I was adopted by a Magician

Linda had never felt so much study fatigue before as she had in the last ten days. Helena took it up with all seriousness, heaping on the girl an excessive, meaningless and even stupid, in Linda's opinion, amount of knowledge that, without her support, it would simply be impossible to assimilate in a year.

"You have to believe me" Helena urged, "Why would I waste my precious time studying unnecessary things? In your world, this may seem like an empty idea, but your life depends on your knowledge of heraldry or the ability to correctly address the higher ones. Yes, it may be boring, but it is absolutely necessary. Besides, I'm only giving you the most important things. You need to know a lot of details, the study of which is not provided for us due to lack of time, so we postpone them for later. If I get the chance, I'll teach you how to do it, if not, you'll have to figure it out yourself. Ignorance of certain things can be attributed to the fact that you come from a ruined kingdom, where they do not attach importance to many rules that are important to other nobles. The rest of them just don't have time for it, just to survive. However, it is better not to count on it, but to practice hard. You don't study metrics, not because you don't need it, but because our language is not your native language, and you need to spend ten years learning how to compose poetry. But I will hammer the judicial system and the code of punishments for nobles into your beautiful head, whether you like it or not. I'm not wasting the last year of my life on you, my goal is to prevent your death. Not because I need revenge, although it's important to me, but because everyone has to leave something behind. I don't have any children of my own, so I'll give you everything I can. All you have to do is study, whether you like it or not. Then you'll figure out for yourself what I need to thank you for".

Linda memorized the material recorded by Helena and repeatedly reread the book about the noble families of the kingdom, trying to memorize the exquisite coats of arms and absurd mottos. The life of the nobles was strictly regulated by many rules. If some of them made sense, others were absurd. But this cycle of study has come to an end. Helena tested Linda on all topics and found her knowledge satisfactory.

"We'll finish this for now" she said, focusing on the word "bye": "You've regained weight and look good, so we'll start practicing magic tomorrow. However, these classes will only take place until noon. After that, we'll rest for a while, and I'll start teaching you how to dance. Then Gasd will take you under his care. Take this seriously. A strong and trained woman can take down two or even three opponents with a crossbow, and a dagger in skillful hands is a deadly weapon. It is not always possible to resort to magic, so the ability to handle weapons can be very useful. In addition, he will teach techniques by which a woman can resist a man, or even two. The full force of these techniques is the surprise and speed of their execution. In order to use them, you need to have a trained body and master the techniques so that you can perform them instantly. I'll help strengthen your body, but you'll have to train on your own. Get ready for a long and difficult job. You're lucky: others would have spent years on such training".

Linda was really lucky, but this luck required work. In the morning, she sat with Helena, who performed procedures on her, from time to time causing acute back pain. At such moments, Linda scolded everything in the world, calling herself a fool, an idiot... Helena climbed on her nerves, injecting new decoctions into her body, massaging her spine, and the pain temporarily subsided.

"I'm sorry" she said to Linda, "But you have to stand it. If you do it quickly, then only this way, I don't have time for anything else. It won't take long, just a few more days and I'll cut the channel. Then there will be no pain".

After resting a little after lunch, the girl went with her mentor to the refectory, where there was the most level floor, and there she practiced dancing. They were quite complicated and did not resemble any of those that Linda knew, so to speed up learning, she had to swallow an unpleasant decoction. In order not to drink this liquid just for the sake of dancing, she took up the study of words again.

By evening, the girl was under the supervision of Gasd. The old man was a professional warrior and, according to Helena, one of the best. He took a responsible approach to teaching the young lady, starting with crossbow shooting lessons. As the student's skill grew, the target was set at ever greater distances. The training included working from different positions, and Linda was amazed at the strength and lightness of the old warrior, who cocked the crossbow over and over again and ran after bolts with apparent ease. The girl's first attempt to load the crossbow on her own failed due to lack of sufficient strength.

"It's okay, Ms. Rinda" Gasd comforted, "You're just very young and haven't trained much. For now, you will only shoot, and when I get you in shape, then it will come to charging".

Such statements caused concern, but she couldn't get anywhere and continued to train hard. When, according to the instructor, Linda mastered the crossbow well enough, he moved on to the next stage of training. By the end of the training, the girl's hands were so tired of the heavy crossbow that she rejoiced at their completion. However, it turned out that the joy was premature.

