Tower: Murky and Charming

Chapter 13: Struggle

The start of a new life. Athanasia's mana is finally stabilized and even more powerful after absorbing the World Tree and taking a long nap. She was excited for her first time as being the warlock's disciple. But all of her joy would die down upon witnessing the teaching style by the wizard.

"Just bam! Swoosh! And pow!"

"....." Aghast and in disbelief when given ridiculous instructions that sound like a joke.

She was beginning to reconsider this decision and thought of another plan to escape this place once again. "Lucas, I don't think teaching is meant for you"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" He retorts bitterly. "Come out. Hurry and do it!"

"... Ok..." She let out a big exhale, tired of his behavior, and imagined the swoosh and pow inside her head. Then she simply stops the leaks in her mana as expected of her natural talent.

"Ha? You did it?" He snorts, surprised along with her, and smirks proudly to himself. "And you said that teaching isn't for me. You just give up too easily"

"Oh yes. I'm sorry for being wrong" She says sarcastically and lets him have his moment as she does the writing tasks instead. It's easier than listening to him spout nonsense in her ear.

It's more hell than being holed up in her own room where she can read in peace without disturbance. Currently, he assigns her tasks and expects her to do the bare minimum. Surely there's always a catch but luckily she finished them without a problem. Did he not know that she had been studying college-level subjects as a very young child?

Although Athanasia demonstrated her intelligence and talent even bragging about taking back her mana from him, it wasn't enough. She was still a beginner at magic compared to him. Not to mention, he wasted her time too when he burned all of her completed documents in front of her.

Anger erupts.

"Wait! Why are you destroying it after I had recently done those?! You told me to write them!" She protests, frustrated and baffled with an eyebrow cocked.

"It's for learning" He states and drops another pile of books on her. She falls backward onto the ground with her butt as a cushion. "Now you can do those"

"I understand it's for my sake but I read these before!" She scorns at his back with a nasty look. "I want to learn-" Then she covers her mouth with her hand and stops speaking. Breaking into a cold sweat as soon as she remembers the torment of practicing magic with this fool.

It was a headache.

"What do you want to learn?" He grumbles and turns around to see her sitting on the floor. Pouting and trembling like an upset child. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just coping with my emotions. Don't mind me"

"More like a kid throwing a tantrum. Get up"

"Ok, teacher" She murmurs and he flicks her in the forehead for calling him that title.

She obliges and picks up the books stiffly in shame. How embarrassing that she threw a fit, complaining about work when it's for her own benefit. Well, that's what she's trying to convince herself even though she rewrote this book multiple times. So much that her hand was cramping, oh how she misses her lazy life where things were easy most of the time.

"Lucas, since I'm your disciple. Does that mean I will inherit the tower when you pass away?" She asked a question out of the blue with a cheerful grin that shouldn't be there when talking about taking his place after his death.

"... Yes and no..." He replied. "When comparing our age, you're still a fetus in my eyes nonetheless. Although you absorbed the World Tree and will live long, I believe you won't have much time in this tower to yourself"