by Virlyce
Were there really bandits? Now that I think about it, how trustworthy are Lucia’s words? I’d believe her if she told me this two weeks ago when we were still in the desolate mountains, but now…? She’s crazy and suffering from withdrawals. I wouldn’t be too surprised if she heard everything in her head. Her eyes did look a bit glazed over when she ‘noticed’ the ambushers.
“If I have to walk over there, I’m not going to spare any of your lives,” Lucia said and snorted. She took a step forward, causing the earth to fracture and tremble. It seems like she’s making her sword extremely heavy; I’m a bit proud of myself for figuring out that mechanic. I had always wondered why I couldn’t lift her sword back in Teacher’s laboratory. I only figured it out when Lucia forgot to lighten her sword while climbing a tree, causing it to fall over.
There was another heavy thumping sound as Lucia took another step. A group of heads appeared as the bandits started climbing up the hill from the other side. They were dressed in rags and filthy clothes, but their demeanors didn’t fit those of bandits at all: their backs were straight and their posture was immaculate—like they were soldiers. The bandit leader—I could tell because he was wearing an eyepatch and stood at the front of the group—stared at Lucia before asking, “A beastkin?” Then his gaze turned onto me. “Three people. Do you want to surrender yourselves or struggle futilely?”
The bandits standing furthest in the back raised their hands into the air. Massive fireballs sprang into existence above their fingertips. All of them were at least fifth-circle magicians. There was no way these bandits were actually bandits. A fifth-circle magician was a respected figure in society; bandits wouldn’t even make a quarter of what a fifth-circle magician would make as a guest teacher. There’s something really fishy about this. I might as well be straightforward and see how they react. “Are you soldiers?”
“Soldiers? We’re bandits; can’t you see?” the leader asked and gestured towards his eyepatch. He raised his hand and hooked his index finger in front of his face. “Arr.”
“Those are pirates,” Lucia said.
“Shut up!” the leader said, pointing at Lucia. Black lightning, symbolizing a seventh-circle magician or higher, crackled around his hand. “Surrender yourselves peacefully. You have no other choice if you wish to live.”
“Alright,” Lucia said and nodded. Wait, what? She was surrendering just like that? What happened to our deal!? Her tail’s not even stiff! Lucia glanced at the sword in her hand before making eye contact with the leader. “You’d feel better if I wasn’t holding a sword, right?” She grabbed her sword by the blade and gently lobbed it to the leader, hilt first. “Catch.”
“Good”—the leader caught the hilt—“choice!?” The sword dragged his arm towards the ground, and his face followed. Lucia dashed over and grabbed the leader’s legs while he was stunned. The leader screamed as he was lifted into the air and swung around like a ragdoll.
“Captain!” the bandits shouted. A few of them charged forwards while the magicians with the fireballs hesitated.
“Breaking Substitute Blade!” Lucia shouted, infusing the bandit leader with her qi. She swung him with one hand, using him as a makeshift sword. His body collided against his subordinates, and soon, they were all scattered along the hilltop. One of them tried shooting a fireball at Lucia, but after she blocked it with the leader’s body, the rest of them stopped. Without their spells, there was nothing they could do to her. Only when all the demons were groaning on the ground did Lucia stop beating them with their leader’s body. She looked at me. “All done. Or did you want me to kill them? I’m not a murderer though, so you can do it if you want.”
I climbed out of the carriage—I should’ve done that earlier, but I was too surprised by Lucia’s actions—and walked over to the fallen bandits. The leader was such a bloody mess that I wasn’t even sure if he was alive or not. I walked over to a groaning bandit while Lucia picked up her sword and polished it with her dress. “Who sent you?” I asked the man on the ground. “You’re obviously not bandits.”
“I’m a bandit,” the man said and stared at me. “My comrades and I have always been bandits.”
It didn’t seem like they were willing to talk. Someone probably ordered them to silence. I could always resort to torture…, but that was a job for my father. We’re almost at my home anyways; I can take them with us. There’s only one problem though. “Lucia, do you have any way to prevent these people from attacking us while we transport them?” It’d be bad if they started casting spells in the carriage; tying them up wouldn’t work.
