While Gwen waited for the verdict, the judge and his apprentice exchanged words in silence.

"Master, you'd better not get excited, we're all too excited. Your heart ......"

"I'm fine... I am fine... Where did you find this girl's? A great house?"

"In Blackwater...... Near the fish market. ”

"From a public school? What did she say about that? Did you teach her the creed?"

"Never mentioned it. ”

However, she knew the tower's constitution better than the most senior members. She just gave us scholars the answer we've been struggling with for ages!"

"Well, she's a freak......"

“...”

It seemed to Gwen that Judge Kilroy silently sipped the golden mead for a minute before he had enough energy to continue working. Sofina dotes on the old man while she looks exactly like Gwen, and Gwen is extremely uncomfortable with this scene.

"So, it's a guarantee," Henry said at last, and he breathed a sigh of relief, making sure that he had indeed removed the magic. "You will obey a greater GEA company. ”

Gwen's expression was puzzling.

Alicia began to explain.

"It's a stronger, more persistent quest spell..."

Gwen's understanding is one of emptiness.

"It's a coercive spell that punishes you and warns the master if you break the promise of the conditions we set," Alexia explained in layman's words. "In this case, you have to make sure that you don't use your ability to communicate with mythological characters to do anything hostile to the city, to other humans, except for extreme self-preservation. You also promise not to tell anyone about our GEA company, snakes, or our decisions to protect you from the tower. ”

Gwen nodded.

She didn't have to like it to agree, because she understood that in this case, it was the best service that Alessia could offer. Alexia has put herself in danger, and now her master is also protected. There is not much more to say than to gracefully accept the GEA company.

"I understand," Gwen affirmed. "Let's do it. ”

"Wow, slow down, Tiger, you can negotiate too. We are not robbers. ”

"I'm fine," she replied, and I should thank you for risking your life for me. ”

Alexia glanced at her master, and he glanced at her, as if to suggest that she should learn from Gwen's maturity.

The Witch in Red pouted sullenly.

"Well," Judge Kilroy cleared his throat, "if you don't have a specific request, listen to me." ”

"Anything, sir. Gwen genuinely admired the wise judge. At the same time, she is also a little jealous of the father-daughter relationship between the old magician and Alexia. Gwen herself had never experienced such paternal mentoring: in Gwen's opinion, it was most likely the reason for the questionable decisions she made during her adolescence.

"Ahhh, yes, well, if you insist. "Henry seems to be bothered by Gwen's seriousness. "If you wish, I would like to ask you to be my apprentice. One, as compensation for accepting Yas's spell, and two, because I think you agree with our philosophy very much. I have never seen anyone so convinced of our creed. ”

Apprentice!

Apprentice?

To a judge?!

Master Alessia's apprentice, a magician whose territory besieged the city of Sydney, Gwen immediately looked at Alexia for affirmation, and her mentor looked disbelieving.

Gwen's heart sank.

"Alesia...... Is that okay?" she knew she owed Alexia more money than she could repay. It's entirely possible that her savior wouldn't want to share her privileges. If so, she would respect Alicia's wishes.

"What are you talking about Gwen! That's great!" Alexia jumped up from her chair, hugged Gwen, and kissed her on the cheek. "We're sisters now! I'm your craft sister now! Gwynnie!"

"Big sister!" Gwen shouted, feeling doubly embarrassed as she was technically older than Alesia.

"Little sister!" Alexia loved to hear the word roll off her tongue.

Henry waited patiently for his students, old and new, to do a happy little dance.

"A new family member, Huza!" echoed in the room with Akiba's shivering voice. Sofina joined the pair. As a strong woman, she is very sensitive to happy emotions, which are a nourishment.

"Sir!" Gwen struggled to break free, then fell to one knee. This seems to be the right thing to do. "I accept your blessing!"

Gwen made a pleading gesture and placed her right hand on her left chest. Under Alexia's guidance, she vows to serve Kilroy and his creed to the best of her ability.

"I accept. ”

When Gwen rose from the floor, the cave was once again filled with celebratory atmosphere, and the thick scent of jasmine flowers came to her face.

Watching the women gulp down golden mead, Sydney Tower's owner, Henry Kilroy (Henry Kilroy), suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Gwen.

Alexia.

Sofina.

