Chapter 6: The Seigneur’s Messenger
Act 3: Threats to Elle Village
Chapter 6: The Seigneur’s Messenger
A busy yet peaceful six months have passed since I brought Laurent and the others home with me. Every day has been filled with harvesting the thriving crops, selling the excess to other towns, preserving foods, and figuring out what to plant next. Much has changed, but the most mind-boggling is—
“Lady Elle, please look at this! I was able to harvest such a big daikon radish! See how fresh and succulent it looks?” a teen a whole fist taller than me calls to my attention.
The boy with the baseball bat–sized daikon has sun-kissed skin, shoulder-length burnt-chocolate hair, yellowish-brown eyes, and an endearing smile.
This teenager, who’s a little on the small side but significantly bigger than when I found him, is Laurent.
In these past few months, he shot right up like the seedlings we planted, as Marie said he would. He was so much smaller than me at first, too!
Weren’t you supposed to be the manga’s legit shota?! Aren’t you supposed to counterbalance me being a legit loli?! I thought we were going to look smaller than our ages together!
What kinda mechanics are at play here? Magic?! Is magic at fault?! Does becoming a genius sorcerer equate changing your height and appearance however you please?! I want that cheat! Bah!
Lately, Laurent has been getting on my nerves because he outgrew me. Hoping he won’t catch on to my inner peevishness, I school my features and face him.
“I see. Looks like a tasty…radish.”
“It sure does! It’s an amazing find! Oh? What are you making right now?”
“…Furniture and stuff.”
“I’ll help you! You’re making it with magic, right? Leave everything to me, Lady Elle!” he exclaims and starts drawing a magic circle in the dirt. His lines are prettier and more accurate than mine.
Yes, Laurent can already use magic. I haven’t taught him how. I haven’t taught him a single thing. Not this teenager with the hidden talent capable of killing me. I swore to take his potential to become the genius sorcerer Laurent to the grave with me in order to stay alive.
But the annoying brat learned magic on his own. The shock I felt when I found out is still fresh in my mind.
At the time, I was making more farming tools for our new residents while Laurent attentively watched. “I think I can do that, too,” he said afterward and attempted to pull off the spell by imitating what he saw me do.
I should’ve stopped him then and there, but I underestimated him, thinking even a genius sorcerer couldn’t pull off a spell just by watching without any training…only for him to succeed in every aspect.
I was so overcome with shock I thought my jaw might fall off with how far it dropped.
In Analia, I was the youngest Grand Magi ever and often called things like “Prodigy! The epitome of godly talent! The kind of magic savant who only comes around once every hundred years!” But even with all that talent, I don’t have the ability to re-create a spell after seeing it only once.
Even Julius was surprised.
Magic is the brainchild of knowledge and skill—it shouldn’t be usable without basic knowledge of how it works! What in the world is the deal with Laurent’s body?!
Despicable. I despise Laurent’s talent!
“Lady Elle? Is something wrong? Magic particles are seeping out of you,” Laurent points out with an innocent grin.
Magic particles were born out of my jealousy of you! Annoying genius!
For that matter, I never knew Laurent had a cheat ability to see magic particles, and I reread the manga hundreds of times! You heard that right. Laurent can apparently see the normally invisible magic particles as a black aura. He developed the nifty trick of reproducing someone else’s spell by sight alone through watching how that black aura fluctuates.
Copycat sorcerer!
“Listen here, Laurent! You must never think you are a better sorcerer just because you have a slightly better knack for magic than me! I’ll never forgive you if you think I’m weak and try to take me out, attempt to take my life, and bury me! Burn it into your head that I’ll roast you, toast you, ghost you, then post you!” I declare with authoritative pomp.
Fact is, Laurent and I have entirely different magic supply levels to work with. Granted, Julius said it comes down to more than just the amount of magic I have access to. But anyway, Laurent won’t be able to fire any wide-area spells like me even if he wants to because he’ll run out of magic.
Hmph! How do you like them apples?! Laurent is a jack of all trades but a master of none, after all.
“I know. You often tell me not to take you out or try to kill you, but why would I ever do something like that? You are my—my village’s savior…and also…um…someone who is very…spe—”
I shoot Laurent a sharp look as he bashfully fidgets.
I mean, manga Laurent killed manga Elle! Granted, this Laurent won’t try to kill me…or so I’d like to think. He’s actually attached to me like a puppy to their owner.
Plus, his personality is different from the manga.
Manga Laurent was a character with a hint of darkness just below the surface. Maybe it had something to do with his entire village being wiped out in the manga. That said, I don’t know when Laurent, with his hidden potential to outclass me as a sorcerer, will turn on me!
I’m a woman who never lets down her guard. That’s me, Elle!
“That’s right. I’m your savior. And don’t you ever forget it! Never try to take me out! It’s a promise! You’ll have to swallow a thousand needles if you break it!” I emphasize for emphasis’s sake, when chills suddenly scrape down my spine.
Uh-oh, I know this feeling…
I nervously glance over my shoulder. There, the Prince of Glacial Beauty’s frigid gaze is drilling into me.
“Elle…did you not understand my warning?” Julius utters in an icy voice I swear brought down the air temperature.
“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wha-What warning was that?!” I stutter and hide behind Laurent. Julius is scary.
“Don’t play dumb with me. I warned you to refrain from conspicuous activities.”
