How to Raise a Dumb Wolf - Chapter 41

“…There’s no need, Your Majesty.”

“Are you certain?”

“Mm.”

Moved, Les nodded firmly. He knew His Majesty could see him.

Having grown up in the imperial castle, Les knew exactly how busy Carter III ordinarily was. The journey from Beast to Wold included a considerable voyage by sea. Counting the return trip, a visit could easily consume several weeks.

That meant His Majesty would return to the castle and face several weeks of accumulated work—a workload resembling hell itself.

His Majesty had always treated promises seriously. He would never have offered without considering it in earnest. The offer alone was already enough to delight Les.

“If that’s what you say, then never mind.”

Far away in the imperial capital of Beast, the cat emperor lazily swished his great, fluffy white tail.

“But Les, you know I will always be on your side.”

“…Yes. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Carter III’s words filled Les with warmth. His Majesty always made him feel that he was not alone.

After finishing the subject of Aisha, Les and Carter III discussed a few other matters and went over some work-related issues. It was not until the moon hung halfway across the sky that the cat emperor ended the conversation.

In Beast, it should already have been time for His Majesty to retire.

The surroundings fell silent. Les stood alone on the balcony, feeling the cool spring night breeze stir his fur.

The ninth floor of the upper section was nearly the highest point in the Tower of Magic, and almost the highest place in all Wold. From Aisha’s balcony, countless points of light glittered near and far. This was an international city, after all. Even deep into the night, it remained brilliantly illuminated.

Les stood in silence for a while, watching the view.

He was not a mage and had never imagined that he would one day stand in a place like this. He had to admit it was a rare and beautiful sight.

The girl sleeping in the room behind him had already changed the course of his life.

Only after standing there a long time did Les finally look away and return quietly to the room. He watched Aisha for another moment, then lay down beside the bed and closed his eyes.

…

“Good morning, Les.”

When Les awakened the next morning, Aisha had already dressed neatly and pinned up her hair. She smiled over her shoulder at him while fastening a necklace around her neck. The silver-white pendant and blue ribbon made her skin look as white as snow. She was beautiful.

“Is this a little too formal?”

Aisha turned restlessly before the mirror, adjusting her skirt and hair every so often. She looked very worried.

“It’s my first day of lessons, and my Tower of Magic uniform hasn’t arrived yet, so I wanted to look more serious. But… somehow it feels strange.”

Les watched her steadily.

Aisha was unquestionably beautiful, and there was nothing wrong with her clothes. She had clearly put a great deal of care into her appearance. Her sense that something was wrong came entirely from nervousness.

If he could speak, he would have liked to reassure her and help her relax. But for now…

After thinking, Les went over and placed his head beneath Aisha’s hand.

Aisha assumed he was seeking affection. She laughed softly and stroked him for a long time. Without realizing it, her mood improved, and she stopped worrying about her clothes.

Excited and nervous about her first day of lessons, Aisha had risen very early. She spent a considerable while passing time in her room before it was finally seven forty-five.

Taking a deep breath, she left and arrived fifteen minutes early at the classroom Thorne had shown her.

It was another room on the ninth floor of the Tower of Magic’s upper section, beside Eric Green’s laboratory. Compared with the bedrooms, sitting room, and their mentor’s laboratory, the classroom was small. With so many objects inside, it looked crowded and could barely accommodate a few people.

A polygonal table stood at the center, with a wooden chair placed along each edge. The room also contained a laboratory table and magic research bench like those in the laboratory. Thick, ancient books filled built-in shelves covering one wall.

Magical patterns were carved everywhere, giving the room the unmistakable atmosphere of a mage’s workspace.

Aisha held her wand, notebook, and pen as she looked around with curiosity and excitement. Then she pulled out a chair at random and sat.

Neither her teacher nor Thorne had arrived. In fact, because Aisha and Thorne were at different levels, she was not entirely sure whether he would attend.

She had no choice but to wait alone and leaf through the notes she had made during her earlier self-study.

Roughly five minutes later, Thorne entered with a book tucked beneath one arm, yawning as he pushed open the door. He did not appear fully awake and plainly had not expected anyone to be in the classroom. The instant he saw Aisha, he jumped and became completely alert.

Aisha smiled at Thorne, whose hair stuck up in every direction and whose eyes had widened in alarm.

“Good morning.”

“…Good morning.” Thorne scratched his hair and spoke awkwardly. “Sorry. I’m not accustomed to anyone else being here… Uh…”

“Mm, it’s fine.” Aisha smiled, unbothered.

Although she said nothing more, Thorne remained standing awkwardly for a moment, as though the presence of another person had made him forget where he usually sat.

After some hesitation, he frowned and pulled out the chair opposite Aisha. He stopped looking at her and began flipping through a thick stack of handouts. Every so often, he muttered a few obscure words of an incantation.

Aisha listened quietly for a while but understood very little. She gave up and returned to her own notes.

“Hey!”

