Warmth. It was the first sensation that Yachi felt as consciousness slowly seeped back into her mind.

It was a simple pleasure that everyone could experience. As long as the sun rose every morning, there would be warmth for every living being to enjoy. However, for Yachi, it was a feeling that she hadn’t enjoyed in years. Ever since she was exiled to her little hut, the girl had been all alone.

No one had been there to lull her to sleep. No one had been there to protect her from the cold. No had been there to keep her company by her bedside and to keep the dangers of the world away. So, for the young teenage girl, warmth was a foreign concept.

Yachi rolled around on her comfy bed, her body healing from the years of mental and physical abuse she endured. It had been long… too long since the last time she slept soundly. The soft caress of the silken sheets. The gentle wind breeze that entered through her windows that were neither too hot nor cold. The dawn chorus of pheasants which gently tickled her ears…

It felt all so surreal to the sleepy girl.

“Ahh… So comfy...”

By this point, Yachi was already half-awake. She mumbled happily and dove deeper down into her pillow. The drowsy girl didn’t even consider the fact that she didn’t have a cushion just a day before. All she wanted to do… was to enjoy the warmth that was given to her.

But then, as Yachi’s mind continued to come online, the memory of yesterday floated into her consciousness. The image of a foreign magician who came into her room unannounced. His confident laugh and inspired face as he held her panties. And finally...the memory of her falling into his arms and crying her heart out.

It woke Yachi up in an instant.

“AH!”

The teenager sprung up from her bed and sat upright like a rooted tree. She looked forward at the wall, almost in denial. Yachi pulled her silky, smooth white hair, trying to erase that shameful memory from her mind. But alas, no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn’t work.

And it didn’t help that the magician in Yachi’s mind was seated right next to her, casually reading a book. Roan was in the same attire that he wore yesterday, and there wasn’t a single crease on it. He looked lethargic, but Yachi couldn’t find any signs of sleepiness.

“Good morning,” Roan greeted her without looking up from his book.

“G-Good m-morning!”

“Feeling better?”

“Y-Yes!”

“Good,” the magician replied nonchalantly.

With that, the conversation just ended. Roan didn’t care that Yachi had just woken up. He was more interested in finishing the chapter that he was so engrossed in. Yachi, on the other hand, couldn’t take the situation as calmly as the Magic God.

“W-Were you w-w-watching me sleep?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s almost noon, you know? I have better things to do than to watch you sleep for fifteen hours.”

“F-Fifteen?!”

“Yeah, fifteen. From nine last night to twelve this morning.” Roan checked his watch and reported the time accurately.

“After you fell asleep, I made myself a bed over there. At the same time, I did some redecorating to make this place a little more hospitable. Went to sleep, woke up, ate breakfast... However, even after all that, you were still snoring like sleeping beauty. So, to pass the time, I started reading. Just wait a moment, yeah? I’m at the good part.”

Roan paused Yachi by raising his right hand up and dove right back into his book.

This gave time for the young teenager to adjust. Now that she was lucid, Yachi could examine everything that had been done to the place she’d called home. Just like Roan claimed, there was a bed about five metres away from her own. It was identical to her own, barring the few more luxurious sheets and pillows.

Looking further away, Yachi noticed something strange. Her little stone hut wasn’t all that little anymore. Expanded by at least a hundred square metres, there were adjacent rooms with extravagant decor that only a noble could possess. The ceiling had been raised, giving room for some ornate chandeliers.

The kitchen had been redecorated as well. There was a sink, a cooler fridge, stoves, a kitchen island and even drawers to store cutlery. And to add to the insanity, there were small, grey-coloured, humanoid slimes working on cleaning the near-pristine kitchen.

Was this really the same shithole that she had once lived in?

Yachi wanted to exclaim. Unfortunately, the girl was unable to voice out a single word. She had been ordered to stay silent, and Yachi didn’t want to cross the guy who was capable of performing miracle after miracle. And thus, she observed the magician.

‘When he’s not talking, he looks really… dependable.’

Roan was still in disguise, so Yachi was unable to witness the glory of his god-gifted face. However, Roan’s transformed look failed to hide his true self. Powerful yet kind. Charming yet playful.

There was something mystical about a guy focusing on his work. Unconsciously, the teenager pulled her finger into her hair and twirled it around. Yachi was lost in her thoughts, all while observing the guy who had given her so many new things.

At that point, Yachi noticed something strange.

