“Magic is like rain. The rain that falls from the sky flows into valleys, becomes rivers, and transforms into the ocean, before rising back into the sky. It must be circulated without stopping.”
This class was held in a training area within the Mage Guild.
The Mirabel Grand Witch Project was now in full swing.
Colton, the guild master of the Libria Mage Guild, volunteered to be Mirabel’s magic teacher. It was rare for a guild master of a city to personally teach magic.
Our Mirabel is indeed the best.
As a side note, the lectures were held at the same time every day, and the tuition was free. This was partly because if Mirabel became famous, Colton would also gain considerable benefits.
Although their intentions were different, in the end, they both wanted the same outcome, so it was a win-win situation for both.
‘He’d be shocked to find out that the person he taught turned out to be a witch.’
Well, that’s not my concern.
“Today’s class will end here. Please come back tomorrow after you have better organized the flow of your magic.”
While I waited in a corner of the training area, the lecture ended. Mirabel walked over to me with Colton.
“Is it over?”
“Yes.”
“How is Miss Mirabel doing?”
“As expected, the measurements were accurate. Her internal magic amount and operational skills are at a level that’s hard to believe she just started learning magic recently. However…”
“However?”
Colton trailed off. Why is this guy acting ominously?
“Something seems different.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“You’re exactly right. Miss Mirabel’s magic is alien compared to ordinary magic, but I cannot ascertain the reason. It may take more time than expected for her to use magic.”
It’s because she’s a witch.
Although I wasn’t well-versed in magic and couldn’t feel the difference, I knew the reason. Witches and mages operated magic somewhat differently.
“I understand for now. Since I don’t really know much about magic, I’ll trust you completely, Guild Master.”
“Haha, I didn’t expect you to trust me this much. I’m speechless.”
“Haha, don’t mention it.”
You have to trust what you need to trust.
I should come up with some schemes.
I’m not running a house nor a shop, so I don’t have any household chores to assign to Mirabel.
Even if I did, I wouldn’t usually want to ask her to do much.
After making her work too much, and later freeing her only to have her say, ‘That was revenge for making me wash your underwear!’ would be troublesome. It’s a peculiar relationship where I’m the subordinate and Mirabel is the superior.
Still, I want to assign her very basic chores regularly. I wouldn’t feel good if she turned into a crazy witch who only knows how to use magic.
‘Of course, I won’t give up on maid outfits even if it costs me my life.’
It’s common for a man to have things more precious than his life.
The task I just assigned to Mirabel was to buy some items. I gave her some money and informed her of the list of things to purchase.
It didn’t take long before Mirabel returned to the inn. She set the items she bought onto the table, one by one.
Handkerchiefs, bug-repelling incense, portable magic stone lanterns—nothing special, just the essential gear for adventurers. Lastly, she placed a brown bag on the table.
What was inside was fried food.
Specifically, slime fries.
“Great! You brought everything back without missing anything.”
“Phew…”
Mirabel let out a sigh of relief and brushed her chest.
It’s normal to make some mistakes, isn’t it? She must have been quite nervous.
“Well done.”
I reached out absentmindedly to pat Mirabel’s head, and she flinched for a moment, pulling away from my touch.
Zut. Did I try to close the distance too quickly? That was a mistake.
In that case, I should give her some other reward. Fortunately, I had something here that she would like.
I took the slime fries out of the bag Mirabel brought and handed them to her.
“Here, eat this.”
“Me…?”
“Is there anyone else here besides you, Miss Mirabel? Come on.”
Mirabel, surprised, stared at the slime fries with wide eyes before carefully taking them. However, she hesitated to eat them and looked at me for approval.
When I smiled and shrugged my shoulders, she finally took a bite.
“How is it? Is it delicious?”
“…Yes.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Slime fries.
To me, a person from Earth, they are merely a rare delicacy, but they hold significant meaning for Mirabel. This snack was something her mother used to make for her often.
You could liken it to miso soup that her mother cooked for her while she was alive.
It’s only natural that Mirabel, who knows this better than anyone, felt her eyes welling up with tears.
Tears soaked the slime fries. The atmosphere felt a little off, but it was still a poignant scene that tugged at one’s emotions.
“Why are you crying? Is it that tasty?”
“Yes… it’s amazing.”
“Is that so? I’ve never tasted it, so I wouldn’t know.”
I didn’t realize it at that moment. That this would turn out to be a big blunder.
“You’ve never eaten it…?”
“Yes. I have a small appetite.”
Saying that, Mirabel started rummaging through the bag and pulled out more slime fries, extending them towards me.
“P-Please try it. It’s salty and delicious.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“Ah…”
A sigh escaped Mirabel as she let her shoulders droop, dropping the fries she held.
“It’s… delicious.”
Why do you make such a sorrowful face? It breaks my heart. If you react like that, I’ll just end up feeling like trash for rejecting it.
I snatched the fries from her hands as if reclaiming a treasure. It’s just slime; once it’s fried, it all tastes the same. With that mindset, I put it in my mouth and chewed.
Mirabel’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“Well, it’s not bad at all. The saltiness makes it quite suitable for a snack.”
“Right? It’s tasty on its own, but it’s even better with cool milk.”
