First Lesson
Two months later in early November Sher Aka gets a tap on the shoulder.
The King tells her, “I just got a signal. Rose is doing better and is ready to leave. So, congratulations. Looks like you graduated basic training, soldier.”
“Don’t act friendly with me. I did this all for her. I still hate you.”
“I’m aware. The only reason I trained you was so you could protect her, so our goals align. Personally I do not hate you though, you are way too insignificant for me to do so. Anyways, let’s get going, the ascend might be less dangerous than the descent but it will still take time.”
“Right, let’s go.”
Meanwhile in Berk, Rayla is lying on the ground bleeding from multiple cuts on her body.
Meshir Bakan in a taunting voice tells her, “Well, it wasn’t horrible. I guess it’s barely a passing grade. Your sister’s aunt called, she wants you over for a playdate on her niece’s birthday. Apparently she’s feeling better.”
“Rose…Is…Better?”
“Yep, apparently. Maybe use the month until then to heal up a little. You look like fresh minced meat.”
Putting up her thumb, Rayla passes out with a smile on her face.
In the jungle of Naturia, John is eating together with his husband and Martin as suddenly there is a glow coming from Martin's stuff.
“What was that?” John asks.
“Our sign to go home.” Stretching his body Martin adds, “Bout fucking time. There is only so much you can learn from the side lines. Don’t get me wrong it was worth coming here but still I’m glad we can get out of this shithole.”
“What is he talking about, hubby? You seem concerned.”
“We just got the sign…It’s time for us to leave the village.”
Tearing up a little he answers, “I knew this was going to happen but…Now that it’s time, I feel so empty. Sob”
Giving him a hug, John wipes away his tears and gives him a kiss, “You can come with us. This doesn’t have to be over.”
Putting his hand on John’s cheek he answers with a teary smile, “You know I can’t do that, Kara Sin. Even if I somehow get used to the strange world out there you will still only live for a few hundred years.”
“I…We don’t know how the demon blood affects me, I might live longer and if it really comes down to it I know ways to increase my life!”
“Even so…I am no warrior like you. I will just drag you down. Can you truly say that I won’t drag you down on your journey?”
“...”
“No…But it doesn’t matter. I’ll make up for it somehow.”
Giving John a kiss he answers, “Birds like you live the longest when they can fly freely. It’s alright. I know we will both find someone again. Even if it was just a very short time you were still a great husband to me. I am sure you will find someone else you can spend your life with.”
“You were a great husband to me as well Tora Lu.”
“Then how about we spend one last day as a married couple?”
“I’d love to.”
—---------------------------------------------------------
Together with mama we get carried down to the basement by Melina, where my magic teacher has created a classroom for me.
“Hey mama, why is the classroom in the basement?”
“Because your teacher is very vulnerable to sunlight.”
“Oh, I see. I hope it won’t be too dark though.”
“Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure it will be well lit. Also, I’ll be with you during your lesson so if you get scared we can leave anytime.”
“Gao…”
Following down the somewhat dimly lit castle halls we eventually stop at a small door. Expecting a dimly lit creepy room I somewhat reluctantly open the door and find myself in something that’s far beyond what I imagined.
The room is brightly lit. There are toys and books everywhere and there are multiple cushions on the ground. The ceiling looks just like a perfect, slightly cloudy blue sky and the place smells extremely inviting.
In front of what looks like a big chalkboard stands a familiar looking person. A girl with white hair in a ponytail with red eyes and two sharp teeth poking out of her mouth. She looks to be around twelve years in age and is wearing what looks like professional looking clothing fit for a teacher.
“Oh! I know you! Do you remember me?”
“Hmm? Yes, we’ve met two months ago. I’m glad you recognize me.”
“No, not that time. Back in Skar. Aren’t you the leader of the Clown Carnival?”
“Fufufufu, no I’m not. Though I am impressed, my granddaughter doesn’t like showing her face to others.”
“Granddaughter? Are you cursed too then?”
“Hmm~ You could call it that. The mechanism is the same, though I do not see it as a curse personally since it has mostly positively impacted my life. I’d call it an artificial bloodline ability of the mutation type.”
“So it is a curse…But you like it?”
“You could say it that way, yes. It was created around twenty thousand years ago by my great great grandmother as a way to achieve immortality. It kind of worked but in the end there are still some kinks that need figuring out.”
“Woah…So is your great great grandma still alive?”
“Nope. Let’s just say she wasn’t the best kind of person and got what she deserved. But let’s not dwell on such mature topics. Let me ask you first, are you satisfied with the learning environment I have created?”
“Yes! It’s very pretty. I like it a lot! The sky is super beautiful and you even made it smell good.”
“Fufufufu, I’m glad you enjoy it. The ‘sky’ as you called it is a magical projection using the light element and the smell is created through wind magic.”
Mama adds, “To be honest, even I am impressed. Mages are somewhat notorious for their strict training methods and bad conditions for their acolytes.”
“That’s because there are so many people who want to become mages and so few teachers willing to teach them. They can get away with subpar conditions quite easily. On top of that, most magic teachers are great wizards but horrible educators. The only reason there are any promising mages around is due to them taking on as many students as they can fit in their rickety classrooms. They’re essentially playing a game of chance in finding geniuses who can mostly educate themselves if just given some pointers.”
“I see…And your training method?”
“Personally, I think it’s best to find the geniuses beforehand and then give them a suitable learning environment where they can flourish and develop their skills under my direct guidance. I have found that for children, the best way to learn is through play, though I must admit I have never taught an infant before so I might need to adapt on the way.”
“I see, in that case please start your lesson Mrs. Clawthorn.”
“For me to start my lesson proper there are a few things I need to ask my pupil that I need you to not hear so they can answer honestly. Would your Majesty be alright with me casting a spell to exclude you from hearing what we’re saying?”
