Having seized the initiative over her mental domain, Professor Falia looked calm.
She patted her solemn, ornate robes and immediately manipulated her spiritual energy to cast a concealment spell on Noren.
Noren felt something wrap around her, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her wondering if she had caught a cold.
Coincidentally, not long after the concealment spell took effect, that tracking spell attempted to lock onto Noren once more.
Thud.
It was as if an arrow had struck a wall; the incoming tracking spell was instantly deflected by the invisible concealment barrier surrounding Noren.
Seeing this, Professor Falia nodded slightly and spoke to a nervous Lance.
“Do not worry, it is fine for now.”
“It is fine?”
Lance was puzzled. How had it suddenly become fine?
“Master, do you know who is tracking Noren?”
His heart was filled with worry. Lance had always maintained the highest level of vigilance against such hidden malice.
Times were different now. If he were still just an adventurer, he would only be able to find ways to hide with Noren.
But now… the only Saintess of the Church of Holy Light was his benefactor!
He was about to serve as a Knight Commander for a local Knight Order of the Church! If he could find those hidden troublemakers harboring ill intent, Lance would certainly find a way to root them out once and for all!
But Falia’s answer caught Lance off guard.
“I do not know. Due to the special laws here, I cannot backtrack the tracker.”
“If we were to leave Siofra, there might be a way.”
Even a Witch of Master’s caliber could not do it?
It seemed Siofra was truly a troublesome place…
After a moment of contemplation, Lance turned to look at Noren, who was staring blankly as she lost herself in thought. He still couldn’t put his mind at ease.
He asked the mysterious Witch again.
“Master, why is it fine now? Did you block the tracking for that child, Noren?”
Lance was merely asking to find some peace of mind.
He had a vague understanding of Falia’s methods and abilities. In his eyes, when Falia was alive, her standing likely was not lower than the Saint Rank, or perhaps even far exceeded it.
After all, when Falia dealt with that Dream Eater—a creature infused with the power of Law—it was as easy as slaughtering a chicken or a dog, even if the enemy’s strength had fallen to the High Rank.
But that was enough to prove that Falia herself was a powerhouse who commanded the power of Law.
If the Witch admitted to protecting Noren, then there was likely nothing to worry about…
Considering this, Lance decided that once Falia answered, he would shower her with praise.
It was only natural for an apprentice to say nice things to his master.
Based on his experience with Falia over these past few days, she would likely hum twice and accept the praise in a nonchalant manner.
The Witch Master seemed to enjoy his compliments quite a bit.
“Oh? You are interested?”
“Actually, it is nothing special. It is just a simple concealment spell. I can teach you when you have time.”
“Master, you are truly…”
Before he could finish his praise, Lance suddenly realized something was wrong.
This reaction was not right.
Just as he was feeling lost, the voice in his mind didn’t stop; she continued, completely indifferent to his confusion.
“Exactly, since you have now left the dangerous environment.”
“When you rest, come to the mental world.”
“I will adjust the flow of time so that it will not take you much time to learn.”
Huh?
This… this was not right, was it?
Why did Falia suddenly want to teach him something today? It wasn’t like this before.
Thinking about the possibility of being dragged into the mental world by Falia again made Lance somewhat reluctant.
After all, the last time he went in, he was forced to sign a Master-Disciple Contract that was effectively a one-sided vow of obedience.
In Lance’s view, that thing was no different from a slave contract.
What if he went in and she made him sign some supplementary clauses?
Besides, he was a Swordsman; he wasn’t really into magic or anything of the sort.
Once he reached the Elemental Tier, he could fully dedicate himself to the magic of a specific element—that was the part he excelled in.
Thinking about studying basic magical theory always gave Lance a headache.
While resisting, Lance instinctively tried to find some excuses to back out.
“Master, I haven’t taken office yet, and I’m afraid I will be quite busy for a while.”
Hearing this, the “Witch” was indifferent and reassured him.
“It is fine. I will put in the effort to slow down the flow of time in the mental world.”
“You will certainly have at least 15 minutes of spare time, don’t you worry.”
15 minutes?
Hiss… He could definitely spare 15 minutes.
Not wanting to displease the Witch, Lance pondered for a moment and tentatively asked how much time she could dilate.
If she could stretch 15 minutes to under 2 hours, he would accept his fate.
He would just treat it like attending a training class!
“Hmm…”
Inside the mental world, Professor Falia frowned slightly, her mind working rapidly to calculate the time conversion.
In a short while, she arrived at an approximate figure.
“It should be 2.5 days.”
Lance: ???
How much? 2.5 days?!
“No, no, no! That is too much trouble for you, Master!”
“How could I let you be so exhausted? This is absolutely not okay!”
Lance was terrified and blurted out three refusals in a row, speaking rapidly.
Was this Witch some kind of master in the field of space-time?
How could she stretch 15 minutes into 2.5 days?!
Was this even appropriate?
Lance seriously suspected that if he were really dragged into this by Falia, he would truly go insane!
‘I am really not the type to study magic!’
Hearing the firmness in Lance’s tone, Professor Falia felt a bit warm inside.
How could a teacher not be comforted by a student’s concern?
But what Lance didn’t know was that the Falia speaking to him now had transitioned to a completely new phase.
The Falia of this phase was an up-and-coming academic star who had just been appointed as a professor!
She was in a period brimming with enthusiasm for educating her disciples!
There was no such thing as being “exhausted.”
“Hmm, you have a kind heart…”
“We are master and disciple, and it is my duty to guide you…”
“Since you are worried about my fatigue, I will just set the time to one day. That will be almost no burden on me, so you do not need to worry.”
“Once you learn it, you can teach Noren. Treat it as giving Noren a head start on her studies.”
Lance wanted to cry but had no tears. He still had to do the tutoring!
Could it be that he truly had to live one day as two?
His life was going to be far too fulfilling! No! He couldn’t give up yet!
After some internal debate, Lance used the rhetoric of his past life, speaking in a somewhat sorrowful and melancholy tone.
“Sigh~ Master, you do not know.”
“Your disciple’s talent for magic is truly not high; one could even say I am dull-witted.”
“Perhaps it is because all of the Pharos family’s magical talent for this generation went to Noren… I am afraid that even after I learn it, I won’t be able to teach Noren!”
The voice in his mind fell silent, as if pondering something.
A long time passed, and the Witch’s voice did not come, as if she had understood that he truly had no intention of learning magic.
Was she angry?
Lance felt uneasy. After all, by repeatedly refusing, he seemed rather ungrateful.
If what Falia said was true, he had rejected a teaching invitation from a scholar comparable to a Great Sage, which was quite a slight to Falia’s face.
“Master?”
Lance swallowed his saliva, feeling anxious.
“Hmm… very well then…”
Falia’s voice was soft, as if she were speaking away from a microphone, but Lance still heard her words clearly.
The tone was normal, showing no displeasure.
Lance let out a long breath of relief. At least she wasn’t angry.
How could a professor who only focused on teaching and academic affairs possibly guess Lance’s psychological activities?
After a simple discussion with her other selves.
Falia felt a bit moved.
Lance really was a good older brother. He didn’t forget his sister even when faced with an opportunity to learn. It seemed Lance really valued Noren…
Sigh~ fine, fine. I will just have to put in a little more effort.
With the decision made, Professor Falia said with an appreciative tone.
“You are right. In terms of teaching, it is ultimately more effective if I do it myself.”
“I will allow Noren to come with you to receive instruction, as long as Noren signs a contract as well.”
Lance: “Huh?”