I glanced at the girl timidly staring at her shoes. "G-greetings, m-milady!" she stuttered, struggling to form a coherent sentence.

I exchanged a puzzled look with Marie, who just shrugged in response. What had I done to trigger this? Last time I checked, I wasn't emitting those fear-inducing pheromones. The fear factor of my crimson eyes was also toned down to the lowest possible setting.

I turned my attention back to Alicia, who seemed to be auditioning for the role of the world's shyest shoe model. Her fear was practically a five-course meal for the little predator in my head, urging me to indulge in some rapid stabbing. But ehh, I dismissed it. Stabbing someone over a stutter seemed a tad excessive, even for a potential villainess like me.

I had only invited her a tad earlier than planned for our study sessions. Father had received a letter yesterday announcing that Seraphina herself would be taking charge of our magical education. She was due to arrive in an hour.

Knowing Alicia knew nothing of magic, I'd extended the invitation under the guise of a 'Tea Party', hoping to impart some of my… erm magic wisdom and build up some good karma into my relationship with one of the novel's major characters.

Guiding her to a chair within the garden pagoda, I motioned for Alicia to settle as Marie promptly bought some tea.

"Alicia, please, do partake in some tea," I offered, my smile hopefully not betraying any nefarious intentions, though my inner self might suggest otherwise.

She accepted the tea. Ahh, her hands as tremulous as a leaf in a gale, as if anticipating the cup to sprout fangs and snarl. "T-thank you, milady," she murmured, her gaze still firmly affixed to the porcelain vessel.

Suppressing the urge to roll my eyes, I battled the frustration. Goodness me! It's merely tea, not some elixir concocted from the blood and tears of a unicorn. Although, come to think of it, that could be a lucrative venture.

Taking a little delicate sip of my own tea, I tried to lighten the mood. "So, Alicia, let's talk. What's your experience with magic?"

“N-nothing much, milady,” she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. “Just the basics the priest mentioned that one time. U-um, about awakening levels and elemental affinities.”

I took another sip, maintaining an air of refined composure as a young lady should before responding, “Quite so, nothing much indeed. Are you familiar with the notion of a mana core?”

“N-no, milady,” she admitted.

Taking a deep breath, I began, "I've delved into various tomes on this matter. Some contend that the mana core is synonymous with what we call our soul. Others argue it's more akin to a protective shield surrounding the soul."

"Personally," I continued, "I tend to align with the latter perspective. But hey, who knows? We're like umm,” I paused, before snapping my fingers, “like those freshly baked cookies – our mana core needs some time to set before it's ready to dunk in milk.” I was proud of that delivery.

“I-is that so, Milady..” Alicia's response was about as enthusiastic as a snail in a marathon. But I wasn't about to let her lack of interest rain on my magic rant parade.

"Indeed," I affirmed, undeterred. "At present, we find ourselves in what's known as the formless white core stage. As we progress, it'll solidify into a white core. Each evolution of our core grants us access to higher-level spells."

“For instance,” I gestured with my hands, summoning the mana threads to swirl and weave into a spell, "currently, I'm capable of casting only basic dark magic spells."

With practiced movements of my fingers, I completed the weaving, forming a matrix of swirling runes. “This here,” I declared, “is the most fundamental Dark spell, ‘Twilight Veil’. Once activated, it shrouds the area in darkness.”

Alicia's gaze widened as she fixated on me, her eyes like saucers, completely captivated by the swirling matrix in my hands. I couldn't help but suppress a little internal chuckle. I knew more about her than anyone else and I meant it – her story, her drink preferences, her favourite foods, hobbies, pastimes, and, of course, her all-consuming obsession with magic.

With a flourish of my hands, I summoned the magic like a seasoned witch. This time, I confined the spell to a smaller area, just enough to envelop the pagoda. Manipulating the shroud rune in the matrix, I gradually diminished its size until it barely covered my own skin.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Alicia's eyes widened even further. "H-how did you—" she began, stuttering once again.

In response, I deftly manipulated the absence rune, ensuring my face remained untouched by the darkness. With only my features illuminated, I wagged my eyebrows mischievously at Alicia, appearing as a genuine shadowy figure.

Ohohohoho… Alicia was utterly spellbound now, gaping at me like a fish out of water.

Just as I was about to suggest delving into some basic spell matrices together – after all, I had plenty of unexplored and ugh useless fire spells up my sleeve – a sudden round of applause interrupted our moment.

I swiftly dispelled the spell, banishing the matrix, and met the unexpected arrival with a poised demeanour.

"Such a captivating demonstration of your magic control, Lady Eli," Seraphina remarked, her midnight blue gown draping elegantly around her figure, albeit without her customary robes.

