Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

Chapter 124 - Change

Kairen stood in front of the building and look at the person waiting in front of the door.

'It's really her.'

Kairen couldn't understand what's going on.

He had suddenly received a message from captain Neal, of all people, and was called to the gym.

He first thought it might even be some kind of a joke like someone might be messing with him. So he went around and showed the number to people, asking if they knew who it was. 

And it was confirmed, the number belonged to captain Neal.

He could still remember Serria's face when she learned that the captain had personally sent him messages. She would start to nag and annoy him for hours if she didn't have to work. Kairen was grateful that they had to work their butts off in this job for the first time.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Captain Neal folded her arms and asked Kairen, who was standing at the door and blankly looking at her.

"Why did you call me?"

The captain raised her eyebrows as if she was surprised.

"Why? Can't I even call my student?"

She turned back and entered the gym, waving her hand and telling Kairen to follow her.

"Your student?"

Kairen followed her inside and asked that with a lowered voice so that no one else could hear them.

"I thought you might forget about what I've told you before because of all the things that happened."

They walked till they arrived at the place that they always used to train.

"Forget about what you had told me?"

Kairen couldn't understand any of her words, so the only thing that he could do was to repeatedly ask questions.

Captain Neal stood near a training target and looked at Kairen. 

"Why do you keep asking me questions? Did you really forget that I had assigned you to train on controlling your mana?"

"...."

Kairen lowered his head. 

'Well, yes I did.'

But that wasn't what was really important right now.

'What's with this change of attitude?'

The captain Neal of now seemed a whole different person from the captain Neal of now.

Why was she treating him nicely all of a sudden?

Why wasn't she teasing him? Why wasn't she insulting Kairen? 

What was that 'my student' thing about?

The sudden change made Kairen worried.

'What is going on? Is she possessed by a ghost?'

"Sigh."

Kairen raised his head after hearing the captain's sigh.

"There is no need to continue doing that anymore. I could get why you couldn't control the amount of mana you use in your spell after fighting alongside you yesterday. Even if you keep training, it would be useless so forget about it."

The captain's eyes sparkled a little bit as if she was excited.

'Ah, so creepy.'

Kairen felt a disaster was coming his way after seeing the woman's expression.

"I will only say it once, so listen to me closely."

"...Yes, captain."

"Oh?"

Captain Neal, who was about to start her explanations, paused and raised her eyebrows.

"No. Not captain."

"Pardon?"

The woman smiled.

"Just call me master."

"....."

Kairen closed and opened his eyes.

"P-pardon?"

. . . . . . 

"So basically, what you have been doing until now was completely opposite of what you had to do. You said you were doing as miss Serria had told you, right?"

"Y-yes."

"That method is effective only for people like miss Serria, but not you, Kairen. You don't have as much mana as the others, so the method you should use for casting a spell has to differ from them. Plus, I'm sure you already know it but your mana isn't like other mages' mana. So, the way you use it should also be different."

"I... see..."

Kairen nodded his head again while looking down. He avoided making eye contact with the woman who was sitting on the ground right in front of him.

"The way most of the mages use magic is to first create the spell, and then fill it with mana. The spell makes mana take a shape and directs it to have an attribute and power. The algorithms used on the spell make the useless and harmless mana turn into a powerful weapon."

Nod Nod

Kairen silently nodded his head.

"However, your mana is different. It had the power to take down the monsters even when it was sloppily shaped with a trashy spell."

"....."

'She insulted my precious and beloved spell!'

Kairen felt sad, but he nodded his head regardless.

"So that means, the thing that took down the monster was your mana, your pure mana, not the spell. The spell only helped the mana to gather together and have a shape and nothing more."

Kairen nodded again.

"So, if that's the case, is there really a need for the spells that you use to additionally add more power to your mana? No! Then, let's just throw away that parts of the spells."

This time, Kairen raised his head and looked at the captain.

"What do you mean by that?"

The captain took another deep breath and continued to explain. 

"What I mean is, you have to modify the spells in a way that is the most beneficial for you."

'Modify spells?'

Kairen had never heard of such a thing before.

The captain didn't wait for him to ask anything and kept talking.

"In order to do that, you have to know what exactly spells are and how are they created. If you can grasp that concept to the fullest, you can modify them the way that you want. You can make them stronger, weaker, and even erase some of a certain spell's functions."

"Ah!"

Now that he thought about it, he had heard... or rather seen that before.

'Is that what Serria did in our final exam?'

Back when they were taking the final exam, Serria said the only way that Kairen could pass the exam was that both of them used low-level spells. 

Kairen's spells were strong on their own, so Serria said she would change some of the formulas so that the spells could be stronger.

'Does that mean she knew about whatever captain Neal is talking about?'

Kairen wouldn't be surprised if she did know.

He was no longer surprised by Serria's vast knowledge.

"Do you know how spells are made?"

Kairen looked at the woman's smiling face.

