Parallel Memory

"I have lo…"

"What are you two doing here?"

Appearing out of nowhere was Professor Mia. She interrupted me before I told Sylvia.

She appears to be heading towards the Training Field as well.

"You are going to be late if you stay still like that."

Professor Mia said sternly.

"Yes yes, Uh...we... were just going."

Sylvia said while stuttering. She seems quite nervous in front of Professor Mia.

It was not long before she bowed before Professor Mia and quickly walked away from her.

Most students were definitely afraid of Professor Mia. Not because she was just a professor but because she is the 'Ice Enchantress'.

While she garners fame and admiration from millions of people, she also causes them to fear her.

Although I don't think I am ever going to be scared of her.

People fear what is unknown. Though Professor Mia might be able to kill me in one slap, I know she won't.

Therefore, I don't think I will be afraid of her.

Sylvia escaped like she was running away from the devil.

Sorry, Wrong expression. If it was a real devil, people would definitely attack it rather than run away from it.

Anyway, it looks like Sylvia is not good with Professor Mia.

"Actually, it is a good opportunity. I want to ask you something."

While walking towards the Training Field, Professor Mia stopped and suddenly spoke to me.

"Huh?"

"What do you think about me?"

"..."

( This again? )

It was Sylvia asking the same question about Hiro, now Professor Mia is asking the same question about her.

"You know, I am one of the strongest people in Ace Academy and also in the whole Humalia Domain."

Before I even thought of an answer, Professor Mia started bragging about herself.

( Why are you telling me? )

It was weird for Professor Mia to boast about herself. She never did it in class and she doesn't need to because she is one of the most talented people in the world.

It would be rare to find someone who has not heard of Ice Enchantress once in their life, especially the younger generation.

She is an idol of many students including Lisa. She has been recruited by many Top guilds including the four Platinum graded guilds.

She literally has no one to compete with in her age group. Her strong Ice skill and her beauty earned her the title 'Ice Enchantress'.

However, she refused and joined Ace Academy instead.

Many thought it was a waste of her talent and she would slow her advancement to higher ranks if she chose a teaching career.

But she proved those people wrong by breaking through Rank-A and becoming the youngest person in history to do so.

Though I didn't understand her intention of bragging about herself, I nodded to her question.

"My Ice Magic can be said to be one of the strongest and there is no one who can use Ice magic better than me."

( I KNOW! YOU ARE THE ICE ENCHANTRESS! )

"So, I think it would be better if you chose me as your training mentor."

( Ah! It was about that.)

I finally realize Professor Mia's intention.

In order to increase the power of selected participants as much as possible, school management will let students pick a professor as their mentor for three months.

They will supervise and impart their knowledge as much as possible.

Selecting a mentor requires consent between both student and professor.

The student and mentor not only need a good relationship but also should have similar Art or weapon.

What can a professor who specializes in Sword Art teach a student who uses a bow?

Maybe he could teach him about mana control and condensation but his teaching would not be as effective as training under a professor with similar Art.

Therefore, having a good professor who has similar Art will greatly benefit the student.

(...)

I pondered for a minute about Professor Mia's proposition.

She was a really good choice. We both have the same element of Magic Art and I would like to think that our relationship is better than most.

Except for Professor Mia, I don't think I have really close ties with other professors.

But I could also opt to go for a professor who specializes in Sword Art. With the performance I showed the day before yesterday, I don't think many professors will refuse if I said I want to learn from them.

After all, professors are also human, and they also like to have a connection with talented students. So that when the students grow stronger, they can repay the favor.

However, as Professor Mia said, she is one of the strongest and most talented professors at Ace Academy.

And with her expertise in Ice Magic, she should be able to guide me well.

Learning under her would be most effective though I doubt the methods she would use to train me.

Professor Mia's only flaw was that she would use extreme training measures in order to train her students.

Since she was able to do that type of training when she was younger, she expects others to also do it. Which led to many students fleeing from her training session.

But I will be fine. I will be fine, right?

I would like to believe I will be fine since I am quite used to harsh training. Though she might introduce a more difficult training method.

"Although you also use Swords, I think that your Magic Art is more powerful than your Sword Art. I suggest you focus on your Ice Art for now."

It really looked like Professor Mia wanted to be my mentor. I don't know what prompted her to become so motivated to become a mentor.

With her reputation and power, she could choose any one of the participants as her mentee.

"I understand. I will do as you say."

However, I didn't have any reason to refuse her. Professor Mia was definitely the most suitable option for me.

"Great! Other professors may try to win you over but I hope you keep your promise."