I panted again, leaning on my knees.
Ugh, this stupid rock!
I glared at the rocks in front of me.
One was the one I always used for training.
The other was a new one.
Trying to control two rocks at once was proving exactly as frustrating as I thought it would be.
We were back at the training field, after finishing our daily jog around the dungeons and quests.
It was busy as it normally was, which wasn’t very busy.
I was by the targets, trying to not tear my hair out.
Deep breath in.
And out.
Okay.
I sighed and straightened up to try again.
And a voice came from behind me.
“Quite determined, aren’t you?” Ack!
I jerked and whirled around.
A strange sight greeted me.
This was a training field of rough and tumble adventurers.
A noble lady didn’t fit the view.
But a noble lady was exactly who was standing in front of me.
She had a long mauve dress and sparkly dress shoes.
Fur draped over her shoulders, and a game of black lace spread over her mouth, in a wide fan.
A pair of sharp brown eyes looked me up and down, and a large fancy hat shaded her from the sun, decorated with big flowers and feathers.
Uh… My mind blanked as I stood in front of her.
Before kick-starting.
I dipped into a curtsy, or my best facsimile of one, lifting up the edges of my coat in lieu of a skirt.
“It’s very nice to meet you fair lady!” “Oh?
How interesting.
You’ve been trained in etiquette.” Her eyes continued to judge me, narrowing slightly.
“So, you’re the girl my warlock told me about.
I hear you have incredible potential.” Uh… “Potential, my lady?” I risked looking up, easing out of my curtsy.
“Yes.
Potential.
I’ve been watching you from my carriage for some time now.
You’ve been levitating these stones for nearly an hour now.
And you haven’t needed a single break.
Tell me, how is your mana regeneration rate?” I stiffened up.
“T-The book I have rates it as excellent.” “It must use a more outdated and crude method than the academy.
How many mana arrows can you fire before running out?” “F-Five ma’am…” “And how long does it take for your mana to fill up after firing those arrows?” “About…thirty minutes.” She let out a low whistle.
“I’m guessing excellent was as high as your book goes.
That regeneration rate is something most people would kill for.
May I watch you fire a few?” “Of course, ma’am…” I would rather she just let me train in peace… I turned to the target on the far side of the field.
I raised my wand and took a deep breath.
BAM!
It hit, dead on in the center.
I fired off two more and they both hit the same place.
There.
That was good… right?
She whistled.
“Wait, you’ve been attempting telekinesis for an hour straight.
You still had enough mana to fire three mana bolts?” Uh… “Yes?” Her eyes slid from the target to me.
And crinkled.
“I see why you caught my warlock’s eye.
That level of efficiency… it’s a powerful skill.
Most mages prefer to forego efficiency in favor of just popping potions.
But I’m betting your unique circumstances have forced you to prioritize your efficiency over power.
Child… how would you like to become my apprentice?” H-Huh!?
I gaped at the noble lady, utterly shocked.
I struggled to process her words.
Become… her apprentice?
“Kat!” Rey finally spotted us.
He ran over, eyes warily pointed to the noble lady as he grabbed my hand.
“Who are you?
What do you want with Kat?” The lady’s eyes widened.
They skittered between the two of us before she tsked, and snapped her fan shut.
“I see you already have a destiny.
One I cannot steal you from.
Relax lover boy.
I hold no ill will towards your girl.
I was merely taking an interest in a future talent.” “W-What!?
Lover boy?!” Rey turned bright red.
I tugged on his sleeve and whispered in his ear.
“Rey, she offered me an apprenticeship.” His eyes widened, and he bristled at the woman even more.
But she waved his concern away.
“Enough of your posturing.
I regrettably must retract the apprenticeship.
My name is Countess Evelyn Brighton, and I am a witch.
A witch of the seventeenth tier to be exact.” Tier… Tier seventeen!?
S-She knew so many spells.
My fear turned a bit to awe as I beheld the great spellcaster in front of me.
She smirked and tapped her folded fan against her chin.
“Your admiration is appreciated child.
My original offer was for you to become a witch like me once you could specialize your mana.
However, it seems that simply isn’t meant to be.
However, I still see potential in you… it would be a crime to let such potential waste away.
Therefore, allow me to revise my proposal.
Instead of becoming my apprentice, how would you feel about becoming my student?