“N-No worries. I d-didn’t do anything overly conspicuous. I just snatched up a handful of villagers from a frontier villager! Nothing outta the ordinary!” I say, frantically trying to vindicate myself while behind Laurent’s back.
The ice only hardens in his glacial eyes.
Scary.
Julius has become a fussbudget ever since he brought up that puzzling theory about me being a magic generator or whatever. His anger goes through the roof whenever I impulsively kidnap unfortunate village people. It seems like he just wants me to stop being so obvious, but it bothers me to leave those folks like that…
And on that note, Elle Village has become a fabulous village with over a hundred residents!
“Laurent,” Julius says, turning his frosty glare on Laurent, “I told you not to take your eyes off Elle. And did I not also tell you to prevent her from drawing attention to herself?”
Dreadful freezing air waves spill off him.
“Er, I’m sorry, Master Julius. I was saved by Lady Elle’s kindness, so, umm, it’s not easy for me to stop her from saving another…”
Aw, Laurent’s shoulders have drooped. He has entered into a sorcerer apprenticeship under Julius. They usually get along like brothers, but…
“Julius, don’t blame Laurent. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s just going along with my selfish requests,” I intervene. Julius’s already cold eyes narrow to slits.
Wh-What’s got him all upset?!
“…I don’t like you defending Laurent, either.”
“O-Oh hush. Laurent is innocent here,” I counter.
“Enough wasting time on what has already come to pass,” he says with a sigh, giving up on arguing the point. “But, Elle, if you keep this up for long…” Julius trails off as he lifts his head and scowls into the distance.
What’s wrong? A frown has taken over his handsome face.
“Someone has finally sniffed out this village.”
“What do you mean?” I look in the same direction. The sky is a beautiful blue, but slight vibrations are coursing through Julius’s barrier.
“It appears someone is heading straight here,” he curses.
◆◆◆
AN armed group calling themselves the Messengers of Gaea has shown up at the entrance to Elle Village, where my original village confidants, Jasper and Canna, as well as Julius, Laurent, and I, are already waiting.
The group is made up of thirteen people: a portly middle-aged man dressed in flamboyant silks, ten men decked out in plate armor, and two people hidden under hooded robes.
I glare at them with eyes that say, “Ohoho, what business brings you to my village?” Too bad they don’t seem to care about the way I’m staring them down.
Of course they wouldn’t. Both Julius and I are hidden from the unwelcome messengers by Julius’s Hide spell.
With our exotic looks and attire, we run the risk of being immediately outed as non-Gaeans. Julius is incredibly sensitive about word getting out that Analian sorcerers are living in this village. That’s supposedly the worst thing that could happen.
Hence why we are currently chilling on the sidelines as invisible people. The best part? The residents of Elle Village can see us just fine. I have absolutely no idea how Julius pulled that off. He really is capable of anything. He’s starting to seem a lot like a certain blue cat robot from my past life’s memories.
“My, my, my! This village is even more magnificent than I imagined. Ah, I’m Magnus Calmir-Fenlit, messenger for Lord Ayrscott, the seigneur presiding over this region. Can you fetch the village representative for us first, dollface?” the messenger asks Canna in a sickeningly beseeching voice.
This seigneur’s messenger gives off totally creepy vibes. I mean, he’s pretending to survey the village while his eyes chase after every cute village girl’s behind. Perversion gleams in his beady eyes.
“If it’s the representative you seek, that would be me,” Jasper says, taking a step forward.
Neither Julius nor I can take up the mantle without trouble, so we appointed Jasper as acting mayor. After all, Jasper is from Gaea, has a thick beard, and comes across as a clean-shaven grandfather, so he definitely has the whole mayor vibe going for him.
“Ooh? You’re the mayor? You’re more average than I expected. You look nothing like a heinous villain who would kidnap people from the surrounding villages to make your own village without government permission,” the messenger says with a sticky smirk.
How rude! Old man Jasper isn’t a heinous villain! He’s as charming of a gentleman as he looks! Besides, I’m the kidnapper, not Jasper!
I knew it. This messenger dude is the type of creeper I viscerally can’t stand. I mean, he’s taking every chance he gets to ogle the young ladies of Elle Village, lingering especially long looks on Canna’s buttocks.
“This is the village rumored to increase its population by kidnapping people from neighboring villages? It doesn’t look the way the rumors made it out to be.”
The smaller of the two hooded figures speaks out against the messenger’s haughty accusations. Their hood obstructs their face from view, so I was surprised to hear the adorable, dulcet tones of a teenage girl.
“You mustn’t be deceived by appearances,” the messenger slurs. “The scale of the kidnappings and the method used all point to there being a WICKED sorcerer hidden in this village.” He rakes his eyes over the villagers.
My MO gave me away?! Er, I can’t deny I go all-out during kidnappings. B-But I’m not a wicked sorcerer! I’m a good one! After all, I make sure to get permission from people before I kidnap them!
I’m a little shaken up by how astute the messenger is contrary to his looks.
“Then again, I find it hard to believe a sorcerer is lingering in this dinky, third-rate village,” the man says with a snicker. “Anyone who can use just a sprinkle of magic in this era is raised up as a hero by Gaea. Word has it they can have all the women and money they want. They would have to have a few screws loose to purposely live out in the boondocks. Speaking of which, there’s even a cheeky little girl strutting around with the title of saint when she’s commoner riffraff… What a sorry world we live in… Oh, master sorcerers, please don’t be offended. Sorcerers who choose to serve under us of noble blood where you belong are quite splendid.”
