The following morning, Ryn sat at the same wooden table where he always began his day. A faint sigh escaped his lips, the lingering weight of regret still pressing against his chest.
His magical training had been painfully brief.
And what he had learned amounted to nothing more than the fundamentals.
Even though he understood that the true power of magic depended on the wielder's experience, he could not help but feel disappointed.
He tried to shake the thought from his mind—
but it refused to leave.
Before long, Richard stepped out of his house. When he noticed Ryn sitting there in silence, he walked over.
"You look gloomy this early in the morning."
Ryn lifted his head.
"I just feel… regretful that my training is already over."
Richard raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Regretful?"
He let out a soft laugh.
"Why would you regret it? What you've learned is practically all there is to magic."
Ryn frowned slightly.
Richard continued,
"Besides, trainee soldiers are only permitted to learn this much. If you went any further… you'd die before you ever got the chance to use it."
Ryn froze.
"Why?"
Richard smiled.
"I've told you already. The strength of magic lies in experience. If your experience is lacking, yet you force yourself to learn advanced spells that drain more of your life force—do you really think your body could endure it?"
Ryn fell silent, slowly beginning to understand the weight of those words.
"For now," Richard went on,
"just follow Aurelia's instructions. Don't expect anything more than that."
He turned away, preparing to leave.
"I'll go report my progress to the council."
And with that, Richard walked off, leaving Ryn alone with his thoughts.
That evening, Ryn trained in healing magic with Sela alone in the manor's garden, just as Aurelia had ordered.
Today's training was merely for refinement, so it was far less severe than before.
Sela would simply draw a small cut across her own arm with a blade, and Ryn would heal the wound.
Each time she wounded herself, a strange sense of pity welled up inside him. That emotion sharpened his focus, and his control over the spell became noticeably smoother.
The training continued, over and over, until the final attempt.
This time, Sela cut her arm deeper than she ever had before.
Ryn drew in a slow breath, centered his mind, and steadily channeled his power into the wound.
The wound closed neatly, the bleeding completely halted.
When the training ended, Sela rose to return to her duties.
But just as Aurelia had once warned—
healing magic restored the body alone.
The pain remained.
A faint crimson mark still lingered on Sela's arm, and her subtle wince did not escape Ryn's notice.
He stared at the fading red trace before speaking hesitantly.
"Thank you… for enduring that much pain for my sake."
He lifted his gaze to meet hers.
"Why would you go this far for me?"
Sela smiled softly, her expression gentle.
"I didn't do it for you, sir. Please, don't burden yourself with worry."
Ryn paused.
"Then… was it because Master Aurelia ordered you to?"
Sela nodded lightly.
"That is part of it," she said, then hesitated before continuing.
"But more than that… I simply wanted to be useful to someone."
Ryn fell silent for a moment, searching for something to say—despite being far from skilled at conversation.
"Have you worked here for a long time, Lady Sela?"
"About seven years now," she replied calmly.
"Ever since I left my village."
Ryn nodded, then asked with poorly concealed concern,
"I was just wondering… every time someone trains in healing magic, do you have to do this?"
"And for seven years… it must have been painful."
His face was filled with worry.
Yet instead of sorrow, Sela let out a soft, sincere laugh.
"No, not at all,"
she shook her head.
"Normally, healing magic is practiced on human-shaped training dolls—not on real people like me."
Ryn blinked, even more confused.
"Then… why are you the one doing this?"
Sela looked at him in silence before offering a gentle smile.
"During the time you've been here, Sir Ryn, I've seen how devoted you are to your studies,"
she said slowly.
"And how quickly you grasp everything—
even though most people need at least a year to reach the same level."
She lowered her gaze to her own hands.
"As for me… I'm rather hopeless when it comes to magic,"
she continued.
"Even though it's almost the only thing I should be able to rely on to protect myself."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"When someone more capable arrives… someone like you,
someone who actually has value—
I just want to help in whatever small way I can."
Ryn listened without a word.
"When Master Aurelia asked me,"
Sela said, lifting her eyes to meet his,
"I agreed immediately.
Honestly, it didn't have to be you, Sir Ryn.
If there's anyone I can help, I want to help them."
"I nearly died before I ever came here as well,"
Ryn spoke up, his voice growing quieter.
"Back then, all I could do was swing my sword wildly just to stay alive.
It wasn't until I met Master Richard that I finally understood what it truly meant to wield a blade."
Sela smiled at him gently.
"You must respect Master Richard very much."
Ryn nodded slightly.
"I feel the same," Sela continued.
"In truth, Master Aurelia isn't as cold as she appears.
She's actually very kind."
Ryn let out a soft laugh.
"Even though she cuts me down with words every time I make a mistake?"
He shook his head lightly.
"I can't quite imagine her being kind."
Sela laughed with him, this time warmly.
"She truly is kind.
And I love and respect her very much."
Ryn fell silent for a moment before asking carefully,
"So… you stayed here to study magic under her, didn't you?"
Sela shook her head gently.
"No. I gave up on learning magic long ago.
I became a maid from the very day I arrived here."
The light in her eyes dimmed,
leaving behind only a quiet, deeply buried sorrow.