Hasd suggested that Linda try her hand at swordplay. He brought a long sword from his room and invited the girl to stand in a fighting stance. The first couple of times Linda couldn't find a common language with weapons, but gradually she began to master the basic techniques. Hasd taught her not only to attack, but also to deflect blows. He was a strict teacher, but at the same time fair and caring.

After a week of swordsmanship training, Linda was already able to confidently hold a sword in her hands and perform some difficult combinations. Gasd encouraged her and praised her for her progress, but did not let her relax. He said that a real fight is not a training session, and that one should not forget about the danger.

"Your body is not suitable for a fight" Gasd said: "The muscles are weak, there is no flexibility. I will tell Lady Helena to prepare a special balm that will help increase flexibility and muscle mass. Without him, I won't be able to train you in half a year, as you are too young".

"What are we going to do besides body training?"

"When you are ready to move, I will teach you the ten fencing techniques that the Aquani ladies learned, and then we will start working with the dagger".

"Aquani is Lady Helena's last name?"

“yeah. Did she mention it? Her full name is Helena Aquani, Marquise of Havrem. Her family owned the marquisate for three generations, before they owned lands in the South".

"What's the difficulty with the dagger?"

"You need to be able to handle any weapon, otherwise it will be useless. I will teach you how to strike correctly from different positions, how to pierce chain mail and even full armor, throw a dagger and deflect a sword".

"Is it possible to fight with a dagger against a sword?" Linda was surprised.

"You can. A long blade does not always give an advantage, especially in close combat or when shortening the distance with an opponent. You can dodge sword strikes and stay on all fours, deflecting attacks with a dagger. This requires good command of both weapons and body. Although I won't make a professional out of you, you won't be completely defenseless".

This morning, an unusual lecture with Helena began.

"Straighten your back, sit on the mat, hands on your knees" The mentor ordered: "It's obvious how you're growing up. Your breasts have started to grow, your figure is rounding. According to my observations, you are no longer a girl, but a girl. There's no need to blush. I notice that you are still quite green and don't know some things. Usually a daughter learns from her mother. But for some reason your mother is silent. Well, I'll tell you. I'm afraid you'll transfer your dislike of one to all men. But it won't work that way!"

"But they're all assholes!" The student objected.

"That's what I thought. What about your father? Is he an asshole too?" The mentor asked.

"Why does Father have to do with it?" The student replied.

"Undoubtedly, he is the same man as everyone else. The truth must be told: there was a close relationship between him and your mother that led to your appearance. Instead of pushing away from him, your mother was attracted to his caresses and what causes you to dislike. Now listen to me: a woman without a man can be strong, but she does not need his strength, but the main thing in her life is the love and loyalty of a man. It is also impossible to have children without a man. If you live like a barren tree like me, it won't do any good. The gods created us to complement each other. It's too early for you to understand this, but I don't want you to develop an aversion to men. This feeling is hard to get rid of, and I may not have time to say everything I need to. Accept this, and remember: intimacy with a desirable man, when a woman is ready for her, brings only joy. It's too early for you, but I don't want you to grow up to dislike men. One should not close oneself off from the possibility of communication and interaction with men because of negative experiences or preconceived views. It is important to remember that every person is unique and deserves respect. By maintaining relationships with men based on mutual understanding and mutual respect, we can enrich our lives and learn a lot about the world and about ourselves. Sit here, I'll finish what I started".

The mentor used the washed greenish liquid from the vessel and began gently massaging Linda's back, following the spine. After smearing her neck, she rubbed the rest of the product into the back of her head. At first nothing happened, but then some kind of fiery stream swept along the back. He slowly climbed up until he crashed in his head, and Linda felt lost. Her body remained at the foot, supported by Helena, while the girl herself wandered somewhere near the ceiling.

"Don't worry" she heard the relaxed voice of the mentor: "Nothing terrible happened, you just temporarily separated from your spirit. Stay calm and just wish you could come back. That will be enough".

Helena's soothing voice restrained the growing fear, and her desire to return to her body was immediately fulfilled.

"Don't get up right away, get some rest" the mentor advised: "It's better not to experiment with these things without proper training. It will only get worse without a mentor. Can you imagine how I had to go through this?"

"What have we done at the moment?"

"We have already achieved great results. They cleansed the body of harmful substances. Physical and spiritual conditions are closely related, which has led to an improvement in spiritual health. It was also deleted... the best word to call it is stress".

