Chapter 22
“What do you mean by ‘high-ranking’?”
Aileen glanced at the magic device Hynel had made before answering.
“I mean in terms of skill. Just like magic stones have grades, magic itself must have levels too, right? From what I’ve seen of this tool, you don’t seem like a low-tier mage.”
“And why do you think that?” Hynel asked, grinning smugly.
Aileen hesitated but replied honestly,
“I may not know much about magic, but for something that combines three different spells, this device feels surprisingly well-made. I haven’t seen it in action, but if you’re selling it, that must mean it works well.”
“You’ve got a good eye,” Hynel said, nodding proudly. “Yeah, it eats up a lot of magic stones, but it functions perfectly.”
He lifted his chin confidently.
“And you’re right — mages have levels too, though we don’t usually call it that. But if we did, I’d be considered high-tier.”
“Really?”
Aileen’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.
Given his eccentric attitude and carefree personality, she hadn’t imagined he could be that skilled — maybe intermediate at best.
Hynel clearly enjoyed her reaction.
“If you want, I could even give you my autograph.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary…” she said awkwardly, smiling.
But then, a thought struck her — what if she hired him as Adrian’s tutor?
He was a little odd, sure, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. And he was a certified mage from the Magic Tower — one who even claimed to be high-ranking.
That meant he had more than enough knowledge to teach a ten-year-old boy.
After a short moment of consideration, Aileen pulled out two sheets of paper and held them out.
“Would you mind signing this?”
Hynel frowned and read the contents. His expression immediately twisted in disbelief.
“You’re asking me to be some kid’s tutor?!”
What she had handed him were a copy of the tutor recruitment notice she’d submitted earlier, and an extra contract form.
Aileen had expected this reaction, so she calmly nodded.
“Yes. You’re a mage — I figured you’d have the brains to teach someone.”
“Of course I do,” he said flatly, “but I’m not interested.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t stand kids.”
He refused without hesitation. Aileen sighed, disappointed.
“I was planning to offer a very generous salary, though.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m not inte—”
Thunk.
Aileen placed something on the table. Hynel froze mid-sentence, his eyes widening.
It was a top-grade magic stone — the kind that every mage dreamed of owning.
Just one of those stones could power a standard magical device for a month, and for a mage, it was a priceless resource for research.
Hynel trembled as he reached out toward it.
“Th-This is a real top-grade stone?”
“Of course it’s real,” Aileen replied smoothly — then snatched it back just before he could touch it.
He looked at her with heartbreak in his eyes, but she smiled sweetly.
“If you agree to become my brother’s tutor, I’ll pay you with three of these every month.”
“Th-three?!”
“Yes. You know how valuable they are — I trust you understand what a generous offer this is.”
As expected, Hynel fell deep into thought.
Aileen pressed her advantage.
“You’d only need to come three days a week. You can schedule lessons however you like. That’s a fair deal, don’t you think?”
“Are you kidding me?”
Hynel suddenly frowned, and Aileen blinked, wondering if she’d offended him.
But before she could ask, he jumped up from his seat and grabbed both her hands.
“Why stop at three days? I’ll come five! No — every day! Just give me one more stone and I’m in! Deal?”
His eyes sparkled like a child’s, and Aileen couldn’t help but laugh quietly.
Once again, the power of top-grade magic stones proved unstoppable.
❧ ❧ ❧
Aileen returned to the newspaper office and canceled her tutor job posting.
Then she set off for the Olden estate with Hynel in tow — ready to introduce him to Adrian.
Inside the luxurious carriage, Hynel was practically glowing with excitement, inspecting every detail of the interior like a kid in a toy store.
Sitting across from him, Aileen watched patiently before speaking.
“The child you’ll be teaching is my younger brother, Adrian Walker. He’s ten years old. Please treat him kindly.”
“I’ll decide that after I meet the kid,” he said casually.
Not exactly the most reassuring answer — but it was very him, so she let it slide.
“By the way,” she asked, “why are you suddenly being so polite?”
“Because you’re my employer, my lady.”
The sudden formality startled her, but it was certainly better than his usual casual tone. She nodded with a faint smile.
As she watched him press his face to the window like an eager tourist, her gaze drifted to his robe — embroidered with the Magic Tower’s insignia.
She murmured to herself,
“Magic, huh…”
“Why?” Hynel asked. “Wanna see some?”
“You can show me?”
“If my employer wishes it.”
Aileen’s eyes sparkled. Hynel grinned mischievously and suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“Wha— What are you doing?” she began, but couldn’t finish — the world around her blurred.
Her vision swirled, her stomach lurched, and she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
Then Hynel’s amused voice reached her ears.
“Open your eyes.”
When she did, her breath caught in her throat.
They were standing in front of the Olden estate.
Just seconds ago, they’d been riding in the carriage — now they were home.
“What in the world…” she whispered.
“Teleportation. High-level movement magic,” he said with a weak chuckle. Then he suddenly coughed.