Mirabel, who shared stories known only to herself. If I were to say that, I’d be met with a ‘What is that, you fandom nerd?’ but with Mirabel, a pretty girl, it feels entirely different.
I didn’t expect her to be this happy just from my slight agreement. I’ll have to buy it more often. Maybe even share it with her… huh?
“Did something just twitch?”
“Wow, it seems you ate something fresh. That happens every now and then, so you’re lucky.”
What the heck.
Lucky indeed.
I’ll never eat it again, that much is certain.
I managed to swallow the slime fries somehow.
I couldn’t very well spit out what I had put into my mouth. Once I poured some water into my mouth, it became somewhat more bearable.
On the other hand, Mirabel seemed to be quite fond of the slime fries. Even after I ate, she couldn’t stop herself and continued to eat one after the other. How many did she buy? It was like a Doraemon pocket—keep pulling out fries endlessly.
I wanted to wait until she finished eating, but at this rate, I’d be up all night. She should eat while she talks.
“Today, Guild Master Colton said something. He mentioned that Miss Mirabel is different from other mages. It might take a long time for her to use magic. Do you have any idea why?”
“Cough.”
Mirabel cleared her throat. Did she choke on her food, as her heart raced?
I offered her some water, which she accepted eagerly and gulped down without hesitation. Once she calmed down, she sighed.
“I… I don’t know very well… I just started learning magic recently…”
“Is that so? Then you wouldn’t know how to resolve it either.”
For Mirabel to learn magic, it would take a significant amount of time. This was quite a troubling matter for me.
‘It’s not even Mirabel who’s the problem; it’s the next steps that are concerning.’
Mirabel’s liberation doesn’t depend heavily on timing. As long as I can successfully rescue her during the Slave Carnival, I can take my time without any issues.
However, there are other slaves.
There’s already a heroine who is a slave, and there are those who are about to become slaves due to incidents.
While in a game, you can press a button and rescue a slave on the other side of the continent, here it’s reality. I have to physically go rescue them myself.
If I happen to miss someone, it would be a big loss. Once you fall behind, there’s no end in sight.
‘The easiest way would be to seek out a witch…’
If the magic a mage handles is different, then learning directly from a witch would suffice. I know the locations of a witch or two, but I still intentionally came to Libria because many witches tend to be eccentric.
As stated earlier, Mirabel is a supernova that is born only once every thousand years. This is true not only for mages but also among witches.
She’s a talent even witches covet. If I were to bring Mirabel to them, she would just become a tool for their ambition. Witches are uncontrollable.
So, seeking out a witch is out of the question. This leaves me with one remaining method through the process of elimination. It’s one I anticipated, which is why I came to Libria.
I stood up.
“If you’re done eating, Miss Mirabel, it’s time for you to get up too.”
“Uh…?”
“Let’s finish eating and go.”
To grow a slave as efficiently as possible, I must appropriately utilize game knowledge.
As time passes, various variables may arise, rendering it useless, but at least that time is not now.
‘If it causes more trouble right from the start, I’d rather rescue one cute beast person and live happily ever after.’
Cutting to the chase.
In Taosil, there are various means to cultivate slaves. It’s not just skills; they can also consume potions, and equipment can be equipped.
Potions have decent performance, but those that can be given from the early stages are limited. It requires a long time to feed them, and it’s costly. It’s mainly for the seasoned experts.
What I can do for Mirabel is provide her with equipment. It’s the means to achieve extreme efficiency at this point.
That is why I came to Libria.
“Hahahahahaha!”
In a desolate graveyard at dawn.
Wearing a one-time stealth robe obtained by investing 2,000 points, I was in the midst of a delightful grave-digging session.
“M-Master! We shouldn’t be doing this! If we get caught, it’ll be the worst punishment! The gods will be angry!”
“Hahaha, Miss Mirabel, you’re speaking the obvious. That’s right, it will be the worst punishment if we get caught. However, to survive in this harsh world, you must know this. Remember it well.”
“W-What is it?”
“If you’re not caught, it’s not a crime.”
The presumption of innocence.
You are innocent until a guilty verdict is declared.
In other words, as long as there’s no trial or even a verdict, you are naturally innocent!
Mirabel screams in shock, then hastily covers her mouth, fearing someone might overhear. Don’t worry. The stealth robe I bought is expensive, and even though it’s one-time use, its performance equals that of a top-tier artifact.
Unless a grand mage uses detection magic, there’s absolutely no way I would be discovered, right?
Tick.
As I continued to dig, something snagged on my shovel. I dug around it and picked up the object.
Even in the dark dawn, it shimmered under the moonlight—a silver staff with a gleaming crystal at its tip.
A staff crafted from the branches of the World Tree, given by a high elf in love with the sage Arcelia 300 years ago.
This staff was passed down to ‘Inaxia,’ the half-elf son born from Arcelia and the high elf, who ended his life quietly here in Libria. Half-elves have shorter lifespans than pureblood elves.
The place where the half-elf is buried is the 7X7 location of the Libria public graveyard. When you dig there, you unearth the Sage’s Staff.
[You have obtained the Heavenly Pact.]
With this, I can significantly enhance Mirabel’s magical abilities!
“Here, Miss Mirabel. This is a heartfelt gift from me!”
With joy, I handed the staff to Mirabel, and her expression was beyond words.