‘Ah, his hair looks so smooth. He must have maintained them well, unlike mine… unlike mine?’

As Yachi was twirling her hair, she noticed that it wasn’t what it was supposed to be. She hadn’t taken care of it for years, and it was in the worst possible shape. Strands of hair flew out from the base of her head, and there were random knots in her coarse hair. Furthermore, the stench that was coming out from her head was so putrid at times that Yachi would attempt to hurl if she smelt it.

Yet… that was all gone. Yachi ran her hand through her hair, only to find out that it was free of any impurities. It was silky smooth, just like the sheets that Roan had gotten her. Yachi placed her hand in front of her nose and took a big whiff and to her surprise… that horrendous stench was gone!

It wasn’t just her hair. Yachi’s body felt rejuvenated as if she had been dipped in an hour-long spa. Her complexion was healed to reflect that of a healthy young girl’s and her face was now pimple free. And then came the final caveat…

“C-Clothes! D-Did you change m-my clothes?!”

“Argh, what’s the big deal? They were dirty, so I swapped it for you.”

“Y-Y-You! S-Saw m-me naked?!”

Roan’s fingers, which should have been flipping the page, abruptly came to a stop. After five seconds, a heavy sigh escaped his mouth before his left hand snapped the book shut.

“You’re sharper than you look. Well, I guess I should say, as expected of my disciple?”

“Y-You r-r-really… saw me n-n-naked?!”

“Look, before you go nuts and shout pervert again, I just did the right thing. Who in their right mind would let a girl sleep in those tattered clothes? What if you got sick again? I wouldn’t want to waste any more of Serenity’s essence on you. Also, I’m not interested in an underage, flat-chested girl like you, so you don’t have to worry about anything!”

Roan confidently said the words and tapped his chest. It was the get-out-of-jail card that Roan had thought beforehand if Yachi had figured out he changed her. If the teenager knew that he wasn’t interested in her, she would at least drop her guard around him.

Alas, Roan’s bulletproof plan… only came to bite him in the ass.

“YOU PERVERT!!!”

“This again...”

❖❖❖

It took a full hour for Roan to calm Yachi down and to reassure her that he wouldn’t do it again. Yachi was still emotionally volatile, so Roan had to be careful in interacting with her. Still, at the back of his head, the Magic God was cursing at the girl for being so hard to work with. If he had known that taking a disciple would be so mentally tolling, he wouldn’t have done it in the first place!

Unfortunately, it was the stepping stone to his ultimate dream, and Roan couldn’t back out now.

“Y-You promise you won’t c-change me again?”

“Look, for the hundredth time, I’m not a closet pervert! I only changed you because you were unconscious. Next time, even if you beg me, I wouldn’t do it. Better?”

“T-Thank y-you…” Yachi was finally able to let it go.

“A-Also… am I really f-flat… No, nevermind! Don’t answer that!”

“... Girls these days.” Roan ended the discussion with a groan. “Moving away from that, how are you feeling? Any discomfort or anything?”

“A-Ah… I’m fine. T-Thank you for lending a shoulder to c-cry on.”

“No worries. You’re going to be my disciple, after all. Dealing with your mental problems will be a part of my job.”

“D-Disciple… Am I really worthy? To become the disciple o-of someone like y-you?”

Yachi couldn’t have known the person seated right in front of her was the most powerful magician in the Human Alliance, and the Magic God ranked first on the Heaven’s Listing. But just from what he’d shown her, Yachi was awestruck by Roan’s overwhelming ability to generate miracles.

“This again… Yachi, if you’re not worthy of being my disciple, then no one is! Stop doubting yourself and just accept the damn truth already!”

Roan grabbed Yachi by the shoulders and stared deep into her eyes. Shivers ran down the young teenager’s soul, and her heart started to beat wildly. It felt as if the man was about to dominate her everything and Yachi wasn’t able to resist anything.

“If you don’t believe that, I’ll just prove it to you! For the next week, let’s do a trial run! I’ll teach you the basics! Magic Systems, Elementary-Class Magic Spells, Aura techniques… everything! And at the end of it, you decide if you’re going to be my disciple or not!”

“W-W-What?”

“Honestly, I would rather kidnap you by force and skip all of this bullshit, but a Master-Disciple bond is sacred! I can’t risk you having any doubts about entering my tutelage.” Roan bit his lip in regret.

“So get ready, little one! I’m going to boot camp the ass out of you!”