Night slowly drained away. A pale band of dawn spread along the horizon as the sun prepared to rise.
The Witch was still sprawled over the desk, looking as if she hadn't slept a wink.
Nolan gradually lifted his head from the school desk and rubbed his eyes. Just then, he spotted Sellen across from him, completely absorbed in her book.
He couldn't help marveling at it. This woman was utterly obsessed with Sorceries research. Once she got into it, she'd lose herself for hours, forgetting to sleep, forgetting to eat. More than once, he'd woken up in his wooden chair only to find Sellen slumped over her desk, unmoving.
He genuinely couldn't understand how this teacher had managed to survive long enough to reach the era of the Tarnished Ones' return.
With a helpless shake of his head, Nolan hurried out of the Conspectus. Not long after, he came back with a bulging bag of ingredients.
Then he slipped into the lounge next door, and soon returned carrying a tray piled high with food.
Two golden, perfectly fried eggs sat on the plate, alongside several fragrant grilled sausages and a few thick, juicy pork chops.
Big portions, guaranteed to fill you up. And with the Perfumer's secret blend of spices, it could restore your physical condition fast.
Nolan's cooking obviously couldn't compete with the royal chefs, but years of doing it had made him competent. He was at least the kind of cook people would grudgingly praise as "not bad."
"Something new again today!" Sellen said.
She set her book down with bright excitement, leaned in, and took a deep sniff. A satisfied smile spread across her face.
"That smell really makes you hungry. You did a great job!"
Nolan was long used to her exaggerated reactions. He answered evenly, "It's just breakfast. How many years has it been since you last ate outside?"
Sellen ate as she replied, sounding completely casual. "Don't remember. Probably decades…"
With that, she tossed the spellbook aside, picked up her knife and fork, and dug in. Every so often, she let out a quiet little sound of approval.
In the Lands Between, lifespans couldn't be judged by the standards of the mortal world.
Here, the stronger you were, the longer you tended to live. The same held true for the immortal Golden Dynasty subjects.
Ordinary Golden Dynasty subjects lived only a few short decades. When their appointed time arrived, they returned to the embrace of the Erdtree.
But some powerful champions could weather centuries and still keep youthful faces and vitality.
Sellen clearly belonged to the latter. A true champion Sorcerer.
That she held only a low post as an ordinary lecturer was partly a matter of seniority. But it was probably also tied to her two troublesome mentors.
Rumor had it the two masters were harsh on their students. Maybe she'd once suffered under that strictness herself, and now wanted to hold an umbrella over her own pupils instead, favoring encouragement over intimidation.
The thought made Nolan uneasy.
Sellen had never once put him down. So just what had Lusat and Azur been like to her back then?
"While you were out, Preceptor Miriam sent someone," Sellen said suddenly.
"Uh… was it about me? What did she say?" Nolan asked at once.
"It's an order from Her Highness the Princess. Apparently they're putting together a group to go to Caria Manor for further study. Other Conspectus can sign up freely, but everyone from our Lazuli Conspectus has to go," Sellen replied.
At that, Nolan's hand froze in place on the book.
He turned his head to look at Sellen, but she was calmly gnawing on a pork chop, not even sparing him a glance.
"What are you so nervous about? It's only a few months of further study. Who knows, you might even get the chance to be taught personally by Her Highness the Princess!"
Sellen set down her knife and fork and let out a satisfied huff. Her deep blue eyes were clear and steady, as if none of it was worth worrying about.
There wasn't the slightest hint of suspicion, if anything a touch of pride. After months together, Nolan already knew how good Sellen was to him, so all he could do was give a bitter smile.
"Am I just being a coward?"
"A coward? You're a shamelessly bold one. Sounds like you know something, but I'm not interested in other people's secrets."
Sellen slid the empty plate in front of her apprentice and smiled lightly.
"Anyway, you're my apprentice. A few little secrets that have nothing to do with me won't change that. Even if you burned the Erdtree to the ground, it still wouldn't change."
There was a trace of teasing in her voice, but her gaze was calm, like she was stating something obvious.
Nolan looked at Sellen, and warmth spread through his chest.
She wasn't joking. It was a promise, plain and sincere.
He met her eyes and held them for a few seconds, as if trying to see something deeper there.
In the end, he chose to trust her. Between them was a kind of tacit understanding that didn't need words.
Nolan stood up without a sound, gathered the plates, and headed for the kitchen. When he came back to the lounge, he had an extra cup of hot tea in hand.
He set it in front of Sellen, returned to his seat, picked up his book, and sat quietly, waiting for her instruction.
Sellen watched what he did. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and a flicker of satisfaction passed through her eyes.
"Teacher, it's time. Let's continue the lesson," Nolan said softly.
Both of them were sharp enough that silence was answer enough.
Amid the thin curls of steam, teacher and apprentice sat quietly with several meters between them.
One lectured with full focus. The other listened just as intently.
The only sounds in the room were the soft rustle of turning pages and the teacher's voice. Everything else was still.
The peace of it was comforting, steadying, as if that strange conversation had never happened at all, like a dream that vanished the moment you woke.
And yet, beneath the usual rhythm of their days, something wordless was taking shape between them.
For a moment, it felt as if their thoughts were connected, as if they could understand each other without speaking.
Time passed. The light on the Erdtree pulsed in a steady pattern of brightening and dimming, and the days slipped by one after another.
During that stretch, Nolan performed almost unnervingly well, to the point that he became a model for the academy's apprentices.
Not only did he avoid causing trouble, he seemed even more eager to learn than before.
Every day, he was either in Teacher Sellen's chambers, listening to her instruction, or seeking out Thops to study magic.
That kind of diligence and focus earned him plenty of praise from the academy's upper ranks. Some of them even hoped he would stay.
Nolan's life was simple and clean, a daily loop between the academy and the town. No drama, no excitement, just calm days, with only the occasional bit of news from outside through Miriam and Loretta.