"What is it?"

"Don't you remember? According to your memories, stress is a reaction to pain, fear or anger that we got rid of together. This promotes the free flow of energy through your body. In addition, I went through blockages in the main energy channel that runs along my back. It may take you a long time to do it yourself. Today we have freed your spirit from your physical body, which allows you to receive energy directly. Sometimes it's useful to walk through walls and explore your surroundings. The main thing is not to go too far away, so as not to lose touch with the body. I walked three hundred steps forward, but when the fear began to appear, I immediately returned".

"Then what?"

Four stages will be described below. The first stage is learning how to control strength and body. Having mastered this stage, you can quickly recover, change your appearance or improve your speed. Without mastering the first stage, it is impossible to go to the next one - controlling the bodies of other people. Having mastered this skill, you can treat or inflict diseases, subdue or inspire instructions. The third stage involves the ability to control objects and their properties directly, by force. This includes moving objects, creating phenomena, storing food, and magic. At the last stage, you can control astral beings, summon inhabitants of other worlds and study illusions.

"Can we start with the last stage?" Linda asked.

"It looks like I was in a hurry to call you a girl!" Helena laughed: "You're just a kid!"

After Linda managed to get out of her body for the first time, lessons with her mentor became more exciting. The dancing ended, and Helena began to devote all her time to teaching Linda how to control the force.

"Remember" Helena inspired the student: "It is necessary not only to be able to control your body, but also to know where, what and how to change in order to achieve the desired result. If the body is healthy, you should not interfere with its work, especially if you have little experience".

"The urge to accelerate is not always a bad thing" Linda said.

"However, this approach is not always justified. The exclusive use of such methods can lead to negative consequences. It is important to remember this and apply such techniques only in the most extreme cases".

It wasn't difficult for Linda to figure out the magic of illusions. Having understood the basic principle, she immediately got down to business. Unfortunately, the mirrors reflected only the real image, not displaying the changes made by Linda, so she could not see herself with blood-red eyes and long vampire fangs. Helena's reaction to such a performance was strange.

When Linda, without forbidding herself anything, appeared in the mentor's room in this guise, she approached the sword rack so quickly that her image became blurred: "Linda, what do you need?" The teacher asked, looking at the girl with bewilderment. Linda silently pointed at the sword rack and trembled. The mentor realized that the girl was scared and something was wrong. She slowly approached Linda and gently hugged her, trying to calm her down.

"Don't ever say that again, otherwise I might accidentally kill you! And how do you know about the boers?"

"I don't know anything about that" Linda replied, only now feeling a shiver of fear: "We had Count Dracula the vampire. And who are the Boers?"

"Vampires too. But they are rare. They are very fast, hardy and dangerous. Therefore, if you meet him, it's better to kill him right away and don't start talking!"

"Does silver and garlic work on them?"

"I've never heard of it. And how do they work?"

"It doesn't matter. Our vampires, unlike your Boers, are fiction, although something is similar. Don't you have any werewolves?"

"Turning into beasts? No, it's only in fairy tales".

"Do you have anyone else living here besides humans and Boers?"

"This is a human world that didn't have Boers before. They were brought here by one of the magicians. Vampires began to multiply rapidly, but the kingdoms united for the first time in three hundred years and almost all were exterminated. Maybe all of them already. I haven't heard of them for a long time".

After magic lessons, Linda went to Gasd's classes. Before each lesson, she had to completely undress and smear herself with a special ointment that smelled nice and tingled her skin a little. The first time the ointment was rubbed into Linda's already noticeably enlarged breasts, she felt a strange longing and asked the maid not to touch this area. Haya said that Mrs. Helena ordered the ointment to be rubbed everywhere, and if the massage gives Linda pleasure, then you can not touch the nipples.

The ointment had an amazing effect on Linda. She stopped getting tired after practicing with Gasd, her muscles became strong and began to increase. Stretching exercises were no longer as painful as they used to be. Linda's body gradually transformed, acquiring more attractive shapes, but she noticed that she began to expand in the shoulders.

Don't worry, Madame Rinda" Consoled Hai: "it's ugly only for women with narrow hips, but they're just great for you! With such hips, you only need to give birth and give birth! And the tummy is so neat!"

