After four days of ticulous cleaning and polishing, various household items and furniture were brought in through Joseph’s workers, and it took a whole week to install all the necessary facilities.
Phillip gazed at the completed shabby room, feeling a tinge of regret.
“Did I spend too much money?” he wondered.
Nevertheless, he had decided to go all out and install everything that seed necessary without much consideration.
As the space had originally been a warehouse, the interior was quite spacious, and there was also a usable open area outside. If it had been a cramped interior, he might have arranged things differently to maximize space utilization. However, with so much room available, he ended up adding various items that weren’t strictly necessary.
Of course, all the expenses were covered with Lisriel’s money, so Phillip had the luxury of enjoying the pleasures without any financial burden.
They had set up a comfortable lounge for relaxation, a changing room to don after their swordsmanship lessons, and even a spacious conference room that could accommodate up to twenty people.
Recent days had seen Janice, Stephen, and Cheryl beco quite close, and they had turned the space into a eting point for lively discussions after their lessons.
“Now that the shabby room is completed, I propose we begin our activities officially. The Travel Club will continue pursuing its founding purpose, offering unique experiences that go beyond the typical academy endeavors.”
Phillip announced to the students gathered in the conference room.
Nods of agreent spread across the room as the students eagerly embraced the prospect of upcoming adventures.
“Next weekend, we have our Travel Club’s inaugural activity. I hope all of you are prepared and excited.”
Phillip added with a smile.
As so curious looks were exchanged, he clarified, “Yes, it’s a travel-related activity. Cheryl will take care of the details, so get ready for a thrilling experience. And regarding the Hall of Accomplishnt, as I ntioned earlier, let’s keep it a secret for now.”
The students nodded in understanding, their anticipation building for the upcoming adventure.
Phillip felt a sense of accomplishnt at successfully establishing the club without any major incidents. Had they delayed the process, who knew what extraordinary events might have unfolded.
Leading the students back to the Hall of Accomplishnt, Phillip offered Stephen and Lua the chance to take on a challenge.
“I’d like to take the knowledge test,” Stephen expressed confidently, as he believed in his intellectual abilities.
Choosing the test organized by the clever fox, Stephen gave it his best shot. Alas, he could only answer one question correctly and had to leave with a sense of disappointnt.
As a consolation prize, he received a small piece of cloth.
“It’s said to be excellent for cleaning glasses. Cheryl, you can have it.”
“Thank you… I an, thanks, Stephen.”
Cheryl quickly corrected herself when she felt Janice’s gaze on her. As a little test, she decided to wipe her glasses with the cloth and was astonished to see the small scratches vanish, leaving her spectacles gleaming like new.
“Is there anyone who knows the full na of the autumn plant that grows exclusively in the Lohner Mountains?”
Stephen murmured weakly, and in an instant, the door of knowledge swung open, revealing a fox that darted out.
“Is it odd that I posed that question? You’re ignorant. The administrator over there got all five questions right!”
Clearly annoyed, the fox charged at Stephen, swiping at his forehead with its front paw.
“Ouch! Hold on a mont!”
Though not wanting to show weakness in front of the girls, Stephen winced at the impact.
With his cheeks stung by the tail, Stephen bowed his head with a somber expression. Philip looked at Lua and asked, “What will you do, Lua?”
“Excuse , but this way!”
The door pointed by Lua led to the test of courage. Philip felt a little uneasy but nodded in agreent.
“Janice may have fainted, but Lua will probably just shed a tear or two.”
With Philip’s consent, Lua bravely opened the door to the test.
Lua vanished behind the door, and it took her nearly twenty minutes to erge again. She was hanging onto the back of a tiger, sobbing uncontrollably.
Feeling powerless, the tiger did nothing but gently lick Lua’s cheek as if trying to comfort her.
“Oh dear, little one. Everything you saw was just an illusion. No matter what you saw through the mirror, it won’t beco your reality.”
In the female tiger’s pleading eyes, Philip approached Lua, and held her gently by his side.
“What did you see, Lua?”
When Philip inquired, Lua sniffled and replied, “I saw Luen… he saw as a bad girl. He asked why I didn’t co to his rescue, saying we’re no longer family…”
“Hmm…”
Philip murmured softly, deep in thought. The ‘test of courage’ seed to be poorly designed after all.
‘I have a vague idea of its chanism.’
It appeared that the courage, as described by the great philosopher Asura, involved confronting one’s own weaknesses. Since the difficulty level lacked hostility from the very beginning, passing this test would require so ti.
‘Indeed, I should keep it a secret for now.’
If the Hall of Accomplishnt were made public, it could lead to trouble. Young boys always wanted to boast about being better than their peers.
“Huuhh…”
Philip drew Lua close, comforting her with a gentle stroke on her back. He was the only one who truly understood her pain in this place.
* * *
Back at the villa, Philip imdiately summoned Lua to the backyard.
