Chapter 9

"Come on, come in and sit down, honey." My father encouraged me to come in with a big smile on his face.

With somewhat hesitant steps, I entered Dad's office, looking at him with my head slightly bowed, anxious, playing with my little fingers. Dad, who at first looked happy about my unexpected visit, was naturally surprised by my behavior.

“What’s wrong, my daughter? Is something wrong?”

"Father...well...good morning...how are you?" I hesitated, not knowing how to say it, and ended up wanting to think about the matter.

—Oh, I'm fine, good morning… And you? —He raised an eyebrow as he responded with a weak smile.

"GOOD…."

So we sat there for a few seconds in awkward silence. Then...

“Ummm…Ekaterina, I think you have something to tell me?”

"Hey...? Oh, yeah... I... well... hmmm..."

I tried to tell him, but the fear of how he'd react to what I was asking made me shudder. If he had a heart attack... I wouldn't forgive myself.

Maybe I'm exaggerating, but...

“Ekaterina… if you find it difficult to tell me what you think, don’t force yourself. You can tell me later, when you’re ready. Until then, how about you sit on my lap? Dad isn’t that busy anyway… we can have a nice father-daughter talk~”

“….“

Even I know that's a lie, Father. Do you think I can't see the mountain of documents on your desk? That same mountain that covers you until only your head is visible to me?

Invent something more believable.

Taking a deep breath after hearing his reassuring words while deciding to ignore his blatant lie, I gather my courage and look him straight in the eyes once again with some doubt in mine, but with as much expression as I can muster while speaking.

“Father… I want a magic tutor.”

…I tried to sound serious, but it's hard to take even myself seriously with my cute doll voice... Maybe I should just settle for just getting it out of the way, while I simply wait for the response from the handsome blond man who blinks in momentary confusion at me.

No wonder he was confused. After all, I haven't yet taken the test to prove I have the mana manipulation talent necessary to become a mage. Therefore, for many, such a request was pointless and a waste of money.

Also, as far as I know from memory fragments, I never had any interest in magic.

Luckily, my dad was a huge fan of his daughter (sounds bad, but it's true). He was only stunned for a few seconds before smiling fondly at me, seemingly without any intention of asking why I want this.

"Huh? Oh... sure, I'll call a magic tutor to teach you, if that's what my little girl wants."

My father may not understand why I suddenly became interested in magic after my miraculous recovery (from his perspective), but it clearly didn't bother him much.

For him, if his beloved daughter wanted to learn, so be it. Of course, he must be considering that my tutor has to be a woman. But no, I can't accept that.

It has to be Arthur! It's for the good of the world!

—No, Father. I want to choose my own guardian.

I shake my head and say, looking at him with my golden eyes full of determination, emphasizing the tutor. Father, of course, was surprised by my attitude.

And obviously, he noticed my deliberate choice of the word guardian, rather than guardian.

"When you say guardian... do you mean he's still a man?" he asked with hesitation in his voice, as if he wanted to deny it, his face turning slightly pale, trying to maintain his kind smile towards me.

Playing dumb, I reply, “Yes? Of course it has to be a man… specifically, a young prodigy you might know. His name is Arthur. I’ve heard he’s very good at teaching magic to young nobles like myself… Father!”

I stopped as I spoke and looked at him in concern and dismay.

That's because Dad was hyperventilating due to a sudden panic attack!

Oh man! My daughter specifically asks for a man's teachings over a woman's! N-no way she... she!

…At least that’s what I assumed he was thinking based on his expression.

As I nervously tried to approach him, my father fell unconscious onto the desk, sending documents flying everywhere, and I screamed in fear.

"Father!"

Yes... It was a bad idea!

♦♦♦♦

The Dranalian Duchy was turned upside down when it was learned that Duke Astaroth had fainted at a scandalous request from his youngest daughter.

The servants and knights gossiped amongst themselves about what was going on, and the few spies who barely managed to infiltrate as the lowest echelon of servants (So low was their number that they were like an endangered species) sent the news back to the noble families they served; leaving them wondering what request was so outrageous that it made him lose consciousness as the word quickly spread through high society.

Ekaterina, besides being the youngest daughter of the powerful duke, was also disparagingly known as the weak and sickly princess of the Dranalian family. Many mocked her and her sister for being the daughters of a woman of corrupted lineage who, in their opinion, would ultimately lead the ancient ducal family to ruin with her very existence.

Not that anyone would dare say that out loud, given the instances of revenge orchestrated by Duke Astaroh for every small offense to his loved ones.

Leaving lasp aside, Princess Ekaterina recently came back into the spotlight of high society due to the scandalous incident in which her alleged Wyrven sighting ruined her sister's tea party, causing something of a stir among the northern nobility.

Although the Dranalian family and their servants took it seriously, the rest of the nobles saw the incident as the foolishness of a stupid girl.

And now, that same girl is back in the spotlight for making her own father faint over some unacceptable request. This made many click their tongues, feeling even more certain that Dranalian's future was its imminent downfall at the hands of those young women.

