Perhaps someone would be surprised that I agreed to the exchange so quickly and gave up my knowledge. But first of all, Black doesn't know the full extent of my knowledge, and I can calmly give it out in portions in exchange for what he'll teach me.
Secondly, over these two months I've figured out that he's a good person - this is evident both from his attitude and his aura, which is almost unstained by darkness and rot. Almost — because everyone has their skeletons in the closet. And considering what family he came from and his age of almost a hundred years, he's practically a saint.
Yes, I made inquiries about him, though I found out little, but everything he said was confirmed. I saw articles where he spoke about his discoveries and old newspapers that once savored the scandal connected to Black's exile. Further information was fragmentary and inaccurate - sometimes he'd invent an artifact, sometimes help ordinary people, which the media perceived exclusively with mockery.
And what, really, was I supposed to do? I screwed up myself, now I have to fulfill the contract.
…
The next day we collided with the bureaucratic machine of the French Ministry of Magic. As Phineas explained, a student to a Master is almost like an adopted child — all responsibility for his injuries or death would hang on him. Therefore, registration is just as complicated and comparable to taking custody.
But money greases government mechanisms in the magical world no less than in the world of ordinary people, and so we managed it in one day. Black refused my money, saying that now he's my teacher and won't allow a student to pay for him. Especially since we have a contract for payment in knowledge, not money.
Getting free attendance at Beauxbatons was much simpler - just notify them with a letter signed by the student's parents and the school director, Olympe Maxime, and you can rest until the exam. True, if I pass subjects with an average negative score or come out at zero, I'll lose that right.
A sort of stick to the carrot — if you've taken on studying yourself, then study well, and I consider this correct.
…
When all this bureaucracy was finished, we returned to my home and the conversation turned, surprisingly for me, not to what I could give Black, but to what he could teach me. I briefly told him about all the directions of magic I'd taken on and for what reasons.
"I don't approve of being scattered in different directions. It's better to first become a master in one discipline and then move on to the next," my teacher said thoughtfully, frowning and rubbing his chin. "Though I understand your reasoning."
"I'm practically not studying spirit and love magic anymore, after I managed to leave my body and control my abilities." He knows I'm a veela, and wasn't particularly surprised by this. Apparently, in his life he's seen all sorts of things.
"A sensible position - achieved what you wanted and switched to more important disciplines. Let's list what I can help you with and what I can't. With artificing and charms, everything's already clear - I have mastery in these disciplines and can pull you up if not to my level, then close to it. Everything depends on your diligence and talent.
"Pyromancy isn't my path, but I'll try to find suitable tomes in my library for you. Metamorphism, alas, is an extremely rare discipline, but I know where to get creatures whose forms are very useful and strong. But as for yoga..." here he frowned for a very long time and thought about something. "I think it's time to collect a debt from an acquaintance of mine."
"You have an acquaintance who's a yogi?" I was surprised.
"I don't know, he's not exactly a yogi in the sense you describe him, but he can give you very much. And how much exactly will depend not only on me, but on you too."
"Why?"
"He's... a peculiar person. Anyway, when you meet him, you'll understand what I meant. So get ready, we're going on a journey," he said, groaning like an old man for show as he stood up, and after thinking a bit, continued. "But not today. I still need to arrange things with your mother, and you probably need to say goodbye to your friends."
"Teacher, but what about school? And how do we practice artificing during the journey?" I knew the answer, but I needed to ask this question.
"Long-distance portkeys. I'm one of the few in Europe who can create them without the risk of arriving at the destination in pieces," and his face was so boastful that I couldn't resist.
"If you don't praise yourself, no one will?"
"Ah, you little ungrateful brat, I'll teach you to respect your teacher!" And then I had to hastily apparate to avoid falling under his hot hand. Though it didn't help me much...
…
"Teacher, I already apologized, maybe you could lift the spell now?" I already looked like a girl, and with a pink bow in my hair and a matching pink dress, no one would recognize me as a guy. Even Mom, barely holding back laughter, said it suited me. And Ludwig openly laughed his head off! Traitors, traitors everywhere!
"No, you'll learn that old people must be respected."
"What do you mean old? You still have so much life ahead of you!"
"Flattery won't help you, you little pest." Ugh, and how did he do this? Finite doesn't work, transfiguration either, and any spare clothes turn into women's pink dresses. Moreover, this definitely isn't an illusion!
Well, I'm to blame myself - no one pulled my tongue. I relaxed, decided to joke around, and look what came of it.
The farewell with friends turned out rushed, and this was largely because they were laughing like horses and couldn't stop. Only before departure did the thought creep in that Black did this on purpose. Because otherwise there would have been a half-hour of pink snot-spreading from Apolline's side. I glanced at him sideways, but he put on a proud and unapproachable act, which made me even more suspicious.
"Alright, I'll remove the spell from you. It's not proper to appear before my friend looking like this - he might think the wrong thing." After a wave of his wand, completely ordinary-looking, my clothes became normal.
"But next time you won't get off so easily. You see, I also love good jokes and am not lacking in imagination."
"Forgive me, teacher."
"I didn't punish you for the joke, but for disrespect. You thought that now we're equals, right?" I nodded. "You must understand that teacher and student can joke with each other, but the student must always respect his teacher. You don't notice it yourself, but from the outside it's visible that you consider yourself better than others thanks to ancient knowledge.
But that's not so - there are monsters in the world who came from those very ancient times, and there are those who have surpassed even them. And I see that you know this, but don't fully realize it."
"And what should I do about it?" I asked, sighing heavily.
"Nothing for now - this will come to you with time, and I'll bring you down if you get too arrogant. And maybe the upcoming meeting will show by itself how weak and inexperienced you still are. Give me your hand and hold on tight." After this, Black squeezed his cane and pronounced: "Portus."
