I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 276: A Teacher’s Law

"And if I say no, what can you do about it, Alicia?" Theo quietly challenges Alicia, who immediately freezes when she hears it.

Theo looks at Alicia without blinking.

Inwardly, he’s amused. If she wants to learn magic from me, she needs to understand early that I’m not someone to be trifled with.

An awkward silence falls.

The tension in the air is very tight, like the pulled string of a bow.

"I... I..." Alicia stammers, then stops.

She can’t believe she can’t even form a word.

After that, she doesn’t try again. Her instinct tells her to shut up.

The silence lasts for another two minutes before Theo finally turns to Maeve.

"I’m hungry. What’s for lunch, Maeve?"

He smiles. His aura pulls back, the pressure gone.

Everyone can breathe easily again.

And they almost immediately exhale in immense relief.

"Huh? Oh, er... Carbonara. We’re having carbonara for lunch," Maeve answers and instantly moves to prepare six portions.

Arthur clears his throat and quickly gets up from the sofa, almost dashing toward the dining room.

"I’ll set up the table."

It’s kind of funny seeing a 190 cm tall man, who’s famous for being cold and distant, act like he’s escaping from a lover’s spat.

A few moments later, everyone is sitting at the dining table, ready for lunch.

Maeve looks around. "Where’s Liam? Don’t tell me he fell asleep after his morning run and hasn’t woken up until now?"

Julian makes a move to get up. "I’ll call him."

"No need. I’m here," Liam says from across the room.

He approaches quickly and adds, "Sorry I’m late. I had some matters to attend to in the bathroom."

"Ew, dude!" Julian says, nudging him.

Liam sits down, still grinning. He scans the table and notices Alicia.

"Oh. Hi, Chief. Wait, sorry. Hi, Alicia."

Everyone begins picking up their cutlery and passing the bread around the table.

"You know I’m going to resign?" Alicia asks.

"You’re going to resign?" Liam asks back.

"If you didn’t know, why did you correct yourself?" Alicia asks, curious.

"I was just making conversation. The last thing I knew about you was that you lost your memories. It looks like you’ve got them back?"

They continue chatting casually during the meal.

It’s a very normal meal for Rhaenas, but for Alicia, it is memorable.

She doesn’t remember the last time she ate together with others like this. When she was chief, she often ate alone in her office during odd hours, never at regular meal times. Sometimes she even ate while working, barely tasting the food.

This is the first time in a long time that she sits together with others at a proper dining table, eating a proper meal. Talking, laughing, teasing one another, while enjoying food that was prepared with care.

She doesn’t really talk much. She quietly eats her meal, enjoying and absorbing the atmosphere around her.

"Hey, Chief. Why aren’t you talking?" Liam asks.

"She’s not chief anymore. She’s resigning. Don’t call her that," Julian says, seemingly quick to her defense. But the truth is, he only wants to annoy Liam.

"I know she’s not chief anymore. But I like calling her Chief. It’s like a nickname," Liam replies, rolling his eyes. There’s no trace of what happened earlier in his room.

"Nicknames are fine, but you still need her consent," Julian counters.

"It’s my nickname for her. So it’s up to me, not her. Besides, she hasn’t said anything. Why are you yapping like a girl?" Liam glares at him.

Julian gasps. "What did you say? A girl?"

"Okay, boys," Arthur interjects.

"Enough, okay? Let Alicia eat in peace. Let me eat in peace." He exhales.

"You’re still tired, Art?" Maeve asks, her words laced with concern.

"I’m mentally tired. Because I know I’m going back there tomorrow. I’m already exhausted just thinking about it." He shakes his head.

"I can’t believe you managed to do it for months," he says to Alicia.

"I’m resigning now, aren’t I?" she replies, earning a few chuckles around the table.

"Jokes aside, I held on because that was how I mourned my brother," she says quietly.

But as soon as the words leave her mouth, she’s stunned.

What am I saying? Why am I saying it in front of the whole team?

But her words keep pouring out.

