With her at a distance, Avner was finally able to breathe again.
Aish, why does she have to be this scary all the time? That was definitely a threat.
Avner couldn't help but let out a hopeless sigh.
" You sure have a cruel way of teaching. I wasn't even able to eat anything because of you. I was starving myself while you… "
He then looked at the empty plates that lay on the table where she had been sitting.
" Whoa… bravo! You've been eating like a pig while your student was dying. "
" Are you going to teach all your lessons this cruelly?! "
" I see you already acknowledged me as your tutor. I wonder why that is… after all, you didn't even confirm if I were of any use to you. "
" Well, that's because… that's because… "
Avner didn't even know it himself. Why did he put all his trust in her without confirming anything?
" Since you decided to put your trust in me, how about I confirm it for you? "
She never once broke eye contact with him.
" You and the people around you think you are hopeless because you have no energy. "
" Did you have to put it that way…? You sure are straightforward. "
Hearing it said like that made him feel even more hopeless.
The tutor started circling him again.
" You are part of one of the strongest houses, and yet you don't even know your main element, let alone master other elements. Many have given up on trying to help you become a mage because no matter how hard you tried, you showed no sign of progress. Not only were you a hopeless case, but your teachers often complained about you being disrespectful to them… "
" Alright, alright. I get it, I get it. "
Avner couldn't bear to hear any more of this.
And she faced him once again.
" You've had many masters over time, but they have all given up on you—mostly because of your troublesome mouth. So now your father decided to no longer hire a new master to help you with your energy, but that was just a lie. The reason you don't have a master is because no one wants to teach you. "
" I know, I know. Just why did you have to bring that up? As if starving me wasn't enough, you now decided to hurt my soul as well. "
" So can you help me…? "
Avner waited anxiously for her response.
" We wouldn't be having this conversation if I couldn't. "
A big smile spread across Avner's face. In that moment, he felt something he had forgotten for a very long time.
Hope.
" So is that a yes? "
He asked, just to make sure.
" Yes. That's a yes. "
He was so happy that he impulsively leaned forward to hug her, but the tutor, not appreciating his next move, opened her eyes wide and looked him up and down.
" Yeash. "
Avner, who had been about to hug her, pulled his arms back and crossed them over his chest, his hands then slowly moving to his neck as if trying to protect it.
" Sorry for that… "
" ….. "
Seeing that she was unresponsive, he cleared his throat.
Woah, how scary. Why does she have to stare at me like that?
" So… about you helping me… how exactly are you going to do… that? "
He barely managed to get the sentence out.
" Painfully. "
" Wait… so it's going to hurt…? "
At his reaction, the tutor couldn't help but smirk.
Why… is she smirking like that…?
Worried, Avner awkwardly smiled back.
" Haa… gulp… "