I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

In our family, a gemstone containing the power of the Spirit King had been passed down for generations. Everyone else coveted that power, but neither my father nor I wanted to use it. We were people who valued effort. The moment that power was used, all the effort we had poured into something would be perceived as having been achieved solely due to the gemstone’s power.

[Father, in that case, wouldn’t it be better to just sell such a gemstone?]

I thought it would be better to sell it for a high price and fund our research instead. At my naïve suggestion, my father gently patted my head and said:

[There is a time for everything. When a moment comes where you need power so desperately that you’re willing to abandon your beliefs, there will be no more trustworthy means than this gemstone.]

At the time, I couldn’t understand what he meant. I believed that nothing was more important than the value of one’s effort and convictions.

Time flowed like a gentle stream, and as my father aged, he handed me the position of Tower Master and the gemstone of the Spirit King, saying:

[Lorcha, I once told you that this power would be invaluable in times of desperate need. But you must avoid using it if possible. The moment you use it, even your descendants will forever be bound by the contract. Only use it if you are willing to forsake everything.]

If I were to use that power, my descendants would be bound to the contract, regardless of their will. Knowing this, there was even less reason to use it. Using others for personal gain was the way of trash. Who said that? My only true friend and first love.

But that person, my first love, disappeared without a trace. It was because I couldn’t follow him. If I had stayed by his side, this wouldn’t have happened. Yet, wanting desperately to keep him close, I asked him to be my assistant.

I didn’t consider how deeply such words would hurt someone as proud and passionate about magic as he was.

Because of those words, our relationship became distant. It felt as though a great river flowed between us, but I lacked the courage to swim against its current. I feared doing so would only hurt them further.

When I first heard the news that they were engaged to the daughter of a grand duke, I cried for three days and nights. My blankets and bed were soaked, and when the tears finally dried, something other than sadness stirred in my heart.

Regret. If only I had protected them, if only I hadn’t spoken so harshly, if only I had confessed to them first… maybe this day wouldn’t have come.

On the eve of their engagement, I wanted to find him and confess my feelings. Tell them I loved him and beg him to run away with me, to leave everything behind.

But when I went to find him, he was already gone, like a dandelion seed carried off by the wind. What kind of wind had swept him away? The rotten stares of the nobility? The burden of overwhelming duties? The unbearable pain of unhealed wounds? Or… the words I had spoken? The times I wasn’t there when he needed me?

Call it self-absorbed if you want. Still, I desperately prayed for him to appear and mock me. But he never came.

Meanwhile, the palace was inundated with protests from nobles over his disappearance. Only after Werner vanished did they bare their fangs. Disgusting, revolting worms.

[Disappearing without a word is an insult to the royal family! Werner must be brought back and punished immediately!]
[He should never have been given a noble title in the first place! Such a lowly background should disqualify one from holding rank!]
[Leaving without naming a successor has caused chaos in governance. This is a crime worthy of execution.]

These insects, who had fawned over him to his face…

I raised my hand and stepped forward before the emperor.

[Your Majesty, Lorcha Mackelin of the Water Tower greets you. With all due respect, Werner did not irresponsibly run away.]

The cunning old emperor looked at me with interest. His gaze wasn’t one of lust but rather one of a man surrounded by garbage finally seeing something worthwhile.

[Oh? Would you care to explain what you mean?]

[I will succeed Werner as his replacement. Please direct all royal requests to the Water Tower from now on.]

[Hmm… I’ve heard that being the Tower Master is no easy task. Do you think you can handle the infamous workload of a royal magician on top of that?]

I bit my lip. Yes, even being the Tower Master alone was overwhelming—reviewing documents, allocating budgets, conducting personal research, managing and supervising other magicians left no time for rest. But this was for him.

[Who would ignore a request from a beloved friend? If someone did, they wouldn’t be a friend but a mere opportunist using titles and connections.]

The last part was aimed at the trashy nobles present. They coughed awkwardly, seemingly feeling the sting of my words.

The emperor appointed me as a royal magician, and as I left the audience chamber, I warned the noble parasites:

[This role is one I’ve taken on out of friendship. But as much as I cherish that friend, I will fulfill my duties with the utmost dedication. So, if anyone dares to insult that friend while I’m performing those duties, I will take their life on the spot.]

Three hours of sleep a day, an uncertain possibility of a single day’s vacation in a year—this became my life.

I could not forgive those scum known as the Black Round Table. They were nothing but trash who constantly hurt him. Not for a single moment had I forgotten my hatred for them.

But I was fully aware of the difference in power. The man who called himself Gawain was undeniably strong. And the ones who simply observed the situation—the one called Lancelot and the masked woman—were even stronger.

Their power was on a completely different level from mine or Werner’s, who couldn’t even use grand magic. Out of my pathetic frustration, I spat curses. Out of my desperation not to lose, I muttered invective.

At that moment, Gawain dissolved my magic and charged at me. I resigned myself to sacrificing an arm.

But in that moment, Werner stepped in front of me and took the blow head-on. He deflected the attack and retreated.

“Idiot… Even if I had taken that hit, I’d have just ended up with a light burn…”

“It’s fine. Compared to what I’ve done to you…”

What had he ever done to me to warrant such a statement?

I couldn’t forgive it. I couldn’t stand to lose anything more. I wouldn’t let them steal anything else from Werner. Overwhelmed by fury, my rage overtook my reason, and I uttered curses too shameful to repeat. I had to make a decision.

I took out the gemstone I had carefully preserved.

“By offering the gemstone safeguarded by the Mackelin family, I hereby approve a contract with the Spirit King of Water. This contract shall endure through generations.”

In a fleeting moment, my consciousness sank into a dark abyss.

[Do not worry, child. It will only last 0.00001 seconds—a mere instant.]

Standing before me was an enormous whale. Larger than any city, adorned with deep blue patterns, the whale smiled at me.

[Do you truly consent to this contract?]

“Yes, so just give me your power.”

[It’s rare to see such a brazen child since the time of the First Mother. So, are you well aware of the price for this contract?]

Even if all the value of my efforts turned to nothing, even if my descendants came to resent me, I didn’t care. I refused to regret anymore. Even if I came to regret it later, it didn’t matter. For now, I would save what was in front of me.

“I am Lorcha Mackelin, head of the Mackelin family and Master of the Water Tower. I agree to form a contract with the Spirit King of Water, Valena.”

[Valena, Spirit King of Water, shall lend you my power under the laws created by the First Mother.]

The waters of the abyss where my mind had sunk poured into me along with the immense power of Valena. It was undeniably painful, like an enormous volume of water flooding into my lungs.

But such pain was nothing. I knew what true pain was.

Yes, I might regret this decision. My descendants might resent me for it. But I refused to let fear of an uncertain future make me stand by while someone precious to me suffered any further.

With this decision… I will save you, Werner.