Unless, of course, the Duke decided to place another child as his official heir, but many already knew the chance of that happening was extremely slim, if not nonexistent.

Anyway, one thing that was on everyone's mind upon hearing this news was... What kind of request did that weak and stupid princess make that would make even the Duke, her father, faint?

“What do you think about that, sensei? You know, about the princess of the north.”

In the middle of a mansion's beautiful garden, an enthusiastic young noblewoman with ash-gray hair asked the intellectual-looking young noblewoman with brown hair sitting opposite her, her attitude was that of a gossip who wants to chat heatedly about someone else's life.

“About what princess, Patricia Ojou-sama?” the young man replied, not very interested in the topic as he continued eating his food with a look of indifference on his handsome face.

The simple action of cutting into the meat of his spicy sauce-covered chicken and bringing it to his lips with a fork seemed extremely refined and elegant, with a dignified posture that made him look like a living work of art.

Unsatisfied with his answer, young Patricia slid both arms across the table, puffing out her cheeks as she leaned indecorously against it, looking at him with her beautiful amethyst eyes while pouting her lips.

“He talked about the youngest princess of Dranalian, Ekaterina!” she exclaimed in a shrill voice. “The one who recently made that all-powerful demon-slaying duke faint with just a request!”

"Oh, really?" the young man continued, unconcerned, finishing his chicken, taking a cup of tea and drinking it.

—Yes! She asked me what request would make that terrible Duke, who can make even demons tremble with his power, collapse from the impact? That I might have been so bad that he couldn't bear it!? Don't tell me... She told you she wants to marry a homeless man!?

“…How did you come to that conclusion, Patricia Ojou-sama?” Hearing and processing such nonsense, the young man couldn’t help but ask in surprise after almost spitting out what he drank while lowering the cup in his hand, looking with an absurd gaze at the noble lady who proposed such a crazy idea with the tone of a conspiracy theorist.

He adjusted his glasses with one hand as his eyes trembled.

You know that girl never left home and is only 12 years old, right? Why would you come up with something so ridiculous? Are you an idiot!?

Her look was that of someone who had gone mad upon hearing her have such thoughts. Oblivious to this and having gotten her attention, the young woman continued enthusiastically as if it were a real possibility and not a silly idea.

—But it's the only thing that could be so outrageous as to make the Duke faint! No!? Think about it, sensei. It can't be that she asked him for a pet demon or something, or that she told him she'd be part of a newly formed cult... The only thing that could make such a famous nobleman crumble, then, would be his daughter chasing love with a homeless man!

His enthusiasm grew with every word and his eyes shone as if he had discovered the greatest mystery in the world.

She seemed to have imagined it: the youngest princess meets a dirty but charming vagabond and they fall in love at first sight.

Filled with longing for that person despite having an existence only better than that of a slave, the girl plucks up courage and asks her father to allow her to marry the man she loves.

The Duke, upon hearing these words, becomes enraged and so shocked that he faints. Naturally, when he wakes up, he punishes the princess for talking nonsense and locks her in her room.

The sad princess cries with sadness, but the tramp magically appears through the window and holds out his hand, saying, "If you are willing to be by my side... take my hand, Ekaterina."

She then, with a smile, will take his hand and they will flee together far from the Duchy, determined to live free away from the nobility, surrendering to their love...

"It's so beautiful!" Patricia exclaimed joyfully, clutching her cheeks, as if what she was saying was the most romantic thing ever.

What the hell is up with this girl…? The young man shook his head in disbelief as he sneered inwardly, before sighing. His expression returned to its former self as he spoke with a bored expression, “Patricia Ojou-sama, rather than bothering yourself with these things, I humbly suggest you concern yourself more with your low chances of success as a magician.”

"Huh?" Patricia exclaimed in bewilderment, cold sweat running down her pretty, round face as she froze at those words. Not caring much, young Arthur the Great von Jairus said unhurriedly and in a professional tone as he picked up the notebook next to his plate with his eyes closed:

"His knowledge of magical theory is appalling. He doesn't know how mana flows through magical circuits or how it's stored, which suggests he wasn't interested in studying the subject enough, thinking that just learning magic was enough and that was it.

He didn't even bother to study the basic history of magic or mana, and his knowledge of the latter was even worse than his understanding of magic circuits. His theoretical foundations of magic are terrible, and while that can be improved with effort in study, he doesn't seem to have the right mindset to be a mage, if I'm honest.

In short, this humble tutor suggests that you stay away from Magic for the rest of your life. Although the control Man exerts over you has proven to be good, I remind you that being a Mage is the same as being a scholar, a scholar, an explorer of mysteries, and an inventor, all at the same time. Since you don't have the right mindset to try to understand the mysteries of this world and commit to improving the technology of the empire... then you will never succeed in this discipline.

"Huh?"

