Chapter 29: Teacher(1)

“So, how was it, Hans oppa?” (TL Note: Oppa is an honorific used by younger males to address older females.)

Camelia asked, hands on her hips, a proud expression on her face. Behind her stood a massive snowman, two or three times the height of an adult man.

“…You two built this?”
“Yes! Avalli unnie and me!”
“Amazing.”

Hans let out a genuine exclamation of awe. When it snowed, he usually just had snowball fights with the other village children. He had never considered doing anything more elaborate with snow.

But Avalli had created something effortlessly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

‘…Avalli is…’

Not ordinary. She looked like an average girl, but the thought naturally surfaced in Hans’s mind.

Why? Would he ever learn the reason?

“I wish Avalli unnie could have come.”
“She’s busy today. …Probably tomorrow too.”
“Lucy unnie is hogging all of Avalli unnie’s time.”

Camelia puffed out her cheeks and sulked. Hans chuckled at her cuteness.

“The other kids have recovered from their colds, so let’s bring them all here next time and show them.”
“Yes! I wish Lucy unnie and Avalli unnie could be there too.”

If that day ever came, Lucy would surely faint upon witnessing the true nature of the snowman.

“Yes. We’ll definitely do that, Camelia.”
“I can’t wait.”

Oblivious to this, the two continued their cheerful conversation, enjoying their time in the clearing. Meanwhile, at Arsene’s house in the center of the village—

“…You’re much smarter than I expected, Avalli.”

Lucy stared at Avalli, dumbfounded, as she grasped the concepts instantly.

“Heehee, really?”
“Honestly, I’m surprised. It took me almost two weeks to understand this much.”

Grasping the concept of magic power wasn’t easy. Even Lucy’s two weeks was considered remarkably fast compared to the average mage. Avalli had done it in less than a day.

‘Thinking of it as atoms makes it easier.’

Ignoring all the esoteric terms like ‘source’ and ‘primordial one’, that’s how she could summarize it.

The smallest, invisible unit that made up all matter in the world. It wasn’t that different from the explanation of atoms she had heard in science class.

Honestly, she didn’t fully understand it, but she could accept it. In her previous life, Avalli had been an ordinary person, a humanities student who relied more on faith than a deep understanding of science when it came to such topics. Applying the same approach to the enigmatic concept of magic power had quickly earned her Lucy’s approval.

“…Now that we’ve completed the first step, let’s begin the lesson proper. Ready, Avalli?”
“Yes, Lucy.”
“Honestly, I’m still not sure if I should be the one teaching you…”

A hint of fear lingered in Lucy’s voice. But Avalli’s eyes were their usual brown, the same color as her dull brown hair, not the sparkling green.

‘The personality inside,’ Lucy recalled what Arsene had told her. When Avalli’s eyes were green, the being ‘inside’ her was present and exerting its will. But when her eyes were brown, like now, she could be considered an ordinary girl.

Only after hearing that had Lucy stopped using excessively polite language with Avalli. She still spoke respectfully, but she was aware of how strange it was to tremble and address a little girl with honorifics. The green-eyed being had also requested it of Lucy before retreating ‘inside’ Avalli.

‘…She was surprisingly polite and reasonable.’

Despite possessing such transcendental power, the green-eyed being had immediately apologized for her actions. If Lucy had the same power, would she have done the same?

No.

She would have wielded her power greedily, terrifying the junior mages on the fourth floor who usually looked down on her.

‘Is her personality fundamentally different from ordinary humans?’

Now that she felt safe, Lucy’s curiosity about the ‘green-eyed being’ inside Avalli grew. But she was still too afraid to ask directly.

“So, should I call you Teacher Lucy instead of Lucy unnie now?”
“…What?”

Avalli put on her most innocent expression.

‘…Since they’re practically different people.’

Avalli had been slightly shocked to learn that Lucy’s polite demeanor stemmed from fear. No matter how eccentric Lucy was, there was no reason for her to suddenly use such honorifics with a girl she had previously spoken down to.

