09

I watched as Agelia placed the transformed longsword on the crystal coffee table. My heart skipped a beat - oh my, the table didn't collapse?

"These are the four major branches of magic, have you memorized them?" Agelia asked the hero.

"Mhm, I've memorized them."

"Repeat them to me."

Agelia's strict tone was definitely a result of her professional habits. The hero, seeming uncertain, glanced at me, and I returned her glance with a smile.

"Well... Transformation, enchantment, manipulation, and control?"

"Correct answer. Although there are four major branches of magic, most mages can only excel in one, it's a matter of innate talent."

"Oh? Sounds a bit like blood types."

"Moving on--"

The content of the rest of the class couldn't be explained, so I quietly accompanied them until the end of the class.

Finally, Agelia took out four small books and placed them on the table. I caught sight of them - they were magic handbooks written by the current headmaster of the Magic Academy, a collection of the most essential knowledge about magic that even the apprentices of the Magic Academy couldn't get their hands on.

"Read this carefully when you go back."

After class, Agelia pulled me outside. Privately, I asked her, "Miss Headmaster, what do you think of the student I brought? Do you think she has potential?"

I couldn't help but call her headmaster after listening to her lecture, haha. She frowned at me and said, "You're being too formal calling me that. It's too early to tell if she has potential, but--"

She placed her hands on my shoulders and asked me seriously, "Why is the traveler interested in magic? Does he believe that magic is the key to defeating that person?"

She was gripping me quite tightly, and I could tell that she was worried. And the behavior of the traveler (the hero) was hard to decipher, whether it was Triste or Agelia, everyone could only guess.

"Maybe...?" I scratched my face and weakly responded to her.

No wonder she asked me so seriously. As someone who acted as a bridge between the traveler and our world, in the guise of a maid, I was in the best position to understand her strategic intentions.

"Alright."

She let go of me, and a trace of concern flashed in her burgundy eyes.

"Even if he is a once-in-a-millennium magic genius, it's too late to start learning magic now--" She sighed. "But I can't worry about that now, I can only give it my all."

She looked at me and said, "No wonder Triste chose you to be by the traveler's side."

"Yes." I softly replied. I was like the link between the traveler and our world, and as one of the components of the plan to defeat that person, my position was especially important.

"But, I still don't want you to have any involvement with that person - ah, forget it, I'm going back now."

"How about having lunch before you leave?" I asked her.

"If I stay for lunch, then I'll have to ask you to make an extra portion, so it's alright." She said.

"What's the big deal..." I said.

"It's a big deal!" she solemnly looked at me. "You're the Holy Maiden."

I anxiously glanced at the half-closed door. Even though her voice was not loud, I was afraid the hero inside the room would hear...

"Let me make something delicious as a way to repay you...!" I couldn't help but adopt a coaxing tone with her.

My coaxing attack made her hesitate for a moment.

"Repay me? Alright then, when I was traveling, I found a nice hot spring. I'll take you there as a way for you to repay me."

I was momentarily stunned.

"Ho, hot spring!?"

In an instant, an embarrassing image of me in a swimsuit came to mind, submerging into a hot spring.

"No no no... I can't do that..."

I kept shaking my head, my white hair swinging like a drum.

I'm a boy, how can I possibly wear a girl's bikini... and soak in a hot spring that's exclusively for girls??

I've never taken a bath with anyone from childhood to now - have never had that level of "intimacy"!

Though there are swimsuits you can wear in the hot spring, it's still not safe...!

"Ugh, you're rejecting me again? We've known each other for so many years, whether it's hot springs, beach parties, or taking a bath together, we've never--!"I also have my own reasons...

"Because... because..."

Blushing, I turned my face to the side.

"I... lack confidence..."

"Fir--!" she said, her tone filled with seriousness. "I was flatter than you when I was fifteen."

"How is that possible!"

Blushing and embarrassed, I stared at her chest, which couldn't be hidden even with a robe, my face filled with disbelief.

Who could be flatter than me?! I'm a boy, after all!

"I'm not lying to you," she said, placing her hands on my shoulders. Her tone became serious again. "Believe me, you will grow up too."

Believe in ghosts...

If I grow up, it would be a miracle of the Holy Light.

But come to think of it, I've known Agelia since she was studying at the Magic Tower. She was indeed a loli at that time. Now, the wizard hat she wears makes her look like she's holding an umbrella. But after all these years, the loli has grown into a big sister... What has happened to her during these years...?

"It's not that, actually, I just feel embarrassed, so..."

I scratched my face with a finger, blushing and saying with embarrassment.

She frowned and looked at me. "We're all girls, what's there to be embarrassed about?"

The problem lies in the difference between genders!

Sigh...

I'm not ready to be honest with her yet.

Seeing her disappointed expression because I rejected her, I couldn't bear it. I already felt guilty for hiding the fact that I'm a boy, and on top of that, she agreed unconditionally to guide me in hero magic. How could I refuse her?

"Well, I promise to accompany you." I said softly.

As soon as the words left my mouth, she hugged me tightly, pressing her chest against me and making it hard for me to breathe.

"Okay, it's settled. I'll come pick you up tomorrow."

"Um..."

Watching Agelia leave humming a song, I returned to the living room with a feeling of anticipation, as if facing a great enemy...

As for the hero, she was sitting on the sofa, focusing on flipping through Agelia's handwritten book.

"Has the teacher left?"

"Yeah, I'm going to prepare lunch. What do you want to eat for lunch?" I asked politely.

"Goblin beans. Eating unique ingredients from your world will help generate magical energy."

"Okay."

I watched her stand up and walk leisurely towards the door, her eyes still fixed on the pages of the book.

"And the teacher asked me to spend more time in nature, so I'm going..."

Watching her leave the house, I realized that this was the first time she had stepped out of the house in the two days we spent together. It was not easy.

Is magic really that attractive to someone who crossed dimensions?

I picked up a corner of the crystal coffee table that Agelia had cut off with a lemon slice.

How am I going to fix this?

After thinking about it, I decided to use my finger and apply a little bit of Holy Light to it. I managed to stick it back together, barely.