The following weeks passed quickly as Lily wasted time between researching how her cloak worked and practicing spells.
At first, she told herself it wasn't a waste.
It couldn't be.
The cloak was strange—different from anything she had ever seen or read about. No matter how many times she activated it, no matter how carefully she observed the way mana flowed through it, she still couldn't fully understand its mechanism. It wasn't like normal enchanted equipment where the magic was structured, predictable, almost… logical.
This cloak felt alive.
Or at least, unpredictable enough to make her think it was.
Some days, she would spend hours just sitting in her room, the curtains drawn, repeatedly activating and deactivating it. Watching. Feeling. Trying to trace the mana pathways with her senses.
Why does it react like that?
Why does the flow change every time?
Is it adapting… or am I just imagining it?
Other times, she would completely give up halfway through and flop onto her bed, staring at the ceiling in frustration.
"This is pointless…" she muttered more than once.
But even then, she always came back to it.
Because deep down, she knew—if she could understand this cloak, even a little, it would become something incredibly powerful.
Still…
Compared to that, practicing spells felt… easier.
So she split her time between the two—research when she had patience, practice when she didn't.
And slowly, without her really noticing, the days blurred into weeks.
During one of those weeks, Lily had gotten bored.
Not the kind of boredom that made her sleepy.
The kind that made her restless.
Everything felt repetitive. Practice. Research. Repeat. Even the guild felt quieter than usual, with fewer jobs that interested her. Kane was busy with his own training,
Lily found herself sitting alone more often than she liked.
Which was exactly how she ended up staring at the magic card in her hand.
She turned it over once.
Twice.
"…Should I?" she muttered.
Arlen's face popped into her mind almost instantly—his smug expression, the way he talked like he was above everyone else
She frowned.
"Ugh… that guy…"
But then she remembered something else.
Light magic.
She had never properly learned it.
And if she was being honest… she was curious.
Very curious.
After a few more seconds of hesitation, she sighed and activated the card.
"Whatever. It's better than doing nothing."
The message was simple.
A short exchange.
Straight to the point.
And, before she even fully processed it, she had already scheduled a visit.
Tuesday.
At his house.
To learn light magic.
Lily stared at the card after it dimmed.
On Tuesday morning, Lily stood in front of Arlen's house.
A box of cookies in her hands.
She looked up.
And up.
And up.
"…What."
The mansion was massive.
Not just big—overwhelmingly big.
The gates alone were taller than most buildings she had been inside, made of dark metal with intricate patterns carved into them. Beyond them, she could see a long pathway stretching toward the main house, lined with perfectly trimmed hedges and statues that looked expensive enough to buy an entire street.
And the house itself…
It wasn't even just a house.
It was closer to a palace.
Tall pillars, multiple wings, polished windows that reflected the morning light like glass, and a sense of scale that made her feel… small.
Very small.
Lily slowly looked down at the box of cookies in her hands.
"…This isn't enough, is it?"
For a moment, she considered turning around.
Just leaving.
Pretending this whole thing never happened.
But then—
"No. I already came all this way."
She tightened her grip on the box and walked toward the gates.
The guards stopped her immediately.
"State your purpose."
Lily didn't hesitate. She pulled out the magic card and held it up, just like Arlen had told her.
"I'm here to see Arlen."
The guards exchanged a glance, then one of them stepped forward and examined the card closely.
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Lily shifted slightly, suddenly aware of how out of place she felt standing here.
Then, without a word, the guards stepped aside.
The gates opened.
"…You may enter."
Lily blinked.
"Oh. Uh… thanks."
She walked in.
And immediately regretted not mentally preparing herself.
Because the inside was even worse.
The pathway felt longer than it looked from outside. Every step she took made her more aware of how quiet everything was.
Even the air felt different.
Cleaner.
Lily frowned slightly as she walked.
This is ridiculous…
After what felt like forever, she finally reached the main house.
And stepped inside.
After walking for a while to get to the main area, Lily saw Arlen sitting on a couch.
He hadn't noticed her.
He was leaning back casually, one arm resting against the side, the other holding a book that he seemed half-interested in. His expression was neutral, almost bored, as if nothing around him could really hold his attention.
Lily stared at him for a second.
Then—
"Yo!" she grunted.
Arlen's head snapped toward her instantly.
For a split second, his eyes widened—genuine surprise flashing across his face.
Then, just as quickly, it disappeared.
"Oh," he said, relaxing back slightly. "It's just you."
Lily frowned.
"Wow. Nice to see you too."
She walked over and placed the box of cookies on the table beside him with a soft thud.
"I brought these," she said casually.
Arlen glanced at the box.
Then back at her.
Then back at the box again.
"…Cookies?"
"Yeah."
He stared at them for another second before looking away.
"…You didn't have to."
His tone didn't sound particularly grateful.
Lily narrowed her eyes slightly.
"I know."
A brief silence followed.
Then Lily crossed her arms.
"So," she said, "when do we begin?"
Arlen didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stood up and stretched slightly, completely ignoring her question.
"Follow me."
"…Hey."