Linda looked at her flat stomach, which did not sag even after a hearty meal, and wondered if it was beautiful or not. And then an unexpected thought occurred to her.

"Why do I care so much about my appearance? After all, I don't need men at all! I need strength, so I won't waste any more time in front of the mirror. Let whoever chooses the exercises for me think about what should develop and where".

Linda was previously attracted to medicine. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a doctor, and now studying medical books with Helena was especially exciting for her. Helena gave her three leather-bound books with brass corners. The first book contained illustrations of the contour of the human body and organs, their effects and possible side effects. It also described various diseases, their symptoms and treatment methods. The second book was about healing wounds, and the third was about changing one's appearance.

"Maybe I should enlarge my eyes and eyelashes?" Linda thought, studying the tables of impact points and notes to them: "What would it look like?"

"You need to keep your strength" the mentor remarked: "We will start with an increase, otherwise you will only be able to do treatment. You will do contemplation before breakfast and two hours before bedtime, as well as do breathing exercises with me throughout the day".

Unbeknownst to herself, Helena got used to the alarm clock, looking only at the clock. She gave Linda an idea that helped them get rid of the need to switch hands. Linda studied the mechanism of the alarm clock and quickly figured out the operation of all components except one.

"And why do we need this detail?" She asked, pointing to an unknown element.

"Oh, I forgot about her!" Linda was delighted: "It's a speed controller. Let's set it to the minimum and see what the alarm clock will show. Perhaps he won't need a translation".

I had to transfer it anyway, but only for twenty minutes once every ten days.

Many hard-working days of study have passed. Linda acquired a good knowledge of her body and was able to determine what to do in the event of any of the illnesses or injuries of moderate severity. In case of serious injuries, the magicians did not heal themselves, as they did not have the ability to control their powers. If the disease was unknown, it could be treated only by symptoms, although such treatment was considered less effective.

About the change in her appearance, Helena said: "You have a beautiful face. If you start to change something about him, especially inexpertly, you will regret it later. Magicians have seen from their own experience how important personality is for a person. The appearance is changed only by those women who have been offended by nature itself. You know what to do, that's enough".

Linda agreed with Helena's arguments, but still decided to increase the length and density of her eyelashes.

"It turned out great!" She thought, looking at her big gray eyes in the mirror: "But I won't change anything anymore. Helena is right, I have no reason to complain about my appearance. Thank you, Dad!"

Her body was overgrown with muscles that became strong when strained, and her breasts had grown and were now pulling on clothes. She realized that the ointment was unnecessary - yesterday she even managed to cock the crossbow three times.

"Stop applying this ointment, dear Rinda" Gasd said: "You have a well-developed female body, and additional muscles are not needed, otherwise you will break the proportions and look like a man. No woman needs that. The missing power will come by itself over time. Our task was to develop your body, now it's time to engage in combat".

She liked wrestling very much. She quickly memorized the movements without prolonged practice and now practiced for two hours every day, striving for automatism and speed of execution. When Hasd noticed that the lady would soon master all the techniques, he began to learn the exercises with a dagger.

In magic, in addition to exercises to increase the reserve, they began to study methods of treating others. Linda quickly learned the theory and went to help the sick. Hasd gave the money to the headman of the nearest village, and soon two mares were brought and carts with hay and oats were delivered.

"Before, horses were not required" Helena said, considering the purchase: "But with your appearance, they became necessary. Tomorrow Hasd will put the harness in order, and we will go to the village. She's not far away, so you can handle it. On the way, I'll teach you how to sit up properly and steer a horse. There are some ailments in the village, you will practice on them. We'll grab the silver. We'll give them to everyone for recovery, and next time there won't be any need to look for horses - they'll come running themselves".

The ride did not cause Linda any difficulties. It's easy for her to manipulate a phlegmatic mare. She immediately mastered the correct landing, and for her strong and trained body, half an hour on a horse was nothing. Upon her return, she did not feel any pain or fatigue.

Of course, Linda didn't have a riding suit, so she put on a new leotard. Helena appreciated her student and brought her a wide, gold-decorated belt and a velvet beret in the color of the suit. After some thought, a long dagger in a beautiful sheath was hung on her belt, and her beret was decorated with a gold barrette with emeralds.

The village stretched along the road, which began at the khelenikh huts and went towards the nearest town. All the dwellings were located on one side of the road, and on the other side there was a vast clearing. The distance to the forest was about three hundred paces.