Will there be women in his cave? young, uninhibited, supernatural? What if they join forces or fear him? Will he experience peace again?

"Sofina, scroll. ”

After carefully explaining each and every one to their new members, the great GEA company was ready.

Gwen poked her thumb at a Mitril dagger and imprinted blood on the scroll. In the next moment, the silver fire burned out the parchment.

"Oh~"

A tingling sensation permeated her skin. It was evident that she sensed through the eyes of her mind that there was now a cluster of golden magic orbiting her astral body like a satellite.

Henry told her, "If you're going to break the agreement, you're going to be miserable." ”。 "As promised, I will be notified immediately. ”

"Thank you, sir," Gwen replied, and hastened to correct herself. "The hosts. ”

After Gwen saw off her morbidly sweet "master", Alicia relaxed and finally landed on solid ground after two days of flying. Now that her master has secured Gwen's preservation, it's time to find answers to some of the questions that Gwen has shown off her talents that have been bothering her.

"Master, if you still have time, I strongly recommend that you take Gwen to the Cognitive Observatory. ”

"Oh, Gwen is impressive, isn't she?"

Gwen felt blushing, and Alexia had praised him too much. She's sure to disappoint her new owner. After all, Alesia is at least a level 6 summoner and has a crazy talent for shooting. Gwen is an insignificant secondary level. It's like comparing a Pomeranian to a displacement beast.

"Gwen, do you mind?" Alexia nudged her sister with her hand. She tells Gwen that it's rare to have a mage ignore her skills. More often than not, mages pay hundreds of HDM companies for a fraction of Henry's time, begging for a mysterious solution.

"I'd love to!" Gwen raised her hand in affirmation.

In the end, her new outlook had an impact on her. Does this mean that she is now in an invulnerable position?

Or at least, that's what Gwen had been thinking about until Alicia told her about the dangers of being Henry Kihlroy's apprentice.

"Stop celebrating, Gwen. Apprenticeships are not public information. The reasons for discretion are manifold, but the main one is to protect apprentices until they are able to become independent. Kidnapping, bribery, and harassment of a judge's valuable apprentice is one of the many ways in which a judge's decision can be influenced, especially one like Henry Kilroy.

Therefore, while her master can guide Gwen on her magical path, he will not make his official relationship public until they are able to fend for themselves.

Even Alessia, a known assistant to the judge for 20 years, was seen by the outside world only as a protector, a retinue, running errands for the judge in exchange for knowledge and favors.

"You also have a brother in craft," Alexia said, her eyes half-closed, her voice a little agitated. "His name is Gunther Schultz. We were in the same boat, although everyone rightly believed that Gunther was the master's official apprentice. ”

Gunther Schultz. This isn't the first time Gwen has heard the name.

"Not knowing our true relationship gives us a lot of flexibility," Henry said with a laugh, but enough was enough. Let's get into the big cognitive room. I'm curious about your sister's passion. ”

Kilroy leads the two to the exit of the pocket space, explaining to Gwen that "Grote" is the territory of his dear companion Sofina. Once someone invades, Drade can leave hostile mages trapped indefinitely, roaming the endless corridors of her pocket.

Outside the oak door, a suspended platform rises to greet them.

"Where's Sofina?" Gwen noticed the giantess suddenly disappear.

Henry tapped his skull.

"Sofina doesn't like the twisted space of the tower," he replied. "She is a product of nature. ”

Two more white-clad guards came to the platform.

"Your Excellency!" the men immediately caught their attention.

"Cadets," Henry greeted the tower's guard and attendant. "Please find Observatory No. 1. ”

Once out of the grotto, Alicia regained her resting bitch face. Gwen's attention wanders around, ranging from architectural wonders to her amiable new owner, to Alicia's hostile demeanor.

The elevator made its way through the tower, behind the thick mana-fortified glass, and Gwen could see the mage at work. So it's a tower, and Gwen is hungry for this wondrous sight, a building built with magic, housing the best and brightest mages.

There are several floors made up of offices, which look no different from the commercial center. The other rooms are chaotic rooms for training to prevent damage to the walls. Higher, the successive four floors looked like an ancient library, and the rows of gray-brown stones tickled Gwen's fingers. A little higher, the glass window showed a laboratory, packed with white-robed mages. Gwen screamed in surprise when she spotted a half-crustacean humanoid raging on a clear magical barrier.