He slides his disgusting gaze to the two people hidden under hoods and heavy cloaks.
There’s no way in magic hell that this creeper finds anything about sorcerers splendid. A prickly aura pours off the hooded figures.
No matter how I look at the pair, they give off a completely different feeling from the messenger and his henchmen.
If what the messenger said is anything to go by, they seem to fall into a mercenary bodyguard role. Sorcerer bodyguards. I definitely sense extraordinary power from them—magic.
Things could turn bad fast.
Julius hid our magic, but a talented sorcerer could possibly see through the spell. On the upside, the caster is Analia’s strongest sorcerer, so the chances of us being outed are thin, but it’s better to be on the cautious side.
“…A wicked sorcerer, you say? Nothing heinous has been done here as far as I can see. The villagers don’t look like they are being held here against their will,” says the taller hooded figure with a fit physique noticeable even under their heavy robe. The low voice reminds me of a bubbling brook and definitely sounds masculine.
Looks like the cloaked figures are a man and a woman.
“You really think so?” the messenger drawls. “Now, now. No need to pass judgment on the spot. We just need to have a little chat to tell if the sorcerer here is good or evil.”
His gaze snaps to Jasper.
“There’s no point in beating around the bush: I know a sorcerer is here. Ah, I wouldn’t get any smart ideas. As you can see, I have two sorcerers with me as well. You know what to expect if your sorcerer…goes crazy, yes? Now then, Mr. Jasper, you seem to represent this village—are you the sorcerer? You don’t look the part.”
Everyone in Elle Village definitely picked up on this guy’s nasty personality from his demeaning tone.
Julius turns to Laurent, who gets the signal and nods. He sweeps out of the throng and stands before the messenger. “I’m the sorcerer. But I’ll have you know that I didn’t kidnap the neighboring villagers without their consent.”
Oooh, Laurent has picked up the torch. And he protected my honor! What a guy! You tell ’im, Laurent! I didn’t kidnap without consent. I made sure to ask, “You don’t mind, right?” before every abduction!
Surprise flickers across the messenger’s round face. Then he lets out a deep, mocking laugh that reminds me of a strained foghorn.
“What? A child like you? Hahaa. I see, I see. Seems like this village has naughty adults taking advantage of naïve little children. Gee, I need to take a page out of your book,” he says, giving Jasper a loaded look.
He probably figures Jasper tricked Laurent into becoming this small village’s sorcerer.
He’s totally wrong, though! Laurent became a sorcerer against my wishes! Of his own making! My beloved Elle Village doesn’t have a single naughty adult in it.
And anyways, hasn’t this guy been overly rude, from his word choice down to his almighty attitude?! He pisses me off! Also, he’d better quit cruising Canna’s figure with those pervy eyes!
“I’m not a child!” Laurent protests. Air rushes around him in a powerful gale. This magical wind pressure is different from naturally occurring gusts of wind.
I didn’t feel the clean flow of magic that comes from a magic circle or from forming the spell with hand signs, so it seems like his magic is running a little wild in response to his emotions. Laurent is a genius, but he’s a bit of a double-edged sword whenever he’s treated like a child and becomes so upset he hurts everyone around him.
But the sudden burst of wind magic seems to have scared the messenger. He lets out a small yelp and hides behind the hooded pair.
Seeing the cheeky man trembling in his boots, I fist-pump the air with a “You tell ’im!”
Good job, Laurent! Your sensitive heart seems to have done a wonderful job of scaring that loathsome man! Ratface shouldn’t be provoking a sorcerer if he’s that scared of them. Foolish Gaean messenger!
“Stop that. Magic isn’t meant to be used for such negative sorcery,” instructs the taller of the two cloaked figures while I’m secretly cheering Laurent on.
There’s a dignified weight to the voice that lends it an authoritative edge, like someone used to ordering people around. Who is he? The messenger made it sound like they’re hired sorcerers…
Laurent quiets his magic with a frown. The whooshing winds cease.
“I just turned seventeen. I’m an adult,” Laurent insists for good measure.
Isn’t he a little too hung up on that? Then again, he is in the height of adolescence and particularly touchy about those things, so the rest of us have to be more sensitive around him.
“Bah! Shut up! Insolent heathen, you dare threaten me, His Lordship’s confidant, with magic?! Take him down! Now!”
Meanwhile, the messenger has cast his grimy act to the wind and is throwing a fit. He’s bellyaching and pointing at Laurent from behind the two cloaked figures.
The sorcerers share a look.
“He didn’t harm you in any way,” the woman contends in an exasperated voice. “Young sorcerers often struggle from their magic running amok with their volatile emotions. Furthermore, weren’t your intentions to speak with the village mayor first?”
“There’s nothing to talk about! There’s a dangerous sorcerer right there!” he asserts. His face erupts into a volcanic red upon seeing the lack of action taken by his magic bodyguards. “Useless magic users! You dare forget the debt you owe me for hiring you filthy, wandering sorcerers!”
The cloaked figures don’t take the seething, cursing messenger’s bait; they merely look down at him in silence.
