Chapter 40 - Meeting a Demi-Human (Part 1)

We were introduced to our teacher, Adrihna, a High Elf. My mother and Aunt Margie told us to be respectful to her, as she was the daughter of an important Duke in the Kingdom of Nemesia, the homeland of the Elves and High Elves. Our teacher was also nearly 200 years old, and they warned us about her peculiar ways.

My mother and Aunt Margie explained that unlike other races, High Elves live much longer, reaching up to 300 years of age, unlike regular elves. Their skin is also much paler, and they differ not only from regular elves but from all of us. High Elves have a low sensitivity to emotions, meaning they are less emotional and don't care much about others' feelings. When she said she could have packed her bags and left if she didn’t feel like training us, she meant it. High Elves, besides being less emotional, live long lives, so they naturally disregard social protocols because they can return home and stay away for 30 years, and when they come back, the nobility will have already changed leaders.

High Elves are also very wealthy due to their lineage of powerful and important people who have accumulated wealth over many years, so money doesn’t buy their attention. They don’t care about money or feelings; we can say High Elves are selfish by nature. They are not bad beings; on the contrary, they don’t do these things because they want to or feel superior; it’s just their nature. You can’t expect someone to cry if they don’t feel like crying or laugh if they don’t feel like laughing. They know how to be social, but they have a greater perception of time than others, which further influences their nature. They also only reproduce among themselves, as they are a less numerous species.

When a High Elf in the past got involved with a human, it resulted in the creation of regular elves who have human emotions, although these regular elves live the same lifespan as humans due to their human genes.

“Did you know I always stay in the same room every time I come here? It’s the exact same suite… only the staff changes,” our teacher said.

We were a bit nervous and followed her towards her room. Before starting the practice, she said we first had to learn a bunch of theoretical rules, and she would read our mana to see what suited us best.

“Professor, do you really have many years?” I asked.

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In my old world, people didn’t live that long, so knowing that there are people who actually live up to 300 years here is quite incredible.

“I have almost two centuries of life. Why? Don’t I look it?” she asked, laughing as she put a pipe in her mouth.

I looked at her more closely as we walked beside her. She wore stylish black gloves, but what caught my attention the most was her purple eye.

“Is that really a Special Eye?” I asked.

She stopped and touched her monocle.

“Yes. With this eye, I’ve trained many mages who became powerful,” she told us.

“What does your eye do?” Chloe asked.

Adrihna scratched her chin.

“Let’s say it reads and understands the pathways of your mana. This will help me design a special training regimen tailored to your mana pathways so you can focus on making your mana flow through the most suitable channels for your type of magic. Training magic without a good teacher is like walking with your feet tied… you might get lucky and learn to understand your mana pathways, but with this eye, I can see exactly what works for a mage,” she said, then continued walking.

Interesting… could it be related to seeing those colorful particles in people when we awaken the Gem? Can she see where the particles accumulate and flow?

“Professor, I thought those who awakened Special Eyes got both eyes,” I said.

She stopped walking.

“I was born with only one Special Eye, possibly because I was a twin. My brother also has a single Special Eye. It didn’t make much difference; I see normally. I just ended up with different colored eyes,” she explained.

Wow! So that’s possible? That’s very interesting.

“Does his eye do the same thing as yours?” Chloe asked.

“No. Each eye is unique and has its own exclusive power. His allows him to know when someone is lying.”

Knowing when someone is lying...

Athena appeared beside me.

“Remember when you used a similar power to see through my lies?” Athena asked.

We agreed never to mention certain events from the past, didn’t we? Leave it alone, and I’ll give you some attention from time to time like you asked, so you won’t feel lonely.

“I didn’t mean any harm… just wanted to mention a nostalgic fact…” she said.

I ignored the goddess and continued following the teacher.

“I imagine your brother must be an excellent politician,” I said.

“That guy is tough to deal with precisely because no one can deceive him,” she said.

“Professor, but if everyone knew the secret of his eye, wouldn’t that render it useless?”

She laughed.

“Nobody in the world knows the secret of my brother’s eye except me, my family, the royal family… and you two, of course,” she said.

I was surprised to hear that.

“Why did you tell us?” Chloe asked.

“Because I know the family of assassins can keep a good secret. I had some secrets I needed to hide, and your grandfather helped me,” she said.

She knows? She knows about the organization?

Chloe and I exchanged glances.

“Don’t worry; I know the secret of your family, so it’s safe to share some things with me,” she reassured us.