"Why are there only stumps here?" Linda asked Helena as they pulled onto the road and headed for the headman's house.

"It's because of the loafers" the mentor replied, speaking about the villagers: "They cut down the forest for their needs and to prevent robbers from attacking, but they don't want to plant something in place of the stumps. It requires care and protection from animals. After all, the forest is just behind the village, closer to the river, there are meadows that they have cultivated for fields. There is no need to uproot the stumps, the water is close, and there are much fewer animals from the forest".

The villagers warmly welcomed both women. It was obvious that the peasants were wondering where they came from. Before they reached the headman's house, the elder himself came out to meet them.

"May I ask what to do for the noble?" A tall, thin elder asked respectfully, bowing down.

"Hello, Miran" Helena said, "We have a question for you. Young Lady Rinda wishes to do you a favor. You brought a food train and refused the reward. She offered help in a neighborly way: if there are patients in the village, she is ready to cure them without payment. Are there any?"

"Without a doubt, Mistress Helena!" The old man straightened up, and Rinda was able to examine him closely: "There are many such".

There were not only a lot of patients, but there were too many of them. Twenty-three ailments are a serious task for a young magician, so Rinda cured half of the queue gathered at the headman's house herself, spending several hours on it. Linda stayed much longer, but eventually managed to cope with everyone. Only in one case did she need the help of a mentor, in other cases she managed on her own.

Of course, recovery did not happen instantly, but the patients felt better and will soon be completely cured of their ailments. Rinda gave each patient a silver coin, including three boys brought by their mothers. The whole village escorted them to the very doors, and it was clear that people began to show respect not only for their noble origin, but also for their personality.

"Isn't it nice to help other people?" Helena smiled, looking at the pleased student: "I understand you, but remember that it is important not to do good all the time. People appreciate and remember when this is done from time to time. If you help too often, they will take it for granted, and they will quickly start using you. Getting used to good things happens quickly, but the memory of good deeds does not last long, and not for everyone".

"I am glad that the treatment was successful" Replied a confused Linda: "Although I had to be treated longer than you".

"The experience will come with time" the mentor shrugged her shoulders: "Get ready, soon they will reach out to us from other villages. They'll come running right away when they hear that the two of us are treating for free. They might even bring groceries".

"Now it would be easy for the mother to cure" the girl sighed.

"So what about it?" Helena objected: "I understand your concern, but remember the saying that a pig will find a puddle. Your mother started drinking because of her own weakness, succumbing to her husband's persuasions. She was a woman who depended on her husband and got married to the first one who turned up. Sometimes women become just a reflection of their husbands. Maybe when she was with your father, everything seemed fine, but maybe there were difficulties that you don't know about".

"Can we start studying this now? We will start doing this tomorrow. You probably weren't listening to me very carefully. You will not be able to change a person with your art. You can make him believe in something for a short time, but even the most powerful magician will not be able to add intelligence if there is none, change the character or make a person kinder. It is not up to us to decide whether for good or for evil, but only we ourselves can influence our soul. Let's stop talking about it, tell me when your birthday is. We also celebrate it, but I do not know when you have it".

"I don't understand how days are counted here at all. This is probably on the list of those little things that we will study later".

"I missed it" Helena said sheepishly, "In our world, days just count. We have four seasons, which are called the same as yours. I gave them to you with this translation. The longest season is summer, with twelve dozen days in it. Winter, on the contrary, is the shortest - only six tens and five days. And spring and autumn have the same length - eight dozen days. We have calendars for calculating time. They have plates indicating the days, which are shifted from one part to another. We have such a calendar in Hasda's room. Nobles, merchants and many wealthy citizens have calendars, as well as in temples. The rest of us don't need it. Well, what about my birthday?"

"I can't name him. When I got here, I didn't count the days, so I can only say roughly that I've been living here for three months. I was born in March, so I'm already thirteen and a half years old. I will be able to link my birthday to your calendar only when I return to our world".

"Ask Gasd when we get home. He should celebrate the day you showed up at the residence. Then it's easy to calculate. But we're already home. Aren't you tired?"

"Yes, it's all right".

"You can ride a mare every day, at least for a short time. Inform Gasd and he will teach you how to equip a horse. He will put the saddles, but it is important for you to be able to do it. It is also worth learning how to gallop, although your mare is not designed for such a ride".