“Pieces of shit! I’m done with you! I won’t ask again!” he bellows, angrily turning to the row of armored men. He closes his mouth before he barks whatever orders were on the tip of his tongue.
Wondering what stopped him, I follow his gaze to Canna. His eyes narrow with some nefarious plan and perversion warps his expression. He clears his throat and slowly turns back toward Jasper.
“Ahem, I spoke a tad out of line there. My bad, my bad. Speaking with you will give me a better idea of what kind of…village this is. Leave the judgment to me, the messenger trusted by His Lordship,” the man avers, suddenly returning to that nauseating smarmy voice. “Mr. Jasper, you are undoubtedly the village head here, correct?”
The way he did a complete one-eighty is extremely disturbing. Even Jasper warily replies, “I am. What of it?”
“In that case, let’s discuss the future of this village without these pesky sorcerers. Either way, if you have decided to build a village in this territory, you will have to pay taxes. You haven’t paid anything up until now, so we have to decide on that amount as well,” the messenger claims with his trademark smug grin.
Taxes are understandable. Jasper told me that you have to pay a land tax in the form of crops and money if you want to live in Gaea. Failing to pay will lead to powerful people such seigneurs coming to destroy the village. Going along with Gaean law is the best way to secure Elle Village’s stability.
But I don’t wanna pay anything when the person demanding payment is this despicable. Not to mention his volatile emotions don’t bode well for a fair deal…
I cautiously watch over the proceedings as the messenger faces the two cloaked figure again.
“You proved traveling sorcerers are utterly worthless, so you don’t have to come with me. Cheeky magic users can keep watch here. Oh, and if you dare disobey me again, I will tell His Lordship to punish you severely. Tread carefully.” He looks at them with disgust.
The tall sorcerer shrugs and gives a curt “Got it.”
Frowning, Jasper glances at Julius. With a nod from him, Jasper formally faces the messenger. “Very well. Please come to my mansion first, then. I will listen to what you have to say there.”
◆◆◆
AFTER settling the quarrel in front of the village, the discussions move to Julius’s mansion, where the messenger sits across from Jasper with his armed men standing behind him. They aren’t getting off to a great start with Ratface leering after Canna’s butt as she prepares a pot of tea.
He makes me sick. Every instinct in my body screams that this guy is a pig!
The revolting messenger reluctantly stops checking out Canna’s behind to look at Jasper.
“You can’t just make a village without telling anyone. You must first go through His Lordship for permission. Furthermore, even our magnanimous lord will be angered if you obtain your villagers by kidnapping them from his other villages,” he says, trying to exert influence over the talks as he slurps the tea Canna prepared.
“Your grievances are valid as far as founding a village in this land without following proper procedure is concerned. However, we have not kidnapped people,” Jasper corrects him. “Villagers without properly functioning villages came here when we invited them.”
“Invited them, eh? Such a pretty young lady accepted your invitation? I wish I had your remarkable skills of persuasion,” the messenger drawls, leering after Canna with a lecherous smirk.
He’s absolutely disgusting! He’s a walking, talking embodiment of perversion!
Canna’s uncomfortable and frowning. Borrowing a word from my past life, this is grounds for a sexual harassment suit! He’s a skirt-chasing, sexual-harassing, perverted man in power!
Someone grabs my shoulder before I can take another step forward to bash in that sexual offender’s shiny, bald pate. I whip my head around to find Julius there. He’s grimly shaking his head, begging me not to.
I argue back with my eyes that we mustn’t let this monster go unpunished, but I lose to Julius’s powerful gaze…
I shift my attention back to Canna, who has turned her gaze my way as well. She smiles and shakes her head, telling me she’s all right.
The messenger and his lackeys can’t see us, but the residents of Elle Village can. Canna is trying to show me that she’s okay before I crispify Mr. Bald Ratface Messenger.
Stopped by both Julius and Canna, I purse my lips and overlook Baldy’s indiscretions this once. But the moment he tries anything funny, he’s done for!
“An important messenger such as yourself has much to do, I’m sure. Let’s cut straight to the chase. Didn’t you come here today to discuss how much our village is to pay in taxes?” Jasper asks, ending the small talk.
“Well, you aren’t wrong,” Baldy the Rat Messenger says arrogantly. “Why, the village I saw today is large and fruitful. Taking that into consideration, you need to pay this amount in crops…”
He scribbles down a number on a piece of paper he had on hand. Then he passes that quickly written note over to Jasper.
Jasper turns pale the second he looks at it. “Y-You want to take this much from us?! Impossible! We will starve to death!”
Seriously?! He wants that much?! Lemme take a look at that!
Julius and I circle behind Jasper and peek at the paper.
Just like Jasper said, he’s asking for a ridiculous amount. It doesn’t even take into account what will happen to the village if the weather turns sour and we have a bad harvest.
“Don’t be greedy. A village of this size won’t have any issue fulfilling this. Besides, this is the same land tax we charge all villages.” The foolish messenger laughs like a horse.
All of Gaea’s farming villages are dying because you bleed them dry with these nefarious taxes! Seething rage roils through me.
I knew it! My fist needs to break his nose! I take another step forward just for Julius to stop me again.
(Calm down, Elle.)
Julius’s voice echoes in my head. He’s using a type of telepathic magic that allows us to converse with our minds instead of our mouths.
