"Is that what you brought for my breakfast?"
"Of course," Gut confirmed.
"Then let's go. We'll talk somewhere else."
With that, Serie stood up from the throne and walked to the dining table.
Taking the no-longer-warm bread and thoroughly cold meal box from her disciple Gut, she set them down on the table.
A gentle shimmer of magical light washed over the food, restoring it to a freshly-prepared state.
"Sit and eat with me. This is more than I can finish on my own."
Gut smiled and took a seat, a sheepish look on his face.
Whether the oversized portion was a coincidence or premeditated—and whether he'd expected to dine with his teacher—only Gut himself could say.
At the table, Serie sliced the bread with a knife and added a portion of the boxed meal into it. After taking a bite, an unusual glint flickered in her usually flat gaze.
"This restaurant's food is quite good. Bring more tomorrow."
"No problem," Gut nodded in agreement.
Then, like a proper teacher, Serie used the mealtime to quiz Gut on recent topics from the spellbook.
To her surprise, Gut answered extremely well.
In fact, from the expressions of magic in the book, he'd even grasped deeper concepts closer to the essence of magic itself.
"Your talent exceeds even my expectations, Gut."
"Human prodigies truly are unreasonable beings," Serie said with rare admiration—even she, who had seen many geniuses, couldn't help but sigh.
"Honestly, I don't think I'm that talented," Gut scratched his head sheepishly. "I just had a sudden moment of clarity last night."
"So that's why you didn't sleep at all?"
"Yeah," Gut nodded. While the cause was debatable, it wasn't wrong.
"What humans call 'enlightenment' is just a release of latent talent. You'll feel it again in the future. Looks like you really did have some confidence when you made that 'three-year promise'."
"But… now I'm actually a little annoyed with you."
"Huh?"
Gut blinked. "Why, Master?"
"Shouldn't a teacher be pleased when her student is talented?"
"It's precisely because your talent surpasses my expectations," Serie said gloomily, "that I find it frustrating to see it spent on something so meaningless."
"But how you spend your short human lives is your own affair. I won't interfere—I'll just be annoyed."
"Well then, Master, you don't need to worry in my case," Gut said with a meaningful smile.
"Because I'm special. I'll live for a long, long time."
"Is that so…"
Serie took another bite of bread and silently chewed.
This disciple named Gut truly was unusual. Without realizing it, she had already spoken at length with him—something she rarely did with her other students.
How odd.
This kind of exchange didn't feel like a master speaking to her disciple, but rather like a conversation between equals—like those she had long ago with her companions in the distant past.
Though her understanding of humans back then was far more shallow, the feeling was one she'd always remembered.
And now, the way Gut spoke with her… wasn't so different from those days.
Really now—just what did this disciple see her as?
Ah well.
After all, she'd long grown bored of the usual teacher-student dialogues. Having a slightly "unusual" disciple to chat with didn't feel so bad.
And he says he'll live long…
She hoped that was true.
Without realizing it, she felt full.
After placing the last piece of bread in her mouth, Serie finished breakfast.
Gut, seeing that his teacher had left the table, sped up his pace and polished off the rest, leaving no waste. He even tidied up the dining area.
At the vanity on the side of the house, Serie sat down and began combing her bed-tousled hair, casting a [Clean and Smooth Hair Magic] on it.
Gut didn't leave after cleaning. Instead, he found a stool and sat nearby, quietly admiring Serie as she fixed her hair.
Yup. "Old thing" is adorable.
Once she finished, Serie turned to find Gut still hanging around her home. She was about to tell him to leave when a thought struck her.
"Do you still train your body like a warrior?"
"Ah? Oh, yeah, I do."
Caught off-guard, Gut still answered honestly.
After all, it was part of his daily quest—one that gave double the training results. No way he'd slack on that.
"Good. Wait here."
Serie left for her study and returned shortly with a stack of notebook-like papers.
"What's this?" Gut asked curiously.
"Training notes from one of my former disciples. He pursued the same path you're on."
As Serie spoke, her gaze fell on the familiar handwriting. Memories of that disciple's face and ideals surfaced.
To discover a way for a mage's physique to rival that of a warrior...
It was a fine idea—but ultimately doomed.
Even with a method to amplify the body's strength using mana, the demands on both magical power and physical endurance were too high.
Mages lacked the physical durability, and warriors didn't have the magical reserves.
Perhaps it was viable for long-lived races. But in the end, splitting one's focus between two disciplines yielded less than concentrating on just one.
Thus, when that disciple passed, the research was shelved indefinitely.
But this strange anomaly before her…
Serie could sense that Gut had found some unknown method of increasing both his physical and magical prowess simultaneously—without falling behind in either.
As a teacher, Serie wouldn't pry into her students' secrets. But from Gut, she saw a path forward for her late disciple's dream.
So she handed him the notebook and explained what sort of training it detailed.
Upon hearing it, Gut accepted the notes like a priceless treasure and tucked them away carefully.
Then he turned to Serie and asked:
"Master, I've received my reward. Now, according to protocol, shouldn't you be giving me a task?"
Serie raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Gut to be so proactive.
"Of course."
"Once the exams for the [Continental Magic Association] in [Äußerst] are finished, I want you—as the current senior disciple—to accompany me to [Holy Capital – Strahl], where we'll conduct another examination."
"Since you've trained your body like a warrior, prepare to take point on the road."
"Hsss----"
Gut sucked in a cold breath at her words.
"Master, you've mentioned the bonus reward—what about the actual task?"
Serie: "?"
And with a flash of mana, Gut was sent flying from Serie's home.