Early in the morning, as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon, an enormously loud ringing chimed throughout the Dragon Stronghold.
It sounded as if someone had stuffed an entire blacksmith’s shop into a brass shell and detonated it right next to Flamme’s ear.
Sometimes, Flamme genuinely wanted to shatter this device called an “alarm clock.”
How could something so small make such a massive noise?
She reached out, pinning it down as she tried to seep her mana inside it from within.
A short moment later, her mana was completely drained away.
Then, the alarm clock rang even louder, letting out a mocking chitter like that of a monkey.
“Magni Bronzebeard!”
Flamme gritted her teeth, pronouncing every single syllable of that name through her clenched jaw.
She had deeply remembered the designer’s name—and felt his profound malice.
If only her mana reserves weren’t still so small!
Still, sooner or later…
She shook her fist at the alarm clock, flipped out of bed, and dashed toward the washroom.
After a quick rinse, Flamme stepped out into the courtyard outside the Dragon Stronghold.
Sure enough, Link was already waiting there.
Leaning against a tree, he gazed up at the sky, which hadn’t fully brightened yet, looking as though he had been waiting for a long time.
Flamme trotted over, her voice still raspy with sleep.
“Good morning, Master!”
Link didn’t reply.
He glanced at her, then looked back up at the sky, speaking in a contemplative tone.
“I don’t understand.”
Flamme didn’t understand what her master was confused about either, but she wisely chose not to cut in.
“I just don’t understand,” Link repeated, adjusting his glasses as his gaze settled on her.
“How can someone your age sleep so soundly?!”
Flamme fell silent for a moment.
“Master, I know I was wrong…”
“Good that you know.”
Link chose not to dwell on the subject, as he had important business to handle shortly.
He placed his hands behind his back, turned, and took two steps toward the center of the courtyard.
“We will start by expanding your mana capacity—which is universally known as meditation.”
Flamme raised her hand.
“Speak.”
“Master, didn’t you write in your book before that meditation involves holding a sword vertically with both hands and chanting incantations to recover?”
Link froze for a second, then strode right up to Flamme.
He squatted down, placed both hands on her shoulders, and took on an unprecedentedly serious expression.
“Flamme, I’ve told you many times,” he said, his tone heavy with grief.
“Those were all pirated books that were tampered with by vile people!”
His tone was as solemn as if he were entrusting his last wishes, repeating those words once more.
He then released her shoulders, stood up, and took a deep breath, wanting to exhale all those unpleasant memories along with it.
Please don’t bring up your master’s dark past ever again.
After Flamme gave her repeated assurances, Link taught her the correct method of meditation.
Flamme tried it just once, and by the second attempt, she had already entered a focused state.
“Very good,” Link said.
“Your master has more important business to attend to. Practice here, do not wander off, and wait for me to return.”
He turned away with hurried steps and left the courtyard.
Returning to his room, Link collapsed onto the bed, burying his head in the pillow and muttering indistinctly, “Damn that Magni… making the alarm clock so ridiculously loud. Once I’m done with this busy period, I’m definitely paying you a visit…”
Last night, he had stayed up late copying teaching materials for Flamme.
He had barely managed to close his eyes before being blasted awake by the alarm clock before dawn, and now he no longer had to force himself to stay awake.
The room instantly grew quiet, leaving only the morning light creeping through the window to fall upon Link, who had already fallen into a deep sleep.
When he woke again, the sun was high in the sky.
Sunlight poured straight down from directly above the window, covering him completely.
Squinting his eyes, Link was just about to be woken by the scorching heat when he ultimately flipped over like a salted fish, burying his face back in the shadows.
It just so happened to be time for an afternoon nap; it would be a shame not to keep sleeping.
He decided to pick up right where his dream left off.
A moment of silence passed.
“…Wait, no.”
He slowly cracked one eye open.
“I have an apprentice now. I need to set an example.”
