Chapter 23 | The Seventh Witch

Collette stared intently at Shulim, as if this question were of immense importance to her.

“...”

Shulim was deeply astonished to hear this unexpected name from her new teacher. It was a name that no one in town had ever heard of.

“...Orubet is my ancestor.”

“I knew it!”

Collette suddenly stood up in excitement.

“You really are a descendant of that man! Everything makes sense now. If you are his descendant, it's no wonder you possess such talent...”

Shulim was utterly bewildered, completely unable to fathom why this teacher would react so excitedly to her being Orubet's descendant. Although her father had told her that their ancestor had once achieved glorious feats, that was already three hundred years ago. Three centuries could erase a great deal. For instance, the current residents of Mente Town had absolutely no idea who their ancestor even was.

Even if she wanted to tell those who looked down on them how glorious her ancestor had been, that was just past glory. For the now-fallen Hayeral family, bringing it up would only rub salt in their wounds.

While Shulim was still lost in confusion, Collette said something else that completely shocked her.

“Student Shulim, you've already learned Second-Tier magic, haven't you?”

“Wh—”

Shulim stared at Collette in surprise.

“How did you know, Teacher Collette?”

“It's actually quite simple. Student Shulim, you haven't learned how to control your magic output yet, have you? When you demonstrated your spell, the level of First-Tier magic you used wasn't something a First-Tier mage could master~. It was at least Second-Tier.”

“...”

A failure—an unexpected slipup.

Shulim chided herself internally. She hadn't expected to expose her true capabilities in a place like this.

“...Um, Teacher Collette, why are you bringing this up? What are you thinking?”

Shulim couldn't help but want to know Collette's motive.

“Hmm, I indeed have something in mind~!”

So she really does have a purpose. But is there any value in me that is worth her attention? Just because I've already mastered Second-Tier magic? Or does it have to do with my ancestor? She seems exceptionally focused on him. Come to think of it, Fran did mention that she came from the royal capital. To travel all the way from the capital to a countryside place like this is indeed highly suspicious...

“To be honest, as a teacher, I never expected that a student who has just started learning magic would already master Second-Tier magic. I wasn't prepared at all! This was supposed to be something we wouldn't have to consider until at least next year~. Say, Student Shulim, you don't have a wand yet, do you?”

“Eh? A... wand?”

Shulim, whose train of thought was spiraling so much that she was on the verge of imagining Collette as some kind of mastermind behind the scenes, was instantly jarred back to reality by Collette's question.

“That's right, a wand! Student Shulim, although I don't know how far you've come with your Second-Tier magic, since you've already entered the second tier, getting your own wand needs to be put on the agenda.”

“Uh, do I need a wand just for the second tier?”

Wait, that's weird. Why is this different from what she imagined? Was the teacher just showing concern for her?

Shulim suddenly realized she might have misunderstood her teacher...

“Of course you do! Starting from Second-Tier magic, the time and mana required to cast spells increase significantly. In actual practice, we won't be given that much time to chant. Besides, the high mana consumption is also an issue, which is why we need the assistance of a wand.”

“Every wand, even the most basic one, helps focus our mind, thereby increasing spellcasting speed. It can also effectively help reduce the mana wasted during casting, saving us magic power. More advanced wands can even amplify the power of spells and serve various other purposes.”

Saying this, Collette raised her own wand.

“Just like mine. I'm a fire mage, and my wand can amplify the power of fire magic.”

“You could say that to any mage, a wand is like a part of their very life—absolutely indispensable. It's just like a swordsman without a sword; can you even call them a swordsman then?”

Looking at the wand in Collette's hand that gleamed with a red light, Shulim couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of envy. A wand of her own... That sounded quite nice.

However...

“Teacher Collette, but aren't wands only used by mages who have mastered Second-Tier magic and above? If I get a wand now, won't it be a bit too eye-catching?”

Shulim raised her doubts. Her true concern, of course, was that she did not want to expose her real level in front of too many people.

“Hmm... I suppose you're right. That indeed poses a problem. Currently, the other students have barely taken their first steps into magic, and it's still unknown how many of them will even reach the second tier by graduation. If they find out that someone has already reached a level they might only achieve by the time they graduate, it would probably deal a severe blow to their self-confidence, wouldn't it?”

“Considering that, it's true that it wouldn't be appropriate for you to display a wand in front of everyone right now, Student Shulim. But we can't let that hold you back either. What should we do...”

Collette furrowed her brow, trying hard to think of a solution.

“Ah, I know! Student Shulim, wouldn't it be fine if you just didn't bring your wand to school?”

Collette's eyes suddenly lit up as she proposed.

“Eh? But if I don't bring a wand, how can I practice?”

“Not at all, not at all! Student Shulim, you seem to have fallen into a misconception. Although a wand is crucial, its primary importance lies in actual practice and real-world application. School is mainly a place for learning; you can get by perfectly fine without a wand! In fact, at school, you'll rarely find an occasion to use one.”

“I see. So what you mean, Teacher Collette, is that a wand is a weapon for combat, whereas school is where we improve our knowledge and skills. Self-improvement relies entirely on ourselves, so whether we have a weapon doesn't really matter.”

“Uh... Well, how should I put this... If that's how you want to understand it, I guess that works too.”

Collette felt that Shulim's analogy oversimplified the purpose of a wand, but she couldn't find a better way to explain it for the moment.

“I understand what you mean, Teacher Collette. In that case, where should I get a wand?”

Shulim asked.

“Well... that's exactly where the problem lies.”

Collette looked troubled once more.

“Normally, once this batch of students has gotten a solid grasp of magic and some reach the second tier, we can apply for wands. The Adventurers' Guild would then provide a batch of basic wands. They aren't free, of course, but it's the cheapest and easiest opportunity to get a wand, a privilege reserved only for preparatory school students.”

“But obviously, that opportunity doesn't exist at this point in time. So, Student Shulim, you will have to check out a magic item shop yourself.”

“Do magic item shops sell wands?”

Shulim breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't matter if she couldn't get the school-provided wand right now; as long as they weren't too difficult to obtain elsewhere, it was fine.

“Normally, yes...” Collette replied, “but as your teacher, I haven't been in this town for long either, so I'm not too familiar with the situation here...”

“Tell you what!”

Collette suggested.

“Some other day, I'll go with you to the magic item shop and take a look. I can give you some advice then.”

“Really? You're willing to help me, Teacher Collette? How should I thank you, then?”

“Hahaha~!” Collette burst into laughter. “Student Shulim, you are way too serious! I'm your teacher~. Isn't it only natural for me to help my students? There's no need to be so polite.”

“I see...”

A teacher...

Looking at Collette, who seemed a bit flighty but still cared for others in her own way, Shulim seemed to gain a deeper understanding of what the title truly meant.