With that, Reina-san and I took our seats on the sofa.
"Well then, let's start with proper introductions. I'm Olivia von Rachia. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"A pleasure to meet you as well."
She bore a family name.
I figured she was a noble, but having already encountered several nobles before, I was able to greet her properly without feeling nervous this time.
"Huh... It was the same during the [Intimidation] earlier, but you've got quite a bit of nerve..."
"Olivia-san, what do you think? Would you be willing to teach Erik magic?"
When Ryan-san asked, Olivia-san fixed me with an intensely serious stare.
"What is your relationship with Reina-chan?"
"...Olivia-san?"
"Wait, no, I mean! Reina-chan looked so fiercely protective of him this whole time, so I couldn't help but wonder what kind of relationship you two had!"
Reina-san, sitting beside me, directed a chilling glare her way.
Under that icy look, Olivia-san stammered out her excuse.
"Erik-kun is an adventurer under my charge. Besides, he's connected to you too, Olivia-san."
"Huh? Does that mean this boy is from Fledgling Pavilion as well? Well, what do you know! In that case, you're my junior!"
The instant Olivia-san learned I was staying at Fledgling Pavilion, her demeanor softened completely.
She had seemed gentle enough before, but the faint trace of guardedness she had harbored vanished entirely.
"Um, did you live at Fledgling Pavilion too, Lady Olivia? But aren't you a noble?"
"I made a few contributions to the country and was granted a family name for my efforts. It makes various things much more convenient. But I see! You're my junior, then. All right, I'll teach you magic."
"Wait, a-are you sure you can decide so easily?!"
"Well, if Reina-chan is looking after you, that means Amanda-san from Fledgling Pavilion must have introduced you to her, right? If so, that's more than enough for me."
I didn't quite understand why that was enough.
Or rather, as I had wondered before, just who in the world was Amanda-san?
All I had done was come to the royal capital on a shared carriage and head to Fledgling Pavilion simply because someone recommended it to me, yet it had brought me so much support.
"Um, is just living at Fledgling Pavilion really held in such high regard?"
"Merely staying there isn't enough. The condition is that Amanda-san must acknowledge you and introduce you to Reina-chan or another trustworthy receptionist."
"To be honest, neither I nor anyone else in the guild can match her eye for people... I once asked her how she could read people so accurately, but she just told me it was pure intuition."
It seemed Ryan-san also placed immense trust in Amanda-san's judgment.
"Even though I just went to Fledgling Pavilion on an ordinary recommendation..."
"There are quite a few adventurers who hail from Fledgling Pavilion, and we tend to recommend it to anyone who looks like a newcomer for the time being. Well, whether they can actually stay there comes down to their purse and room availability at the time, so it's a test of luck as well."
As Ryan-san explained, Olivia-san held out her hand to me.
"And so, I look forward to working with you."
"Yes. I look forward to working with you as well."
Having already resolved to learn magic, I took Olivia-san's hand and exchanged a firm handshake.
With our master-disciple relationship forged, we moved directly to the training grounds.
"First of all, what kind of magic skills do you have, Erik-kun?"
"...Huh? Ryan-san, didn't you tell Olivia-san?"
"Ah... Come to think of it, I forgot to mention it."
Hearing our exchange, Olivia-san tilted her head quizzically.
"What do you mean?"
"Um, the truth is, I don't possess a single magic skill."
"...Um, I'm sorry, but if you don't have any magic skills, how do you expect to learn magic? Even for me, trying to teach magic to someone when I can't even tell if they have the talent for it is a tall order, you know?"
Olivia-san looked thoroughly perplexed as she spoke.
Since she was going to be my master, I decided to confide in her about [Fixed EXP].
"Does such a special skill really exist?"
"In fact, when I underwent the ritual, that was the only skill I had. But now, I possess three skills. One of them has already reached skill level 4."
"...I see. All right, for now, I'll take your word for it and try teaching you magic."
"Thank you very much, Olivia-san."
After thanking the still somewhat bewildered Olivia-san, my magic instruction officially began.
"First, you understand that magical talent is the most crucial factor when it comes to magic, right?"
"Of course. It's common knowledge that if you don't possess magic when you undergo the ritual, you're better off giving up."
"That's right. Then, do you know what the second most important thing is?"
Asked that question, I shook my head.
"Fufu, honest to a fault, aren't you? The second most important thing is mana control. No matter how many spells you might be able to use, it's ultimately meaningless if your mana control is terrible."
Saying so, Olivia-san conjured a ball of fire right before my eyes without chanting a single word.