After agreeing to teach me how to read and write, Lira and I left the bookstore. She had barely given me time to breathe before looping her arm through mine and tugging me insistently toward another destination.
"Lunch," she declared, her golden eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "The best place in the inner dome. My treat."
I wasn't given the option to argue. Not that I wanted to, though part of me still felt awkward about letting her pay for everything, the other part was more focused on the way her soft chest pressed against my arm as she pulled me through the bustling streets.
The restaurant she brought me to seemed absurdly fancy compared to anywhere I'd ever eaten. I couldn't even begin to judge it properly. For all I knew, the marble pillars at the entrance and the glass-paneled ceiling inside were standard fare for the inner dome, but to my farm-boy eyes, it looked like the kind of place nobles would brag about visiting.
We were guided to a corner table beneath a shimmering chandelier. I sat stiffly, aware of the pristine tablecloth beneath my hands, the polished silverware, and the way the servers moved like dancers across the floor. Lira, of course, looked completely at ease, as though this was her natural environment.
Just like breakfast, she took the reins, ordering for both of us without hesitation. Once the waiter had left, she rested her chin on her interlaced fingers and regarded me with a mischievous smile.
"As I said earlier," she began, "today is your first official day as my new assistant. But before you get too comfortable, I think we should be very clear about what that actually means."
I leaned back in my chair, curious. Up to this point, all I really knew was that she wanted me for my mana and, apparently, my talent for finding traps in ruins. Hardly enough to define a role.
"Basically," she continued, "you will become my research assistant and, at the same time, my spare external mana pool."
That made sense. She'd said before that her mana wasn't infinite, and I'd seen firsthand how drained she'd been after entering the ruin's core. Meanwhile, my absurd mana pool seemed to be my only real strength.
"Your role as my mana pool is simple. When a large amount of energy is required, whether for an experiment, an ancient mechanism, or opening a stubborn ruin door, we'll use your mana to accomplish it."
Straightforward enough. I nodded, though I noticed she said "we" instead of "you." She wasn't asking me to just throw mana around blindly. She meant to direct how I used it.
"As my assistant," she continued, "you'll also perform menial tasks for me. Fetching and carrying supplies, organizing my research materials, making purchases on my behalf. Simple things. You will be handling responsibilities that carry my seal of authority, so in a sense, you'll be representing me."
That point landed heavily. I wasn't worried about manual work, but the thought of people seeing me as her representative… if I failed or embarrassed myself, it would reflect on her. And she had already risked her reputation by hiring a peasant with no formal education.
"That isn't going to be a problem," I assured her quickly. "I can handle that. And with reading and writing lessons, I'll be able to help you even more." The thought of finally being educated, even at the most basic level, filled me with more excitement than I expected.
"Reading and writing are just the beginning," Lira said firmly. "You'll receive a baseline education, yes. But more importantly, you'll become a student of the magical arts."
My jaw dropped. "Huh!?"
Her golden eyes narrowed in mock annoyance. "Don't 'huh' me! You have so much mana that learning to control it is not optional. Because you'll be working with me, you won't be a full-time academy student, but you will be enrolled in fundamental classes. Professors will handle the structured lessons. I expect you to absorb everything they can teach you."
"So… study alongside my work, and learn to use mana productively?"
"Exactly." She smiled, and I realized she had probably been planning this the moment she decided to hire me. "I'm a researcher, not a teacher. My job is to test theories and explore the unknown, not to spoon-feed lessons. But I want you to learn practical and combat applications for that ridiculous mana pool of yours. By the time we return to the academy, I expect you to be able to down a flying devil on your own."
The way she said it made it sound simple, but the thought of facing something like that made me sweat. "I'm not much of a fighter."
"Bullshit." The word rolled off her tongue without hesitation. "With your level of mana, you could overwhelm most opponents. You just need to learn how to use it properly. That's all."
I sat back, her confidence in me both intimidating and oddly reassuring.
"Now," she went on, her voice shifting back into businesslike tones, "for your compensation. I'll pay you a monthly salary of five gold coins, and I'll personally sponsor your education at the academy. Once you finish, you'll be free to do whatever you want with your life."
My eyes widened. Five gold coins! That was absurd. To put it into perspective, she had bought all the books I'd hoarded over the years for fifty gold coins, and the gems I'd sold to the bank had fetched me another twenty-five. I still have twice as many gems remaining, but that is beside the point.
She had explained yesterday that a small, fully equipped one-man airship cost around eighty gold coins. That meant in just over a year, I could buy my own vessel outright.
"And," she added smoothly, "you'll get a cut of any treasures we recover from ruins. Consider it hazard pay. But it also means you'll act as my bodyguard during expeditions."
I couldn't keep the grin off my face. "That sounds amazing. So basically, you want me to keep doing what I've been doing in ruins, except for you, while also handling errands and studying on the side. I'd be a fool to say no."
"Good." She leaned back in her chair, but I noticed her foot slide across the floor until it brushed against my calf. Slowly, deliberately, she began to rub up and down, her delicate toes sending little jolts of sensation through me.
Her lips curled into a seductive grin. "Also, from now on, I fully intend to have you accompany me to social events as my partner."
I nearly choked. The word "partner" struck me harder than the promise of gold or education. My body betrayed me, my crotch twitching under the table as she toyed with me using just her foot.
"Why?" I asked, my voice strained. "We met only yesterday, and yet you've been flirting with me nonstop. Now you're saying you want me to be your partner? Out of the blue, it's… confusing." I paused, then admitted honestly, "Not that I mind."
She tilted her head, eyes glimmering with amusement. "Max, how much do you know about dark elves?"