The waves were calm that evening, the last colors of sunset painting the horizon in orange and violet. The Sage sat alone on a large rock overlooking the sea, his cloak resting neatly beside him, his gaze fixed on the water.
He exhaled slowly, recalling the events earlier that day.
"You handled that well. Your tone was… surprisingly restrained."
The words he had said to Milly echoed faintly in his mind.
At first, she seemed like an ordinary teacher quiet, composed, maybe a bit too young to handle a class of wild students. But the more he watched, the more he noticed something odd.
Her movements were always sharp and controlled, even when simply walking. Her posture never broke not the posture of a human teacher, but of a trained fighter.
And then there were her eyes.
Bright, calm… yet somehow ancient.
The Sage tapped his fingers against the stone.
"She hides her strength too well," he muttered. "But that kind of aura… it's not something an ordinary mage gives off."
Footsteps approached behind him. It was the Head Mistress, carrying two cups of tea.
"You've been staring at the ocean for quite some time," she said softly, handing him one cup.
The Sage accepted it with a nod. "I'm thinking about that new instructor Miss Mila."
The Head Mistress smiled faintly. "Ah, yes. She's quite popular with her students. Even her class's progress has surprised the entire staff."
"She's not ordinary," the Sage said bluntly. "Her stamina, her control… and her reaction time in the test. Even I barely caught her movements."
The Head Mistress tilted her head. "Are you suggesting she's hiding her true power?"
"I'm certain of it." He sipped his tea, eyes narrowing. "But the question is… why?"
There was a long pause as the wind swept past them.
The Head Mistress chuckled lightly. "You worry too much. Maybe she's simply someone who doesn't like showing off."
"Perhaps," the Sage replied, his voice quiet. But deep down, he wasn't convinced.
He stood up, gazing at the moonlit waves. "Still, I'll be watching her closely. There's something about that woman…"
His eyes glowed faintly for a moment a detection spell activating but quickly dimmed again.
"…and whatever it is, it's powerful."
Meanwhile, in her villa near the beach, Milly sneezed suddenly and rubbed her nose.
"Huh? Someone must be talking about me again," she muttered sleepily, rolling onto her bed.
"Hope it's not the Sage…"
She chuckled softly, unaware that the man she joked about was now the only one starting to see through her carefully built disguise.