"Weak?" Azel raised an eyebrow, his voice was flat but curious as he glanced down at Lillia.

Beside him, Alvinus looked as if someone had punched him straight in the soul… his entire body jolted, his pointed ears twitching and his whole body wobbled like a dying leaf in the wind.

… It was super effective.

"No, he's strong," Lillia corrected quickly, her pink eyes shining with honesty. "But you're far stronger, Papa."

Azel chuckled at that and patted her lightly on the head. "Of course I am. But he'll be teaching you a lot of spells, so be very nice to him."

Lillia nodded earnestly and hopped down from him.

Rene, who had been half hugging from behind Azel's leg, stepped back as well, though Azel still reached out and ruffled the boy's hair affectionately.

Only after the two children stood a respectful distance away did Azel turn to Alvinus with a look that made the elf stiffen.

"Well," Azel said, gesturing. "Start it."

Alvinus swallowed hard, stepped forward… and immediately fumbled with the small paper bag in his hands.

He still wasn't used to the humiliation of carrying spell equipment like groceries. He dug inside until his fingers brushed the familiar surface of a smooth orb.

'I lost my storage ring to the attack on the Academy…' he thought with a dull ache. 'Now I'm stuck with paper bags like a true poor man.'

Still, he forced himself upright as he pulled out the affinity orb. He cleared his throat, trying to summon the remnants of the dignity he once had as a royal elf mage.

"H-hold this orb," Alvinus said, extending it to Lillia with both hands. "Pour your mana into it… from here, we will be able to see your affinities."

Lillia took it, only to pause. "Do I have to use my full mana… or…?"

"Use your full mana," Alvinus said carelessly, his voice the careless tone of a man who did not yet realize he was about to witness the magical equivalent of a natural disaster.

Lillia nodded and poured her mana into the orb.

There was a sound like a muffled crack…

Krrrk KRSSHH!

The orb exploded instantly into glittering shards that rained down around her.

Rene yelped.

Alvinus froze, his brain short-circuiting and Lillia blinked innocently.

"Oops. I think I broke it…" She held up her small hands helplessly. "Did I do something bad?"

"N-no… it's probably an issue with the store…" Alvinus stammered, though his insides shook violently.

He dove back into the paper bag and pulled out a second orb. "Use this one… and bring down your mana. You seem to have… a lot of it."

Azel, watching silently, hid a smirk behind his hand.

'She's making me so proud.' He thought.

Lillia held the second orb more gently this time.

The glow of her mana was tighter and controlled yet even then, tiny cracks webbed across the sphere's surface.

'…She has similar magical power to the Elf King…' Alvinus thought, his scalp going numb.

The Elf King… the ruler of the Elven Domain, whose mana could level a fortress with a sigh. 'And she can compress that much mana perfectly? Is she even human?'

The orb ignited.

Inside the glass, flame swirled. Then water. Then lightning. Then wind.

Then more.

Then more.

Element after element manifested inside the tiny sphere until…

CRACK… SHATTER!

The orb burst apart violently, scattering fragments across the yard like glittering dust.

Alvinus's jaw hung loose. His brain was leaking out of his ears.

Azel, though equally stunned, maintained composure long enough to place a supportive hand on Alvinus's shoulder.

"Get on with your lessons," Azel said.

Alvinus shook like he had been struck by lightning, but he forced himself to smile at Lillia… a trembling, traumatized smile of a man who had just realized his entire magical worldview was obsolete.

"A-alright. Let's head that way," he said, motioning toward the far side of the yard. "I'll teach you a fire spell."

Lillia nodded and followed him eagerly with light hops. Azel moved to accompany them but… Feng stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Azel's arm.

"Master," Feng said, eyes serious. "I want to have a conversation with you."

Azel raised a brow. "If it's about what happened at the church, I assume you have something you want to talk about?"

Feng looked to Rene, offering a small smile. "Please get some water for Master. He's come home from a journey and needs to hydrate."

Rene nodded and sprinted inside the inn.

As the child disappeared, Feng exhaled…a long and shaky one.

"Master…" he began.

"Yes, Feng. You can tell me anything." Azel folded his arms. "Except your sexu—"

"Master, I killed them."

Azel blinked.

Then snorted softly. "Oh, I know you di—"

"I laughed," Feng said suddenly, voice trembling. "I laughed and killed them. I… became a monster."

Azel's expression softened. He stepped closer and placed a steadying hand on Feng's shoulder.

'Oh? No wonder he got that title.' Azel thought.

Feng's murderous state… his other self activated when he fought people that he considered enemies.

It was the same as the game… it was a very special skill which made him invulnerable to a lot of damage and gave him an intoxicated hunger for violence but he would never used it to hurt people that he cared about.

Besides, it only activated once he killed an enemy and would automatically deactivate once all that he considered enemies were dead.

"You don't need to worry," Azel said firmly. "Condition yourself. Use that instinct on enemies who threaten the ones you love. And stop holding back completely. Restriction will only damage your skills."

Feng's eyes shook. Tears welled and spilled freely as he bowed his head.

"Yes, Master… thank you… for believing in me."

Azel chuckled and patted his back.

'And this is supposed to be a cold-blooded killer. Funny how a little change of environment and respect can do a lot of things…'

Before he could say more…

BOOM!

A small explosion burst across the yard. Both Azel and Feng turned sharply.

Alvinus was standing there except his hair had exploded into a massive puffy afro, his elven ears quivering in shock and soot coated his face like war paint.

Above Lillia's outstretched hand floated tiny flickering flames like miniature fireworks and they crackled in the air with delicate chirps of mana.

"You… you learned my fireworks spell in an instant…" Alvinus collapsed to his knees, tears rolling freely as he stared at the girl who looked proud of herself. "I used 10 good years to perfect it!"

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