~Chapter 41~
Chapter 3. The one who likes more has to try harder
I was sitting by the window where warm sunlight poured in, writing a letter.
Of course, the recipient was my mother.
Dear Mom,
Mom, are you doing well? How is your health? Are you receiving treatment properly?
I heard you’re starting to recover.
Still, maybe because I can’t see you in person, I keep thinking about you.
I didn’t write everything that had happened until now.
I didn’t want to make her worry.
Instead, I only wrote cheerful things.
They baked a peach tart in the kitchen recently, and it was really delicious.
I hope we can eat it together someday.
Recently, I started magic lessons…
Just then—
Knock, knock.
A polite knock sounded, and the door opened quietly.
I quickly lifted my head from writing.
“Hello, Teacher.”
That’s right.
Today was my first magic lesson.
Maybe because I was nervous, my voice sounded a bit stiff.
And that made sense, because the person who would teach me magic was—
“Hello, Lady Milena.”
It was Rudrick, the male lead of this world!
I slightly frowned.
Why do I keep getting involved with the male lead like this?
In the original story, he only appeared after Cecilia left the family.
So why was he always around me?
Well, anyway—
This is how Rudrick became my teacher.
One peaceful day, the Duke suddenly called me and said—
“Controlling magical power is very important.”
Out of nowhere, he said that.
“Before, you used magic recklessly to save Cecilia and collapsed, didn’t you?”
“Ah… yes.”
“Even if other lessons can be slow, you must learn magic quickly.”
That part made sense.
But the problem was—
the teacher he chose was Rudrick!
I understood he wanted the best for me.
But still!
He’s someone who will help Cecilia take revenge in the future!
I should stay as far away from him as possible!
While I was thinking all this, Rudrick looked completely calm.
As soon as our eyes met, he smiled gently.
“I may be lacking, but I will teach you from today. Please take care of me.”
…Wow.
For a moment, I was stunned.
I thought the phrase “his beauty makes everything shine” was just something from dramas.
But no—
it felt like there was actually a glow behind him!
“Lady Milena.”
“……”
“Lady Milena?”
“Ah, yes!”
I quickly came back to my senses and smiled politely.
How did Cecilia even manage to date someone like him in the original story?
His looks were dangerously overwhelming.
“I look forward to learning from you, Teacher.”
“Good. Normally, in the Magic Tower, lessons start with theory.”
Rudrick said while looking at me closely.
His sapphire-like blue eyes sparkled—
Wait, why is he looking at me like that?
“But you are someone who has already awakened magical power.”
…Wait a second.
What is he expecting from me?
“So, I will try a slightly different approach.”
“Pardon?”
I suddenly had a bad feeling.
I stiffened and asked carefully,
“What do you mean by ‘different’?”
“Don’t worry. I just want to make it more efficient.”
Rudrick smiled calmly again and asked,
“May I?”
…Should I really allow this?
Suspicious, I still held out my hand.
Rudrick immediately grabbed my wrist.
At that moment, my eyes widened.
W-what is this?!
A warm yet refreshing energy flowed through my wrist like a spring breeze.
Rudrick watched my expression carefully.
“Can you feel it?”
“Yes!”
I nodded excitedly.
What is this feeling?
It’s so warm!
“This is magical power. I just infused some into your body.”
Then he said confidently,
“Now, try to circulate this magic through your whole body.”
“…Pardon?”
I froze with a smile on my face.
This is too much!
It’s like telling someone who just learned numbers to suddenly do calculus!
After hesitating, I asked carefully,
“How do I circulate it?”
“What? You just… move it.”
Silence filled the room.
“……”
“……”
This guy—
he’s that type.
A genius who can’t understand why others can’t do what he can.
I’ve heard it’s hard for geniuses to be good teachers…
Rudrick looked at me with confusion.
“You just move the magic…”
“But how do I move it?”
His blue eyes shook like there was an earthquake.
“Why can’t you do it?”
He looked at me like I was some kind of mystery of the universe.
“I could do it from the beginning…”
“……”
My expression turned cold.
Isn’t that just because you have main character buffs?
You’re literally called the last magician of this world.
“Hmm… then let’s try a different method.”
After a moment, Rudrick awkwardly smiled and took out a pen.
It looked unusual.
It was like a normal pen, but at the tip, there was a small blue gem.
“This is a magic pen. It’s used to draw magic circles.”
He handed it to me.
As I looked at the gem with curiosity, he explained,
“That is a mana stone.”
“Mana stone?”
“Yes. It’s a stone where magical energy is naturally stored. It supplies magic.”
He continued calmly,
“Magic engineers can’t use magic directly, so they use tools like this to draw magic circles and activate them. Of course, it’s disposable.”
“Disposable…?”
Even though I lived as a maid before, I had heard rumors about magical tools.
They cost as much as a carriage—or even a house.
And this is… disposable?
Then I finally heard something reassuring.
“Usually, beginners in the Magic Tower first learn how to draw magic circles using this pen.”
“Ah, really?”
My face brightened.
Yes—this is it!
Start with the basics like normal beginners!
Not everyone is a genius like you!