“...”
“How important is this to your teaching?”
“It will heavily impact what teaching methods I need to use.”
“I see…Fine, I’ll allow it.”
“Thank you, your Majesty.”
Snapping her fingers a somewhat translucent dome of magic forms around us.
“Alright, no one can hear us now so please answer me honestly.”
“Okay.”
“Have you been reincarnated?”
“Yes.”
“How did you die in your last life?”
“I didn’t die. At least I don’t think so.”
“I see, do you remember the circumstances of your rebirth?”
“Yeah, Ifrit wanted to reward me for being a good person so I asked her to get me a family that loves me and a home to return to and then she reincarnated me.”
“Interesting. Do you know what a car is?”
“No?”
“How about countries called Japan, China, America or England? Do you know them?”
“No.”
“Can you describe your life before this one for me?”
“Uhm, sure. I don’t really know anything before I got cursed but after I lost my memories I was found in Berk and raised by a fish merchant for two years then I became an adventurer and started traveling with my adventuring group. About half a year after I started adventuring I was reincarnated.”
“Is there anything known about your life before you got cursed?”
“Yeah, it’s like an open secret where everyone is allowed to know except for me. All I know is that my parents were bad people and that in human terms of maturity I was a five year old when I was cursed.”
Pulling out what looks like a picture of a smiling human woman with brown hair she asks, “Does this picture seem familiar to you?”
“No, but the smile is a bit weird.”
“Alright, that’s all I wanted to know.”
“Did I fail the test?”
“It wasn’t a test that you could pass or fail, I just wanted to learn something about you.”
“I see!”
Snapping her fingers again the dome disappears and Mrs. Clawthorn asks mama, “Would you mind if I asked you a similar line of questions about her, your Majesty?”
“No, go ahead.”
“Then please swap seats with your daughter.”
“Alright.”
—--------------------------------------------------
Snapping her fingers again the dome expands around her and the Queen and she asks, “Has Rose shown any signs of advanced ingenuity or ideas of social change that go against common sense?”
“No, the only ingenuity she has shown so far was something she came up with her sister about hanging up a leaky cauldron over a sauna stone so she could have it hot while sleeping.”
“Does she use words or slang on occasion that no one but her understands?”
“No.”
“Have you or anyone else observed her writing in an unknown script?”
“No.”
“Does she show signs of maturity far beyond her age?”
“Hmm…Sometimes. But nothing beyond what you would expect from an abused child.”
“Rose told me you knew about her past life, who was she?”
“Princess Eithlynn Pradia Sol.”
“...”
“I see. The spirits sure like irony. I believe this is everything, thank you, your Majesty.”
“May I ask what these questions were for?”
“I was trying to figure out whether Rose was truly an infant or a Sage.”
Looking a little worried, the Queen asks, “And the results?”
“Don’t worry she is a true Saintess. I saw no indications of her being a Sage.”
“Sigh I’m glad to hear that.”
“You spoke of abuse before, could you tell me more about it?”
“Yes, it would seem that Rose in her previous life faced multiple types of severe abuse. She was psychologically abused by people telling her she should never have been born and lying about her to get her in trouble as well as physically abused through lashings and being poked by needles.”
“I’m sorry, but wasn’t Princess Eithlynn just a child?”
“Yes.”
“...”
“I see, please continue.”
“Apparently she was also abused by some fish merchant. I hear he used to feed her nothing but fish waste and beat her multiple times a day whenever she did something wrong.”
“...”
“Would you say she is closer to a five year old or closer to an infant?”
“Oh, definitely an infant. She knows how to speak and after another recent traumatic event she returned to acting like an adult but at her core I would say she is an infant that shields her heart by acting older.”
“Then what is this nonsense about her going back to adventuring?”
“Sigh Due to her traumatic past and my husband’s…Horrible decision making… The only way I was able to convince her to stay here for a while and get over her suicidal thoughts was through telling her she could leave and be an adventurer whenever she wants to. Recently, during her first birthday, five of the six Spirit Kings visited her and did things to her that were quite retraumatizing. Ever since then she has gone back to how she was when I first met her in a lot of ways and wants to go adventure until she reaches A-Rank before returning home, getting uncursed and settling down with us.”
“Even knowing her potential this is still a pipe dream though. Surely she will die if she attempts this.”
“I…I know. But I don’t know what to do. If I force her to stay she will lose all her trust in us and perhaps go back to being suicidal. If I let her go, there is at least a chance she gets homesick or badly injured enough to convince her to come home but not die…Sigh I sound like a horrible mother, don’t I?”
“No, I understand. This is not an easy decision to make. Do you think you could convince her that if she survives a mortal wound she will go back home?”
“I probably could, yes.”
“Perfect. I will create something to make sure she won’t die then. She has too much potential to waste away on the battlefield and quite frankly after hearing her story I feel emotionally invested.”
“Really!? You would do that? Thank you so much!”
“Fufufufu, I’m a mother too, you know? I’ve raised many children during this long life of mine, I couldn’t just let an infant go and die like this.”
“Then…If possible could you also do that for my other daughter as well? She intends to accompany Rose and she’s not an adult either. Of course I will pay for the expenses.”
“Sigh I already told you I’m not just someone you can just hire…But I guess it would harm my apprentice if her sister died as well…Fine, I’ll do it but it won’t be cheap. The materials are quite expensive.”
“No money is worth my daughters’ life.”
“Fufufufu, good answer.”
—--------------------------------------------------------
After some talking with mama Mrs. Clawthorn snaps her fingers again and the dome disappears.
She then puts on a very happy face and in a sing songy voice asks me, “Do you want to do some magic now, Rose~”
“Gao!”
Brushing through my hair she answers, “Then why don’t we play a little?”