As Kiel hurriedly tidied up, Goethe had already refreshed himself and returned to the hall.
He then noticed an elderly woman emerging from one side of the corridor.
She wore a plain black dress, which made her appear very modest. The black-rimmed glasses added a touch of severity to her appearance. Aside from that, she wore no jewelry or accessories that someone her age might typically choose, nor did she put any effort into her clothing.
"This is a serious woman," Goethe thought to himself.
"Goethe?" the elderly woman inquired.
Clearly, the woman wasn't entirely unfamiliar with Goethe and Kiel.
After Goethe nodded in response, the elderly woman fell silent once more.
Until—
"Sorry, Mrs. Pence, I..."
"I hope there won't be a next time."
"Though I owe Morey a favor, that doesn't mean I will teach someone who doesn't respect my class time."
"Follow me."
Before Kiel could finish speaking, Mrs. Pence interrupted him.
Just as Goethe had suspected, Mrs. Pence was very serious.
Or rather, stern.
Ignoring Kiel's flushed, embarrassed face, the elderly woman turned and walked upstairs.
Goethe and Kiel quickly followed.
The two walked almost side by side.
Kiel glared at Goethe, who responded with a light, dismissive look—
'Can't even handle a child's prank? So mentally fragile.'
Goethe's meaning was clearly conveyed.
Kiel's breathing quickened, but he didn't retort; he didn't want to risk being dismissed by Mrs. Pence and losing an opportunity that was extremely important to him.
But that didn't stop Kiel from glaring at Goethe.
'How could a gentleman do something like this?'
'It's simply... it's simply...'
Kiel wanted to criticize, but he couldn't find the right words, and thinking about the earlier incident filled him with an inexplicable sense of shame, making him feel like life had suddenly dimmed.
Goethe glanced at the now-dimmed Kiel, then smiled as he raised his right hand, extending his thumb and index finger to indicate a small length.
Immediately, Kiel stumbled.
"What's the matter?" Mrs. Pence turned and asked.
"N-Nothing," Kiel quickly replied.
Mrs. Pence frowned but ultimately said nothing, pushing open a door beside her.
"This will be your classroom for the next twelve weeks."
"This doesn't mean you'll learn everything in twelve weeks, but rather that I'll only be teaching you for twelve weeks—after that, I'll have repaid my debt to Morey, and you'll have no further connection to me."
"Now, let's begin the first lesson."
Mrs. Pence said as she walked into the classroom.
The room was small, only fifteen square meters, with no blackboard or other teaching tools—just three chairs.
Moreover, the entire classroom had no windows.
As the butler in the corridor closed the door, the room was plunged into darkness.
And then—
"Bi!"
A language Goethe had never heard before came from Mrs. Pence's mouth.
Immediately, a light source the size of a ping-pong ball floated up from Mrs. Pence's right fingertip.
The darkness in the classroom was dispelled.
Goethe watched the scene without blinking.
He had experienced extraordinary events more than once, but this was the first time he had been so close and without danger.
Though Kiel tried to remain calm beside him, his rapid breathing betrayed his true state.
"What I just spoke is an extraordinary language: Tufurian."
"It originated from witches."
"A hundred and twenty years ago, it was secret knowledge known only to witches. But after King George I enacted the 'Witch Hunt' Act, this language gradually became known to the public."
"And then, it became the 'key' to unlocking the extraordinary."
Mrs. Pence spoke meticulously, standing there.
Goethe and Kyle listened attentively.
Both of them knew the opportunity was rare, so neither would be distracted.
Mrs. Pence continued—
"However, to wield this 'key,' you need to have talent. If you lack talent, even if you study it, it will be useless and may even bring disaster."
"That's why I suggested to Morley that he should first test your talents before instructing you."
"But he stubbornly believed that both of you were gifted 'talent-bearers.'"
As she said this, Mrs. Pence furrowed her brows again.
However, in the next moment, she returned to normal.
