A Degenerate's Tale

For mages, the taking of a protegee was a serious matter.

The achievement of a mage is the result of years of hard work and struggle. To personally pass it down, that is the taking of a disciple.

It is unlike a regular student-teacher relationship where the teacher stands at the side and advises the student.

To be a master, one must be willing to pass down the results of one's work. To stand by the disciple's side and help them through their hardships.

To be a disciple or a protegee, one must respect one's master. Listen to their teachings, and follow their words. It is a relationship of a lifetime.

It is for this reason, that Saryll had to use one of her favours from Ari.

"Do you understand, Alea?" Ari asked the young girl after explaining.

"Yes." Alea nodded firmly.

The two were alone in Ari's study.

Ari held her hand out and told the Elven Princess. "Hold your hand out."

Alea nodded and touched her hand with Ari.

The Archmage closed her eyes. Her halo expanded and wrapped around the both of them. Brilliant purple light filled the room as runes flew about.

In a serious tone, she began to speak slowly. "Magic is the purest form of expression. Today, I, Archmage from the house of Roth accept the Princess from the ancient Kingdom of Elves, Alea Venroris as my protegee."

The elven girl followed her lead. "Magic is the purest form of expression. Today, I, Alea, the Princess of the royal house of Venroris accept Archmage Ari from the house of Roth as my master.

I will respect her. I will listen to her. I will learn from her."

The glow in Ari's eye grew stronger as she took over. "She will devote herself to me. She will learn from me. She will obey me. Under my guidance, her journey through magic will be without burdens."

Then together, they chanted. ""A legacy is born today. I swear to the teachings of magic. And so it is said, my oath of commitment.""

At their last words, the halo which surrounded them lit up with the brightness of the sun, seeping into their very soul.

When Alea reopened her eyes, everything was back to normal. The halo, the light, the runes. The lingering feeling in her heart let her know that this was not a dream.

"From now you, you may call me Master."

"Master," Alea said once to get a feel for the word. "Master... What was that?"

During the ceremony, her words flowed out as naturally as she breathed. It was a bizarre sensation unlike any she had experienced before.

"I added a few twists of my own to the ceremony with Soul Magic. Even though I plan to open my own school of magic, I don't plan to pass down all my magic. As my disciple, you have to be special in some ways, right?"

"Soul Magic..? What is that?" She cocked her head curiously.

"Fufu, you still have much to learn, my Alea.

Meanwhile, a similar event was happening between Earl and Saryll.

In a wide, open forest.

"Earl, can you tell me what your current attainments in magic are?" Saryll asked while crouching down to his height. In her white loose dress, her cleavage was almost visible from this angle.

"Ah, it's Advanced, Teacher," Earl told her proudly.

Because their relationship was only that of teacher and student, there was no need to go through a ceremony like with his mother and Alea.

"Advanced..?" Saryll repeated blankly. At the age of 8? However, as a teacher, she quickly regained her composure. If she praised him too much, it might give him unnecessary ego.

"Ahem, there's usually a correlation between one's magical talent and one's spiritual talent."

"Uh-huh." Earl nodded smartly. He has already chosen the character he wanted to play with her.

"Enough of that for today, actually." The Queen shook her head when she saw how much attention Earl was giving her. "Why don't we focus on getting to know each other more today?"

"..."

"Fine, I'll go first." She laughed. "Where should I start?"

"Your family!"

"Right. There's not much to it. I have my husband and my daughter and that's pretty much it."

"Why are you with your husband?" As a child, he could easily get away with asking absurd questions.

"That's a strange question. Why am I with my husband? Let's see..." Saryll placed on her pondering expression. "Well, for one. I love him."

She said with the purest expression on her beautiful face. She was smiling ever so slightly. A tinge of redness was formed on her cheeks, and her head was barely tilted.

"He can be a bit uptight sometimes, but that's a part of his charm. He's honest. He takes care of me. He listens to me and he gives me surprises sometimes.

Growing up, he was my personal guard. Since we were always close, I couldn't help but fall in love, especially since I'm being protected." The Elf Queen rubbed Earl's head. "I'm getting carried away, aren't I?

But this is important. Even though I'm just your teacher for Spirit Magic, I'm going to teach you this right now. Find someone who loves you, okay? They will take away your stress and share your joys with you."

Earl was speechless. Behind her majestic facade... The Queen was just... a young girl in love.