“In a moment I’ll assign you some work, so you won’t be idle while I’m away these next few days,” Da’off said gently.

  Glenn nodded once more.

  He suddenly remembered the mysterious woman he had encountered on the road—something he had meant to tell Da’off long ago but had simply forgotten. Now was not too late.

  “Right—on the way here, I met a strange woman. I think I should tell you about her.”

  He rose to his feet as he spoke.

  “A strange woman?” Da’off’s brows knit in mild puzzlement.

  Glenn gave a brief but clear recounting of the portions he could safely share.

  When he finished, Da’off uttered a name: “Aivisha.”

  “You know her?” Glenn was not particularly surprised. For someone like Da’off—an old mage who had lived far beyond a normal lifespan—knowing many renowned figures was hardly unusual.

  A mysterious woman with power above the sixth rank would indeed be infamous in certain circles.

  Da’off nodded. “Aivisha was a widely known witch a century ago. She offended an ancient sect and was hunted by two seventh-rank legendary hierarchs. I had assumed she perished long ago. I did not expect her to have survived.”

  “Is she trustworthy?” Glenn’s concern lay in whether she had designs on him.

  “When I was still an apprentice, I once heard she slaughtered an entire village—though I never learned whether the tale was true.” Da’off stroked his beard and paused. “But Moonstones—I know of them. That sort of thing cannot easily be forged. Take it out and let me see.”

  Glenn did not hesitate. He retrieved the small orb of carved features, extracted the Moonstone from within, and—resisting the sting of reluctance—offered it to Da’off.

  Da’off was surprised that Glenn could even pass such a werewolf “narcotic” to another person.

  He tapped the stone lightly with his wand, then brought it to his eye for close inspection before returning it. “I detect no faults.”

  Glenn placed the Moonstone back into its sphere. “Then there should be no problem. If she truly harbors some plot, I’m not afraid.”

  His confidence came from the fact that he could sacrifice a portion of his sanity and transform into a werewolf beyond the seventh rank.

  But instinct warned him that doing so would unleash catastrophic consequences. It would remain the ultimate last resort—never to be used unless absolutely necessary, lest innocent lives be caught in the destruction.

  Da’off lectured him a while longer before ending the session.

  Back in the magic house, Glenn busied himself with moving newly acquired furniture into his room.

  He worked for quite some time.

  Several idle children peeked curiously from the doorway—the first time they had ever seen a normal person’s room—and found it strangely fascinating.

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  Meco came down from the upper floor, dismissed the children, and said to Glenn as he stepped from his room:

  “I’ve been tied up upstairs and only just came down. Are you satisfied with everything here?”

  “It’s all very new to me. I think I’ll enjoy my time here,” Glenn replied with a smile.

  “That’s good. You’ll grow accustomed to it quickly. If you don’t understand something, feel free to ask me. Although I’m away most of the time—ask Lucas. He’s very good at looking after people.”

  After speaking, Meco excused herself, stepped out the front door, and vanished on some unknown errand.

  Glenn turned to head back inside when, from the corner of his eye, he caught Little Leaf hurriedly darting out of sight.

  “Little Leaf, what are you doing over there?” Glenn called out directly.

  Knowing she’d been discovered, Little Leaf stopped hiding and walked over with feigned casualness. “I was looking for something—and thought I’d take a look at your room.”

  “Oh.” Glenn did not expose her excuse and simply returned inside.

  Little Leaf followed, examining the simple, ordinary furnishings with an unreadable expression.

  Glenn let her wander and pulled out a small notebook. Flipping open a tattered old journal, he began summarizing Da’off’s lesson while cross-referencing his notes.

  The quill pen, however, was troublesome. Every few lines he had to pause and adjust it.

  Considering the abundance of magical materials available here, Glenn thought it best to ask Lucas tomorrow to help him craft a proper steel pen. After yet another adjustment of the quill’s fraying tip, the idea grew firmer in his mind.

  At some point Little Leaf had slipped away. Glenn’s quill scratched on, halting and uneven, until deep into the night.

  When drowsiness crept in, he finally decided to sleep.

  After extinguishing the lamp, he closed his eyes—and instinctively fell into meditation.

  He immediately realized what was happening. Just as he was about to open his eyes, he froze, sensing something amiss.

  After probing for a moment, he understood: he could no longer enter deep meditation.

  Was some trick played on me…? The thought surfaced unbidden. It was likely the spear thrown by that shadowed figure during his first meditation.

  At least he didn’t have to fear the searing agony in his eyes again… Thinking on the bright side, Glenn drifted into sleep.

  Morning came, heralded by the strange ringing of the magical dawn bell outside.

  Its sound held enchantment; once he heard it, Glenn felt entirely awake, leaping out of bed without the slightest grogginess.

  I need one of those alarm bells… he mused as he rose.

  Lucas’s voice called from outside:

  “Glenn, are you up? I’ll take you to wash.”

  Glenn opened the door, exchanged morning greetings, and followed him to the washing area.

  Moments later, he experienced the wonders of the magic house—tools that could cleanse the body in an instant, even living toothbrush-like creatures that polished one’s teeth.

  When he emerged, he felt refreshed from head to toe.

  After a lively breakfast with the other students, they prepared to begin their day.

  “Teacher has already left. Before he went, he told me to remind you to complete your homework properly,” Lucas said, turning back before heading to his own experiments.

  “I understand,” Glenn replied with a smile.

  Da’off had assigned three tasks. The first two involved contemplating and understanding the structural principles of a specific node in cleansing magic, then recording them.

  Only the third required Glenn to venture out and perform a practical assignment.

  He had already begun working on the first two last night—challenging, but not insurmountable.

  Remembering the matter of the quill, Glenn stopped Lucas and explained his desire for a proper steel pen.

  Lucas merely chuckled. “That’s simple. Some mages use magical pens powered by mana—but that won’t work for you yet.”

  He led Glenn into his laboratory.

  For an apprentice of Lucas’s level, having a personal laboratory was essential.

  Once Glenn reached Lucas’s level, Da’off would grant him one as well—though Glenn was already planning to set up one in the Beyek family basement, sparing Da’off the trouble.

  Lucas placed what looked like a discarded wire on the workbench, began casting, and explained as he worked: “Based on your description, I’ll shape these wires into a proper steel pen using molding magic…”

  Glenn wanted to suggest drawing a blueprint first, but Lucas had already begun.

  Before Glenn’s eyes, the wires liquefied, merging into a slender column, tapering neatly at both ends.

  When the spell was complete, Lucas held up his proud creation.

  “Well? Satisfied?”