I closed the book titled The History of the World, According to our Fathers, and sighed deeply.

"Uhh... Even though this wasn't my first time reading this chapter, why does the narration at the end sound so cringe every time..."

I sighed again and closed the thick book, placing it beside me. That was only the first chapter. Considering how it was only a fraction of the entire thing, I lost all motivation to continue reading.

The other chapters explained various things about the origins of the world, one of them specifically detailing the origins of demi-humans (a variant of the human race that has some bestial features). If I wanted to know more about this I could ask Alene for more information. She finished the book.

Anyways.

----------------------------------------

Flashback.

The day after we celebrated me joining the hero's party, my magic lessons began immediately.

Walking alongside Alene to the designated meeting place, a man in the distance was walking towards us.

"Father!" Alene exclaimed, immediately running towards him, giving the man a big hug.

"Alene, it's good to see you again," he said, patting her head. This softened the girl's timid expression, as a warm smile replaced it.

"You are the new pupil, I assume?" he then said, turning his attention to me.

"Y-Yes, sir. My name is Hisami Enatsu, witch." I said, introducing myself.

Our eyes met. His dark, green eyes stared at me as if he was peering into my soul, looking at my innermost thoughts.

"You have promising potential, young girl. One that could rival dear Alene's here, or perhaps, even surpassing her," he said, stretching out his hand towards me. "My name is Renel Oroland. From now on I will be your instructor in magic, so I expect great things from you."

"Yes sir!"

And that was how I started my daily magic lessons with Renel Oroland, my instructor.

Every day we trained in the magic room. Renel taught me the basics while he gave Alene advanced lessons.

Magic was a fascinating thing to learn. It was almost like the magic that was described in fiction back on Earth. It was usually a form of energy that could be controlled according to the user's will, that could be used in different situations.

One of the first lessons Master Renel thought me was a spell he liked to call "Fireball," wherein you concentrate fire into a spherical shape and can be changed in size and velocity when fired.

"Stretch out your hand, like this, palms facing forward," he said.

I did so.

"Good. For now, we could start with a small Fireball for you to get used to. About the size of your palm will do. Now, watch carefully as I demonstrate."

From the space in front of his hand, a fireball manifested.

"Once you have the fireball ready, you can then control the speed at which it is fired," he said, and with a loud woosh, the ball of fire dashed across the room and hit straight onto the wall at the far end, making a huge explosion. Thankfully, it was not enough for the wall to collapse, since when the smoke cleared out, not even a trace of the impact remained.

It was like a tennis ball being shot at the speed of a bullet.

"Now, you try."

"Yes, sir."

Staring at my stretched-out hand, I began to relax and imagine the form of a fireball.

The base of all magic is a relaxed mind and a good intellect, he said.

Relaxed mind to avoid any distractions that could hamper the casting of the spell, and a good intellect to know what kind of spell is to be used in battle.

Imagining the fire condensing into one spot, I cleared my mind and focused.

Instantly, fire came from all directions, gathering into one spot until I had a fireball in hand.

"Spectacular. It is better than I had expected, much less from a beginner," he said, inspecting the fireball from a close but safe range. His praise made me blush a bit.

"The quality of the fire is good as well. Try firing it."

I did as commanded, but unlike the shot fired by Master Renel, mine was nearly twice as fast, hitting the wall with an ear-deafening explosion. A huge cloud of smoke obstructed the view, but after Master Renel used wind magic to disperse it, there was a small dent on the wall.

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"........"

He was left speechless, and I got an early dismissal that day.

For a time I felt good about myself and wondered if I actually had the potential to become a powerful witch someday.

The following day, we were practicing advanced spells that were on the level of Alene's.

Due to my performance that day, he had high expectations for me, which meant that he was not happy when I make mistakes.

"Focus, Hisami! Don't let your mind wander about!" He would usually scold me in a loud and harsh voice.

You may think that he was only doing this to me, but often he unleashes his anger at Alene as well.

Although, these things happen rarely, and most of the training that followed the next few months me and Alene earned mostly praise from the old man.

----------------------------------------

Right now, I was at the library, finishing up with my daily magic reading. The setting sun can be clearly seen from the window beside me, giving the room a warm, orange hue. The librarian was carrying a candle, lighting the others all around the room.

Dinner was scheduled to begin around this time, so I got all the books that I have borrowed and began to put them back one by one, then made my way to the Dining Hall.

The food here was served to us in person like in those high-fancy restaurants, so all you had to do was to sit down and the waiters will automatically bring you your food.

I sat at one of the tables and called a waiter, signaling that I was ready.

"May I join you?"