Wow, I didn’t know Julius could use this class of magic. I always thought only Sereniel the Temptress was capable of this among the Four Grand Magi.
(Ooh! I hear your voice in my head! Is this your ability, Lord Julius?)
I hear Jasper speaking this time. Julius has his hands on both of our shoulders. Seems like that allows the three of us to converse mentally.
(Don’t stop me, Julius! I can’t allow him to get away with this tyranny! I’ll roast him, toast him, ghost him, then post him!)
(Don’t. I don’t want to draw attention over this. Jasper, you can accept these terms. We are at fault for establishing a village without following the rules. He has likely included our back taxes. I expected him to extort a more ridiculous number. I’m willing to turn a blind eye on this amount. We should be able to secure more food by increasing our farmland.)
(That’s a valid point… All right, Lord Julius. I will go ahead and accept the messenger’s terms now.)
Jasper sits up straight and returns his attention to the oblivious messenger. “Very well. It honestly won’t be easy for us to meet your demands, but we will strive to set aside this amount,” he concedes with a somber face.
“Oooh! You are quite the accomplished man!” the harebrained messenger rejoices with a pompous grin. “I like that you don’t drag things out. Now with your land tax settled at that number, we can move on to the matter of your unpaid taxes…”
“You want to take more than you already have?!” Jasper cries out despite trying to maintain his calm throughout the discussions.
He’s demanding more than that already outrageous amount?! I had totally assumed that the number included all our back taxes! Julius only gave the okay because he thought so, too. I look over at him to see his expression harden.
“Naturally. You were the ones who built a village this way, kidnapped people from other villages, and lived under the radar. Your village was fated to be razed to the ground if His Lordship wasn’t magnanimous.”
“We did not kidnap people against their wishes!”
“At any rate, you must have this amount of food ready for us by the end of next month.”
Ratface ignores Jasper’s outburst and thrusts another piece of paper at him. I peek at the content written there, which describes the amount of food Elle Village has to set aside from now on. No matter how you slice it, this isn’t something we can prepare in the span of one month.
“Clearly you jest? This is extortion. The amount you’re asking for is beyond anyone’s means!” Jasper argues.
The sexual harasser feigns a worried pout. “Is that so…? Well, if you insist it is beyond your means, we can just burn down the entire village and call it a day. Are you all right with that option?”
Like hell anyone would be all right with that! I’m too stunned for words. Jasper shares the same sentiment—he springs to his feet and closes the gap with the messenger.
“Are you sane, man?! Your demands are entirely unreasonable! We can’t do what we can’t do…!”
“Well, when you put it like that…we can approach this from a different angle. Come now, relax in your chair, the answer to your problems is easy. Oh, and can you get me another cup of tea?” Creepy McCreepy requests of Canna, turning the most loathsome, lecherous grin on her yet.
Jasper loudly clears his throat, redirecting the messenger’s randy gaze back to him. “What other angle is there?” he asks.
“There’s always another angle, my good man,” he sneers. “Yes, indeedy. Why, it’s simple. All you have to do is give me all the women in the village, and I will use my authority to halve next month’s payment for you. The caliber of fine-looking women in this village outdoes many in this province.” He hums and squeezes Canna’s butt.
“Ah!” Canna cries out in surprise, and the grinning bastard sniggers with his perverted face on full display.
I snap. I won’t forgive the jerk! How dare he touch someone from my village! How dare he treat women like cattle!
Did he suddenly shift his stance on this village during his temper tantrum earlier because he came up with a plan to make Canna his plaything?! Perverted sicko!
I step forward to roast him and toast him, but Julius annoyingly stops me again.
(Why are you stopping me?!)
There’s this saying in my world that even the patience of a saint eventually runs out. He’s already tried my patience too far! Ah, but the Bible says you’re supposed to forgive seventy times seven times.
……
Well, I’m not a saint! I won’t forgive him!
(Using magic will alert others that there’s an Analian sorcerer in this village. Once word gets out, it will reach Analia.)
(So what?! What’s so dangerous about that?!)
(Hunters will come if Analia discovers this place.)
(I’ll protect everyone in this village from them!)
(It’s not the village I’m worried about. You’re the one in danger, Elle!)
I flay Julius with my angry glare for stopping me.
(You should know, I created Elle Village because I wanted the freedom I never had in Analia. I want to stay free and I want the people of Elle Village to have freedom, too. Shaking in my boots in fear of the Demon Lord circle and dreading Analia to the point I can’t ever do anything is not the freedom I was seeking!) I convey to him in my mind, sharpening my gaze on him.
Julius hesitantly loosens his grip on my shoulder. Using his moment of wavering to my advantage, I shake free of his hand and reach out for the insolent messenger’s shoulder to roast him.
“Wh-What?! Y-You lout! Let go! Lemme go! Ow! You’re hurting me!” he starts moaning in front of me.
I definitely had my hand out to turn him into a nice rat-roast, but I haven’t done anything yet.
One of the armored men from the security unit the sexual harasser brought with him is twisting his arm behind his back. A member of his own escort party is doing that when he should be standing back and awaiting commands. I run my eyes over the rest of the guards, and all but one are in shock.
The one calm guard among the panicking group folds his arms. “I’m disgusted. I didn’t think my kingdom had rotted this far. I can only hope scum of your caliber are infesting only this territory,” he states calmly.
