"Sorry, Master, you know I didn't mean to worry you; however, I can't help it! If you were suddenly reborn in a new world, wouldn't you also wish to explore it? Besides, it's not like I'm necessarily weak, and most beasts that can easily kill me are land animals; as long as I stay high in the trees, I'll be fine." Said Alexander as he attempted to justify his reason to Lavender while flexing his child-like arm, though he instantly quieted down when she started at him.
"Not weak? That is probably the funniest thing you've said in the five years you've been in this world; maybe compared to your past life, you're not weak, but here, in this world, even a worker ant could kill you with ease." Said Lavender with an angry and amused expression as she stared at Alexander.
Hearing her say that even a worker ant could easily kill me shocked me, and I found it hard to believe; how could something several times smaller than my current finger kill me? Nonetheless, I believed Master, but it wasn't only because she's never lied to me; it was because my eyes are capable of seeing through all falsehoods, that included verbal lies.
Though what I didn't know was that Master and I were thinking about two different types of worker ants; the ants I was thinking of were the tiny ones from the earth, where not even ten thousand would be enough to take down a five-year-old child. Yet the ones Master was talking about were colossal ants the size of large cars and powerful enough to dig through entire mountains within a day, but of course, I wouldn't know of this for years to come.
"Haa, look, Alexander, I know you want to learn and explore this new world, but unlike the Earth you originated from, everyone here isn't the same strength, nor is it as peaceful. I don't want you to think I'm against you exploring the forest; I just don't want my only disciple getting killed because he was being foolish and accidentally wandered into a powerful beast's territory." Explained Lavender with a sigh as she reached forward and affectionately rubbed Alexanders' head.
"Anyways, since this isn't the first time I've had this lecture with you, you and I know it also won't be the last, so I suppose it's about as good a time as ever to start training you. If you wish to leave this forest someday and explore what this beautiful and dangerous world has to offer, you will need to be strong; otherwise, you'll be killed before you even know it, and I'm sure neither of us wants that." Remarked Lavender as she reached down and picked up Alexander before exiting the house.
Hearing that Master finally agreed to teach me, I couldn't be any happier; I'd been waiting years for this moment. In the past, I would constantly ask Master, but she always responded with a no, saying, "I'm too young to start training" or "If you wish to train so bad, go do some pushups". Not like I don't have a workout routine, but since I'm still a child, while I do gain the benefits from working out, they don't physically show, so I still look like an average, healthy child. Nonetheless, ever since I reincarnated, I've been waiting for this moment to finally be able to wield a form of energy thought to be merely fictional; granted, when I use [Hero's Gaze], I already use mana, though it's more of a subconscious action.
And speaking of reincarnation, as you can already tell, Master knows I'm a reincarnated soul with memories from their past life, though I didn't tell her since it's like an unspoken rule that you don't talk about your past life. Then again, Master found out all on her own; I don't exactly know when she found out because every time I ask her about it, she'll merely smile at me and ignore my question; however, I'm pretty sure she learned about it all those years ago when I had that uncomfortable feeling as if she was reading me like a book.
Still, when Master first brought up that conversation, I nearly shat myself in shock, which wouldn't have been uncharacteristic considering I was only two when that talk happened.
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"Master, isn't this piece of meat a bit big?" Questioned the childish Alexander, sitting at the table with a plate of meat and vegetables while Lavender sat opposite him, eating from her own plate of food.
"Just use the knife to cut it; besides, you're an omnivore, and you need a balanced diet of meat and plants so you can grow up big and strong, unlike me, who is a herbivore." Replied Lavender while she ate from her plate, which consisted of various fruits and vegetables.
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"Um, how do you use the knife?" Asked Alexander while holding the sharp part of the knife.
"Are you telling me you've never used a knife before? I find that very hard to believe, coming from someone who still has memories from their past life." Said Lavender with doubt, though her words caused Alexander's eyes to open wide in disbelief.
