Chapter 19: A Blank Slate

Chapter 19: A Blank Slate

This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

The small human looked to be feeling much better. Sadly, my pillow delivery was too late, as she had already woken up. I still left it on her blanket for the next charging session. She had been awake for at least a few minutes, judging by how she had already undone the wrappings on her ankle. Now she could move much more smoothly and didn't need the large stick she had been using. I was glad to see the repairs had gone off without a hitch.

When I rolled in, she was wiping down the glass instruments she had dirtied earlier with a rag. This was a very responsible thing to do, cleaning up after herself. The human was taking my tutelage seriously. The small humans at home would not even consider doing such a thing. It wasn't all perfect, though. Many fancy decorative blocks were scattered along the tables and even the floor. Most of them were open with stark plain squiggles on the inside showing.

Well, I was glad that this human was able to appreciate art. I would have asked that she put it on hold until the room was in order. It was almost impossible to enjoy a good floor or a nice piece of trim while there was still dust on it. Well, these blocks were not as dusty as they could be, but they did need some cleaning and attention. Several of them had yellow bits on the side or cobwebs in the corners. These webs had been ripped apart as she opened them but were still attached to parts of the block. Also, was it absolutely necessary to look at so many at a time? I didn't know. Well, I'll let my humans be humans. I don't think this is one of those times I need to figure out the why. This is them being just weird.

She gave me her undivided attention as I approached. I returned the counterbalance to her, placing it in her hand. She seemed much happier than when she first saw me. Maybe this item was sentimental to her? Either way, she appeared to be very relieved to have it back. As she gripped its handle, I could see her knees stop shaking.

I decided it was a good time to start the “instruction” she had requested. It still felt odd that a human had asked me to be their instructor. The only thing I was qualified to teach was cleaning, as I was a professional in that field. It followed that she wanted me to teach her some cleaning methods and how to take care of her home. However, I didn't think I needed her to observe my techniques over my entire route. My strategies are actually relatively standard and applicable across most instances. We can get into specialized training after the basics are done.

Bee was still relatively new to this whole “magic” thing, so she trusted that the more experienced mages who fled must have known something she did not. So even if Void was not malevolent... It might have been that its kind was of a mixed bag. Or it was so unthinkably powerful that no one wanted to stick around and find out whether it was merciful. She had yet to read enough relevant books to understand. So logically, Void had to be some all-powerful, supreme being capable of leveraging immense might; but with questionable or uncertain morality. Still, that was much better than it being a terrifying demon. Bee watched Void inhale a speck of dust that had gone unnoticed. It seemed to lean toward the orderly side, at least.

Thanks to Bee’s newly regained mobility, it didn't take them long to reach their destination. Void stopped at one of the doors, reaching up to open it. She knew the room or at least had heard about it. This was where the aquatic beasts were kept. From the conversations she had overheard, these were aquatic summons the college was equipped to handle and didn't have to banish. Or they were powerful magic beasts, their byproducts harvested due to their many magical properties. She wasn't sure which room this was in since she had never been allowed in this wing. She peered inside as the door was slowly pushed open.

It appeared to be the aquatic demon room. Bee could tell based on how the tanks were spaced out. There was room in between them for what she assumed would have been security measures and depression fields. Her assumptions were based on what she had learned in the library. So she couldn’t confirm because the floor was cleared of any possible markings or salts. This wasn't the end of the world. Bee had been mostly expecting this. Besides, the water demons were not that dangerous. There's a reason they had to be kept in tanks - they weren’t very adept at living without water. Because of that, the power levels here were higher in these enclosures than were in a similar land or air-based one. As the risk of one getting out was acceptable. So she had better give everything a wide berth. While they likely couldn't get out of their tanks, that doesn't mean they couldn't harm someone standing too close.

What was Void's purpose for bringing her here? She knew it had to have one. Beings of such insight and wisdom never acted without reason.

She had already received the lesson of how crucial orderliness was. That was what led her to clean out her beakers. It turned out it was necessary because otherwise, her mixtures would have been off. A book she read later had blamed most Alchemy mistakes on improperly cleaned equipment. She hadn't even thought about that at first. Clearly, Void knew she would find that lesson immediately valuable. So what could this next lesson be?

Well, Void started off the lesson earlier by handing her a weapon. That was not an auspicious start. Violence wasn't something Bee particularly hated, but not something she enjoyed much either, back in her small village. She had her fair share of it, but not with any real consequences. But the only way to start gaining experience doing anything other than violence was to reach level 5. Perhaps Void was telling her to hurry up and advance. Maybe it wanted her to learn to protect herself, to become stronger?

Bee looked at the cleaver in her hand, over at Void, then back at the knife. Void made no move; Bee took a deep breath. Then she remembered she could ask things. Void was perfectly capable of understanding her.

Bee licked her lips and swallowed, trying to get moisture in her mouth before she spoke. Eventually, she mustered up the courage and asked. "So, master, shall I attempt to exterminate them?"