"I watched him die. And I never mourned properly. I threw myself into work. I kept denying myself the right to grieve." Her voice remains steady.

She scans the table. None of them are looking at her with mockery. All she sees is acceptance and understanding.

She slowly puts her fork down. Her plate is empty.

"And when Thea told me how he gave his life twice, both to save me... I decided it’s enough for me to live for him. I want to live for me. I want to make him truly proud, not make him regret his decision."

Her eyes are dry.

I’m just telling facts, she tells herself. Not opening my heart.

"Alex told Thea that he wanted me to live for myself to the fullest, and that’s what I’m trying to do here." She looks around the room and shakes her head.

"I’m sorry, I’m repeating myself. I’ll shut up now."

She leans back in her chair.

"Is that why you insisted on coming with me to clear dungeons?" Theo asks in a normal, conversational tone.

The rest of the table freezes and collectively thinks, Oh, shit.

Alicia looks at Theo cautiously, but he looks fine now. Nothing scary about him. No pressure in the air. Just the same calm expression he usually wears.

"I’m sorry if I sounded arrogant and forceful. As chief, I’m used to doing things my way, and the moment I felt resistance, I reacted poorly. I apologize."

Theo stays silent. He neither accepts nor rejects the apology.

Alicia takes it as a good sign. So she continues.

"When you showed me your magic and told me about it, I felt a pull. I felt drawn to it. I considered it a good sign that I might have some resonance with magic. And the more I think about it, the more I want to learn."

She pauses to breathe.

"Going with you to clear dungeons will give me a clear idea of how exactly magic works in this magicless world. How it fits into our reality. I guess I believe it will make it real to me."

Silence falls over the table. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The rest of Rhaenas slowly turn their heads at the same time toward Theo.

He calmly finishes his carbonara and smiles.

"You may come with me. It is a good opportunity for you to observe how magic works. The others weren’t so lucky. They were forced into it or die. You should be grateful for that," he says in a very light tone.

Alicia’s smile slowly blooms.

But before it can fully form, Theo adds,

"That being said, wielding magic is not a simple matter. It is a life-and-death matter. I have enough experience with magic to say that with certainty. If you do have a resonance with magic, I will teach you. But you must remember that my words are absolute."

He looks straight into Alicia’s eyes.

"When I say no, I mean it. You can’t argue about it, you can’t whine about it, you can’t bargain about it. You can only obey. I’m saying this because, I repeat, wielding magic is a matter of life and death."

Each of Theo’s words lands like a law being nailed into Alicia’s mind.

The whole table is silent.

But the others can feel how true Theo’s words are.

They’ve been there.

They know.

Theo is not lying. He’s not saying these things because it would make him sound cool.

He lays down the rule because he knows.

But another bell rings in Arthur’s mind.

Why does she sound so much like Aldriana when she first set the rules with us?

Aldriana was a persona that Teacher Theo created by accident.

Ever since they exited Mt. Helene, Teacher Theo has never appeared again. Only Thea.

Why does Teacher Theo only communicate through Thea?

Don’t tell me that...!

The thought that comes to Arthur’s mind is so shocking that he gasps loudly and immediately falls into a coughing fit.

The others all turn to look at him.

"Arthur?" Maeve immediately grabs a glass of water and hands it to him.

Theo is looking at him with concern.

Alicia is still processing Theo’s words.

Both Julian and Liam wear the same dumbfounded expressions that make Arthur want to laugh, but the urge only makes his coughing worse.

He drinks the water Maeve gave him, sip by sip, trying to calm himself down.

"Bro, you sound like you’re about to die. You okay?" Liam says.

Arthur can’t answer. He can only nod a few times.

"Breathe, Arthur. Breathe. Slowly," Maeve says, her voice calm but worried.

"Yeah, bro. You need to breathe. Your face is turning red," Julian comments.

Arthur breathes slowly and shallowly, trying to control the coughing that still shakes his chest.

After a while, it finally dies down.

But he’s still wheezing slightly.

And his mind is still spinning because of the thought that just struck him.

Is Theo inside Thea?!