He was already walking.
Lily let out a small sigh and followed anyway.
While they walked through his mansion, they talked.
Well… kind of talked.
"I didn't know you were a noble," Lily said, looking around as they passed through yet another wide hallway filled with decorations she didn't recognize but instinctively knew were expensive.
Arlen glanced at her, confused.
"Most students who go to Formosa are nobles," he said. "It's not that surprising."
Lily blinked.
"…Really?"
"Yes."
She scratched the back of her head.
"Huh."
She hadn't known that.
But at the same time… she didn't really care.
"Oh."
And that was the end of that.
Arlen looked at her again, this time with a slightly different expression.
"…That's it?"
"What?"
"You're not going to ask anything else?"
Lily shrugged.
"Not really."
Arlen stared at her for a moment.
Then looked forward again.
They walked in silence for a bit after that.
Arlen glanced at her once.
Then again.
Like he was expecting something.
Finally, he spoke.
"Well," he said, his tone shifting slightly, "if you really want to know about our family—the great and proud Hayes—I wouldn't mind telling you about it."
Lily opened her mouth.
"Actually, I—"
But Arlen didn't let her finish.
"The great Hayes," he continued, already launching into his explanation, "one of the powerhouses of the mage families. We ascended to a count when my great-grandfather—a light user at the level of an archmage—single-handedly took down a quarter of the northern barbarians when they tried to invade our kingdom."
Lily slowly closed her mouth.
"…Oh."
And just like that, she was stuck listening.
She nodded occasionally.
"Mm."
"Wow."
"Yeah."
But her mind wasn't really there.
Archmage, huh…
Single-handedly… sure…
She wasn't doubting him.
But the way he said it made it sound like a story he had repeated a hundred times.
Arlen, on the other hand, seemed completely immersed in his own explanation.
"…and that was only one of his achievements," he continued. "Our family has always excelled in light magic—"
Lily nodded again.
"Uh-huh."
After a while, they finally reached a door.
Arlen stopped.
"…And this," he said, placing a hand on it, "is where we train."
He pushed it open.
The room inside was empty.
But not in a plain way.
Lily stepped in and immediately felt something.
A pressure.
Subtle, but definitely there.
Her eyes scanned the room.
The walls were covered in faint markings—layers upon layers of protective spells, each one carefully constructed and overlapping with the others. Some she recognized. Most she didn't.
The air itself felt… reinforced.
Stable.
Like nothing inside this room could easily get out—or break it.
"Whoa…" she muttered.
Arlen walked to the center of the room, clearly pleased with her reaction.
"This is the Hayes family's training room," he said proudly, spreading his arms slightly.
Lily turned in a slow circle, taking everything in.
This is… way different from the guild…
Arlen reached into his coat and retrieved his wand.
He had apparently been holding it the entire time.
He sat down in the center of the room and gestured for her to stand in front of him.
"Alright," he said. "Try casting a light spell."
Lily blinked.
"…That's it?"
"Yes."
She hesitated for a second.
Then shrugged.
"Okay."
She closed her eyes slightly and raised her hand.
Light…
She imagined it.
Just like she always did.
Mana gathered.
She focused.
Pushed.
And—
Nothing.
She opened one eye.
"…Huh."
Arlen watched silently.
Lily tried again.
And again.
And again.
Minutes passed.
Each attempt looked almost identical—same posture, same focus, same result.
Nothing.
Arlen's expression slowly changed.
From neutral.
To annoyed.
To… something worse.
Finally—
"You're doing it all wrong!"
Lily flinched slightly at the sudden shout.
"What?!"
Arlen stood up, clearly frustrated.
"You're repeating the same mistake over and over again!"
Lily frowned.
"I'm trying!"
"Trying isn't enough if you don't understand what you're doing!"
He took a deep breath.
Then another.
For a moment, it looked like he was about to say something harsher.
But instead, he forced himself to calm down.
"…Alright," he said, his tone more controlled now. "Let's start from the basics."
Lily blinked.
"…Basics?"
Arlen looked at her.
"How do you cast spells for the four basic elements?"
Lily tilted her head.
"Well… I just imagine it."
Arlen stared at her.
Silence.
Then—
"…Of course you do."
His shoulders dropped slightly, disappointment clear on his face.
"That works only for geniuses like me," he said. "For people like you, who can't rely on instinct, you should try to do it the hard way."
Lily didn't even react to the insult.
Instead, her eyes lit up.
"Wait—there's a hard way?"
Arlen blinked.
"…Yes."
Lily leaned forward slightly.
"How—how do I do it?!"
And just like that, Arlen realized something.
She wasn't being difficult.
She wasn't being lazy.
She genuinely… didn't know.
And somehow—
That made it even worse.
He looked at her, a mix of frustration and disbelief in his eyes.
"…You really came here without understanding something this basic."
Lily nodded.
"Yeah."
Arlen let out a long sigh.
"…Unbelievable."
But despite his words, he raised his wand.
"Fine," he said. "I'll teach you."
And as he prepared to explain, he couldn't help but think—
This is going to take a while.