Slight Briefing

"Zaya, I thought you were going home already?" the silver-haired woman asked the person in front of her

Zaya, the woman in a mage robe, on the other hand, is still taken aback by Elaina's sudden appearance.

"E-eh Miss Elaina... Ah, I was going to go home when I saw a man enter your mansion, so I asked him why he was here, but he didn't want to answer politely, so..." she quickly explained.

Ethan at the same time clicks his tongue about how this woman lies as naturally as she breathes.

He answered 'politely' for a ceasefire but this woman didn't believe him and now he was at fault? Incredible.

Elaina on the other hand could only sigh at this response, as well as at Zaya's behavior.

Her friend is already aware that she is capable of defending herself against any threat or harassment in her life.

But Zaya has grown accustomed to acting this way, especially when a man approaches her.

She had no idea why, so she just let it go.

"I just got a message from Getto that my future apprentice has arrived, and I believe he's the man you're about to kill."

Elaina said, turning to face the broken statue of which she was the model.

Because of this, she sighed again and waved the wand in her right hand. It lit up as if it had heard its master's command.

"Reversio Pristini," she chants softly, and then something amazing happens to the statue's broken parts.

They all slowly float in the air, as if they are being guided by an unknown force.

They moved smoothly to the center of the water fountain, where the unidentified statue stood with only one foot remaining.

Only a few seconds later, all of the statue's broken pieces were returned to their proper places. It stood up and spewed water again as if nothing had happened.

After her spell, Elaina began to walk toward the man now sitting on the bank of the fountain. Zaya followed while still on alert.

"I'm sorry for my friend's behavior. She's just like that so let her go," Elaina said and pinches Zaya's cheeks.

"Oh! Miss Elainaaa! Don't be like this to me," Zaya protested and glared at Ethan. "I'm just worried about what that man has in store for you!"

'I have a particular fondness for older sisters, but this woman!' Ethan exclaimed in his mind upon hearing the remarks.

He also glared back probably because of what happened earlier that made him almost die ... He could be childish sometimes.

"Yes, Zaya, but I already said he'll be my apprentice from now on, so don't be hostile to him," Elaina paused and returned her gaze to Ethan. She even heard a faint protest next to her, but she didn't mind it.

"Your name is Samael, isn't it?" she asked gently.

"Yes, Miss Elaina. I'm sorry I just came in all of a sudden since I don't see anyone," and it's tiring to wait outside! Ethan continued in his mind.

"It's okay, I've already told Getto to let you in when you arrive anyway. It's tiring to talk while standing up, so let's continue this inside," Elaina urged, turning to return to the mansion.

Ethan just nodded to this and followed the woman.

"Zaya?"

Elaina suddenly asked when she saw Zaya was also following them.

"Hehe, I don't have anything planned today, so I can stay at your house all night, Miss Elaina!" Zaya exclaimed joyfully.

"Do you not have a mission?"

"It's not a pressing matter, so I can finish it tomorrow!"

"... Alright, but go back home when it gets dark," Elaina sighed.

She's not sure how many times she's done it today, but she seems to be used to it, especially when she's with her friend.

After hearing the permission, Zaya's face brightened and she looked at Ethan.

Her face was confident as if she was about to say, 'you can't do anything wrong when I'm here.'

When he saw this, Ethan's cheek twitched. At the same time, he praised the game Utopia's realistic features, especially the NPCs' high cognitive level.

◇◆◇

"Let's get started—not with the lesson, but with a briefing on what you'll be doing as my apprentice," Elaina said as she sat down. In front of her was a desk with neatly placed items such as a quill pen and books.

"I'm prepared, Miss Elaina," Ethan said after a quick scan of the room.

They were in a room that looked like a library. There was a cabinet with books protruding from the shelves and other study materials.

He was sitting on one of the sofas, while the woman in front of him, Zaya, was sitting on the other.

"Call her Master! You're her apprentice, right?" yelled the huffy lady.

"Zaya, I'm fine with casual, so there's no need to push him like that. Besides, I think he was only a few years younger than me so it wasn't nice to be called 'master' in that setting," Elaina said as she sigh.

Ethan cast a smug smile on Zaya, leaving her infuriated in silence.

"Since the day was drawing to a close, we'll dismiss your lesson today; in exchange, I'll give you a book for advance reading, and we'll tackle it tomorrow morning," Elaina continued, this time facing Ethan.

"Alright. I got it," Ethan said quickly, no longer paying attention to the person on the other end.

