All Trades Are Inferior, Only Studying Is Supreme

"Do you have a dream?"

One early morning, Mayona asked Ruby, who had just woken up, with a serious expression.

"?"

Of course, the result was Ruby's blank stare, as if he thought one of them wasn't awake.

"So, we're not going to live like this forever, are we?"

Mayona reflected on her recent life. She stayed at home every day, with nothing to do except tease the poor Mermaid. Although she had books, reading them could get boring too! If this continued, she would become a shut-in, and might even evolve in the wrong direction into a fat shut-in! This was something Mayona absolutely could not accept.

"You're overthinking it. I'll die many years before you do."

Ruby replied calmly. The more powerful a Mage was, the longer their lifespan, just like in the novels from Earth. Saints of Magic could easily live for several hundred years. For someone like Mayona, an Archmage, her life had only just begun, while he had already lived through a quarter of it.

"Who's talking about that with you! Can't you have any ambition? Why do you always stay cooped up in this wooden cabin? Young people should be striving! I can help you."

Hearing Ruby suddenly talk about lifespan made Mayona's heart clench. Dismissing the feeling as an illusion, Mayona continued. Ruby clearly didn't know how to utilize resources. Mayona always exuded an aura of "I'm your strong support" and "I'll kill anyone who bullies you," yet he ignored it, preferring to guard his pile of cold machinery instead of conquering the world. He was completely a salted fish without dreams.

"I probably don't have a dream. If you mean something I want to do, then yes, I want to go to school."

"School? A magic academy? What are you going there for?"

Mayona's three consecutive question marks expressed her confusion. Besides magic academies, this world taught nothing else. But she really couldn't figure out what Ruby planned to do.

"To learn about magic. My head is full of scientific knowledge, so I'm curious about a system like magic."

"Um, it's not that I want to discourage you, but people without Magic Power can't become Mages. You should know that, right?"

Mayona thought Ruby was pursuing a dream to learn magic. However, rather than him hitting a wall later, Mayona preferred to nip his idea in the bud now. It was better than being rejected by others.

"I know. I don't want to become a Mage. I just want to understand it. Curiosity has always been the ladder guiding human evolution."

"Then have you decided which academy you'll attend?"

"Mhm, I heard there's an academy in a big city called Terrilima. I'll go study once I save enough money."

"Terrilima? The most famous school there is Rhine Magic Academy, but its tuition is also the most expensive in the Sacred Empire. Can you afford it?"

"That's why I'm not in a hurry. Schools in this world don't have age restrictions for enrollment, so I can take my time."

"But until you save enough money, will we still live the same unchanging life? We'll turn into fat shut-ins sooner or later."

"What have you and Dragon been learning? I happen to be going to buy groceries today. Want to go to Dris with me?"

Ruby complained weakly. Dragon and Mayona were also a bickering pair, but when Mayona was bored, he would sometimes take on the role of a television. Albeit, voluntarily.

"To the city? No, I won't go."

"Why? You've been here for so long, but I've never seen you go into the city."

"As an Otherworlder, you might not know. Because my appearance strongly resembles a certain terrifying legend, people are very afraid of me..."

Mentioning her appearance made Mayona's mood sour considerably. Living with Ruby for so long had almost made her forget about it. Now she remembered that entering the city with her appearance would likely lead to the same outcome. Normally, she wandered around the imperial capital using magic to disperse idlers.

"What legend?"

"It's just a silly legend. You go by yourself. I'll wait for you at home."

"Wait a moment."

Ruby nodded and walked into the second basement level. Half an hour later, he returned, but his current appearance truly shocked Mayona.

"You, you look..."

Mayona couldn't help but reach out to touch Ruby's pure white hair, even pulling it hard. After confirming it wasn't fake, she looked at his eyes. His originally black pupils had turned red, though slightly lighter than hers. Standing next to Mayona, they looked like siblings.

"When I was bored in the past, I developed many not-so-useful items. Hair Dye and Contact Lenses were among them."

Ruby remembered that it was when he first arrived in the Otherworld. Because his mind was filled with too much knowledge, he spent all day thinking about making things, like a child with a new toy. He knew exactly what could be made with the materials at hand, so he made everything he could.

"Are you stupid! If you turn into this, won't you be discriminated against like me? Change back quickly."

Mayona grabbed Ruby's clothes and shouted loudly. The suffering she endured in her youth due to her appearance had unknowingly become one of her heartaches, so she rarely showed her true face. The first time she revealed herself to others was when she had just become an Archmage, and most people who saw her were startled.

"Mayona, did your parents dislike your appearance?"

Ruby suddenly grabbed a handful of Mayona's long, white hair and asked earnestly.

"...No."

"They must have known about that silly legend, but they didn't make you change your appearance because of it. Instead, they still loved you deeply. Don't you understand what that means?"

"The prejudices of most people might make you doubt yourself, but will those who truly love you hate you because of it?"

"You are you. Don't mind what others think. It's their business how they feel. If you get hurt because of it, fight back. Don't you always call yourself a peerless beauty in front of me? Don't you have that much confidence?"

After speaking, Ruby placed the hair he was holding into Mayona's hand. Mayona, who used to hate this hair, suddenly felt it wasn't so bad anymore. Mayona could imagine that since Ruby could change his hair color, he could also change hers. However, he hadn't changed her mind at all. Instead, he put himself in her shoes and told her he was by her side.

If she were to travel with someone like this, it seemed like being discriminated against wouldn't be such a big deal.