Emma woke up precisely, not wanting to be late, and as she changed into her clothes, she greeted the faint rays of sunlight.
The first thing she had to do upon waking was already decided.
⎯⎯Click, click.
It had already been four months since she came to this grand mansion. She walked down the now-familiar opulent corridors quickly but gracefully.
Her steps led her past a room where neatly laundered towels were stored, and she passed a special well from which cold, clean water continuously flowed.
"Alright."
After gathering the necessary items from various places, Emma stood before a door leading to an unusually large room filled with peculiar objects.
⎯⎯⎯!
Suddenly, the sounds from the other side of the door reached her.
The soft friction between shoes and the floor, the rough breathing with each breath, and the dull yet loud clashing of metal.
All of these were a form of art produced by one person.
When on earth did he wake up? It seemed he went to bed late, so he must be lacking sleep. Then, where did he get such drive and endurance?
After listening for a moment at the door, Emma gently opened it, careful not to be noticed, and peered into the narrow space to observe the man.
The heat emanated from the man's shirtless body. His defined muscles moved prominently with each breath he took.
He was drenched in sweat, almost as if he had already bathed. A drop of sweat that hung from the tip of his hair fell to the floor and scattered into several droplets.
The man, who seemed to live as he pleased, was in fact a diligent hard worker, living his days busily with countless tasks, to the point of exhaustion.
'He's a completely different person from the first impression.'
Such thoughts continued in her mind.
At that moment.
"What are you doing?"
Emma's eyes met with his sharp gaze.
"Ah… I thought your training was over and brought a towel and cold water for you to wipe your sweat."
The man approached her in long strides and forcefully opened the door to reveal his full presence.
"Were you spying on me like that?"
The heat from his training was palpable.
"I, I apologize, Master Julian! I was just peeking to avoid disturbing your training."
"Well, it seemed like that."
Fwoosh.
He snatched the towel Emma was holding.
He didn't seem inclined to punish her today, fortunately.
He walked away, drying his hair with the towel. After walking a bit, he looked back at her.
"At this point, can't you take a hint? Hurry up and bring that cold water over here."
"Ah, I'm sorry."
"Honestly, there's so much to teach you. You're a handful."
"… I'll be more careful from now on."
As usual, his words were harsh. She would probably hear more of his harsh words today too.
"On top of that, spying on your Master training, what a pervert. Ha… there's no hope."
"Y-yes?! Th-that's not…!!"
Today started more tumultuously than usual.
---
"Master Julian… what is this place…."
The mansion's basement. It was dark and cold enough to send chills down her spine.
"Oh, it's nothing special. I did this when I was young too, so there's no need to be so tense."
"B-but… inside here…!"
Emma looked pale as she stared into the deep pit. The depth made it look dark, but that wasn't the only reason.
"There are just a few bugs down there."
"A few… you say."
Of course, calling them ordinary bugs would be an understatement. The adult ones were at least 30 cm long.
Emma looked at the densely packed bugs with trembling eyes.
Their tough, shiny shells. Dark-colored and resembling household pests, but with large mouths making them even more grotesque.
"These are called scavenger bugs. As their name suggests, they eat anything and everything, making them beneficial decomposers in the ecosystem."
"Decomposers… like fungi?"
"Exactly, but they also eat living creatures. They devour anything, whether it's magical energy or flesh. Very useful creatures. However, if ordinary people encounter them in the wild, they'd be eaten alive, suffering a painful death."
"...."
Why was she just staring?
It wasn't someone else's business.
"What are you waiting for? Get in there."
"… inside this?"
Emma swallowed dryly as she asked.
"This is to awaken your talent. Last time, we confirmed how long your spell circle lasts, so today is the advanced version."
"I understand your deep intentions, Master Julian…."
She impressively tried not to lose her smile. But her facial muscles were trembling, revealing her true feelings.
"… Master Julian, if I must enter, could you give me a moment to prepa⎯"
Emma, your preparation time was too long.
⎯Push.
I pushed her lightly.
Her body was so light that she fell without much resistance.
As her body flipped in the air, her horrified expression was fully revealed. Her mouth, left hanging open in mid-sentence, remained agape alongside her wide eyes.
"Kyahhhh⎯⎯⎯⎯!"
With a scream, Emma disappeared into the darkness.
Then.
Whoosh!
A blinding blue light exploded out with a gust of wind.
The force was enough to make even a grown man like me stagger.
The mana Emma released overwhelmed everything around it.
The pressure from her mana, released all at once, caused the wind to blow fiercely. Though it was a wasteful action in the long term, in this moment, the brilliance was remarkable.
It hadn't been long since she started properly using mana, yet she was already capable of such rapid release and high purity of magic. She deserved respect for that.
As the storm of mana subsided, the light dimmed. I no longer needed to squint my eyes.
I looked into the pit.
The bugs, having regained their senses, were gathering around her blue light. They quickly surrounded Emma, sealing off any escape for the light.
That wasn't all.
Gnaw, gnaw.
The bugs' mouths moved busily. They devoured the light as if it was the most delicious thing in the world.
Seeing this, Emma, in shock, widened the radius and purity of her mana. It looked like a balloon inflating with air from the outside.