didn't raise his hand was Leo. It made sense; all the others had decades more experience than him and could probably defeat him in a couple of moves. They were the elites of Maximilian's subordinates. Despite the result, Zeke did not seem disappointed.
"Thank you all for your honesty," he said, pausing a second to let his gaze sweep over everyone. "Let me be straight with you. This is not going to be anything like a formal education. I don't even come close to being qualified for that and it's not the purpose of this class either. Instead, I'm going to impart some of my own research to you all. This is not something you can learn anywhere else. And I am absolutely certain that you will benefit tremendously from this knowledge."
Some people were already opening their mouths to protest, so he quickly raised his hand to stop them. "However!" he said loudly. "The lessons are not mandatory. All I ask is that you stay for the first one. If you don't want to attend any further lectures after that, you are free to do so. No hard feelings."
This promise managed to calm the group. Worst case, they would lose a couple of hours. Everyone settled down, and Zeke was happy to see that most of them seemed genuinely willing to give him a chance.
"Now that we have that cleared up, I think it's time that I explain the purpose of my lessons. If you look around at the other students, there is something that you all have in common. Does anyone have a guess?"
The people studied each other. Most of their gazes were focused on Leo. Except for him, everybody else was a Grand Mage. In fact, he was the exception in almost every aspect. The others had worked for Maximilian for years, they had all gone to battle with him, and they had all been personally tutored by him. If they could find out what they had in common with him, they could probably find the answer.
However, even after a long moment, nobody raised his hand.
Zeke smiled. "Any ideas, David?"
After a moment of thought, a flash of insight passed through David's eyes. "The Ritual?"
Zeke clapped his hands. "You are exactly right. All of you have undergone the Memory Sealing Ritual. Not only that, but you have all undertaken the most restrictive vows. This means, quite literally, that you will take the von Hohenheim secrets to the grave."
The air turned solemn at this reminder. All of them would be killed by their oaths if they even tried to spill any secrets.
Zeke clapped once more, dispelling the stifling atmosphere. "Rest assured, I do not take such a commitment lightly," he said. "I know that Maximilian would often reward you with personal tutoring. And I, Ezekiel von Hohenheim, will not be caught lacking in comparison."
There were wry smiles on the faces of many of his 'students'. Even though they appreciated the effort, it was clear that they didn't put a lot of stock in his lessons. This didn't surprise Zeke. He would have to win them over first.
"Even if my lessons fail to convince you, there is something else. All of you will have free access to the spell repository on the second floor. Currently, we already have over 100 spells spread across many different affinities. I know for a fact that most of you will find a spell or two that would fit you."
This announcement caused many eyebrows to raise. Maximilian's elites stemmed exclusively from commoner families. Most had tried to make their way up in the world by joining the military. But for one reason or the other, it hadn't worked out. Because of that, they all had gaps in their magical education. Only a scant few among them had even learned the basic spells of their affinities.
All of this made the announcement even more sensational. This spell collection was worth a literal fortune. With the empire's highly specialized system, there weren't many families that could boast such numbers. Of course, the lack of any high-level Magic was a factor. However, lower-level spells didn't become useless at higher ranks. Even the lowliest [Fireball] became a force to be reckoned with when cast by an Arch Mage.
"Furthermore," Zeke continued, "the collection is only going to grow in the future. You would do well to regularly visit. It would be a shame if you were to miss out on any new additions."
He could make out how eager they all were to visit the repository — everybody loved new spells, after all. The fervor in their eyes made Zeke believe that it might have been a mistake to reveal the repository this early. Margret, for example, looked ready to ditch his class in order to get to the spells faster. He had to recapture their interest somehow.
"In my opinion," Zeke exclaimed, "the repository is of secondary importance to my lessons."
Reluctantly, the students returned their attention to him. If he started to drone on about a boring subject now, there wouldn't be any returning students for his second lesson. However, he was confident.
"The aim of this class," Zeke started, making eye contact with each and every one of them, "…is to get you all to the Arch Mage level."
His declaration was met with stunned silence. Nobody could tell if he was joking or just delusional. Out of a hundred Grand Mages, only one would ever reach the Arch Mage level. Most never even dared to try — the consequences of failing the advancement too dire to contemplate.
"Young lord…" David started hesitantly.
Zeke raised his hand, silencing his bodyguard. There was not a trace of levity on his face. He couldn't risk his subordinates thinking that he was joking about this. For most of them, reaching the Arch Mage level was their life's biggest ambition.
"I know," he said solemnly, "I know how important this matter is to each and every one of you. I know that most of you probably don't even dare to dream of it. And the last thing I want to do is get your hopes up unnecessarily. I'll admit this right away: I don't have a safe way for you to become Arch Mages."
Zeke looked around at everyone one more time. "However, that doesn't mean that I am absolutely clueless. Over the past weeks, I have started my research and a couple of theories are already starting to form."
