“Ran? Why are you taking so long?”
Speria was standing outside the main door.
She seemed quite bold when opening the door, but flinched upon seeing Master Avana.
Her expression briefly soured, as if her pride was hurt by being startled.
However, she quickly recovered and began looking around the house. Her gaze stopped at Psyche, who was holding a flower.
Soon, she pointed at Psyche.
“Oh! It’s you! High Elf!”
At that moment, Psyche stretched her hand forward. A staff that looked like a flower appeared.
It was my first time seeing Psyche’s staff. It was in the shape of six intertwined flower petals, shining like a rainbow from red to indigo, excluding purple.
Master Avana walked towards the dining table, yawning.
“Psyche. It’s okay. Put away your staff.”
“But!”
“She already knew about your existence. And she’s at a similar level to me. Your magic won’t be able to erase her memory.”
Erase memory, huh.
Is that the kind of magic she uses?
Psyche glared at Speria for a moment, then put away her staff and left for the lake.
She must be quite angry.
I asked Master Avana.
“Is it okay for Speria to come in?”
“Oh? You two are already on a first-name basis? You’ve become close quickly. Is it because you’re both human?”
“She agreed to take the herbs as you suggested, so it’ll be safe. Right, Speria?”
Speria was silent for a moment, then sat down boldly next to Master Avana.
“Yeah. Give me the water herbs or whatever. I’ll eat it, no big deal.”
Master Avana looked at her with a strange expression.
“You seem quite nonchalant for someone who could die with a single gesture.”
“Well, it’s that kind of situation anyway.”
They both smiled at each other in the same way.
The house was filled with warm sunlight filtering through the tree trunks, creating a cozy atmosphere.
But why do I feel chills?
I quickly went to the kitchen and asked while selecting herbs.
“Are you feeling okay? You threw up a lot earlier.”
“Rather, that’s why I’m hungry. It’s fine.”
I selected herbs that tasted as good as possible and brought them to the table.
“Here.”
Speria pouted her lips once, then took the herbs without complaint and put them in her mouth.
“It tastes bad.”
Master Avana watched her swallow the herbs with half-closed eyelids and said abruptly.
“The guest is almost here. Would you make some tea?”
Why didn’t she say so earlier?
I went back to the kitchen, took out some cups, added mint, and poured water into them.
Speria, who was watching me, poked her head out and asked.
“Hot water?”
“We don’t use fire here. Want some too?”
“Yeah.”
I asked Master.
“You said a guest is coming, right? How many are coming?”
“One. Four cups of tea will do.”
I made four cups of mint tea and brought them to the table.
Meanwhile, Master snapped her fingers once and rubbed them vigorously. Then, tree roots sprouted from the floor and created another chair to the right of Master Avana’s seat.
I sat down to the left of Master, and Speria sat close to me, using me as a shield to avoid Master Avana’s gaze.
A guest, huh.
Is it a new person? Or…
“Is Count Furst coming?”
Master Abana brought the teacup to her lips.
“Yes. -Yawn- I’m dying of sleepiness. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be this tired.”
Speria glanced at me for a moment, then asked Master.
“My staff. When will you return it? I ate the herbs, didn’t I?”
Master Avana slightly turned her gaze to look at Speria.
Her eyes were certainly cold when looking at an enemy.
“Call your master. Once we talk and settle the matters with him, I’ll return it. Not before then. I’ll keep feeding you herbs too.”
Speria’s face contorted.
“Master Kalasta said that once he leaves, we don’t know when he’ll return. It’s usually at least a year or two, and in extreme cases, it’s taken over ten years.”
“Why make such a fuss over little time like that for a mage?”
“I can’t study during that time! Everyone will catch up and surpass me!”
“Oh? Kalasta must have quite a few disciples then?”
“Hundreds of them.”
Wow.
It must be almost like a school, right?
Master seemed a bit surprised too, her eyebrow slightly raised.
