The archive was still.
Kairon lay with one arm thrown across his eyes, half-asleep again. Only the rising and falling of his chest proved he hadn't vanished into the scrolls.
Then, barely audible:
"…tea…"
Lio glanced over. "Did he say something?"
Mav leaned in from his floating perch. "He said tea."
Brix stood immediately. "He's thirsty?"
"Or bored," Mav offered. "Or dreaming again."
Then:
[Host Vocal Output Registered: "Tea."][System Interpretation: Request.][Command Type: Trial Condition.][Touch-Transfer Unlocked. First Servant to Fulfill Request Receives EXP + Affinity Boost.][Timer: ACTIVE.]
Mav's grin exploded.
"Oh yes."
Lio narrowed his eyes. "That's not fair."
"Nothing is," Mav said, already leaping off the platform. "Especially tea."
Brix, already scanning the nearest supply cabinet, muttered, "He didn't ask for you."
"Didn't not ask for me either."
The room erupted into silent chaos.
Scrolls flared open. Drawers slammed. Someone knocked over a shrine to boiling methods. Brix grabbed three leaves, crushed them too aggressively, and triggered a mild explosion.
[Brix: -50 EXP. Tea Alchemy: Not Your Specialty.]
Mav was already heating water in a suspended bowl using redirected aura. He added a sugar crystal mid-air with a flick.
[Mav: +200 EXP. Aesthetic Flourish: Recognized.]
Lio didn't rush.
He moved with surgical focus—slicing open a sealed box with a minor rune, choosing exactly three leaves, no more, no less. Heated the water using a friction spell beneath the cup base, not direct fire.
He stirred with the tip of his blade handle.
[Lio: +180 EXP. Precision Impressed. Aura Minimalism: Approved.]
Kairon mumbled again.
"…lemon…?"
Everyone froze.
[Host Addendum Registered. Tea Variant Modified: Lemon.][System Correction: Trial Extended. Variant Requested: Citrus Infused.]
Brix groaned.
Mav laughed.
"You can't keep up," he said to no one in particular.
But Lio had already pulled a dried lemon twist from a sealed satchel.
He dropped it into the cup with a flick.
And walked—slowly—to Kairon's side.
Brix clenched a fist.
But didn't stop him.
Lio knelt, set the cup beside the man's resting hand, and stepped back without a word.
[Trial Complete.][Servant: PRIDE – Lio][Touch-Transfer Activated. EXP Delivered: 480,000][Skill Upgrade: Blade of Intent → Rank E. Aura Thread Precision Increased.][Affinity Bonus +4% – Loyalty Sync 57%. Title Enhancement: "Blade Who Listens"]
Mav blinked.
"…he beat me with tea."
Brix muttered, "Good."
Kairon shifted slightly, fingers brushing the cup.
Still asleep.
But his lips quirked upward.
Just slightly.
[System Log Updated: Student Response Evaluation Complete.][Lesson Derived: "Serve Quietly, Grow Swiftly."]
And that was how the Master taught his students—with dreams, mumbles, and absurdity.
None of them knew what tea meant to him.
But now one of them knew how to serve it.