…
The cane turned out to be a long-distance portkey. Unlike ordinary apparition, the movement lasted longer, but the channel was wider, which made the flight relatively easier to bear. We tumbled out near huge carved wooden gates in Eastern style. I somehow managed to group myself and land on my feet. Judging by the fact that we left at noon and arrived in the evening, we covered quite a distance.
"Not bad. Usually people fall like sacks of potatoes and get turned inside out. Apparently your successes in apparition are showing. By the way, how did you learn such a dangerous skill?" The old man didn't change his body position at all, as if he hadn't moved. Experience.
"In childhood I somehow accidentally apparated, but managed to catch that feeling," I voiced a long-prepared excuse. I'm sure he already knows about this from Ariel.
"Is that so? Spontaneous magic? Not bad, not bad. If you had a more meek disposition, you'd be an ideal student."
"Wouldn't that be too boring?"
"Exactly, that's why I took you as a student. Well then, let's go knock on the door. I hope he's home."
We approached the huge gates, and in true sight I could see they were enchanted with some hieroglyphs. Though I still didn't expect Black to knock on the door with a bombarda! And what was even more surprising was that these charms didn't leave a scratch, but created plenty of noise.
But these were just flowers — the berry was a more than two-meter giant who moved the gate leaf, half a meter thick, as if opening a garden gate. This was a muscular, mustachioed blond of middle age and enormous height, covered in muscles.
But he didn't look like a bodybuilder, rather like a heavyweight boxer, and his muscles weren't pumped up but woven with sinews and veins. First time I've seen such a manifestation of human physical strength. See someone like this in a dark alley - a chamber pot wouldn't be enough, it would overflow.
He was dressed in a green cloak - I don't know its exact name and red bracers. On his feet were traditional wooden sandals and white socks with a cutout for the big toe. However, contrary to his appearance, he had a quite good-natured face, which relaxed even more upon seeing Black.
"Phineas, my old friend, glad to see you! How many years, how many winters!" boomed the giant with a distinct Japanese accent, who had to kneel to hug him.
"And who's this beside you? Don't tell me you had a son in your old age, or is this your student?"
"The second. Actually, I came to ask for your help on this matter. Though I wouldn't refuse conversations about the past either," the old man finished on a positive note.
"Then why are we standing here? Let's go into the house - for good guests I'll scrape something together," he said, laughing awkwardly as he let us inside.
…
Inside turned out to be several buildings, most likely Japanese, as I correctly understood. And the distance suggests we're in the land of the rising sun. Though the owner of all this looks as much like a Japanese person as I look like a troll.
Already inside, sipping traditional tea, we introduced ourselves to each other.
"Oh, I somehow forgot — student, meet the strongest man in the world..." Here the big guy interrupted him, embarrassed.
"Now you're exaggerating, it makes me uncomfortable. Furinji Hayato," he extended his paw to me, which felt like stone to the touch.
"Arthur Marlow, very pleased to meet you," I introduced myself after the handshake. He didn't compete in strength - people at that age rarely suffer from foolishness, and certainly not with children. Since he greeted me European-style, I decided to respond in kind and bowed Japanese-style, but not deeply.
"Ho-ho, it's good that young people respect foreign customs."
"He doesn't know you well yet. Once he gets to know you better, he'll be climbing on your neck," he scolded me.
"But the student really is quite good. So much so that in some things he surpasses me, and I need your help. In payment of a debt."
"Even so?" the giant was surprised. "I would have helped you just like that, you know."
"I know, but in that case you would have taught him only the basics. I want you to teach him as if he were your student," Black explained.
"If it were anyone else, I would have thrown him out by the scruff of his neck for such a request," Hayato frowned, but immediately after relaxed with a smile. "But you saved my son when he was at death's door, so I won't refuse. If your student can withstand my training, of course."
"And where is Saiga himself, by the way? He was such a sweet boy."
"Ten years have already passed - he left his father's house in search of his own path. He came by recently, brought a girl home, a beauty," speaking of his son, the giant seemed to glow from within. "Now I'm waiting for grandchildren - as I heard, she's already expecting."
"Chicks must leave the nest to spread their wings," Phineas nodded in agreement, as if quoting someone.
"Let me show your student the guest room, and then we'll have a cup of sake?" Furinji suggested, to which my teacher agreed with a nod.
I didn't argue or say I wasn't tired. Apparently, the two friends wanted to talk alone about the past, and I would only be in the way.
…
I was led through a fairly large house with paper walls and shown a small empty room with a built-in wardrobe where bedding and a futon - a sort of mattress that needs to be laid on the floor - turned out to be.
"This is my son's former room. Sometimes he comes to visit, and I keep it clean, so make yourself comfortable," the big man said good-naturedly. "And I advise you to rest well - the training will be exhausting."
"Thank you. May I create furniture and a bed as I'm used to seeing them? They'll disappear on their own over time, or I'll remove them," I asked permission.
"This is your magic?" he asked. That's when I turned on my true sight and nearly went blind - he's stronger in raw power than Gont!
"Wait, aren't you a mage? You have an incredible aura!" I asked, wiping my tearing eyes.
"So young, and already have dragon sight?" the giant asked rhetorically about true sight, stroking his beard. "Amazing! But anyway, all questions tomorrow - I'd like to chat with your teacher."
"Thank you again, sorry for keeping you," I said. After Furinji left, surprisingly silently like some assassin, I tidied the room with household charms and created a bed, table, chair, armchair, and several shelves.
I have a feeling I'll be here for a long time.
[ image Hayato Furinji ]
***
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Thank you for the help with the power stones!!!