Faust really hadn't expected Mephisto to be so old.
The thing was, this Fae didn't feel ancient at all. Sure, there'd been some formality at first, but the longer they spent together, the more alive Mephisto seemed.
Getting along this well with him... could this really be a proper Fae?
On top of that, Faust had searched through every Fae record without finding a single mention of Mephisto's name. Naturally, he'd assumed Mephisto must be from the newest generation of young Fae.
Fae did have age distinctions, though even the youngest among them had existed for at least eight hundred years.
But one of the primordial Fae? That was a completely different story.
Faust couldn't help but think at Mephisto, Wow, an ancient one! I'm in awe, oh great ancient one!
[Worshiping me now, are we? Unlike those others, I have no use for human worship. But from you, Faust? I'll happily accept it. Just don't go making any statues of me.]
Mephisto knew full well Faust wasn't actually worshiping them. They also knew he'd never truly worship anyone or anything. That was exactly why the Fae liked him so much.
After her initial shock, Mistoria's elegant brows drew together.
"How could His Eminence Mephisto make a contract with a mortal? I've never heard of such a thing."
Faust shrugged. "Beats me. I'm just as surprised, but here we are."
The Elven Martial Saint crossed her arms and paced back and forth across the boat, occasionally shooting glances at Faust. She seemed completely baffled by how this thoroughly ordinary human prince could have become a primordial Fae's contractor.
After a long moment, Mistoria looked at Faust and pressed her lips together.
"Perhaps our meeting was fated. Does His Eminence Mephisto... have any guidance for me?"
Here it comes.
Respect was one thing, but Mephisto wasn't the guardian Fae of the Kingdom of Darkfold. A name alone wouldn't be enough to make Mistoria agree so easily.
She still needed a real reason to take on a student.
"I shall pierce the thorny dream of the Slumbering One and banish the eclipse light from all nightmares. For this, I require an elven mentor."
Faust had no idea what Mephisto's words actually meant. He could only guess they had something to do with events in the elven kingdom.
Sure enough, the moment those words left his mouth, the Elven Martial Saint locked eyes with him. Her blazing golden gaze felt like it could burn straight through the prince of Aurum.
"Could you be the one from the prophecy... But it's not time yet..."
Then Mistoria closed her eyes, lost in thought for a long while before shaking her head.
"How could mortal understanding grasp the will of the Fae? Faust... is it? I will do everything in my power to pass on everything I know."
The Elven Martial Saint tilted her head, her elegant brows furrowing slightly. She looked genuinely troubled.
"Though many have called me teacher, I've never actually trained anyone before. Especially not a human with such... average potential."
Right. I already know my talent isn't anything special. You really don't need to keep bringing it up.
Face blank, Faust gestured for Mistoria to sit, and the pleasure boat began its return journey.
On the way back, he talked things over with Mephisto.
What prophecy were you talking about just now? Have I stumbled into another predetermined fate?
[Even with your unusual constitution, you wouldn't fall into the next script so easily and quickly. I used my authority to link your fate with the fate of the Kingdom of Darkfold ahead of schedule.]
Faust was stunned. You can do that? Is that even allowed?
He remembered Mephisto emphasizing more than once the fundamental nature of the Fae. They absolutely couldn't interfere with fate under any circumstances. The consequences would be catastrophic.
[Of course it's not allowed. This is essentially cheating fate. If everything goes smoothly and the script plays out correctly, we'll be fine. But if something goes wrong? I'll probably be completely destroyed, body and soul.]
Faust: ...Mephisto, do you have a death wish or something?
[What's the matter? Don't you have confidence in pulling this off, Faust? I thought that no matter how impossible the goal, no matter how unreachable the miracle, you'd still believe you could make it happen.]
Though Mephisto's voice was as light as ever, almost playful, they truly believed in Faust.
Enough to casually bet their life on him.
The weight of that trust was enormous, but somehow it didn't feel like pressure at all. Instead, it made Faust laugh.
"Ha. Then you really chose the right person."
Way too reckless, though. Since you've already bet your life, I might as well go all in too. Give me your phone... I'll take out loans on it. If we die, we die together.
[Oh my. Should I interpret this as a declaration that we should die together in a lovers' pact? How touching.]
A lovers' pact? Seriously? I just don't want to owe you anything. Besides, if I really can't pull this off and end up getting you killed, I'd be too ashamed to keep living anyway.
[Well then, you'd better work hard. I only did this because I believe in you.]
Mephisto sang softly by Faust's ear, a song he'd never heard before, ancient and timeless.
...
After returning to the capital, Faust wanted to build a special palace for Mistoria, but she refused.
"I'm not joining your kingdom. I won't take sides in human conflicts. I'm only becoming your mentor in a personal capacity."
Having his scheme called out didn't bother Faust.
Even if Mistoria drew clear lines and insisted she wouldn't get involved in politics, just her presence alone would be enough of a deterrent once people found out.
Mistoria's appearance in the palace drew some attention. No one had expected His Highness to bring back an elf from a simple trip, but then again, this was Faust. Once they thought about it, they weren't really that surprised.
The old king, who knew what was really going on, took it all in stride.
After all, he was a devout believer in the Fae. A Fae contractor could even be called a Chosen One in kingdoms that worshiped the Fae as gods.
If someone was a Chosen One, any miraculous encounter made sense.
Few words were exchanged.
On the third day after Faust brought Mistoria back, she came looking for the prince of Aurum.
"It's time to begin your training, Faust. Human lives are short. Those who walk the martial path can't afford to waste a single moment."
The Elven Martial Saint had tied her flaxen hair into a high ponytail, wearing an extremely light outfit. Large stretches of pale, smooth skin gleamed under the sunlight.
Though she'd been famous for over a hundred years, judging by appearance alone, she simply looked like a strikingly beautiful woman in her prime.
"Yes, Teacher."
Still, Faust's gaze held nothing inappropriate as he bowed respectfully to Mistoria.
Honor the teacher, respect the path.
"I learned swordsmanship from my father before. Can I skip the basics?"
"Human warrior techniques? Inefficient, clumsy, and completely without grace."
Mistoria shook her head.
She kicked open the sword case in front of her and drew out a slightly curved straight blade.
"I don't mean to be harsh, but forget everything you've learned before. We'll start with endurance training."
"Endurance?"
"Enduring failure and pain. That's lesson one."