How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 105

Aisha had known from the beginning that drawing the magic array would probably take some time. Even so, she was startled when it truly required several consecutive days to finish. By the time she completed it, Elizabeth was almost ready to return home with Tina and Hock. Even if Eric agreed to identify the array, he could hardly produce an answer in a single day.

“If I find anything, I’ll write to you.”

Aisha wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“If my teacher isn’t interested in the array, I’ll try asking Lady Claudia or another mage in the Tower… By the way, when does your ship depart?”

“We still don’t know exactly when it will arrive in port, but it should be within the next few days. We’ll leave the day after it arrives,” Elizabeth replied with a smile. “We will certainly notify you when it docks.”

“All right.”

Reassured, Aisha smiled back.

…

Asking Eric to examine the array was the fastest and most convenient method Aisha could imagine, but she was not completely certain he would agree to help. Eric always appeared extremely busy. He cared only about magical research and showed little interest in other people’s affairs. After spending so much time with him, Aisha knew perfectly well that her teacher hated anything meaningless or wasteful of his time.

It was already rather late when Aisha returned after finishing her copy of the array, so she did not wish to disturb Eric. Instead, she rested for the night and stopped him the next morning as he prepared to leave after class.

“Teacher!” Seeing how quickly Eric was walking, Aisha called after him in haste. “I’m sorry. Could I trouble you for a moment?”

Eric halted midstep. After a pause, he slowly looked back at her with faint confusion.

Ever since the World Tournament began, Eric had often seemed distracted. Several times, after Aisha finished a classroom exercise and turned around, she found him staring into space. He did not respond until she made a sound. Aisha had a vague fear that Eric’s unusual behavior was related to her mother’s presence in Wold. But the subject was awkward, and they were teacher and student, so she did not dare raise it herself.

Now too, Aisha waited until Eric stopped, drew a deep breath, and began. “It concerns Princess Elizabeth. Teacher, you know there is magic inside her wrist that seals her strength…”

Aisha worried deeply about Elizabeth. After she and Eric gradually developed a harmonious relationship as teacher and student, she had once tentatively asked whether he recognized the magic in Elizabeth’s wrist or had any interest in it. Eric had shown little enthusiasm at the time, so she had abandoned the matter. She was not certain she could persuade him now either. All she could do was first recount Elizabeth’s circumstances in broad terms. Eric listened with a neutral expression. Though he neither left nor interrupted, he showed no interest and merely nodded faintly from time to time.

His face revealed nothing. Since he had been so prone to staring into space lately, Aisha could not even be certain he was still listening. She explained everything she knew, then took from her notes the copy of the array she had spent several days drawing. To be honest, she did not know whether she had reproduced it correctly. A mage of Aisha’s level could not cast such a complicated spell.

After a pause, she said, “That is the situation. But several days ago, I discovered that I could sense the pattern of the magic array inside Elizabeth’s wrist, so I tried drawing it. Teacher, could you possibly—”

“Wait.”

Aisha was interrupted before she could finish. Eric, who until then had listened quietly without reaction, abruptly frowned.

“What did you just say?!”

“I can… sense the pattern of the magic array inside Elizabeth’s wrist…?” Aisha repeated uncertainly.

She had spent every moment after class with Elizabeth drawing the array, leaving her mind so occupied that she had not yet told Eric.

Surprise appeared on his face. “You…”

He fell silent for a moment.

“Let me see that array.”

“All right.” Aisha quickly handed him the copy and added, “But I have no way to verify it, so I don’t know whether I drew it correctly…”

Eric accepted the paper and rapidly examined it with his brow deeply furrowed. It was the most complicated array Aisha had ever drawn. The tangled patterns and lines merging into one another were all troublesome. Every magical line in an array had exacting requirements. The angles, distances, and thicknesses between them had to be precise to the smallest degree. A slight difference could alter the spell’s effect, prevent the magic from activating at all, or even transform it into something dangerous. Many mages had suffered accidents because their magic lacked precision. Any array whose effect or accuracy was unknown had to be tested first on a dedicated magic laboratory bench.

