Nadia
Nadia
Evelyn could clearly see how wronged the primordial creature felt, as her emotions seemed to be worn on her face, but with her life on the line, how dare she let feelings of pity delay her 'teachings'?
"Hey, I know you understand me, so don't pretend to be dumb! Believe me, as long as you don't learn to speak for a day, I'll keep you for a day, and if you don't learn for a year, I'll keep you for a year!"
—Obtained one drop of [Primordial Naiad's Tears]
—Water Affinity increased by one percent!
—Current affinity with water is 90%…
…
—Obtained one drop of [Primordial Naiad's Tears]
—Water Affinity increased by one percent!
—Current affinity with water is 95%…
At first, the mermaid really kept her mouth shut and refused to listen to her anymore, but with Evelyn's persistent efforts — and a little 'bullying' — she could only cry and try her best to imitate the big bully in an attempt to please her.
Evelyn soon noticed that while it was quite naïve on the surface and looked dumb, the primordial creature actually had a terrifyingly great learning ability.
Before long, the mermaid was actually able to start speaking 'words', which were mostly just unintelligible sounds, but considering she couldn't do anything at all just a while ago, this was still shocking!
The first time she had responded with an actual sound, Evelyn had praised her generously, since she knew that punishment would soon lose its effectiveness in conducting learning without corresponding rewards.
However, who knew that such an approach would boost this little thing's learning speed by leaps and bounds?
"U-Uh… Uwaa! Naa… Da-da-da?"
The mermaid looked at her proudly, as if expecting to be showered in praise, and Evelyn felt like it was a great test of her willpower to not give her a 'are you stupid' look.
In the end, she could only helplessly pat her head before encouraging her to learn more. No matter how she looked, this was now firmly a little baby in her mind. Even if she had terrifying chompers, Evelyn couldn't find it in herself to be too mean.
The pink-haired girl smiled. "Nadia… say 'Nadia'!"
Of course, this was the name she had given the little mermaid, and after debating between this and her own name, Evelyn decided to teach her how to speak 'Nadia' first.
Who knew that even though she wasn't being ridiculed, the little mermaid would still feel wronged, and start shedding tears again?
—Obtained one drop of [Primordial Naiad's Tears]
—Water Affinity increased by one percent!
—Current affinity with water is 100%!
…
—Obtained one drop of [Primordial Naiad's Tears]
-Affinity with the element [Water] is already at its limit, and cannot be increased further.
—Vitality increased by +1 points!
Evelyn blinked her eyes in shock. 'There's still this function?!'
Of course, any boost in her stats was a welcome change, even if it didn't directly boost her combat ability.
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With Nadia no longer being so restless, Evelyn thoughtfully changed her soul space to resemble the garden at her home, and held the fascinated little mermaid in her lap to continue her lesson.
Presumably, the little mermaid had never been out of the lake's depths, and was understandably fascinated by the new scenery, leading to a slower speed of learning.
Of course, as her primary objective was to increase her affection by using her soul to contact with the little mermaid, and even the learning session was only meant to distract her from being on guard, this wasn't an unwelcome change.
Soon, however, Nadia was able to get over her curiosity and diligently start learning how to pronounce her name.
Evelyn felt like her affection should at least be at a somewhat decent level by now, since not only was Nadia no longer as rebellious, but also showed hints of being docile and obedient. Still, until she got the notice that she had obtained her ability, she didn't want to take any chances.
After all, it could just be that the little mermaid was curious and whimsical, and with her affection not being high enough, would still tear her apart once they left Evelyn's soul space.
"N-Nah… Deee… AH?"
Evelyn blinked, before her eyes lit up in surprise. "Wow, you actually did it?! Good girl! Good girl!"
The mermaid happily wagged her tail as she closed her eyes in delight, letting Evelyn ruffle her hair obediently.
The thwacking sound from the ground from Nadia's tail smacking against it soon awakened Evelyn as she realized how ridiculous she was being.
Coughing in embarrassment, the pink-haired girl gave Nadia a grim look. "You know how say your own name now, but I'm so sad that you can't say mine."
