Da'off had twelve apprentices here, three of whom had already graduated and were now scattered somewhere in the world.

  Lucas patiently introduced each of them. Aside from himself, the rest were still unmistakably children, their faces soft with youth.

  Glenn greeted them as one would speak to a group of youngsters.

  Most of the apprentices responded with lively enthusiasm, though a few—likely the more introverted ones—only offered Glenn a timid nod.

  When the introductions were complete, Glenn asked proactively, “Where is Master Da'off?”

  “He’s busy in his laboratory,” Lucas replied. “But he surely knows you’ve arrived. He’ll be down soon. For now, let me take you to the room prepared for you.”

  He stepped forward to lead the way, but Little Leaf darted in front of him.

  “Let me take him! Move aside, Lucas.”

  She pulled Lucas away and beamed at Glenn. “I’ll show you the way. I chose your room myself.”

  Glenn glanced at Lucas, who merely shrugged helplessly.

  So he smiled at the girl and said, “Then I’m honored.”

  Her grin grew even brighter. She seized Glenn’s hand and dashed into the magic house.

  Though she had short legs, she sprinted fast enough that Glenn had to bend forward as she dragged him along—an amusing sight in itself.

  Once inside the magic house, he finally realized how wondrous it was. All manner of strange and remarkable objects filled the halls, dazzling to the eye.

  Little Leaf led him through a dizzying series of turns. The scenery seemed to spin and blur until they arrived before an arched door.

  A string of magical runes was etched above it—symbols Glenn could not yet read.

  Little Leaf wiped the area where a lock should have been. A handle materialized. She grabbed it with her tiny hand and gave it a gentle twist.

  With a creaking sigh, the door opened.

  Little Leaf rushed in first, then spun dramatically with arms outstretched. “Ta-da! How is it? I arranged everything just for you. Isn’t it beautiful?”

  Glenn’s eyes widened slowly. “This décor… is certainly unique…”

  The room could only be described as bizarre. If he hadn’t been told beforehand, Glenn would never have guessed it was meant for living in.

  The floor was carpeted with deep-green plant matter. A massive stone covered in intricate patterns sat to one side. Something like a coiled serpent clung to the window frame, and the ceiling bore metal chandeliers hanging like drooping willow branches.

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Countless other strange pieces of furniture filled the space, each more bewildering than the last. Glenn hesitated to step inside at all.

  Seeing him frozen in place, Little Leaf frowned. “Why aren’t you coming in?”

  After some thought, Glenn finally stepped forward carefully.

  “Where is my bed?” he asked tentatively.

  Little Leaf pointed at the enormous, peculiar stone. “There.”

  “How is that supposed to be a bed?” Glenn couldn’t begin to understand her logic and refused to accept it without question.

  “Why not?” Little Leaf huffed—and promptly hopped onto it.

  To Glenn’s surprise, the rock—seemingly solid and unyielding—softened the instant her small body touched it, even bouncing slightly like a cushion.

  “See? It’s really comfortable!” she insisted.

  After a moment of silence, Glenn sighed. “Thank you for your effort, but I think I’d better arrange my own room.”

  At this, Little Leaf leapt up, eyes shimmering with tears. “I put in so much effort! How can you say that!?”

  Glenn lied without hesitation. “I have a… condition. Contact with these things makes me ill. Do you want me to get sick?”

  Little Leaf froze, baffled. She had never heard of such a thing. “Why haven’t I ever heard of someone with your condition?”

  “Because it’s rare,” Glenn said sincerely.

  Little Leaf pouted. “All my classmates’ rooms look like this. Have you never lived in a house before? Did you live outdoors or something?”

  Glenn was utterly bemused.

  So this is what counts as normal for mages? Their homes are really something else…

  Though he suspected this eccentricity applied only to some mages. Nothing could be completely universal.

  “This is a mage’s residence,” he replied. “Of course I grew up in an ordinary home. Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a normal house?”

  Glenn gave her a look—as though she were sheltered beyond belief.

  Feeling the provocation, Little Leaf puffed out her unremarkable chest. “I—I know what normal houses look like! I was only testing you. If you want to arrange your room yourself, then do it!”

  She stormed away in indignation.

  The truth was she truly had no idea what ordinary homes looked like. From the moment she had memories, she had always lived here. The whole world, to her, seemed no larger than this little pocket of space.

  Da'off occasionally tried to take her outside, but she always refused—though she didn’t know why.

  Little Leaf hadn’t gone far. She hid on the stairs above Glenn, listening quietly, her eyes filled with longing.

  Meanwhile, Glenn still hadn’t moved. Several apprentices crowded around the doorway, eager to see how he would decorate his room.

  But Glenn had no clue where to find normal furniture.

  It seemed he would have to wait for Da'off to appear and hope he could resolve the issue.

  So Glenn stepped out of the room and sat down nearby.

  “Why aren’t you decorating?” a little boy in apprentice robes asked.

  Glenn didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “How long does the teacher usually take to come down?”

  The boy, honest and straightforward, replied, “I don’t know. Teacher comes down whenever he feels like it.”

  Glenn was speechless. He passed the time chatting idly with the apprentices around him.

  They seemed deeply fascinated by the outside world. Even the most mundane things Glenn described held their rapt attention.

  From the conversation, Glenn learned that all of Da'off’s apprentices were orphans he had taken in.

  Their magical talents varied—some strong, one even talentless. Without Da'off’s intervention, that child would never have been able to study magic at all.

  It seems I’m the only apprentice Da'off took in who isn’t an orphan… Glenn thought.

  At last, just as Glenn was beginning to yawn, Da'off’s voice echoed down from above.

  “My apologies, Glenn. I was working on something important and only just finished.”

  Glenn stood quickly, joining the others in greeting him. “Master Da'off.”

  Da'off waved a hand with a gentle smile, his attention turning to Glenn. “You’ve already finished the basic text I gave you? This quickly?”

  “Just a few pages left. I came early,” Glenn answered honestly.

  “That’s already impressive. With talent like yours, most would take close to a year to learn it properly. Perhaps you possess extraordinary memory—or perhaps that magical scholar truly knows his craft.”

  Da'off stroked his beard thoughtfully.

  “Likely a bit of both.”