My eyes instinctively take in his relaxed stance, so clearly different from the rest of the confused guards.
“Who the Demon Lord’s spawn are you?!” the messenger angrily demands, overwhelmed. “Ghh! That hurts!” he cries when the man gripping his arm gives it an extra twist.
“Silence, lowlife! Bow before your lord!” commands the man restraining the rat-faced messenger.
Then, with everyone watching, the man with a commanding air of calm slowly removes the large metal helmet hiding his face. Lustrous hazel hair spills out from under the rising helmet. Strong-willed almond-shaped eyes pierce the messenger.
Aaah, I’ve seen him before. He’s—
“You are in the presence of Gaea Kingdom’s third prince—Prince Guido Fance Grimond!”
I freeze in place, my arm still in the air. I can easily imagine the manga narration box showing up beneath the character, announcing his name and title as he flashes his royal crest.
Guido…the third prince…is here…which has to mean the girl under the cloak is…
The shock is so great my brain draws such a blank I think I’m gonna faint. Meanwhile, red suffuses Ratface’s complexion, and he glowers at the man introduced to the room as the third prince.
“Royalty?! Y-You expect me to believe that blatant lie?! His Highness the Prince would never be here! Guards! Capture this fool pretending to be of the royal family! Do it now!” he thunders, shaking the whole room with his squealing voice.
The confounded guards hesitantly draw their swords and turn them on Prince Guido in the wimpiest gesture yet. As for the prince, he meets them with an intrepid smile and knocks down the entire indecisive party with a single flick of his sword.
Aaah. Yup. Knew that was coming. The prince’s sword is a cheat weapon that can store magic. In just one swing, he manifests the power of twenty strong men.
I dissect the situation as armored men comically do backward somersaults. Confirming their true identity has had the oddly positive effect of calming me down.
The messenger gags on his words after witnessing this slender slip of a man wipe out his brawny guards in full plate armor with little more than a flick of his wrist.
Haha! Serves you right!
But I kinda wanted to save the day after I wore down Julius with my cool speech.
I quietly lower my right hand, which I’d raised to save Canna.
The door opens at the same time. A petite figure hidden under a cloak is standing in the doorway. And behind them is a slightly flustered Laurent.
Something flies out from under the figure’s cloak. It’s a small humanoid creature about the size of a human head with dainty, transparent wings, long pink hair, and large yellowish-green eyes. The legendary creature, called a fairy, hovers in the air and thrusts her finger in Guido’s face.
“Hey, Prince Guido! You started without our signal! And we went through all that work to gather information from the villagers, too! Now that’s all for nothing!” the fairy decries in a bubbly voice. She snorts and crosses her tiny arms.
I don’t know what about that tirade was funny, but it gets the cloaked woman to softly laugh.
“Hehe. Lylish, it isn’t nice to point at people.”
A pretty dulcet voice fills the room. Even her “Hehehe” laughter sounds like beautiful chimes in the wind. How in the world does one become capable of laughing like that?
The reprimanded fairy goes “Hmph” and turns up her chin.
Guido lets out a delighted laugh. “Haha! My bad. I couldn’t stand watching this man a second longer. So, what did you hear from the villagers?” he asks, directing his loving gaze toward the cloaked woman.
“I was able to ask them a lot with Laurent’s assistance. The rumors about forced kidnappings appear to be false, as we assumed. Everyone said they willingly came to this village,” she answers, drawing back her hood and revealing beautiful long hair the color of night, healthy skin, slightly colored cheeks, rose-colored lips, and beautiful jet-black eyes framed by curled lashes.
I figured it was her. The real person is a hundred times more beautiful than her manga version. This is the girl I had been a die-hard fan of during my last life. I wanted to be just like her.
“A black-haired woman accompanied by a fairy… Don’t tell me you’re the village wench they call a saint?!” the messenger utters, shock causing his voice to tremble.
He’s a dense lout to only notice it now. I realized it the moment Prince Guido came on the scene! Ha! That’s right, she is—
“Oh dear, cat’s out of the bag already? Hello. I’m Aela. They call me a saint, but I’m just your standard sorcerer.”
Saint Aela. The heroine of my favorite manga series.
“Labeling your powers standard will make it difficult for anyone else to ever call themselves a sorcerer,” Guido says, walking over to Aela with a serene smile.
Third Prince Guido is a magic swordsman who fights by imbuing magic into his royal sword.
“Your Highness, Saint Aela, what would you have me do with this?” asks the armored knight restraining the messenger.
I’m betting this knight is Golem, the brilliant swordsman who was originally the captain of the prince’s guard.
“I leave the decision to His Highness,” Aela says with a sweet smile. The pink-haired fairy Lylish perches on her shoulder.
And behind her is the genius sorcerer Laurent, who’s still trying to figure out the situation.
“Take him away from here. I will hand down his punishment later,” the prince orders after careful deliberation.
With only one ear keyed in on their conversation, my mind goes into full panic mode over having finally come face-to-face with a scenario where all five of the manga’s main characters have gathered.
The magic swordsman Prince Guido.
The genius sorcerer Laurent.
The master warrior Golem.
The fairy Lylish.
And lastly, Saint Aela.
Every member of Saint Aela’s party responsible for killing manga Elle have gathered in the same room in front of me.