Aileen gasped and pulled out her handkerchief — there was blood at the corner of his lips.
“You’re bleeding! Are you hurt?!”
“Used a high-tier spell without enough mana,” he admitted, wiping his mouth. “Good thing the distance was short…”
He acted like it was nothing, but Aileen frowned deeply.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t. I just wanted to impress my employer,” he said with a smirk. “But if you’ve got a magic stone lying around, I could use one for recovery.”
“You mean you’re trying to sneak a top-grade stone again?”
“Caught me,” he said, half-grinning.
Aileen sighed but still pulled out a mid-grade magic stone from her pocket.
It wasn’t top-quality, but seeing how pale he looked, waiting for him to recover naturally wasn’t an option.
She handed it over, and Hynel reluctantly accepted it. After he absorbed the mana, color slowly returned to his face — and the stone shattered to dust.
Watching him exhale in relief, Aileen murmured,
“The world really isn’t fair. Mages can use magic but always lack mana, while magic-stone makers have plenty of mana but can’t use magic themselves.”
“I’d say that makes it fair,” he replied. “If both could do everything, everyone would be an archmage by now.”
“I suppose that’s true…”
Just then—
“Aileen?”
A familiar voice made her turn. Richard was walking toward them.
He looked between Aileen and the unfamiliar man beside her, his expression slightly wary.
“And this is…?”
“Oh, Richard!” she said quickly. “This is Hynel — he’ll be teaching Adrian.”
“A mage from the Magic Tower, I assume?”
“Long story, but yes.”
“I see,” Richard said with a small, polite smile. He extended his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you. Richard Felix Olden.”
“Ah, so you’re the…” Hynel began, then caught himself and scratched his head. “Right. Nice to meet you. I’m Hynel.”
After shaking hands, Richard turned back to Aileen.
“By the way, Aileen — where’s the carriage? Did you come here alone?”
“Oh! About that…”
Before she could explain, the mansion gates opened — and the carriage rolled in.
Kane, leading the horse, froze when he saw Aileen standing at the entrance with Hynel. His eyes went wide, darting between her and the carriage before he rushed over.
“My lady! How—”
“You’re just getting here? Took you long enough,” Hynel quipped.
Kane’s jaw tightened immediately.
“You must be the new teacher,” he said coldly.
“I’m sorry, Kane,” Aileen interjected quickly. “It was an unexpected… teleport.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for, my lady.”
Kane’s words were respectful, but his glare at Hynel said otherwise.
Hynel only grinned, unbothered.
Feeling the tension spark between them, Aileen quickly stepped in.
“Alright, enough glaring. Let’s go inside. You remember why we came here, right?”
“Of course,” Hynel said easily.
Thankfully, he followed her into the mansion without complaint.
Aileen gave Kane an apologetic glance before leading the way to Adrian’s room.
Just then, Adrian came running down the hall, having seen the carriage arrive.
He smiled brightly — but stopped short when he saw both Richard and Hynel beside his sister.
“Big sis? Who’s this?”
Aileen smiled and ruffled his hair.
“Adrian, say hello. This is your new teacher.”
“My teacher?”
“Yes. He’s a mage from the Magic Tower.”
Adrian’s eyes widened in wonder. “A real mage?”
“Yes,” Hynel said proudly, bending down slightly. “This the kid? Looks just like you.”
“Well, he is my brother,” Aileen said with a chuckle.
“Fair enough. Anyway, nice to meet you, my student. I’m your new teacher — Hynel.”
Adrian blinked. “You’re really a mage?”
Hynel frowned. “Why does everyone ask me that? Of course I am. Want proof?”
“Hynel.”
“Relax,” he assured Aileen. “I won’t use anything big.”
He lifted his palm — and a small cluster of water droplets formed, dancing in the air before floating gently down in front of Adrian.
The boy poked one curiously.
“It’s real water!”
“Would you rather it be fake?” Hynel teased.
“Wow, that’s amazing, teacher!” Adrian said in awe.
Hynel puffed up proudly.
“Well, of course. I am a genius mage, after all.”
“Can you show me another spell?”
“Not in here. Let’s go outside.”
“Okay!”
The two of them walked off together, side by side.
Watching them, Aileen smiled with relief and said to Richard,
“I was worried at first, but it looks like they’ll get along just fine.”
“I agree,” Richard said warmly.
Aileen laughed lightly.
“Don’t you have work to do, though?”
“It can wait,” he replied smoothly — though, in truth, it couldn’t.
He’d been on his way back to the office when Aileen caught him, and right now, his aide Claude was probably losing his mind.
Still, he kept his face calm.
“I suppose it’s a quiet day,” he added.
Aileen nodded, smiling. “That’s good to hear.”
Then, with a soft twirl of her light dress, she turned and said,
“Shall we take a little walk?”
Richard met her bright smile and nodded immediately.
“I’d love to.”
As he followed her down the garden path, he decided to forget all about Claude — at least for now.
