Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“I don’t want to,” Kaichen flatly refused.

“I’ll diligently cooperate with the research,” I pestered.

“That’s something you already promised.”

“Oh… then…” I searched for things to say. “If you accept me as your disciple, I will do anything!”

“You already said that, too, when you asked me to take you out of Acrab.”

“No! Wait! I will…,” I raised my head, biting my lips anxiously, racking my brain for anything I could offer. “I will clean and do the laundry. I will cook as well. I will do all the chores of the house so that you won’t need to focus on anything else except your research. You don’t even have to teach me every day, just some days. If you lend me your grimoire, I will learn everything by myself and only approach you when I have problems. I promise!”

“I won’t ask you to teach me many things. You can just teach me basic magic. I swear I won’t bother you!” I didn’t intend to be the greatest mage like Kaichen, so it was enough for me to learn different kinds of basic magic to protect myself in certain situations. “You know I am a good cook. You ate the food I cooked deliciously on our way here. And I know you like things to be neat and clean. I promise I will cook, clean and do all the laundry. You won’t even find a speck of dust anywhere.”

“Have you gone crazy? Do you even know how to do any of that?”

“Yes, I do! You forget that I had a lot of time. A hundred years! I learnt everything!” I insisted, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a secretary? Those sweets you love, I can make them! You know that Acrab is a place where the greatest craftsmen live, right?”

Kaichen seemed to be frowning. Perhaps he was thinking about my cooking, or maybe he was thinking about how many sweets I could make. Finally, his golden eyes shifted and landed on me. The gaze was full of question and confusion. He was trying to gauge what my intentions were.

Hopefully, he saw my sincerity on my face. I wasn’t lying. I was desperate to learn magic and I would do anything in return. I was also immensely grateful to him anyway for breaking the time magic and setting me free. He was the first step to my plan. He was the one I waited for a hundred years. I was willing to do the cooking, laundry, and cleaning without any problem.

However, as expected of someone who had not had a single disciple so far, he firmly refused. “I still don’t want to.”

Is it because he doesn’t like me? Or he doesn’t like having a disciple in general? However, looking at Kaichen’s conflicted expression told me that I still had a chance. “Then how about a temporary disciple?”

“What? Why should I agree to something like that?”

“Because I want to be your disciple.”

“I have only brought you here as the subject for my research of forbidden magic. Your sudden request of wanting to be my disciple just doesn’t make any sense.”

“There is nothing confusing about it. Just take it as an unexpected discovery of someone’s magic ability that you want to train.”

“You are hardly a little girl at twenty-two. Usually, teachers search for young disciples.”

“When it comes to magic, I am still a little girl at heart,” I teased. Kaichen didn’t humor me. I stood up slowly. “Just think of me as a ‘temporary’ disciple. I will do everything as a disciple does and then you can decide if you want to keep teaching me.”

Kaichen walked to the small study connected to his bedroom and came back with a book. He held it out to me with a short sigh. “It’s a basic magic book about making magic potions.”

“Thank you!” I laughed in relief.

Kaichen turned away. “Then please leave.”

“Yes! Of course! I will make dinner.”

“There is no need.”

“No! You accepted me as your temporary disciple. Of course, I have to! I will make something delicious. Then teacher, please get some rest!”

After calling him ‘teacher’, I walked out of the door with quick strides before he could change his mind. Before I closed the door after me, I thought I saw his face going a little red. I wasn’t sure whether he was flustered or angry. Or whether I had imagined the whole thing. It was hard to tell because of his bronze complexion.

Even so, I managed to become a disciple to the great Kaichen, albeit temporarily. I will finally be able to register as a mage! Once I make it officially, I will be in his shadow. I returned to my room with a wicked smile.

It was a gloomy room with nothing but a bed, but I was happy. I had a place to stay at least. Just knowing that I wasn’t the Countess Alshine of Acrab here, made my heart feel a little lighter.

I put the magic book that Kaichen gave me on the bed and went down to the first floor with my magic bag. Kaichen’s house had a kitchen, but there were no utensils or equipment to cook with. Judging from the fact that there were only a few fine cups, it seemed to have been set aside to serve tea to the guests (if at all) who came to the house.

Maybe Julius brought them occasionally. I got curious about what Kaichen ate when he lived here. But worrying about him was useless. Even if he didn’t have time to cook, maybe he just teleported to the nearby city and ate there.

However, in order to win him over and become an official disciple, I needed cooking utensils and ingredients. I saw a village on the way here. It wasn’t as large as Acrab but I am sure the village had some grocery stores that sold ingredients. It was far away. I decided to go to the village market tomorrow, after cooperating with the research.