He struggled internally with his eyes closed for a few more seconds before springing out of bed like a flopping fish.
Straightening his robe, he headed back out to the courtyard.
As expected, Flamme was still there.
The sun had risen very high, beating down on her mercilessly.
Her thin clothes were soaked through, and her reddish-orange long hair clung to her forehead and cheeks.
This child is too honest; she’s going to get picked on in the future.
Magic isn’t just about fighting and killing; it’s mostly about navigating human nature.
Link raised his hand, his fingertips twitching slightly.
A gust of wind swirled past her side, sweeping away the beads of sweat from her forehead.
Immediately after, a cluster of water vapor condensed out of the air, brushing coolly against her skin, while the dirt beneath her feet rose slightly to cast a patch of shade right above her head, just big enough to shelter her.
Flamme opened her eyes and let out a long breath, feeling as though she had been scooped out of a stiflingly hot jar, finally feeling comfortable.
She looked up at Link with gratitude.
Having shown off a little trick, Link cleared his throat and walked up to his beloved apprentice with the air of a grand master.
“Flamme, what I just used were [Wind Magic], [Water Magic], and [Earth Magic]. Next, I will demonstrate each of them one by one, so watch closely.”
After demonstrating them one by one, Link added, “Of course, basic magic isn’t limited to just these.”
His gaze began to turn subtle, and he decisively stopped mid-sentence.
He turned and walked toward the castle.
His posture was calm and his posture upright, looking just like someone who was simply going to relieve himself.
However, the moment he crossed the threshold of the castle, he took the stairs three steps at a time, turning into a blur as he sprinted all the way into the study and lunged at the desk.
He began frantically studying the textbook he hadn’t had time to finish reading.
“Damn it, how did I manage to forget these basic spells?”
Thanks to the trait bonus of the [Living Grimoire] provided by Serie, Link’s learning speed was still very fast.
Yet even with a cheat-like boost, Link was still not as fast as a true genius.
By the time Link finished his “bathroom trip” and returned to the courtyard, Flamme had already stood up from the ground.
Seeing Link walk over, Flamme hurriedly raised her hands to cast a spell.
A stream of water flowed out from between her palms, swirling around once in Link’s direction.
“Master, does this count as mastering it?”
“Not bad, not bad.” Link nodded.
“Flamme, you are very talented.”
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, Link taught a few more basic spells.
Like the genius she was, Flamme could master these basic spells in no time at all.
All Link could do as her master was find various excuses to leave briefly.
At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the only thing high about him as a “grand master” would be his height.
The few things I know are about to be completely drained; I have to give her something difficult!
That evening, Link stood in the courtyard once more, a stern, authoritative expression fitting for a master gracing his face.
“Flamme, this is [Lightning Magic].”
He raised his hand, trying hard to recall the descriptions in the textbook.
“You just need to do this, and then do that—and that’s it.”
He gestured twice, but since he hadn’t fully mastered it himself, he could only give a rough description.
Flamme watched attentively, her brow furrowing slightly.
Link gestured twice more, then paused and looked over at her.
“Flamme, have you learned it?”
Seeing her slightly furrowed brow, he immediately followed up with his next line: “Flamme, is your talent going to stop right here?”
“You still need to practice diligently.”
Hearing this, a trace of guilt appeared on Flamme’s face.
She hurriedly lowered her head to practice again, a few weak sparks of electricity crackling past her fingertips before dissipating.
Link stood by watching for a while, placed his hands behind his back, and said in a light tone, “Be that as it may, go eat dinner first.”
Once he confirmed that Flamme could no longer see him, Link immediately slipped into the study to continue grinding through the textbook.
“Aha! So [Lightning Magic] had another step right here!”
Sitting at the desk, Link adjusted his glasses.
“It seems I’ll have to burn the midnight oil again tonight.”
Up until now, this was the first time in his life that the long-lived Link felt like time wasn’t quite enough.