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“I’m back, Momo. Anything happen over there?”
“Ponipepuaa.”
“What happened?”
“First Disciple overheated…”
“What’s this now? What do you mean?”
“Ah… Master…”

Before I knew it, the sky was already dyed orange, and Master had returned.

I hardly remembered anything from my studying—the truth was, my head just couldn’t keep up with Professor Stell’s pace of instruction.

“But, about thirty percent stuck. Progress.”
“Thank you so much, Professor Stell! I’ll keep working hard!”
“You know, you’re learning more from others than from me, aren’t you?”
“Well, that’s because you never teach me much about magecraft! Stell was way easier to understand!”
“Magecraft is learned by watching. That’s the tradition wizards have followed since ancient times.”
“That’s a mindset from a thousand years ago, Master!”
“Quiet, you! If you’re going to complain that much, then why don’t you just become Stell’s disciple instead?”
“No way—that won’t do! I’m your disciple, Master! Also, how did the ruin investigation go?”
“No good. The flooding was worse than expected. Right now, every wizard available is working on draining the water.”

Master sat down heavily in one of the lounge chairs, draped her cloak over the backrest, and leaned against it.

She looked exhausted. Knowing her, she had probably tried to push through and investigate the waterlogged ruins anyway.

“I’d have liked to lend a hand myself, but with this body… If I pushed it, you’d just nag me.”
“Yes! I’d give you a proper scolding, without a doubt!”
“First Disciple… overprotective.”
“Well… yes, that’s true.”

Come to think of it, Stell didn’t know anything about Master’s body. But for her, who admired her so deeply, it would be a painful topic.

I covered my mouth before I let the words slip, and glanced at Master’s expression. She only shook her head in silence. She probably had no intention of spreading her circumstances around.

“Even so, I did manage to find a little something. I’ll tell you after dinner. For now, I’d like to take a nap.”
“Ah, in that case, my lap’s free if you want it!”
“Teach, mine too.”
“Thank you both, but no need. I can sleep standing up, so don’t worry.”
“That won’t do! If you don’t lie down properly, it’ll be bad for your health!”
“Then I’ll borrow a room and rest there. You just keep studying. I’ll test you on what you’ve learned later, so be ready.”
“E-Eek…!”

I really shouldn’t have said anything extra. This was no different from school exams.

Regretting my own words, I clutched my feverish head and ended up glaring at a mountain of books until dinnertime.

Dinner itself was amazing—super tender steak, lots of salad, and plenty of bread. Delicious.

――――――――…………

――――……

――…

“…I see. For you, that wasn’t bad at all. I’ll give you a passing grade.”
“Th-thank goodness…”

After finishing dinner with the king and the others and returning to the lounge, all the energy I’d stocked up from the meal got completely drained by Master’s test.

My stomach hurt. Job interviews probably felt like this. Adults were incredible.

“Don’t get too relieved. When I say ‘passing grade,’ I mean it only in light of your knowledge being little better than an infant’s. You’ve still got a long way to go.”
“Knew it… By the way, how big is the gap between me and Stell?”
“Lizard versus dragon.”
“…So not even comparable.”
“Well, Stell is quite an exceptional student. She’s not a proper benchmark. That one will become an excellent wizard.”
“Boo…”

Even if Stell was also Master’s student, hearing her praised over me made me jealous.

Oblivious to her disciple’s feelings, Master didn’t even look my way, simply letting her pen fly across the stack of papers in front of her.

Not long ago, she’d been so hesitant to touch paper because it was too precious. She adapted quickly.

“Here, it’s done. Memorize it by tomorrow.”
“Eh? What’s this?”
“Study material. I tailored it to your current level of magecraft. First, master the basic terminology. Once you’ve got that down, you’ll be able to read far more books.”

The paper Master handed me was like a dictionary of magecraft terms with explanations.

A hole was punched along the left edge with a string looped through it, so it could be used as a little notebook. If I untied the string, I could add more pages later.

Naturally, it was written in Master’s hand. Her script was a little eccentric, but thanks to Babel’s power I could read it just fine. She had made this for me.

“M-Masteeer!”
“Quit clinging to me, you’re a nuisance. And for the record, that’s only the barest of basics. It’s nothing more than the groundwork you need just to stand at the starting line as a wizard.”
“Yes, I understand! I’ll memorize it all, so please teach me magecraft, Master!”
“If I feel like it. Now let go already—the rain’s stopped and it’s getting muggy!”
“Nope. I’m too moved right now to let go any time soon!”
“What kind of reasoning is that? Let—go—already!”
“Well, well. What scandalous behavior between two women.”
“Uwaah!? Mr. Arnitta!? Since when have you been there!?”

A sudden voice from behind made me jerk away from Master on reflex.

Mr. Arnitta’s face was hollow-eyed with dark bags, his hair and beard sticking out in a mess. Only his bloodshot eyes gleamed brightly, making him look more like a ghost than a person.

“Oh, old man. If you’re out here, does that mean it’s finished?”
“Eh? Finished? You mean it’s already done?”
“Aye, for the time being. So come along, lass—your very own custom-made staff is waiting.”