A Bug In Fate

Alden turned the golden card over in his hand, examining it with curiosity. It was thin and smooth, with several intricate markings engraved along its edges. At first glance, it looked like a VIP card he had gotten recently from the guild, but it was something else, as something was written on it in black ink.

Name: Alden Age: 17 Affiliation: Guild.

Alden read the most important information, and his eyes widened in surprise. His head turned towards his teacher, who was looking at him with the same amused smile.

"This—this is an ID pass... how?" Alden asked as he narrowed his eyes.

He didn’t know why his name was on it, as he didn’t even apply for one. He could have, but the need for it didn’t arise, as at the guild, he didn’t have to give anything aside from his name and four gold coins.

Ravenna crossed her arms as she began speaking.

"Earlier, I did a background check, and I found out that you only arrived in Ravenhold a month ago, and you entered it with an ID pass."

She paused in between.

"That was how I found out the name Noah. So I thought, why could you be using someone else’s name, and..."

"I thought of a possibility that you don’t have your own ID pass."

Ravenna smiled at the end while Alden nodded several times in understanding.

"...Oh, I see."

"So I just got your ID pass for future convenience."

Ravenna smiled as she leaned forward.

Meanwhile, Alden’s gaze lingered on the card as he observed it with keen attention.

"Wait... this one looks different. The one I had was a simple piece of paper."

Alden frowned as he flipped the card to both sides.

The card was thin and small, unlike the paper he had received as a gift from the bandits.

"This one looks somehow special."

Alden spoke out his mind.

"Hehe. Of course it’s special. I don’t want my student to stand in line while some nobles pass by without even blinking."

Ravenna chuckled as she stood up from her seat.

"Teacher, what do you mean?" Alden tilted his head.

"That card isn’t for commoners. Only nobles and certain special people can have one. In other words, this card indicates your standing in society."

Alden fell silent for a moment as he realized something.

His teacher really wasn’t holding back. At this point, she was literally spoiling him to no end.

He glanced at her before a serious expression appeared on his face.

"Teacher, next time you do something like this, please ask me first..."

"...I don’t want to be given everything when I haven’t done anything to earn it."

Alden spoke with an honest expression.

Silence settled over the table as Ravenna processed his words.

For the first time since becoming his teacher, she was forced to reflect on her actions. She wasn’t like those teachers who got angry simply because their students said something they didn’t like.

Maybe it was because she wasn’t a teacher in the first place.

After all, Alden was her first student.

That was precisely the reason she was doing everything she could to give her student everything she had to offer, and there seemed to be only a few things she couldn’t give him.

*What is a teacher?*

The question suddenly rang in her mind, yet even her years of experience couldn’t give her a perfect answer.

All this time, she had mostly been busy with the guild and her own personal matters. She had never really stopped, nor had she ever needed to think about what it actually meant to be a teacher.

*Is a teacher someone who shows their student the path? But if that is their job, doesn’t that mean they are forcing their student to follow the same path they once took?*

*Or is a teacher’s responsibility not to guide their student toward a specific path, but to assist them in reaching the path they chose for themselves?*

Her thoughts continued to race, one question leading to another, until even an introvert might have struggled to keep up with her overthinking.

After five minutes of silence, Ravenna simply shook her head before glancing down at Alden, who remained silent this whole time, reading the room and not disturbing her.

"You are right... I got carried away because you are my first student."

Ravenna looked into his eyes, and her expression turned gentle at the end.

"I will try not to overdo it moving forward." She smiled.

"Thank you for understanding." Alden nodded at her and returned her smile with his own.

Silence settled over the table once again, but this time, there was no tension between them. Instead, it was a comfortable silence, the kind that didn’t require either of them to say anything.

Alden cleaned up the table and gathered the books that had been scattered around. Once everything was back in order, he finally let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he had been holding.

He glanced at Ravenna for a moment before turning his attention back to the books.

After that, he sat down in his chair and returned to his studies.

Today, he had seen and learned many new things. Not only had he gained knowledge about bloodlines and physiques, but he had also learned something about his teacher—and perhaps even a little about what it meant to have someone genuinely looking out for him.

For now, though, there was still a bet to win.

Alden picked up the next book and opened it, returning to his study with a renewed focus.

Meanwhile, Ravenna watched his determined expression, and a small smile slowly bloomed on her face without her even realizing it.

She remained silent for a while, simply watching him return to his studies as if nothing had happened. There was something different about the way she looked at him now. Perhaps it was because their conversation had made her realize that, despite all her years of experience, there were still things she had never stopped to think about.

...Sigh... I guess I still have things to learn too.

The thought surfaced in her mind, and she couldn’t help but find it somewhat amusing.

She had always believed that she had enough experience to handle almost anything that came her way. Yet now, her first student had managed to make her question something as simple as what it truly meant to be a teacher.

Still, she wasn’t going to force herself to find an answer immediately.

Some questions simply needed time.

So, Ravenna decided to let time lead her toward the answer she didn’t have at this moment.

For now, she would simply watch, learn, and let things unfold naturally.

The rest of the day passed in comfortable silence, with only the occasional question breaking the quiet atmosphere.

Whenever Alden came across something he didn’t understand or found confusing, he would ask Ravenna about it. She never seemed bothered by his questions and simply answered to the best of her ability, sometimes giving him additional explanations whenever she felt they were necessary.

For Alden, having someone like Ravenna beside him made the long hours of studying much easier. He could simply ask whenever he reached something he couldn’t understand instead of wasting precious time trying to figure everything out on his own.

Eventually, night fell over the UmberSoul, covering the open field beneath the dark sky. The two of them had their dinner before Alden returned to his research once again.

There were still several books left, and Alden had no intention of leaving them unfinished.

His goal was simple.

He wanted to complete every remaining book today.

That way, tomorrow, he could finally begin what he had been putting all this effort into.

Creating his own cultivation technique.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!