Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Rosalyn's Apprenticeship
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"Whoa......"
Rosalyn took a full lap around the Magic Tower's magic supply shop upon her return.
She never imagined she'd be selected as an apprentice and come back here as more than just a customer.
"Am I really going to be an apprentice? Will I learn magic from the mages here at the Magic Tower?"
A mage nodded to Rosalyn, whose round eyes sparkled with exaggerated excitement.
He was the mage stationed at the shop's counter.
He had entered the Magic Tower thanks to his innate talent and once took great pride in his affiliation, working diligently. But that was only for a time.
As he witnessed the Tower's growing injustices, his pride bottomed out. When the new Tower Lord took over, he abandoned his duties entirely.
'To think he'd consider taking on a disciple......'
The mage had instantly recognized the mana latent in Rosalyn's body the moment he saw her.
Her bright, intelligent eyes convinced him she would bloom into true talent if taught properly.
That's why he had submitted a report to the Tower Lord requesting to take her as his disciple.
"From now on, you can't think like you're still living in the forest. You'll have to keep up diligently."
"Yes!"
The mage whispered firmly to Rosalyn, who sat beside the counter he guarded.
Her eyes sparkling with anticipation, Rosalyn kept glancing around the shop before flashing him an innocent smile.
In the Sheep Territory, where mages were hard to come by, she had been chosen as an apprentice at the Magic Tower!
Pride and affection for the Tower already bubbled up inside her. She seemed like she could spend all day just in the shop and be happy.
On top of that, the mage who had selected her was a handsome beastkin guarding the magic supply shop.
"So, what do I learn first?!"
The beastkin customers in the shop broke into fond smiles at Rosalyn's excited voice.
Perched on the high stool with her feet dangling, Rosalyn swung her legs back and forth as she looked at the mage.
The mage stroked his chin thoughtfully, then spoke in a surprisingly confident tone.
"No idea. I've never taught anyone before. Let's figure it out together from now on."
"Uh...... Yeah! Sounds good!"
Though it wasn't the answer she'd hoped for and left her momentarily flustered, Rosalyn quickly smiled and pondered what she should learn first.
All without knowing that Ed—the boy she never wanted to see again—was already at the Magic Tower.
The magic training room on one of the Magic Tower's upper floors.
This space was protected by sturdy barrier spells that wouldn't crumble even during offensive magic practice, and it was vast enough to freely test any spell.
Ed stood there with the mage in charge of magic training.
"Today, we'll train restraint magic. You know the theory, right?"
"Of course."
Ed confidently replied and began visualizing the formula in his mind.
"Young Master, you're still young, so in a dangerous situation, binding the opponent might be safer than attacking."
"Because a missed attack or one that doesn't land properly could spell disaster?"
"That's one reason. But the biggest advantage is that you can attack while they're bound."
It was an unexpected answer. Ed had assumed the response would be something like, 'It's better to bind them and run.'
But the mage continued calmly.
"The greater the size difference, the safer and more reliable it is to bind and then attack."
The mage casually explained something that would make anyone gasp in horror if they overheard him teaching it to a child.
Ed listened intently and dove into serious training.
To practice restraint magic, he needed a target—and Ed had chosen one himself.
"Y-You want to train on me?"
Jeb Horse recalled the nightmare of being summoned to the Rub Family like a criminal. His legs trembled, and his voice faltered.
"Shall we begin, Young Master?"
The training dummy, Jeb Horse, let out a silent scream.
'All those rumors about the Magic Tower were true!'
Jeb remembered the tales: cross the Tower Lord's mood, and you'd end up as a magic experiment subject, subjected to horrors.
He wasn't an experiment subject, but being used as a training dummy for what anyone could see was a child mage?
His already crumbling pride shattered once more—what little remained.
"Looks like some kind of lesson is happening here......"
He was in the midst of training restraint magic on Jeb when an unfamiliar voice came from the stairs leading to the training room.