"How many days you'll be doing your apprenticeship isn't up to me; it will depend on your learning capability," Elaina paused before continuing while wearing a serious expression. Nevertheless, her face even contemplated that look and still beautiful. "However, if I see you are not improving a little, I'll call out the apprenticeship, am I clear?"

She was confident in her teachings, so there was no point in wasting time if this person didn't improve even slightly.

"No problem here. I'll just exceed your expectations then, eh?" Ethan replied with confidence.

Even though he was not a mage in the past, being a guild leader forced him to learn about the various professions in the game.

It was 'necessary' to learn everything in order to know what counter-moves to make when facing an enemy player, as well as to predict the possible tactics they'd use.

He'll also know what to command in his team and how to use the composition of the profession when they're in raids, which are both advantages.

That is why he is familiar with the Witch profession. However, his memories were not perfect, especially with a large amount of data jumbling in his head.

He was just a human, not a computer lad.

But he wasn't concerned because it added to the excitement he was feeling right now.

That's why he was grateful he wasn't born perfect.

If he does, then playing a game is no longer enjoyable because he knows everything...and that's kinda boring, isn't it?

Ding!

[Elaina's Teaching—Main Quest: Receiving a guide from the genius Silver Witch, you are expected to complete your apprenticeship within 5 days!]

Suddenly, Ethan heard a system notification. The main quest has arrived.

It was very simple, no further explanation was added. Even the condition to complete his apprenticeship wasn't mentioned. But Ethan knows that this quest would be a long chain quest. Nonetheless, his excitement never died even a little.

"I'm pleased with your attitude, so keep it up during training; after all, resolve is the most important."

Elaina smiled as she raised her wand at the same time.

One of the books on the right corner shelf suddenly moved and flew towards her hands.

"This is my version, inspired by the famous book 'The Spells'. I'll lend this to you until your apprenticeship days will end."

Elaina handed the book to Ethan.

"It contains a summarization about spells with both basic and complex casting procedures; read it so that our training tomorrow goes smoothly," she added.

Ethan took the book and noticed the cover with the lettering 'Spell Story.'

'hmm? Where's this come from? From the movie?' he suddenly thought remembering a movie with almost the same title.

Ethan casually tossed the book into his inventory while it vanished from his grasp. The other two Witches in his vicinity let out a small gasp at the same time.

They were quite taken aback by it. After all, the «Inventory» was extremely uncommon in this world. Because it falls under the category of high-level space magic, only highly capable mages can perform it.

However, the person in front of them does it casually, as if it were no big deal.

Zaya immediately pointed her wand and cast a restraining spell. Her wand produced a sudden bluish whip that was forcibly coiled in Ethan's body.

"As I thought, you're dangerous! Who are you?" she yelled with anger. All of her doubts piled up.

Because of the speed, Ethan cannot react and become entangled by the magical whip. He becomes confused at the sudden assault.

"What now? I've already answered you for who knows how many times. Are you on red period?"

Ethan frowned and was slowly convinced that the information about this Charcoal Witch from his past as a great mage was just a lie.

'Great my ass. This woman obviously has IED!' he exclaimed, thinking this woman has disorder symptoms.

"I don't believe you! That spell from now was «Inventory», right? Only powerful mages can do it. So why are you here taking an apprenticeship? What's your true motive?" she yelled, while Elaina remained calm on the sidelines, allowing her friend's outburst.

She, too, had doubts about the man, but in the end, she was confident in her abilities and did not see Ethan as a threat.

"So that is why...well, I'm a seeker, so I can do this easily. That's enough reason, right?" Ethan not losing his demeanor said calmly.

He knows that this information was enough since people in this world know that seekers, whatever their levels can do the spell «Inventory».

"...A seeker? That's not en—"

"Depelliarmus!"

A sudden chant can be heard on the sidelines, and Zaya's wand is flung from her grasp and flies into the corner of the room.

"Hai hai, please calm down, my dear Zaya. I already cast a charm spell on him." Elaina said as she sat beside her friend. "So I know he wasn't lying about being a seeker."

"...Miss Elaina?"

"He was clean. So no need to worry okay?" she assured and took a glance at Ethan before opening her mouth.

"That's only for today, Samael."

"Alright, then. I'll be back tomorrow, excuse me," Ethan immediately replied as he rose from his seat and began to walk, only to come to in halt.

"Hmm, you're not staying here? As my apprentice, wouldn't it be preferable if you lived here with me?" Elaina asked, quite innocently.

"Huh...?"

"Huh?!"

Ethan was slightly baffled, while Zaya followed suit but it seems it was for different reasons.