What the fuck? What was she doing here ahead of schedule? She wasn't due for another hour!

Marie executed a graceful bow, prompting me to rise and offer my own, albeit with Alicia lagging a bit behind before joining in.

“Greetings, Magistra Seraphina. We certainly weren't expecting you so soon,” I remarked, trying to mask my surprise.

"Just thought I'd give my new pupils a little surprise. Didn't anticipate being surprised myself beforehand," Seraphina chuckled lightly.

"Now that I'm here, follow me. We're beginning your first lesson immediately," she declared, already turning on her heel, expecting us to fall in line.

I exchanged a glance with Marie, who maintained her stoic expression but flashed me a discreet thumbs up.

“Shouldn't we be making our way to the training grounds, Magistra Seraphina?” I inquired, expecting a traditional start to our magic education.

"Of course not, my silly little pupil. Magic is intertwined with nature itself. You'll learn far more about it here in the gardens than within the confines of a training ground," Seraphina replied, looking at me with her swirling blue eyes. "And drop the formalities, we're all mages here. Just call me Sera."

I gladly accepted the offer. 'Magistra Seraphina' was quite the mouthful. "Only if you do the same! You can call me Eli," I said, acting like the ten-year-old kid I was supposed to be.

"Deal!" Sera chuckled. "Since you were discussing mana cores, let's start from there."

I raised an eyebrow. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to catch wind of your conversation," she replied.

Ugh. I hadn't even noticed her presence, which was quite fair considering none of my skills were active.

“So, mana cores…” Sera paused, deeply inhaling the aroma of flowers in the garden, “Such a fascinating subject. If I were to explain them, consider them simply as ranks.”

I nodded.

"The darker the hue of your mana core, the greater your mana capacity and the higher your spellcasting proficiency," Sera explained.

Another few nods. Hmm hmm. It was all familiar territory for me.

"Our first lesson will be basic yet crucial: learning to sense the flow of mana within yourself," she continued.

I could achieve far more than that, but considering Alicia's relative inexperience, I didn't mind revisiting the basics.

And so, the lesson commenced, with Sera guiding us through exercises designed to heighten our awareness of our own mana. While I effortlessly navigated through the exercises, Alicia's frustrated expression betrayed her struggle. It was kind of a reminder for me. My perception of normalcy was a bit skewed by my own abilities.

Sera, ever patient, maintained a reassuring smile as she approached Alicia, requesting her hand. Alicia seemed uncertain, prompting me to intervene with a playful nudge. "She's not going to bite your hand off, silly," I quipped, attempting to ease the tension.

I knew I was perhaps being overly familiar, but what else was I supposed to do? It's not every day your favourite fictional character materializes before your very eyes.

Sera grasped Alicia's hand, gently intertwining their mana. Alicia's initially apprehensive expression transformed into one of wonder as she felt the mana coursing through her.

It was heartening to witness Alicia's timidness gradually being eclipsed by her burgeoning fascination for magic. Good for her, I thought, silently cheering her on.

And with that, our inaugural magic lesson drew to a close. While I hadn't gleaned much in terms of new magical knowledge, I had forged a bond with Alicia, and, begrudgingly, found myself warming up to Sera.

Despite my initial expectations of her being a typical arrogant mage tower head, Sera proved to be surprisingly polite and gentle. It was a pleasant surprise, to say the least.

Yet, a nagging suspicion lingered in the back of my mind. Why was Sera, a supposed Tower Head, spending her time teaching fledgling mages like us out of the blue? Tower Heads weren't known for their leisurely schedules. Furthermore, she hadn't even identified herself as the head. 'Magistra' was a title reserved for researcher mages within a tower, not its leader.

I narrowed my eyes, my mind whirring with questions. Something didn't add up.

As Marie and I walked side by side, I gazed at her.

"Marie, I have a task for you," I said, breaking the silence.

She shot me a deadpan look.

"It involves eavesdropping on people."

Her expression immediately brightened. "Go on."

"Firstly," I began, "I need you to sniff out where Magistra Seraphina is laying her head."

Marie nodded confidently. "Consider it done, Milady."

"Secondly," I added, "I need you to dig up some dirt on Alicia's old man."

Marie hesitated, scepticism seeping into her voice. "That might be a tad tricky."

Unfazed, I reached into my pockets and produced a pouch filled with a portion of my savings. The gold coins inside clinked as I tossed it to Marie, who caught it with the grace of a seasoned thief.

"Will that grease the wheels a bit?" I said.

Marie swiftly stashed the pouch away, her expression still as stoic as ever. "Consider it sorted, Milady. I'll do my best."

With that settled, we continued our stroll as if nothing happened. But behind Marie's cool façade, I could practically hear the gears of my trusty rumourmonger whirring into action.