A Lesson in Magic and the Moonfruit’s Charm

“Wow, I’m saved.”

Changing into her pajamas, Ziyao let out a long sigh of relief.

To be honest, being in a pool with Ailin was quite stressful. Ziyao had never imagined Ailin possessed such a side.

“Miss Ziyao, do you not like it?” Aiya asked timidly.

“Ah, it’s not exactly that,” Ziyao replied. “I just… don’t particularly enjoy such intimate contact with others.”

Ziyao had rarely experienced such close physical contact with anyone. Being touched so thoroughly, with hands moving all over her, was a first.

Still, it felt rather good…

Forget it, I shouldn’t dwell on these thoughts.

Snapping out of her reverie, Ziyao noticed Aiya had no intention of resting. Instead, the Princess sat down at the desk and picked up a pen.

“Hmm? Aiya, do you still have work to do?” Ziyao asked, perched on Aiya’s bed, a hint of confusion in her voice.

“Yes, they’re the homework assignments given by my teacher.” Aiya opened the book on her desk, revealing a considerable amount of work for the day.

Homework assignments? Ziyao hadn’t heard that term in nearly five years. Before her transmigration, she had graduated from high school years ago, and in university, homework wasn’t exactly a constant burden. As for after her transmigration, no one had taught her anything; she had been entirely self-taught.

But then again, it seemed this world also had such things.

Leaping off the bed, Ziyao approached Aiya, curious to see what kind of questions were in the book.

“Uh, the four methods of drawing magic circles? The effects of ancient script? The counter-relationships between different magic elements?”

What on earth are these ridiculous questions?

The newly minted Sage declared that she couldn’t answer a single one of them.

Just as Ziyao was questioning her life choices, Ailin pushed open the door, carrying a glass of milk.

“Miss Ailin, I feel like I can’t do magic at all.”

Uh… what insanity is Miss Ziyao spouting now?

Ailin pondered for a moment, then seemed to understand why Ziyao had asked such a question. “If you are referring to what Her Highness is currently studying, in fact, it has no practical use in high-level combat.”

If every mage used magic exactly as taught in books, Miss Ailin would be overjoyed. As an Assassin Master, she particularly favored those academy-trained mages—rigid, weak, and inflexible. They were nothing short of perfect prey.

“However, it is necessary for beginners to learn these things,” Ailin continued. “Only by building a solid foundation can one climb higher.”

“Yes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Ziyao sighed, sinking back onto the bed, deciding not to torment herself further.

“By the way, do you need any fruit?” Ailin placed the milk on Aiya’s desk and turned to ask.

“Moonfruit, or perhaps Stargrass.”

“Uh, setting aside Moonfruit for a moment, are you sure Stargrass is edible?”

Moonfruit, a fruit resembling a crescent moon, offered only a faint, delicate fragrance when eaten. Only a few people enjoyed its rather subtle flavor. Stargrass, true to its name, was a type of grass that grew in places bathed in starlight. Ziyao had only discovered that its leaves, after simple processing, yielded an explosively delicious taste during one of her potion-making sessions. For several days after that discovery, Ziyao had found herself eating grass for all three meals.

“Don’t worry, with just a simple preparation, it transforms into a delicacy beyond compare.”

“I hope you’re not playing a trick on me. As for the Moonfruit, I’ll fetch it immediately.” Ailin remained half-skeptical of Ziyao’s words. Could grass truly be edible?

Well, she’s the one eating it anyway.

Watching Ailin leave the room, Ziyao shook her head; she was feeling a little sleepy. However, Aiya was still doing her homework, so Ziyao couldn’t possibly fall asleep first. Besides, she couldn’t sleep even if she tried.

Both before and after her transmigration, Ziyao’s sleep quality had always been poor. Even the slightest sound could startle her awake. Unless she drank a sleeping potion, Ziyao would wake up several times every night. But that wasn’t something she could consume continuously. Over such a long period, however, Ziyao had grown accustomed to it.

“Miss Ziyao, could you please take a look at this question?” At that moment, Aiya turned her head and softly called out to Ziyao.

Huh? Asking me?

Ziyao walked behind Aiya, standing on tiptoes to peer at the question the Princess was pointing to. Being short was truly inconvenient.

A faint, sweet scent drifted into Ziyao’s nostrils. Aiya’s natural fragrance always made her want to take a bite.

Fortunately, it’s controllable.

“Uh, ‘How to counter Water Gun’?” Shifting her gaze to the question, Ziyao read it aloud softly.

Water Gun, a basic Water-element spell, was an incredibly simple offensive magic. In its lower ranks, it was the primary offensive method for Water mages. Of course, the lowest-tier Water Ball spell didn’t count. That thing merely involved throwing a ball of water; as for damage, one could only imagine.

“My teacher said I should use my own power to counter Water Gun.”

Her own power? That’s a bit tricky…

“Aiya, what is your current strength level?”

“Hmm, it should be at the Basic rank.”

A Basic-rank mage meant she had just stepped through the gates of magic. That made things a little more complicated.

“Have you learned the Light-element spell, Radiance?” Ziyao inquired. If Aiya knew that spell, it would be quite simple.

“Mhm, Sister Raphael taught it to me.”

“That’s good,” Ziyao said, stepping back. A magic circle appeared in her hand. “This is the magic circle for Water Gun.”

Of course, it was the simplest version. The Water Gun Ziyao herself used had numerous auxiliary magic patterns added to it and was inscribed with the ancient scripts for ‘Swift’ and ‘Break’. Its destructive power was already on par with high-tier Water-element magic.

“And this,” Ziyao continued, “is a Basic-rank Water Gun.” A blue water gun materialized in her palm. Handing the water gun to Aiya, Ziyao pointed to it and began her explanation. “If you attack this specific point with mana, the Water Gun spell will instantly dissipate.”

A faint white glow lit up in Aiya’s hand. Following Ziyao’s instruction, she used her mana to strike the water gun. The moment it made contact with Aiya’s mana, the water gun immediately scattered.

Collecting the water from the dissipated gun in her hand, Ziyao continued, “Of course, this method is difficult; the timing is hard to grasp. Therefore, my recommended approach is to either directly shatter it with mana or simply dodge it.” Transforming the clear water in her hand back into a water gun, Ziyao told Aiya, “However, I estimate your teacher won’t approve of such practical methods. Next, I will teach you all the technical weaknesses of this spell.”

Truth be told, Water Gun was just an ordinary spell; only a fool would use such a complex method to break it in a real fight. In Ziyao’s opinion, instead of assigning such impractical theoretical questions, it would be better to have Aiya engage in actual combat. Only through experience would the lessons truly sink in.

“It seems you and Her Highness are getting along quite well.” Ailin pushed the door open, carrying a fruit platter.

“Indeed, it’s as if everything that happened a few days ago was merely an illusion.” Picking up a Moonfruit, Ziyao took a bite.

Crunch—

This was what Ziyao loved about Moonfruit: it was brimming with a fresh fragrance, yet not cloying. She could easily eat an entire plate of them.