Nadia looked at her pitifully. "Nah—Dee?"
Evelyn swallowed her 'are you a pokemon now' and quickly corrected her. "Evelyn, now, say 'Evelyn'!"
Of course, her own name was much harder to pronounce than 'Nadia', especially for the little mermaid who was probably only relying on imitating the pink-haired girl.
Soon, the little mermaid found herself frustrated once more, and Evelyn's vitality continued to increase.
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Meanwhile, back at the academy, Aurora's face was pale with anger and desperation as she stared at the blue-haired woman in the sky. "Leave!"
Gwendolyn chuckled. "Don't be so stubborn, now, and stop testing my patience, it has a limit. Had I wanted to harm you, would I not have done it long ago?"
The platinum blonde pursed her lips and refused to budge, stubbornly maintaining the barrier along with the other pillars. Thinking how her student was likely facing a life and death crisis by now, she couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness in her heart.
Everything seemed to go wrong today.
Gwendolyn sighed. "Little girl, don't be so hard-headed, okay? If I wanted to break this barrier, we both know it is only a matter of time. We share a common cause, so let me in, I'm only here to help."
Of course, Aurora knew that long ago. With a pillar's strength, perhaps breaking through their main barrier really was only a matter of time.
However, just because she knew that the flimsy and thin wooden door of her house couldn't hold back the tiger outside, didn't mean she would open it herself and let it in.
Even if that tiger appeared to be docile and have a full belly, she still couldn't bring herself to do it.
The blue-haired woman in the sky sighed as she closed her eyes, and finally decided to use her last resort. There was no way she could keep floating here like this.
Even though her presence was masked so only those she allowed would be able to sense her, there was no telling that someone wouldn't be able to notice her accidentally. Just like everything else in existence, her technique also had its flaws.
Sending her voice directly through her domain, Gwendolyn made her statement directly in Aurora's mind. 'Don't you recognize me, little girl?'
Aurora was immediately stunned as her expression turned blank.
Years ago, this was exactly how she had been informed of her student's existence. At that time, she had a hunch that it could be a person, but the voice came directly from the natural domain she was trying to master, so Aurora had convinced herself that it was the domain's will, or perhaps the world will itself, that was communicating with her.
Of course, there had always been a little doubt in her mind, especially when combined with the rumors she had heard of Gwendolyn, but there was no way for Aurora to be sure.
Now that she knew of this, however, Aurora didn't hesitate anymore, and decisively opened the barrier to let Aurora in.
The other pillars didn't know who or what it was she was blocking, since Gwendolyn's presence was still masked, and were greatly relieved when she dismissed them and moved out, assuming that she had already dealt with the issue, one way or the other.
At least this time, there were no 'leaks', or they would really feel like they were useless.
Aurora didn't waste time with Gwendolyn, and immediately arrived at the 'Siren's Call'. Since she had decided to take the chance, the platinum blonde decided to solve the crisis first, and decisively believe in Gwendolyn all the way for now. "My student is inside, I will go in to save her. If you like, please help me, or wait here."
Just as Aurora was about to jump into the lake, however, Gwendolyn smiled and clutched her shoulder gently but firmly. "You're not going anywhere, and neither am I."
The platinum blonde's expression immediately turned pale as she glared at the blue-haired woman. "I-I… I believed you?"
Gwendolyn looked a little amused. "Of course you did, silly girl."
Of course, the blue-haired woman didn't dare leave her hanging, and immediately explained further to avoid the platinum blonde from doing something absurd like blowing herself up. "Do you want to interrupt your student's lucky chance? If not, I advise you to wait here."
Aurora's expression eased a little as she furrowed her brows in confusion. "Lucky… chance?"
Gwendolyn nodded. "My domain is water, and while this lake's water isn't quite what I can control, it is still water in the end. I can vaguely sense that not only is your student safe… she's growing."
The platinum blonde blinked. "Growing?"
The blue-haired woman smiled. "Right. She's getting stronger, slowly, but surely."
Of course, she didn't let Aurora know that there was an existence that could crush her little student into powder in an instant right next to her, or Aurora was sure to jump right in regardless.
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