"Your Highness, if you do that again, I will have to hold your hand the next time we walk through a crowd."

I blush a little at that, and sheepishly laugh as she sits down. "Sorry…I got a bit ahead of myself."

I look around with a small frown. "But…where is everyone? Class is starting in a minute…"

"You didn't hear, Your Highness?"

I turn to see that Nicholas is sitting directly behind me.

"Oh, hey - this your first lecture?"

"Yes - I want to focus exclusively on this. But, as I was saying - this is projected to be the least popular track."

"Why's that?"

"A few reasons. It's not as glamorous as magic, not as practical as alchemy, not as important as weaponry, and…" He hesitates, glancing at Dame Alex.

"And it is led by a woman," she finishes.

"Yes. Speaking of…I've never heard of a female knight before. You must be the first."

My eye twitches a little. "You got a problem with that?"

"Not at all."

"Good."

Dame Alex turns around to look at Nicholas. "Young man…would you happen to be Nicholas?" He nods - I told her about him, so it's not surprising that she knows.

"I'm truly sorry for what happened to your father. I never knew him, but he was a noble man. It's truly a shame how his legacy ended."

Nicholas nods silently. I turn to Alex in confusion.

"I'll explain later," she mouths to me. I nod, and awkwardly turn to my blue notebook, writing the subject name on the front cover.

"Hmm…not as bad of a crowd as I was expecting, but disappointing nonetheless."

I turn to find that Instructor Trentor is approaching the stage. Her gait is calm and sure-footed, and she carries an elegance only possible for an Elf.

I quickly look around to count heads, and find that there are about a dozen students here - maybe even less.

When Trentor reaches her desk, I turn back around to give her my full attention. When we make eye contact, her eyes flash a pale yellow.

"Mister Moore. I've heard that you've attended all the lectures so far today, but I must confess, I'm surprised that you've decided to attend mine."

"How could I not?" I can practically feel my eyes sparkling.

"Hmm. Povenmire informed me of what you said - you feel there is wasted potential in the current state of Magical Engineering?"

"Yes, but I still have plenty of questions about current technologies."

"Well, since this is a rather empty class, and we have a full hour, we may as well start with some of your questions."

"R-really? You don't mind?"

"So long as none of your fellow students mind."

Nobody says anything. I know it's probably because I'm the prince and not because they don't actually mind, but I honestly don't care. I can't let this opportunity go!

"Okay, well…" I lean forward, eager beyond measure.

"How do wall clocks work? Is it just a crystal set up with an amount of rotational inertia to spin the arms at a constant rate? Or is it more like a traditional clock, with an escapement and gear ratios?"

Her eyebrows raise. "Oh, my. Well, it is a singular crystal, with an Intention of rotating the arms at a constant and proportional rate."

I quickly write that down, and I'm off to my next question.

"Alright - now, what is an Intention in this context, in comparison to an Intention for magic?"

"Theoretically, they are identical. Functionally, however, they are quite distinct. While you may use an Intention to affect the physical world directly with magic, an Intention for a utility crystal must affect the crystal itself. For example - emit light when provided with power."

"And what about something like an Intention of Weightlessness? For a carriage?"

"The Intention there is not Weightlessness - it is for the crystal to continually move upwards at the same rate that the carriage is being pushed down into the ground, offsetting gravity."

Oh, damn, they know about the relationship between gravity and acceleration? I'll file that away for later. For now, I have the most important question I need to ask.

"What about math? Can you do math in a crystal?"

"Unfortunately, no - a crystal can only generate a single level of power, no matter how many inputs there are. So, it can calculate one plus zero, but nothing more."

My eyes widen, my heart races, and, quite frankly, I'm at least halfway erect. But that raises a question in my mind.

"But then…what about the voice amplification crystal? Doesn't that need to output a sound? That's a lot more than on and off."

"Good question. Transmitting power is restricted to a single value, but enacting a change upon the environment is different. That's how you can set the temperature on a heating crystal, or, indeed, magnify sound."

I nod. "Okay. But to circle back to the whole one and zero addition thing - how would you build that? How do you carry a signal between crystals?"

"We've found that by imbuing any material with magic allows for it to carry power between two crystals."

"Where could I get my hands on a magic crystal, then? And how would I imbue a material with magic?"

"There are open repositories of crystals available in the laboratory buildings. There are plenty of crystals being brought in every day, so you don't need to worry about experimenting.

"As for imbuing a material with magic, you would simply push your magic into it without an Intention. You wouldn't need to do that, however - we already have connectors available in the engineering lab.

"But, Mister Moore…that is a rather pointless endeavor. Many have tried to make a magical calculator, and all have failed."

I want to tell her that I won't, but I don't want to appear arrogant. So, I simply say, "I'll keep that in mind."

"Any more questions?"

"No, ma'am."

"Very well."

She begins her lecture, and I pretend to listen as I formulate a plan.

The hour seems to go by in a flash, as I begin to calculate just how many crystals I'll need. So far, it's…astronomical.

"One last thing you should know about this track." Just as some of the students are starting to leave, Instructor Trentor calls for their attention.

"If you decide to pursue this track, you will have a project to complete. You must present a novel application of a magic crystal prior to the end of the school year."

Some students groan, but my heart soars!

"Now, then - off you go. I believe dinner should be starting soon. You should be meeting your upperclassmen there, as well."

I approach her before she can leave. "Thank you, Instructor Trentor. You were incredibly helpful."

She hesitates for a moment. "Mister Moore…please do not waste your time on misguided attempts. Just because you are a Prince does not mean you can change how crystals work."

Hmmm…you know what? I think I'll give her a hint. She's been a good sport.

"I'm not going to change how crystals work, ma'am." I break into a grin. "I'm just going to use a different kind of math."