A hard-learned lesson

Artus's clothes were covered with blood; his shirt was torn over his left shoulder, and he had suffered a cut wound over his shoulder.

"Artus, are you ok?"

Artus was looking at the corpse of the One-horned rabbit lying on the ground. There was a deep wound spanning its whole body, almost cutting it in half.

Seers harried to his side, checking on him. He stopped thinking deeply when he heard her worried voice.

"I am alright; it is just a small wound."

"Thank god".

Seers helped Artus wipe the monster's blood from his clothes. She then cleaned the wound on his shoulder and bandaged it with a clean piece of cloth. Artus stayed silent the whole time, and even if she was so skilled, her subtle movements could not be hidden from him. He has the NuroFusion system, after all.

The moment before he threw the fireball at the monster, he felt a small air current passing by his side towards the fruit hanging off the tree, causing it to fall and alerting the monster's attention.

His complexion became dark, but when he saw Seer's worried expression and genuine care in her eyes and how she helped him treat his wound carefully, the darkness in his eyes disappeared.

"Thank you for your help, Aunt. You saved me; if you did not hit the monster with your wind magic in time, I may be lying on the wound with severe injury, if not dead."

"No worries, Artus, it's my responsibility as your elder to protect you. I was the one who promised to escort you to the forest in the first place."

"Don't worry, no matter how strong the One-horn rabbit is, it could not cause a deadly injury…"

She was anxious when she heard Artus mention that he could die. She felt more guilty. Artus was exaggerating things to evoke more of her emotions.

"I am but a weak young child. Since my birth, my body has been weak. If that monster managed to stop me in the chest with its hard horn, then I could really have died…. how careless of me…. if I died, then I could only blame myself…. after all, it was all my fault."

"Not only was I careless but also unlucky. If that fruit had not fallen on the ground, altering the rabbit, I would have successfully struck him with a fireball, and I would not have injured myself."

"Thank you again, Aunt. Sorry for bothering you."

"I am being a burden on you."

"No…There is no need for these words between us, Artus. After all, we are a family, aren't we… forget about this accident…I am also at fault; I should have paid more attention to the surroundings…. I will make sure it will not happen again."

"Let's rest here a bit; you are injured, so let me handle this rabbit."

Seers did not wait for her Artus reply; she hurried to the monster as if escaping from Artus; she removed its horn and put it away; as for its meat, she cut it into small pieces. She gathered some tree branches, made a fire, and then started grilling the meat.

"Aunt, isn't it a bit waste to eat the rabbit meat? Shouldn't we sell it fo-"

"Artus, no need to think about this thing for now; you are an injured person; let your aunt handle things; it's just rabbit meat worth a few coins; I could buy a ton of it."

"Here, drink this. It will help you."

She gave him another potion; he felt more relaxed when he drank it. It seems like another type of potion that helps restore stamina and heal the body.

"I have learned two lessons today".

As they were silently waiting for the meat to be cooked well, Artus decided to speak.

 Seers did not say a thing. She kept gazing at the fire; she did not mean for things to end up like this; she only wanted to teach Artus a small lesson. She knew he was outstanding and bright, but he did not have real experience. Most people like this end up underestimating others, causing them to suffer a loss.

However, she miscalculated, causing Artus to suffer an injury. She did not only feel guilty because she harmed him, but her trust in herself was shaken, and she was no longer confident that she could manage things well.

She was supposed to be asking Artus now what he had learned, but she did not dare to ask now, so Artus decided to speak for himself.

"First, I should never underestimate any opponent, no matter how weak he is. One moment of carelessness could cost a life."

After saying that, Artus stayed silent, even though he was initially mad at Seers. He knew she was trying to help him and never intended to hurt him, so he was trying to lift her spirits and change her low mood.

"Aunt won't ask me what the second lesson is?"

Seers, who were lost in thought, heard Artus's words, then absentmindedly looked at Artus and asked.

"What is the second lesson?"

"As a mage, my weak point is close rang combat; I should prepare well to deal with opponents who try to get close, be it by training my body in some close combat techniques with weapons or by always taking care to maintain a distance between me and the enemies."

Artus looked at Seers with a smile.

"Aunt, don't keep thinking about what happened; it's not your fault. The meat is now grilled. Let's eat!"

Artus was a bit puzzled about Seer's reaction. For someone who is a powerful mage and an elder at Royal Arcanum Academy, she should have a strong mentality; she should not be easily affected by emotions, but for her reaction, she seemed like a sheltered lady who still does not know the ways of the world. It seems he was not the only one with many secrets.

Little did she know Artus could easily avoid the attack of the One-horned rabbit, but he decided to teach her a lesson, so instead of teaching him a lesson, she ended up being taught one herself.