At that time, due to her innate curiosity for new things, Aseria had no resistance or doubt about learning dueling, and she greatly respected her teacher. Only later did Aseria learn that her teacher was a Spear from the Silver Spears Dueling Club.
"So, your teacher approached you first?" Alan tasted something incongruous after hearing this experience.
"That's right. At the time, my teacher saw that my innate magic perception was excellent, so she couldn't help but want to guide me as a young person." Aseria was quite grateful to her teacher, to be honest.
"What is her name?" Alan asked curiously.
"Her name is part of a confidentiality agreement, and I cannot say it in front of outsiders. However, her codename in the Silver Spears is 'Evil Hag Bird'." Aseria shook her head.
Alan nodded thoughtfully, then gestured for Aseria to continue.
"After studying with my teacher for about half a year, she suddenly revealed the existence of the Silver Spears to me and offered to be my recommender, inviting me to join the group." Aseria sighed.
"And then you joined?" Alan felt that things weren't that simple.
"No, I refused." Aseria shook her head. "I was only curious about dueling, and when my teacher introduced the club to me, she revealed that besides dueling, it clearly had other goals. I wasn't interested in such complications, so I refused, but at the time, I also expressed my willingness to keep her secret."
"Oh? Then what made you change your mind in the end?" Alan pressed.
"That… was because of my younger sister, Anais." Speaking of this, Aseria's expression revealed a hint of sadness. "After I refused my teacher's invitation, she slowly faded out of my life. But not long after that, my sister had an accident. She was only ten years old at the time, but for some unknown reason, she contracted dragon pox. After the local magic hospital treated Anais, her condition still showed no improvement. We were completely helpless. She was my only sister; you can't imagine how desperate I was at that time." Aseria shed a tear, saddened as she spoke.
"And then your teacher 'coincidentally' appeared?" Alan probed tentatively.
"You could say that, but not entirely. My teacher once told me that if I encountered any trouble, I could ask her for help. At the time, with no other ideas, I tentatively sought her out, and who knew, she actually had a way!" Aseria's emotions gradually stabilized at this point.
"She can cure dragon pox? Although Gunhilda of Gorsmoor invented a method to treat it, it's not foolproof. If even the hospital couldn't do anything, could she really cure it?" Alan said, somewhat disbelievingly.
"But facts speak louder than words." Aseria shook her head helplessly. "My teacher's potion indeed improved Anais's condition, and the rash gradually receded. However, my teacher told me afterward that although she had a way to curb the worsening of the dragon pox, she couldn't completely eradicate it. Anais would have to regularly take the potion she exchanged with merits from the club. But the club's merits are very precious, and she couldn't keep helping me like that. So she invited me again, hoping I could join the Silver Spears and earn merits myself to exchange for the potion."
"So you agreed?" Alan raised an eyebrow; he likely knew what was going on.
"That's right. The foundation of the Silver Spears is indeed astonishing; they can even find a way to curb worsened dragon pox. But unfortunately, the potion must be taken regularly, otherwise the condition will relapse. Most of the merits I earned after joining were used on Anais." Aseria sighed helplessly again.
"Heh, afterward, did your teacher 'considerately' tell you to work with peace of mind at the Silver Spears, and she would take good care of your sister? Is your sister still in her hands even now?" Alan sneered, finishing the thought for her.
"This—how did you know?" Aseria looked up at Alan, surprised. Of course, she wasn't a fool; she then realized what Alan was implying, and her face changed dramatically. "You mean… this was all a trap designed by my teacher? That's impossible!"
"Oh? Why do you think that's impossible?" Alan grinned playfully.
"You know, my sister really did get dragon pox. My teacher couldn't decide who would get the disease, so your assumption is simply unrealistic," Aseria argued.
"Is that so? Then let me show you this…" Alan smiled, took out his metal magic book, and turned to the 'Dragon Pox Curse' page, placing it in front of Aseria.
"This, this is… a curse?" Aseria murmured, wide-eyed, looking at the magic explanation Alan showed her.
"That's right. This curse can make a person inexplicably contract dragon pox, and it's basically impossible to cure with normal treatment methods. I suppose that's why the magic hospital's methods were ineffective for your sister. But speaking of it, the cost of casting this curse isn't low. Oh, wait—it doesn't seem to be troublesome for the Silver Spears at all, because the Peruvian Vipertooth saliva and tooth powder required for it certainly won't be scarce in your club." Alan put away the magic book, adding with a smile.
"But… why would they go to such lengths to deal with me? I'm just a young witch." Aseria still couldn't accept the truth.
"A young witch whose dueling abilities meet the club's selection standards, and because she has a weakness, her loyalty is unquestionable. She's beautiful, and most importantly, she has a complete British upbringing, so returning to our world would not arouse suspicion at all. I guess when your teacher first contacted you, the Dark Lord had just fallen." Alan gradually guided Aseria with his words.
"You mean, at that time, the Silver Spears was already planning to expand its branch in Britain? And I was the spy they had chosen from the start? That is to say, my teacher's initial purpose in contacting me was to make me return to Britain and be an insider?" Aseria suddenly saw the light, and her logical thinking immediately became clear.