Distance

Time passed quickly. The morning's magic apprenticeship class came to an end, and with it, the students' morning lessons concluded as well. In the afternoon, they would study the history of great mages who had made tremendous contributions to the world of magic throughout the ages.

After class, Chen Cheng looked at the few intact Magic Crystals still unused before him and Fini. Then, he leaned close to Fini's ear and asked:

"Miss, can I take these crystals with me?"

The warm breath from Chen Cheng's mouth brushed against Fini's ear, making it tickle. Her face instantly flushed red. She pushed him away and teased:

"You want these Magic Crystals? No chance. You're only an auditor. The teacher still has to collect these materials later."

Chen Cheng immediately became somewhat discouraged, then began pondering the process of making transparent glass.

When he had seen those highly transparent crystals earlier, Chen Cheng had thought that perhaps he could make a pair of glasses for Melinda as thanks for what she had done for him.

Seeing this, Fini thought Chen Cheng was upset. This kind-hearted yet slightly tsundere young lady immediately picked up the Magic Crystals before both herself and Chen Cheng and held them out to him.

"Alright, don't be sad. I took these. I'm sure the teacher won't say anything."

Chen Cheng looked at the Magic Crystals in Fini's hand, then at Fini herself, and sincerely thanked her.

Fini felt a small measure of satisfaction in her heart, then prepared to take Chen Cheng to the cafeteria for lunch.

However, Isabel came over at that moment and collected the magic materials. Seeing Chen Cheng about to leave, she directly called him back.

Only then did Fini remember that Chen Cheng still had to go to Isabel's office with her. She could only give him a helpless look.

"You'd better hurry. If you miss mealtime, you won't have any lunch."

As she passed Chen Cheng on her way out, she quietly whispered by his ear:

"Don't ask the teacher any more strange questions. Hurry up. I'll get your food and wait for you in the cafeteria."

Feeling Fini's soft, sweet voice, Chen Cheng nodded.

After Fini and the other students had gone far away, Isabel finished packing up the materials and stuffed everything she had brought into a wooden box. Then she shoved it into Chen Cheng's arms.

"Come on, help your teacher out. Carry these things and follow me to my office."

Seeing the large pile of things in his hands, Chen Cheng knew Isabel was deliberately messing with him. He said nothing and simply followed Isabel to the instructors' office.

It was a shared office for two people. The moment Chen Cheng entered, he saw Melinda leaning over a desk, studying a book on advanced magic. This office belonged to Melinda and Isabel.

After setting down the things, Chen Cheng went before Melinda and thanked her. Melinda smiled when she saw him there, then turned to Isabel.

"Isabel, how was my little brother in class? He was attentive, wasn't he?"

Meanwhile, Isabel sat in her chair with her prosthetic limb removed, letting her leg get some air. She rolled her eyes at Chen Cheng.

"He's no ordinary fellow. He actually asked me about the principles behind the Magic Rune circuit."

Melinda was slightly startled upon hearing that. Then she looked at Chen Cheng.

"What is it, little brother? Have you encountered magic before? Have you studied Legendary Mage Kasha's Magic Dialectics?"

Chen Cheng was completely bewildered by the sudden questions. It was his first time even hearing of Magic Dialectics, and he had barely come into contact with magic at all. He could only shake his head.

Isabel curled her lips. "He's from some savage tribe. Where would he ever get to read a Legendary Mage's handwritten notes?

"I think there's something unusual about this kid. His talent for magic should be exceptionally high."

As she spoke, Isabel recounted what had happened in class to Melinda and took out Chen Cheng's Fireball Magic Crystal.

Melinda was greatly surprised when she saw it. Once her surprise subsided, she cautioned Chen Cheng not to aim too high in magic and told him to first study the foundational knowledge properly.

Then she gave Chen Cheng two books concerning simple magic and told him to take them back and study them carefully.

"Alright, it's time for you to leave, little savage. If you don't go now, your little mistress will get angry after waiting too long for you in the cafeteria."

