Chapter 40: She did what?!

"Ahhhhh!!" The maids immediately shout and run out of the room.

Several books fall from the shelves.

"Lady Arielle! What the hell are you doing?" I stand up and slowly come closer to her.

Arielle jumps down from the table and looks at me. Her eyebrow goes up. She scans me from head to toe.

"You look... okay."

"I know. Looking handsome, right?"

Arielle just rolls her eyes and does not say anything, though her pale cheeks are still reddish.

"Did you do that?" I ask and point at the wrecked table in the corner.

"Yes. You’ll start teaching me today, right?" She walks over to the wrecked table and kicks some wood.

"No. I am your advisor starting today," I clarify.

"It’s just the same thing!"

I do not respond to her. Instead, I activate my Locksmith’s Eye to examine her mana threads.

Her mana becomes pure and the threads are more tightened, but the problem is her output. She is struggling with her output, that’s why her mana control is unstable.

"What are you looking at?"

I come back to my senses. I realize I’ve been staring at Arielle for a while now.

"Nothing."

I think I can easily work on her mana threads. This job won’t be as difficult as I expected.

Then Arielle raises her hand. "Can you teach me how to make my ice lance bigger?"

"No. If you’re asking why, it’s because you’re going to destroy the manor just like that wrecked table," I say, pointing at the table.

"But..."

"No buts, young Lady. Now take a seat so we can start immediately." I sigh. The day has not even started yet, and I feel really tired already.

This is gonna be a long day.

Arielle sits in a nearby chair and smiles at me innocently.

"Okay! I’m ready!" Arielle looks at me with shining eyes.

I pull another chair closer and sit in front of her.

The maids come back with cleaning tools and quickly clean the room, still scared of what happened earlier.

I look at Arielle. "Alright. Before we start the first lesson..."

I fold my arms. "We need to talk about your hobby of destroying furniture."

Arielle’s smile disappears, and she just stares at me.

I clear my throat and point at the destroyed table.

"How many tables have you broken this month?"

Arielle lifts her eyebrow and looks toward the ceiling.

"Three? I guess."

One of the maids immediately turns around while picking up the pieces of wood.

"It’s eleven, my lady."

Arielle lowers her eyes while counting on her small fingers.

"Oh, really? I am not really good at counting."

I slowly look at the maid. "Eleven? You’re new here, right?"

The maid nods. "Yes, young Lord. She started wrecking tables just yesterday. The chairs are not included."

I stare at Arielle with a blank expression, waiting for an explanation.

"The chairs were just accidents. I already told Father and he said it’s okay."

Goodness, this kid.

I can feel my blood pressure rising. I let out a long sigh to relax myself and think straight. I should not let my cursed tongue be the reason I get killed by Duke Voulstridge.

"Then try to ask your father if it is okay to wreck the whole manor. Yes?"

Arielle does not say a word, but she is completely angry.

I look back at the maid. "What is your name? And why the hell are you counting the damaged furniture?"

The maid bows. "My name is Alexa, young Lord. I was assigned yesterday by Lord Voulstridge to report the damage to Butler Victor, the estate’s manager."

I cover my face.

Lady Arielle’s unstable mana is already expected and normal. Some young mages struggle with mana during their childhood.

Their emotions can affect their spells. Mana pathways are still developing, and they have a short concentration span.

But the tables and chairs? That is not fucking normal.

I lower my hand.

"Alright. Let’s start."

"Yes!" The young lady smiles.

"Sit there... on the floor," I command and point at the floor.

Arielle’s forehead wrinkles. "No. I’m a lady."

"I know. And I do believe in gender equality. To the floor now!"

"Hmph!" Arielle looks at me with the intent to kill while sitting on the floor.

Alexa, the maid, quickly covers her mouth to hide a laugh.

"And you, Alexa, stay nearby," I say, looking at her with a serious tone.

The maid’s laugh vanishes, replaced by complete nervousness.

"If something explodes, just run," I tease.

Alexa blinks and freezes nearby.

"I won’t explode, Silvester."

"You might soon. Now don’t say a word and close your eyes."

Arielle frowns but closes her eyes soon.

"Should I use my mana?" Arielle asks while her eyes are still closed.

"Hell no. Just follow my words and don’t do anything unless I say so."

Arielle nods and remains silent.

I extend one hand. A thin golden mana thread appears above my fingertip. I slowly move the mana thread toward her.

I am not going to enter her body with mana because that would be dangerous. I don’t understand the condition of her mana pathways yet.

Instead, I command my mana thread to move around her like a locksmith examining the outside of a locked door.

I don’t need to open the door yet. I only need to understand how it was built.

Locksmith’s Eye is already activated. I close my eyes and focus my senses.

I can feel the mana everywhere. Inside the room, the mana lanterns, inside Alexa, the trees outside the manor, and inside Arielle.

Arielle’s mana is surprisingly large for an eight-year-old child. It’s abnormal.

The mana inside her body moves like a river. They are twisted and branched out. The pathways are colliding, separating, and joining again.

"Are we done?" Arielle whispers.

"No. Just shut up, will you?"

I focus again on her mana pathways. I have never seen anything like this before.

Ever since I woke up in this world, most mages that I’ve seen have clear mana pathways.

The stronger the mage, the wider and more developed those pathways become.

But this child’s mana pathways are different.

They aren’t damaged or blocked.

They are evolving fast.

I lean closer and open my eyes. Arielle’s face is only an inch away from mine.

"W-what the hell are you doing?" I freeze and slowly move back. "Did I just tell you to close your eyes?"

"You were quiet. I thought you were sleeping. Duh!"

I look at the maid, who is quietly laughing again.

"Uhm, Young Lord. Duke Voulstridge ordered me to tell you what happened yesterday."

"Spill it, Alexa."

The maid hesitates for a moment and looks at Arielle.

"The young lady just made Lord Voulstridge disappear yesterday."

I freeze for a moment and regain my composure. "She did what?!"

"I made my father disappear." Arielle smiles proudly. "It only lasted for three seconds."

"What the fuck?"