(Elle, what’s wrong? Are you all right?) Julius’s voice echoes in my numb head.
I tear my eyes away from Saint Aela’s party and glance up at his face. He’s looking at me with concern.
(Julius…)
I wonder what he thought when he saw Aela. She’s someone he was fond of in the manga world. I clearly remember the scene where he betrayed his country to join her.
What is this feeling? My heart aches…and is restlessly thumping.
(Something must be wrong. What is it?) he asks again, firmer in his tone.
I shake my head. (Nothing’s wrong. Just in shock over the sudden turn in events! So she’s the saint, huh?) I respond, trying my hardest to maintain a modicum of calm.
I think he can see through my feigned bravado. A suspicious frown weighs down his brow.
(Elle, please tell me if something is worrying you.)
(I’m not worried about anything in particular! Anyway, what do you think Saint Aela and co. are going to do next?) I redirect the conversation and my gaze to Saint Aela.
Julius is completely displeased with me for changing the topic, but he goes along with it.
(Let’s wait and see. I will keep us invisible to them in the meantime. Don’t do anything to break the spell. Speaking to or touching a person will make the magic’s effects wear off on them.)
(I know. I won’t,) I promise as I watch Saint Aela’s group.
Golem tied up the rat-faced messenger and knocked-out guards and carted them off somewhere. He should’ve tossed them out on their fried butts after I roasted them, toasted them, ghosted them, then posted them!
My eyes suddenly lock with Aela’s while I’m silently raging…or at least it seemed that way to me. But how could that happen? I shouldn’t be visible to her under Julius’s spell.
(Impossible… How? It can’t be.)
Julius’s panicked voice races through my head at the same time Aela clearly looks at us and smiles.
“We have someone else with us here, yes? Who might you be?” Aela inquires in her delicate voice like silver bells.
What? N-No way! S-She knows we’re here?!
I instinctively look to Julius; he’s assessing Aela with a rare flustered look. And we aren’t the only ones in a panic. Laurent, knowing we shouldn’t be visible to them, glares at Aela.
“Wh-What kind of nonsense question is that? Th-There’s nothing but empty space there,” he insists.
But Guido, discounting Laurent’s insistence, scowls in the same direction Aela is looking—in other words, at us.
“You see something, Aela?” he asks, rushing forward and thrusting his sword at us.
I nearly let out a small “Watch where you point that thing!”
Guido probably just swung his sword at random, but the tip came uncomfortably close to my face.
I take an instinctive step back, and Julius pulls me protectively behind him.
Don’t go swinging around long, magical swords without warning, boy! You’ve been doing whatever the hell you please knocking around bad guys left and right, but this is indoors! You’re inside a mansion belonging to Elle Village, not the battlegrounds!
I direct my mounting displeasure into a glare at Guido and catch sight of Laurent a few feet behind him. His whole face has turned blue upon seeing the sword tip thrust at my face.
Uh-oh. This is a bad sign. Laurent is seething with unspeakable rage.
“…Stop it! Don’t point that at her! Wind Gate, release!” Laurent chants a spell with trembling lips. His spell successfully summons forth a gust of wind that blasts Guido away.
Laurent is the impulsive type. I’m pretty sure he would’ve gotten just as angry if Guido pointed his sword at any of the villagers, too. I understand how he feels. I’d want to roast, toast, ghost, and post whoever dared to swing a sword at any of our villagers.
Laurent’s magic wind slams Guido against the wall, but he immediately resumes a battle stance with his sword at the ready. He probably didn’t take much damage because he’s wearing Gaea’s royal armor. That set has been enchanted with various magic stats. At least, if it runs by the same logic that I remember from the manga.
Guido sucks magic into his sword while I’m relying on my past life’s knowledge to assess the situation.
“Why did you suddenly attack me? Were you actually a kidnapping mastermind after all?! Aela, get away from that boy!” Guido orders, staring Laurent down.
“You’re wrong, Your Highness.” Aela shakes her head. “Please calm down! You too, Laurent. I’m sorry. I brought this on us with my poor choice of words… They aren’t bad people. I can tell!” she entreats, trying to persuade Guido to lower his sword. Then she directs the compassionate gaze of a saint toward me and Julius.
A heavy sigh beside me breaks the trance her smile has put me in.
“I never expected to meet someone who could see through my magic…,” Julius mutters in defeat, and the magic aura covering us changes. He’s removed the spell making us invisible.
Once we’re visible, Aela’s fairy gapes at us.
“Whaaaa?! Hey, aren’t they Analia’s…!” she shrieks in a high-pitched voice.
Prince Guido studies us with piercing scrutiny. “Analians?! Wait, I recognize the man… You can’t possibly be Julius Eldorad Griffith of the Demon Lord’s Four Grand Magi, can you?!” he accuses, unnerved.
Julius, said to be the most powerful Grand Magi in his time, is apparently just as famous among Gaeans. Even Aela, who couldn’t have known we were the generals of the country she’s at war with, lets the surprise show on her face.
“…I’m no longer a Grand Magi,” Julius gruffly retorts.
Laurent walks over to him and bows his head. “I’m sorry, Master. I snapped when he pointed a sword at Lady Elle…”
“I understand. I would’ve done it if you hadn’t,” Julius says, comforting him in an unusually master-like tone, then shifts his intimidating gaze to Aela. “Our identities matter not. Woman, how did you know we were hiding here?”
