Teacher Zanze

A few days later, Lorenzo finally woke up slowly from his bed.

After opening his eyes, he stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for a while before gradually remembering what had happened before he lost consciousness.

Breda, the Crimson Barrier, the Black Sun...

And she even reminded Fern to bring her back to the house; it seems she really hadn't forgotten.

Lorenzo tried to sit up, but as soon as he exerted force, a wave of weakness surged up from deep within his body, forcing him to lie back down on the bed.

This feels like I've been pulling all-nighters in a row. It seems I should use Planetary Magecraft less often; with my current Mana, it's definitely too much of a drain.

It's truly enviable that Frieren is such a long-lived being. If I had such a long lifespan, I could simply use my life force as Mana without any worries.

"Lord Lorenzo, you're awake?"

The door was pushed open, and Fern walked in carrying a glass of water.

How are you feeling?

"Aside from looking like I haven't eaten for days, I should be fine."

"Because you haven't eaten anything properly for three days."

Fern handed him the water glass.

"Lord Heiter said you might wake up today, so I was just about to come and check."

"His estimate was remarkably accurate."

Lorenzo sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"By the way, what does Frieren think of your performance? Does she consider you capable of handling things independently?"

"Lady Frieren said I've passed the test and can continue traveling with you from now on."

Fern seemed very pleased when he mentioned this, then, as if remembering something, he bowed to Lorenzo and said...

"Then I look forward to working with you from now on, Lord Lorenzo."

"There's no need for so much formality; after all, you earned this through your own hard work."

Lorenzo waved his hand.

"But since we'll be traveling together from now on, I'll leave the task of waking Frieren up in the mornings to you."

Fern blinked.

Why should I do it?

"Because you're better at taking care of people than I am, and besides, Frieren seems to listen to you more."

It sounds very reasonable, and if you ignore the undercurrent of trying to shift the blame to someone else, it might actually be convincing.

"You're really awake, Mr. Lorenzo?"

Just then, a head suddenly peeked in through the doorway. Übel looked Lorenzo up and down, seemingly trying to confirm whether he had truly regained consciousness.

"Übel, what are you doing here?"

Lorenzo looked at Übel with some confusion and said with great bewilderment.

It's worth mentioning that Übel has grown into someone who looks almost exactly like he remembers.

However, compared to the woman in his memory, the Übel before him had less of that unapproachable gloom, and her smile seemed much more natural.

I suppose it's because my older sister is still by my side, and because I've made a good friend in Fern.

So it turns out that the environment in which a person grows up has a significant impact on their personality. At least for now, Übel just seems to enjoy teasing others, rather than being the type to cut someone in half out of curiosity at any moment.

"When Zanze went to the Holy City to get reinforcements, I came along too. I thought I could finally show off my skills, but the barrier kept blocking us. By the time we were finally able to get in, Breda was already dead, and the remaining monsters had all turned into ice sculptures."

"Can't you show me some respect? At least don't call me by my first name. After all, I'm your teacher now."

Just then, Zanze suddenly appeared out of nowhere, still expressionless, but his words seemed to reveal some extraordinary information.

"You've taken Übel as your student!?"

Lorenzo stared at Zanze in utter shock. He had only been unconscious for three days; how could such a huge thing have happened?

This combination is truly unexpected; no matter how you look at it, it exudes a very dangerous feeling.

"Übel displayed exceptional True Magic talent during the exam, but her understanding of True Magic differs greatly from that of ordinary True Magic. Without proper guidance, she could easily cause trouble in the future..."

Zanze recited these words in a completely monotone tone, clearly not from his heart.

"Is this really your own decision?"

Faced with Lorenzo's suspicious gaze, Zanze simply looked away silently.

"It is Lady Serie's order."

After a moment, she finally told the truth.

In truth, it was all his own doing. Considering that the anomalies in the Nai Forest had gone unnoticed for so long, Zanze specifically suggested to Serie that the True Magic Association should increase the number of True Magic in various regions, especially actively seeking out promising young people and sending experienced True Magic to provide specialized guidance.

This will both expand the association's power and prevent some exceptionally talented True Magic from going down a dangerous path due to a lack of proper guidance.

The suggestion itself was not problematic, and even Lady Serie, after reading it, unusually expressed her approval.

The next day, the proposal was returned to Zanze intact, except for a line of handwritten annotations from Lady Serie at the bottom.

"Since it was your suggestion, you'll be in charge of the first attempt."

Subsequently, Übel's information was also placed on his desk.

To be honest, the moment she saw it was Übel, she even thought about retiring. All her responsibilities First-Class True Magic User and the expectations of Lady Serie were completely forgotten, and she decided to spend the rest of her life by the sea.

Unfortunately, it's just a dream.

First-Class True Magic User isn't an ordinary profession where you can retire whenever you want. Besides, this system was originally proposed by her. If she leads the way in running away after the first student appears, then probably no one will take any of her suggestions seriously in the future.

So Zanze had no choice but to accept the materials and begin his first lesson.

"So, do you regret it now?"

Übel leaned against the doorframe, tilted his head, and asked Zanze.

No at the moment.

Zanze remained silent for a while before reluctantly speaking.

"Although they are not very obedient and lack the most basic respect for teachers, at least they learn very quickly and their True Magic is quite unique."

This was already quite a high compliment for Zanze, Übel seemed to have noticed this as well, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

"Then I look forward to working with you from now on, Zanze."

"Call me teacher."

"Teacher Zanze?"

Remove the name from the beginning.

"You have quite a lot of demands."

Zanze's hair at the temple twitched slightly.

It's clear that the lessons over the past few days haven't taught Übel much about etiquette; instead, they've put Zanze's already limited patience to a severe test.

"Alright, everyone, come down and eat."

Just then, Heiter called out from downstairs, indicating that everything had returned to normal.