Chapter 40

“Ah, Lady Abelin! I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“My story…?”

Unlike Abelin, who exuded a cold and eerie atmosphere, Riana greeted her with a warm smile.

She even went as far as to offer a handshake first.

Abelin was slightly taken aback by the composed reaction but eventually accepted Riana’s hand.

And at that moment.

“But, you know…”

Squeeze…

A blue light shimmered over Riana’s hand, which had shaken Abelin’s.

It meant mana was present.

And not just any mana—it was so dense that it was visible to the naked eye.

“Ugh, uh…!”

“Why are you looking at me with such hostile eyes and speaking to me in such a cold voice? I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. In fact…”

Riana looked straight at Abelin with confident eyes, filled with the certainty that she was superior to the other.

“It was me who stopped my master from getting truly angry. If the Archmage, my master, had decided to get really mad at you two, it wouldn’t have ended peacefully.”

That expression and voice.

And the tone that was not rude but still overflowing with dignity.

Ah, right.

Riana…

‘She resembles him. Commander Balthazar, that man…!’

I couldn’t help but admit it.

No matter what anyone said, Riana was the daughter of Commander Balthazar.

And she had become a magician strong enough to be impossible to ignore.

“Ugh…!”

Honestly, it wouldn’t have been a big deal for Abelin to shake off Riana’s hand.

If Riana had strengthened her physical strength with magic, Abelin also knew how to strengthen her body with mana.

And with well-trained physical strength on top of that, even more so.

But Riana was a target we had to recruit.

There was no benefit in causing friction with such a person, so Abelin was holding back as much as she could.

In the end, I thought I had to step in, knowing both of them.

“Riana, that’s enough.”

“Got it, bro. Wow, ouch ouch…!”

Riana, who had let go of Abelin’s hand, shook her own hand, which had been tightly gripping Abelin’s.

“Pretty painful, huh? Even though I protected my hand with magic. A well-trained warrior is indeed different! Honestly, I was impressed.”

As she said this, Riana’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Abelin.

Abelin, who was rubbing her sore hand, seemed unsure how to respond to Riana’s reaction, her pupils slightly shaking.

“Impressed…?”

“I know why you two came. You came to take me, right?”

“You know well. How did you guess that, Riana?”

“Didn’t you say so, bro? That you came to request cooperation. If I think about what kind of magic the Vanguard would need, there are only three possibilities. One, magic for convenience.”

Riana clenched her fist towards me and Abelin, then extended one finger.

“But we’ve already provided enough magical facilities for the Vanguard to live comfortably. So that’s not it. Then the second? That would be excellent healing magic that can even cure fatal injuries. But our Rostia Magic Tower isn’t specialized in healing magic. So, there’s only one left.”

As she extended her second finger, Riana emphasized by fully extending her third finger.

“Powerful battle magic that can prevent the Vanguard from being injured, or even eliminate the threat entirely. The cooperation you’re requesting from the Rostia Magic Tower is exactly that, right?”

“Well, no need to explain further.”

I lightly clapped for the triumphant Riana.

“You’re right. We came to request that a powerful battle magician be sent with us. And that person is none other than…”

“Me, right? The powerful battle magician!”

“Yeah. The pride of the Rostia Magic Tower, the daughter of the Vanguard commander. You, Riana.”

“Hehe…!”

Seemingly pleased by the generous praise, Riana hummed a tune and even shook her head playfully.

Then she naturally approached me and slightly bowed her head.

“Riana, what are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh…!”

Riana, startled by my question, quickly straightened up and distanced herself from me.

“Sorry. An old habit came out without me realizing…”

“An old habit? Ah.”

Thanks to Riana’s words, I remembered.

“I can still do it for you if you want.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s not a big deal. Come here.”

“Hehe…!”

Riana immediately clung to me when I gestured.

And what I did for Riana was gently pat her head.

“Ugh, it feels so good to have Kairon bro pat my head again after so long.”

