The list of titles and accolades was staggering—especially that one at the top: Strongest Warlock. Rita made a ntal note to write Lightchaser a letter that evening, to talk about learning long-range attack spells.
And also to ask what exactly the Divine Ga was. It sounded incredible if it outranked even titles like Soul Painter or Wrathfla Wielder.
It wasn’t until the sixth listing that Rita found what she was really after—sothing she’d wanted to buy last ti but hadn’t had enough credits for:
[Lightchaser – Evil Divine Gift Key Info — Price: 50 credits]
She tapped Purchase.
On the thin, butterfly-winged screen, two words appeared—visible only to her: Destruction.
Destruction of what?
It clearly wasn’t so trivial form of breaking things. Not if it earned Lightchaser a black uniform.
Rita was still thinking about those two words by the ti her afternoon classes ended.
She ate a quick dinner, then flew out to the Moonlight Marsh lakeside. GodDraw77’s residence was built along the water. Teachers were free to choose where they lived on campus.
By now, the sun had nearly set. The giant treetop branches that had unfurled earlier that morning were slowly folding back in, like a vast canopy being drawn closed.
Moonlight Marsh fell into dimness. Most of the glowing flora were still "asleep" and needed ti to wake. During this hour-long gap, a small grass species called blue irises lit up the forest floor in a soft, guiding glow until the brighter plants ca alive. The whole marsh shimred in shades of blue.
Students called this ti of day the Blue Hour.
There were many strange-shaped houses by the lake, but Rita ran several laps without spotting GodDraw77. She’d said she’d wait by the door!
Aside from a group of animals playfully roughhousing near a big stone, there was no sign of life.
Surely the teacher wouldn’t just ditch her.
Sweating from her search, Rita finally turned her attention to the animals clustered by the rock.
Druids could turn into animals. Presumably, they could also turn back into people.
She flew closer—and only then realized that what the animals were gathered around wasn’t a stone at all. It was a person.
A woman in a wide, moon-white robe sat fishing. Her fra was slender, and her long black hair spilled across the grass, coiled in loops behind her. A rabbit was curled up in one of the coils, fast asleep.
Around her, baby animals ran riot, leaping and tumbling. So clambered over her shoulders and head like it was just part of the playground.
She hadn’t moved once. But sohow, Rita had looked straight at this spot dozens of tis earlier and never noticed her.
What had she thought at the ti? Sothing like... Wow, a lot of animals. And a big rock.
Rita walked over, stopping a few ters away to observe the scene. She’d definitely seen this woman at the teachers’ table before, but never learned her na.
She asked cautiously, "Professor GodDraw77?"
GodDraw77 tilted her head slightly, nodded, and motioned with her chin to the spot beside her. "Sit."
Rita promptly walked over and, without hesitation, scooped up the tabby cat sleeping beside the teacher and set it in her lap.
The cat blinked at her, unimpressed, then closed its eyes again—though it did shift into a more comfortable position.
GodDraw77 asked, "So, what skill do you want to learn?"
Rita’s eyes still sparkled from awe, but she lowered her voice so she wouldn’t interrupt the fishing. "Can I learn the one you just used? The one that made unconsciously ignore you?"
"Not interested in long-range spells anymore?"
"I am. But this one... feels like a skill that would benefit for life. Please, teach ."
GodDraw77 narrowed her eyes. "Where’d you learn to talk like this?"
"My teacher."
"You sure Lightchaser knows you’re blaming all your silver tongue on her?"
GodDraw77 chuckled, then added, "Fine. But that’s an SS-rank skill."
Rita didn’t flinch. Instead, she asked, "What would I need to do to upgrade this reward?"
GodDraw77 couldn’t help it—she burst out laughing. So sly. The cub had gone straight to bargaining.
She slowly turned the reel on her fishing rod and asked gently, "Aren’t you afraid that kind of scheming might make dislike you?"
Her voice was as soft and calm as her current appearance—like the blue haze of twilight—but her words were sharp as needles.
Rita replied in a quiet voice, "Not really. Liking and disliking are both fleeting. A mont of dislike, a mont of liking—they don’t matter. What matters is learning that skill."
Her calm answer made the teacher laugh again, loud enough to disturb the fish.
GodDraw77 set her rod aside and finally turned to look at Rita. "Alright. You can upgrade your reward—if you deliver a letter to Lightchaser for ."
The fact that she knew Lightchaser didn’t surprise Rita as much as the request itself.
She hesitated, then frowned slightly. "I can. But I can’t guarantee she’ll accept it. And we’ll need to send it through the school’s library trade office."
The trade office had a crucial function—it could scan items for harmful effects. Curses, attack spells, anything dangerous would be detected, ensuring student safety.
GodDraw77 tilted her head and smiled, as if surprised and mildly impressed. "You’re worried I’d try to hurt her."
Rita didn’t answer directly. "If soone asked to deliver sothing to you, I’d check it the sa way. Through the trade office."
GodDraw77 abruptly changed the subject. "How long have you been Lightchaser’s apprentice?"
Rita didn’t see the harm in answering. "Strictly speaking, less than eight months."
"Oh? And loosely speaking?"
"Nine months. We t last Winterveil. From that day on, I saw her as my teacher."
"Alright then. You can pick the letter up tomorrow at noon. I’ll leave it at the library. Only you can claim it. The Fla Festival’s coming up, right? You can give it to her then."
"Okay, Professor. I’ll co find you after the holiday."
...
"Moonlight Marsh is so beautiful. I’m thinking of becoming a teacher here after I graduate. Not sure the salary will cover my debts though."
"Close combat class is going well. I make it into the SSS tier every ti. Which ans I’ve made so enemies. Defense and healing are solid. Long-range is still weak. Professor, can I learn so long-range spells?"
"Yeah, I know I’m already enrolled. I know I can learn a lot here. But I still feel like I learn better from you. It’s just a cub’s intuition."
"Rember that druid bear we ran into? She’s a Moonlight Marsh teacher. GodDraw77. Maybe you already know that? But I don’t think you two are close. She asked to deliver a letter to you."
"I refused! No way I was gonna risk handing over sothing that might hurt you. Even if you’re super powerful, it’s the principle."
"∠(°ゝ°) Loyalty!"
"We went back and forth for a while... and in the end, yeah, I agreed. Life’s full of compromises, you know? But only on the condition that the letter goes through the trade office first. Otherwise, I’d rather die."
"She was really touched by my filial piety and agreed."
"Hope you’re ho for the Fla Festival. Feels like this letter is kind of important."
—Your most beloved apprentice,
Rita.
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