I would like to become your first formal teacher.” Huh?
I still felt a little off-balance, going from receiving an apprenticeship offer to lessons from such a high-ranking spellcaster.
“I-I can’t afford to pay you…” She snorted.
“I’m not so desperate I’d ask for money from a child.
Rest assured, you won’t have to pay anything for my instruction.
What do you say?” What did I say?
How should I know!?
My mind was still spinning from this sudden turn of events.
Rey’s hand tightened.
“No.
She doesn’t accept.” “Well, you’re not the person I asked.
I want to hear from the girl.” She barely even gave Rey a passing glance.
Rey growled and tugged on me.
“Nobles are all the same!
No!” Her eyes flicked back to him.
“How strange.
Isn’t the girl you’re holding hands with a noble?” He drew in a sharp breath, and turned, tugging me towards the entrance.
“Kat, come on.
We need to get out of here.” He tugged, but I didn’t follow him.
Not this time.
He turned back, confused.
This was all overwhelming.
But it could also be an opportunity.
An incredible opportunity for me.
“Rey wait.
I need to think about this.” “Wh-Kat!
There’s nothing to think about!
She…” He glanced at her and leaned in.
“She might be connected to Count Solace.” I swallowed and glanced at her.
She… could be a bad person.
But… I don’t know.
If she wanted to kidnap me, why approach me like this?
Why make an offer at all?
I took a deep breath and bowed to her.
“Thank you very much for your offer.
May I please think about it?” She smiled, pleased.
“So, you have some backbone after all.
Very well.
I have approached you quite suddenly.
But I am also a very busy person.
I will meet you back here, tomorrow, at the same time.
You may give me your answer then.” “Thank you.” I raised my head, and she whipped her fan out.
She covered her mouth again, her eyes crinkling.
“Until tomorrow child.
I do hope you accept.” She headed for the entrance, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
I turned back to Rey, and he exploded.
“Kat, she’s dangerous!
She’s a noble!” “So am I Rey!” I snapped at him, tired of his argument.
He winced and let go of my hand.
He looked away, abashed, and I sighed.
“Being noble doesn’t make someone good.
But it also doesn’t make them bad.
We have to judge her based on her own merit.” He sighed.
“I know.
Sorry.
It’s just… we don’t know anything about her.
If she finds out you ran away, she could turn you in.
Or give you to Count Solace herself.
Nobles tend to stick together.” I knew.
Nobles tended to side with other nobles by virtue of them being a part of the same social class.
But not always.
Like that viscount who helped us escape Duval.
He didn’t like Count Solace… Maybe the countess didn’t like him either.
“Tomorrow, we’ll ask her what she thinks of Count Solace.
If she doesn’t like him, I’ll accept her offer.” “But Kat, she’s suspicious.
Why would she suddenly offer to train you out of the blue?” I didn’t really know.
But… “She said I had potential.
She said my mana regeneration is really good, and I’m efficient with my mana.
She seems rather eccentric, so it’s not impossible.
Even if she’s only teaching me out of her own entertainment, I’ll take it.
I need proper instruction.
More than you even.
I know there’s so much I don’t understand about magic.
Improvements I can make, how to get the hang of telekinesis, training methods not mentioned in that old book.
Instruction from an experienced mage is worth the risk of trusting her.” Rey was quiet at that.
For a while.
Until he groaned and ran his hand through his hair.
“Okay.
Fine.
I know you need guidance too.
But… wherever you go, I go.
I’m going to watch after you, and make sure she doesn’t try to kidnap you or hand you over to Solace.
Understand?” I nodded, cheering up a little.
He sighed and looked back at the training dummy he had been using.
“We need to finish up our training for the day.
How close are you to empty?” Um… “I’m about three quarters full.
Another two hours.” “Okay.
I’ll run through my stance and strike drills.
When you run out, we’ll head to the guild to sell the cores and turn in that rabbit pelt quest.” He turned, to go back to training, but paused and look back when I snagged his sleeve.
“Okay.
Um… Thanks for looking out for me Rey.
Even when you’re a little too overprotective.” I let go of his sleeve and he snorted.
“Overprotective?
That all depends on the situation.
Personally, I think I’m the perfect amount of protective.
Good luck with your telekinesis.” He waved as he jogged back to the dummy.
I turned back to those two damn rocks.
And sighed.