Chapter 43- Studying

"Liara, did you finish reading the texts I assigned to you yet?" A tired voice called out.

A tall, feline woman with black furry ears and tail approached Liara with a stack of books. She adjusted her squared glasses after sitting down opposite her.

"Yes Miss Juno, I also finished the extra books you suggested." Liara responded while rubbing her eyes.

Over the past few days since Lucious went on his special quest, Liara had been studying hard under Juno's mentorship as per Lucious requested.

She had been excited at an opportunity to properly study magic now that she finally discovered her talent for light and ice magic.

However, she felt as though half of the time she was just reading books about magic instead of learning spells as she had hoped.

The rest of the time, Liara felt as though she was memorising and drawing magic circles unnecessarily.

Towards the night, Liara had been instructed to use her spells repeatedly until she experienced mana depletion. As she did, she noticed her casting time had reduced by four seconds and the strength of her spells was slowly increasing.

"Good, here's the next bundle of mandatory books for you to read through. I also wrote down a list of several more books for you to study from since your mentorship will end once your friend is back. Make sure you read your way through them all even if it takes a few weeks."

Juno let out a small yawn and stretched before sliding the stack of books towards Liara and sleeping.

Each day had been the same, and Liara was only allowed to wake up Juno whenever she didn't understand something.

Despite the sloppy mentoring, she had learned quite a lot by studying the books.

Each spell shared similar structures that pertained to their rank and element, and as the rank increases, the initial structure becomes the foundation.

Most mages learn spells through spellbooks or mentors, but isn't it possible to learn or even make new spells without either method.

After researching various foundations through the recommended books, Liara could spot a small pattern.

Mixed with her inexperienced and unshaped mind-set, her curiosity to learning new spells drew her to wanting to make her own spells.

Juno told me not to waste time trying to create my own spells. But if I manage it, then maybe I can be less of a burden to Lucious.

After briefly witnessing his strength during the short time they had travelled together, Liara couldn't help but feel as though she was only slowing him down.

But if she had her own set of spells that nobody else possessed, maybe she could be more useful when confronted with monsters.

He did promise we would go to the reverse dungeon once I learned frozen arrow... I wonder what monsters are inside.

Realising that her thoughts were getting derailed, Liara slapped both her cheeks to snap out of it and focused on the books in front of her.

**********

By the time she was done, Liara noticed that the library was not only empty, but it was dark outside.

Juno was still fast asleep opposite her and her ears were twitching.

I wonder if she's dreaming, Lucious's ears do the same when he's sleeping... She quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts before standing up.

He was supposed to be back tonight and she wanted to greet him near the entrance but Liara had lost track of time.

At the very least, Liara wanted to greet him as he entered his room at the inn.

Growing up, her mother had always greeted her father by the royal Palace's gates regardless of how improper.

Of course, this wasn't exclusive to her husband as the she would also greet Liara's brothers and sisters in the same way.

Whenever someone told her that a queen shouldn't be greeting others at the gates, she would often scold them and tell them to focus on their own family affairs.

I know he's not family... but he's the closest thing I've got until I get back home.

It wasn't long before she reached the tavern that the two were staying at.

Once inside, she saw a blue skinned demon with four arms and long green hair cleaning a mug and wiping down the bar simultaneously.

"Hey Liara, all done reading books?" Her voice was surprisingly deep and if not for her large chest, Liara wouldn't have known the demon was a woman.

"Hi Veronica, finished up a little late today. Has Lucious returned?" She was a little more anxious than usual as she didn't want to miss the opportulittle welcome him back.

"Can't say I've seen him, and I've been here most of the day." Over the past four days, Liara had made a couple of friends with various business owners including the owner of the tavern.

Sighing in both relief and disappointment at her reply, Liara sat down on a stool and rubbed her eyes.

"Did you eat before you came back? I can hear that stomach from here." Veronica asked in a light-hearted tone."

Liara let out a sheepish smile as she scratched the back of her head which told Veronica all she needed.

"How many times must I tell you to not skip meals? I think I still have some leek soup from breakfast in the kitchen. I can also make a couple sandwiches to go with it."

"No, it's alright... you don't need to go through the trouble." She replied in a small voice.

She felt bad as she knew Veronica was setting up for the night and was likely planning on closing the kitchen and bar due to how late it was.

"Don't be foolish, it's no trouble at all, for my favourite customer." She replied before disappearing into a door, leading to the kitchen.

It wasn't long before she returned with a piping hot bowl of soup with sandwiches and a glass of fruit wine to wash it down with.

"Here, eat up. I'll be in the back if you need anything."

Liara quickly ate then made her way to Lucious's room and waited on his bed as she started to read a book.

"I might be getting ahead of myself... what if he doesn't even return today" She sighed wistfully as she stared at the book.

As she waited, she heard heavy footsteps approaching and the door slowly opened.