“One of the pinnacles of human mages, they say. Impressive indeed.”
Master Avana ended the conversation there.
It meant she absolutely wouldn’t return it unless Kalasta came in person to directly guarantee our safety.
Speria glared at Master Avana with burning eyes. Her nostrils flared, indicating she was quite angry, but in the end, she didn’t say anything.
After a little while, the front door opened and Count Furst entered with a purple butterfly.
“Hello, Avana. I was worried you might not be here.”
“If I weren’t here, this butterfly wouldn’t have appeared to you, Count. Please, have a seat.”
The purple butterfly soon turned into light and disappeared.
Count Furst sat in the remaining chair, glanced at Speria, and said.
“I didn’t know there was another guest.”
“Don’t mind her. She’s just a new slave I’ve taken in.”
Speria’s face twisted with anger.
“Who are you calling a slave?”
Master without changing her expression said.
“If you interfere more, you’ll have to go out to the clearing.”
“Fine, I’ll leave.”
Speria stood up abruptly and left the cabin.
Bang!
The house might collapse.
“Should I leave too, Master?”
“No, let’s listen together.”
At those words, Count Furst smiled curiously.
“It seems you know why I’ve come, Avana?”
“You’re not the type to come and celebrate yesterday’s victory, and I suppose you’re here to assign another task? Since we won the battle, you’ll want to finish things up.”
Count Furst nodded.
“I plan to completely destroy the Frenche company and occupy the port. If we completely control Marshal Harbor, it will be difficult for Frenche to send more soldiers.”
“Hmm. I see. Anyway, what do you need from me?”
“As you know, most mages in the Yura continent deal with fire and iron magic. That’s why they all hate crossing the sea, but with Frenche’s national power, they might be able to send a few.”
“Oh?”
“Wouldn’t it be easy for Avana the mage, who can handle water, to settle things at sea before they reach land?”
“So, in simple terms, you want me to prevent Franche from sending mages?”
“That’s right. Other than that, there shouldn’t be any variables I can’t handle.”
Master Avana thought for a moment, then glanced at me.
“Alright. I’ll send my disciple.”
Count Furst’s gaze turned to me.
If I could look at myself, I probably would have too.
“Me?”
“You mean Ran?”
When we both asked simultaneously, Master Avana nodded.
“Ran has developed incredibly over the past month. He can move all of nature at will, and even move things beyond that easily. It’s time he uses his magic outside the cabin too.”
“……”
“……”
I silently turned to Master Avana and asked with my eyes.
Really?
I don’t know anything except psychokinesis?
You’re just saying that, right?
Master Avana smiled slightly and patted my head as she continued speaking.
“The Frenche soldiers were defeated yesterday, right? How long do you think it will take for that news to reach the Kingdom of Frenche, for them to decide to send support, and for the soldiers to come back here?”
Count Furst thought for a moment and said.
“The sea journey takes 40 days, and if we assume it takes about 10 days to gather and send soldiers, it would take about 90 days in total.”
Come to think of it, Speria also came more than a month after Kalasta had visited. She came by sea like ordinary people.
It seems only someone like Kalasta can easily cross the sea.
“There’s more time left than I thought. I can prepare him sufficiently before then.”
Master Avana’s words and expression were full of confidence.
Perhaps because of this, Count Furst’s eyes on me began to change.
I wonder if she’ll make me a staff or magic book or something during that time?
I’m looking forward to it.
Count Furst stood up.
“I understand. Please don’t send him too hastily. Well then.”
Master Avana created a purple butterfly from her fingertips.
Count Furst opened the door and followed the butterfly.
But through the crack in the door, Speria’s figure was briefly glimpsed.
She had her hand stretched out, and there was a spark floating there.
Ah.
No way.
Is she trying to escape using my fire?
If something goes wrong, master will kill her.
Master Avana must have sensed something was amiss too, as she frowned and looked outside.
