Chapter 3: Hidden Sorrow (II)

These seven days were undoubtedly the most fulfilling for Thos ever—there was simply no time to think about anything else.
This made him somewhat puzzled, as Professor Hord seemed overly eager to cram all the knowledge he possessed into him through forced teaching, something that had never happened before.
In Thos’s memory, Professor Hord had never taught him in this manner before. He had always repeated that magic required gradual learning; even if one mastered a thousand or ten thousand spells, it would be of no use if not mastered properly. But why now…?
Thos was confused, but he no longer had the energy to ponder it. By the fourth day, Professor Hord even had Thos train in another way—through simulated battles.
Thos had thought Professor Hord would, as before, simply use low-level magic, but he was wrong. Professor Hord showed no intention of easing things off; he clearly treated Thos as being on the same level as himself.
Although only spells like Flash and Flare were used, this was far beyond what was taught in class. The near-instantaneous Flare and its intense power only deepened Thos’s doubts.
“Boom!”
Once again, in a contest of Flares, Thos was blown away by the powerful gusts caused by the flame explosions. It was hard to count how many times this had happened—this was a familiar sight during the last three days of simulated battles.
Even with his extraordinary recovery ability, Thos gradually felt overwhelmed. He had an inexplicable sense that facing Professor Hord was like facing Argus, with an overwhelming pressure that made it hard to look up to him.
“Is that it?” Looking at Thos lying on the ground, Professor Hord said sternly, “Will you just expose your unguarded back to the enemy like this? Get up, Thos!”
“That’s easy to say…” Thos replied, panting. “It’s been several hours since morning. Please let me rest for a while, Professor.”
Seeing Thos’s exhausted expression, Professor Hord involuntarily sighed, as if about to agree to his request. But after a moment of silence, he raised his right hand again and said sternly, “Thos, I think I’ve reminded you repeatedly—once you step into this barrier, I am your enemy! Do you really expect your enemy to give you time to rest? Get up!”

“Boom! Boom!” Without warning, flames erupted all around Thos, and dry soil splashed over him.
“Next time, I’ll hit you! Get up!” The unyielding tone made it clear that Professor Hode wasn’t joking.
“Even so…” Thos gasped, remaining motionless as he lay buried in the ground. He doubted Professor Hode had such incredible energy.
“Tch!” The student’s disobedience made Professor Hode’s expression awkward. Pointing at Thos with his right hand, he said sternly, “It seems I need to put some pressure on you, kid!”
“Boom!”
A sudden burst of flames engulfed Thos’s body.
“Wow!” Even Thos, who had strong resistance to fire, couldn’t bear the intense burning pain on his back. He instinctively jumped up, glaring at Professor Hode angrily and saying, “Professor, do you want to kill me?”
Facing Thos’s accusation, Professor Hode smiled indifferently and said, “Aren’t you still alive?”
“What do you mean, still alive?” Looking at his ruined shirt, Thos felt anger well up in him. He snapped, “Anyone else would be dead by now!”
Indeed, if it were an ordinary person with no affinity for fire elements, they might have died long ago under Professor Hode’s magic. After all, even the basic Flame Flash was extremely powerful.
“What? Trying to act cute?” Professor Hode smirked mockingly. “Six months, and you’ve regressed to this level? I’m very disappointed, kid! Want to rest? It’s simple—just defeat me, and you can rest as long as you want!” With that, the professor raised his right hand, and with another boom, Thos was once again swallowed by flames.
Staring at the raging flames, Professor Hode showed an unreadable expression before shaking his head and sighing, “Is it over? Then rest…”
He had intended to say “take a break,” but before he could finish, the flames vanished instantly.
“Elemental reverse decomposition?” A wide smile appeared on Professor Hode’s face as he teased the boy in front of him. “That’s much better, kid! Don’t make me watch you fall over and over again—it’s boring… If you were a girl, I might go easy on you!”

