This is a story from when I was still young.
I was lying beneath my bed. Not on it—beneath.
I properly cleaned every single day, so there wasn’t even a speck of dust down here. Still, the floor was hard, and it was terribly cramped. Obviously, sleeping here wasn’t very comfortable, but Master Merlin was so terrifying I had to. I was currently hiding from her.
“All right, Lloyd! We’re doing some research today!” I heard a female voice from far off in the distance. It belonged to Master Merlin.
As soon as I heard it, I bated my breath, though I knew it was pointless. This was the maximum resistance I could offer. Still...
“What are you doing down there, Lloyd?” asked Master Merlin, peering beneath my bed.
That’s right. There was no hiding from a master who could use detection magic.
Damn it. And I was just about to create a spell that could conceal my signal.
“What are you doing down there?”
“I, um, wanted to be somewhere dark...”
“Huh... Well, that’s perfect! I’m planning on doing some magic research in the basement lab today! Light doesn’t make it down there. Isn’t that perfect?”
“Huh? Um... Actually, I suddenly want to bathe in the light of the sun...”
“In that case, let’s go collect some herbs to use in our experiments in the woods, and...”
Nope. It was futile. My words just wouldn’t reach her. Lately, I had been forced to accompany her like this, spending one rigorous day after another. Maybe Master Merlin just didn’t understand the concept of “rest.”
“Master Merlin, have you ever heard the word ‘rest’ before?”
“Yeah, of course I have.”
“And do you remember my schedule for this month?”
“What are you on about? Are you making fun of me? I was the one who made your schedule. Of course, I remember.”
In other words, she did know. Was she some sort of fiend?
My schedule for the month consisted of twenty days of training my support magic and eight days surviving on my own in the mountains. Only the last two of the thirty days were labeled “undetermined.”
Yup. Not a single one was a “day off.”
There was about a fifty percent chance that these “undetermined” days would be days off depending on if Master Merlin was in a good mood or not. But if she were in too good a mood, she’d instead offer to train with me. Those regimens were absolutely spartan.
Thus, I had to be careful about putting her in a good mood. If I let my guard down, I could be flung straight to hell.
I also had chores to do every day. Training typically began at sunrise and only ended at sunset, and since I also had to sleep, I didn’t have a lot of free time. If only I didn’t have those chores...
“This is corrupt...”
“Hmm? What’s wrong? I can heal you with magic if you’re having a tough time.”
“No. Please just let me rest.”
Apparently, Master Merlin wasn’t even aware of the concept of “rest.” Yet she rested every single day...
“This is absurd...”
“What was that?”
“Oh, nothing.”
✦ ✦ ✦
Afterward, I was forced to help her research boring beauty(?) magic for hours. Before I realized it, it was already morning. That meant I had to train.
I didn’t have the time to sleep, but I was pretty sure I could at least squeeze in a bath. Thus, I stretched and let out a huge yawn. That’s when I saw Master Merlin approach.
“Lloyd, why don’t you rest today.”
“Huh?!” I couldn’t comprehend what she had just said. Rather, it was like an electric current was running through my body—as if I’d been struck by lightning. I mean, the word “rest” had just left Master Merlin’s mouth. It was unthinkable! Rest?! Master Merlin?!
“Did you catch a cold, master?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Then did you hit your head? Or accidentally cast magic on yourself when one of your spells misfired? That could be it. That’s way more believable than the word ‘rest’ coming from you...”
Not to mention, she seemed to be in awfully good spirits. In the end, we couldn’t manage to create the spell she had wanted to, and yet she still seemed quite happy. Naturally, I was terrified. I had no idea what had happened to her, but this was just strange.
“Do you have something up your sleeve?”
“You make me sound so mean! I’m not plotting anything. I just thought you were right, and that maybe you needed some rest,” she said, seeming happier than usual.
This was how she chose to show kindness. I wasn’t her child by blood, but that’s what I was to her, and it was why she was so tough on me. Her inviting me to help with her research had just been her wanting to spend time with me since we hadn’t had the chance in a while.
Though because she wasn’t very straightforward, I hadn’t realized it at the time.
“No, I’ve got training to do!”
“Huh?! Wait, Lloyd! Where are you going?!”
I was terrified back then, and so I dashed full speed ahead to my usual training spot.
Master Merlin was left alone. She sighed. “I’m really not good with this sort of thing, huh...?” she said with a shrug.