Chapter 11: Magic tomes everywhere

"Finley, you should calm down!" she firmly said and then she gave me a mischievous grin afterwards.

"Why are you smiling like that??" I asked her, clueless of what's happening.

"Stop worrying! I was just fooling around! Look in the cupboard." Scarlet said in her gentle, comforting aura.

My eyes started darting towards her then I went ahead to peek inside the small cupboard located in the room. To my relief, it was indeed there, and it was even wrapped in more layers of cloth, protecting it even more. I turned towards Scarlet again and there she was meeting me with a smirking smile.

"That was mean." I shyly and softly uttered with pouting lips and a creased forehead.

"Oh, come on, it was just a joke! I was just messing with you." She stated and I gave her a sulking expression.

"Finley, I'm sorry, I mean it. I should have been more sensitive. I just wanted to see your reaction because you look adorable when you worry."

"Did you say, adorable?" my eyes lit up, and I can't help but be giddy over her. I know I'm not really mad at her, but I really did freak out over that potion. Now, she's just freaking me out with her cuteness.

"Adorable? What? No...I just said I'm sorry, that's all." She said, obviously denying. A flush crept up her face and I can't help but smile.

"I'm glad the potion's safe. I can't thank you enough for what you've done to me." I genuinely said to her.

"Just do the same for others who's in dire need of it as well. That's all I can say to you. But yeah, you're always welcome. I hope that this will be a start of a beautiful friendship between us."

"I know it already is." I genuinely said to her. I saw her face slightly flushed.

"So, what's your plan now?" she asked.

"I really want to finish the quest. I know I should. I want to prove to everyone that I can, and my master was the one who sent me to this quest because he's honing me to be a great adventurer and I don't want to disappoint him." I expressed to her. I know that Scarlet saw me during the combat, and I clearly can tell that she wasn't impressed. I was a total dork back there. I knew it myself, that's why, there's this fear at the back of my head saying that I'm a failure and that going back is just hopeless. I'll probably die again.

"Then go finish it. But you cannot go unarmed. I suggest that you learn the basics of magic. It's something that anyone can learn as long as there are elements that one would need and a spell book. When I say anyone, I meant literally anyone out there who are not a mage or an enchantress. Anything beyond the basics is not achievable by someone who was not born as such. But the basics would go a long way in helping you." Scarlet explained.

"Where can I learn that then?" I asked, felt actually interested with her suggestion. It will help me a lot if I encounter those elementalists again. I can feel that she kind of senses my vibe right now. She knows that I'm doubting myself and that I'm a little bit scared. I love how she subtly suggested that without making me feel degraded.

"Right here, in this same dwelling. By that I meant that I could teach you. I taught Tucky the same thing before. He's not born as a mage so I decided to teach him so he will have a bit of a knowledge about it , especially that it's been part of my life already. It's been a good help to him, he said. That is, if you want to learn, I'm not forcing or obliging you to do it. You decide for yourself." Scarlet remarked.

"I'd actually accept your kind offer in no doubt. As my master has mentioned before, we should start small and a little goes a long, long way. Plus, I know that it'd greatly help me as well."

"That's great to hear, Finley. We can start tomorrow so we could go back to your quest as soon as possible."

"Again...thank you very much Scarlet. I owe y——, I mean, I appreciate everything. Thank you!" I stated with a lop-sided grin on my face.

The next day...

"Wakey, wakey, people! Breakfast is ready! Princess! Finley!" Tucky called early in the morning. It's only like 5 in the morning, I think. The sun hasn't even risen yet.

"Oh come on, Finley! Wake up!!" he yelled at me while trying to kick me with his little feet.

"Ouch!" I yelped. It actually hurts more than you think. He's a bit scary for his size and yet he's so adorable, too. "Alright, alright! I'm waking up! You can stop now!" I said in my sleepy voice as I sat upright on the bed. Scarlet's already up and is now dressed. How can she look so beautiful even when she just woke up?

"Why are we even up so early?? The sun's not even up yet!" I grumbled, a yawn following after.

"You have some magic class later, don't you remember? We have to start as early as we can, so we can do as much for the day. Maybe by the day after tomorrow, you'll be ready to go back to Draco for the quest." Scarlet replied.

"I'm really not a morning person so I wouldn't be able to give as much as you'd expect. I usually just stare at the wall for the first few hours if I had to work or study very early." I protested.

