From Pigments to Potions
Chloe had grown up in a rather special environment. Generally speaking, a four-year-old child wasn't the right age to learn assassination techniques, and first killing someone at thirteen was exceedingly rare. No, the very experience of taking a life wasn't something ordinary at all. That was why they'd resorted to makeshift measures like paint play while teaching Marian. If you just blurted out, "You're always under threat of assassins, so use stealth!" would a twelve-year-old even listen? She'd pretend for a bit, get bored, and drop it. Children's education had to come with fun mixed in.
The Lady is enjoying thief-catching right now. More precisely, she was taking an interest. Having seen Chloe drag an unconscious assassin away from beyond the window, Marian felt a powerful urge to catch bad guys herself. Chloe could channel that urge into something fun, making her want to grow strong on her own. It was practically the sacred mission of Chloe, who had arrived as Marian's tutor.
"Lady, do you want to catch thieves like that too?"
"Yeah! I wanna do it too!"
Of course, much of Marian's interest stemmed from a simple wish for something new to blow away the boredom of her daily routine. If she found something even more fun than thief-catching, she'd probably switch to that in a heartbeat... Still.
I could focus on the pigment play that first sparked her interest. Alchemy's core is the same—mixing ingredients to create potions with powerful effects for workshops. Chloe felt like she'd come up with a decent solution. Teaching martial techniques right away was a bit too ambitious anyway. Start with alchemy, then introduce mana to expand the range of usable alchemy. If her interest waned, pivot to martial skills, passing down various assassination techniques and countermeasures along the way.
Five years will fly by. That secured a rough education curriculum.
"Lady, you're pretty weak in terms of strength, aren't you?"
"No I'm not, I'm strong."
"Come on, how strong could you be?"
"It's true! Stick out your hand, I'll push it."
"My hand?"
"Hnnng...!"
"Oh..."
And that wasn't the end of it. Marian had inherited the fine blood of the Evergreen line, so her frame and muscle potential were exceptionally good. Even if she started formal martial training a bit later, she'd still achieve solid results. No need to rush into it prematurely.
"Why... why won't it budge...!"
"Because I'm an adult."
Of course, Chloe was stronger for now... But if Marian grew steadily like this, her future prospects were brighter than Chloe's.
"So, for now, let's practice catching thieves in a way that suits you, Lady."
"A way that suits me? What's that?"
"Alchemy."
"Alchemy?"
"Lady, you know what gold is, right?"
"Yeah, the shiny stuff."
Since she knew that much, Marian's eyes began to sparkle with curiosity.
"Alchemy is the study developed to make that gold. But nowadays, they make everything except gold."
"Everything but gold?"
"Fire, ice, lightning—if you process them through alchemy, you can create anything. And using that..."
"You can catch thieves!"
"Yeah, something like that."
It felt a bit off how everything circled back to thief-catching, but the important thing was that she'd started showing interest in alchemy—one of the assassin arts. Alchemy was key to making various poisons, so deeper understanding would improve her defenses against poisoning too.
"Then let's start pigment play again today. Hope we find another tasty drink."
"Hehe, yummy..."
"But I won't be able to visit tomorrow."
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why can't you come?"
Marian shot back bluntly. Their first meeting. The past three days of pigment play. And today—five days total. They'd only met for five days so far, but Marian had never even seen her own father, Haksen, for five straight days. To her, Chloe's visits were her one source of entertainment, her sole window to the outside world. Missing even a day meant slipping back into the same boring routine of the past twelve years.
"I need materials for the alchemy lessons. I'll probably head to the city and take my time coming back. Lots of shopping to do."
"Then I'm coming too. It's for the alchemy I'm gonna learn, right? Take me with you."
And a twelve-year-old wasn't mature enough to consider others' inconvenience. Marian threw a tantrum about going along, so Chloe soothed her by promising to come tomorrow anyway and resumed the lesson.
Chloe went to Rosetta and explained her future education plans. Rosetta had said to avoid mentioning Marian if possible, but matters like this required mutual agreement.
"That's how it is."
"You want me to prepare her for mana awakening?"
"Yes. As you know, ordinary assassins don't awaken to mana."
"You want me to teach that wretch?"
"That's right."
It was unavoidable. Unlike martial techniques, mana had to be awakened as early as possible for peak efficiency, and the ideal teacher, Haksen, was bedridden.
"Didn't I tell you not to bring up that girl? I even said I'd tear you apart if you did."
"It was a necessary matter. Something I can't handle myself, and improper awakening without procedure could harm her body..."
"Just hire an outsider. Money's rotting away anyway."
Of course, Rosetta refused to teach Marian. A predictable response. Could she really feel maternal instinct toward a bastard child? The more she did, the more she'd resent Marian. Chloe understood, but Rosetta had to step up now.
"Bringing in an outsider at this stage risks disguised assassins."
"You were an assassin too."
"I took legitimate commissions as one. If word spreads that the Evergreen Grand Duchy is seeking a teacher for their lady, do you think foreign powers will sit idly by? An chance to infiltrate a spy into Evergreen?"
"That damn Evergreen, Evergreen...!"
Rosetta clenched her fist so hard her nails drew blood.
"If the Duchess won't step in, she could learn directly from the Grand Duke once he recovers from seclusion..."
Could she handle watching her philandering husband and his daughter happily practicing magic together? That was Chloe's point.
"Fine, I get it! I'll do it!"
"A wise decision. My deepest gratitude."
Rosetta, scowling fiercely, finally declared she'd help with Marian's mana awakening. Her birth family was a renowned house of magic... With her help, it wouldn't be hard for Marian to awaken.
"You keep overstepping like this, it'll end badly for you. You know that, right?"
"I don't think I've done anything wrong..."
"I told you not to mention that girl, and here you come barging in...!"
"It's my job. Once the Grand Duke ends his seclusion, I'll report to him directly afterward."
"No, don't."
"Then, as before, to you, Duchess..."
"I don't want that either!"
Ah... Chloe sighed silently. Picky, angry, neurotic. In short, vicious. She understood the circumstances, but it was troublesome when a grown woman—not some teen girl—threw tantrums like this. Honestly, Chloe didn't want to deal with it. She'd sworn after going solo from the assassin guild never to handle whiny women again.
"How about granting me full authority instead?"
"Full authority?"
"Yes. If you do, I'll handle everything on my end without separate reports. Of course, except for the mana awakening itself..."
"Fine, let's do that."
Chloe floated the suggestion casually, and Rosetta snapped it up. Marian must have been a huge stressor for her.
"Then, from this moment, I take full authority over the Lady."
"And? Now that you have it, what next?"
"An outing."
"Outing?"
"Going shopping with the Lady. Lots to buy, so some money too, please."
"That... safe? Assassins keep coming even inside the Grand Duke's castle."
"At least daytime should be fine. I'll stay vigilant."
"...Alright, fine."
And so, time flew by to worship day that week.
"Let's go!"
Chloe pushed ahead with the outing alongside Marian.