Russell already understood his teacher quite well.
If his life really were at stake, his teacher would never have spoken in that tone, much less looked at him with that teasing gleam in his eyes.
Although most of their interactions revolved around lessons, his teacher was one of those rare, genuine educators who also offered guidance on how to approach life.
And through that guidance, Russell could see his teacher's own principles.
So Russell understood perfectly well that even if he went to Archmage Rute, he would not face mortal danger... at worst, he might encounter some utterly humiliating situation.
The next worst possibility was getting hurt. A broken bone or scrapes all over his body would probably be the most serious injuries.
Russell certainly would not abandon the Mage Tower's resource exchange assignment over such minor trouble.
He could actually tell from his teacher's attitude that his teacher was an extremely wealthy Archmage.
His teacher thought little of any of the resources the Mage Tower possessed. On the rare occasions when he went to the storeroom to select materials for crafting wondrous items, his expression was always very... tolerant.
Other people used precious resources to improve their wondrous items, while their teacher was clearly trying to lower the grade of the excellent things he already had.
Just like the flying craft their teacher had once chiseled beyond recognition.
That had also filled Russell with dreams of the universe beyond this world... although he was not as powerful as his teacher and lacked the ability to obtain those top-tier treasures.
But once the day came when he could venture into the universe, surely he could obtain a few decent things?
The greatest sorrow Russell and Carpenter had once known was that, before they had even reached adulthood, they seemed to