Ch 10: Alone Practice Time - Part 1

"Professor, do you need anything from my charge? I thought you were busy and that you needed to go."

Mary's smile was pleasant, but it made the professor slightly cringe. 

"Indeed, I do need to leave now. But I am also interested in your charge. I guess I will see her around soon."

Even after the professor said this, he did not make a move to head toward the exit. Instead, he continued to look at Layla's shoulder.

She knew the man wanted to grab whatever weighed her down, but he did not dare because he feared breaking his character.

Mary seemed to know precisely what was holding this man back because she reached out toward Layla's shoulder and snatched the invisible weight before anyone noticed.

"Professor, you should get going to your next stop. We don't want to cause a scene here, right?"

Mary asked as she placed the same hand she had reached out toward Layla and pushed the professor.

It made the professor sigh in relief, but he quickly regained his composure and pretended nothing happened.

"I will see you all later."

With those final words, the fake-professor finally left. 

When she stared at Layla, Mary looked curious, but the maid did not ask Layla anything. 

...

After that first class introduced magic to Layla, her following classes felt like a breeze. 

She was placed with other beginners, and the teacher they got had the patience of a saint. He endured the kids' questions and gave examples and practical knowledge.

He held Layla once than once to get the hang of her mana and how to use it.

Once the classes ended, Layla felt confident about controlling her mana. She was one of the only ones who had gained the professor's admiration.

Two other students in the class had better control than Layla, but that was likely due to their prior training.

Despite their shabby clothes and modest accessories, Layla's trained eyes had noticed the sophisticated air around her two superior classmates.

That was why her situation did not bother her. 

"How was your magic call, miss? Did you enjoy learning? Do you feel like you can perform magic now?"

Mary asked in an easy-going voice.

The older maid's expression held no joy when she asked this question. 

Mary had been by Layla's side the whole day. She knew how Layla's day went better than anyone else.

"Class was fine. I think I got the basics down today, so I can start progressing from tomorrow onwards."

Layla assured Mary, now trying to get her off her back.

When she returned to her room, the younger girl wanted to start on magic but did not wish to alert the other kids about her actions.

[Unlocked the beginning of Mana condensing stage. Development of essential mana core had started,

Progress: 0.1%

Core stabilization will begin at 10%. Keep practicing your control to make a dense beginning mana core]

The system informed Layla, and for the first time in forever, she felt she understood what the term meant.

According to the basics of magic class she had taken, a mana core was the fundamental entity inside a magician's body that allowed them to gather and use mana.

For most people, the size of one's vessel was pre-determined, but it was up to personal effort to reach the maximum size. 

It could be as small as only lighting a match or as massive as nuking a country.

But it was also the most fragile part of a magician.

Layla wanted to form that foundation now, and to do that; she needed a quiet environment where she wouldn't be disturbed.

Unfortunately, this place didn't have any such place except her room.

"Ah, it's getting late. Would you like to head to the dining hall? I heard that there will be a gathering tonight. All the kids usually want to gather in the standard room after dinner to exchange pointers.

Would you like to participate as well?"

Mary asked, but Layla had other plans.

"No. I won't be attending dinner tonight or going to this meeting. You can tell everyone I am not feeling well and cannot attend the common gathering. I will head to sleep now."

Layla lied, and Mary knew that.

Despite this, Layla knew the maid would not call out Layla's bluff.

"I understand, miss! I will inform everyone that you won't be able to make it today. It's such a pity! These places are fun places to gather more information about each other."

That might be the case for most people, but Layla was too disadvantageous to enjoy these gatherings.

'I can think about gathering information all I want once I have a stable core. Getting my core strong enough to cast spells should be my priority.'

Layla made a sorry face, and Mary let out an amused giggle.

"I understand. I will make an excuse for you, miss. You don't need to worry about a thing, miss."

Somehow, Mary's words made Layla shiver. She suddenly wanted to ask Mary to take them back.

"I see! In that case, I will leave it up to you."

Layla quickly took her leave, and Mary watched her miss until she could no longer see her.

"So, what do you think about her? She's a genuine silver-haired witch! Is her mana special, like the legends say? What did the 'first class' Great Wizard Rodric Burnance feel when he touched her mana."

Mary asked the shadow in the tree, and the invisible lizard finally showed itself.

The lizard jumped down from the tall tree, and the reptile changed into a human before his feet touched the ground.

"I don't know. I tried feeling that child's mana, but some force stopped me when I tried to probe deeper. I did not force myself on that child's consciousness because it might have broken her."

The 'first class' Great Wizard Rodric Burnance spoke calmly, but interest sparked from each word he said.

"I see! So, in simpler words, you were useless. What has the world come to? Our great wizard could not break apart a kid's mental shield. What will our lord say if he hears about it?" 

Mark asked teasingly, but her interest in her young miss rose by the second.

"I am sure our master would have more pressing concerns than why a child had a mental shield over their mind. 

His is a rare occurrence, but not unheard of. But you, on the other hand, made a contract with a human duke and as good as betrayed our lord. I should reveal to him your location and let him deal with you."

The older male warned. It was as much a warning as he was willing to give Mary, making the demoness laugh out loud.

"Ah, sure, do what you want to. But make sure you keep me informed about that kid and her progress. Your proxy did make a promise about that, right?"

Mary asked, but she did not get an answer. When she turned around, the 'first class' Great Wizard Rodric Burnance was gone. Only some burned grass was left where he had been standing seconds ago.

"My dear young miss, Layla. You are getting more and more interested by the second. If you keep being like this, I might forget about my current contract and form a new one with you. 

I wonder what the human Duke would do if I made such a decision. Would he try to get rid of me? Or would I get rid of his army first?"

Mary asked as she giggled to herself. But as quickly as she started, she calmed down and returned to work. She still had a cover to maintain, after all.