Enid took Selena to an open, empty field and stood beside her, then tried casting inside the null field.

  At first, Selena assumed Professor Innis would turn into an ordinary non-mage around her, just like everyone else.

  Instead, she watched in disbelief as Innis casually formed elemental orbs of different attributes, then switched between elements as if changing gloves.

  Even stranger, Innis didn’t seem to meet any resistance at all, no strain, no fatigue, nothing.

  "Just as I thought," Enid murmured to herself.

  She dispersed the spell in her hand under Selena’s stunned gaze, then said, "It matches my suspicion, you’re a manabane, one of the Silenced. Selena, I’ve got good news and bad news for you, which do you want first"

  Selena hesitated, tense enough to hold her breath, then answered, "The bad news first, I want to brace myself."

  Enid gave her a mischievous smile and said, "Nope. I’m telling you the good news first, just because."

  She paused, completely unfazed by Selena’s blazing attention, then dragged it out on purpose.

  "The good news is, even though you’re one of the Silenced, I do have a way to help you learn and touch magic."

  Before Selena could fully process that, Enid added, "The bad news is, my understanding of the Silenced isn’t complete. A lot of my theories haven’t been proven in practice, so I can’t swear I’m right."

  Selena finally caught up with what the good news meant and blurted out, eyes shining, "Yes. I’m in. You can use me however you want, Professor"

  That phrasing hit like a bucket of ice.

  Seeing Enid’s expression, Selena went scarlet and hurried to fix it, "No, that’s not what I meant. I mean you can have me do anything, experiments, errands, whatever. Please, just teach me how to use magic."

  Enid cut her off before she talked herself into a bigger mess. "Breathe. I never said I’d refuse you, it’s just…"

  "Just what"

  "I need you to cooperate with my tests. Don’t worry, nothing will put you in danger or hurt you. Are you willing"

  "Of course. Thank you, Professor Innis."

  Selena didn’t even have to think, wanting magic but being locked out of it was simply too cruel.

  In the end, Enid told her Selena could serve as a teaching assistant. When she wasn’t busy, she could help with daily work around the office.

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  In return, Enid would run a series of experiments with her focused on the Silenced. If everything went well, Enid could let Selena come into contact with mana within this semester, and teach her to sense it like a normal mage.

  Selena thanked her again and again, promising she’d cooperate and work harder than anyone, then finally left.

  She tried to keep her happiness from showing on her face, but the bounce in her step gave her away.

  Just like that, Enid confirmed her fourth TA, leaving only one spot for the rest of the students to compete over.

  It wasn’t exactly fair, but Enid needed someone who could keep up with the work and the pace of her lessons.

  Aside from not being able to use magic, Selena was outstanding across the board, and her grades in the officer track were consistently near the top.

  And from their brief time together, Enid could tell Selena was diligent and tough, the kind of person who didn’t fold when things got hard.

  Selena came from a commoner family, but her father being a mid-tier general mage and her mother an elementary teacher meant their household was better off and better educated than most.

  Stable finances, capable parents, good guidance, and a warm home, all of it had shaped Selena into someone trustworthy, upright, and quietly optimistic.

  That meant Enid could hand off everyday personal errands to her without worry.

  Eleanor and Esme were duke’s daughters, no one in their right mind expected them to be good at household tasks.

  As for Nino and Wolfgang, Enid wasn’t about to pick them for that kind of work either.

  Later, Enid returned to her office and, when Eleanor and Esme came for tutoring, she briefly mentioned Selena and said they’d meet her properly in a few days.

  To Enid’s surprise, Eleanor already knew Selena. According to Eleanor, they’d met in a shared elective last semester.

  They were a year apart, but both stood out in their respective programs, and as they learned from each other they’d clicked, becoming friends and friendly rivals.

  When Esme heard that this senior named Selena would be handling Professor Innis’s day-to-day affairs, she quietly sulked for a moment.

  That was exactly the kind of role that let you stay close to Innis all the time, and Esme wanted it too.

  She wanted to spend most of her day around Innis, not just in class.

  As for this Selena, Esme unilaterally declared her the biggest rival in the entire school. She was going to prove she belonged at Innis’s side more than Selena did.

  Of course, neither Enid nor Eleanor paid much attention to Esme, who was chewing on her fingertip and plotting beside Eleanor.

  They only thought that Esme, who at least stayed lively in front of them, was getting cuter by the day, like a clingy little lavender hamster.

  After Enid finished adding some extra material for Eleanor and Esme, Eleanor noted there was still time before dinner.

  She said she had nothing else scheduled and offered to help Enid shortlist students worth interviewing for the remaining TA spot.

  Enid was going to refuse at first.

  But Eleanor insisted she already had a solid grasp on the high-achieving students across the school, and she wanted to use this as a chance to learn Enid’s working rhythm and preferences.

  In the end, Enid agreed.

  Esme wanted to help too, but Enid and Eleanor both said that more than two people would turn it into chaos.

  Esme could sit on the couch and be their good-luck charm instead. When the professor and Eleanor got tired, they could look over at Esme and refill their daily supply of cute.

  They both knew the real reason, Esme was a bit clumsy and would probably help in all the wrong ways.

  But saying that outright felt mean, so they wrapped it in a half-true excuse.

  The teasing was real, and so was the fact that Esme really was adorable.

  So in Enid’s office, the professor in white and the red-clad handpicked TA worked together, sorting candidates quickly and efficiently.

  And the little lavender cutie sat on the couch, reading her book and dutifully serving as the world’s most precious mascot.