Fortunately, Lua didn’t seem to have been greatly affected. She understood that what she saw in the test of courage was rely an illusion.
“You must first grasp the concept of magic. It would be more comfortable for you to directly experience how magic flows and understand what Aura truly ans.”
“… Yes, Instructor.”
Seeing Lua’s still puzzled expression, Phillip couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy himself.
Physically, Phillip was in his early twenties, but ntally, he was more like soone in their mid-thirties.
If only his first love had been a little more successful, he might have had a daughter just a few years younger than Lua, and his age wouldn’t have made it strange.
“Co here and give your hand.”
As Lua reached out her hand, Phillip took it and guided the flow of Aura, similar to how he had taught Felicia and Diana the technique for handling the Rotating Sword.
“Now, close your eyes and feel what is happening within your body.”
As Lua hadn’t yet awakened to magic, she naturally accepted the flow of Aura without resistance.
Usually, making soone realize the existence of magic in this manner was an unimaginable feat. At that point, only Phillip possessed the ability, and Lua was fortunate enough to be the recipient.
“Ah!”
Lua couldn’t help but exclaim at the strange and wondrous sensation she was experiencing for the first ti in her life.
It felt as if sothing warm and dynamic was coursing through her veins. It was like perceiving the flow of blood with her senses.
“Do you understand now?”
If it were anyone else, Phillip might have provided additional explanations, but he had a rough idea of Lua’s talent level, so he kept it brief.
“Yes!”
All she needed was a catalyst.
Normally, while swinging a sword, one would naturally co to realize the power within them.
In that instant, Lua felt that the world had undergone a transformation. Whatever Phillip had infused was now pervading the entire world.
She could feel it in the grass of the backyard, in the expanse of the high sky, and in the refreshing breeze that blew around her.
“So, this is magic?”
In response to Lua’s question, Phillip nodded.
“More accurately, what you are feeling right now is the initial processing of what you sense. This is magic. When you further process magic, it becos Aura, and the sensation you’re experiencing is called Mana.”
Observing Lua, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit, Phillip once again realized that she was the true protagonist of this world.
It was an undeniably remarkable talent.
If Lua were to absorb all the knowledge Phillip possessed, she would undoubtedly surpass her original story’s strength.
Whether Phillip would be capable of guiding her in the distant future was sothing no one could guess.
All he could do was hope that she would grow to be kind and just, and fortunately, Phillip was in a position to support her growth in the right direction.
“Now that you’ve experienced magic, it will naturally accumulate within you without conscious effort. Let’s learn to control that power once it has built up sufficiently.”
“Yes, Instructor.”
“Alright, now go grab the wooden swords.”
As Lua brought two wooden swords from the backyard, Philip accepted one and said with a smile.
“Let’s stick to our daily routine. I’m not sure if you’re feeling up to it today.”
This was their training thod while the shack was being fixed.
The training was quite simple – Lua attacked Philip freely while he remained perfectly still, not moving an inch.
In truth, it was more like a playful exercise than serious training. Neither Philip nor Lua treated it as a rigorous practice. Philip approached it as a way to play with Lua.
And for Lua, that was more than enough fun.
For the past two weeks, Lua hadn’t been able to lay a finger on Philip, but now, with renewed determination, she pouted and declared,
“I will definitely succeed today.”
“Oh, really? Well, rember, if you succeed, I’ll grant you one wish. So give it your all.”
Philip’s promised reward fueled Lua’s resolve.
Lua gripped the wooden sword with both hands and lowered her stance. Philip, too, crouched low, partly because Lua was much smaller in size.
Although Lua’s physical stamina was superior even to the instructors, her breaths were becoming noticeably shorter. It was an advantage when sparring.
However, Lua’s wooden sword never managed to touch Philip.
For ten minutes, Philip deftly parried all of Lua’s attacks, and in the end, Lua had to accept defeat, while her cheeks were puffed with frustration.
‘She still doesn’t consider using tricks.’
Philip had no trouble dealing with Lua’s straightforward attacks. Having never deceived anyone in her life, Lua never attempted or encountered any tricks.
Philip had decided not to teach her until she realized it herself.
“Heh… heh…”
Seeing the sweat-drenched Lua, Philip chuckled softly. He wiped the sweat from her forehead with a casual gesture, ensuring it wouldn’t get into her eyes.
“Let’s head inside now. The sun is starting to set.”
“Yes, Instructor,” Lua replied with a slightly dejected tone.
“You’re making progress, so there’s no reason to be disappointed.”
It was easy to lift Lua’s spirits. Philip sent her to the bathhouse and asked the maids to prepare so snacks.
If she wanted to feel comfortable during the upcoming trip next weekend, Lua would have to put in so effort.
“… There’s no better place to inspire and guide young minds.”
Philip planned to take the students to a lake not far from the academy.
A lake infamous for its eerie reputation – Singyuru Lake.
_________
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