Guter's First Flight

"Is that breakfast you're carrying for me?"

"Of course." Guter answered firmly.

"Then let's go. We'll talk somewhere else."

After saying that, Serie rose from her throne and walked over to the dining table in her home.

She took the no-longer-warm bread and completely cold lunchbox from her disciple Guter and placed them on the table.

As magic light shimmered, the food on the table returned to an edible state.

"Sit down and eat with me. This is too much for me to finish alone."

Guter sat down with a smile, forcing an embarrassed expression onto his face.

But whether he had prepared so much food deliberately or by accident, and whether he had anticipated this shared meal, only Guter himself could say.

At the table, Serie cut open the bread with a knife, tucked some of the dishes from the lunchbox inside, and took a bite. A trace of surprise appeared in her otherwise calm eyes.

"This restaurant's food is quite good. Bring me some more tomorrow."

"No problem." Guter nodded in agreement.

Then, like any ordinary teacher, Serie used the lull during the meal to test Guter on several questions from his recent Magic Book studies.

But to Serie's surprise, her disciple Guter answered exceptionally well.

He had even grasped something deeper from the formulas of the magic recorded in those books—something closer to the essence of magic itself.

"Your talent is even more terrifying than I expected, Guter."

"Human geniuses truly are unreasonable creatures."

Even Serie, who had seen countless geniuses, could not help but sigh.

"Teacher, my talent isn't actually that good." Guter scratched his head sheepishly, having cheated with props. "I just had a moment of enlightenment last night."

"So that was why you stayed awake all night?"

"Mm." Guter nodded. Though somewhat surprised, he supposed that was a reasonable explanation.

"What humans call 'enlightenment' is merely the release of one's latent talent. You will experience that feeling again in the future. It seems you did have some confidence when you dared to make the Three Year Period agreement."

"However, I'm even more displeased with you now."

"Hm?"

Guter froze. "Why, Teacher?"

"Shouldn't a teacher be pleased when her disciple is talented?"

"It is precisely because your talent is even better than I expected that I find it more displeasing to see you wasting such precious talent on something so meaningless."

Serie said this somewhat sullenly.

"Still, how disciples choose to arrange their brief lives is their own business. I have never interfered with my disciples' decisions. I merely find it displeasing."

"Then, Teacher, you needn't feel that way about this disciple of yours." Guter said with a meaningful smile.

"Because I'm very special. I'll live for a very long time."

"Is that so?"

Serie took a bite of bread and chewed silently for a long while.

This disciple named Guter truly was special. She had never been one to reveal her feelings to her disciples, yet without realizing it, she had said so much to him.

It was truly strange.

This feeling of conversation did not seem like one between teacher and disciple. Instead, it resembled the exchanges she had once had with companions of her own generation, long, long ago in the early days of Serie's memories.

Though her understanding of humans had been far shallower then than it was now, Serie had always remembered that feeling.

Her current conversation with Guter was unexpectedly much the same as those from back then.

Honestly, this disciple before her.

What exactly did he think of her, his teacher?

Forget it.

She had probably grown tired of the feeling of conversations between disciple and teacher anyway. Having a somewhat "special" disciple to talk with did not feel bad.

Besides, he said he could live for a very long time.

She hoped that was true.

Before she knew it, she already felt full.

After putting the last bit of bread in her mouth, Serie finished breakfast.

Seeing that his teacher had left the table, Guter quickened his pace. Before long, he had cleaned up every last bite without wasting anything and tidied the dining table.

On one side of the house, Serie sat before her vanity, using a comb to straighten the hair that had been mussed up by sleep. She then cast a spell on her long hair, making it clean and silky.

After cleaning the table, Guter did not take his leave. Instead, he found a stool, sat nearby, and silently admired Serie as she combed her hair.

Mm, the "old fossil" was cute.

After finishing with her hair, Serie turned to look at Guter, who was still lingering in her home. She had intended to tell this disciple to leave, but then something occurred to her, and she asked him a question.

"Do you still train your body like a warrior?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I do."

Serie's abrupt question caught Guter off guard, but he still answered honestly.

After all, it was one of his daily tasks, and it granted double the training benefits. Guter could never bear to neglect it.

"That's good. Wait here for me."

After saying that, Serie turned and walked into the library. Before long, she emerged carrying a stack of things resembling notebooks.

"What are these?" Guter asked in confusion.

"They contain the training insights left behind by one of my former disciples. He followed the same path as you."

As Serie spoke, she looked at the familiar handwriting in the notes and could not help recalling that disciple's appearance and ideals.

He had sought a way to make a mage's physique as strong as a warrior's.

It was a good idea, but it was destined to be a path of failure.

Even though he had found a way to use magic power to enhance physical strength, the requirements for both magic power and physical strength were simply too high.

Mages did not possess that degree of physical strength, while Warriors could not reach that level of magic power.

Perhaps it might have been a viable path for long-lived races, but rather than splitting one's efforts between two paths, it was more effective to focus everything on a single one.

Thus, after that disciple of hers passed away, this research had been shelved for a very long time.

But this special freak before her.

Serie could sense that this disciple Guter had found some kind of method that allowed his magic power and physical abilities to grow stronger in tandem, and neither grew any slower than through normal training.

As his teacher, Serie would not pry into her disciple's secrets. But in Guter, she saw a path by which her deceased disciple's ideal could continue onward.

Thus, Serie handed these notes to Guter and briefly explained what kind of training path they described.

After hearing his teacher's explanation, Guter accepted the ideal of this senior disciple as though it were a priceless treasure and carefully tucked it into his chest.

After putting it away, Guter looked at Serie and asked,

"Teacher, I've accepted the reward. Following the usual process, shouldn't you give me a task now?"

Serie raised an eyebrow. She had not expected Guter to be so self-aware.

"Of course."

"After the Continental Magic Association's examination in Oysaster concludes, I require you, as the current chief disciple, to accompany me to the Holy City—Hutrall—to organize another examination there."

"Since you train your body like a warrior as well, be prepared to take the front line during the journey."

"Hiss—"

After Teacher Serie finished speaking, Guter sucked in a breath.

"Teacher, you've finished explaining the bonus reward. So where's the task?"

Serie: "?"

Then, after a ripple of magic power, Guter's figure flew out of Serie's residence.