endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 165

While Vahn had been testing his new gauntlets, Evangeline had been using her ability to sense mana to try and determine the internal structure that made Vahn's gauntlets function. She had noticed previously, when she used the giant weapon, that the magical circuits and the logic behind the pathways were fundamentally different than anything from her world. If not for the fact Vahn had created the weapon to be easy to use, she would have had a much more difficult time charging her magic previously.

As Vahn continued to jump about and punching the air, Evangeline continued observing his actions and trying to make sense of the differences between their two worlds. Even though she had read the one-thousand-seven-hundred-eighteen books that Vahn had left behind, almost half of them had been regarding questionable subjects, while the others primarily focused on general knowledge, history, and some mythos. She hadn't learned anything about the actual magic structure of his world and didn't know how she would teach him since there were no guarantees the laws behind her magic would be of any use in his world.

Putting down her pen, Evangeline stood up from the comfortable chair before vanishing from her spot. Vahn, who had just thrown out another full-powered punch opened his eyes wide as Evangeline appeared right in front of him. Though he wanted to divert his punch, he didn't have time since Evangeline grabbed his wrist before using his own momentum to flip his body over her shoulder in a manner similar to Tsubaki.

Though it was an incredibly swift motion, it was also something that Vahn had experienced countless times, so he was able to twist his wait and right his feet before she was able to slam him into the ground. Evangelin, who had expected Vahn to crash into the floor, opened her eyes a bit as she said in a complementary fashion, "Oh, not bad." Vahn, who had been thrown by her, immediately frowned as he asked, "Why did you suddenly attack me?"

Evangeline tilted her head and looked at Vahn like he had said something ridiculous as she responded, "You were the one who attacked me though? All I did was teleport in front of you so I could ask you a question. Don't blame other people just because you dropped your guard and lack control over your own abilities." Each of Evangeline's words were biting, and she spoke as if she was trying to lecture Vahn.

Vahn just shook his head and dispelled his transformation as he asked, "What did you want to ask me?" Hearing the way Vahn was speaking, Evangeline furrowed her brows a bit as she said, "Every time you fail to call me Master is only increasing the punishment you'll receive in the future. You should do yourself a favor and fix your attitude, or is it that you're trying to test my patience?"

In response to her words, Vahn just released a sad sigh and walked toward his workshop. Even if he could see she wasn't serious, it didn't make her words much easier to deal with. Vahn never expected that being able to see someone's aura would actually be a disadvantage. If he couldn't see it, he could easily be angry with her and might even concede to her demands just to make his life easier. However, since he could see she wasn't seriously upset with him, it made her behavior more tiring than intimidating.

Watching Vahn walk away, Evangeline couldn't resist gritting her teeth as she wanted to lash out at the boy that constantly got on her nerves. She kept telling herself over and over that she would make him pay the moment they started their actual training. For now, however, she swallowed her anger and called out to him, "Wait, Vahn, I need to ask you a question." Vahn stopped his feet and turned toward her and asked plainly, "What would you like to ask, Evangeline?"

Hearing Vahn once again calling her 'Evangeline', instead of 'Master', Evangeline couldn't help but taking several deep breaths to calm herself down. After she regained her composure, she asked, "Are you unable to obtain any magic books or grimoires from your world that I can study?" Hearing that she had an actual question and wasn't just playing around, Vahn turned his body fully and faced toward her as he responded, "It's not that I can't obtain them, but it is very difficult to do so. There aren't a lot of books regarding magic in circulation because they are kept as a secret of their respective cultures. In my world, most magic possessed by people are skills they have awakened and developed without study."