“Aren’t you the encyclopedia? Shouldn’t you have methods?” Lucia asked and tilted her head. “Just bonk them over the head with a stick to knock them out.” She nodded. “Why am I so smart?”
“What if they wake up?” I asked. It would be possible to transport them if they were all unconscious. But if one of them woke up, pretended to still be asleep, and cast a fifth-circle spell, it’d be a disaster.
“I’ll just hit them every five minutes or so regardless of whether they’re awake or not,” Lucia said. “Easy.”
And that’s what we did. I thought it was a bit wasteful for Lucia to spend several gold on such a large and luxurious carriage, but I’m glad she had; otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough space for all the prisoners. And capturing the so-called bandits was a good thing for Lucia. Hitting them every so often distracted her from her withdrawal symptoms.
***
Ah, just like I thought, hitting people is super relaxing. By projecting my qi out of my body and sending it into the bandits we captured, I can sense when they’re about to wake up. And when I do, I hit them over the head with a bone. Like this!
Ilya flinched and glanced at me. She pursed her lips, but she didn’t say anything before turning her gaze back onto the road. Maybe I hit him a bit too hard.
I actually didn’t know I could send my qi into people until recently when I used the bandit leader as a substitute sword. There’s a little bit of resistance, but if I apply some more qi, it goes away. It’s a lot like life; if something’s blocking your way, hit it until it isn’t. That’s how most problems are solved, right?
“We’re here,” the driver said as the carriage slowed to a halt.
I poked my head out the window and looked around. What a picturesque scene! The carriage was positioned in front of a massive gate with brick fences on either side that extended far beyond what I could see. Trees with pink leaves were lined up along the road inside the fence, leading to a fountain. Beyond the fountain, there was a white mansion with gargoyles positioned on its roof. Around the carriage, patches of colorful flowers decorated the bright-green grass. A few decorations—cute animal statues—were littered about. And there were even sun-bleached skeletons impaled on bloody stakes all around us.
“There’s no guards to receive us?” Ilya asked and stood up to peer over the driver’s shoulder. Her face paled as she took in the beautiful scenery. She muttered, “What’s going on?” before departing from the carriage.
Okay, maybe, the skeletons weren’t normal. I tossed the unconscious bandits out of the carriage before storing the portable refrigerator inside of my interspacial ring without the driver noticing. After I paid the driver, the carriage whirled around and departed without a word. Ilya didn’t seem too ecstatic after returning home. Maybe her family tried to drown her too? “So….”
Ilya glanced at me before touching the gate. A circle of mana appeared in front of her fingers. It pulsed a few times, and a ringing noise sounded through the air. A few seconds later, there was a click, and a voice asked, “Hello?”
“It’s Ilya,” Ilya said to the circle. “Open the gate.”
“Young Miss? You’ve returned?” the voice asked. “I’ll open the gates right away.” There was another click, and the circle in front of Ilya disappeared. The gate rumbled, and the chains holding the gate shut loosened before falling to the ground. As Ilya pushed open the gate, the doors
to the mansion opened, and a procession of well-dressed demons, humans, and beastkin stepped outside, forming two lines on either side of the road underneath the pink-leaved trees.
A demon, who was wearing a monocle, approached us and bowed until his chest was parallel with the ground. Seeing how well Ilya was being treated made me feel a bit uneasy because, well, I treated her like crap in the desolate mountains. She wouldn’t hold that against me…, right?
“Young Miss, I apologize for not noticing your arrival earlier,” the monocle-wearing demon said. “Forgive me.”
That’s something he needs to be forgiven for? We just got here.
“It’s alright, Matthew,” Ilya said and gestured behind herself. “Bring these bandits inside for Father to interrogate.” Then she turned her head towards me. “And this is my…”—her brow furrowed—“punishment for the sins I’ve committed in my past life. Treat her like an esteemed guest.”