A deep voice asked behind me and turning around, it was Master Renel.

"Y-Yes sir, go ahead."

He sat down in the chair opposite me.

His eyes went from corner to corner of the room, surveying his surroundings.

"It does not look like your other companions are here at the moment," he said.

"It appears so, sir."

...

"Maybe they went out on another expedition. Did they tell you anything, Hisami?"

"Not at all, sir."

.....

"Have you seen Alene around? There is something I need to inquire with her."

"No, sir. I haven't seen her ever since the training was finished."

"Is that so... Perhaps she is with the others."

"I believe so, sir."

........

This is getting awkward...

Master Renel once in a while tries to initiate a conversation with me while we wait for the food to be served, but it always dies down.

What was I supposed to do with this situation? Think of a different topic that would amuse him and keep it going? Or maybe I have to add some additional follow-up marks, just to prolong the discussion more?

I honestly don't know. Someone put me out of my misery.

Please.

This situation is killing me -

"Back when I was your age, I had a strong affinity for magic too," he suddenly said, bringing me out of my inner monologue. "Neither I nor anyone else knew about it until I was scouted by the strongest magician at that time."

He sure had an eye for potential talent, even though I barely used magic at that time, he added.

"Under him, I trained and quickly increased my skills and knowledge of magic."

He sat back, leaning on the back of his chair, and stared once again into my eyes.

"Here I thought my own daughter Alene is going to succeed me in the title of "Greatest Magician", but it turns out that it might be you instead."

I furiously blushed at his remarks, while desperately trying to hide my embarrassing happiness by looking the other way, covering my face with both of my palms.

"T-Thank you for the praise, sir..." I meekly said.

He laughed upon seeing my reaction.

"We couldn't get any more alike," he said. "You were scouted, and soon joined the hero's party too, just like me."

"You were part of the hero's party, sir?"

"Yes. Along with Dardans, Dralk's father, and good old Arnus, the three of us were tasked with protecting the Human Empire from monster attacks for more than fifty years. Oh, how the years fly by so soon."

"Wow... That's a long time, I wonder where they are now..." I wondered out loud.

"Dardans passed away, leaving the Hero title to be passed onto his son, Dralk. Although, if I am not mistaken, you must have met Arnus already."

"...?"

I tilted my head in confusion.

I've already met Arnus?

If so, when?

Judging by appearances, he must be around the same age as Master Renel, which was 70. So we were looking for an old man.

The only person I could think of at first was the driver, but his name was Jole, not Arnus.

But wait.

Was he the only old man I knew...?

"Wait... You don't mean...?!"

"Haha, looks like you figured it out, Hisami. Please share your thoughts."

"...Is it the king, His Majesty?" I said, in a doubtful and questioning tone.

"That is correct."

"That's so cool..."

My astonishment was immense. Aside from the fact that nobody actually told me the name of the king in the first place, the picture of royalty going into conquests in a King Arthur-like fashion is something that would sound like a story that could only exist in the realms of fiction.

"Going back on topic, my main point in telling you my life story is this." He firmly planted both elbows on the table, his chin resting on top of the interlocked hands that made the pose looked like an interrogation scene. "I have decided to make you my successor, so from now on, I will become your mentor and train you at the highest professional level I could give, just like how one would mold a sword into the fires of hell for the output to become the best of the best. This is why I am asking for your total cooperation with me and total devotion to the study of magic."

He held out his hand.

These last few months I had wondered if staying in the backlines during a fight would maximize the potential that I currently have. The main reason why I couldn't do any physical activities in the first place is that I was sick. I had a frail body that might shatter when I tried vigorous movement, but now what I was healthy and physically fit, there was no reason for me to stay in the backseat any more.

If the old me would be looking at me right now, she would feel incredibly jealous of my situation.

"You have a perfect body, so why do you choose to remain idle and not maximize the blessing that was given to you? Not everyone is lucky," she would've said as she looked at me from her wheelchair, with those lifeless eyes full of jealousy and disappointment.

She had a point.

Perhaps the reason why Hygieia gave me the witch job was not that I could support at the back - rather, she gave it to me so that I would try new things out and experiment with the new body she gave me and the magic of this world she chose for me to live in.

She didn't want me to be idle.

She wanted me to live my life to the fullest.

He didn't need to remind me.

With all my conviction and hope for the future, I vigorously shook his hands with Renel Oroland, the Greatest Magician.

"I'll do it, sir. I'll train under you with all my might, and hopefully, one day I make you proud."

"That's more like it. Now, shall we dine?" He said as the food finally came.

"Thank you for the food," I silently uttered, before having dinner with my mentor.