The previously silent Thorne suddenly looked up again. His black brows drew together slightly, and he gave Aisha a searching look.

She raised her head and looked at him in confusion.

Thorne pressed his lips together. “There are so many advanced mages in the Tower of Magic. Why did you insist on choosing Er—”

He swallowed the remainder before it could escape. The classroom door had opened again, and a tall, thin figure with a severe gaze entered.

Eric had not heard the words Thorne stopped in time. He merely swept the room with a light glance. His gaze passed indifferently over Thorne, then those deep-blue eyes settled on Aisha and stopped.

Aisha straightened nervously, afraid that improper posture might violate some unspoken rule in her teacher’s mind.

Eric looked at her for more than ten seconds before asking in a tone of indescribable surprise and disappointment, “Did your mother choose that outfit for you? Does she like this sort of thing now? Does she usually… dress this way too?”

Her mother again!

Hearing Eric Green mention her mother once more awakened Aisha’s curiosity and confusion.

She wore a dignified dark-blue dress with a white belt to match her necklace. Aisha herself truly liked this style, but her mother… did not dress like this.

Tina was a soldier. She seemed to find riding clothes and military uniforms more convenient. When she did not mind the trouble, she even wore a full suit of armor.

But those clothes were too heavy and complicated for Aisha. She did not know how to wear them and could hardly imitate her mother.

So Aisha honestly shook her head. “No. My mother did buy this for me, but I chose it myself. She usually wears military uniforms.”

“…I see.”

Eric Green seemed subtly relieved. The slight tremor in his voice settled.

But his gentle expression did not last. He quickly became stern again, changing so rapidly that Aisha nearly thought she had imagined it.

“Then let us begin.” Eric looked away from Aisha and toward his other student. “Thorne, present yesterday’s assignment.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Thorne rose.

Because the gap between Thorne’s and Aisha’s levels was too great for them to be taught together, Eric instructed them separately. He first listened to Thorne’s assignment, then offered guidance and ordered him to revise it.

Aisha had no idea what she should do, so she could only watch them discuss knowledge entirely unfamiliar to her.

Thorne understood with extraordinary speed. Before Eric even finished a sentence, Thorne could correct an entire line of his incantation. Watching them made Aisha increasingly uneasy. She did not have much confidence in her own magical ability.

Then, while Thorne lowered his head to revise his assignment and Aisha assumed Eric had not finished guiding him, Eric suddenly turned toward her.

“Now it’s your turn.” His gaze was sharp enough to frighten her. “Which spells do you know? Choose the one you perform best and show me.”

“Y-yes.”

Aisha fumbled for her wand and looked around. Only when Eric pointed to the laboratory table did she understand where she was supposed to demonstrate. She hurried to her feet and moved into position.

During her months of self-study, Aisha had learned many basic spells. But she had no mage friends or companions, so she constantly doubted her own level and had no idea how far she had progressed.

In truth, any mage experienced in teaching students would have been astonished by the number of spells Aisha learned in only a few months. Even setting aside whether a mage with unusual abilities could use general magic at full strength, this level of comprehension was already proof of exceptional talent.

Aisha herself did not know that. Nor did she have the opportunity to demonstrate everything now. She searched through the dozens of small spells she had learned for the one best able to prove her ability.

She chose the basic Blast Spell.

It was the first spell she had ever cast. No matter how much she learned later, the Blast Spell remained the most unforgettable, carved deepest into her memory.

Moreover, while trapped in Dimska Castle, she had practiced it more than a hundred times in order to save herself. Every line of the incantation had long since been committed to memory. Her mastery of it far exceeded any other spell.

She had also used it to rescue many girls. Aisha was confident in this spell.

After a pause, she raised her wand and aimed at the center of the laboratory table.

A circular magic array was already inscribed there. Any spell used above it would be displayed in its clearest possible form. The effects of offensive magic could be shown while the damage was absorbed, allowing the spell to be observed safely.

Aisha began chanting.

Through countless repetitions, she had reduced the Blast Spell’s casting time from more than ten seconds to less than five without damaging its rhythm or cadence. Its power had even increased without her realizing it.

Of course, Aisha did not know that others required far longer to achieve such progress. She regarded it as perfectly ordinary.

The final sigil vanished into the air, and the tip of Aisha’s wand shook violently.

Bang!

A sphere of compressed air struck the exact center of the laboratory table. Within the array, it transformed at several times slower than normal speed. First, it formed a perfectly smooth sphere. Then it burst apart with such force that its power remained obvious even in extreme slow motion.

She had performed normally!

Aisha breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the nervous sweat from her brow. Only then did she turn to see her teacher’s reaction.

But before she saw Eric’s expression, she met Thorne’s astonished gaze.

For some reason, he had stopped revising his handouts and was watching Aisha’s laboratory table intently. Now he was staring just as intently at her.

Suddenly embarrassed, Aisha smiled at him, then turned back toward her teacher.