The mentor, who had regained his appearance, stood quietly to the side, bowing his head.
It was impossible to see the professor's face at that moment.
What expression is on that now familiar face?
In the midst of the darkness, only a brilliant golden light suddenly shone forth, like two radiant suns leaping out of the endless night, embracing my entire consciousness.
"Never mind, I'll just get some quiet sleep."
"When you wake up, you should go and do those things that only you can do."
The soft murmurs faded into the distance.
In the depths of final consciousness, it was ethereal and distant, yet exceptionally gentle and melodious, like a soft chant depicting countless starlight scenes, quietly resounding.
...
"...Master of the Box Garden, you have been asleep for three days. It is time to wake up."
I was awakened by Yao.
Looking around, I realized that this was my familiar little home, but I had no memory of how I returned to the miniature garden.
"On this point, I can say with certainty that it was Her Majesty the [Omniscient Witch] herself who sent you back to the Little Garden."
Yao sat with his back to me in the chair I used to love curling up in, his back still as straight as ever, meticulously turning the pages of a book.
“Hikari and the new Miss [Aisha] who arrived a few days ago were both very worried about you. However, since you are not seriously ill, I didn’t have them stay behind.” As she said this, she turned her chair around, glanced at me, and then looked back at the pages of her book. “Fortunately, it seems that my judgment was correct so far.”
"...? What kind of judgment?"
Shaking my still dizzy head, I sat up with the support of my elbow, only to freeze in place.
The magic that had been dormant and lingering within her body was now flowing diligently, as if it had leaped from a small ditch into a full-flowing stream, without any stagnation or obscurity.
The world before my eyes has become brighter and more beautiful than before, and upon closer inspection of my palm, I can even clearly see the direction and origin of each palm line.
It's as if we used to observe the outside world through frosted glass from inside the house, but now that glass has been removed.
In other words, I have already left the house that imprisoned me, the house from which I could not leave no matter how hard I tried.
"What happened?" I asked, bewildered.
"In short, congratulations, Master of the Little Garden. You now have nearly twice as much magic power to control as before, and it is more refined. The speed and efficiency of responding to spells have also become faster and more precise." Yao's voice seemed to have a faint smile on it. "And, perhaps thinking that you might be lazy, Lady [Witch] has prepared an extra new path for you."
"I am pleased to inform you that from this day forward, you may become the first human mage to restore your magic power and even advance further by consuming magic stones."
What kind of nonsense is this?
I was stunned again, feeling like my brain couldn't process what was happening for a moment.
"Am I... turning into a fairy?"
Reaching down to her back, she felt the familiar, delicate touch, but there were no new transparent wings as a fairy, and her ears did not show any signs of growing longer.
The most obvious distinguishing features of these strange beings that frequently appear in various rumors are their slightly shorter, pointed ears compared to elves, their transparent and thin wings that seem to reveal a magnificent iridescence when viewed against the sunlight, and their ability to consume magical substances and live off them.
Whether it's a magically rich ore or a special fruit, which is considered highly poisonous by most species and can only be used for alchemy and creation, and can easily cause severe adverse reactions such as diarrhea and magical confusion if ingested, it is nothing more than an ordinary snack in the eyes of fairies.
"Although I don't know what your initial considerations were, [Witch]... strictly speaking, you only possess some similar characteristics. Please rest assured, Master of the Little Garden, you are still purely human, I can guarantee that."
Yao closed the book, moved a chair to my bedside, and handed me something: "Instead of feeling confused here, why don't you try it yourself?"
The bright red magic stone was about half the size of a fist. Inside the translucent crystal, it seemed as if rich colors flowed like smoke, and the shiny outer shell scattered magnificent colors in the bright light that leaked into the room.
My feelings are a bit complicated.
After hesitating for a moment, I decided to accept the magic stone.
There's no other reason than that, even though I'm a little afraid, I still feel a bit curious.
I'm curious about what my mentor did to my body this time.
Just as I mentally prepared myself, slowly brought it to my mouth, and opened my mouth to bite, Yao Yi spoke calmly as if he had suddenly remembered something: "By the way, before she left, [Witch] gave me an extra instruction, saying that if you choose to accept the new gift she gave to [my dearest disciple] after you wake up, go to the Sacred Tree Barrier as soon as you are ready."
"What?"
I answered instinctively, then gasped for breath.
"Simply put, you have a new task to do."
For some reason, I suddenly felt that Yao's gaze toward me was becoming full of pity.
Ouch—I bumped my tooth!
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