“What a joke!” With Professor Hode’s satisfied gaze, the boy tore off his tattered clothes, revealing tattoos covering his entire body. With a roar, red flames erupted on his body.
“Angry?” Professor Hode asked with a smile. Then his gaze fell on the black and white tattoos on the boy’s body, showing slight surprise.
“Of course I’m angry!”
Along with that familiar snap of fingers, the slightly distracted Professor Hode vanished instantly from his spot, and a fierce wave of flames immediately consumed where he had stood.
“Snap, snap, snap!” Elsewhere, Professor Hode’s approving applause could be heard.
“Not bad, not bad. But this isn’t enough for me!”
“Is that so?!” Glancing at Professor Hode’s location, Thos snorted and snapped his fingers. A vast sea of flames surged from the ground, engulfing Professor Hode.
“Hey, even if you’ve set up a barrier, destroying this forest isn’t right, is it?—Calm down, kid. With such attacks, you still won’t be able to hit me by dinner time! Concentrate on sensing my location and figuring out where I’ll appear… Wow! Hey, you already understand? I guess I need to put some pressure on you!”
“Damn it!”
“Hey, what’s this now? Planning to burn that tree down to hit me? Don’t be silly, kid!”
“Who’s being silly?”
“Your momentum is good, but if you can’t concentrate, your flames are just wasting magic… Hmm, I forgot—your ability to recover magic is much faster than ordinary people’s. What an enviable talent…”
“Stop talking nonsense!”
“Boom!”
“Boom, boom!”
Watching the battle between the professor and the student, Dia, standing at the edge of the barrier, sighed worriedly and whispered to Abel beside her, “They really started fighting… Is this okay, Sister Abel?”
“There’s nothing wrong,” Abel replied with a calm smile. “Rather than saying they’re fighting, it’s more like that person has finally started to take it seriously… That kid is too lazy. Without this method, it’s impossible to determine his current level…”
“But Thos becomes terrifying when he’s angry…” Dia said anxiously.

“Do you mean that powerful dark force within that brat? Don’t worry; that kid is just a bit angry—not to that extent yet,” said Aibelton, pausing for a moment before stroking the trunk of a tree beside him and murmuring, “Hod always hated this teaching method. Influenced by his grandfather, he believed that learning magic should be enjoyable. Though it’s for the sake of his students, this teaching method…”
“Huh?” Glancing at Professor Hod in the distance, Dia asked curiously, “Then why…”
“Yes, why indeed…” Aibelton sighed deeply, his eyes filled with profound sadness.
Over the next two days, the relationship between Thos and Professor Hod became extremely “tense.”
Somehow, Thos seemed to have forgotten that the purpose of this training was to master true Flare Flash skillfully. All he thought about now was making Professor Hod experience what he had gone through.
To achieve this goal, Thos trained very diligently, while Professor Hod seemed to see through his intentions. Instead of exposing them, he continued to verbally attack Thos, making him desire achieving that goal even more.
By the evening of the seventh day, Thos was able to fight against Professor Hod in a proper manner.
Although Professor Hod was somewhat lenient, the intensity of their battles was no less than those between ordinary magicians.
Using Flash and Flare Flash repeatedly, both of them transformed the once-thick forest into a ruined landscape under the impact of their magic.
One moment, Flash appeared behind Thos. Professor Hod placed his right hand on the boy’s back. The pure, immense magical energy radiating from it acted like a shockwave, causing Thos, who hadn’t reacted in time, to stumble and crash into a tree trunk. Immediately afterward, the professor raised his hand, and a burst of flames erupted behind Thos.
“Thos, using magic against enemies—simple tactics. As long as you can defeat your opponent, any method is acceptable!”
“Damn it!” Enduring the attack on his back, Thos swung his hand wildly, raising his right hand to counterattack. But Professor Hod had already disappeared from his previous position. This surprise caused him to hesitate slightly in his retaliation.
Suddenly, Professor Hod reappeared in front of him. With a slap on the ground, a massive force surged forth, like a pillar of fire, lifting Thos high into the air.

“Did you get it, kid? After taking damage, humans instinctively use their eyes to search for the enemy, but for mages, this habit is deadly. Can your eyes keep up with the speed of teleportation? How many times have I told you? Use your mental senses!” Saying this, Professor Hod pointed with his right hand at Thos in mid-air. With a bang, an explosion occurred, and Thos instinctively groaned in pain as he was engulfed by merciless flames.

“Damn it!” Thos gritted his teeth in mid-air and vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he was behind Professor Hod.