Hey. I’m not that bad of a person, right? …Right?
“Understood,” Matthew said and nodded at me. “Welcome, esteemed guest.” He glanced to the side at the beastkin with tiger-like features. “Take the bandits to the dungeon.”
Ilya’s mansion has a dungeon? Isn’t that a bit excessive? Why would anyone have such a depressing place inside their own home?
“Let’s go, Lucia,” Ilya said and pursed her lips. She stared at my face. Did I have food stuck between my teeth? Wait, no, my mouth was closed. “How are you feeling?”
Feeling? “Uh, normal? Like always.”
“You don’t want to consume any bones…?” Ilya asked. “I can—”
“Ilya!” a voice interrupted. My tail stiffened as the air in front of us fractured and split apart like a broken mirror. A demon wearing black robes appeared from within and tackled Ilya before she or I could react. “You’re back. Where’s Rogath?”
Ilya struggled to remove her face from the demon’s chest. “Father,” she said and tried to wriggle out of her dad’s hug. “You’re squishing me.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Ilya’s dad said before releasing her. He smiled at her before glaring at me. “You dare point a sword at me?”
Out of reflex, I had readied mini-DalDal for combat when my tail stiffened. Good thing I didn’t attack him right away because I’d probably have lost. With my qi, I could sense the air around him vibrating from the sheer amount of mana guarding his body. If I activated my Path of Slaughter, I don’t think I would even be able to see him beyond a wall of green.
“Father,” Ilya said and tugged on her dad’s sleeve. “This is Lucia. She’s … special. Don’t hurt her, please.”
Damn right I’m special. That was a compliment, right? “Hello, Mister…”—what was Ilya’s last name again?—“Ilya the First.” Well, close enough; I can’t think under pressure, okay? “Nice to meet you.”
Ilya’s dad stared at me for a few seconds before looking at Ilya. “She’s certainly special,” he said with a nod. “But what happened? Why are you here? Where’s Rogath?”
I feel like I’ve been completely ignored. As usual.
“Teacher…,” Ilya said and furrowed her brow. “Teacher captured Lucia with a trap and convinced her to take me on a journey. And now I’m here.”
“I feel like you’ve skipped a lot of things,” Ilya’s dad said. He glanced at me. “But you’re saying I can trust her?”
“No,” Ilya said and shook her head. Hey! I’m very trustworthy! “Her perception of the world is skewed. If you ask her what color a red wall is, she’ll tell you it’s green, firmly believe it’s green, and believe she told you the truth. She won’t try to lie to you, but her words will be lies simply because she’s wrong.”
I’m going to smack her. …As soon as her dad leaves us alone that is. How strong is he? Eighth circle? Ninth?
“It sounds like you’ve had it rough,” Ilya’s dad said and put his hand on her shoulder. His eyes widened to a comical size. “You’re almost at the fifth-circle?”
“Yes,” Ilya said, her face darkening. “Thanks to Lucia.”
Why did her words sound so spiteful? “You’re welcome.”
“Excellent!” Ilya’s dad said and lifted her into the air. She yelped as he spun her around in a circle.
“Dad!”
“Sorry, sorry.” Ilya’s dad grinned and placed her back onto the ground. “A fifth-circle magician at the age of thirteen! Oh, you’re almost fourteen now, aren’t you? We’ll have to hold a banquet.” He glanced at Matthew. “Prepare a birthday banquet for Ilya. Invite everyone important.”
I’m being ignored.
“I’m extremely proud of you,” Ilya’s dad said. “Which element did you attune to?”
Ilya pursed her lips. “All of them,” she said before glaring at me.
Did I do something to make her mad recently? What’s with all the glaring?
“All of them?” Ilya’s dad’s eyes widened. “How!?”
“It was because of Lucia,” Ilya said. “If I didn’t use all the elements, I’d have never kept up with her and died instead.”
Ilya’s dad beamed at me, and my tail finally relaxed. Was he no longer hostile? “Thank you,” he said and nodded at me. “Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter. You’ve been really helpful. Please, allow her to accompany you longer.”
