Aino occasionally glanced at Parker’s head, finding it increasingly irksome.
To be fair, Parker wasn’t unattractive. His facial features were decent, and his height was above average for a human. However, a lack of exercise had left him with a slight belly and some chubbiness in his face. The real problem was his hair—if he didn’t wash it every day, it turned greasy and clung to his scalp, dragging his appearance down dramatically.
“Lord Aino, I’m sorry if it bothers you, but there’s little I can do about my body. It’s not like I can wash my hair at a water source every day…”
“Uh, maybe if you taught me some magic, I could avoid this mess? Haha…”
By now, Parker had grown somewhat comfortable with Aino and her companion. He’d figured out that this monster lady, at least on the surface, was approachable. Noticing how much his hair seemed to annoy her, Parker felt a pang of helplessness—it had always been a sore spot for him.
She seemed friendly enough, so maybe…
Summoning his courage, he made his request, watching Aino’s expression closely for any hint of displeasure, ready to retract his words if necessary. After all, magic was a closely guarded secret among mages, and most preferred fewer people learned it.
The fewer who knew magic, the greater their own value and the less competition they faced.
Aino regarded Parker with curiosity.
“Learning magic depends on whether you have the talent. If you’re naturally insensitive to it, there’s nothing I can do, even if I wanted to teach you.”
She stepped forward, patted Parker’s shoulder, and motioned for him to sit nearby.
“But even if you lack talent, you can still pick up the basics.”
Hearing that Aino was willing to teach him, Parker’s heart pounded with excitement. This was a chance to change his life. If he could learn magic—or better yet, if he had real talent and became a powerful mage—it would be like a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly.
If he’d had magical talent, would he have ended up in such a pitiful state? Everyone dreams of becoming an adventurer, roaming the world and achieving greatness, but life’s relentless setbacks had worn down ordinary folks like him.
Among humans, the paths to power—martial arts, magic, mana—were monopolized by the nobility. Commoners had no access unless they risked their lives adventuring.
After preparing Parker, Aino stood before him and began testing his magical aptitude.
The result: Parker’s initial sensitivity to magic was average, typical of an ordinary person. Testing magical talent involved probing someone’s sensitivity with magic—the higher the sensitivity, the easier it was to grasp and wield mana.
But in truth, many factors shaped a mage’s potential: mana reserves, casting speed, and the less tangible gift of combat intuition. Sensitivity was just the most direct measure of innate magical perception.
Aino explained this to him.
“Lord Aino, I still want to learn magic. I hope you’ll teach someone as ordinary and talentless as me. I offer you my absolute loyalty!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Parker showed no regret over the test results. His eagerness to learn burned as bright as ever.
Truth be told, Aino had always enjoyed teaching. It was like helping someone, but not in a condescending way. It was about sharing knowledge as a strong individual with someone striving to grow stronger. This gave her not only the joy of aiding others but also a deep sense of fulfillment.
She remembered times in games when players called her “master” and sought her guidance. She’d eagerly type out lengthy explanations, sharing her insights and techniques, sometimes so enthusiastically that the other person couldn’t keep up.
“Teach you magic, huh…” Aino stroked her chin, studying Parker’s earnest expression thoughtfully.
It reminded her of past experiences.
She’d pour out her knowledge, only for the other person to lose interest.
Caught up in the thrill of being sought after, she’d write hundreds of words detailing her expertise, only to get a curt “oh” or “mm” in reply. Those awkward, frustrating moments stuck with her.
And now, this was far more significant than any game.
“Alright, you can be my apprentice.”
Smiling, Aino paced before Parker, locking eyes with him and speaking earnestly.
“You must respect me and follow my instructions. I’m willing to teach you now, but if you ever make me not want to teach you, I’ll stop.”
Parker dropped to one knee and swore solemnly.
“If Teacher wants me to be a good person, I’ll be a good person. If Teacher wants me to be a bad person, I’ll be a bad person.
For the past ten years, I’ve been a bad person many times and a good person occasionally, but everything I did was just to survive, to live a little better. I’ve never been myself.
If Teacher can give me strength and a chance to be myself, I’ll take your words as my only command.”
And so, it was settled.
Teaching Parker, a blank slate, began with the fundamentals of magic and guiding him to sense mana. The two dove into serious discussion while Aleya watched quietly from the sidelines.
Aleya wondered: When had she first learned magic?
It was by chance, through forbidden magic. After a disaster, she’d sacrificed her family’s bodies to gain a sliver of mana.
From there, she survived and grew stronger in the forest. To gain power, she’d killed adventurers—some who attacked her with ill intent, others who never saw her ambushes coming.
Her journey had no teacher, no love, no aid. She was like a vengeful spirit, having sacrificed herself.
“If only I’d had a teacher back then…” Biting her lip, Aleya fidgeted with her hair, her emotions a tangled mess.
Her life had been so dark. And now, with her mana veins destroyed, she had no hope of cultivating again. She’d live out her days as an ordinary person.
Watching Aino and Parker’s warm interaction, a wave of jealousy and discontent surged within her.
“Wait, what am I thinking? Just because I’m useless, I don’t want Parker to learn magic either?”
Berating herself harshly, Aleya slumped against a tree, curling up instinctively, arms wrapped around her knees.
She didn’t know about Parker’s past misdeeds; to her, he was just a scruffy young man, another downtrodden commoner. His smooth, enthusiastic demeanor over the past two days had left a good impression on Aleya, who lacked experience with people.
She was truly lost. What would her future hold? Without magic, while Aino wielded great power and Parker eagerly embarked on his magical path, she was doomed to be a failure.
At some point after meeting Aino, this strange monster, Aleya had inexplicably felt reborn. Her life, once consumed by vengeance, seemed to regain its original purpose.
But now, it seemed there was no rebirth. Her life had ended long ago; she was just a walking corpse.
—