“Not bad, but not fast enough!” Professor Hod also vanished in a flash. Thos, momentarily stunned, instinctively focused on locating the professor, but it was too late. A tremendous force struck his shoulder, sending him flying several yards before he crashed to the ground with a thud.

“How many times have I told you? Never get distracted in battle. Your mental power must always be focused on your opponent’s every move. Once the enemy disappears from your perception, it means you’re at a disadvantage in the fight. He can attack you, but you can’t attack him!”

“Damn…” Gritting his teeth, Thos, whose body was smoking from the flames, snapped his fingers. As expected, he sensed an irregular flow of magic.

Trying to use teleportation to escape?

With a cold laugh, Thos appeared at the location he had sensed, but to his surprise, he didn’t see Professor Hod anywhere. Briefly distracted, he suddenly felt intense pain behind him, forcing him to bump into a tree.

“Oh my, I expected you to use that trick!” Standing on a tree branch, Professor Hod looked down at Thos lying on the ground and smiled. “Remember, Thos, fluctuations in magic can sometimes hide traps, just like what happened earlier. When things don’t seem right, you need to analyze calmly and avoid them promptly. Being distracted is the stupidest thing you can do—it puts you in danger!” With that, Professor Hod jumped down from the tree, glanced at the slowly setting sun with a hint of reluctant fondness, and smiled. “But then again, compared to a few days ago, you’ve made significant progress. That’s enough for today. You’ll become a great mage!”

“Today is the last day, right?” Thos, panting heavily, turned over and lay on his back, complaining, “I won’t accept this as the end. I still haven’t made you experience what I’ve gone through. Wait a little longer, and I’ll make you lie on the ground gasping for air just like me!”

“Hehe, it’s good to have such determination,” Professor Hode smiled satisfactorily, walking over to Thos and speaking softly to him, “But you can’t think only of yourself, Thos. Magic isn’t the whole meaning of life—don’t forget to take care of those who care about us!” With that, he bent down, reached out his hand to Thos, and said in a peculiar tone, “Save your determination to defeat me for next time. Maybe then, our roles will be reversed!”
Looking into Professor Hode’s sincere eyes, Thos grunted in dissatisfaction, took Professor Hode’s hand, and stood up, saying irritably, “Of course!”
“Hehehe,” Professor Hode laughed heartily, reached out to remove the grass from Thos’s hair, then patted his head and said softly, “Let’s go. It’s getting late. Don’t keep Abel and Dia waiting too long! If we’re late, Abel will become terrifying…”
“You should say that in front of her…”
“Hey, if I say that, she’ll definitely kill me…”
Under the glow of the setting sun, the two walked back together, chatting and laughing.
Too exhausted, Thos failed to notice the determination hidden behind Professor Hode’s smiling eyes.
After dinner, the tired Thos went to bed early.
In the days since Professor Hode arrived, he had been sleeping in Dia’s room. Though it was a both wicked and wonderful thing, sadly, Thos, exhausted from the day, didn’t even have the strength to move his fingers—he fell asleep as soon as he lay down.
Dia had been very anxious about this a few days ago…
“You’ve had a hard day again, right?” Looking at Thos, who was fast asleep on the bed, Dia lay on the other side with a red face, glancing at the boy.
Just like before, she still couldn’t fall asleep.
It seemed the same would happen tonight…
With a slight blush, Dia adjusted Thos’s cup, got out of bed, and walked to the window, gazing at the moonlight outside.
Suddenly, she noticed that there was still some light coming from the window downstairs.
“Have Professor and the others not gone to bed yet?” Dia wondered.
Professor Hode’s room for rest was originally a storage room—small and messy. Since he was too lazy to tidy it up, Thos initially slept on the sofa in the living room downstairs. But after Professor Hode and Abel arrived, Dia cleaned that room, as they certainly couldn’t let them sleep in the living room.

