I look at her for a moment before extending my hand towards her.
˝Nice to meet you! I will be studying under you from now on.˝
She stares at my hand and then at me before responding.
˝What do you mean? I didn't issue an application for an assistant, especially not for an inexperienced one.˝
˝Um… I picked you as my tutor of holy magic theory…˝ I lower my hand under her inquiring gaze.
˝Wait, I'm still listed as a tutor?˝ She asks confusedly and walks with her belongings towards the member counter where the silver haired elf from before was sitting.
˝Vamir! Why am I still a tutor? Didn't I quit as no one wanted to pay the tuition or was patient enough to listen and follow my lectures?˝ She inquired.
˝Ah Jhanandra! So I guess you met your new student? Well you didn't formally unsign. So we kept it anyway with the hope a student maybe will set you straight.˝ He replied calmly.
˝Set me straight? For what?˝ She pouts.
˝Really? No matter how great your research is, you do it too much! You are late everyday for your work as the grand healer and then you leave early and hole yourself up in your office!˝ Remembering these events, he raises his voice from irritation.
˝For that only?˝ Her reply causes him to glare at her, making her flinch.
˝You really want me to list everything? Fine! You don't earn much money, so you beg everyone for loans for your research funding. You are rude to everyone that has no real interest or knowledge about holy magic. Because you are late in healing patients, the guild has obtained some animosity from the patients and you don't obtain enough karma for your research anyway… Want me to continue?˝ He lifts his hand to hold his head and cover his popping out veins.
˝…No…˝ She mumbles while kneeling down.
'Where is all that pride about her being a great researcher and an elf? …Should I pick someone else to be my tutor?'
My gaze of pity and disgust was seemingly noticed by Jhanandra.
˝Nonono, it's not like that!˝ She grabs onto my shirt.
˝Vamir was it? Is it still too late to change my tutor?˝ I ask him while trying to push away Jhanandra.
˝Yes, my apologies. But we want her to get someone serious to make her a bit more… decent, that's the word! Well anyway, she really is has the most knowledge about holy magic and their spells, so you are not losing out as long as you get her to teach you.˝ He explains with a forced smile.
˝Yea… but she still seems…˝ I look at her with a disappointed gaze again.
˝Noo, don't look at me like that!˝ She is weeping sloppily while pulling on my shirt.
˝How about this, we will pay half the tuition, you will also get a roof over the head by staying with her.˝ He tells me.
˝Wait, he… will live with me?! No way!˝ She protested but was shut up by Vanir's glare.
˝… Is this alright?˝ I ask, still repulsed from her behavior.
˝Yes, Nil's still need to sleep besides the 'resting'. For that you will need a place to sleep at. In exchange for a home, education and lowered price of studying, you just have to be her assistant in the meantime. We will also allow you to use almost any method, to keep her in line.˝ He explains.
I glance at her again, seeing her lifeless expression.
˝This one looks like a lost cause, please explain to me some methods to handle her, as I am a Nil I am naturally weaker than her. I can't even push her away when she is still clinging to me.˝
˝That can be easily solved.˝
Vanir smiles darkly, and pulls out a wooden box from under the counter and opens it, showing some metal bracelets with carved rune like symbols.
˝Since the morning when you said you would take her, we prepared this. These bracelets are enchanted with runes and as long as you wear them they will enchant your physique, strength and speed. By wearing them, you will have the same attributes as her. But don't try to run off or sell them, as you will be punished severely.˝ He explains and warns me.
I stare at the bracelets.
˝You must be really desperate… Fine, I don't have another choice, do I? Just give me a bonus favor when I ask.˝ I take the bracelets and put them on despite Jhanandra weeping in resignation.
˝Alright, deal! You can sign this tutoring application and then you can be on your way. Drag her to the other side of the room to the booth with the sign 'grand healer', there she will heal her patients and has to explain the whole process to you. It's a bit quick for practical lessons, but it should boost your knowledge.˝ He hands me a parchment and points to the bottom of the text for my signature.
'There better be nothing shady inside here, with the way I'm supposed to babysit her.' I carefully read the whole text and sign it after being sure there are no loopholes or hidden meanings.
I pick up her belongings again and with her in tow clinging on me, walk to the other side of the cathedral. There we were awaited by some assistants and some irritated and badly sick or injured patients.
I drop her stuff behind the counter and peel her off of me onto the chair.
˝Sorry for the wait! Some procedures happened as I am her new assistant. Have no worries, because I'll make sure she treats Every.Single.One.of.you.˝ I emphasize my words while looking at her with a sadistic smile.
Jhanandra made a fearful expression while to my surprise, my words made the patients happily exclaim.
˝Finally! We will get normal treatment from now on!˝ Such and similar cheers were heard.
The cheers made me speechless and afraid to ask what she usually did to them.
The first customer was a sick dwarf. Jhanandra feel under my cold eye, until she gave up resisting and focused on her work.
