In the end, Dark didn't revise the class schedule the way Ms. Cook had suggested.
After careful deliberation, he built a system centered on Ms. Cook, with the other three tutors playing supporting roles, based on each tutor's area of expertise.
Following that, he divided the Magic Guide Spirits into four groups, each overseen by one of the four tutors.
Among them, the Vampire Young Lady and the Phoenix Maiden were designated as priority cases, both placed under Ms. Cook's personal supervision.
Hawlucha and Leomon, being Fighting-type Magic Guide Spirits, were assigned to Camilla.
Trash Slime, the only Grass-type, went to Ms. Plant.
With everything divided up, the four groups ended up as follows:
[Ms. Cook's Group]: Vampire Young Lady, Phoenix Maiden, Popplio, Drifloon; [Ms. Plant's Group]: Trash Slime, Ditto, Shuckle, Miltank; [Buckner Sellers's Group]: Magic Guide Scribe, Eevee, Sylveon, DemiDevimon, Blue-Eyes Baby Dragon; [Camilla's Group]: Hawlucha, Leomon, Honedge, Gatomon, Meowth; ...
Once every subject's arrangements had been settled, the four tutors took their leave one after another.
By then it was nearly time for dinner.
Dark gathered the Magic Guide Spirits together and had them copy down the class schedule.
Most of them scrunched up their little faces while copying, but none of them protested.
Dark pretended not to notice.
Four hours of class a day wasn't really that much — they'd still have plenty of time left over for... well, homework.
...
At dinner that evening,
Alvit asked Dark about the tutoring arrangements, and he laid out the details one by one.
The advantage of having four tutors was that it allowed for a rotating shift system and one-on-one instruction, letting the students grasp the fundamentals faster and more thoroughly.
Alvit seemed reasonably satisfied with the arrangement. "Today's Saturday, tomorrow's Sunday," she said. "Are you planning to start classes on Monday?"
Dark nodded. "Yes."
Alvit thought it over. "My suggestion is to add weekend sessions too — after all, too much rest is as bad as too little. Besides, starting next Monday, your own classes begin as well. Every weekend after that, you might well need them."
Dark frowned slightly. "What exactly do I need to do?"
Alvit said gravely, "Become strong!"
...
Before this year, Alvit had never made demands of Dark. Even when he'd given up on sword practice because he couldn't bear the hardship, she'd let it go.
She never needed her precious boy to be exceptional at anything — she only wished for him to live a worry-free life.
But the appearance of Leomon and Gatomon, Gatomon especially, had put her on guard.
If Dark, because of his own Magic Guide Spirits, were to walk the path of the "Hero" — that path that seemed cursed by fate itself — even she couldn't guarantee she could protect him at every turn!
Ever since the Easter Dueling Festival, Alvit had already begun preparing on every front she could think of.
External threats, she could shield Dark from.
But internal matters could only be resolved by Dark himself.
In her mind, the only way forward was for him to grow strong — stronger than Hero Bright who had died so long ago, stronger than she herself, a Valkyrie, and even stronger than the "Holy One" who had passed down the bloodline of the "Hero"!
Only then could all curses of fate be broken, and only then could she rest easy.
She couldn't imagine what she would become if she ever lost Dark.
Fortunately, the rapid advance of Magic Guide technology had already begun to reveal a path toward "infinite possibility."
This era was no longer one in which humanity was slaughtered like livestock.
Even if the gods returned, they could never again treat humans as cattle and sheep.
...
To keep from losing him, Alvit had already steeled her heart — even if Dark refused again, she would push forward regardless.
But what comforted her was that Dark had genuinely grown more mature.
...
After dinner, mother and son walked arm in arm to the back garden for a stroll, sharing a quiet, intimate conversation beside the Diesel Seed.
They sat on the lawn, gazing up at the stars scattered across the night sky, listening to the distant playful sounds of the water beasts, their minds gradually settling into peace.
The comfortable mood held all the way until Alvit, stifling a laugh, asked Dark how he felt about Diana and Rose.
When their walk ended, the two of them went their separate ways.
After Dark extracted the day's dose of "Major Sin," he had Ollie bring out some tea and snacks, then sat with the Magic Guide Spirits in a circle, simply chatting.
For the first time since returning home, Dark summoned the Moon God Spirit.
