Chapter 53: Lorin’s Cheap Teacher

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Lorin’s Cheap Teacher

"Huh?" the two of them asked in unison.

"Me?" Erin pointed at herself.

"Yes," Anya said, her eyes crinkling with a smile. "Lorin is a Sorcerer. He hasn’t received any systematic training, so his casting method is... rather primitive.

"How much do you know about casting?" She turned to look at Lorin.

"Uh... I just think about which Magic to cast, and then I throw it out? All right... I don’t really know anything Basic about it," Lorin answered honestly.

"No wonder teachers harbor such deep hostility toward Sorcerers. What an enviable talent," Erin scoffed, crossing her arms.

Anya smiled and continued, "Erin can start teaching you the most Basic casting postures and Spell pronunciation. You don’t need to truly become a Mage, but it will at least make the Magic you use more stable."

Casting postures? Spell pronunciation?

Lorin was taken aback. It was perfectly normal that they hadn’t noticed during the intense battle earlier, but he knew the truth.

He wondered, "I’m not even really a Sorcerer. When do I ever use postures and Spells while casting? I’ve always just used whatever came to mind."

However, this was an excellent opportunity to learn about Magic. Getting an Official Mage to be his private tutor was not something Gold Coins could buy.

Lorin looked at the Red-haired Mage and asked, "What about you, Lady Erin?"

Erin was pretending all her injuries were completely healed. She had been stretching and walking back when she heard him. Frowning, she reluctantly turned around and marched back.

"What is it?"

"Lorin is your student now," Anya said.

Erin’s expression froze on her face. She immediately shouted, "What!? When did I ever agree to that?"

"Just now. You owe him." Anya smiled at her.

The Red-haired Mage opened her mouth. Her face shifted from red to white and back to red again like a chameleon. Finally, she gritted her teeth and squeezed out a single word: "...Fine. Come find me once we arrive at Frost Valley City," she added reluctantly, taking a deep breath as if annoyed by Anya’s meddling.

[Human hair, female, age approximately twenty to twenty-five years old, mood: joyous.]

Lorin realized this was the true use of Fur Perception. He withdrew his gaze from her hair, and the corners of his mouth twitched up subtly as he teased, "All right, I’ll be in your care then, Teacher Erin."

The Red-haired Mage spun on her heel and marched off, actually forgetting all about receiving treatment.

"However..." Lorin began again. He had secured his own reward, but he couldn’t forget about his good brother.

"Erin’s guidance counts as half of the reward," Anya said, holding up a finger to interrupt him. "There’s also Pip’s."

Sitting off to the side, Pip quietly perked up his ears.

"I heard you mention earlier that Pip needs a Barbarian teacher," Anya said gently. "Although Frost Valley City can’t compare to the Royal Capital, it’s still a major stronghold in the Northern Territory. There should be retired Adventurers or Mercenaries there. I can ask around and pull some strings to find someone willing to teach him."

"Really!? Really!? Pip gets something too?" The little Halfling stood frozen in place.

"Of course, but finding a teacher will take time." Amused by his expression, Anya chuckled softly. She nodded, her gaze sincere. "Duke Kaspar’s Mansion will cover the teacher’s tuition. Consider it a favor I’m doing on behalf of the Duke. However, Mr. Pip will have to wait patiently for a while."

Pip’s hammer slid off his knees as he suddenly sprang up, his two short legs snapping perfectly straight.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Planting his hands on his hips, he threw his head back and laughed at the sky. "Pip told you so! Pip knew it! People were bound to fight over teaching a genius like Pip sooner or later!"

The little Halfling spun in circles twice, then enthusiastically pounded Lorin on the back. "Did you hear that, Lorin?! Pip is getting a teacher! Pip will never have to look at those ugly ’come back when you learn Frenzy’ faces again!"

"HSS... Stop pounding, stop pounding." Lorin’s face twisted in pain from the blows.

Anya hadn’t expected Pip to react so strongly. She was momentarily taken aback, but her sharp mind quickly figured out the reason.

Defying convention was never an easy path.

"So, do we have a deal?"

"I have one last question." Lorin didn’t agree immediately. He pondered for a few seconds before asking a seemingly baffling question, "How is the relationship between Grand Duke Kaspar and Count Plantagenet?"

He had been thinking about this the whole time.

He wondered, "Since Viscount Herman is Count Plantagenet’s deputy, and Grand Duke Kaspar bypassed Count Plantagenet to secretly inspect the territory under his jurisdiction—is the Duke trying to give Count Plantagenet a warning?"

Anya didn’t seem to expect this question. She furrowed her brows, taking a long moment before answering, "Count Plantagenet was personally conferred his title by Grand Duke Kaspar."

"Then... why?" Lorin asked in surprise.

"Grand Duke Kaspar felt we needed to gain some experience, so we took this opportunity to come out and take a look. Nothing more than that," she said, heavily emphasizing the last four words.

Experience?

Lorin raised an eyebrow. Glancing at the Holy Emblem on Anya’s shield, he probed, "Then, should I be calling you Anya Kaspar?"

The evening breeze brushed against Anya’s face, making the loose strands of hair by her ear lightly sweep across the corner of her lips. She didn’t deny it. Instead, she looked at him quietly and said softly, "Whether you accept my commission or not, the badge I gave you will always remain valid."

So it was true...

Lorin hadn’t expected her to admit it so easily.

He had only dared to ask because she was a Priest of the Dawn Lord. Since the Dawn Lord was famously a benevolent deity, he at least didn’t have to worry about her killing him to silence him.

However, this woman truly knew how to win people’s favor. If an ordinary person heard her say that, they would probably agree without a second thought. But Lorin was obviously no ordinary person.

He nodded, his gaze shifting from Anya’s face to the hazy, grey river in the distance as he began calculating the risks and rewards.

He would receive systematic guidance from an Official Mage, covering everything from Magic Perception to Magic. If he were to figure these things out on his own, he might not even cross the threshold in three to five years.

Pip’s teacher was even harder to come by. Finding a Professional willing to train a Halfling to become a Barbarian was about as difficult as picking up Gold Coins off the street.

What about the risks?

Anya’s meaning was clear: she would keep the situation contained at the level of gaining experience and wouldn’t let the two of them get involved in anything beyond that.

Of course, it was also possible they really were just out for experience, though Lorin leaned more toward the idea that they were here on an inspection. Furthermore, she made it sound trivial, but Lorin highly doubted that the City Lord of Frost Valley City, Viscount Herman, would see it the same way.

A man who had painstakingly climbed his way up from a commoner to a Viscount wouldn’t necessarily be happy about other nobles coming to "take a look" at his territory. They would most likely end up drawing his ire.

Still, could he even call himself an Adventurer if he wasn’t willing to take a single risk?

If push came to shove, they could just run. After all, he and Pip were lone wolves; making a quick getaway would be a piece of cake.

"All right, we accept." Lorin glanced at the eager little Halfling beside him. He then sheathed the newly polished Rusted Throat and stood up, dusting off his clothes.

"But let me make one thing clear upfront," he said, looking at Anya calmly. "If the situation spirals beyond what I believe we can handle, we won’t stick around to wait for death. When that time comes, we might not have time to warn you."

Meeting his gaze, Anya chuckled softly. "Deal. I’ll cover your retreat."