"Oh, don't give me that look, Alexander. Did you really think I, your Master, didn't know you were reincarnated? I hope you don't take me for a fool." Added Lavender, finding Alexanders' shocked expression amusing.
"Y-You don't hate me, Master?" Asked Alexander quietly, full of nervousness and anxiety after regaining his bearings.
"Please do tell me why I would hate you, Alexander. I've known you were a reincarnated soul for quite some time, so it's not like I just found out or anything." Replied Lavender with a light smile and a shake of the head.
"I-I just thought that you might find it disgusting that you've been taking care of a grown man and not a child this entire time." Said Alexander quietly as his childish demeanor dimmed.
"Well then, Alexander, how old were you when you died?"
"Um, 22." Replied Alexander, even quieter than before, worried that his and Lavender's ages were too close for comfort, considering she looked exceptionally young while he didn't know her actual age.
"Hehe, Hahahaha!" Lavenders said as her light chuckle turned into full-blown laughter.
"M-Master, i-it's not funny!" Exclaimed Alexander, on the verge of tears, as even though he has the mind of an adult, his child's body dramatically affects his behavior.
"Hahaha. I apologize, Alexander, but I couldn't help it; you were worrying over nothing this entire time! How old do you think I am, Alexander?" Asked Lavender with a large smile after finally managing to calm down.
"Umm, I don't know, you look really young, so maybe 23?" Answered Alexander as he wiped the tears that had formed in his eyes.
"You're not too far off; just multiply that by 100, and that's roughly my age." Said Lavender, her words causing Alexanders' eyes to open again in shock.
"You're 2,300 years old!? You're super old!" Exclaimed Alexander in shock, though he suddenly felt his body shiver from the piercing glare Lavender gave him.
"You should know it's rude to call a woman old, Alexander. It seems like you're going to have to re-learn your manners. However, I'll save that for when we finish eating; for now, tell me about the world you originate from." Stated Lavender with a dangerous look in her eye before she returned to normal.
"Y-Yes, I-I'll tell you everything you want to know!" Replied Alexander in fright, while hoping lunch never ends.
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After telling her everything I could remember about Earth, she punished me with a spanking, and ever since then, I've never once dared to mention her age.
"Alright, Alexander, since this will be the first Magic lesson, it'll just be an introduction to magic, and while other children may find it challenging to comprehend magic, I'm sure it'll be much easier for you." Said Lavender as she set Alexander down in the large clearing while walking before him.
"Now then, magic, also more commonly known as mana, is a form of energy present inside every living being; some have more mana than others, while some have less; however, no matter what, a living being will always have mana. Mana is also present everywhere in the atmosphere, though similar to living beings, some places will be more mana dense, while others will not be as dense." Explained Lavender as she expelled vapor from her hands which consisted of two colors, blue and brown.
"Mana comes in various attributes or elements, as Mages call them; the four most common forms of mana elements are wind, earth, fire, and water. There are other elements, such as time, space, life, death, and neutral; if you want to go even deeper, I can start talking about the sub-division of elements or the combing of natural elements to create new elements, but we'll leave that for a later date." Explained Lavender as she looked at Alexander to make sure he was following along, which he was.
"I'm assuming people can be born with elements that they are more naturally attuned with than other elements?" Asked Alexander, once again relying on his game logic, which has surprisingly not completely failed him yet.
"You're correct; people can be born with a mana element that they naturally have a deep affinity with, though that isn't always the case, as most people are born having no affinity." Said Lavender with a nod.
"What about you, Master? You said you're a mage, so that must mean you have an affinity with a specific element." Asked Alexander curiously.
"Yep, and luckily, I was born with two elements I was deeply attuned with, the Earth element and Water Element." Stated Lavender as she raised both her hands to her side; the ground just below her right arm formed a water pillar, while the same happened to her left arm, but it was an earth pillar instead.
"WOAH! Awesome!" Exclaimed Alexander in wonder as he looked at Lavender, causing the Dryad to feel a sense of pride in how her disciple looked at her.