Naturally, a mage of extraordinary ability could also judge an array’s quality, effectiveness, and potential danger by sight alone, drawing upon familiarity with magic and an understanding of its nature and inherent laws. Aisha watched Eric nervously and awaited his judgment. He was, after all, the second-ranked mage in the Tower of Magic. Though quite young among the mages of the upper section, he possessed immense knowledge and expertise across many kinds of magic, with almost no obvious weakness. After studying under Eric for so long, Aisha had complete faith in his abilities.

After a while, Eric said, “There are several places I need to calculate, followed by a number of practical tests. I will give you an answer after some time… More importantly, Aisha, you—”

“Miss Aisha Byrd, you have a visitor.”

Suddenly, the communication magic array inside the Tower of Magic lit up and began rotating, interrupting their conversation. The voice belonged to a member of the Tower’s administrative staff. When no one responded immediately, the speaker repeated the announcement.

“Miss Aisha Byrd, a member of your family has come to visit the Tower of Magic…”

Aisha paused, then quickly understood. Although she and Eric were still speaking, class had theoretically ended, so a visitor announcement was not unusual. She immediately remembered Elizabeth’s promise to notify her before they departed from the Heart of the World. Her father or mother had probably come in person. Aisha hesitated and looked at her teacher.

The instant her gaze reached him, Eric seemed to stiffen. But he immediately returned to normal and told her with perfect calm, “Go.”

“Y-yes.”

Aisha studied Eric’s expression and confirmed that he did not appear particularly concerned. Only then did she say goodbye, quickly gather the things she was leaving with him, and run downstairs. Shortly after she passed through the door, she thought she heard Eric close the door of his own laboratory.

…

At that moment, however, Eric was not nearly as calm as he had deliberately appeared.

Ever since learning that… that person had once again set foot upon the Heart of the World, every moment had felt like torment.

It was strange. When he first learned of Aisha’s arrival, he had been able to question others throughout the Tower and search for news about the girl, unconcerned whether anyone learned of his past or his true purpose. But now that Tina was truly here, he could not take a single step.

Seeking her out would be far too undignified and eager. Pretending to meet her by chance would be hypocritical and affected. Yet the more anxious he became, the less capable he was of devising a solution, leaving him to fret helplessly in place. And now… she might be downstairs…

In the darkness of the laboratory, Eric rapidly searched his table.

Measuring cup… magical materials… paint for drawing arrays… research reports… ink… Ink! Excellent. Only half a bottle of ink remained, and he had just decided that he absolutely must write an extremely long experimental report at once. So little ink might not suffice. He would therefore have to go out briefly and purchase more. Such a common item was sold inside the Tower, though reaching it meant passing through the crowded public area he despised, where visitors sometimes lingered. But Aisha was absent, and he had no choice but to buy it himself. This was merely an unpleasant and unavoidable task.

Upon realizing he needed to go out for ink, Eric—who detested leaving his rooms and might not have done so for more than two months—finally breathed a sigh of relief. He naturally raised his chin, assumed the perfectly ordinary expressionless face of someone entirely justified, and strode out with the elegant aloofness befitting the Tower’s second-ranked mage. His pace was exceptionally swift, because he truly did need that ink urgently. He hurried down the stairs from the ninth floor of the upper section, crossed the painfully bright street, and entered the lower section…

Only a few steps remained before he reached the Tower shop. Unfortunately, the most irritating common room lay directly ahead. Eric was forced to slow and sweep an annoyed gaze over the crowd.

His heart began beating faster. Without realizing it, he grew increasingly impatient. Clearly, this was because the crowd irritated him, while the white pillars supporting the Tower had become intolerable obstacles blocking his view.

Eric continued searching his surroundings rapidly. He had already entered the common room… Suddenly, he saw Aisha. She was smiling and speaking with someone, but a tall pillar concealed the other person. A pillar that forced him to dodge merely to reach the shop was unquestionably infuriating. Eric became anxious for entirely reasonable reasons and tried to circle around it on his way to the shop. At the same time, Aisha’s companion happened to come into view.

Hock Byrd.