Chapter 17 (1/2)

“Do you know how much trouble you’re in young lady?” Tafel’s mother asked as she glared at her daughter.

“I’m sorry,” Tafel said. She was sitting on her hands with her head down and shoulders hunched over. Her mother and father were standing over her while Dustin stood by the doorway.

“You deliberately ignored us and you lied to Dustin,” her father said. “That wasn’t a very nice thing to do. Your mother was worried sick about you.”

Tafel remained as silent as a board.

“No more magic training for you,” her mother said, “ever.”

“But-“

“No buts. You brought this upon yourself.”

Dustin frowned. “Isn’t that too much? It was my fault too for not verifying her words,” he said.

“There’s no need for Tafel to learn magic,” her mother said. “There are things more valuable for her, like politics and etiquette. As for you, Dustin; you should know me well enough to not have let her go.”

“Mina…” Dustin said. Tafel’s mother let out a hmph and brushed past Dustin as she left the room. Tafel’s father sighed and walked after her.

“It’s not fair,” Tafel mumbled with tears in her eyes. Dustin walked up to her and pat her head.

“I taught you all the basics of magic. You can still practice even if I can’t teach you. Work hard and you’ll be strong enough to do what you want one day.” He took off his necklace and clipped it over Tafel’s neck. “This should help you when you practice,” he said. “Return it to me when you become an adventurer.”

Tafel grasped the gold necklace and looked up at Dustin. He smiled at her, then turned around and left the room. He closed the door behind him, but he could still hear sobs as he walked away.

“Tafel has so much talent in magic; it’d be a shame if she stopped,” Dustin said to Mina and her husband.

Mina looked at Dustin. “How I raise my children is none of your concern.”

Dustin's chest tightened. “Tafel became my concern when I was entrusted to teach her.”

“And now she is no longer your pupil. You don’t have to worry about her affairs any longer.”

Dustin opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when Mina raised her hand. “Thank you for teaching her, but you should leave now,” she said. “Of course, the request will be counted as fulfilled and you can retrieve your reward at the guild.”

Dustin gritted his teeth and nodded. “Then I bid you farewell,” he said and turned around to leave.

The demon lord turned to his wife after Dustin left and asked, “Did Dustin do something?”