"Don't mind, Gwen," Henry told her of a specimen, nothing else. ”

Eventually, they reached the beginning of another corridor, where the platform docked, making a metal-to-metal crash.

"Observatory No. 1, my lord. The guards hurried to both sides of the platform and let them pass. As Gwen passed by one of the guards, she saw his eyes, and goosebumps appeared on her skin.

The man's narrow, unforgiving gaze transformed a feeling that she knew so well. She, a worthless and important young woman, was jealous that she should spend some time in the same acquaintance room with the Judge! she deservedly avoided her gaze, her cheeks hot with shame.

"Get out of us," the judge chanted coldly. In another autocratic cheer "Yay, Syr!"

"It's too noisy. Henry turned away.

"Come with the territory," Alexia snorted. "At least you don't have to sign it. ”

"I thought you had a great time. Henry said with a smile. "You were so young, so pure, not as cynical and twisted as you are now, and you flew around in that robe, full of dreams and hopes of young men in the army. What went wrong?"

"You've made me who I am," Alexia shot back, grinning at her master and saying don't carry me. ”

"Gwen......" Kielroy lamented helplessly.

"Yes, master?"

"Don't be like Alessia, any amount of pressure will kill me. ”

The epistemic room in the tower was much larger than the one Gwen had lived in when she was at school.

It is more like a gymnasium, with a ceiling of six or seven meters, equally wide and long, forming a sterile white space.

Henry waved his hand. The room immediately went dark.

Space is gone. In the next moment, the three of them stood on the astral level. One by one, spheres of various colors began to appear.

"Gwen," Henry motioned for his youngest apprentice to come closer. Above her, beside her, below her, mysterious phenomena bathe her in a rainbow of colors. "How much do you know about elemental planes?"

"Only what the textbooks say, master. ”

Henry nodded, moving his hand. Around her, Gwen saw the expansion of a galaxy, more detailed and extraordinary than anything she could have imagined.

He pointed to the zenith. "Definitely. ”

He pointed to the lowest point. "Negative"

He pointed to the four corners of the compass. "Earth, Fire, Water, Air"

He pointed to a place filled with particles of electrical energy.

"Where air and positive electricity meet, there is lightning. ”

He pointed to a listless, menacing place.

"The person who tries to attack you is dust, the meeting place of negative energy and the earth. ”

The clear vision brings a new epiphany to Gwen's theoretically chaotic mind. So many of the questions that plagued her shattered understanding were immediately cleared.

The judge continued.

"Lightning, steam, minerals, brilliance. Henry pointed to the space between the quality element and the positive element.

"Smoke, magma, ooze mud, ice," Henry continued, referring to the linear intersection where the major elements meet. It is often mistaken for a quasi-element. These are quasi-elemental planes with no positive or negative effects. ”

Finally, he points to the absolutely dark negative plane below and its corners.

"Ashes, dust, salt......" the judge paused. “... And it doesn't work. ”

Blurred vision.

"Gwen, please prove," he ordered.

Gwen opened her eyes. A parallel vision fused together on the floor below, reflecting her astral form: a soft, transparent body, filled with clear lightning particles and other uncertain dust.

"Beautiful. Alicia stroked her mouth with her hand. "What a wonderful astral form, Gwen, so clear!"

"Alesia, if you would like to join us. ”

Alessia did the same, and it was the ultimate act of trust, because exposing one's astral body was like carrying one's soul, leaving nothing to hide.

Flames began to emerge from beneath Alesia, expanding with the fluttering of a swarm of fireflies, until slowly, a female figure formed. Unlike Gwen's crystalline face, the edges of the Alexian astral form are hot mist. Her astral projection then became more and more intense, until it turned into a roaring forest fire, first red, then yellow, then blue, and finally white. When she was done, the room was lit up by a fission reactor in the shape of a woman, shining with a rainbow of light.

"Be quiet, Alesia. Hyung covered his eyes with a localized confession.

Alicia reduced her output until her astral body took on a fire-like glow.

"I know you want to show off, but Gwen needs new eyes. Gwen's master whispered.

When Gwen reappeared with two swollen balls, Alexia came back sluggishly, teary-eyed.