From the reaction of the class, nobody was putting much stock in his promise. Zeke would have loved it if his word was enough to convince them. However, trust had to be built. And right now, he didn't have any outstanding research achievements to his name. It was only natural that they wouldn't believe in such vague assurances. He was left with no other choice than to borrow the name of somebody who met those criteria.
"I know that you will not believe my words. However, Maximilian—" Zeke said the name with emphasis, and it was heartening to see many expressions change at the mere mention of his mentor's name, "was absolutely convinced that I would find a way to reach the Arch Mage level… and beyond."
"How will you do that, young lord?" Linus asked. Out of all his guard captains, he was the most comfortable speaking his mind. Zeke hoped that the others would also start to relax around him in time.
"Why do you think Maximilian chose me as his successor?" Zeke asked instead of answering the question directly. "This is not just a question for Linus, but for all of you."
Zeke shot Leo a significant look. He was letting his brother know that he was excluded from this question. Out of everyone gathered, Leo was the only one who knew about the Trinity Project, and Zeke liked to keep it that way for as long as possible. It wasn't because he didn't trust these people, but the moment something was explained, it lost a lot of its charm. For now, it was important that his subordinates continued to view him as a genius with mysterious abilities.
"Was it because of your Perfect affinity?" one of the other captains suggested.
Zeke shook his head.
"Because you are a Tri affinity Mage?"
Another shake.
"Because he saw your potential?" Margret asked.
Zeke couldn't hide a smirk at that. Without the old man, he would probably be a beggar in the streets of Magusburg by now… or dead. Maximilian had never told any of his subordinates why he had chosen Zeke as his successor. He was certain that many of them had their own theories.
"No, it is none of those things." Zeke paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He had to tell them something. Otherwise, they would never trust his claims. The question was where to draw the line.
"All of you know that Maximilian was a brilliant researcher. He invented his own branch of Magic, and many other, smaller inventions are credited to him. However, none of you know about his masterpiece, his magnum opus…"
Zeke paused again, taking in the reaction of the crowd. Now that the discussion had shifted to Maximilian, everybody was hyperfocused. Even David was slightly leaning forward. The way they were all leaning in, Zeke felt like a mother bird feeding her chicks.
"He invented a tool," he eventually said. "A tool that allows the wielder to discover the secrets of Magic. For years, Maximilian searched for anybody who could wield it. But even after decades of searching, the only person he ever found was me. It is this very tool that made the old man so confident that I would be able to find the way forward — for all of us."
There was a long silence after Zeke finished his declaration. The people had varying expressions on their faces; some were hopeful, some were doubtful and some didn't know what to think. It was Kerim who eventually broke the calm. "Can… can you show us?"
Zeke shook his head. "It is not physical."
Kerim was visibly disappointed and he saw that many others reacted the same way. Zeke decided to show off a bit. "But I can demonstrate its power."
"Are you sure, young lord?" David questioned. "I am sure you and Maximilian have kept this hidden for a reason."
Zeke gave him a somber nod. "We did have good reasons. However, the situation has changed. If I ever want to have a chance at striking back against the empire, I will need a force strong enough to do so. What's more, if I can't trust the people in this room, I am already lost."
David dipped his head in acknowledgment. Despite his words, the eager expression on his face made it clear that he also wanted to know Zeke's secret. Now, the only question was how Zeke would demonstrate his power.
"Maximilian's tool was made to glimpse secrets that nobody else would ever notice," Zeke began. "I think it would be most interesting to you all if I did something in line with that purpose."
There were eager nods from all around. "Linus, can you take out your pouch, please?"
The giant was confused by the request but still obeyed. He laid the leather satchel on the table in front of him, eager to find out what Zeke would do. There was a muted clinking sound as the filled purse made contact with the wooden surface. Without any delay, Zeke spoke up, "There are exactly 3 gold coins, 20 silvers, and 45 coppers in there."
Before anybody could react, Zeke pointed at the next person. "1 gold, 82 silvers, and 78 coppers." His finger jumped from one person to the next, calling out numbers. By the time he was finished with all of them, Linus had finished counting his coins and stared at Zeke in shock.
"How did you do that?" he questioned. "I couldn't feel any Magic being used."
Zeke ignored the question for now. With a smug grin, he waited for everyone to finish counting. He shot a pitying glance at Kerim, who was already done. For some reason, the man only had 4 coppers in his pouch. After everyone had returned the coins to their satchels, he cleared his throat.
"All of you are probably wondering how I did that. Don't worry, it's no secret. In fact, it's just the opposite. I call it stealth casting," Zeke said mysteriously. "…And it's going to be the subject of my next lesson. See you all in a week."
Without a moment's delay, Zeke turned and left. Only after he was out of sight did he allow his grin to show. If this didn't motivate people to attend his next lesson, nothing would. With today's success, he had achieved the first step in his grand plan.