Chapter 1503: She Wants To Help Me Tame
I followed after the Nekomata as she led me out of the building, thoughts about me missing my class racing through my head.
The first year students that saw us were mostly focused on me than the Nekomata, most of them stepping aside to gawk at me and my egg as I walked by but not really paying attention to the director in front of me.
The more senior students, however, saw the Nekomata and quickly stepped aside to look at her in awe, then their gaze would shift to me and most of them would have a confused look like they were wondering why I was even following behind her.
She brought me out of the main building until we reached a stretch of path that was devoid of any other students.
She then turned back to me, as though reading my mind about my worries for skipping class.
"You don’t need to worry about this class, Aster. I am formally extending an invitation to make you my apprentice for learning Kalomancy under me."
I blinked at her before lifting my hand to point at myself, "Me?"
She nodded her head, "That’s right. I believe you have rather special circumstances with that."
She paused to gesture at the egg that I was carrying in my arms, clearly pointing out the real reason why she wanted me under her.
I tilted my head at her, "Am I allowed to reject this offer?"
"Of course, Aster. But I would really recommend that you take my offer instead. You would not have a good time in that class and it’s not because of your lack of talent but more because of your special circumstances."
That actually intrigued me a little as I hugged my egg closer to my chest, "What do you mean by special circumstances... Director?"
She looked around, as though checking if anyone else was around but even though there wasn’t, she gestured over to the teleportation array.
"Let’s speak somewhere else instead, student Aster."
I decided to just follow her and nodded, letting her lead me to the teleportation array and standing beside her.
The ground lit up and we were transported to another location that was on a floating island away from the main Academy island that was floating behind us.
I looked around to see that we were on some kind of jungle island and the Nekomata director gestured for me to follow her.
As I followed her forward down a dirt path, a large wolf monster suddenly stepped out from between the trees and I stiffened, expecting it to attack.
However, instead of pouncing at us like I thought it would, it wagged its tail at the sight of the Nekomata and she reached up and patted it on the snout casually.
It gave a happy growl before turning around and walked back in between the trees, disappearing amongst the bushes.
I’m guessing that’s a monster she tamed... And this might even be her private island where she keeps her tamed creatures...
She continued down the path until we came across a clearing where a hut was located, the Director walking up to the door and pushing it open, beckoning me to follow her.
Seeing no other place to go, I followed her inside and looked around the hut as she closed the door behind me.
It was a rather unremarkable hut with just the bare essentials for living in. There was a small bed in the corner, a study table, a dining table and a storage cabinet in the corner of the room and that was basically it.
She seemed to have read my mind as she spoke up, "No... This is not my home. It’s just a place that I use where I could be comfortable while taking care of my creatures."
Ah... Of course...
She then turned to face me once again, a serious look on her face.
"Things might have started a little out of order here... First things first, I am Fetra Wilde, the current department head for Kalomancy. Nice to meet you, student Aster."
I didn’t really know what I should do here so I just reverted back to what I know and just gave her a curtsy as best I could while holding my egg.
"Well met, Director Wilde."
She chuckled at me, "Fufu~ There’s no need for that, student Aster. You can just call me Director Fetra. I am not a noble after all, I am just a simple teacher here."
Pretty sure being the Head of Kalomancy was more than just being a ’simple teacher’ but I chose not to comment on it, opting instead to try and figure out what she wanted from me.
"So... You mentioned something about me having special circumstances?" I reminded her, straightening myself again.
Director Fetra nodded before gesturing at my egg again, "As I said, your egg puts you in a special position, something that is ill suited for a teacher of an introductory class to handle. I assume that you have no experience in the art of Kalomancy, student Aster?"
"Yes, Director. I have not even touched the first tier of proficiency for Kalomancy yet."
"As I thought... The egg itself is not a normal egg... Dare I ask, student Aster... Where did you obtain it?"
"In a Dungeon," I answered easily.
"A Dungeon... And I assume this was a drop from a boss monster? Most likely a floor boss? Itself?"
I’m surprised she even guessed in that direction but I still nodded to confirm that it was, at least, partially true.
I don’t think it would be wise to tell her about the monster girl stone since I doubt that thing was something that other people would know about aside from me and that Off-Worlder managing the monster girl Dungeon.
She then reached out towards the egg and I thought she would try to take the egg from me but she merely just hovered her hand above its surface and it felt like she was running her hand along the surface of the egg, even though there was a distinct space between the egg and her palm.
"Interesting... It is as I had thought..." She mumbled after taking a step back from me to eye the egg. "This egg is alive..."
I blinked at her before tilting my head, wondering just what she was talking about.
I mean... Of course this egg is alive? It’s containing a living thing inside it right? So obviously it should be alive?
As though reading my mind, the Nekomata director quickly shook her head, "By ’alive’, I don’t just mean that there’s a living organism inside the egg... But the egg itself seemed to be a living creature of its own... If you get my meaning?"
"The egg itself being a living creature? Like... You’re talking about the entire egg? Not just what it was containing?" I asked.
She nodded, "That’s right. Which is already something quite unusual by itself, because this means that the being in the egg has already formed a consciousness at this point. And... It seems like you are also feeding it with your mana?"
I paused in my mana transfer to the egg, something that I have now grown accustomed to doing subconsciously whenever I was holding the egg in my arms.
"Yes I am," I admitted before finding my stomach tying itself in a knot in worry. "Should I not have done so? Does that stop the egg from hatching?"
"No, no. You are doing exactly what you should be doing, which is quite surprising considering you were not trained in Kalomancy at all. But... From where I am standing, your egg is an entire wellspring of mana... The mana being so dense that... I’m even surprised that the egg is still intact and yet still able to absorb even more of your mana..."
I looked down at my egg that, to me, felt like it was humming contentedly.
I looked back up at her, "So... What did you want me here for? And what does my egg have to do with this?"
She pursed her lips before letting out a sigh, "I suppose I should just be straightforward with you... My intuition as a tamer is telling me that the moment the creature in that egg hatches... It would bring calamity upon the world... And that you would not be able to control it at your current level..."
I blinked at her, tightening my grip on my egg wondering if she was going to tell me to hand it over to her instead.
She smiled, "I have no intention of taking it away from you, student Aster. This is why I asked that you become my apprentice. I will make sure to teach and train you in Kalomancy until you are strong enough to be able to tame whatever comes out of the egg."
"For you to say that... It means you’re confident of taming it yourself if I couldn’t, right? Wouldn’t it be better for you if you just did that?"
She chuckled, "As someone who has tamed beasts of my own... I will not take away another person’s partner for no good reason. And I believe you possess the capacity to be strong enough to tame it, student Aster. So what do you say? Will you accept being my apprentice?"
I mean... You’ve already brought me all the way out here so... Why not?