“Still up so late? What are the professors doing?” Out of curiosity, Dia wanted to go down and check, but when she reached the stairs, Abel’s faint voice seemed to give her an answer.
Could it be…? No way…
Dia’s face turned red instantly. She subconsciously covered her pounding chest and quietly returned to her room, holding her breath.
Professor Hode and Sister Abel both wore rings—so they must be married. But even if they are, such a thing…
It can’t be…
Holding her breath, with a red face, Dia pressed her ear to the door and listened quietly.
“Hm?” Thos, who was lying in bed, turned over, sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked at Dia hiding behind the door with heavy sleepiness. Tilting his head, he asked, “What are you doing?”
“Ah!” Caught off guard by Thos’s question, Dia became flustered and stammered, “I… I’m not doing anything. Are you awake, Thos?”
“Yes, I’m awake…” As he spoke, Thos’s voice suddenly stopped. His tired eyes closed, and he fell back asleep.
“Oh, so he wasn’t awake after all…” Dia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest nervously.
It’s better to pretend I don’t know. Otherwise, how will I face Sister Abel tomorrow!
With that thought, Dia went back to bed and forced herself to sleep. But hearing the steady breathing of the boy beside her, she grew more and more nervous.
What should I do? Dia sighed inwardly.
Suddenly, she heard a creaking sound, as if the rusty iron gate in the yard had been pushed open.
What’s going on at this late hour?
Dia got out of bed and went to the window to look outside. To her surprise, she saw Professor Hode and Abel by that iron gate, seemingly talking to each other.
What’s going on? Why are they going out so late?
Dia was very puzzled.
Under Dia’s gaze from the second-floor window, Professor Hode and Abel walked over to the iron gate.
“Well… I’m leaving!” After pushing open the gate, Professor Hode turned to Abel with deep affection in his eyes and said softly, “If anything happens, please take care of those two kids! Take them to Vandel—this place is still too dangerous!”

Staring deeply at Professor Hode, Abel seemed to have countless words to say, but in the end, she simply nodded gently, let out a soft sigh, and lowered her head to murmur, “As your wife, what’s there to ask for or refuse? Idiot!” Then she raised her head, wrapped her arms around Professor Hode’s neck, her bright eyes suddenly veiled with a thin mist.
“Kiss me…”
“Huh…”
Dia, who was secretly watching them on the second floor, was stunned. Her cheeks turned red as she covered her mouth with her hand, holding her breath and not daring to make a sound.
After a full minute, the two who were stuck together finally parted. Abel quickly turned her head, wiped away the tears streaming down her face, and said in a feigned annoyed tone, “Go away already, you annoying guy!”
“Hehe,” Professor Hode smiled, but there was no joy in his eyes. He hesitantly raised his hand before lowering it again. After a brief silence, he said softly, “I’m sorry, Abel!” Then he put on his wizard’s hat and turned to leave.
“Idiot!” Abel, biting her lip tightly, turned her head and watched Professor Hode walk away. Tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes as if a dam had broken.
“What’s there to say sorry for… Damn it!”
Standing by the iron-barred door for over ten minutes, Abel let out a long sigh and turned to walk back inside.
At this moment, she seemed dazed, as if she had lost her spiritual support. Holding a large cup of hot water, she sat on the sofa in the living room, hunched over.
“Sister Abel?” Suddenly, a clear and puzzled voice came from behind her. “It’s so late—where did Professor Hode go… Huh? You…”
Abel quickly snapped out of her daze, quickly wiped away the tears on her face, forced a smile, and said softly, “It’s Dia. Aren’t you going to bed yet? Did I disturb you? Where’s Thos?”
“Thos is asleep. He worked so hard during the day…” As she spoke, Dia walked over and sat next to Abel. Seeing her still tear-streaked face, she whispered, “Sister Abel, did you cry?”
“Of course not…” Abel let out a soft sigh, took a sip of hot water, and said self-mockingly in a disappointed tone, “Marrying such an idiot really is very difficult… Men never understand what’s in our hearts or what we need… Maybe they do understand, but for various reasons, they can’t keep their promises…”
“Huh? Is Sister Abel talking about Professor Hode?” Dia asked curiously.

“Who else but that bastard? Those fools don’t even think—what do countries and wars have to do with us women?!”
“Aibel sister…”
“What we really want is simple: care and love. Why should we women bear such unreasonable demands? That bastard!”
“Aibel sister…”
“That bastard!” Aibel wept silently. After several minutes, she took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, stood up, and said to the stunned Dia in a low voice, “As a woman, you must be prepared for this if you marry such an unreasonable man!”
“Prepared?”
“Ah! Even knowing that the man who has made up his mind is heading toward oblivion and will never return, you still have to smile at him as he leaves and say, ‘I’ll wait for you’!”
“Ah…”