Without transforming into her "armament" form, the Moon God Spirit looked like a mechanical girl — apart from her metal body, she was much like an ordinary human.
She also had enough magic-recovery capacity to sustain normal activity.
That meant she was like the Phoenix Maiden — she didn't need to worry about running out of magic power.
In truth, the Moon God Spirit wasn't a Magic Guide Spirit at all.
If anything, her current form was closer to a suit of armor with self-awareness.
Monsters of a similar type weren't uncommon in dungeons.
"I thought you'd forgotten all about me," the Moon God Spirit complained, full of hurt feelings, once she had manifested her body.
Dark gave an awkward smile and looked away.
He could hardly tell her that he really had forgotten her, could he?
The Moon God Spirit had no combat ability of her own, and her growth path was locked — only by absorbing more root divinity could she complete her transformation.
Until she absorbed enough root divinity, she couldn't even cast spells.
She was destined never to become a mage or Magic Guide Master.
That was why, when Dark had been planning the Magic Guide Spirits' studies, he'd barely considered her at all.
"If you want to attend classes too..."
Dark thought it over and said, "I could let you join the study group as a Magic Guide Spirit."
"Classes? Would that help me become the Moon God?" the Moon God Spirit asked, surprised.
Dark was silent for a moment. "It wouldn't."
The Moon God Spirit immediately said, "Then I'm not going."
But Dark had already changed his mind. "Actually, now I want you to attend classes."
The Moon God Spirit protested, "Eh? How can you do that?"
Dark shook his head. "You have to attend."
Then, after thinking it over, he added, "From now on, consider yourself a Magic Guide Spirit. Your card name is 'Moon Maiden,' the same type of Magic Guide Spirit card as the 'Phoenix Maiden.' Understand?"
The Moon God Spirit grumbled, "Who's this 'Phoenix Maiden' anyway?"
"That's me," said the Phoenix Maiden, her voice startlingly cool and detached — a stark contrast to her flame-like appearance.
...
Learning brought more than just knowledge — it also brought refinement.
Dark was gradually realizing that the Moon God Spirit sorely lacked refinement.
If left unchecked, even if she eventually completed her transformation, she probably wouldn't have the temperament to properly wield the Moon God's power.
That could cause trouble down the road.
And since he could already foresee the trouble, it made sense to nip it in the bud.
Dark decided to place the Moon God Spirit into Ms. Cook's study group, alongside the Vampire Young Lady and the Phoenix Maiden.
Ms. Cook was just an ordinary human without any magical talent, and she wouldn't be able to sense anything unusual about the Moon God Spirit — which made her exactly the right teacher.
...
As night deepened, Dark told a few instructive-yet-entertaining stories as usual, then drifted peacefully off to sleep.
From here on, he and the Magic Guide Spirits alike had just one more day of leisure left.
On this last day before "summer tutoring" began, he summoned Janice, the head maid of the "Pisces House Maid Corps."
Janice didn't have a "Gold Cloth." The maid corps she led served a "diplomatic" role within the ducal household — essentially, "public relations."
But since the ducal household really had little need for "diplomacy," and the Duke didn't care for hosting tea parties, she spent every day bored out of her mind.
Janice was a classic red-haired beauty, always wearing her wine-red hair swept up high, baring a long, snow-white neck.
Her skin was fair and smooth, with a naturally dewy quality.
Her bearing was elegant, her grasp of etiquette rivaling that of "Virgo" Vigo.
She was equally well-versed in beauty and makeup, perfume and jewelry, and musical accomplishments.
Whatever could enhance a woman's charm, she'd studied broadly and mastered thoroughly.
Unfortunately, within the ducal household, none of these skills had any practical use.
No matter how beautifully she dressed each day, no one was there to appreciate it.
Summoned by Dark, Janice arrived with a hint of languor in her eyes.
She looked at the young master's handsome profile as he read intently, thinking that perhaps he was reaching the age when a boy's fancy first turned to such things.
The inner arts she'd practiced so diligently for so long, without ever finding a chance to use them, might finally come in handy.
"Janice?" Dark lifted his eyes slightly from Around-the-World Travelogue.
The scent of flowers drifting off Janice, carried in on the summer breeze through the window, brushed past his nose and stirred a faint restlessness in him.