‘I realized it too late.’

Now that she knew the truth, she couldn’t continue accepting such uncomfortable deference. So, while in her ‘green-eyed’ state, she had earnestly asked Lucy to ‘treat Avalli normally.’

As a result, Lucy no longer used excessively polite language, but she still spoke respectfully. Avalli decided to accept this compromise. Demanding to be treated casually might make Lucy uncomfortable.

“Teacher! Teacher Lucy!”

Avalli called out cheerfully. Lucy, stuck in Asha Village because of Avalli’s actions, would probably be more comfortable if Avalli acted like a child. It was a bit embarrassing to put on such an exaggerated act, but it was for Lucy’s sake.

“What… Teacher?”

Lucy said gruffly, twisting a strand of her red hair. But despite her words, the corners of her lips curved upwards.

‘Teacher.’

What a wonderful word. And it wasn’t coming from some untalented villager, but from Avalli, an otherworldly being.

Despite recognizing that it was undeserved, Lucy couldn’t help but feel pleased.

“Well…, you don’t have to be so formal, but… if you want to call me that, I don’t mind.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
“Th…Then, shall we begin the lesson?”

Flattered by the sweet title, Lucy began the lesson with a wide grin. She started with the standard curriculum she had received as an apprentice mage at the Magic Tower. This basic course was largely the same across all the Magic Towers on the continent. After understanding the concept of magic power—

“There are five attributes of magic. Do you know them?”

—came the attributes of magic.

“No, I’ve never heard of them.”
“That’s normal if you’re not a mage. Ordinary people might think of fire, ice, wind, lightning, teleportation, acceleration, and so on… as different concepts, but mages categorize them into five main attributes.”

Lucy cleared her throat and stood up from her chair.

“The first three attributes are closely related. Some radical professors even suggest combining them into one.”

Lucy held her staff and focused for a moment.

“First, the attribute that governs the output of energy: Thermal.”

She cast a spell, and a noticeable warmth emanated from her staff.

“You’ve seen this before, right?”
“When we were washing dishes by the river!”

“That’s right. ‘Warmth,’ the most basic spell, imbues heat. Actually, ice magic also falls under this category. Thermal energy reversed, becoming negative, manifests as cold. Do you understand so far?”
“Yes, Teacher!”

Avalli’s immediate reply made Lucy frown slightly.

‘…She understood that quickly?’

Considering how long it had taken Lucy to grasp the concept of negative energy, Avalli’s claim seemed dubious.

‘Well, she did the same thing earlier. She must have really understood.’

But Avalli wasn’t an ordinary girl. She possessed an extraordinary comprehension, grasping the concept of magic power in less than a day. It was reasonable to assume that having such a transcendental being residing within her had influenced her in some way.

“It’s a shame I can’t show you ice magic, since it’s not my specialty… but I’m glad you understand. Next is Kinetic magic, which governs the flow of energy.”
“Flow?”
“Simply put, it’s wind magic. Although spells like Detect also fall under this category, so it’s a bit complicated…”

Lucy formed a hand sign and moved her staff in a specific sequence. She could cast basic Thermal magic without chanting, since it was her specialty, but she couldn’t do the same with Kinetic magic.

“O ceaseless wind, dance before me.”

The ‘flow’ of the atmosphere, manipulated by Lucy’s mana, brushed against Avalli’s cheek. It was a refreshing, cool breeze, ‘Wind’, the most basic Kinetic spell.

“It’s not my specialty, so the output isn’t very strong…”

Lucy mumbled, slightly embarrassed. But Avalli’s reaction was the opposite of what she expected.

“…Magic!”
“Well, of course it’s magic.”

Avalli’s eyes sparkled as she exclaimed,

“Amazing, Teacher!”

What was so amazing about it? It was a basic spell that even apprentice mages at the Magic Tower could use.

“It…It’s nothing special…”

Despite her inner thoughts, Lucy’s lips curled into a smile, starved as she was for praise.