The servants all left one by one with an encouragement and soon, the long awaited Ian Page came into the room. Maybe because he took off his robes? His arms and legs looked longer than before.
âLong time no see, princess.â
Her heart started thumping again.
She didnât know why and there was no way for her to know.
No.
She did know why, but she pretended not to.
âI thought you forgot about me.â
âAs you know, Iâve been a little busy.â
âI thought so too. At least youâre here now. Thank you for coming.â Princess Hiley smiled.
Her blushing cheeks and shining eyes were impressive, and they added on to her unsurpassed beauty, making her even more beautiful. Her beauty was striking even by simply looking at her. She fit this abstract description more than anyone else.
âAmazing.â Ian thought to himself. And he meant it.
It was like watching a masterpiece.
A artistic masterpiece that was about to be displayed among the best.
He got that kind of impression looking at the princess.
âArenât you and I a teacher and a student? I could push it off no longer.â
Ian was quite good at lying. Until the point of wondering how to take care of the fortunes of the former owner of the ivory tower, never had he even thought of his relationship with the princess. He had perfectly forgotten all about her.
âItâs just that thereâs nothing I can teach you in regards to magic. Unless you were a student of the Academy. Are you not already a magician that ranked up to the Class 3? So Iâve been thinkingâŠâ
Of course, this was also a lie. All he had to do was pretend to teach something here and there and tell her the secret to the Mana Respiration Method.
âFirst of all, weâll start with the Mana Respiration Method.â
âOh, are you talking about the thing you mentioned last time when you were doing the Dark Magic InspectionâŠ?â
âYes, thatâs right. You remember.â
Unlike Ian, who was simply trying to make things up as he went, Princess Hiley was fully focused, her eyes shining bright. The way her ears were perked up radiated her ardor to learn.
âI was actually planning on revealing this at the Tower, but Iâve been so busy. But youâre still my student, so let me show it to you first.â Ian said heartlessly, not meaning a word he said.
But the princess didnât take it that way.
âAre you telling me that Iâm the.. the first?â
âHeâs showing it to me first..â
It was as if her were treating her special. She kept feeling that.
She ended up letting out a laugh.
âHehe..â
âWhy are you laughing all of a sudden?â
âItâs.. itâs nothing!â
She said, stopping immediately.
She kept her ears perked up, focused.
âItâs the same for all Respiration Methods â this one shouldnât be too hard. With your abilities, you will get used to this soon.â
âDo I really have talent?â
âAre you not aware of your own ability?â
Oh, she knew. She knew what a great achievement it was for her to reach Class 3 even under her conditions. Hadnât Kevin, the Magician of the Royal Courts, raved about it endlessly?
âBut still âŠ. .â
The princess wanted to hear Ian say for himself how talented she was.
âI first knew you were a magician in the Emperorâs resting room, in the basement. I remember you were using the Light Spell for the first time.â
âOh, that time!â
The princess also remembered that day. Was it not the day she had performed the Light Spell for the first time?
As much as it was a historical day to remember, she remembered that day vividly.
Hold on, that day was clearlyâŠ
âIt was the first day you came to the palace, isnât it Master?â
âThatâs right. I was looking around the palace and ended up in there, but hid in the corner when you and the magician entered the room. So thatâs how I saw you.â
Actually, he had gone in there to look for the âStone Heart Mushroomâ, but she didnât need to know that.
âEven just a while ago, I judged your talents based on that memory of you. I thought you would only be able to go up to the beginning of the 2nd Class, or possibly not even go over Class 1, at most. I judged you that much.â
The princess looked a little sad. Even though she was way over Class 2, in Class 3, it felt as if Ianâs expectations were reality.
âBut I was wrong.â Ian continued. âHonestly, I was surprised when you reached Class 3. You have a lot more ability than I expected you would have, Your Highness.â
The princessâs frown turned upside down back into a grin. In fact, she had a bigger smile than before. She had finally heard Ian confirm her abilities and it was exactly what she had wanted to hear.
âYou flatter me. Iâm not that goodâŠâ
âClass 4.â Ian responded, holding up five fingers, âI do believe you will be able to make it to Class 4.â
âIf I were to be Class 4âŠâ
âItâs the level of a master magician.â
Hiley froze for a second. It was what she desperately wanted. She figured if she reached the level of a master magician she would be able to exonerate those who had tried to help her. Of course, she knew that the chances of becoming one were slim.
But then she asked,
âAre⊠are you serious? Me, Class 4?â
âI am.â Ian said, his voice full of certainty. If she were to just change her Respiration Method, the Mana Method would bring her up to Class 4. On top of that, telling her the calculation techniques would be more than enough.
âShe definitely has talents, too.â
Of course, her abilities were nothing compared to Ian, but making such comparisons wouldnât be fair to begin with. It was Ian who had ridiculously amazing skills, but the princess definitely had talents that were praiseworthy.
âAnd she knows what she wants.â
Ian knew what she wanted.
After all, she had made him an accomplice by making him her teacher, so wasnât it obvious?
âShe will somehow be useful to me if I train her well.â
AÂ magician of royal blood. Now that would be useful.
It wouldnât hurt to have a student like her.
âWhy donât we start now? Letâs pick a place..â
âOh, wait!â
At Ianâs suggestion they start soon, the princess clapped her hands in realization as if she remembered she had prepared something.
