With Right Guidance

Mizuki tilts her head at her in confusion, having not caught her words. Instead, Adelia brushes it off and signals for Mizuki to come closer, rising on her tip-toes to pull an olive branch down. Lightly twisting it, it snaps. Mizuki takes it.

"Olives have many health benefits. You can eat them on their own but they're extremely expensive and hard to grow. They're commonly used in health elixirs and fuel for magic-casters such as myself," Adelia explains. She reaches out a hand, gesturing with her fingers for Mizuki to hand her an olive. Mizuki does as she's asked, lifting the branch to pick out a fruit, blended amongst the lush leaves.

"You don't need bases for spells, right?" Mizuki clarifies.

"Where else do I get the energy from? Magic doesn't come out of nowhere, young one. It's only exclusive to mages and priestesses because it takes a level of skill to be able to conjure it," Adelia chuckles. Cradling the olives in her palms, she presses her fingers against each other in a manner that the fruits don't slip out of her grip. Closing her eyes, she starts muttering a chant in a foreign language. Mizuki blinks in confusion.

Olive green wisps of magic emerge from Adelia's hands, wrapping them before shaping an enchantment circle mid-air. Adelia makes circular gestures with her hands, the magic circle spinning with her hand motions. As she reaches her hand forward, she continues to chant, the circle imprinting against the chest of Mizuki's dress. Mizuki holds her breath, pursing her lips out of anticipation.

Adelia separates her hands and the circle vanishes, a green aura emitting from Mizuki briefly before fading into the atmosphere. Adelia opens her eyes, "This spell should cut out any ill effects of black magic, in case your open wounds are still taking damage."

Mizuki cups her hands together excitedly, exclaiming surprisedly, "My, that's so cool! I wish I could learn how to do that!"

"It takes years to master," Adelia states. Mizuki turns to the gazebo, smile wavering once she notices that Hinata's no longer there. She doesn't let her hopeful gaze linger for too long, once again diverting her attention back to Adelia.

"I hope to be capable like you one day."

"Under right guidance, surely. Would you be willing to attend weekly training sessions with me every Sunday?" Adelia proposes warmly. "You have great potential, I'm sure I can help you hone your skill."

Mizuki's heart flutters at the compliment, flattered that a woman of Adelia's calibur is complimenting someone of her measly standard.

[Side Quest: Never Talk to Strangers - Accept Adelia's offer]

Mizuki nods, "I would be honoured, but what is there for me to practice here that I can't do at the Wanderer's Union?"

"For one, you will get to test your skill with the assistance of my spells to better equip yourself against harder fights. If your current level is achieved through quests and such, there is no guaranteeing that you are strong enough to take on higher-level, more complex enemies," Adelia holds out her index finger. "I can teach you better fighting techniques."

"Do I practice on my own?"

"Of course, what kind of question is that," Adelia mentions sternly, pressing both hands against her hips. "No mortal ever stood to become a worthy champion without practice. Sometimes you might have to train deep into the night, but time shouldn't stand as an obstacle in your path."

[Side Quest: Never Talk to Strangers - Attend Adelia's Weekly Lessons (0/24)]

[Rank Up to Ranger to continue Side Quest]

Mizuki is startled by the sudden notification. Adelia voices, "The most you can do is to grow strong enough to defeat Valkyrie. Of course, your achievement can't be done until you become a Ranger but it's worth the time."

Mizuki scowls. "Won't it take me an entire year to build up to that rank? The jump between Peasant to Rogue is two thousand and five-hundred, which then doubles for me to level up to Ranger. It seems impossible."

"It's only expected, young one. The gap only gets bigger and bigger, the one between Knight and Mage even too difficult to bridge for most people," Adelia stops mid-sentence to catch a break from the talking. "If you can bring me an essence of Valkyrie's magic, which you can get in a vial following her defeat, I can cast a protective spell against any threat from her sisters. It will make you stronger."

Mizuki takes a deep breath. "Can I trust you?"

A heart appears over Adelia's head. "I suggest you do," she advises. As she smiles, the skin around her lips wrinkle. From here on, they don't talk much. Mizuki watches her behaviour more critically than she should for a student towards her teacher, strolling humbly in Adelia's shadow as they return to the castle entrance.

She flicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth, keeping her gaze on the ground as she tries to organise her thoughts. It'll take her a few months - eight months to be exact just to complete Adelia's training - to get her rank up to Ranger, or even train herself to be strong enough to compete with Valkyrie. Commissions give sparse rewards, even less generous with the offered experience points. Fighting doesn't give much either, if she can remember correctly, perhaps a few hundred per camp.

Mizuki lets out a deep breath. Adelia stops at the entrance, placing a hand on Mizuki's shoulder. "I'll be expecting you here next week. All the best."

Mizuki bows, thanking Adelia for her guidance. "I'll be meeting you in the library next week, teacher."

Upon descending from the staircase, Mizuki cranes her neck in search of Hinata.

She soon spots him seated a short distance away by the fountain with one leg crossed over the other. He has a small journal in his hands, jotting something down with a serious expression. Mizuki flicks him on the forehead, diverting his attention onto her. "What are you writing about?"

"Nothing important," and then he slams the book shut like it's something she shouldn't be seeing. "Let's go home."

Mizuki narrows her eyes suspiciously. "You're always writing about something. Are there a sufficient number of things in this world for you to be concerned about?"

"A lot more than you'd guess," Hinata nudges her in the shoulder, earning a whack from Mizuki. He rubs his stinging arm, pouting at Mizuki who shoots him a mocking expression.

After this, Hinata falls silent.