"Advanced magician ? Have I become an Advanced level magician?"
Hearing Roxy's words, Shirou seemed momentarily unable to react. He even forgot about joy and just stood there, stunned.
"Congratulations, Shirou! I knew you could do it!"
Rudeus showed an excited expression, looking even happier than if he himself had received the title of Saint-level magician.
Roxy didn't continue on that topic. With a complicated look, she went to the Hill of Swords covered in longswords.
She carefully looked at each sword around her, able to feel a kind of burning emotion flowing within these scattered weapons.
These longswords standing on the plain, like Shirou's own body, showed a straight and unyielding posture, as if rooted in place, unbreakable by any wind or frost.
From the day Roxy started teaching Shirou magic, she had always had a feeling, believing that this boy with average magical talent could achieve things she couldn't imagine.
But she had always thought it would be something very distant, far in the future, so she left behind that magic notebook, hoping to help Shirou grow further on his future path.
Unexpectedly, what she thought was distant and far away was just her own assumption. Shirou was even more incredible than she imagined. He had already honed his skills to the extreme, like a dandelion ready to bloom, needing only a gentle breeze to give it momentum and send it flying into the sky.
"Genius and ordinary person… perhaps I shouldn't have been using such limited words to describe him from the start."
Roxy felt complicated emotions in her heart. She became even more certain that in the future, Shirou would spread his wings and soar at an unimaginable speed, reaching a sky that no one could look up to.
And when that time came, would she still have the feelings she had now, would she be qualified to tell him how she felt…
Roxy felt an unspeakable wavering in her heart, but it also made her completely determined.
She absolutely couldn't give up on moving forward. If she truly had feelings for Shirou, then what she needed to do now was not to express those feelings and hold him back, but to move forward with all her might as he advanced, heading to a more distant place, until one day she could walk alongside him.
…
The next day, Roxy quickly packed her bags and stood at the Greyrat family's doorstep, looking just like she did two years ago.
Everything was almost exactly the same as when she arrived.
But the feelings between Roxy and everyone in the Greyrat family were completely different from then.
"Roxy, you can stay here, you know. It's okay for us to keep you," Zenith said, looking reluctant to let her go.
"Yeah, even though your work as a tutor is over, you helped a lot during last year's drought. The people in the village would definitely welcome you," Paul added, trying to persuade Roxy to stay.
In the two years Roxy had spent with the Greyrat family, she had earned their approval with her actions. Everyone was reluctant to see this gentle and straightforward girl leave.
"No, I've decided to leave the Kingdom of Asura and travel around the world to gain experience," Roxy refused their suggestions, glancing at Shirou unintentionally. "This teaching experience made me realize how powerless I am. I plan to become an adventurer again and hone my magical abilities."
"I see, well… How should I put it? I'm really sorry, it's all because of our two sons that you lost your confidence."
Paul looked regretful, seeming to understand Roxy's feelings very well.
He himself had recently been thinking about going back to being an adventurer and honing his swordsmanship because of Shirou and Rudeus' sword skills.
"No, on the contrary, I should thank them for correcting my self-important attitude."
"Being able to use Water Saint-level magic shouldn't be considered self-important, right?"
"I now know that with creativity, you can cast even more powerful magic even if you can't use that kind of thing."
Roxy finished speaking with a wry smile, then looked at Shirou.
"Roxy…"
Shirou felt full of respect for Roxy, and naturally didn't want this respected teacher to leave.
But everyone could see that Roxy's determination was real, and no one could shake her belief.
So he didn't say anything more, but instead sincerely thanked her, "Thank you, Teacher Roxy. I will continue to study the magic you taught me and try to keep moving forward on this path."
"…"
Hearing Shirou's words, Roxy sighed. She slowly sorted out her thoughts and said:
"Shirou, I once thought that magic was a pure skill, a pure tool born from studying and mastering a craft. I studied magic with this arrogant idea, and that's why I had a big fight with my teacher. But that's not the right way to think. It's an arrogant way to think. Your magic has taught me this."
"Magic, skill, is not just a simple tool, but the embodiment of the soul. Whether it's magic or swordsmanship, the essence they show is the appearance of a person's soul, a crystallization of accumulated will. Everything we do is ultimately about finding ourselves. The magic we use is essentially a reflection of our own souls."
"So, never forget your essence. Even if you go down the wrong path and lose your way forward, as long as you remember the original essence, return to the feeling of excitement you felt when you first explored the truth, you can always find your true self and continue to flap your wings and fly into the sky."
Roxy's words deeply moved Shirou. Her words even made him think back to his life, back to the soul-shaking feeling he felt on that snowy night.
This wasn't a topic about magic.
It was a topic about life.
Roxy was his true teacher…
Shirou realized this and completely let go of all the grudges in his heart, and sincerely said, "Thank you, Teacher Roxy."
"Shirou…"
Roxy looked at Shirou, her heart seeming full of reluctance, but she still slowly said, "I believe I have taught you everything I know. But even so, you will still encounter many difficulties on the path of magic. From now on, you can only rely on yourself."
"Yeah, I will do it."
"I'm glad you can say that… Oh, right."
Roxy suddenly reached into the inside of her robe, fumbled around for a while, and then took out a leather cord necklace. The pendant was made of metal with a green sheen and looked like it was made up of three spears put together. "I didn't get you a gift for your birthday before, and I don't have time to prepare one now, so please reluctantly accept this."
"This is…?"
"A Migurd race charm. In case you meet a demon you can't mess with, take this out and say my name, and they'll be a little lenient… maybe."
"I, I understand…"
Knowing that this was Roxy's intention, Shirou hesitated for a moment, then nodded and accepted it.
"Then, goodbye."
"See you later."
Shirou said forcefully, watching Roxy leave.
He turned to look at his family around him and found that everyone else already had tears in their eyes, feeling very sad about this departure.
Shirou was also very sad, but he wouldn't cry, because he firmly believed that all partings would eventually lead to a reunion.
So he smiled and waved goodbye with a smile, "Thank you, Teacher Roxy. We will definitely meet again!"
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