Not giving her time to respond further as he looked at her with his sapphire irises, Arthur continued simply as he placed the notebook in his bag: "Of course, nothing prevents Patricia Ojou-sama from hiring another magic tutor in a possibly futile effort to continue down this path, but that is not my problem. I must say that I truly have no interest in teaching the young lady how to cast magic, so I can only apologize."

“Uh…I…”

“I wish you good luck in your life, but I have to go.”

Without further ado, Arturo rose from his elegant seat and walked toward the garden exit without looking back. Patricia stared at him, wide-eyed as she watched him open the door to leave, and only then did she react, muttering to herself.

“What was that all about? Did he just call me stupid? What's wrong with him? Isn't he a bit too arrogant…? Although, even when he acts like that, he's still a very handsome man… Maybe…”

The fact that she blushed after being literally told to her face that her chances of success in a specific profession were practically zero indicated that this young noblewoman wasn't normal. Or perhaps, the other party was just so attractive that she couldn't help it.

Who can say?

♦♦♦♦

As for the current situation of the Dranalian Duchy… a scream resounded in a large and extremely luxurious room of the palace, filled with reluctance and rejection, as the doctor left the room with an indescribable expression.

“Definitely noooo!”

Lying on the bed in his room while his family stood by his side with awkward or annoyed smiles, Duke Astaroth exclaimed angrily while shaking his head in a rather childish manner.

Ever since his daughter told him she wished for a male Magic tutor, Astaroth felt like he'd gotten the scare of his life. It would have been nice if her tutor had been a dog, but it had to be... A man, it was precisely the man his daughter wanted as a teaching tutor... she even knew his name in advance!

Did you research him? How? And why were you interested in him?

These were the questions that ran through Astaroth's mind non-stop as he told Ekaterina his final answer to her request.

—Father…I… —Ekaterina clearly wanted to protest, although somewhat hesitantly, but Astaroth interrupted her.

“No buts, I can’t accept that!”

“Astaroth, your daughter only wishes to be a good mage! She doesn’t seek a man’s attention!” Mireia looked at her husband with the sternest expression she had given him since their marriage, making him shudder, as she continued, “I did some research and discovered that young Arthur actually had a good record of teaching young nobles, which made them flourish in their talents for magic. The only thing is that he has the infamy of rejecting those who had terrible magical knowledge and little enthusiasm for magic, but that in itself is not necessarily a demerit, especially with Ekaterina’s recent efforts.”

Our little girl studied extensively, not only about the arcane arts but also about magical theories and history. Although it was recent, she demonstrated exceptional intelligence, quickly grasping these subjects and recalling them with ease. In fact, she could recite everything she learned without difficulty.

Leaving aside whether he can win the approval of that exceptional young man…”

“How would you even dare…” Astaroth immediately exclaimed at the mere thought of some random tutor disapproving of his daughter’s magical prowess, but one deadly glare from his wife was all it took to stop him. The fool for his daughter remained silent, both hands clasped over his chest as he feigned calm so as not to anger his wife.

“…As I was saying, leaving aside whether young Arthur refuses to teach our Ekaterina…” The beautiful Duchess ignored Astaroth’s bulging veins at those words as she continued, “Ekaterina’s efforts and intelligence indicate that she could have a good future as a mage. What’s wrong with having the best tutor teach you how to cast spells? Especially since he’s the apprentice of an Archmage with great potential, he can teach our daughter many tricks other mages don’t know if she curry favor.”

“Gaining his favor is a bit of a stretch… First of all, if he’s an Archmage apprentice, why is he wasting his time tutoring? Isn’t he just a swindler? I should just…” Astaroth was still about to complain as he was showing suspicion, but he was interrupted by Claudia, who angrily shouted words at him that made him freeze in place.

—Father! How can you be so mean? Ekaterina wants to be a magician, and you deny her the right to do so out of the stupidest fear. I can't believe Dad is so stupid and mean!

Claudia ignored her father's teary eyes as she turned her head away with a snort and continued, "You're more concerned about your feelings about this than Ekaterina's wishes! Isn't that selfish? How can you be like this? If Father really loves Ekaterina, he should help her fulfill her wish to be his magician, Hmm!"

Without giving him time to recover, Ekaterina decided to strike while the iron was hot and launched her argument as well, albeit in a slightly calmer and perhaps more cautious tone. Her expression didn't change much as she spoke, but a certain anxiety was noticeable.

"Father, I wish to become an incredible mage who can be recorded in history, and only Arthur Magno von Jairo can help me with that. His own experience is undeniable proof of his skills as a teacher, and the fact that he was once apprenticed to an archmage speaks volumes about his talent.

There's so much I can learn from him! Please, Father, don't stop me from achieving what I want because of unfounded fear!

The heartfelt request of his beloved daughter made Astaroth groan in pain and anguish, and with trembling eyes, he finally spoke, staring at the ceiling with the eyes of a dead fish, blurting out the next words as if he were eating raw insects.

“…Okay, we’ll hire Arthur the Great with Jairus as your magic tutor…”

Ekaterina's expression brightened at his words, much to Astaroth's bitterness. He was already regretting what he'd said...

Too much.