Self-relaxation, self-mockery, and the ability to stay positive and optimistic in almost any situation—these have been the life principles that Gavin Brooks has followed ever since leaving his family. Except for the unfortunate matter of his criminally good looks, he has almost never been stumped or depressed by anything.

Walking through the corridor, Gavin Brooks saw a dorm room packed with more than a dozen people, all shouting loudly. Cheers erupted from time to time, as if some competition was reaching its most heated climax.

“These energetic guys. They really ought to have Mr. Rodriguez drill them all into the ground. That would be perfect.”

Muttering to himself, Gavin Brooks hurried toward the water source. Occasionally, someone would point at him or whisper, but he simply acted as if he hadn’t noticed at all.

The incident of being knocked out by a falling hat that day wasn’t exactly a secret. At the time, which classmate hadn’t witnessed such a once-in-a-century event? Both Gavin Brooks’s appearance and the story had already spread to many students’ ears.

There was no one else at the water source today. Gavin Brooks slowly squatted down. Although he could feel that his leg muscles weren’t lacking in strength, the soreness still made him slow his descent.

He tossed the wooden bucket into the well. Gavin Brooks easily turned the crank, pulling up a bucket of light water. Lifting the full bucket with his left hand...

Huh? Gavin Brooks held the full bucket of water in front of him. Although it had never been difficult to carry a bucket of water before, why did it feel especially easy today? The bucket was clearly full, yet it felt as if it wasn’t.

“Could it be that my training in the dream is working?” Without thinking much about it, Gavin Brooks poured the light water into a wooden basin, lowered his head, and began scrubbing his sweat-soaked sheets. Suddenly, he noticed a pair of feet not far in front of him.

They were a woman’s feet! Gavin Brooks was certain of his judgment. The simple, plain white cloth shoes gave off an inexplicable sense of closeness. Looking up along the straight calves, he saw a black, oversized apprentice mage robe.

A mage! Oh, no! Gavin Brooks quickly corrected himself. The girl, whose face was mostly hidden by huge glasses and an enormous hat, wore a mage’s robe that was oversized even for her height, completely covering her figure. Only the gray-and-white magic wand emblem on her chest revealed her identity as a magic apprentice.

This short magic apprentice was also holding a wooden basin, though it was a bit smaller than Gavin Brooks’s, with a few pieces of clothing inside.

Chapter 5: Bilu

Gavin Brooks shifted his basin to the side, making way for her to reach the well.

The magic apprentice gave Gavin Brooks an exaggerated bow of more than ninety degrees, then scurried toward the well in tiny steps.

Watching her back and her hurried steps, Gavin Brooks couldn’t help but suspect that, at that speed, she might trip over something and fall headfirst into the well, putting herself out of commission for good.

Fortunately, what Gavin Brooks feared didn’t happen. The magic apprentice tossed the bucket with its rope into the well with a bang—the sound of the wooden bucket plunging into the clear water.

Then, the magic apprentice began the laborious task of drawing water. She didn’t look strong, and mages rarely had outstanding physical strength.

Gavin Brooks watched as she struggled for ages to turn the wooden crank just once, probably only just managing to lift the bucket off the water’s surface. He finally couldn’t hold back any longer.

As a warrior, seeing someone struggle so much to draw water made him anxious on her behalf. To relieve this anxiety, he got up and walked over to the magic apprentice, reaching out to grab the crank handle.

The magic apprentice was clearly startled by Gavin Brooks’s action. Her big eyes, shining with surprise and timidity from beneath the huge mage hat, stared motionlessly at Gavin Brooks.

“You’re a mage, and a girl at that. Doing this kind of heavy work must be a real hassle.”

With one hand, Gavin Brooks quickly turned the wooden crank. The hemp rope wound around the wooden reel again and again. He didn’t even notice that the crank, which usually required both hands, was now easily managed with just one.

The magic apprentice’s big, watery eyes, hidden beneath the huge mage hat, stared at him in a daze, not even blinking.

“Here, use it.”

Gavin Brooks simply poured the bucket of clear water into the wooden basin the magic apprentice had placed on the ground, not caring what kind of look she gave him, and turned back to his sheets.

Gavin Brooks moved quickly. The sweat-soaked sheets didn’t require much effort—one wash with clean water, then a rinse, and they were done.

Gavin Brooks drew another bucket of water and poured it into his basin. Watching the female magic apprentice using all her strength to wash clothes, he thought for a moment, then drew another bucket of light water and placed it beside her basin.

The female magic apprentice raised her wet hands and wiped her forehead. Her big, expressive eyes curiously watched this seemingly overly friendly warrior, and a hint of gratitude quietly appeared at the corner of her eyes.