Tilea's Worries

Tilea and Ortissio’s language skills need serious improvement. Getting them to a conversational level in Zenonese will require a lot of effort.

Can I really teach them?

It feels like I’ve taken on a mission with an "A-Class Difficulty."

No, I can’t lose confidence now. This is an order from my lord; refusing is not an option. Somehow, I have to succeed.

For now, let’s put pronunciation aside.

Their pronunciation is too heavily influenced by Common Tongue, and it’s not something that can be corrected in a day.

Let’s focus on grammar first. If I can solidify their foundation in grammar, they’ll naturally start understanding how native speakers converse.

Tilea and Ortissio’s grammar is a complete mess.

If I don’t fix this, we won’t be able to move forward.

I need to recall the Zenonese course I read when I was five.

I have to explain this content clearly and simply.

“Well then, please prepare your notebooks.”

“Notebooks?”

“Yes, I’ll be teaching you the basics of Zenonese, so please write down the important points to help you remember.”

“Oh, this is bringing back memories of school. Hehe, got it, Professor Edim!”

Tilea’s response was filled with enthusiasm, and even Ortissio, despite his usual complaints, had a notebook and blackboard ready, showing at least some level of cooperation.

This might actually work…

I began teaching the basics of Zenonese grammar in the simplest way possible. I skipped advanced topics like continuous tense, passive voice, perfect tense, past participles—they would be too difficult for now.

Both of them listened quietly.

“…and that’s where you add the third-person singular ‘s.’ Also, this is a second pattern sentence, so you need to add a complement after the subject and verb.”

I explained the concepts thoroughly.

I filled the blackboard with sentence structures and important vocabulary. Sometimes I even wrote example sentences to help clarify.

We’d been going at it for about three hours.

In a classroom, this would be the point where we’d take a break. After all, people can’t stay focused for too long.

But given their stamina, they’ll probably be fine. We could probably keep going for a week, or even a month, without tiring them out.

There’s still so much I want them to learn. What I’ve covered so far is just the absolute minimum, the most basic of basics.

I’d like to keep teaching until we reach a point where they can at least hold a simple conversation in Zenonese.

But I’m not entirely sure it’s okay to just keep moving forward.

They listened quietly, which is good, but did they really understand?

“Any questions so far?”

There was no response.

Tilea was staring intently at the notes we made, spinning her pen in circles.

Impressive.

The speed at which she spins that pen is astonishing.

Not even my vampire-enhanced eyesight can track it.

It’s just pen spinning, but even in this small detail, I can sense Tilea-sama’s immense power.

With such strength, why does she even need to learn Zenonese?

I can’t understand. I can’t comprehend Tilea-sama’s reasoning.

But... that’s normal. I never understand what Tilea-sama is thinking. If I let that bother me, there’d be no end to it.

For now, Zenonese is the priority.

It doesn’t matter if I don’t understand her motives. What’s important is whether Tilea-sama understood the lesson.

“Umm... Tilea-sama?”

No response.

Well then…

“TILEA-SAMA!”

“Eek! Oh, sorry, sorry! I kind of zoned out there.”

I had raised my voice a bit, and that finally snapped Tilea out of her concentration. It seemed she was deeply focused.

Ortissio, on the other hand, was grumbling while staring at the notes. 

Is this idiot even following along?

“So, Tilea-sama, Ortissio-sama, do you understand everything so far?”

“Well… I guess I kind of understand what I *don’t* understand?”

“Yeah, same here. What I’ve learned so far is that you’re a terrible teacher. You need to explain things more clearly!”

I see…

This is pretty basic knowledge, though…

Sigh, this is tough. Really tough…

Also, I’m going to kill Ortissio.

For now, I’ll just ignore that idiot and ask where things went wrong.

“Which parts were difficult to understand?”

“Hmm, stuff like SVO or SVC. What are those supposed to be? Did we learn that in school? I don’t remember that from English, so it must be some Zenonese-specific theory.”

E... English? 

This is a Zenonese lesson, right?

Once again, I don’t understand Tilea-sama’s logic.

“And what about you, Ortissio-sama?”

“Same here. It’s all gibberish—subjects, complements, whatever. Especially modifying phrases, who cares where they go?”

Ortissio replied, snapping at me as if it were my fault.

This idiot...

No wonder you’re so stupid. If you could just grasp the SVO theory, you’d at least be able to get by. Instead of complaining, why don’t you try learning a single sentence structure?

I’m getting light-headed from frustration.

It seems the last three hours have been wasted. Neither of them has grasped the basics of Zenonese grammar. If I try to move on from here, it’ll only confuse them more.

What should I do?

Should I lower the level even further?

No, that’s impossible. Absolutely impossible.

If I lower the difficulty any more, it would be like I’m teaching children. Even at this level, anyone who knows better would think I’m treating them like fools and might get angry.

Ugh, if Camilla-sama finds out I’ve been giving such a dumbed-down lesson, I’ll be accused of “disrespect towards her sister!” and be executed on the spot.

This whole lesson has been a nerve-wracking experience.

I have no choice.

I’ll have to delay teaching grammar and pronunciation.

It seems the structure of sentences was too much for them.