:Would.. would you wait for a moment?â
âIs there a problem?â
Princess Hiley brought over a few things â a thick book and a pair of rings.
âItâs a gift in celebration of our beginning as a teacher and student. It is also a tribute that I, the student, am offering to my master to make a good impression.â
Ian looked confused as he looked at this so -called âtributeâ in his hand.
First of all, it was just a thick and old book, nothing special about it. Same with the rings. It didnât look like an artifact, let alone a magical object.
âIt looks trivial to offer as a tribute.â
The princess couldnât help smiling at Ianâs words.
His attitude of being unwilling to even give a heartless compliment was the same.
âYou really think so?â Princess Hiley asked, picking up the rings in her hands.
Her red lips trembled slightly as she spoke.
âAs for this ring⊠youâre right. It is trivial. I had it made so this day would be memorable. If you see here, there are our names. See?â
The rings had each of their names, âIan Pageâ and âHiley Greenriverâ engraved on the inner loops. It was an âanniversary ringâ like she had said.
âAre you asking me to put in on now?â
âI..no..No!â the princess replied, surprised at Ianâs direct question. âIf you just carried it around with youâŠâ
Despite her response, Ian slipped on the silver ring on his finger despite her reply.
He slipped in on the fourth finger of his left hand, rather than the right hand where he had his Morgian ring on his second finger.
âHe put the ring on his ring fingerâŠâ
Princess Hiley blushed without realizing it. She couldnât help it. It meant a lot, putting a ring on the fourth finger of the left hand. It was where you wore your engagement ring.
âThis ring is a little big.â Ian commented.
Of course, he had no clue about any of this. As far as he was concerned, it was useless knowing all the culture and trends of royalty. He just didnât like having two rings on his right hand.
He also didnât like putting on all of his rings on the second fingers on both of his hands. Wearing a ring on his middle finger was a little weird, and wearing it on his thumb was uncomfortable. And the ring was too big for his pinkie. That was the only reason.
âI get the ring, but what is with the book?â
ââŠâ
âYour Highness?â
âThe ringâŠâ
âPrincess?â
âAh, yes!â
The princess replied, jerking back from her thoughts. She coughed, her cheeks red from excitement and embarrassment.
âSo.. so this book isâŠâ the princess stuttered. She took a deep breath to calm herself.
âWhooâŠ!â Well, this book is a journal that I found in the palace storage a while ago. Someoneâs diaries were put together into a history record, to be exact,â she explained as Ian flipped over the pages. It really was a diary like she said, each starting with the year and date. But he noticed something was strange.
âEmpire Year 221?â
It was currently Empire Year 508.
That meant it was a diary from nearly 221 years ago.
âWhose diary is this? â
âIt was one of my ancestorâs.â
That meant the writer would have been part of the royal family. Someone of the royal family from 300 years ago.
âThe writer was the first of the royal family to be born with magical powers, and the first owner of the blue robe that you were passed down.
Her explanation was more than enough.
She was talking of the Great Magician, the first ever from the royal family, and had gone up his way to be an Owner of the Ivory Tower.
Mitchell Greenriver.
It was his diary.
âI read through it first, and there were a lot of stories I thought you might be interested in. Especially from this part if you see hereâŠâ
Ian speedily read through the pages the princess picked out for him. And yes, it was quite interesting.
How?
The reason was simple.
âItâs the period the robe was made.â
The records from the four years of Empire Year 223 to Empire Year 227 was basically the âtime recordâ of when the Blue Robe, the artifact of Mitchell Greenriver that Ian had been passed down, had been made and produced.
âAs I was reading this, I felt that it could be of help to you than myselfâŠ. Thatâs why I brought it to you as a gift.â
âDoes this not belong to the palace?â
âI can lend it to you like I did with the robe. The term will beâŠâ Princess Hiley thought for a moment. âUntil the day our relationship ends as a tutor and student?â
âI will borrow it gladly.â
He liked the gift very much.
âA time record of the making of an artifact, huh?â
He just happened to have the silk, a material that was thought to be used to create artifacts. It was natural for him to be particularly interested in this, especially since he had the material.
âIf I could create an artifact of my own that I wantedâŠâ
AÂ customized artifact just for its user. He had thought of this for a brief moment when he had received the silk, but it was now more realistic.
âThis would help me if with any challenges I have in the future.â
Ian was facing the problem with the dragons, but they were stronger than him. He had to grow in his abilities to even be equal to them. It was even better if he had a strong Artifact along with growing in his abilities.
âThis is an unexpected benefit.â
Ian looked at the princess.
Maybe it was because he liked the gift.
The princess looked even more radiant.
âYour Highness.â
âYes, Teacher?â
âWill you hold my hands for a moment?â
âYour.. your hands sir?â The princess stuttered at his sudden request. Why was he asking her to hold his hands all of a sudden? She knew he had no filter, but things were progressing a little too quickly.
âThis is not a good place to learn the Respiration Method. There are a lot of eyes watching, too. I know a good place, so let us go there.â
âOhâŠ!â The princess finally understood.
She had only heard rumors of Ianâs teleportation abilities.
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It seemed like he was about to perform his teleportation magic.
âWhat was I thinkingâŠâ Princess Hiley thought, shaking her head in disbelief.
Shyly, she reached out her right hand.
âYou might get a little dizzy. Just to let you know.â
Their hands met, and that moment, a stream of white light swallowed them up.