"Talent is crucial to the 'extraordinary.'"
"A person without talent cannot master true extraordinary power no matter what."
"A person with strong talent can easily enhance the extraordinary power."
As she spoke, the light orb on Mrs. Pence's right hand rapidly expanded.
In the span of a breath, it grew to the size of an apple.
The light instantly became incredibly dazzling.
Goethe and Kyle, who had been watching Mrs. Pence closely, immediately teared up, their vision blurred.
"This is the simplest example."
"For those lacking in talent, [Flash Spell] can only be used for illumination."
"For those with strong talent, [Flash Spell] can achieve its original blinding effect."
As Mrs. Pence spoke, the light orb in her hand dissipated into tiny particles of light.
At that moment, the door was pushed open.
The butler brought in towels soaked in a medicinal solution for Goethe and Kyle.
"Place this on your eyes. In half a minute, it will effectively alleviate the discomfort. Remember, do not open your eyes while applying the medicine."
Mrs. Pence instructed.
Goethe and Kyle followed her directions.
As Goethe placed the towel on his eyes, he felt a cool sensation.
Quickly, the stinging pain disappeared.
Two minutes later, Goethe removed the towel.
By then, he had fully recovered.
Meanwhile, the butler had lit the candles in the classroom.
After completing all this, the butler closed the door and left, but Goethe could hear that the footsteps did not go far; the butler was standing right outside.
Clearly, the butler was ensuring that Mrs. Pence's lessons would not be overheard.
Kyle's recovery was slower than Goethe's.
When Kyle finally removed the towel and realized that Mrs. Pence and Goethe were waiting for him, his face turned red again.
"Sorry, I..."
"No need to apologize."
Mrs. Pence waved her hand, then continued, "I will not teach you the 'Arcane Arts,' nor will I perform the 'Baptism' for you. I will only teach you the most basic 'Tufel Language,' and I won't even guarantee that you'll learn it."
"So, you don't need to treat me like a teacher, and I won't treat you like students—because I'm only repaying a favor."
Mrs. Pence emphasized.
Goethe frowned slightly.
The Arcane Arts was something he had never heard of before.
The Baptism had been mentioned by Morley earlier.
However, these were not important.
What was important was that learning extraordinary knowledge seemed to be even more difficult than he had imagined.
The Mrs. Pence before him, as it stood now, did not seem easy to get along with.
But Goethe had no intention of giving up.
So, faced with Mrs. Pence's emphasis, Goethe remained silent.
Kyle, however, shifted uncomfortably.
Clearly, the teaching situation before him was different from what he had expected, leaving Kyle somewhat at a loss.
"Do you have any questions?"
"If not, we will begin the first lesson."
Mrs. Pence asked.
"No."
Kyle immediately shook his head.
Undoubtedly, Mrs. Pence's repeated emphasis made him cautious.
Goethe was even more cautious than Kyle.
As a result, he was able to notice some issues.
For example: Kyle only remembered the latter part of Mrs. Pence's emphasized words, but forgot the earlier part, where Mrs. Pence mentioned two terms that ordinary people should not know at all—
'Arcane Arts' and 'Baptism.'
Since she mentioned them, she naturally intended to explain them to them.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked this question.
But...
There could also be a trap in her words.
"It seems the other is somewhat dissatisfied with Morley's arrangements!"
"Or..."
"Did Morley use his official status to pressure Mrs. Pence into teaching us the extraordinary language?"
Goethe speculated in his heart, then sat up straight.
He certainly didn't want to become Morley's "scapegoat."
Then, Goethe saw that, faced with the silence of himself and Kyle, Mrs. Pence frowned.
This made Kyle even more nervous.
Goethe even heard Kyle's breathing become more rapid again.
Mrs. Pence looked down at Kyle, making him increasingly uneasy, but at that moment, she suddenly turned her head to Goethe, and directly asked—
"What is 'Arcane Arts'?"
(End of the chapter)