"Too ...... That's awesome......" Gwen tried to give a thumbs up, pointing in a completely different direction.

"I'm sorry Gwen ......" Alexia fumbled for a syringe and then injected her blind handicraft sister's arm back to restore her burned pupils.

"It's so reckless......" Henry shook his head, her temperament was the reason he refused to make Alesia an apprentice.

After her eyesight returned, Gwen's breathing became a little easier.

"Okay, let's move on. Henry reminded them. "Gwen, use your favorite spell. ”

Gwen closed her eyes, focused, and began to chant.

"Thunderbolt!"

She channeled her favorite summoning magic, observing the exchange of mysterious energies within her.

After the lightning, the smell of ozone hit my face.

Henry applauded.

"Now try another element of yours," Henry commanded the Void Elemental. ”

"Emptiness ... Elementals, sir?"

"Go ahead and see how well it answers your calls. ”

"Thunderbolt!"

Gwen attempts to channel the black energy particles inside her into the summoning signal, but the Elemental Gate remains dormant. She tried again, but the yellowish spots seemed to ignore her wishes.

“...... I'm sorry, Master. Gwen's face was crimson, I couldn't. ”

"Very good...... How was it feeling when you last used the Hello element?"

She cleared her mind and recounted some of the assumptions. She deduced that the first time might have been after a terrible ordeal at her mother's luncheon, in the heart of Hyde Park, where she had a meltdown. The next time it was Edgar trying to drain her self-esteem.

"You've had ...... both times," Alexia asked uneasily. "Thoughts of self-harm?"

Gwen bowed her head. She knew it was a weakness that brought on fear and despair, uncertainty and self-loathing.

"There is no need to be ashamed," Henry's assurances were calm and comforting. "I'm familiar with the Void element myself. You see, emptiness is triggered by strong negative emotions, which is not uncommon, because the negative aspects strongly correspond to death and destruction, just as the positive aspects bring life and restoration. ”

Kilroy carefully considered the appearance of Gwyn's astral body before making a decision.

"I'm sorry," Gwen wondered, if she was already upset if her new master regretted marrying her.

"Your astral body is unique," he began. "Twin elements, polar opposites, it's weird. One is perhaps rarer than my own. Note—

Without much effort, Henry expanded his astral presence, filled with pyrotechnic colors in the reflections below. In Gwen's opinion, Henry Kielroy's mana signature is an astral miracle.

First, there was a fire.

And then there's the water.

The rusty ochre represents the earth.

The fourth, barely visible, can only be air.

"Did you see that?"

Gwen nodded. She saw it, though she didn't understand it. This manifestation is impossible and meaningless. For Henry, having four essential elements meant that her textbooks were full of lies.

Then the magician opened his palm, and Gwen saw a little Sofina, chubby, cute, moving in the space of his palm.

"Fire, water, earth, air—summon, summon, shapeshift," the mage said solemnly. "Together, they make up the main material that we can't see, because we miss the forest for the sake of the trees. My unique element, Gwen, is the element of life. ”

Gwen nodded, too frightened to speak.

"Don't bother that you're inexperienced. We were all young and ever. When I was a child, they called me a fool, a useless fool. When I was younger, they called me a child prodigy. When I was an adult, they called me a mage. When I grew up, they called me a magician. Do you want to know what I've learned, Gwen?"

"Master?"

"I asked for guidance, Gwen. Be humble and not ashamed. I visited my mages and they were willing to come from afar to teach them my talents. ”

The magician gave Gwen a look full of understanding, suggesting that something was upsetting Gwen's stomach.

"We all have our own secrets. People are afraid of those who are different, especially those who can't get their own things, but that's human nature. They will say that you are strange, reject you, accuse you, or maybe they will do the opposite, support you, put you on a pedestal. Your Void Element: This is rare and it is incredibly dangerous. But don't be afraid, that's part of you. Control it, don't let it control you, let it eat your stuff. Don't hide it and let it rot. ”。

"Thank you, Master......" The old man's wise words filled Gwen with warmth, but then the old master's next few words were splashed on her like a bucket of mysterious ice.

"But back to the topic of mentoring, Gwen Song. Kilroy's voice rose an octave, as if a man suddenly found himself in possession of the largest rough diamond in the world. "If you don't mind, my apprentice, can you explain why you haven't woken up yet?"