"Aren't they made out of some... formulas and algorithms?"

"Yes. And what exactly are those formulas and algorithms?"

"...."

Kairen looked away.

"... Don't tell me that you don't know what they are?"

Kairen gulped and looked down.

"...I don't."

"What?"

He heard the captain's shocked voice.

"How exactly did you use spells if you don't know how are they made? No, how can you not know? They are taught in the academy!"

Kairen didn't answer her.

'I just memorized them! Is that so shocking?'

Isn't this what most of the students do?

Who cares how and when and why and from which way a math or physics formula was created, just memorize the formula and use it to get your answer!

Kairen didn't know what was taught in the academy. He also didn't know how were the spells created.

He just memorizes the spells and used them.

"My god, really! How could team leader Dains find someone like this?"

The captain sighed and mumbled something to herself.

"Alright then, I guess I have to teach you everything from the very beginning."

She said that with a firm voice and a serious face.

"Um... Aren't you busy, captain?"

"Master."

"....."

Kairen closed and opened his eyes again.

"Aren't you busy, m-mas-ter?"

Captain Neal nodded her head and stood up.

"I am, so you'd better learn quickly."

She dusted her clothes and walked towards the exit.

"Follow me. I can't teach you theory in a place like this. There was a cafeteria in this gym as well I guess?"

"....."

Kairen looked at the woman's back.

'How did things turn out this way?'

. . . . . . 

Flip Flip Flip

The man carefully read through the documents.

"Sigh."

He sighed and leaned back, massaging his throbbing forehead.

He picked up the documents and put them aside. There was nothing useful on them anyway. 

"It's getting late."

The sky was getting dark. 

He had been working overtime today as well. He couldn't just leave work and go home when there were so many things to take care of.

Knock Knock Knock

"Team leader, it's me, Glenn."

And another person who couldn't leave work and go home because there were so many things to take care of, knocked on his door.

"Come in."

The door opened and the person entered the room with a bunch of papers in his hands.

"It seems like you found something?"

Glenn closed the door and walked to the team leader's desk. He put the papers on the man's desk and stood back.

"I'm not sure. They are just random information that may, or may not be related to the case."

"I see."

Team leader Dains leaned forward and started to read the documents.

"...."

"...."

He raised his head after a few minutes and looked at Glenn, who was still standing there.

"Is there something else?"

Glenn hesitated for a bit before opening his mouth.

"Team leader, are you really sure about what you said about that boy the other day?"

The team leader sat straight.

"Do you mean Kairen?"

"Yes."

Glenn looked down and bit his lips.

"He did it again today... I mean, he used the computer to search for something that wasn't related to the cases."

The team leader's eyebrows rose and a small smile appeared on his lips.

"Really? What was it this time?"

"Alan Gill. He was looking for his whereabouts after he was done with what he was told to look after."

"Hmm..."

Team leader Dains lowered his head and looked down. He said nothing, silently contemplating.

"Didn't he try to erase the data he had found? Or clear the history? Did he do it in secret, or did he do it without hiding anything?"

Glenn answered almost immediately.

"No. He acted as if he had done nothing wrong, not even bothering to clear the data he had found. I'm sure he could do that if he wanted. I've observed him for a while, he knows a lot about working with computers and anything related to them as if he had studied them thoroughly. He still can't fool me, but he could make it hard for me to find what he was after if he tried to erase the traces."

"Hmm..."

The corners of the team leader's lips rose even more. 

Seeing that, Glenn frowned and continued to talk.

"And there is also his sudden disappearance yesterday right before the monster breakout, but you just ignored that."

The team leader raised his head and looked back at Glenn, still smiling.

"Team leader, why are you going around and covering up for him? You even went out of your way to explain what he had done while fighting with the monsters to the deputy commander."

Glenn paused for a moment.

"And there is also captain Neal who suddenly said she would willingly teach him after the incident..."

Team leader Dains smiled widely and leaned back on his seat.

"Are you doubting me now?"

"Ah?"

Glenn flinched and hurriedly shook his head.

"No. Not at all. Me, as well as everyone in the unit, trusts you and has faith in you. I just couldn't understand what was on your mind."

Glenn lowered his head a little bit after he was done talking.

The team leader chuckled and waved his hand up and down.

"I was kidding. I know you guys trust me."

He turned his head and looked outside the window.

"What if I tell you I'm not sure myself?"

"What?"

Glenn opened his eyes wide and stared at the team leader as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"I don't know who that boy is or what he wants. I also don't get if he is too stupid or too smart."

He sighed and looked back at Glenn.

" But I can't let go of him. Either way, whether he is too pure or just devil, I can't let go of him."

The team leader chuckled at his own words.

"Just leave him alone for now. Let him do whatever he wants. Don't worry. I might not know a lot of things but I know what I'm doing."

Glenn blinked a few times and looked at the team leader silently. He then nodded his head.

"Yes.. Yes sir, I understand."