A murderous glint flashed in Master’s eyes.
I need to take the spark away from Speria before Master does something.
I stood up abruptly and stretched out both hands.
“No!”
At that moment, my spark in front of Speria burst into flames and spread to the surrounding trees.
Speria fell on her backside, startled by the sudden event.
The master’s expression turned cold.
“So it’s unavoidable after all.”
Master was holding her staff somehow, and the strange purple light flowing from its tip was unusually dark.
She’s going to kill her.
She’s trying to kill her.
I quickly followed the master outside.
Speria turned to look at us.
“Wait! That wasn’t me just now. I just moved the spark because I had nothing else to do. I didn’t intend to start a fire.”
There was no trace of emotion on Master Avana’s face.
“Nonsense. You expect me to believe that?”
“You saw me eat the water herb yourself, didn’t you? How could I make fire after that?”
“The world is wide and treasures are many.”
The world is wide and treasures are many. This is the first saying of mages in the magical world, meaning anything can happen.
Speria’s eyes wavered. Biting her lips, Speria opened her mouth.
“Are you really going to break the custom of hospitality?”
“You were never a guest. I have no obligation of hospitality to you.”
Speria’s expression twisted.
That’s the truth.
It was she who refused to become a guest.
“If you thought I would disgracefully beg for my life, you’re mistaken.”
“I know you won’t.”
Master Avana extended her staff. The purple light was momentarily tinged with a deep black, then shot forward.
Is Speria going to die like this?
I shouted.
“Don’t kill her!”
At that moment.
The world seemed to stop, becoming silent.
The purple light tinged with black disappeared on the spot.
Master Avana and Speria looked at each other with blank expressions, then turned to me.
“I did it. It was me, Master. I was worried Speria might do something suspicious with the spark. So I put my psychokinesis into it, but it went wrong and the fire grew. She really only moved the spark.”
“……”
“……”
“It’s true, please believe me.”
Master Avana lowered her staff.
“Just now. How did you do that?”
“Huh? I explained, didn’t I?”
This time Speria spoke.
“No. Not the spark. You just made the instant death spell disappear?”
“Me?”
Master Avana and Speria’s expressions changed identically.
Then a fake cough was heard.
When I looked up towards the sound, Count Furst was watching us from the middle of the clearing.
With an indifferent face, as if asking what had happened.
“I should be going now. The butterfly is already far away. It seems there was a misunderstanding between you, I hope it gets resolved well.”
Count Furst’s indifferent tone calmed everyone’s hearts.
Because of this, we could take a moment to think.
After he left, I stood between Master Avana and Speria.
“Anyway, to finish what I was saying, I’m the one who made the fire grow, Master. You misunderstood.”
“……”
“……”
“Although I’m only 14 years old, I’ve seen all sorts of things during my life as a slave. One thing I learned for sure is that killing is the last resort.”
“……”
“……”
“Murder can never be undone. That’s truly crossing a river of no return, Master. It might make things easier right away. Because if you kill, that’s the end of it. But you end up paying a price dozens of times over. Without fail. Especially when you make an enemy of someone strong, you need to be careful.”
“……”
“……”
“Look at how the King of Frenche carelessly killed my mother, and ended up making an enemy of the country. If such consequences arise from killing a child’s mother, what consequences would arise from killing Speria?”
Then Speria put her hand on my shoulder and answered.
“Ran. That’s not what’s important right now. Avana, was it? You saw it too just now, didn’t you?”
Master Avana nodded.
“Yes. Without a staff or a magic book, he made my magic disappear with just a word.”
Their gazes moved simultaneously towards me.
Huh?
What’s with this sudden atmosphere of reconciliation?
Why are they both looking at me like that?
Then they both said at the same time.
“Is it innate magic?”
“It’s innate magic.”
TL : I have used the previous translators work from here till chapter 47 so credits to him and I also have added my own edits in the chapters so things are consistent.
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