Chapter 39 - Becoming a Wizard

“Huh?”

Surprised at the boys whom she had never seen, Azriel stopped. Since it had not been so long since she had been coming out of the fence, she was not aware of the existence of a village nearby. Noir haughtily walked and stood next to her.

“…Hello?” It was Azriel who greeted them first. Tom, who came to his senses only then, reflexively pointed his finger and shouted.

“It’s Mr. Wizard’s pupil!”

“Really?”

“My dad told me. Mr. Wizard brought a girl around our age as his pupil!” Tom’s father was the chief of the Hanora Village. The kids became suddenly boisterous.

“Are you really Mr. Wizard’s pupil?”

“If you’re his pupil, are you a wizard, too?”

“Do you live in the house in the woods?”

“Can you use magic?” Questions were randomly poured down. Perplexed, Azriel closed her mouth. Tom pushed the kids aside and came forward.

“Hey, ask one question at a time. She’s confused.”

“C, can you use magic? Show me!” A kid with a stubby nose quickly asked. Azriel blinked for a while and responded.

“I haven’t learned it yet.”

“Aren’t you Mr. Wizard’s pupil?”

“Yes, but he said he will teach me soon.” As Azriel answered then with a smile, the kids dropped their mouths. Pale and pretty Azriel in nice clothes looked like a princess to them. Tom courageously asked. “What’s your name?”

“Azriel Esthera.” The kids’ eyes were widened at Azriel’s response. “That’s a long name! It’s really long!”

“Wow, she’s got a surname.”

“You stupid, there’s no doubt. She’s going to be a wizard!”

“Can we call her freely? She’s a wizard.”

“She’s not a wizard yet, wouldn’t it be okay?”

“But, she’s got a surname…”

Seeing them whispering to each other, confused, Azriel’s heart was fluttered a little. She could never imagine playing with her peers before. In the village where she was born and raised, everyone shunned her, saying that she was a cursed child, and in the back alley, everyone was her enemy. But it could change from now on. She recalled that she used to look at children playing together with envy from afar. “You can just call me Azriel. What are your names?” When she asked, the kids’ faces were lit with excitement soon. Tom quickly came forward. “I’m Tom. My dad is a chief… Hey, do you know our village?”

Tom, who said as if to boast, thought of something and added another question. Azriel shook her head with an awkward face. “No, I don’t know it very well. I’ve been staying in the house so far.”

“Why? Were you sick?”

“Ummm…” Azriel did not know what to say and was mumbling, which was taken as an agreement by the kids. Soon, they showed concern on their faces. She became better after eating well but was still slender, thin, and paler than others. To the boys, who were rough and tanned, she was bound to look small and weak. Tom said as if he was determined. “You want to go look around the village? It’s close by! It’s right below here.”

“Yeah, the adults will like you, too!”

“Since you’re Mr. Wizard’s pupil, everyone will like you!”

“Let’s go!” The excited kids rowdily pulled Azriel. Azriel was involuntarily pushed by the kids down to the village. Noir snorted once around her feet and followed her. 

Hanora was a village formed on a small basin with a small stream, surrounded by woods and mountains. As it had not been long since the harvest was over, the village had a leisurely atmosphere. The person who first discovered the kids crowding in was the blacksmith who was fixing farming equipment at the outskirts of the village. Seeing an outstanding, well-dressed, small girl and thinking that she was a noble child, he was startled.

“You, you, you kids! Is she a, n, noble?!”

“She’s not a noble! She’s Mr. Wizard’s pupil, Mister!” Excited, Tom shouted to the blacksmith who was taken aback and stammering. “She’s not noble? Oh my, my heart almost dropped… Wait, what? Whose pupil?” The blacksmith who was relieved opened his eyes wide hearing that she was a pupil of the wizard. Throwing the tools on the ground right away, he rushed to the chief’s house.

At the empty lot in the center of the village, there were many people. Women chatted while making baskets by twisting straws. Girls who were sitting down together were lost in their play with rag dolls in their arms. They were either playing at housekeeping with mud bowls or playing jackstones. The peaceful atmosphere was completely broken as the boys who came in flocks introduced Azriel.

The adults were appalled by the kids who recklessly brought the scary wizard’s pupil. On the other side, kids were more curious than scared. Studying the atmosphere, they slowly approached her. Azriel was interested in playing jackstones. Among the toys that Rhema bought in various kinds, there were jackstones made of carved ivory. She did not know what they were. So, she laid them by size and color and was feeling proud of herself. ‘That’s how you play with them…’ She wanted to play with them. Come to think of it, there was a dice playboard that she could play with multiple people among the toys. Azriel was getting excited to think that she could use that to play with the kids.

What the chief, who rushed to the lot belatedly, saw was a girl with expensive clothes at a glance playing jackstones with the village kids, sitting down on the ground. It was not until evening that Azriel returned home with Noir. She promised that she would bring her toys and play with the village kids tomorrow.

“Your cheeks are red. Are you not feeling well by any chance?” Seeing her flushed cheeks, Rhema asked.

“No, no! Rhema, you know what, today, I…” Azriel described what happened to her that day. The girl, who just made friends, had sparkling eyes like the stars. Rhema looked at her as if he was observing something mysterious. He did not like people. He did not enjoy being with people a long time ago, even before he became this dry.

“Did you have that much fun?”

“Yes!” The girl who nodded as she beamed looked happy. ‘Don’t give them your affection. You won’t be able to live with normal people.’ Rhema was going to say that. However, he could not say that when he saw her flushed face. ‘Maybe this child might be happier if she didn’t learn magic.’ That day, Rhema had such a thought for the first time. That thought did not leave him for a long time.