"Good morning, young master," Janice said, bowing slightly, revealing a deep and inviting valley.
Dark turned to look at her, and his gaze landed squarely on all that soft, pale skin.
His heart skipped a beat, though his face betrayed nothing. "Is the old steward's old fishing rod still around?"
Janice, whose lips had just begun to curl upward, froze for an instant.
But she quickly recovered, nodding. "It's still here."
"Good," Dark said with a nod. "Get it ready. I'm going fishing."
...
Fishing...
A skill utterly useless for enhancing a woman's charm.
But "Pisces" Janice happened to be an expert at it — her one true hobby.
...
Only after she'd left did Dark close his book and stand up.
On this last day before the "battle" ahead, he intended to get an early taste of the retirement life he'd always dreamed of _(:з"∠)_.
The weather today was pleasant — a thin veil of cloud hung in the sky, but no rain fell.
With no scorching sun overhead, the temperature was quite comfortable.
"Want to go fishing?"
"No thanks."
The Vampire Young Lady scooped up Galileo and shook him toward Dark.
The poor fat cat wore an expression of utter despair.
Dark didn't press the matter.
He simply brought along the few Magic Guide Spirits who were interested in fishing, then went out and called for Aurora, and together they headed to the pond in the back garden.
Under normal circumstances, the back garden pond had no fish in it at all.
But whenever someone wanted to fish, fish would appear.
Yes — this was the so-called "Schrödinger's fish."
...
By the time Dark arrived at the pond and sat down, he saw several maids carrying buckets full of fish and pouring them into the water.
The water beasts kept in the pond, thinking dinner had come early — arriving in the morning instead — all leapt forward joyfully.
But one of the maids narrowed her eyes and let out a wave of "dominant presence," instantly silencing them.
The water beasts swallowed hard, watching the fish swim freely through the pond, letting out little whimpering cries.
But as the head maid approached briskly, fishing rod in hand, even the whimpering stopped.
All the water beasts shrank into the corners of the pond, raising all their front paws to show they absolutely hadn't been sneaking any fish.
"Young master, I've brought the fishing rod."
Janice set the rod and other equipment down at Dark's feet, then took a bag of additional rods from behind her back and pulled one out to hand to Aurora.
Aurora, wide-eyed at the antics of the water beasts, forgot to take it for a moment.
"Miss Aurora," Janice said, smiling as she noticed the astonishment on her face, "this is just how fishing's done in this household."
She then distributed the remaining rods to the eager Magic Guide Spirits and patiently taught them how to use them.
Gatomon, Meowth, Leomon, Popplio, the Blue-Eyes Baby Dragon, and Eevee all sat neatly at the edge of the pond and began fishing properly.
A few others had come along too, but without much interest in trying it themselves — they simply gathered around Dark, watching curiously.
Dark smiled and spent the entire morning fishing by the pond.
...
If this had been the old him, he probably would have slipped away after three minutes.
But now, gazing at the still, unrippled surface of the water, his mind seemed to settle into the same calm, and the occasional flicker of impatience faded quickly.
...
Not until a single raindrop fell into the pond did Dark slowly reel in his line.
"It's going to rain."
He was, after all, no rain-loving angler in a straw cloak.
Before leaving, he tipped the fish he'd caught back into the pond.
The Magic Guide Spirits followed his example, all except Meowth, who clutched his little bucket and refused to let go.
Dark laughed and patted his head. "Bring it home, then. Have Sister Ollie make you a whole fish feast."
"Meow!" Meowth's face lit up instantly.
And so that evening's dinner was centered on fish.
...
Once they'd all gone inside, a sudden crack of thunder split the air, and rain poured down in sheets.
Dark spent the whole afternoon inside the manor playing Magic Guide Chess with Aurora, and the day passed by in leisure.
That night, he extracted the last drop of "Major Sin" for the month, then opened the system panel to check.
Over the eighth, ninth, and tenth of the month, he had drawn "Pride" twice and "Lust" once.
The freshly drawn "Pride" and "Lust" had already dropped back to their 90-point index.
As for the "Major Sins" Dark had stored up so far:
[Pride]: 17;
[Lust]: 1.5;
[Greed]: 9.5;
...
After careful thought, Dark took out the "Spirit Egg" from his birthday presents.
...
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