I’m at an age where I’m growing the most, so there’s no way I’d be full from a meal consisting only of vegetables and fruits.
In the end, I ate everything on the table.
“We should prepare more next time.”
I responded out of courtesy.
“No, it was enough.”
Master Avana stood up from her seat. She looked toward the lake and spoke.
“Shall we start learning magic? Or do you want to rest today and begin tomorrow?”
It was the question I had been waiting for.
“Let’s start right away.”
“Heh heh. You’re quite eager. Is it because you suddenly want to impress the pretty girl next to you?”
“…….”
She grinned slyly and gestured for me to come closer. Then, she bent down and placed her hand near the water’s surface.
It looked like the magic lesson was about to begin.
I slowly got up from my seat and approached her.
Meeting my gaze, Master Avana spoke in a soft tone.
“All magicians are inherently born with psychokinesis.”
“Psychokinesis?”
“Yes. The ability to move objects with just your mind. Only those who can do this have the potential to become magicians.”
Now that I think about it, back when I couldn’t even move a finger, I still managed to throw Oshalo—and then later, even the navigator.
So that was psychokinesis.
“I think I get the gist of it.”
For a very brief moment, Master Avana’s eyes darkened before returning to normal.
“In truth, psychokinesis is the foundation of all magic. Magic is about causing events to happen through sheer willpower. Psychokinesis is the most fundamental of those events—in other words, ‘movement.’ That’s why there’s no need for incantations. If you’re a magician, it’s something you just do.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“If you can use psychokinesis, then you’re at least an apprentice magician. During apprenticeship, you must thoroughly study your own psychokinesis. If you use it roughly, you could damage your brain—resulting in nosebleeds and passing out on the spot. At first, control is too vague, so people tend to use it excessively or inefficiently. That’s why you have to refine it, making it as natural as moving your own hands.”
“…….”
“This is the absolute basics. Many magicians neglect psychokinesis once they reach a higher level, but you must never do that. No matter how powerful your magic becomes, always remember—at its core, all magic starts from psychokinesis.”
I nodded repeatedly.
“Understood. So, what do I need to do?”
Master Avana’s eyes narrowed.
“Did you really understand?”
“Yeah. I told you—I only need to hear things once to get them. So what’s the specific method to refine psychokinesis?”
Suspicion filled her eyes, but after a moment, it subsided.
It seemed she decided to trust me.
“The way to study psychokinesis is to move objects with as little mass as possible, slowly and gently. But you must also practice in a variety of ways. If you stick to only one method, you’ll become biased, which could cause serious trouble later. Now, watch the lake’s surface.”
She closed her eyes slightly.
Then, ripples formed from her hand, gradually spreading across the entire lake.
She opened her eyes.
“Like this.”
…That’s it?
I frowned.
“That’s all?”
“The key is to make it as small as possible. My master could create ripples so tiny they were invisible. I haven’t reached that level yet.”
The smaller, the better, huh?
I have a clear idea of what I need to practice.
“In other words, I need to control it with precision.”
“Exactly. This is just the basics of psychokinesis. Practice this first. Once you’re familiar with it, I’ll teach you other methods.”
With that, she lifted her hand from the water and stood up.
She gave me a look, silently telling me to try.
Alright.
I rubbed my hands together and placed them over the water.
“You’re two handed?”
That was a sudden question.
“Oh, yeah. That’s fine, right? I can use both hands, can’t I?”
“Heh heh. Sure. Two handed, huh… You really are an interesting one.”
I didn’t see how being ambidextrous was related to being interesting, but since she was obviously waiting for me to ask, I refrained from questioning her.
I reached out toward the transparent lake.
The cold surface touched my palms.
Closing my eyes, I focused on the sensation of the water.
Ripples.
Ripples.
It should feel like lightly grasping and releasing.
But then—
The water kept moving between my fingers, tickling them.
Something felt off.
I cracked my eyes open slightly.
Beneath the water, a girl was watching me.
She was interlocking her fingers with mine, slipping them between mine and lacing them together. That was why my hands felt ticklish.
A chill ran up from my pelvis.
“Uwah!”
I fell backward. Master Avana grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away.
She looked down at me with a shocked expression.
Then, she shouted.
“You! You saw an Undine, didn’t you?”
“Huh?”
“An Undine! A water spirit!”
A water spirit?
I muttered quietly.
“If you mean the girl underwater, then… yeah, I think so.”
Master Avana stared at me with her mouth open.
Even Psyche’s eyes had grown twice as wide.
“To summon a familiar while studying psychokinesis for the first time… You’re… more than just extraordinary. No, you’re not just extraordinary—you’re a monster.”
I responded flatly.
“Is that so?”
“…….”
“So? Do I keep going or not?”
Avana thought it over, stroking her chin before speaking.
“You still need to keep training your psychokinesis, but listen carefully—creating a familiar right now is extremely dangerous. If anything—or anyone—tries speaking to you in your mind, do not respond. Understood?”
“So I just keep doing what I was doing?”
“Yes, but no matter what, do not react to the Undine you see in the water. Got it?”
Is it really that serious?
Seeing how she was more agitated than I had ever seen her before, I decided to comply for now.
I answered bluntly.
“Got it.”
“…….”
Master Avana slowly calmed down, but her eyes were still trembling.
I walked back toward the lake.
Once again, I placed my hands on the surface.
Sure enough, the girl beneath the water kept tickling my hands.