Aela seems a little unsure of how to proceed after learning she’s dealing with one of the enemy’s Grand Magi, but she nods once after closely studying Julius.
“I have the powers granted to me by God. I do not believe you to be the evil sort,” she says with a saintly smile.
Wow, she can smile like that even before the intimidation devil known as Julius. I wouldn’t expect any less of the woman I used to admire!
I nod along with her reaction as I hold up the real woman to her manga version. Yup, yup! Aela has the special powers God gave her.
Having left the Fairy Realm on a journey to defeat the Demon Lord, Lylish discovers Aela, a girl with the potential to become a saint, and grants her the powers of some powerful entity she calls “God.” Fairies are a special species rarely seen in these lands. They’re said to have taught humans how to use magic but have since retreated to seclusion in their original realm because they couldn’t adapt to the magic particles of the human world.
However, the devastation of the human world leads to the devastation of the fairy realm, and so Lylish journeys to save the human world from the Demon Lord’s destruction, empowering Aela along the way. Their whole backstory is right out of a fantasy novel. Well, it is a fantasy manga.
Anyway, that’s why Aela can use an amazing, miraculous class of magic unattainable by human sorcerers.
“God? How quaint. Such beings aren’t real… But you’re free to believe what you want. After all, I can’t let you leave here alive now that you’ve discovered us.” Julius drops that line like a villain, his intent to kill them palpable.
I’m not his target and I’ve still got goose bumps from it.
Scary. I keep forgetting that Julius is Analia’s strongest Grand Magi…and not necessarily a “good” guy.
“Damn you!” Guido curses and swings down his enchanted sword. But it snags on an invisible wall halfway. “Tch! A magic shield!”
Julius flicks his wrist like he’s swatting an irritating fly, blowing Guido back until his head slams into the wall. Guido slides down and struggles to get up right away after being hit by a far more powerful attack than Laurent’s gust of wind.
But, as you should expect of a shounen hero, he thrusts his sword into the floor and uses it to unsteadily rise off the ground. Pretty impressive he’s able to stand after that blow.
“Oh? You can stand after taking a direct hit from me?” Julius comments, a hint of amusement entering his otherwise deadpan voice.
Meanwhile, I’m sitting on pins and needles over how he’s been reciting lines right out of the villain playbook! Is this what they call a Bad Ending flag? Are things going to be okay like this?
Also, maybe everyone has let it escape their notice, but we’re inside an Elle Village mansion! Please don’t play out a mini-boss fight right here!
“Master Julius doesn’t show mercy, does he?” Laurent mutters beside me.
Right? Anyone who sees this would think so. Also, his word choice captures just the right amount of cool villainy. I’m in awe.
For that matter, is Julius serious about killing them…? The death aura pouring off him is real. Goose bumps are still prickling my flesh.
Honestly, I’m scared of Saint Aela’s group. I mean, they might kill me…
But I don’t want to see them get killed here, either. After all, I know from the manga that they’re really good people. I don’t want to let Aela’s story end before it’s supposed to.
“J-Julius. Th-That’s enough, I think. They aren’t so bad, and they got rid of that sleazy messenger for us!” I say, drawing this fact to his attention and grabbing hold of his arm.
He frowns and groans my name. “Elle…”
Silence reigns.
In that moment of impasse, Saint Aela runs over to the barely standing Guido. She puts her arm around his shoulder and looks back at us.
“Why don’t we…talk first? I still am not convinced that you are bad people. You have a reason for not wanting us to leave here alive, right? I can help you.”
She must be shaken up and angry after seeing her dear friend thrown against the wall like a rag doll, but her unflinching gaze reveals neither emotion.
Julius and Aela hold each other’s gaze.
It feels like a needle is pricking my heart.
I know this is not the time for it, but it hurts seeing them exchange looks.
“…Elle,” Julius calls while I’m sinking into depression, “you do not want me to kill them, right?”
“What?! Ah, yeah. That’s right. I don’t want them to die. I guarantee you that they’re not bad people!” I say, vehemently defending them.
Julius exhales a long breath and strides over to Guido. “I’m sorry. Can you stand?”
Guido slaps away Julius’s hand. “Don’t come near me,” he seethes.
Yeah, it’d come across as a slap in the face if the person who sent you flying asks if you can stand. Poor guy.
“Please sit still, Your Highness. I’ll heal your wounds. Close your eyes,” Aela instructs, pressing her forehead against his.
Oooh! I know what’s going on! Aela’s using the recovery spell unique to her!
It’s an awesome ability where just by pressing her forehead against another will heal the person’s wounds in the blink of an eye. This is it! Part of the magic that earned her the title of saint.
It’s no big secret that Analia has no healing spells. About the only thing we have to heal ourselves are the elixirs made by the DemiOracle.
Recovery magic is extremely valuable!
My inner fangirl is itching to get out and take a closer look at Aela’s magic, but an already healed Guido stands up before I can.
He glares at Julius, letting him know he’s ready to fight. Saint Aela stands between them with a troubled smile.
I’ve read enough manga to feel like I’m watching a love triangle scene unfold between them.
Just thinking of it that way…agitates me. Why? It’s so strange.
I adored these kinds of scenes when I read the manga…