Chapter 20
(T/N: I’m back ;>)
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“When people saw a chrysalis no one would think there were butterflies in it. But nature does its magic.”
“That’s it.”
“Yeah, that’s how it is.”
“…If that’s the case, I’m not confident.”
Karina let her arms down weakly. Wilder’s words were unfamiliar but not difficult to understand. However, Karina wasn’t quite sure that she could handle this new job well.
“Why?”
“It’s something I’ve never thought about.”
“Well, you can think about it.”
Wilder’s voice was softer than ever. Karina shakes her head.
“What’s the point of this for someone like me?”
“Didn’t you notice? This is one of the bases of magic. It may seem simple, but these are facts that a wizard must know.”
“These things?”
Karina stared blankly at the brooch.
“I don’t know where Mrs. Bloe learned magic but looks like you learned it from a lousy teacher.”
“I never formally learned it. Just, sneaking a peek…”
“Is that so.”
Wilder didn’t seem too disappointed.
“Then I’ll take back what I said about a teacher. Ah, was it your parents? Did they hate seeing you touched magic? If that’s the case, I apologize.”
“…No.”
Karina never thought of Lord Lenque as her father. For the past twenty-three years, Lord Lenque had only been a master who arrested and imprisoned her.
“Anyway these are important. It’s the basis of magic.”
“…”
“Magic without a foundation is nothing more than sand castles that will disappear when it rains.”
Karina’s eyes lit up. Roland in the novel also suffered greatly from the magic that Lord Lenque unmistakably used to amplify on him.
‘Roland and Melissa need a teacher!’
How carefree she has been. She thought they would do well on their own because they were talented and had learned from Lord Lenque to some extent. Karina looked at Wilder with enthusiasm.
“Well, I’ll do my best.”
But Wilder just shakes his head and closed the drawer.
“It’s not good to rush. That’s it for today.”
* * *
Karina immediately taught the children what she had learned. It was because she didn’t dare to take the children to Wilder and be taught together, and she thought she could teach them Wilder’s teachings as it were.
The children picked the butterfly straight away, although Lord Lenque didn’t teach them any of these magic bases. As someone who had no sense of anything, Karina couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘They’re both talented after all!’
Karina’s face lit up brightly.
“Good job, good job.”
“What’s so good about butterflies?”
Roland’s eyes sparkled. Karina smiled and delivered Wilder’s explanation to the children.
“Wow…”
Karina didn’t miss the difference between the children.
‘Roland was really surprised, Melissa wasn’t.’
Karina thought it was because Melissa already expected the answer at first, but soon realized she wasn’t. Melissa looked very bored the whole time Karina explained.
‘Is it because you’re still young?’
She didn’t mean to bother a seven-year-old with boring stories. Karina asked Melissa.
“Melissa, is the magic story boring? Do you want to do something else?”
“No!”
Melissa half-shouted then flinched in surprise at her own voice.
“Umm, that… so…”
“Tell me, Melissa.”
Melissa only mumbled and didn’t tell her the real reason still. Karina knew why. Melissa was worried that if she complained a little even this class would disappear. Roland who couldn’t see it stepped in instead.
“Melissa wants to learn real magic. At that time, I promised to teach her but I couldn’t because I was sick.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Roland has reached a great level of practical magic with little knowledge of the theory so far, but Melissa wasn’t like that. Now that she has felt the taste of actual magic, just Wilder’s important theory must have felt dull.
“Well, why don’t we try something simple? Don’t do anything complicated.”
“I- I… want to do something difficult. Strong, something strong.”
Karina shakes her head.
“No, complex things can be dangerous… more importantly, I also want to learn from Roland. Melissa, could you make some adjustments for me?”
Roland’s eyes widened as Melissa nodded steadily.
“I’m… teaching mom?”
“Right, are you okay with it?”
“Yeah.”
Roland’s answer was somehow weak. Not only that, Roland’s shoulders were drooping because of the sudden pressure. Karina spoke hurriedly. She didn’t want to burden the child who was already weighed down by the burden of his little sister.
“You don’t have to do it if you feel pressured. Personally, Sir Wilder will teach me.”
“Ah, no… That’s…”
Roland dropped his head.
“Can I teach mom how to do it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I… I can’t do magic.”
Karina bit her lip. The restraint placed over by Lord Lenque still hasn’t let Roland go.
“Roland.”
Karina called out Roland softly.
“Do you know how many children I’ve seen over the years?”
She deliberately avoided direct mention of Lord Lenque.
“…Was there a lot?”
“Correct, and you two were the best of them all.”
Most of the children actually returned to the orphanage after being kicked out of Lord Lenque’s mansion without even receiving the education Melissa had received.
Karina thought it was rather a good thing. The orphanage would be much better than being treated as an object like Roland and Melissa for being talented.
“Really?”
It wasn’t Roland who asked the question, but Melissa.
“Yes, you two.”
“Then… at least our skills weren’t bad.”
At that moment Roland seemed relieved.
“Right. And I want to learn from you guys. Why, do you think you can’t do it?”
“No!”
Now Roland has returned to his usual bright appearance. Karina let out a sigh of relief inside. The children were certainly much brighter, and she was slowly forgetting about her life in Lord Lenque’s mansion too.
Nevertheless, his shadow still cast heavily upon all three of them. And there was a monster sleeping in that shadow. A monster like a time bomb that no one knows when it will explode.
All Karina could do was put the monster to sleep well for a long time. Just like the monsters in old tales, until it hardens like a stone after sleeping for too much.
“What kind of magic would be good? I’d like something simple. It’s my first time.”
“This your first time using magic?”
Roland wasn’t that surprised or looked down on her. He was just checking the facts.
“Sure.”
Karina spoke a little bitterly, the children whispered to each other head to head presumably unaware of her darkened looks. After a while, Roland and Melissa shouted in chorus.
“We’ve decided!”
“What is it?”
Roland took something out of his pocket instead of answering. It was a bunch of white dandelion flower seeds.
“We’re going to grow flowers here.”
Roland carefully distributed the flower seeds one by one to her and Melissa. Karina’s heart pounded a little. Right now she’s learning the magic that Lord Lenque had banned so much. That too, from Roland.
It was as if she had given Lord Lenque a shot, who had not figured out where their location is. Roland taught Karina a short spell. It was closer to the squeak of an animal rather than a human language.
“Concentrate as much as you can on your mind… Okay, good. And when you imagine a dandelion blooming, ta-da. Like this.”
In Roland’s hand, a vivid dandelion seemed to have been just removed out of the soil down to the roots. Melissa made a dandelion in an instant with a slightly bored face.
Karina took a deep breath and followed Roland’s teachings. Her heart was filled with emotions mixed with tension and excitement.
‘…!’
The light and nonexistent dandelion seeds disappeared somewhere, and a single big yellow dandelion flower appeared.
‘
Ah…’
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Karina couldn’t bring herself to make a sound and her lips trembled. The words she wanted to say were near her throat as if they would come out of her mouth at any moment, but she couldn’t utter a single word.
She can’t say anything to these innocent and lovely children. The words that couldn’t go out into the world pooled in Karina’s eyes and flowed down.
“…Mom, are you crying?”
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(T/N: I was listening to ‘Light and Daffodils’ while translating this chapter and damn I didn’t expect it would fit so well)