Chapter 1382: 140. Composure

"My future......has finally seen the light."

Agatha's gaze was firm.

Around her, this classroom of the Enhancement School, although the damaged areas had already been repaired and the garbage and dust had been cleaned away, still carried a sense of emptiness and desolation.

Naturally, she was very familiar with the rumors surrounding the Enhancement School. She knew that not long ago, this school had still been nothing more than an empty shell, but at this very moment, she remained filled with hope for it.

Because she had witnessed that scene with her own eyes.

She had watched that previously unknown Master Enmu deal with the renowned Jerome in a single move.

She had been deeply shaken by it, and from that moment on, she became certain that this was the opportunity she had been searching for.

"Master Enmu is an outstanding mage. Although rumors say he only arrived at the Tower not long ago, someone as exceptional as him must surely be highly valued by the Tower."

"He seriously injured Jerome, yet was only confined for three days. That alone makes it obvious."

"If I become his student, I'll definitely be able to more quickly......"

Agatha suddenly stopped talking.

No.

No.

Now was not the time to think about that.

Right now, her identity was nothing more than that of an ordinary student of the Enhancement School.

Nothing more.

Agatha took a deep breath and calmed her slightly excited emotions.

This was only the first step.

She absolutely should not be this excited.

That person had told her before that no matter what happened, she had to remain composed......

Composed.

Agatha put away her wand and quickly straightened the clothes that had become slightly disheveled from using perception magic earlier. At the same time, she gathered up her long hair and tied it into a neat ponytail hanging behind her head.

"Let's go, Mr. Ide. Let's go meet Master Enmu."

Agatha gave Old Ide a sweet smile, youthful and radiant.

"Sure!"

Old Ide grinned, the single white front tooth in his entire mouth gleaming so brightly it practically stabbed the eyes.

He even gave her a thumbs-up.

"Junior is really pretty. Much prettier than that rose Boss Alva used to grow."

"Thank you, Mr. Ide."

"Don't be so distant. Just call me Old Ide......right, Old Ide. That's my name now. That's what I'm called now. Just call me Old Ide. From now on, we're family, so don't act like strangers."

Old Ide rambled like a madman, yet his steps were anything but slow. Agatha practically had to jog the entire way just to barely keep up with him.

The two left the classroom and followed the small path outside.

Through the desolate woods, the roughly cleared path was no longer quite so difficult to walk.

For some unknown reason, several demonic beasts had wandered into the area, but Ariel had found all of them and killed them.

So the journey was smooth.

"I......Old Ide, may I ask you a question?"

Agatha paused slightly.

She still was not used to addressing him that way.

"Of course, of course. We're family, so naturally you can ask anything. Go ahead. Even if it's Boss Alva's most secret hobbies, I can tell you everything. Who told you to be such a pretty junior?"

Old Ide generously patted his chest.

"His hobbies......let's forget about that. What I wanted to ask is, how many people are currently in our entire school?"

Agatha asked somewhat awkwardly.

She had wanted to ask this question for quite some time.

After all, she had already been here for more than a full day, and she had discovered that this place was frighteningly empty.

Apart from the eccentric Old Ide in front of her, the only other living person she had seen here was a girl named Alice.

She had heard that Alice was Master Enmu's most highly valued disciple and was also exceptionally talented.

Agatha was not yet clear on her strength, but the sight of Alice eliminating the overwhelming majority of the students who had come asking to join the school with a casual wave of her hand had left a deep impression on her.

But Agatha did not think there was anything wrong with that.

After all, there were plenty of eccentric old mages throughout the Origin Tower.

Making a huge spectacle of advertising and then ultimately recruiting only a single student was hardly unheard of.

If even one seemingly "ordinary" disciple beneath Master Enmu possessed such an imposing presence, it only gave her even more confidence in the future.

"How many people are in the school? Let me count......"

Old Ide began counting on his fingers.

"Right now, the school has Master Enmu, Miss Alice, me, you, and......Boss Alva! Five people. There are five of us in total!"

"Five? As expected, that's pitifully few."

Agatha nodded......

Then shook her head.

That number was small even for a school.

It was not even as large as some low-level classrooms.

But at the same time, Agatha's expression became serious.

Five people meant that Master Enmu had to teach four disciples.

As the one who had joined last, she might naturally be placed at a disadvantage in certain matters.

That would not do.

To make it easier to accomplish her goal, she had to make him value her.

Ideally, she needed to gain his trust in the shortest possible time.

"As expected, I still need to remain composed and leave a good impression."

Agatha murmured inwardly once again.

Time was exceptionally precious to her.

She could not afford to waste it.

"We're here."

Old Ide suddenly stopped and waved toward somewhere not far away.

"Look, Master Enmu came to meet us!"

"So soon?"

Agatha was startled.

Her hands unconsciously tightened around the corners of her clothes as she looked in the direction Old Ide was pointing......

A solemn robe embroidered with golden threads fluttered in the breeze.

A mithril cane lightly touched the ground, while the upright figure beside it stood just as perfectly straight, revealing a composure and elegance that seemed to come from his very bones.

His golden hair, interwoven with strands of frosty white, had been combed meticulously into place.

His face could not be considered particularly old, yet somehow seemed filled with the stories and weariness left behind by the passage of time.

Agatha raised her eyes and happened to meet a pair of azure-blue eyes as calm as a lake.

Those eyes seemed almost magical.

In an instant, even her own state of mind calmed along with them.

—As expected, this truly was an outstanding Master Mage.

The moment she saw him, that thought involuntarily surfaced in Agatha's mind.

This master's bearing was simply too striking.

According to her experience, the aura of a true powerhouse could not be faked.

There was only one thing that confused her slightly.

Although that master's face was clearly filled with solemn dignity, for some inexplicable reason, she felt that his current pose was just a little too showy, faintly carrying a certain......

Playboy-like rakishness?

An illusion.

It had to be an illusion.

"Seriously......I already told myself to stay composed. How could I have such a strange thought?"

Thinking that an unfathomably powerful Master Mage looked rakish......

Perhaps she was the only person in the entire world capable of having such a bizarre thought.

Maybe her intuition was simply too sharp, causing strange ideas like these to constantly pop into her head.

Fortunately, after thoroughly preparing herself mentally, she was now composed enough.

After their gazes met for only a brief instant, she quickly lowered her eyes respectfully.

Then, after taking a deep breath, she bowed slightly toward......

Hm?

Suddenly, because of that deep breath, Agatha sensed something.

"This is......"

"Hello. You must be the newly arrived student Agatha."

On the other side, Master Enmu had already extended his hand.

His solemn face remained unsmiling, yet his words carried a warmth that was enough to put anyone at ease.

After all, she was the first student recruited after the Enhancement School had undergone its transformation.

No matter what, he had to treat her seriously.

If a certain jealous "student" beside him had not still been watching, he would have immediately opened with a smile devastating enough to charm someone to death.

But what he never could have expected was that he had only just extended his hand, before he had even made a proper gesture for a handshake, when a pair of fair hands suddenly grabbed it tightly.

"I......I've finally found you!"

Agatha was incomparably excited.

She stared at Muen as though she were a girl who had suppressed her feelings for more than ten years and had finally met the idol she had desperately pursued all that time.

"Finally......"