"Then you just have to get used to it while you're here. We always wake up at this hour, so you get to wake up at the same time every morning." Tucky said. I just looked at him, already dreading for the days to come. I don't even wake up this early for school back in my world! Why is it so early??

"Go on and eat before the food gets cold." Tucky said to me as he motioned for the table. Scarlet's already seated and is only waiting for me and Tucky. We then sat down with Tucky chatting endlessly, telling us these random, funny stories until Scarlet spoke when we're almost finished.

"We'll start after half an hour of rest, Finley. You should prepare your mind and body. We'll have so much to work on."

"Oh of course, I'll be ready for you. I mean, I'll be ready to learn from you. Actually, I'm always ready. I'm ready as I'll ever be." I said awkwardly, lowering my head down, an attempt to hide my red flushed face.

I was stunned when Scarlet placed his hand on my chin and lifted my head up. She was in front of me so when my head was up, there was her face up close. I think I stopped breathing.

"I couldn't bare not to say anything but...you have a huge eye booger that's been bothering me from the moment that you woke up." She told me. I thought that she was going to say something serious for a moment. I felt my face burn with embarrassment. I quickly removed the eye crust that's been dangling in my eye the whole time. I cannot look at Scarlet directly, but I can tell that she was laughing at me together with Tucky.

~~~

After an hour of rest, Scarlet took me to her working station. It was in this small corner of the house where there was a huge wooden counter on both sides of the wall. A lot of potion bottles, books, cloths and other stuff was lying on each counter. There was a round window over one counter with a tiny, draping plastered over it. I can see that the sun is finally starting to rise.

Scarlet showed me the things that were vital to sorcery.

"Now that you have an idea of ​​what most of these are for, we're going to start. What I'm going to teach you first is conjuring magic from incantations that are engraved in a spell book. If you remember, those elementalists you fought used them, right? But their incantations were from spells they created themselves, so the magic was stronger. Their magic tome or their spell books, most likely contained spells that they created, merged themselves based on their elemental magic. Usually, magic users who possess great and special power or great understanding of magical forces are the ones who can only create their own spells.

So, there's no use in trying to use a spell against the creator himself. But, if you knew spells and could conjure them up properly, even the ordinary, basic ones from the basic spell books for novices, you could get away with some things and use it to your advantage. You just need to develop a strategy to make those basic moves in your favor." Scarlet explained and I just nodded, intently listening all throughout. She seems to know her craft really well.

She showed me a big, bulky book sitting on the counter.

"I'm going to teach you one of the basic magic spells that is easy to conjure up; the cloning spell. I have here one of the basic magic tomes I had when I was just a novice. There is one page here where the incantation for this, is written, you have to identify it. I am just going to pick this apple from the pantry, put it right here and you are going to clone it. The purpose of this spell is merely for illusion. The clone is not a real thing but a mere illusion. It also disappears on its own after five hours. This basic spell is one of the best spells to practice on when you're starting. It won't do any harm when you mess up the spell . But this is good way to get you going into making real magic with incantations. Although, it's not a very weak spell as well when it comes to combats. You can conjure many clones of yourself during a fight so that your enemy would completely be muddled." Scarlet goes on.

Luckily, I pointed out the right page and Scarlet demonstrated how to do it. She looks so magical with the way she does it. The apple perfectly and was accurately cloned, not only into one but into five clones. It was very cool.

"Now, you try it." She said to me with a gentle smile.

Fortunately, I can already read and talk in their language over the course of time I've spent here learning all about it.

I focused and tried to do what she did. I said the incantation as closely as she did and, in a spoof, I made one clone. I heard Tucky laugh from across the room.

Why do I like this??

I did clone it, but it was a very inaccurate, hideous clone. The clone I made looks rotten with worms swirling from inside.

Scarlet slightly snickers but the reassured me that it was fine. I was just starting after all.

"Even the best of the best messes up from time to time so don't beat yourself up for this. That's why you're here to learn. You should be open to the fact that you'll mess up every now and then. " Scarlet assured me.

She encouraged me to do it once again and the next try went pretty well. It was not as accurate, but it looks decent.

"All right, you did well for that one." Scarlet complimented.

She made me try other basic spells and I made sure to correctly pronounce the incantations. She said mispronouncing them could lead to a messed-up spell, even a dangerous one. The other basic spells I tried went well the first try and I'm just glad that I'm impressing her now. I think my ego just went upscale, putting my bragging mask on. I am getting comfortable with the fact that I can easily conjure the spells she throws at my feet until...

"BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!"

~To be Continued~