“You’ve grown so much taller since then, but you’re still as spoiled as ever, huh?”

“Don’t tease me. You don’t know how cold and bleak life in the Magic Tower is.”

Riana didn’t just passively receive the patting; she even actively rubbed her head against my hand.

“This is that kind of place. If you just sit still, the top keeps getting higher, and those below keep pushing up. If you stay still, even the most talented magician will fall behind—it’s a terrifying place.”

“You’ve endured well in such a place. So well that even the haughty Archmage master can’t treat you lightly. You’re doing great.”

“Yeah. More, more praise.”

“You’re doing great. In fact, you’re doing so well that I’m more than satisfied.”

“Hehe, I’m so happy…”

The dignified expression Riana had just moments ago was gone, leaving only a spoiled little girl.

“…You two seem close.”

Somehow, Abelin’s voice sounded a bit awkward, but Riana answered brightly.

“Yes! Kairon bro and I are close.”

“We’ve always been close. I grew up as an only child, so I don’t know what it’s like to have siblings, but Riana followed me really well. It was a great comfort when adapting to the Vanguard.”

“…I see. You really do seem close.”

Abelin seemed to clench her fist, but it must have been my imagination.

“So, what do you want to do? It seems like our purpose has been sufficiently conveyed to you, Riana. Do you have any intention of helping us?”

“Of course I do. Didn’t you hear why I came here?”

“I didn’t hear? I only heard that you came because you wanted to.”

“To help. To help the Vanguard, where my father and others are risking their lives to fight. And…”

Riana then clasped my hand with both of hers.

“Among them, there’s also Kairon bro, right?”

“To voluntarily enter the Magic Tower to help the Vanguard, how can you be so admirable?”

“Admirable? Hehe, then pat my head more!”

“Alright, alright…”

I naturally tried to pat Riana’s head again but hesitated.

Noticing my hand stopping, Riana looked up at me with a pouty face and asked.

“Why aren’t you patting me?”

“If you confirm it clearly, I’ll pat you as much as you want. Are you coming with us?”

“Making me say the same thing twice. Of course, I have the intention to go with you.”

“You have the intention, but…?”

“Of course.”

There was something hidden in Riana’s words.

“I have the intention, but there’s a condition for me to join the Vanguard.”

“Of course, there would be. Bargaining and conditions—you’ve truly become a proper magician.”

“Don’t look so disappointed already. It’s not a difficult condition.”

“A difficult condition…”

I felt pathetic for even hoping it would go smoothly for a moment.

Riana said it wasn’t a difficult condition, but in my past life, Riana didn’t join.

Moreover, the last time I saw Riana in my past life was…

***

“Go back.”

“Riana, I’m begging you. Our Vanguard can’t survive without the help of magicians…”

“If you’ve become so weak that you can’t resist anymore, it’s better to just perish quickly. Wouldn’t that be more comfortable for both body and mind?”

“Riana. What are you saying!”

“…What a waste of time. Go back.”

Riana turned away coldly and threw out.

“…Boring.”

***

The hopeful part is that I can’t feel the coldness from Riana that I felt when I last met her in my past life.

But even so, I mustn’t forget that the current Riana isn’t the same as the lovable and cute Riana from before.

“Tell me, Riana. As a promising talent of the Rostia Magic Tower, what do you want us to do?”

“Persuasion, I’d like some persuasion.”

“Persuasion? Who?”

“Who else?”

Riana smiled and pointed in a certain direction with her finger.

That direction was…

“Hehe, our master! The person I need permission from is none other than our master!”

I suppressed it.

The urge to argue that this isn’t a difficult condition.

The person we need to persuade to send Riana for the Vanguard, Ronos, is none other than…

The Vanguard’s greatest enemy, a demon.

And not just any demon—a particularly vicious one at that.

To persuade such a demon instead of killing it…

‘Damn, this is driving me crazy…!’