Isabel began shooing him away. Before leaving, Chen Cheng asked Melinda:

"Melinda... Sister, can I come here to see you again in the future? I have a surprise for you."

Chen Cheng did mean to use those words to bring the two of them closer, so that it would be easier for him to ask her questions about magic in the future. After all, he knew that not just anyone could read the handwritten notes left behind by a Legendary Mage.

He also planned to first make an eye chart and have Melinda test her eyesight. That way, he could later make a pair of glasses tailored to her and solve her nearsightedness problem. It was a repayment within his power.

However, before Melinda could speak, Isabel pulled a long face and spoke first.

"What, has a noble from some savage tribe really set his sights on our Gold Mage Melinda? At your age, you'd be coming of age and looking for a mate in your tribe, wouldn't you? So you came here and set your sights on Melinda?

"This isn't your tribe. It's fine to say such things in front of us when no one else is around, but if you dare say it before outsiders, those young noble lords and ladies won't let you off."

It was not entirely Isabel's fault. She had served the royal family in the military before, so she naturally attached great importance to matters of class and rank. That was why she was so sensitive about it.

Her words not only laid bare the difference in their identities and status, but also harshly crushed the improper thoughts Chen Cheng should not have had.

Melinda was also embarrassed and annoyed by what was said. However, Isabel was not wrong. Here, it was extremely impolite for a man to say such things to a lady, especially when he was a slave.

Only then did Chen Cheng remember that this was no longer his previous life. The social system here was like medieval Europe: rigid, harsh, and bloody.

If Fini had not been kindhearted, he would not be receiving such good treatment now. He had seen more than one or two slaves here, and their masters either beat or cursed them. Among countless slaves, he was one of the lucky ones to have encountered kind Fini.

Seeing Chen Cheng's spirits sink into desolation, Melinda could not bear it.

"It's nothing. Since you're your sister's little brother, you can still come find your sister in the future. I also want to see the surprise you have for me."

Seeing Melinda's smile, Chen Cheng felt much more relieved. He bowed to both women in thanks, picked up the books, and left.

After Chen Cheng had departed, Isabel's drawn face changed. She looked at Melinda with some melancholy.

"You really are bold. Aren't you afraid Earl Huidun will find out about this? And that boy too—I truly don't know where he gets such nerve. I'd say he was captured because he had too much nerve, strayed too far from his tribe, and got caught."

As she spoke, Isabel shook her head.

Melinda gave a bitter smile, then looked at Isabel.

"You're talking about me, but aren't you the same? Earl Xiaodun still can't forget you. I heard he intends to give up his post in the Royal Guard and come here to find you."

After saying that, the two women looked at each other and both began wallowing in self-pity.

After leaving the office building, Chen Cheng spotted a familiar figure by the flowerbed outside.

Fini stood there holding a lunch box. When she saw Chen Cheng emerge, she set down the food and huffily turned her body away.

She was the young lady of a Baron's household, yet she had waited in the cafeteria for a slave and gotten no sign of him. Then she, his master, had even had to bring food to her own slave. She had clearly reminded Chen Cheng to come quickly, too.

Chen Cheng hurried over to Fini's side. Seeing her like this, he knew the little girl was angry.

He picked up the lunch box and said in a shrill voice, "This slave was wrong. This slave should not have made Master wait here holding the lunch box."

Fini was amused by Chen Cheng's eunuch-like imitation. No longer angry, she said irritably, "Hurry up and eat, Little Slave."

"But you can't do this again in the future. I'm the young lady of a Baron's household—do you know how humiliating it is for me to bring you food?

"Even if I don't care, if those people see it, they'll hate you even more."

At that moment, Chen Cheng's heart warmed. The little girl before him was the person who treated him best in this world, aside from Uncle Sam.

Looking at her smile, Chen Cheng could no longer feel the sense of estrangement that this unfamiliar world and unfamiliar society brought him. In silence, he swore to protect that pure, clean, sunlit smile.

It was only that Chen Cheng did not know what sort of "mmp" thoughts Samlet would have if he learned that the emperor he served had found his fighting spirit because of a woman.