CHAPTER 61

THE WORLD OF ADULTS

  Every mage knew that mastering the Mana Discharge ability was crucial, but for Hans, the traditional way of acquiring the technique left him uncertain. It was the second day of his tutelage under Delimira, she roughly explained to him what mana discharge was but all her words flew way above his head because another thought had occupied his mind the whole time.

  Sitting with his temporary teacher, Delimira, in their usual training spot, Hans couldn't shake his restlessness. Yet again he remembered Aredhel's words about her exile and, in a moment of stupidity, he asked the uncomfortable question.

Mind if I ask what led to your mother's exile?

  Delimira rewarded him with an indifferent expression. The reason for her mother's exile was not a secret, but it was not something she wanted to discuss lightly. After a moment of silence and his unrelenting gaze, she decided to give him a brief explanation.

My mother defied Elven Laws and was exiled for it.

  Hans had already guessed as much, but he wanted to know the specifics. Did she refuse to fight for the elves in the war as Walter said back then, or was it something else entirely? that pissed her people off. He struggled to decide, and his confusion was etched on his face.

Finally, he lifted his head and locked eyes with Delimira. "Just why?" he asked, his words tinged with curiosity and a deep desire to know the answer.

Delimira looked at him, confusion etched on her face. "Since when did you get interested in my personal affairs?" she asked, her eyes looking directly into his.

"I can't sleep if I don't satisfy my curiosity," Hans replied instantly, his eyes still fixed on hers.

"Then happy insomnia to you. Now, can we focus on why we are here?" Delimira shrugged him off with these words, her tone curt and businesslike.

  Hans didn't quite understand Delimira's behaviour towards him. Despite claiming to be interested in being his friend, she always seemed to be pushing him away, bailing out like she was forcing herself around him. He always sensed an ulterior motive hidden behind her sincerity but it was not like she would spill the beans herself if he asked nicely. Instead of pushing the matter any further, he turned his attention back to the reason he was with her in the training field.

  Without skipping a beat, Delimira quickly assumed her role as Hans's tutor and flashed a book in his direction. "My mother suggested this book. It's so easy that even a mule could learn Mana discharge from it. You're smart enough to figure it out on your own, aren't you?" she said, her tone still curt and dismissive.

  Hans took the book, feeling a sense of disappointment wash over him. He had hoped that Delimira would show him a demonstration or provide some guidance, but she had simply given him a book and left, adding a mockery on top of it. He watched as she walked away, feeling a bit frustrated.

  With a long sigh, he opened the book, only to find that it was a huge disappointment. The book solely focused on Mana heart, a foundation for mages that he never had. He laughed at himself for expecting too much, but he knew that he had to make the most of what he had been given. After all, he didn't want to face the smart mockery of Aredhel if he failed to learn the technique.

  For the next two hours, Hans immersed himself in the book, absorbing every bit of information that he could. It was a dry read, and he struggled to stay focused at times, but he persevered. By the time he finished the book, he had a basic understanding of Mana Heart, at least how it worked for normal mages.

  He packed up the book and headed back to his dorm, exhausted and tired only to be greeted by his roommate who was walking practically naked after a shower. Despite having repeatedly asked him not to do so, Chris didn't seem to care.

"Hey, how many times do I have to tell you not to walk naked here?" Hans grumbled in annoyance.

Chris turned to him, still drying his hair with a towel.

"Why, we're both men here. Wait, you're not a man yet, right?" he teased.

Hans was too tired to argue, so he let out a deep sigh and said,

Just give it a rest.

But Chris was energised from his shower and wasn't about to stop teasing him.

You're just jealous of my muscles, buddy. And don't you see the towel?

  Hans couldn't help but feel a little envious. Despite having the strength from consuming mana beasts his entire life, he didn't have the muscle mass to show for it. He was forgetting the fact that he was just ten at the moment and comparing himself with a fourteen-year-old, knight discipline student.

Chris continued to speak after noticing Hans turn silent, feeling bad about touching a sensitive topic. He tried to offer some words of encouragement, saying,

You're still growing, buddy. Cheer up.

Hans remained quiet for a moment, then remembered the question he wanted to ask Chris.

"Hey, you spent quite some time in Clandor, right?" he inquired.

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Chris nodded.

Yeah, I did. What's up?

"What's the deal with Professor Aredhel being an exile?" Hans asked.

Chris, who always felt like a person with a loose tongue, hesitated for a moment before responding,

It's not my place to share, buddy. But let's just say it's all for show. She can come and go as she pleases, but she has to keep up appearances.

Hans nodded in understanding,

Yeah, that makes sense. It would be crazy for Clandorians to exile someone as wealthy as her.

Chris quickly changed the subject, trying to lighten the mood by teasing Hans,

So, how was it? Deli is a terrible teacher, right?

