Chapter 150 - Paula, The Doll Maker

I shout at Paula.

"throw a couple of jabs at me!"

she hits both of my palms, with great precision, I then chuckle.

"that's good, you have improving these last few days since we started your training."

she wipes the sweat off of her forehead and replies smiling.

"I have you to thank, Mr. Belfaust."

I then think to myself.

"I just wish I had more enthusiastic students like Paula, and ask me to train them some more."

I sigh and ask her.

"I've been meaning to ask you since I started training you, what made you want to train under me."

she smiles.

"well since my father, was against you becoming an instructor at the academy, I wondered what kind of man you were, and when I heard about you beating Cecile swiftly, even though you weren't with the hero's blessing like he was, it just

peeked my interest in you."

I ask her curiously.

"what do you mean your father?"

she answers.

"about two years ago, he and noble family households attended a meeting with the king, about you becoming an instructor, and of course my dad, who doesn't like common folk, was against this decision."

I respond.

"oh I see, so is that why you wanted to start training with me?"

she nods.

"yes, and so far I have not been disappointed."

I then think to myself.

"this is weird, Paula is usually quiet, but for some reason she is very talkative now."

I then ask.

"I guess I've angered a lot of nobles, by coming here and training their children, in an unorthodox way?"

she nods.

"especially my father, since I was born with the hero's blessing, he considered your ways of training beneath someone like me."

surprised by what she told, I think to myself.

"now it all makes sense, on why her punches are so strong."

I then lightly scratch my cheek as I ask.

"so what kind of unique magic were you born with?"

she responds.

"doll making magic."

I reply curiously.

"so that stuffed bear you gave me the other day, was made by you?"

she nods.

"yes, and when I was very little, we couldn't figure out what unique magic I had, until one day, I accidentally turned one of our horses into a stuffed animal."

I respond with a voice filled with fascination.

"that is amazing, so does that mean that stuffed bear you gave me, was made from an actual bear?"

she nods excitedly, very similar to how dogs get excited when their owners give them attention.

"yeah and all I have to do is chant a spell and touch something living and they get turned into stuffed doll."

I reply.

"whenever, I see you guys use your hero's blessing magic, I get amazed every time."

I then ask.

"you ready to continue, where we left off?"

she responds.

"yeah sure."

as I continue to show her how to effectively throw jabs I think to myself.

"I should really invest some time in making some punching bags or something, because I'm starting to feel her punches."

she stops to catch her breath and then says.

"so the other day when I was walking in the hallways, I noticed an elf girl carrying around a similar stuffed bear I gave you."

I reply, shrugging my shoulders.

"oh yeah, well since stuffed animals aren't really my thing, I just gave it to my daughter."

her expression immediately goes sour and she gets a dead look in her eyes that sends chills down my spine.

"did you just say you have a daughter?"

surprised by the way she reacted I giver her a simple answer.

"yeah."

she then asks getting closer, with the same dead look in her eyes.

"are you married Mr. Belfaust?"

I reply.

"yes, but why is this an interrogation?"

her expression changes back to her usual self and replies like nothing happened.

"of course it's not an interrogation, we are just having a conversation aren't we?."

unsure on how to react with her sudden change in mood, I respond.

"okay."

she then clears her throat and says with a composed voice.

"well I should have guessed that a man who is as handsome as you is already married."

I then finally understand what she is getting at and I think to myself.

"I cant believe it, I should have seen it sooner, this

girl is showing signs that she likes me."

I respond.

"look Paula, I'm flattered really, but I need you to understand, that I'm not interested in you in that way."

she nervously play with her hair and asks with a voice filled with sadness.

"do you hate me for liking you Mr. Belfaust?"

I answer.

"no of course not, it's just I can't answer your feelings for me."

she sighs.

"okay I hear you Mr. Belfaust."

I reply.

"good."

as I breathe a sigh of relief, she says to me.

"but that doesn't mean that I'm giving up on you, if anything, it has motivated to better myself, so I can be a worthy future wife."

baffled with what she said, I respond.

"no, listen Paula, this all stops right here and now, because if you don't, you will only run into heartbreak."

a couple of tears begin to form in her eyes but she quickly wipes it off and asks.

"will you still train me Mr. Belfaust?"

I nod.

"yes, but you need to forget that this day ever happened, if you wish to continue to train under me."

as we finished up with her training I think to myself.

"I didn't want to be harsh with my words, but she needed to hear that, so her head isn't filled with false hopes, of us being together."

she waves goodbye as she leaves the training area.

"goodbye Mr. Belfaust, I'll see you tomorrow."

I sigh.

"maybe it's not a good idea to keep training her in private."

I then make my to exit of the training area where I spot someone familiar from the corner of my eye, wearing a hood but as soon as I turn to their direction, they disappear out of thin air, and I ask myself thinking about who that person might be.

"could it be him?"

my mind goes to when I was in Burmendak remembering that familiar face.

"was that Daurl?"

I shake my head, trying to relax myself.

"calm down Collin, Daurl is still serving time at Burmendak, there is no way, he can be here."

I then make my way home, feeling uneasy on how my day turned out.