Chapter 31 - Peaceful Days

When she got tired of looking at herbs, she would observe fish in the pond. Occasionally, Noir approached maliciously and chased away the fish in the pond. Even though Rhema never told her not to go out of the fence, she never stepped a foot beyond the fence. It was because she felt that all would disappear like a mirage if she went out. As she played like that for some time, her clothes would get messy with grass stains. By lunchtime, she came inside to wash and change. The spirit would clean the clothes that she took off from any stains and hung them in the wardrobe.

She generally ate lunch with Rhema. Since he was not so talkative and Azriel could not talk to him first, the mealtime was always quiet. After lunch was study time at the study on the second floor. Rhema’s study was a space filled with endless books that it was suitable to call ‘the library.’ This room was also under his spell that it was humongous inside compared to its outside appearance.

Rhema started with teaching texts to Azriel. What she learned first was the common text, Limble.

“Did you memorize it all?” Rhema asked.

“Yes,” replied Azriel.

“Then, try reading this.” As soon as teaching her letters, he handed over a picture book. When she took it, Rhema sat down near her and began to read his own book. “If there’s anything you don’t know, ask.”

This was how he usually taught. He was certainly not a great teacher. However, in contrast with his unskilled, simple education, Azriel’s learning speed was impressive. She absorbed knowledge like water. The two remained in the study until dinner when the spirit came to call them. After eating dinner, Rhema shut himself in the underground lab or left the house. Azriel could not find out what he did. She would read the book that she grabbed from the study, reviewing what she learned that day, and fall asleep.

Days went by and a month of time had passed. Those were peaceful days like bubbles. Azriel carefully adjusted to the peaceful life which she had never experienced before. Only within a month, she got used to Limble enough to read regular books, not just picture books. Then Rhema began teaching her Lemm text. At that time, Azriel asked a question that was not related to letters for the first time. “When will I learn magic?” Rhema glanced at her quizzically, took a parchment, and wrote down some things on it. It was a list of books. “If you read all of these books, I’ll start teaching you magic.”

The list was full of difficult theoretical books that if regular wizards saw it, they would blame Rhema for suggesting such a list to a seven-year-old. Azriel was frozen after receiving the incomprehensible list of books. “Do I need to read them all?”

“They’re the basics of the basics. You can only become a wizard when you know that much.” Of course, they were only the basics in Rhema’s standards. Only a precious few elite wizards among those who graduated college studied the books on the list. Rhema had been walking on a completely different path than others that he was not familiar with the ordinary wizards’ education process. Young Azriel also had no idea how wizards become wizards. To seven-year-old Azriel, Rhema was God. Whatever he said was the truth and law. She could not ever doubt him.

‘If I can’t do this, I can’t become a wizard? Then… will I be kicked out of this house?’ She was so afraid that she was about to cry. She clenched her lips and barely managed to ask. “If I can’t be a wizard, what’s going to happen to me?” Rhema looked down at her with a still face and spoke calmly. “You have many questions, Azriel.” To Azriel who was frightened, it sounded like he was warning her not to annoy him with unnecessary questions. Her face turned pale. “N, n, no I don’t! It’s nothing!” Then she ran away from the study with the list in her hand, afraid of Rhema getting angry at her.

***

When she opened her eyes, the twilight was filling the room. It seemed she had been sleeping all day. In the ruddy light, Rhema Reshith was leaning on the wall by the window. The white wizard stained with the color of the sunset was beautiful as a picture and yet dry as a picture set up. He had not changed a bit from the appearance she saw when she was seven, even after nine years. ‘Would he have been the same a thousand years ago?’ Azriel thought so, still in haziness. He, who was looking out the window, suddenly turned toward her.

“Rhema, what did you mean by that?” When their eyes met, she impulsively asked.

“…What are you referring to?”

“At the study, when I asked you what’s going to happen if I can’t be a wizard, you said…”

“Oh.” He came near Azriel and went on perching on the edge of the bed. “Azriel, I don’t usually enjoy having conversations.” It sounded like he did not want her to start an unnecessary conversation. Azriel wanted to run away like when she was young. However, instead of running away this time, she gathered courage and asked. “You don’t like to converse with me, Rhema?”

“No, I meant that you are an exception.”

“…What you said earlier sounded like you didn’t want to talk to me.”

Rhema’s eyes were slightly widened. He blankly blinked his eyes and put on an expression as if he had realized something. “By any chance, was it like that then?”

“You mean when I ran away?”

“Yes.”

“Yes. I thought you were upset with me because I annoyed you.”

“…” Rhema recalled the girl who used to be much smaller than now. He did not like having long conversations with humans. He did not remember how many decades had passed since someone talked to him first without a particular reason. It might have been hundreds of years ago. Thus, he did not even talk to the girl he named if it was not necessary. He did not expect the girl to say something as well. However, to his surprise, when the unexpected thing happened, he was not annoyed at all. He was rather delighted. Why he felt that way was a mystery to him. So, watching Azriel running away while talking, he fretted for some time. It had been a long time since he pondered over why the other person had stopped a conversation. It might have been his first. Usually, he would have been thankful that the other person disappeared on his own and have forgotten about it not long after that.

After giving a lot of thought, he came to the conclusion that Azriel did not want to continue the conversation with him. He got depressed a little bit after that, but since he was used to being alone, he did not pay too much attention. Yes, until then, he was not shaken by ‘Azriel Esthera.’ It would have been great if it stayed that way.