Heaven's Greatest Professor

Jenni ran to the door as soon as she heard a knock. She was expecting one of two people: either her father or Warden. However, since the master runesmith had visited earlier today, it was likely his friend.

It was no surprise to find she was right. It took a moment to recollect herself, staring at the unfamiliar woman standing before her.

"Dawn?" Jenni asked, her eyes examining the woman before her.

The woman, with burning white hair similar to their mutual friend, nodded as Jenni invited her in. Dawn was similar in height to Jenni, somewhat skinnier, and obnoxiously cuter. She resembled a porcelain doll, her skin pale, pinkish-fair, and smooth.

Dawn was... unnatural. In a good way. She looked human... but more. It's not just her obnoxious beauty that draws eyes.

She had a very distinct smell that Jenni couldn't put her fingers on. She dressed plainly in a normal white shirt and pants, which should be very anti-feminine, yet they only enchanted the unique aspects of her exterior. Jenni couldn't help but feel a tinge of envy in her chest.

She usually didn't have such feelings often, that too about someone else looks... but Dawn was just too... different.

"Did you have any difficulty getting in?" Jenni asked. "Did Warden help you?"

Dawn only stared at her with purple eyes—not as intense as Warden's but still enough to unsettle Jenni slightly. "No."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Well, it doesn't matter," Jenni said, offering her a chair to sit across from her. "You guys need to give me the name of the person who does your hair."

Dawn shot her a pointed look.

Feeling awkward, Jenni offered her some beverages and snacks.

"Thank you." Dawn looked around the room at the walls where Jenni had painted vague images of rune designs.

Jenni suppressed her fluster and took a deep breath. Get a hold of yourself, girl, she thought. Just act natural, act straightforward.

"So~" Jenni scratched her head, unsure of what to say. "So tell me about yourself... Wait, let me go first." She coughed to clear the awkwardness. "So, you know, I'm Jenni. I'm a runesmith, an adept. Everyone thinks I'm a genius, but can you believe it took me nearly 15 years to get to this point?"

Of course, for half of those fifteen years, she didn't have access to her essence, which made it nearly impossible for her to practice true runesmithing. But she didn't mention that.

"An interesting fact about me is that I was born only five years ago in the traditional calendar," she continued. "But I've only spent three years outside the front lines, so it doesn't really matter much."

Dawn's white eyebrows furrowed at the last part, though she didn't express anything.

At least I managed to get her attention with that, Jenni thought.

Another awkward silence descended until Jenni gestured with her hand, indicating it was Dawn's turn.

Dawn closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. "I... First, I need to tell you that I'm not very good at conversation," she said, not looking at Jenni. "I've heard it may be because of something wrong in my head or because of my origin, which means nothing to most people with power..."

Her breathing grew heavier as she spoke, and her cheeks turned red with the sheer effort it took to state all that.

"I... I also learned this language recently."

"You can talk slowly," Jenni said, offering her a glass of water. Dawn gulped down half of it before thanking her.

"I've lived most of my life in poverty," Dawn said, biting her lip. "In dismissal... but finally, things turned around a few years ago, and I made a few real friends."

"So unlike me, you really worked hard to get to where you are now," Jenni smiled at her.

Dawn looked as if she should say something, but her inner awkwardness prevented her from uttering any words of encouragement. Her cheeks grew redder, making her look so cute that Jenni wanted to pinch them. But she suppressed the urge, remembering Warden's words that Dawn did not like being touched.

"So you and Warden," she asked, "how did you become friends with him?"

Dawn lifted her head with a pointed look. "I... was not his friend," she said. "Only an employee... A common friend introduced us, and he recognised my talent and was glad to employ me." After a moment of silence, she added, "That was likely the second most significant moment of my life."

"So, you used to work for him?" Jenni muttered, raising an eyebrow. She hadn't expected that. "What did you do for him?"

"Mostly overseeing things when he's out on business," Dawn said.

"I hope he didn't overwork you," Jenni said, recalling how the master runesmith had pushed her and the other adept runesmiths.

"It wasn't difficult," Dawn said. "And the pay was great."

"That I can imagine," Jenni said. "I just feel like he's the kind of man who'd leave you to do something and forget about it, without even knowing if you're capable of the task."

Dawn looked like she wanted to disagree with some part, but she didn't say anything.

"Oh, did you get to eat delicious food while at work?" Jenni asked, more interested than she appeared.

"Yes~"

Jenni stared at her enviously. "Lucky you... I've had to suffer through military food for most of my twenty-year stay here."

"He wasn't very good before, like five years ago. Now, he has mastered the culinary art."

"You worked for him for five years?!" Jenni didn't know why she raised her voice.

"No... no... only three years... I haven't seen him for the last two years." Then something dawned on her. "I guess you can say, I have been working for him in the last two years as well."

"What a lucky guy!" Jenni chuckled.

"To be fair, I haven't had many interactions with him the first three years either," Dawn continued, taking the initiative to converse for the first time. "As you said, he used to give me tasks and go on to do his own thing. But he was very clear on people he could depend on... Whatever he made me do, seemed to have a test in them, which I'm not aware of...

and they continue to rise in difficulty accordingly."