Ed whipped his head around reflexively and froze upon seeing a familiar mage ascending with a girl.
'Why is she here?'
Ed was visibly flustered, leaving the restraint spell on Jeb active as he stood stock-still.
Snow-white hair and green eyes—the ones he never expected to see here—entered his view.
At that moment, the mage escorting the girl greeted them nonchalantly and introduced her.
"I thought you might be in lesson, so I came to check. This is my disciple, Rosalyn."
"Hello! I'm Rosalyn!"
Rosalyn greeted Ed's training mage loudly and cheerfully.
"Why are you here?"
Ed couldn't hold back his burning question.
A disciple? Did that mean the sheep girl was now the apprentice of the mage who guarded the magic supply shop?
"You heard earlier."
Rosalyn replied curtly.
She wanted to add something like, 'Stupid wolf,' but now that she knew his status, the words wouldn't come easily.
Sensing the tense air between the two children, the adults exchanged glances and separated them.
"Watch the Young Master train here for a bit."
Rosalyn's master said, pointing to Ed.
Ed was executing restraint magic on Jeb with impressive accuracy for his age. It was remarkable skill.
"Can I do that too?"
Competitive fire lit in Rosalyn's eyes. Freshly arrived as an apprentice, she suddenly burned to catch up to Ed.
"We'll see. Depends on how hard you work."
Her master gave a vague answer without commitment, but Rosalyn's enthusiasm for her upcoming lessons ignited.
In the dining room overlooking the Rub Family gardens, Billy and I shared a simple lunch and light conversation.
I'd grown accustomed enough to being alone with him that the sandwich went down smoothly.
"How's your arm?"
Billy asked, eyeing my still-trembling hand.
The day I'd blocked Jack like a ladder and swung my twin blades wildly using the status window controls. The muscle pain from that lingered.
I thought it'd fade in a day, but since I rarely exercised, it dragged on.
"Hmm, still shaky, but it's okay."
I answered honestly. With my hand trembling like this, I couldn't pretend otherwise.
Worried, Billy furrowed his brow slightly and extended his hand to me.
Puzzled, I stared at him blankly until he glanced at my hand and said,
"I know a quick way to relieve muscle soreness. I dealt with it a lot as a kid."
His serious expression—usually playful smiles or bursts of laughter—made my hand lift automatically.
As I placed mine over his, Billy began gently kneading it with his thumb and index finger.
A hand massage mid-sandwich? From Billy himself, no less......!
"Koff—!"
All my nerves focused on my hand, and I choked on the sandwich.
As I coughed, face flushing red, Billy calmly offered me juice.
I downed the cup nearly in one go before calming down.
The paused massage resumed, and I felt relieved my face was already red from choking as I willed the time to pass quickly.
After the meal, heading upstairs with Billy, Ed crossed my mind.
'When does Rosalyn start at the Magic Tower? What’s Ed doing now?'
Since it was Ed's Magic Tower day, anxiety bubbled—would he run into Rosalyn?
Watching the original hero and heroine bicker and grow closer was fine, but they were far too young now.
Their feelings might not even develop into love.
"Um, Billy. Can we go to the Magic Tower today?"
I decided to check it out myself.
Billy happily escorted me there.
'If Rosalyn's at the Magic Tower, I need to see how she gets along with Ed.'
With worry gnawing at me, I stepped into the magic training room.
The air hit hot, like midsummer despite winter. Puzzled, I scanned around and saw Ed and Rosalyn training at a distance.
I gasped in surprise at Rosalyn taking lessons in the same room as Ed.
'But...... what’s with that atmosphere?'
I'd expected them to bicker like last time, but they were unusually well-behaved.
Yet both Ed and Rosalyn's eyes burned with excessive fervor.
As the two trained with flames practically leaping from their gazes, their eyes locked onto me almost simultaneously.
I flinched involuntarily and stepped back.