[Hello?]
The moment I heard that voice, my heart sank.
But I shook my head and steadied myself.
So this is what it means to speak with one’s mind.
Ignoring her completely, I focused as much as I could.
Move the water.
Move the water!
At that moment, water erupted from beneath my hands, splashing in all directions.
Swoooosh—!
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Everyone was drenched as if they had been caught in a sudden downpour.
I subtly lifted both hands from the water’s surface and flashed a small smile.
“Well, it’s not going so well. Haha.”
Swoosh.
“Again.”
Swoosh.
“Again.”
Swoosh.
“Agh… Ahh—!”
The world before me spun in circles.
I lifted my hand and touched my nose.
As expected, I could feel the wetness of fresh blood.
Leaning back, I stretched both hands behind me for support.
“Phew. I’d be lucky if it works even once after a hundred tries.”
Then, tilting my head back, I tried to stop my nosebleed from running any further—
“Huh? Psyche?”
Psyche was staring down at me, arms crossed, her expression tightly drawn in anger.
“Because of you, I barely got any sleep all night.”
“Huh?”
“You were so noisy. I kept waking up.”
“Ahaha. Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“What do you mean, be careful? It’s already time to get up. Get moving. Master told me to take you to the mountains to gather herbs.”
Come to think of it, if it were the middle of the night, I wouldn’t be able to see her face this clearly.
I glanced around and soon spotted the sun hanging over the eastern mountains.
“It’s morning already?”
“You didn’t realize?”
“I was too focused on studying magic. But that’s strange… I don’t feel tired at all.”
Psyche narrowed her eyes and spoke flatly.
“Talk big after you’ve wiped off all that blood first.”
She walked back into the house.
I followed her inside.
The house was empty, and at some point, Psyche must have gone out again because the front door, opposite the lake, was left open.
On the table, there were some fruits and vegetables.
I was starving.
Gathering as much as I could carry, I stepped outside.
Psyche was waiting for me at the back of the house.
“How do you plan to walk through the forest with your hands full like that?”
“Why? I can manage just fine.”
“You’re human. Do you think you can keep up with me without holding my hand?”
No matter how well I had learned to walk in the forest, I wasn’t on the same level as an elf.
Then, I noticed the empty basket in Psyche’s hand.
“Here, help me carry these. We can just put them in your basket.”
“……”
“Come on, hurry.”
As I held out the fruits and vegetables, Psyche reluctantly placed them in her basket.
Then, she stretched out her hand.
“Hold on tight.”
“……”
Her delicate, fair hand looked like a living work of art.
For a moment, it felt as though something not of this world had suddenly emerged.
“What are you staring at? It’s creepy.”
I cleared my throat.
“Sorry.”
I reached out and took her hand.
“Ah—!”
She was suddenly pulled toward me.
Psyche was incredibly light.
Like holding a small cat.
Normally, I would’ve steadied her by wrapping an arm around her shoulders, but since we weren’t that close yet, I ended up in an awkward position.
Psyche instinctively reached out with her free hand and pushed me away.
Something was flying toward my face.
Was she about to slap me?
Would it even hurt if someone as light as her hit me? I could take a slap like tha—
Thud—!
It was a punch.
This girl wasn’t normal.
“What the hell?! Why did you pull me like that?! You think I’m your mate or something?!”
I tasted blood on my tongue.
“I didn’t do it on purpose! I didn’t know you were that light.”
“What?”
“I was just trying to hold your hand, so I put a little strength into it. But then you got pulled forward. It’s just simple weight difference.”
I tried to explain rationally and calmly, and Psyche’s expression turned uncertain.
Lowering her gaze, she muttered,
“Really?”
She looked like she felt bad about hitting me, as if she understood my point.
For someone so proud, she actually admitted when she was wrong.
“Do you really think I’d randomly try to hug you?”
“How would I know?”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Well… you’re kind of…”
“Kind of what?”
“Never mind.”
She quickly turned and strode forward.
But since we were still holding hands, she wobbled and ended up stumbling back into place.
Well, of course. Even Master Avana, a full-grown adult, had struggled before. A still-growing Psyche wouldn’t fare any better.
Frowning, she warned me,
“If that happens again, I’m letting go and going on my own.”
“You caught me off guard when you suddenly moved. I swear I’ll keep up properly now. Just don’t change speed or direction all of a sudden.”
Psyche shot me a glare.
No matter how hard you glare at me, it won’t change the truth.
She finally averted her gaze and muttered under her breath,
“Fine.”
She then began walking again—this time at half the speed she had before. Thanks to that, I could keep pace as we entered the forest.
Her steps were rougher than expected, making it difficult to follow.
Now I understood—Master Avana had actually been going easy on me before.
We passed through the dense forest and reached a hill.
Most of the plants around us were just ankle-high weeds, and the trees were thin enough that I no longer needed her guidance.
“Can we let go now?”
At my question, Psyche suddenly stopped. Then, without warning, she threw my hand away.
“If you wanted to let go, just let go! You were the one holding on so tightly, so I had no choice but to hold on too.”
“Yeah, yeah. Got it.”
Something about my tone must have annoyed her because her eyes burned with irritation.
I think I finally figured it out.
It’s her eyes.
Everything else about her is nothing but cute, but those layered eyelids, stacked like high steps, are what gives her that captivating aura.
Having solved the mystery behind the balance of her cuteness and maturity, I decided to be satisfied with that much.
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