The Good Teacher

Shout-out and thanks to Leo_Micado for beta-reading this chapter.

____

"Why?" Shuri asked. She immediately followed up by saying, "Don't tell me that It's because it is the right thing to do or some stupid reason like that."

As she said those words, Shuri realised that she had actually spoken out her mind. She realised that the many filters she applied to every word she spoke had suddenly disappeared.

Markus chuckled mirthfully and said, "It IS the right thing to do."

He let the smile fade into neutrality, looked directly and continued, "I'll be honest with you. There are a lot of inconsistencies in your stories."

Shuri agreed on that point. She hadn't been managing her backstory with the same level of stringency in the recent day or so, as much as she did in the past. She blamed this oversight on the intense emotional and semi-physical rollercoaster she had the privilege of riding. Nonetheless, having her mistake pointed out made her realise that she had severely underestimated the boy's emotional intelligence. Everyone lies. That was a fact. And this boy here had played the bumbling, innocent act to lure her into a false sense of security.

"But, I choose to ignore these inconsistencies because of a simple fact," Markus raised a finger and said, "It doesn't matter."

"You do have parents," Markus affirmed. "But you ran away from home. If this was just a rebellious act, you wouldn't carry yourself so decisively. Your behaviour and actions show no indication or hint of you reverting to your past life. You didn't care about the poor condition of this inn, or the shabby presentation of the food even though you clearly are from a family from the higher rungs of society."

"A child never runs away from home and cuts all ties like this unless there is something seriously wrong," Markus highlighted. "I bet you planned everything down to the detail - your escape, your new life, your entire future! But it all fell apart because of something out of your control."

Markus shrugged, "Shit happens! You can't control the world, no matter how hard you try. But you CAN control how to adapt to what the world throws at you. However, if even that becomes difficult, you can always rely on someone else."

Shuri held back her scoff. Why would she entrust herself to someone else's mercy willingly? It was akin to handing a sharpened knife to a turncoat and expecting them to not stab you in the back when the going gets tough.

"You're effectively stranded now," Markus reminded. "I can't, in good conscience, leave a fellow youth go through a painful experience all alone if I can help it. So, I'd like to offer you a hand. Join my Sect - use it as an opportunity to regroup. You don't have to cultivate if you don't want to, there are many potential job opportunities if you wish to earn money in the meantime."

"You're quite perceptive," Shuri commended instinctively. "I didn't..." expect the boy to narrate the entirety of her life so succinctly.

"I don't even know anything about your sect," Shuri responded, but she received an immediate response in the form of a folded leaf of paper. She held it carefully and unfolded it from its side, revealing an elaborately designed document that explained everything about the True World Sect at a single glance. What attracted Shuri was the standardised and uniform lettering. It had a consistency unachievable in writing. After spending a few seconds to appreciate the aesthetics of the leaflet she gained a better understanding of the Sect.

"This is nothing like what a Sect should be," Shuri voiced her confusion. "If anything, it mimics the workings of an academic institution."

"That's precisely the point," Markus affirmed.

"If that was the goal all along, then why register with the Sect Alliance?"

"Because our focus isn't just to learn and explore, but also to apply the knowledge meaningfully. To that end, mana and magic are a crucial element of the natural world that affect it in ways that we either don't know or take for granted," Markus elaborated.

"It still sounds like an Academy of Magic with extra steps," Shuri retorted.

Markus revealed a wry smile and said, "It would have been so if only our Sect Leader wasn't blacklisted from the Co-operative."

"Besides," he exclaimed. "The Co-operative offers a much shorter leash for the Teachers registered under it, given how it is an international body. So in the grand scheme of things, going down the Sect route was the most optimal move."

Following that, the boy descended into a passionate tirade extolling the Sect, the Sect Leader, the Sect members, the Sect's values, the Sect's campus, and on, and on- Shuri tuned out the conversation after a point and contemplated her next move. She was definitely tempted by the offer. 'Noone would think that a Princess of the Empire would be affiliated with an unknown sect in a rural village. It would be the perfect place to remain incognito and, as the boy suggested, accumulate resources to deploy a corrected plan of action.'