Hans replied with annoyance,

Terrible, terrible... she is... She just threw the book in my face and left.

Chris didn't believe him and said,

Naah, you must be exaggerating.

Hans corrected himself,

Okay, okay, she didn't throw it, she just gave it to me and said a mule is smart enough to learn from this.

Chris teased him again,

Wow, she said that? You must be high in her eyes.

Hans looked annoyed again, but Chris chuckled and tried to reassure him,

Take it easy, man. It means she really thinks you're smart enough to grasp that complicated technique on your own.

Hans wasn't convinced and with thinned eyes, he said to his talking friend,

Chris, sometimes I wonder how you survived in Clandor with that mind of yours. If I fail to learn this then I'm basically worse than a mule to her.

Chris thought for a moment and replied,

Hmm, yeah, she could have probably meant that.

Hans let out a frustrated sigh and held the book up to Chris.

This is useless to me. Did you master Mana Discharge, or as they call it in the Knights, Aura Burst?

Chris grinned.

Yeah, I've got it down. Your big bro's a pro.

Hans's eyes lit up.

Then show me!

Chris hesitated.

I don't know, buddy. It's not exactly appropriate to do here.

Hans rolled his eyes.

Come on, no one will know. I'll show you mine when I can.

Chris cringed, and shouted,

don't say it like that

Hans looked at him, confused.

What? I just want to see yours first.

Chris took a deep breath and walked up to Hans, holding his shoulders. Unconsciously finding himself in a situation he wanted to avoid, he said,

Hans, my friend, before you start worrying about mastering Mana Discharge, you should work on your communication skills.

Hans looked confused, so Chris added,

Let's work on making you a man first.

Hans perked up at the prospect of learning something new and asked,

What, what's that?

Chris assumed the role of a senior guiding a junior and gestured toward the ceiling as if wiping something in the air.

"It's about the world of men and women," he said.

Hans sighed, removing Chris's hand from his shoulders and replied,

The world only has males and females, what's your point?

Chris chuckled at his friend's ignorance and asked,

Ah, my dear friend, how do you think babies are made?

Hans was taken aback and stumbled over his words,

You marry a girl and then… shit, I really don't know. But how is it related to this?

  Ignoring his friend's question, Chris searched for something besides his bed. It didn't take him long and he found what he was looking for - a novel that was passed down from seniors to juniors. Hans had no idea about it, having been absent most of the time.

With a snicker, Chris handed the book to Hans and said,

Welcome to the world of adults, my friend.

Hans asked,

What's this?

"The answer to your every question, a gift from our seniors - To your Hand in the Dark Night," Chris replied, chuckling to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

  Hans felt uncomfortable and peculiar while reading, as new things kept flooding his mind. The words and actions he did not know were settling in his innocent mind, burning his face in red blush. He stopped several times but somehow kept coming back to the book, and the night passed. Finally, he understood what he had done to Rudolf many times back in the Ghost Isles; walking into his room, spoiling his nights just to see him annoyed. Many thoughts were running wild, corrupting his innocent mind.

Chris opened his eyes early in the morning, rubbing his eyes only to find Hans staring at him closely, with bloodshot eyes and dishevelled hair. Startled, Chris shouted at him, "What the...you scared me, you son of a...!"

Hans said to Chris with a serious tone,

You degenerate bastard, what did you give me?

Chris forgot his shock and burst into laughter,

See I told you, it is far more important to know than mana discharge, right?

Hans neither acknowledged nor denied it, but he replied to Chris,

We should burn this damn book. It's...it's wrong.

Chris jumped out of bed and snatched the novel from Hans's hand. He yelled,

This is the treasure passed down from our seniors. Don't you dare do something to it, unless you want to make enemies of the entire male student body, I mean the entire Concordia. Got it?

  Hans turned away from him and stumbled into the lecture hall, way earlier than the starting time. Every girl he laid eyes on reminded him of the illustrations and racy content from the novel. He found it difficult to look at any of them without turning beet red.

  He arrived early to avoid the crowds and slumped into his seat, hoping to catch some much-needed sleep. The extra time he had earned before the class flashed by and he was awoken by a strong fragrance that permeated the room. The scent of Delimira's soap mixed with his already foggy mind made it difficult for him to breathe. Last night's revelations had shaken him to his core.

Delimira turned to Chris and asked,

What's wrong with him?

Chris snickered and replied,

He read something unbelievable last night

Delimira scoffed and said,

Oh come on, that's elementary knowledge.

Chris continued to chuckle and said,

Yeah, it was definitely elementary.

  Hans didn't have the energy to argue with them. He just wanted to clear his mind. He never thought he would be so desperate for a professor to arrive early, but now he was practically begging for someone to come and distract his corrupted mind.

***