Chapter 25 (2/2)

“Is that soo?”

Eian answered tepidly, running his hand all over the ball of yarn. He was in constant motion throughout their conversation as he unravelled the skein and looped the yarn around the needle.

“You’re well aware yourself, Teacher, that even if Ryan’s resolved to die, he can’t hold a candle to me.”

‘That’s true, but…’  Teacher pursed his lips.

But that was precisely why Ryan unleashed hell on Eian; on top of his nasty attitude, he resented that he couldn’t ever catch up to Eian’s innate talent and unlimited scope of skills and composure.

‘He’s a disciple who makes an enemy of everyone at every turn, so it only exacerbates my worry.’ Teacher heaved a deep sigh. He had no doubt this brat was the reason he’d been suffering stomach issues lately.

‘The poh-tion from Hyeminwon has become sought-after lately, maybe I should sample it,’ he mused, then squinted at the boy and asked,

“Lately my joints have been feeling stiff.”

Teacher clicked his tongue. With the best will in the world, he couldn’t even offer a word of advice as symptoms of the 2nd Awakening varied from person to person. They could only hope it would pass.

Eian finally lifted his head.

“I’d like to ask a question, Teacher.”

He was wearing an uncommonly serious look, knocking his teacher for six as this was the boy who’d smirked even while under attack or having his sides pierced.

Eian bit on his lips for an instant before asking in a hushed voice,

Is there no way to do it using magic? He groused under his breath.

Why would Einsane knit?!’ Completely poleaxed by his question, Teacher involuntarily switched to using the boy’s nickname from the Magic Tower for he couldn’t even begin to reconcile knitting and Eian Krosch. They were 400 million light-years apart! Did he mean to knit people? Was he planning on knitting two individuals together to practice adhesion magic?!

“Why?”

“Since when is knitting a ghastly business?”

Eian cocked his head to the side in puzzlement, which drove his teacher to adopt a much calmer approach.

“Yes. I’m talking about making something with yarn and snagging the attention of small entities.”

Eian didn’t acknowledge that particular question and prompted him again,

“Do you know? How to knit.”

How could a mage of the Magic Tower have the remotest understanding of knitting? In no circumstances would his ignorance in the craft be a disservice to the world, after all.

“Tch.”

Eian merely clicked his tongue, his eyes betraying his impression of the man, ‘You’re really a useless mentor’.

Click.

The transmission was terminated before Teacher could even finish grumbling, leaving him to thunder after his student,

“EIAAAAAN—!”

“…”

Staring vacantly at the snarled yarn, Eian slipped into a contemplative mood. He was someone who’d grown up hearing that he was born with every imaginable talent; there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish once he gave it a try. He could even grasp it even if he didn’t have the inclination to. However…

His gaze refocused, settling on the skein. To think he would struggle with this coil of wool. It suddenly felt like his life, though short, had amounted to nothing. When he picked up the needle, the snarl straightened out.

‘I need to examine it.’

Why did he feel so awful over the fact that the Lady had smiled his way only once? He frowned, remembering the dumb and less evolved primate.

‘…Should I just obliterate that one.’

Contemplating the more straightforward, deadly method and the chore that was knitting, Eian caught the ball of yarn in his hand.