I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 124: Ground Rules

"I... is there a way for me to continue learning about my magic?" Maeve asks in a low voice. She knows she’s asking something difficult, but seeing Theo’s appearance, from her point of view, he looks more like a magic teacher than her own.

His knowledge of magic is certainly superior to Teacher Ludwig. I can’t miss this chance.

With that in mind, she braces herself and raises her hand. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Theo looks at her, one eyebrow lifting slightly.

"Are you... sure, Maeve?" Theo tries to remind her of her other status. The one he agreed to keep quiet about.

"I—I know I’m different than the rest of you. And for a very good reason, I can’t say anything more." She takes a breath. "However... learning magic from you is not a violation for me... I think. So, I want to continue learning magic from you."

"And," she looks around the table, "Aldriana has promised not to say anything, but Julian somehow still managed to guess most of it. While I can’t confirm nor deny, I also can’t stop any of you from guessing."

"I guess," she continues slowly, "what I’m trying to say is... the people sitting at this table with me right now, I trust you all. You’re welcome to discuss your guesses about me among yourselves. But I still won’t be able to confirm or deny anything."

Julian’s eyebrows shoot up. "Really? You trust us?"

"I mean, we are trustworthy," he adds quickly, "but do you really trust us?"

Maeve nods firmly. "Yes. We’ve been through so much as a team. And I feel like we worked well together too. That’s rare. And you’ve been nothing but welcoming to me. I’m really grateful for that."

"Besides," she suddenly breaks into a grin, "the four of us are Theo’s students, right? We’re teammates and classmates. I’m sure that counts for something."

The other men, followed by Maeve, all shift their heads. Not toward Theo, but toward Arthur.

Even Theo is looking at Arthur.

Arthur blinks, slightly stunned.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Four pairs of eyes blink back at him in silence.

"Does... this make me... Class President?" he jokes, but no one looks away.

Arthur lets out a short chuckle. "Well then, as the elected Class President, I welcome you, Ms. Collins, to Magic Class by Theo."

He actually extends his hand.

Maeve takes it with a wide smile, and they shake hands firmly.

The whole table bursts into laughter.

It feels good. Having comrades who understand. Who share secrets.

They are now part of something exclusive.

"We need a name," Julian says. "Like Magic Squad."

"No!"

The others reject it instantly.

"Come on! Okay, Magic Squad sounds horrible. Let’s find another one. The Magi."

"No!"

"You guys are no fun." Julian pouts.

"Your names suck," Liam replies flatly.

"Fine! You pick one!" Julian snaps, still pouting.

"No, we don’t need a name. It’s lame. And we’re not five. We’re adults. And we’re not superheroes." Arthur kills the mood with a bucket of cold water.

"Art, water is his thing," Julian points at Liam. "Why are you splashing cold water?"

"Theo, are there any rules for this class?" Maeve asks.

Then she quickly adds, "Calling you Theo is a little awkward. You’re obviously our teacher. You should be properly respected."

The joking stops. The men nod.

Theo only smiles. "Calling me Theo is respectful. Because it’s my wish."

He continues calmly, "It also makes things easier outside. No one will suspect anything. If you start calling me Teacher Theo or some grand title, people will ask questions. So Theo is correct."

"As for rules," he says, folding his hands, "we should have a few."

"First, this class stays secret. The fact that magic exists is already mind-blowing. If word gets out that there’s a class for it, it won’t end well for any of us."

"Second, you should practice anytime, anywhere. Power doesn’t come from memorizing spells. It comes from practice. As you’ve proven yourselves, magic can be cast without long chants. You only need the basic magic word. The rest comes from your mind."

"That’s what I want from you. Practice your elemental resonance. Control it. Once you master that, everything else becomes easier."

"Third," he glances at Julian, "your watches. The app that detects magic purity? It’ll go crazy when you practice. You’ll need to tweak it. Or turn it off entirely."

"Soon, we’ll step back into the real world. That world has no mana. Right now, you can sense mana and call your elements freely. Out there, it’ll feel different. Don’t get discouraged. That’s what practice is for."

"And last," Theo says, more firmly, "we won’t have a fixed schedule. Lay low for the next seven days. Your bodies need it. Trust me."

"If there’s an emergency, I’ll know. If you need to contact me... Thea will still be the point of contact."

Arthur stiffens slightly. He had forgotten about Theo’s connection to Thea.

"Do you have to involve Thea?" he asks.

Theo looks straight at him. "Yes. I have my reasons. I can’t explain them yet."

"But—" Arthur still looks unsettled.

"I understand," Theo cuts in gently. "You want to protect her. So do I. But I can’t not include her. I will keep her safe."

"Are you planning to teach her magic too?" Julian asks.

Theo takes a deep breath before answering.

"Thea..." His voice lowers. "I’ve never met anyone with higher magic resonance than her. I have to teach her. At least how to control that raging mana inside her."

Three faces go pale.

"Everything I can do," Theo continues quietly, "she can do too. If trained properly. She is easily the most powerful magus to ever exist."

He looks down at the table. "I can’t believe she grew up without guidance and still survived."

Inside, guilt twists sharply.

Because Theo knows the truth.

Thea didn’t survive.

Arthur stares at him, fear creeping into his eyes.

"What... what do you mean by that?"