Chapter 8
I Want to Learn!
The princess, Goldie Kingsman, made a promise from the bottom of her heart. Never had the princess thought about others before herself. Yet, for some reason… Goldie's need to help the woman in front of her was striking.
She promised to protect the illusive, sharp tongue beauty who entranced her world.
Goldie swore to protect Madalyn Manalasia with all her heart, just as Madalyn had saved her even before the princess was born.
"Time will move… and it's hard to perceive unless we make a clock."
Madalyn said while channeling her mana.
"What do you mean?"
Goldie asked as she watched in awe. The magician fiddled her fingers like playing the harp. The motion was smooth and beautiful as a holy light shined around her.
"Do you recall the first time you were here, Goldie? If my notes reminded me, you stayed for over a month."
"Yes… you said that."
Madalyn turned to the girl.
"In a world with no day or night… time flows endlessly. A day may feel like a second because there is no perception of time. Eternity… is endless."
In the palm of her hand, Madalyn handed her a white clock. It ticked softly, not loud enough unless she put it close to her ear.
"This will help you perceive time. That way, you don't get lost in the flow of eternity. We have at most a decade… but that time will go fast if we don't value it."
"Yes, Madalyn."
Goldie still had her prideful attitude. But the pampered princess was aware of her attitude, unlike before. The "wrong" word still hurt her ego. That word was vile. It subjected her to the scorn of others… but it was necessary if she wanted to grow.
"Are you ready to begin, Goldie?"
"Yes… I'm ready."
With her head down, Goldie said. Madalyn noticed this change in attitude and crossed her arms.
"What happened to that drive you had a moment ago?"
"I… I was thinking about daddy. He… he has the Overlord within him. W-Would that mean that…."
"Stop."
Madalyn put her hand out.
"Huh?"
"If you wish to save your father, you'll let go of your fears this instant, young lady. The time here isn't to dread the outcome you see… but to change and fix your future."
Goldie's chest began to pound faster as she listened to the powerful wisdom brushing passed her ears. Madalyn's words felt like her mother's. Both of them were headstrong and knowledgeable. Goldie believed this was why the witch entranced her in front of her. Madalyn... was like her mother.
"Oh… Okay, Madalyn."
With her head held high, the princess steeled her mind and focused on the lesson.
"You are making a difference just by being with me, Goldie. Take your pride, your gluttonous want for your desires, and use them against the Overlord. That will be your strength."
Goldie's chest felt as though brimstones were burning within it. The fire of desire raced on. This woman didn't just remind Goldie of her mother… but someone she wished to be soon; a tall beauty with a sharp tongue, able to say what was right at the moment.
"I'm ready!"
Goldie boisterously shouted, despite her legs trembling. She didn't want to show how scared she was of the idea of battle. But Madalyn could see through her heart. The witch could see the fear and accepted it.
"Good. Even though you're scared, you wish to go forward. That is bravery. Even if you're afraid of what may happen… stand up and face your adversary."
The witch closed her eyes.
"I have faith in you, Goldie Kingsman."
From the void, a mana staff appeared. The staff was long and dark. Red vines curled around it until it reached the top. At the end was a powerful red mana burst, circling in a sphere. It was glowing a brilliant red, and Goldie could feel it pulsate with magic. The trees rippled with mana, and the power was magnificent.
"I can't hurt you here, Goldie. My spells will cancel before they reach you. So, to simulate damage, I will put a barrier spell around us."
Madalyn drew a magic circle on the ground. Her craft was quick and flawless. What appeared from the spell was a short stone that poured mana from it. Suddenly, a faint light appeared. It engulfed the golden child. A light layer of mana rippled over her body as the intense power of the spell shook the princess. Even the castle's strongest magicians couldn't replicate her mana level.
Madalyn was powerful… even while holding back the Overlord inside her.
"This mechanism will provide us with a white mana shield. When this mana shield chips, you've been hit. Do you understand, Goldie?"
The magician asked.
"Okay, I understand."
Madalyn vanished from sight and appeared behind the child. Suddenly, the barrier made a loud, sharp cracking noise, startling the novice witch.
"Ehhh!"
The princess screamed as she fell to the cobblestone. Her butt hit the ground, sending a shock rippling through her.
"You've been hit."
Annoyed, Goldie turned around and shook her head in frustration. She stood up, heated and upset.
"Y-You didn't even give me a chance to react, Madalyn!"
Her teacher scoffed.
"The Overlord and their demons won't give you time to react. The sooner they kill you, the better for them. Learn to always be on guard."
Madalyn put one hand on the child's head. Strangely, it felt like her mother once did in the past. The tender touch of this stranger was becoming familiar, and it twisted the child's chest all the more.
"Don't complain about making mistakes. It's okay to fail. This is training. Learn to accept that you did wrong and embrace it."