Of course, there came the issue of trust, of which Shuri had none, of the people affiliated with the Sect. This hitherto unknown Sect Leader who was also Markus' Master sounded surreal, to say the least. She was certain that the boy greatly exaggerated the man's character to present him in a positive light. She did not think that there could be anyone so selfless and peaceful in this world. Furthermore, the Sect sounded too good to be true. There had to be a caveat that she was missing, hidden amidst the boy's words.

"Before I make my decision, I do have a question, which I think you have been skirting around," Shuri interjected. "A Sect is identified by the primary cultivation technique practised across its membership. What makes the True World Sect so unique?"

Markus scrunched his brows.

'Got him!' Shuri cheered internally. She was certain that she caught the long-awaited "but".

"How much do you already know about magic, cultivation and mana?" Markus probed.

"Enough to make an informed decision," Shuri said, as she tried to remain as vague as possible. She didn't want the boy to know that she had perused every single book and manual available to her in the Palace's Library (which amounted to almost every publicly available book and manual in the Empire). All of that information was stored in her mind, ready to be recalled at her beck and call.

"Well. It is our Sect's belief, which stems from a long-standing theory, that mana is the fuel for magics that are 'falsehoods' that skew the world away from the 'truth'."

"I have never heard of this theory before," Shuri stated.

"Of course, because it isn't published anywhere," Markus retorted.

"And how do you expect me to just believe this?" Shuri scoffed.

"Because I have proof," Markus said with a smirk. "I apologise, but when I inspected you with my Mana Sense, I got the inkling that you were somewhere in the Late stage of the Mana Condensation realm."

Shuri nodded apprehensively. Now that she was no longer in the Palace, and devoid of the highly enchanted robes worn by those of Royal Blood, her everything was laid bare for any rogue mage to see.

"In that case, you should know that those below the Late stage of the Mana Condensation realm can't cast spells with a ranged component?"

Shuri nodded once again.

"When you tell a lie, it is often best to formulate one that is close to the truth. Because that way, the logical leaps one has to make are reduced thus making the lie more believable. That concept, if applied to magic, states that if the magic adheres closely to the truths established in the natural world, then the amount of mana needed to fuel it is significantly reduced," Markus orated. "We will prove this theory by getting you to shoot a |Fireball|."

Shuri snorted in disbelief instinctively. She held back a sneer as the boy pulled out the enchanted book hanging on a chain around his waist and retrieved a piece of paper from within.

____

Shuri's eyes alternated between the splintered log in front of her, the piece of coal in her left hand, and the blooming spell circle unlike any she'd ever seen before on her right.

"I can't believe it..." she muttered in surprise. She turned to see Markus wearing a shit-eating grin that split his head in two. Shuri reached into her pockets and retrieved the piece of paper with the spell circle drawn on it. She extended her hand to return it to Markus.

"You keep it," he said. "Take your time, practice, and memorise it."

"No need, I remember it," Shuri responded while poking the side of her head.

Markus' eyes narrowed in suspicion, so Shuri voluntarily obliged by forming the spell circle once again, and again, and again.

"Wow!" Markus exclaimed, and this time it was Shuri's turn to sport the sleaziest of shit-eating grins.

"Your memory is impeccable!" He commended sincerely.

"It's hard for me to forget things once I've seen and internalised them," Shuri offered.

"I did not believe my Master when he said it," Markus mumbled. "You have an eidetic memory?!"

"What is that?"

"How far does it go?" Markus shot back.

"Umm... to about when I was born," Shuri said with a strained voice. This was personal information, one that she held close to her chest. Why was she so forthcoming?

"Amazing!"

There! That was why! Shuri did not realise just how starved she was for praise and recognition, that a single word of sincere praise had her unravelling by the seams.

"It must be interesting, right? Your memories from birth must be garbled since your understanding of the world hadn't fully cemented yet," Markus theorised.

"They were. But I've managed to decrypt them over the years," Shuri said with a low voice. Her expression turned wistful as suppressed memories started to resurge. The ambience also turned gloomy.

After an extended pause, Shuri looked at Markus and revealed a rare, and sincere smile (which she'd done more times in the last two days than through her entire life).

"Shuri," she said while extending her right arm forward.

Markus stared dumbfoundedly at the extended hand and looked up at the girl's tranquil face. Then, his lips extended into a lustrous smile.

"Welcome to the True World Sect, Shuri!" Markus said as he reciprocated the greeting.