“Of course! I’ll do my best!” It’s been a while since I’ve been praised! Puppers is always such a bitter person and never compliments me. Ilya’s praise feels like I’m being insulted. And Durandal still hasn’t woken up yet. I don’t understand why though. Puppers has died and woken up dozens of times, but Durandal’s still recovering. He couldn’t have abandoned me and given up on life, right?
“Father…,” Ilya said with hints of tears in her eyes. “You’re supposed to support me, not throw me to the lions.”
Her dad ruffled her hair. “How can you compare Lucia’s guidance to throwing you to the lions?” he asked. “Look at how well she’s treated you. You’ll be the youngest fifth-circle magician in existence!” He smiled at me. “Welcome to my residence. Feel free to treat this place like your own home.”
***
A few hours had passed since we arrived at my home. I was in my father’s study, reading up on the side effects of consuming engraved bones when I heard a commotion coming from outside. Of course, it had to be Lucia. I left her to her own devices, and it wouldn’t make sense if her withdrawal symptoms didn’t act up. I opened the door and poked my head out. Our chef, Mr. Ei, was storming down the halls, looking like he had run into a mama bear with her cubs.
“Ilya, what’s going on?” my father asked from his seat. He was reading over the information the bandits had provided after a session of interrogation involving water and towels. He didn’t expect the truth to come out of their mouths, so he interrogated them one at a time and was currently looking for differences between their stories.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But it looks like our head chef’s been mauled by a bear.”
“Duke Pentorn!” a booming voice echoed through the halls as Mr. Ei approached me. He was a demon, but his face wasn’t purple like it should’ve been. It was bright red with anger instead. “Is this how you treat the members of your household? I’ll have you know, my skills are respected amongst even the imperial family—I could’ve chosen to work anywhere I liked, but I was persuaded by your butler to join the Pentorn’s. Never did I imagine that you’d treat me so rudely. I quit!” The chef threw his hat and apron onto the floor before my father could say a word.
“What was that about?” my father finally asked once the chef’s footsteps could no longer be heard echoing through the halls. “Isn’t it almost dinner time?”
“It’s probably Lucia,” I said and hung my head. Good chefs were hard to acquire. A commoner wouldn’t be experienced with handling expensive meat and vegetables while a noble wouldn’t aspire to be a chef unless they were really passionate about food or had no other paths in life. The only exception is Lucia,
and I’m not sure if that’s because I hadn’t eaten properly cooked food in a long time or if it was just because Lucia was working with divine beast meat. It’s not like she has divine beast meat to work with right now. I have the corpses in my rings. …My rings? Where’d they go!? Only Lucia knows where I hide them!
“You look like you’re panicking,” my father said. “What’s wrong? Lucia could train you to become a fifth-circle magician; I don’t think she’d do anything without a good reason. I won’t punish her even if she did scare away the chef; you don’t have to worry.”
No! Punish her, please! Before I could say anything, a servant with whiskers and a curved tail appeared at the door to the study. There was a noticeable bump on her head that didn’t look natural. She bowed at me and my father while saying, “Master, the esteemed guest is causing trouble in the kitchen.”
“How so?” my father asked and crossed his arms over his chest. Good! The sterner he looks, the higher the chance of Lucia getting her just deserts.
“She forcibly expelled everyone from the kitchen, claiming she couldn’t trust us to handle her food. When Mr. Ei confronted her, she beat him with a whisk before threatening to cut off his manhood and force it down his throat,” the servant said. “She’s in the kitchen right now. I tried pleading with her, saying we had to make meals for you two as well, but she said she would handle it and threw a pot at my head.”
I glanced at my father. What would he think?
“As expected of a genius,” my father said, causing my mind to blank. “How domineering; I wouldn’t expect anything less from that girl. Allow her to do as she pleases.”
You can’t be serious! How good of an impression did Lucia make on my father!? Who’s the daughter here!?
“I understand. I’ll inform you when the meal is ready,” the servant said before exiting.
