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With the exchange condition of crafting the ‘Ring of the Shimmering Starry Sky,’ Melua agreed to start teaching Alfe magic from today.

“Please take care of me, Miss Melua¹.”

“A-l-f-e, let’s go with ‘Senior’ instead, okay? If you call me ‘Miss,’ I might not realize you’re talking to me right away. And ‘Master’ would overlap with my master, so that’s a no-go ♪”

Melua was pretty easygoing, but she seemed strict when it came to manners. I supposed that made sense, living in the noble dormitory. Even that Gutenberg kid— back when we were at St. Salaius, I had no clue, but ever since he came here, he carefully adjusted his demeanor depending on the situation.

“Understood, Senior!”
“Mm, what a great response ♪! Ahh, I’ve always wanted someone to call me that~”

Melua pressed her hands to her cheeks, savoring the moment like she was holding onto Alfe’s words.

“You look really happy, Melua.”
“I knew you’d get it, Master~. When I’m with Estea, it’s always ‘Miss’ or ‘Lady’ Melua, but this— this feels like I really have a proper junior, like I finally got my own apprentice. It’s so nice, you know?”

I probably didn’t fully understand that feeling, but if Melua was in a good mood, that was enough for me. Maybe her fixation on the master-apprentice dynamic came from her own aspirations of becoming an alchemy teacher someday. It might even have something to do with why, despite being a Special-Class Alchemist, she was majoring in the Magic Department.

“Alright, enough preamble! Let’s start with greetings. Alfe, do you know the ‘Mage’s Salutation’?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of it as part of my general education.”
“Then here, take this.”

Saying that, Melua conjured a magic staff out of thin air and handed it to Alfe.

The Mage’s Salutation was the highest form of respect a mage could offer. The staff bearer would point the tip of the staff toward themselves and present the handle to the other party— a gesture of complete submission. It conveyed that they held no hostility and were willing to be pierced by that very staff should the other person perceive them as a threat. The recipient would then raise the staff above the bearer’s head and return it, completing the ritual.

Alfe knelt on the spot, holding the staff she had received. She aimed the staff’s tip at her own chest and extended the handle toward Melua.

“This is like a ceremony. It’s not a school lesson, so I won’t ask anything in return from you, Alfe. I’ll teach you purely as a fellow mage.”
“Thank you very much.”

Alfe bowed her head, her face tense with nervousness.

“Ah, I’m strict about manners, but you can talk to me like you usually do, okay?” Melua accepted the staff from Alfe and traced runes symbolizing ‘blessing’ above her head.

Alfe likely couldn’t see the runes, but this gesture was Melua’s way of showing her resolve. It was a reflection of the trust and respect she had for my skills as an alchemist, and that realization made me feel the weight of my responsibility².

Even aside from that, Melua, as a member of the student council, had willingly agreed to help strengthen Alfe— someone who would be her rival in the Zersteller.

“Okay, the ceremony’s over. Let’s jump straight into practical training.” Melua returned the staff to Alfe and smiled brightly.

“Yes!” Alfe still looked nervous, but there was a trace of happiness on her face. The environment she needed to grow stronger was now in place, and the fact that she had room to feel joy about that made me happy, too.

That being said— if I hadn’t misheard, Melua just said “practical training.” Did she really intend to do that here, in the atelier?

“Um, Melua—”
“Oh, you’re wondering about the training location? It’s better to have Master nearby for the first session, right? We’ll do it here. Don’t worry, we won’t get in the way of your ‘Ring of the Shimmering Starry Sky’ crafting~.”

Melua cheerfully reassured me and led Alfe over to a secondary workstation, a little distance away.

In the meantime, I inspected the materials for the ‘Ring of the Shimmering Starry Sky’ and began the alchemical process.

1. Robinxen: Take that out of context.
2. Robinxen: This sentence feels so mechanical that it ruins the flow but if I edit will the people fussy about translations people get mad at me?

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