Yet a week passed.
Freya did not run away.
She had accepted Lin Gui's lessons as promised.
Until the seventh day.
Inside the room.
Lin Gui stood by Freya's side.
He reached out, his fingertips gently touching her arm.
Freya's body stiffened slightly.
But she quickly relaxed.
A surge of refined mana flowed from Lin Gui's fingertips.
It probed into her magic circuit, gentle yet firm.
It was not control, but guidance.
Freya felt the vast, sea-like mana within her own body.
Under the guidance of that minute trace of mana.
It began to flow slowly.
The raging waves were constrained by an extremely fine dam.
Gradually calming, gradually obeying orders.
Lin Gui's voice rang out by her ear.
"Follow me."
Freya closed her eyes.
She allowed her mana to follow that minute guidance.
From her chest to her shoulders, then her arms, and finally to her fingertips.
Then.
A pale green mana gushed from her fingertips.
It coiled around the maple leaf on the table.
It was not pushing, nor was it lifting.
It was following.
The maple leaf trembled slightly.
Then.
It slowly drifted up.
Steady and quiet.
It was suspended in mid-air.
Lin Gui released his hand.
He took a step back.
The maple leaf remained suspended there.
Steadily supported by Freya's own mana.
Freya opened her eyes.
She stared at the maple leaf drifting with her mana.
For a long time, she remained silent.
She had sacrificed far too much for this spell.
She had leafed through countless ancient texts and asked numerous lecturers.
She had disguised her identity and taken detours to remote city-states.
Failing again and again, doubting herself again and again.
She had even begun to suspect that there was something wrong with her own magic circuit.
Yet, with the help of the black-haired little mage before her.
In just one week, she had succeeded.
Though it was still very rough.
The edges of the maple leaf still trembled slightly.
It had not reached the level of true flight.
But this was a bona-fide Levitation spell.
Her obsession had been resolved.
Yet she was not as happy as she had imagined.
Instead, she looked at the High Rank mage, who was nearly half a dozen years younger than her, with a complex expression.
Lin Gui looked at the maple leaf and nodded.
"Very good."
"Next, you just need to use it frequently."
"Soon, you will be able to control your staff to fly."
Freya nodded.
Then, she let out a soft sigh.
She looked at Lin Gui and said seriously,
"Thank you."
She paused for a moment.
"...Teacher... Lin Gui."
Hearing this address, Lin Gui was stunned.
During this teaching period, he had not told her his identity.
The two of them had almost formed a tacit understanding during this time.
That was, not mentioning each other's identities.
And now.
He looked at Freya.
Freya looked at him with a slight smile.
Then she raised her hand.
She took off the disguise she had maintained throughout this week.
The plain white mask was gently removed.
The grey hood slid back.
Long ice-blue hair cascaded down like a waterfall.
The strands glinted with a faint, cold light under the illumination of the magic glowstone.
Her features were as exquisite as if they were carved from ice and snow.
Her skin was so fair it was almost translucent.
Her azure eyes were deep, as if they held an ice storm within them.
Her brow bones were high, her nose bridge was straight.
Her lips were thin, and at this moment, they were slightly curved upward.
They carried a trace of a shallow smile.
The smile was faint, but it softened her entire being significantly.
Like the first ripple appearing on a frozen lake under the spring sunlight.
She looked at Lin Gui.
"Thank you for the care you have specially shown me these past few days."
"If I had known your teaching was so excellent."
"I should have asked for your guidance much sooner."
Lin Gui spoke modestly.
"Even without me, it wouldn't have taken you much more time to master that spell."
Freya smiled.
She did not speak.
She knew Lin Gui was being considerate of her pride.
In reality, without Lin Gui, it would have been practically impossible for her to master Levitation.
There was nothing wrong with her talent, nor was there anything wrong with her ability.
She had failed to master it until now simply because her mana capacity was too immense.
It was so large that it was difficult to achieve the kind of extreme magic control precision required for Levitation.
That was why she, who clearly possessed high talent, had been unable to master this particular spell.
What Lin Gui had done was use his already absurd magic control precision.
To help constrain her massive mana.
And this was something almost no one other than Lin Gui had the capability to do.
After all, this was a terrifying level of control built upon more than fifty chantless casting spells.
Freya naturally understood this.
She did not argue further.
She only looked at the fatigue in Lin Gui's eyes.
Her voice softened slightly.
"All right, now you can tell me."
"What did you come to me for?"
Due to being too deeply immersed these days.
Freya only realized today.
It seemed that the other party had long since exceeded the training time requested by the commission.
Yet he still came to teach her on time every day.
Obviously, he wanted something from her.
Seeing that Freya had seen through him, Lin Gui did not hide it.
He explained exactly how he needed a Legendary figurehead.
After Freya finished listening.
She smiled and said,
"That is actually quite simple."
"I do know many Legendary mages."
"Especially Legendary mages who are short on money."
She paused.
"However, the price might be..."
Lin Gui said directly,
"Price is not an issue."
After saying that, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
Freya was somewhat surprised.
Her gaze swept across his faded mage robe.
Then it fell on his simple oak staff.
This kind of attire did not look like someone who could casually say "price is not an issue."
She smiled, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.
"It seems Teacher Lin Gui's identity is not simple at all."
Lin Gui said speechlessly,
"Addressing me as 'teacher' and such... you're flattering me too much."
"Lady Freya."
Freya let out a light laugh.
She did not continue her teasing.
She turned and walked to the door.
She pulled the door open.
The light of the magic glowstone lamps in the hallway filtered in.
She stepped aside.
Her long ice-blue hair shimmered with a soft aura under the light.
Her azure eyes looked at Lin Gui with a smile.
"Let's go."
"I'll take you to ask if any of my old friends."
"Are willing to come to Coppergate City to earn this money of yours."
She paused for a moment.
Her gaze swept over Lin Gui.
That faded grey mage robe.
The elbows were severely worn, and the cuffs were frayed.
That simple, undecorated oak staff.
And those black, calm eyes.
"However, before that, we might need to get you dressed up."
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