˝Well let's get started then Baldr. There are multiple types of diseases, but if it's from bacteria, you can remove it by using the holy magic with this basic procedure. First you have to restore and strengthen the attacked tissue and organs. Second, you strengthen the immune systems production rate and the white blood cells, so they are faster and more efficient in adapting and fighting the bacteria. And thirdly you, treat the patient from any side effects of the disease.˝ She patiently explains the procedure.
˝For this you will need to learn the holy magic spell Restore. You restore the weakened tissue and organs back to their pristine shape, so that the person has the ability to function normally. Next you use the Buff spell, to strengthen the immune system and white blood cells, to make the body be able to fight the disease back on its own. And then you finish with herbs and the spell Herb Treatment to eliminate any side effect the disease caused.˝
She showcased everything on the sick dwarf, so I could learn from it. Her previous behavior was nowhere in sight, I got the feeling that I won in this transaction.
˝Um… Can't you just heal me immediately since you are the grand healer? This way I will still need to rest for a week.˝ The dwarf asks, confused.
˝Shut it! I'm teaching my new assistant. I did make the basic treatment stronger so you will be better in 3 days, so no whining!˝ She gives him a death stare.
The dwarf backs off depressed from being treated this coldly. I pity him because of her behavior.
'I now see why Vanir was mad. But I won't mess with this side of her personality, because it is good for a teacher.'
She shoos him away and continues teaching me the basic applications of medical procedures she demonstrates on her patients. They were happy they finally got treated, but also left depressed from her cold death stare and lack of willingness to treat them the best way.
Vanir was staring at us across the room the whole time because of the complaints, but didn't do anything because Jhanandra actually did her job till the end.
After four hours of continuous treatment Jhanandra is allowed to end her shift. We left the stand and we split for a second, Jhanandra went to sign out from work, while I went to Vanir.
˝So did I do a good job?˝ I ask him with sarcasm.
˝Good enough, by making her actually stay the whole shift and treat so many patients. But try to tone her cold demeanor down, there were still so many complaints.˝ He stares with half closed eyes.
˝Well, I can't exactly change that, afterall she doesn't actually want to do it in the end, but she did her job properly, she did teach me and healed them after all. The patients just have to take it, I did make her treat them all, instead of wasting time.˝ I shamelessly put the blame on the patients for my benefit.
˝… Fine. So what did you come here for?˝ He sighs from frustration.
˝I came for my bonus 'award'. I want to be able to borrow any book I want from the library of the guild. So let me borrow the other four starter books so I can read them in my free time at her place.˝ I grin widely.
˝Fine, just take them and go. But I'll take them all back if you don't keep to the schedule which Jhanandra has to follow.˝ He takes the four books and passes them to me.
˝Thank you, I will make sure, she isn't late.˝ I hop away to Jhanandra with the books in my hands.
˝Well let's go. I will teach you the basics of holy magic in my office.˝ She leads me up the stairs to the top floors of the church, where there are dozens of rooms reserved by various staff and researchers.
She puts down her stuff and beckons me to do the same. She sits down and points in front of her.
˝Come stand here in front of me. Did you read and do understand the Holy magic theory book?˝
I nod to affirm.
˝Well then you know that you need to sense the mana in your body. But as you can't feel it yet, it means I need to make you feel it.˝ She extends her hand and puts it on my chest.
A hot feeling starts to enter from her hand and starts to wander in my chest.
˝Feel the heat? That is mana. Now try to feel the zones where the mana travels faster.˝ She lectures.
˝It's hot, but I can feel some little places where it's not so hot. Is that what you mean?˝ I ask.
˝Bingo! It's cooler because the mana flows away faster. Those are parts of your mana canals. They don't have a physical form, but they are equivalent to blood vessels. Now try to follow the cool feeling of the canals to the final destination. If you stumble upon a big ball where it's cool like that, let me know.˝ She continues to inject her mana and waits.
I close my eyes and focus myself. I focus my mind to follow the cool feeling through my body. I try to follow it but I repeatedly stumble upon a dead end or lose my way after following the canal for a while.
After 3 hours I am able to follow a canal for a long time and follow it to the back of my head, where I stumble upon a freezing cold feeling.
˝Jhanandra, I found a freezing feeling in the back of my head. Is that the mana core?˝
She is tired but grins with a glint in her eye.
˝Great! That is your mana core. Sit down and face your back towards me then show me the exact spot.˝
I do as told and Jhanandra puts her hand on the back of my head.
˝Now be ready. This will hurt a bit.˝ She chuckles darkly before digging her nails into the back of my head.
From her nails, concentrated mana is infused directly flowing into the spot of my mana core. The mana feels like boiling hot needles straight up stabbing from the back of my head, slowly going deeper and deeper. The pain slowly started to get overwhelming me but it also made me unable to move or even mutter a word. My eyes start to roll back and after five minutes of this torture, Jhanandra removes her hand. I just sit there a moment before I fall unconscious.
˝Hehe little bastard, you just activated your mana core!˝ She chuckles maniacally before continuing her research fervently.