Chapter 34

"How am I supposed to use them without crushing them?" I said. "Moli, always remember that you're a mage's apprentice. You can't keep asking stupid questions over and over again. If you were still an assistant, I wouldn't mind so much, but if you keep asking me amateurish questions like that as my apprentice, I'll punish you by making you copy out spellbooks."

Moli clutched her chest, looking as though she might drop dead the next second.

"Do you understand?"

Moli looked at the black widow spiders with an expression I doubted she would have worn even if I, her teacher, had dropped dead on the spot. Still, she obediently nodded and said, "Yes, teacher. I'll do it properly."

Mel looked at me with a radiant smile. "Xipei, you're such a strict and responsible teacher. No wonder your apprentice is so well-behaved and sensible."

Chapter 34

At that moment, Moli, my "well-behaved and sensible" apprentice, looked a lot like an internet buzzword she had once taught me: "nothing left to live for." I had never been able to imagine what that looked like. With so many books unread and so much of the unknown waiting to be explored, how could there be nothing left to live for?... But I felt that Moli's eyes were a vivid and perfect example of someone who was "dead inside."

I couldn't resist patting her head. The dying Moli's eyes suddenly widened, and she looked up at me. I patted her again, and the corners of her mouth visibly turned from pointing down to pointing up.

I couldn't help smiling and ruffling her hair-even though her frizzy mop was already a mess.

"Book us two movie tickets," I told Moli.

"Okay!" Moli answered energetically, pulling out her phone. "What kind would you like to see? A holographic 3D movie or a traditional 2D one? You rarely watch movies, teacher, so I'd recommend 2D. You never watch holographic videos or play similar games, and I'm worried you'll get dizzy if you go straight to the theater for a large-scale holographic movie."

I looked at Mel. He thought deeply for a moment, then said, "Anna and the others always watch holographic movies."

Moli raised her hand. "So do I..."

"Why don't we try it?" I said.

Mel seemed to feel much the same. As mages, we had both experienced spatial teleportation, instant movement, and all sorts of 360-degree spinning flights. We were also a little competitive. If our apprentices could watch them, could a mere holographic movie really make us teachers dizzy?

Movies were entertainment! Years ago, I had even passed through a warlock's summoning portal. A warrior in the party, who was bigger and stronger than a stallion, had vomited like mad after crawling out, saying he felt as though he had been thrown into an old-fashioned tumble washing machine. But I hadn't suffered any ill effects. All I needed was a stabilizing spell to pass through folded space without the spatial fluctuations making me vomit.

So Mel said, "Let's try it. Anna told me the effects in holographic movies are excellent, and 2D movies are almost a thing of the past anyway."

We both agreed that we should see the holographic one, but Moli looked at us skeptically. An apprentice questioning her teacher like that made me frown. If I had been an ancient mage, I would have punished her with confinement.

Under my gaze, Moli obediently did as she was told. Before long, she handed us the tickets and went home to process the materials as I had instructed. Moli said her home had a dedicated materials storage room, which was a great relief. Mel's tower wasn't ready yet, and he was still staying at the hotel provided by the summit, so he couldn't store the materials there either.

Moli had always handled my materials properly before. It was wonderful having an apprentice I didn't have to worry about, and the two of us went to the movies without a care.

About two hours later... um...

Uh...

...I had to admit that an apprentice occasionally questioning her teacher was worth encouraging. Being a teacher didn't mean you couldn't make mistakes.

As Mel and I supported each other while we leaned over and vomited in the restroom, I realized for the first time that Moli was well-informed too, and knew plenty of things I didn't.

"Urgh..."

Going to the movies was a leisure activity, right?

Heavens! All the benevolent gods above, why would young people love this kind of torture? Those dazzling "special effects" had shaken me up so badly that everything before my eyes was still a riot of colors. I could feel Mel's hand trembling where he gripped my arm, and I thought mine was probably doing the same. I couldn't keep these hands steady, though they were normally unwavering and precise when I cast spells. They were probably shaking like those of a beginner apprentice struggling to produce his first spark!

Urgh... so dizzy... I'm really so dizzy...

I had no idea what the movie was about. Although it told the story of Hailianna, a dark priest whom Mel and I admired above all others, I hadn't even gotten a clear look at the actor's face. And I thought that even if His Excellency Hailianna himself traveled across six thousand years and appeared before us right now, neither of us would be able to say a complete sentence to him.

Movies were scarier than forbidden Black Magic spells!

...Back when I had fought my second teacher in a battle to the death, I had been under thirteen curses and on the verge of dying, but I hadn't felt nearly this miserable!

Mel's face was deathly pale, his lips were trembling, and his long hair clung messily to his cheeks, drenched in sweat. Even so, he did his best to hold me up and keep me from falling. In a feeble voice, he said in my ear, "I'm absolutely... absolutely... never setting foot in a movie theater again as long as I live!"

I could only open my mouth and gasp, unable to get a single word out.

Men and women, young and old, walked out of the screening room looking delighted. Mel and I watched them, feeling nothing but admiration.

Heavens... Two mages, pale and trembling, weakly holding each other up and vomiting nonstop in a restroom next to the movie theater. No matter how I looked at it, the sight was humiliating. If Moli found out, I didn't think I could ever show my face as her teacher again. The next time I told her to practice her spells, she could say, "Teacher, watching a movie nearly killed you, so what's wrong with an apprentice being bad at spells?"

Mel covered his face too. "Good thing Anna isn't here..."

We didn't know how long we spent hunched over in the restroom before we managed to get up. In any case, it was already dark by the time we left the theater. Mel recovered a little faster than I did. Now, aside from looking a little pale, he seemed fine, while I still needed him to hold me up just to walk in a straight line. I felt as though I'd had too much to drink. Even the buildings were spinning.

"Xipei, sit here for a bit. I'll buy you a cold drink and see if that helps."

I nodded. "...Okay, I'll wait for you here."

Once Mel had settled me down, he immediately went to buy a cold drink. I saw him floating away, and heavens, if I had to float right now, I didn't think I could even do it. For a mage to lose his composure like this was utterly unbecoming.

I sat there dizzily, not daring to move a muscle. I felt as though I'd lose all sense of direction if I stood up, so I could only wait obediently for Mel to return. But before Mel came back, an uninvited guest suddenly appeared.

"Ciprins! What are you doing here?"

A familiar voice rang out, and then someone grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the chair. I was still terribly dizzy! He yanked me so hard that I immediately lost my footing. He noticed something was wrong, grabbed my shoulder and put an arm around me, then asked with concern, "What's wrong? Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling ill?"

I swayed my head for quite a while before I could make out Reynold's big face in front of me.

"...Let me sit down..." I pushed at him, a little annoyed, but in my current state I couldn't budge him at all.

...I didn't dare use a spell to push him away. What if I couldn't control it properly in this condition and pushed him to death? I remembered how terrible Reynold was at magic.

Then I'd be wanted for the brutal murder of the chairman of the Magic Council!

"Ciprins, I waited for you for over two hours and you still didn't come. I was just about to go to your house to look for you, but I happened to pass by and saw you sitting here all alone, looking awful." Reynold held on to me angrily. "Come home with me. You're still out here messing around at this hour. Did you go looking for... looking for trouble with Mephistopheles Madsen again? Did he hurt you?"