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Chapter 230: Hubert slowly becomes Lanchi's shadow
Chapter 230: Hubert slowly becomes Lanchi's shadow
In Talia's attic cottage, Lanchi and Hubert sat at the table while Talia reclined in her armchair, a small round tea table by her side holding a steaming cup of lemon tea.
The house was neither sparse nor cluttered with chairs, and the tableware and trinkets were neatly organized, with the occasional hint of freshly baked treats wafting through the air.
"Don't you dare corrupt Hubert."
Talia glanced at Lanchi with a hint of annoyance in her eyes.
Even though, as a demon, she shouldn't reprimand a human for influencing a half-demon, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was in the right.
The decades she had spent observing and mimicking humans were not in vain.
"...Talia, I want to ask you, what magic have you been teaching Hubert lately?"
Lanchi hesitated before posing his question.
"... "
Talia fell silent, turning her face away as if to dismiss Lanchi's inquiry.
It wasn't because his magic was particularly useful, but simply because it was easier to teach Hubert.
Seated beside Lanchi, Hubert indulged in a cake, listening to the familiar bickering—or what could pass as casual conversation—between Lanchi and Talia.
At times, she struggled to discern whether they were arguing or just having a normal chat, but this was how they interacted.
Hubert wondered if Talia, left alone in the quiet house, ever felt lonely while they were away on their northern adventures.
However, Lanchi's guess was correct. The first magic Talia had taught Hubert over the past month was indeed Basic Etiquette and Friendly Exchange.
With her exceptional spirit and curse compatibility, as well as her proficiency in poison and shadow magic, Hubert was an apt pupil. Additionally, Lanchi's magic, a blend of human and demon magic scripts, came easily to her.
Beyond considering compatibility and innate magical talent, higher-tier spells were often more challenging to master. Consequently, first- and second-tier spells were the easiest to grasp.
Furthermore, the quality and tier of a spell when crafted into a magic card served as a direct indicator of its learning difficulty.
For a spell of "White Common" quality, a talented learner with good compatibility with the spell type could quickly master it.
Learning a "Blue Rare" quality spell would take considerable time, and for learners with poor compatibility, it would be even more challenging.
At the "Purple Rare" level, one must have favorable spell type compatibility, or else, despite a lengthy learning period, it might remain elusive. As for "Pink Divine" spells, whether one could learn them was a matter of fate; the necessary spellbooks and instructional methods were also exceedingly rare. "Orange Epic" spells, on the other hand, were akin to innate talents, similar to bloodline powers, and could not be acquired through post-birth means, regardless of compatibility.
This was the reason why "Orange Epic" quality spell cards commanded astronomical prices.
In an age where trade was convenient, it made sense to learn usable spells to conserve card slots and, if one couldn't, to simply carry the spell cards instead, foregoing the investment of time and energy into learning them.
"After a semester of studying... I have indeed grown stronger."
Hubert picked up the Elegant Styling card that Lanchi had given her, a semi-transparent magical artifact, and reminisced about her progress and transformation over the past few months.
"You're indeed a far cry from who you were at the start of the school year."
Lanchi offered a warm smile as he spoke.
He was aware that Hubert already possessed four Pink Divine cards: three that her father had left her—Dagger, Invisibility, and Cheat Death—and one she had obtained from the Shadow World of the Cathedral, the Witch's Shield.
Now, with the addition of Lanchi's signature spells and the fifth card for hairstyle alteration, she had successfully transitioned from a functional thief to a trickster, adept at both self-preservation and bamboozling her foes.
"Oh, back then, people still saw me as a half-demon..."
The thought of the magic she had learned filled Hubert with a sense of shame as she contemplated her father's reaction.
"If I were to meet my father again in the future, he would probably be stunned as well," Hubert mused.
This was certainly not the path that Duke Migaya had envisioned for her. Once an offensive spellcaster, she had now become a support mage, a role that mirrored Lanchi's own.
"And what now?" Lanchi asked, eager to witness Hubert's newfound skills in action during another doubles match.
"In the end, I've become just like you," Hubert said with a shake of her head.
"So be it," Lanchi replied. "It's all for the better. At least by my side, no one dares to offend you anymore. You, a duchess, now carry yourself with more dignity than when your father was still around."
...
Lanchi didn't stay long at Talia's house. After delivering the cards, the primary task for the day, he bid Talia and Hubert farewell.
As he stepped out and pushed open the door of the Cat Boss Restaurant, the tinkling of a wind chime heralded the arrival of moist, cool air. Drops of rain had already begun to fall from the eaves.
In the distance, the steady patter of rain on the road became clearer, indicating that the downpour was likely to intensify.
"Looks like it's raining," Lanchi observed. He would have to borrow an umbrella from Cat Boss.
The weather had indeed been unpredictable lately, with frequent showers.
Just as he turned to head back inside, however, Hubert appeared with an umbrella in hand.
"Lanchi, I noticed the rain outside," she said, handing him the umbrella.
"Thank you," Lanchi said as he took the umbrella but didn't open it, instead smiling as he gazed at the rainy streets of the royal capital.
"Aren't you leaving?" Hubert asked, a hint of confusion in her voice as she stood by his side, following his gaze to the rain-soaked scenery.
"Hubert, what do you think?" Lanchi asked. "If someone specially runs downstairs to bring you an umbrella, and you just take it and leave, wouldn't the person who brought the umbrella feel a little disappointed?"
Lanchi had plenty of free time today, and he wasn't in a rush.
"That's true," Hubert agreed, thinking that it would be nice to chat with Lanchi a little longer or simply stand under the eaves and listen to the rain.
"How's your card preparation going?" Hubert inquired, remembering that Lanchi intended to create a core card that would fully realize his role as a sealer. After their trip to the Northern Continent, he would no longer present himself as a white mage in battle but as a sealer, a role he claimed would be vastly different from the extinct Bishop Askecsan.
"It should be ready in the next couple of days, and then we'll set off," Lanchi replied. With the semester over, they needed to submit their application to the school and begin their journey.
Traveling to the northernmost part of the Southern Continent, they would have to take the magic power rail and airship across several countries, which would take a few days. Crossing the sea would depend on the weather, and if conditions were unfavorable, they could be stuck on the Disaster Sea for over a month.
"Although we've heard that the Northern Continent is a bit unstable lately, we're determined to make the most of this opportunity and achieve some meaningful results with our research," Lanchi added, his eyes gleaming with determination.
As a philosopher, educator, thinker, and doer, he not only carried the lofty ideals of serving the country and its people but was also committed to upholding social justice.
"...Let's talk about the plan to retire at 20 again," Hubert said, a hint of fear in her voice. She now feared Lanchi's overly ambitious nature. Given the situation, perhaps it was due to his innate talent, or perhaps his intentions were too lofty. At times, he would turn around and realize that he had already ascended to lofty heights, a lonely figure.
All Hubert wanted now was for Lanchi not to turn into a dragon amidst the turbulent clouds of the Northern Continent...
(End of Chapter)
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