Vol 2 Chapter 21 – Magic Training, on One Condition【Vol 2: The Blazing Labyrinth and the Lonely Witch】 

I wonder how much time had passed.

By the time Elmina—who’d been sobbing like a child—finally got herself under control, even the scorching air that had dominated the deepest part of the labyrinth felt, somehow, a little less oppressive.

(…Good grief. What a handful of a princess.)

I let out a quiet breath, glancing sideways at her as she sat beside me, still sniffling.

It wasn’t hard to understand. She’d been isolated because of her overwhelming talent, never truly understood by anyone, forced to keep fighting all alone. Of course everything she’d bottled up would come pouring out all at once.

(Honestly, I’m terrible with women crying. I never know what to do…)

Even when Misaki cried, all I ever did was panic.

In the end, I couldn’t do anything for her. I had no clue what to say to Elmina, either. All I could manage was awkwardly patting her on the back, and that made me feel just a little pathetic.

“…I’ve already stopped crying. How long are you gonna keep staring, pervert?”

Elmina turned away as if to hide her swollen, red eyes, then snapped at me.

It was obvious she was trying to put her usual mask back on—the feisty genius witch—like the storm of sobbing from a moment ago had never happened.

(Well, if she’s feeling better, that’s enough.)

I stood up and brushed the dust off my clothes.

The Salamander was dead. Elmina’s mana rampage had been stopped. That should have meant this city’s crisis was over.

But I still didn’t feel at ease. This fight had made me painfully aware of my own limits.

(My sword alone won’t always be enough to protect everyone. I’m not the powerless me from my old life anymore. This time, with my own strength…!)

If I wanted to protect my companions—and the people important to me—I needed more. I needed overwhelming power.

And the thing I was missing was—magic.

I glanced over at Elmina, who was still sitting there with a pout, pointedly looking away.

That spell she fired, Catastrophe Flare.

If I could wield magic like that freely… if I could combine it with my swordsmanship…

(I could become much stronger. The more deeply I understand a target’s “information,” the wider the applications of my Edit skill should become. If I can grasp the rules that define magic, then someday I might be able to rewrite even the most complex spell formulas and make them my own.)

With my resolve set, I called out to her while she still stubbornly faced the other way.

“Hey, Elmina.”

“…What?”

Her voice was clearly irritated.

Ignoring her attitude, I got straight to the point.

“I’ve got a favor to ask.”

“Hah? A faaavor?”

Elmina frowned suspiciously and finally looked at me. Her red eyes wavered, searching my face for what I really meant.

“—I want you to teach me the fundamentals of magic theory.”

For a moment, silence.

Elmina just stared at me with her mouth hanging open, like she couldn’t even process what I’d said.

Then the meaning finally caught up with her, and her face turned bright red in an instant.

“Wha…”

The next second, a shriek loud enough to shake the entire labyrinth rang out.

“W-W-W-W-WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I HAVE TO TEACH MAGIC TO SOMEONE LIKE YOU!?”

My ears were ringing. It hit like a volcanic eruption.

“Don’t be ridiculous! I’m Elmina—the ‘Solitary Genius Witch’! The last thing I want is to become somebody’s teacher!”

Elmina shot to her feet, planted her hands on her hips, and started rattling off words like a machine gun.

She’d completely recovered.

(Yeah, figured you’d say that.)

I shrugged at the perfectly predictable reaction.

Her pride was the size of Mount Everest. There was no way she’d just say, “Sure, I’d be happy to.”

“Listen. My magic is built on absurdly advanced theory and thought processes that no third-rate mage could understand in a hundred years! And you think I can teach all that to a total amateur like you and you’ll actually get it!?”

“Yeah, probably not.”

“Right!? It’d be a waste of time! A waste of time! You and I would both just end up miserable, so give it up already!”

“But I’m bad at giving up.”

“Wh—?!”

I took a step toward her. Maybe it was the pressure I was putting on her, but Elmina flinched.

Staring straight into her eyes, I played my negotiation card.

“—Who was it that saved you?”

“…Huh?”

“When your mana ran wild and you were on the verge of blowing yourself up, who protected you from the Salamander’s breath—and even taught you how to control your magic?”

At my words, Elmina’s face rapidly went pale.

All that momentum from a second ago vanished, and her red eyes started darting left and right in obvious discomfort.

“Th-That was… you, but…”

“Right. Which means I’m the one who saved your life.”

“…Ghk.”

I stepped in again. As she backed away, she was driven all the way to the wall.

“I saved your life. So as compensation, asking you to teach me a spell or two is a perfectly fair right, isn’t it?”

I planted one hand on the wall, cutting off her escape completely.

(The classic wall-pin move, huh. Not that I have even a shred of flirtatious intent. I just created a situation where she physically couldn’t run.)

“…S-Shut up!

I-I never asked you to save me!

I could’ve handled it just fine on my own!”

“Oh? So you could’ve beaten the Salamander without me?”

“O-Of course I could!”

“While your mana was still rampaging out of control?”

“Ugh…”

“While you kept firing spells with their power all over the place because you couldn’t control it?”

“Gnnn…”

Elmina was completely out of words now, biting her lip in frustration. Her face was bright red with anger and embarrassment.

I leaned in near her ear and delivered the finishing blow in a whisper.

“Or what—don’t tell me the great ‘Solitary Genius Witch,’ Elmina-sama, is the kind of ingrate who repays the person who saved her life by turning on him?”

“～～～～～～～～ッ!!”

Elmina’s body started trembling in tiny little shakes.

That did it. Total checkmate. With her pride, she had no way to fight back against an argument this straightforward.

She stayed hunched over for a while, enduring the humiliation, but eventually she muttered in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

“…………F-Fine…”

“Hm? What was that? I couldn’t hear you.”

“I said fine! I’ll teach you, okay, I’ll teach you! But if your resolve is half-baked, I won’t go easy on you!”

“Yeah, that helps. Looking forward to it, Master.”

When I said it with a teasing grin, Elmina barked back, face burning red, “Don’t call me Master!”

And just like that, I managed to secure a promise to have an unwilling genius witch travel with me as my “magic teacher,” more or less by force.

(Alright. Just as planned.)

Now I had a powerful ally to help protect the people important to me. And not just that—by learning magic theory from Elmina, I should be able to grow even stronger myself.

If I want to truly master my Edit skill, her knowledge is absolutely essential.

When we finally emerged from the labyrinth, the sky was already dyed in sunset colors.

Elmina was still standing there with her arms crossed, looking away with a sulky expression—but her profile no longer carried the same despair as before. Instead, she looked somehow refreshed, like the face of someone standing at the start of something new.