Tafel leaned back and exhaled. A frown appeared on her face as she looked up at the ceiling. “What exactly are we doing here?” she mumbled and stretched her feet out, resting them on the stone block in front of her, almost knocking over the stone tablet.

“You’re studying,” Stella said. She was sitting on Vur’s shoulder, braiding his hair three strands at a time. As for Vur, he was studying hard too with his eyes wide open and his brain turned off.

“But for what?” Tafel asked and sat up. She pursed her lips, staring at the stacks of stone tablets which were off to the side. “I’ve already memorized the alphabet of seven different languages, but is that useful? I can read words out loud, but I won’t even know what they mean.”

“Words have power,” Stella said and shrugged. “Besides, if you know the alphabet, you can recognize if a forgotten language is present in a dungeon or ruin. Then, you can always bring Grimmy’s parents as translators later.”

Tafel sighed. “I just feel like I’m wasting my time right now.”

Stella rolled her eyes. “You’re the one who insisted on staying and begged Grimmy’s mom to teach you what she was teaching Ramon and Gloria.”

“I didn’t beg!” Tafel said and crossed her arms. “I asked her very politely.” She lowered her arms and sighed. “I thought they’d learn more … useful things, you know? Spells or strange abilities or ways to improve their strength.”

Stella blinked at Tafel. “You know magical beasts inherit all their spells from their imprints, right?” she asked. “It’s like how you didn’t have to work hard to learn to manipulate phoenix flames.”

“Yeah, but I can’t create an area of fire where I can freely burst and unburst into flames,” Tafel said. “Minerva can do that; heck, even Vur can do that, and he’s not even imprinted by a phoenix.”

“You should really stop comparing yourself to Vur,” Stella said and brushed away a strand of hair. She frowned at the braid she had just created and tugged at it until it loosened. “Didn’t you see how Vur manhandled that cursed dragon just now? He’s strong even compared to other dragons, and you’re not even strong enough to beat a dragon yet.” Stella raised her head. “No, that’s not right. You should be able to beat Gloria or Ramon.”

“Don’t worry,” Emile said from his new resting spot in the wall, which had been created by Vur’s laser beam during his fight with Gren. “In a few hundred years, you’ll be able to use Mom’s skill also, and when that time comes, I bet you won’t have any problems defeating a dragon like Grimmy.” He tilted his head. “Okay, not Grimmy. Maybe Prika? I’m not sure, but Prika seems like she’s the weakest adult dragon out there.”

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“Definitely Prika,” Susan said and nodded. “If she were stronger, do you think she’d still be single? She’d copy Sera and kidnap a mate for herself.”

“I’m pretty sure Vernon isn’t with Sera against his will,” Tafel said and rolled her eyes. “Besides, I don’t want to wait hundreds of years.”

“Strength is accumulated over time,” Diamant said from the brown runes on Vur’s arm. “The strongest elementals are generally the oldest ones. The strongest dragons are the older ones. Even humans and demons tend to follow this rule. Of course, there are exceptions, but you aren’t that exceptional.”

“Thanks,” Tafel said and pursed her lips. “It’s always nice to hear I’m just average.”

“No, no,” Stella said and glanced at Vur’s arm. “Shut up, Deedee. Go figure out your relationship problems before giving advice to people.” She raised her head and nodded at Tafel. “You’re pretty exceptional, aren’t you? You became an SSS-ranked adventurer when you were just a kid. Your handling of portals is completely unfair; do you see other time mages playing with portals all willy-nilly like you? No, you don’t.” Stella flew over and patted Tafel’s head. “You’re really strong, top-class amongst humans and demons, but Vur’s an anomaly. He’s the brainchild of multiple dragons working together to turn a human into a dragon.”

Tafel lowered her head and stared at the ground. “Do any of you think I’ll ever become as strong as Vur?”

Susan and Emile exchanged glances with one another. The glowing brown runes on Vur’s arm flickered before dimming. Stella cleared her throat and flew back onto Vur’s shoulder. A sun-like rune lit up on Vur’s shoulder. “I-I believe you can do it.”

Tafel raised her head. “Really?”

“If you try really, really, really hard,” Sheryl said, the runes flashing red as she spoke. “It’d help if you entered a place where time moved faster, so you could train for ten years in there while Vur only had one year to sleep out here.”

“Do places like that exist?” Tafel asked.

“I haven’t heard of any,” Sheryl said, “but I haven’t traveled very far. And if a place like that doesn’t exist, why can’t you make one? You’re a time mage! I’m sure you’ll figure it out if you put your mind to it.”

Tafel’s brow furrowed, and she chewed on her lower lip. She hadn’t thought about it before, but Sheryl’s plan didn’t sound too unrealistic. If she asked all the time mages to come together and pitch in, a place like that could really come into fruition.

There was a knocking sound, and Tafel turned her head to the side. Not too long after, the wall slid open, and Gloria poked her head inside. She glanced around and patted her chest when she saw Vur’s snot bubble. She had heard about the fate her grandma suffered when Vur was rudely awoken. “Tafel,” Gloria said in a whisper. “Grandma’s going to take me and Ramon into the evil-sealing tower. She told me to ask you if you wanted to come, and if you do, bring Vur with you.”

“Evil-sealing tower?” Tafel asked. “Is that for your education?”

“Yes,” Gloria said and nodded. “You should come. I’m a little scared to go with just me and Ramon.”

Tafel scratched her head. “Alright.” She reached over and popped Vur’s snot bubble with her finger. She wiped the snot residue on his chest. “Vur, we’re going on an educational adventure.”