Her words were stoic, but her voice was warm as the princess listened. She closed her eyes and felt Madalyn's fingers dance through her hair.
"That's how you become strong. By learning from mistakes and correcting them."
"I-I see."
Flustered, Goldie agreed.
"Remember, even if you don't have a good offense, you survive with the best defense. This is a battle for life, not a fair game."
Madalyn removed her hand, causing Goldie to open her eyes. She watched as the magician walked to the edge of the world.
"So, we're going to practice a powerful defense spell. Once you perfect this, we'll go on to harder, more difficult ones. From there, we'll learn offensive spells."
Goldie tried her best to stand tall but was unsure of her magical capabilities. Seeing the magic, Madalyn was using with ease lowered her pride. In a way, Goldie felt intense inferiority… something she'd rarely had before, and she would always buck against those who made her feel this way.
"Goldie…"
Madalyn's tone lessened from harsh to warm.
"Oh… Y-Yes, Madalyn?"
"You can do this… have confidence in yourself. It might feel hard to grasp today… but we have time. I won't let you fail."
Goldie looked at the cobblestone. She didn't like studying magic or studying all that much in general. The princess was good at it, but that didn't mean Goldie liked it. However, she knew today wasn't the time to do what she liked. If Goldie wanted to survive… the golden child would have to toss away her sloth-like want to have everything with no effort. Goldie Kingsman… needed to change.
"Right. I… I believe in you, Madalyn."
Madalyn and Goldie studied the craft of defense for a while longer. Channeling mana within her, Goldie learned the basics of mana control. How to manipulate it to protect her from oncoming attacks. Madalyn wasn't easy on her like the maids or servants. She was brutal and forced to do the spells over and over again.
"Wrong, do it again."
That word she hated so much would be tossed at her constantly. Throughout this practice, the vile seer of that word would burn less and less.
"Alright… I'll try again."
Goldie wasn't just learning magic; she was relearning how to take criticism and grow accordingly. As the lessons went on, hearing the word "wrong" meant she could do better rather than an insult like it used to be for the haughty princess. Madalyn was stricter than any teacher she'd ever had…
But Goldie understood that her teachings would save her life.
"Ha!"
A fire beam shot the princess's way. In the golden child's head, she channeled the spell that would save her life. A white barrier appeared around her, blocking the fire from breaking her shield. The ray of red bounced and flew off into the distance, far away into the dark abyss.
"Ah…ahh…"
The child panted. Goldie couldn't tell how long she'd be at this. Through sleeping through exhaustion, waking up, and doing it again. But today was the day that it all came out naturally.
"Perfect."
Madalyn said with a warm, calming smile.
"Huh?"
Goldie's eyes lit up.
"You've channeled your spell perfectly. No hesitation, no fear, all reaction. You knew what must be done to live, and you lived."
Goldie didn't want to show it… but a soft smile came to her. She worked hard and got the reward she so desired. In that tiny heart of hers, something was growing.
"Ha!"
Ice formed below her, but like before, the golden child reacted on instinct. She brought out the white barrier, shielding the spell from erupting under her. Madalyn revealed many new attacks to her, all intending to break that shield of hers. From explosions to rock formations, nothing was off limits. Eventually, the mana was too great, and that sharp sound rang into Goldie's ears.
Her barrier broke, and she lost the short battle with the demon.
"H-How was… I was supposed to win against that. Y-Your mana is too strong."
Madalyn approached, bent down, and reached out her hand.
"You weren't. Some spells are too great to be shielded. I needed to teach you that you can't rely on your magic to save you all the time."
Annoyed, the princess pouted.
"T-Then, what am I going to do? If… if demons can do things like this, there's no way…."
Madalyn took the child's hand and pulled her close. This was sudden for the princess as Madalyn gazed into her brimstone eyes.
"You are only a novice, yet you lasted that long."
With her finger, she raised her chin.
"Keep your chin up. Use that drive to want more as a press to be stronger. Show them your pride as a princess is worth more than words. You're doing great. Keep it up."
Enamored by the touch of her teacher, Goldie watched in awe as her words resonated within her.
"Your excessive pride will be chipped away during training… but never let it go. You may lose against me over and over, countless times but stay starved for knowledge."
Madalyn whispered in the princess's tender ear.
"You… will succeed. Never stop believing in yourself. I… won't allow you to fail as long as you're hungry to succeed."
Like a torch burning inside of her, the princess nodded with intense vigor.
"Y-Yes, okay, Madalyn."
With her small stature, the princess stood tall… well, as tall as she could.
"Your defense lesson is over. It's time for you to learn evasion. And then… offense. Are you ready, Goldie?"
"Yes, I… I am. I want to learn!"
Never did she ever believe she'd want to learn magic. But the drive to fix her pride and show Madalyn that she was worthy took hold. Her gluttony… would be her strength from here on out.