There are so many things I’ve already delayed, but there are still plenty of issues to address.

Their lack of vocabulary is a serious problem. If they don’t know the words, they can’t start speaking.

Let’s focus on building their vocabulary next.

“Understood. Tilea-sama, Ortissio-sama, let’s work on learning some Zenonese vocabulary. I’ll create some fill-in-the-blank exercises for you.”

“Ugh, vocab tests. This is bringing back some really bad school memories. Edim, instead of tests, let’s make this more of a game.”

“Tilea-sama is right. Your teaching is as dull as you are. Think of something more interesting!”

Ugh... I’m going to kill him!

Okay, stay calm.

I have to be smart about this.

Considering Tilea-sama and Ortissio’s personalities, a test format probably wouldn’t work. I need to find a way to turn it into a game to keep them engaged.

…

……

…………

I’ve got it!

“Alright, Tilea-sama, Ortissio-sama, how about you take turns challenging each other to come up with Zenonese words? I’ll be the judge. If you hesitate or give a wrong answer, you lose.”

“Oh, that sounds fun! Let’s do it. I won’t lose to you, Ortissio!”

“Ha! I’ll gladly take you on, Tilea-sama.”

It’s a game I used to play as a child. We used to do it as a break from studying for the entrance exams to the magic academy.

I’m glad I remembered it.

It seems like Tilea-sama is interested in the idea.

“Okay, I’ll start! Apple is... *Appo!*”

“Correct. Your turn, Ortissio-sama.”

“Strength is *power*!”

“Correct. Tilea-sama?”

“Hmm, banana is... *Banaa~na!*”

“Correct. Ortissio-sama?”

“Very well then…”

The two of them continued their game.

If they were magic academy students, this could go on for an entire day. They’d know over tens of thousands of words in Zenonese.

They could keep this up as long as their stamina holds out.

But in Tilea-sama and Ortissio’s case, the game should end within a few dozen minutes. They probably only know around 1,500 words at most.

As they take turns, eventually...

“Uhh... uhh... I already said ‘apple,’ and ‘orange’ too…”

It was Tilea-sama’s 670th turn.

I had predicted this would be the breaking point.

Tilea-sama seemed to be struggling.

She had been focusing on food-related words, but it looked like her vocabulary had run dry.

Please, Tilea-sama, hang in there. Ortissio is at his limit too. His last answer was barely acceptable.

If you pass the turn back to him, Ortissio won’t be able to answer. Victory will be yours!

“Uhh... umm... oh, I know! One-way street... Accelerator!”

Ah, Tilea-sama…

I’m sorry, but that’s wrong. It’s such a shame to lose at this point.

What should I do?

It’s not good for Tilea-sama to lose, even in a simple game. Should I lie and say it’s correct? No, that might be more disrespectful.

“I’m sorry, Tilea-sama, but that’s incorrect.”

“Eh?! No way! That can’t be wrong!”

“I’m truly sorry. It’s incorrect.”

“No, no, I’m sure I’m right! Hehe

, even the best make mistakes sometimes. Maybe even genius Edim can slip up.”

Normally, Tilea-sama is quick to acknowledge her mistakes, but today she was unusually insistent.

“No, I really am certain…”

“Come on, isn’t it *Accelerator*?”

“No.”

“Then... Accelerololita?”

“Tilea-sama, the correct translation for ‘one-way street’ is *one-way traffic.*”

“Huh? That doesn’t feel right at all... ‘One-way traffic’ doesn’t sound convincing.”

“Well, I can’t say otherwise… that’s simply the correct term…”

“Edim, how dare you doubt Tilea-sama’s words! If Tilea-sama says it’s *Accelerolita,* then it’s *Accelerolita!*”

Ugh... damn Ortissio!

But there is some truth to what he’s saying.

The word of a supreme leader who commands the very fate of the world is beyond question. Obviously, Tilea-sama is correct.

The one in the wrong is the world itself and its previous rules.

Tilea-sama’s word is law.

From now on, *one-way street* is *Accelerolita.*

“I deeply apologize! Yes, Ortissio-sama, you’re absolutely right. Tilea-sama’s word is the ultimate truth. From now on, ‘one-way street’ will be known as *Accelerolita.* We will amend all the texts and punish anyone who dares defy it!”

“Edim.”

“Y-yes?”

“Stop joking.”

“No, I wasn’t—um, wait. Yes! Now that I think about it, you’re right. Tilea-sama doesn’t need to follow any outdated precedents. Let’s make Zenonese entirely what Tilea-sama wants! Don’t worry, we’ll deal with any rebels swiftly and decisively!”

“Edim.”

“Y-yes?”

“Thank you for putting up with us for hours. You didn’t need to be so roundabout about how boring it was for you.”

Tilea-sama stood up and casually walked out of the room.

“W-wait, huh?”

“Edim, your insolence toward Tilea-sama is unforgivable. You’ll commit seppuku after today’s lesson. But only once we finish our Zenonese practice.”

It seems Ortissio plans to stay.

With Tilea-sama gone, there’s no way I’m staying to teach *him*.

First, I need to go after Tilea-sama and fix this misunderstanding!