After a very long time, Elise took out her pen.
It was the pen she used to draw magic circles.
To get used to the craft pen she hadn’t held in a while, Elise rolled the pen in her hand a few times.
It was a craft pen that fit perfectly in her hand, but it felt awkward.
It couldn’t be helped.
Elise’s first craft pen was the cheapest one available on the market.
So, after receiving a new craft pen as an engagement gift from Chase, she hadn’t touched this pen.
Moreover, the last magic circle she drew was drawn solely with her fingernails, so it was as if she was holding it for the first time in 8 years.
“It seems like it’s been 3 months since I’ve seen you hold a craft pen, Miss.”
Of course, if you only count the life she returned to, it’s only been about 3 months.
‘I don’t know if it will go well.’
Cheap craft pens can easily break if you don’t pay attention to Mana control.
Elise, who doesn’t have enough Mana to break a craft pen, was nervous because it was something she was doing after a long time.
Elise took a deep breath while looking at the diamond embedded at the tip of the gold nib.
And she slowly poured Mana into the semi-transparent body.
The maroon Mana rose up in the body.
“Miss, your Mana is always amazing to see. Mana that changes depending on the color. It’s beautiful.”
At Regina’s admiration, Elise gave a bitter smile.
Mana has a different color for each magician, and the higher the quality of Mana, the more vivid the primary color it has.
The peculiar color of Mana that changes depending on the light, like Elise, means that the quality is poor.
So Iris used to say something every time she drew a magic circle.
[It’s a hybrid mixed with this and that.]
Turbid Mana interferes with the smooth flow of magic and lowers the magic operation rate.
Elise didn’t like her turbid Mana, but after hearing Regina’s words, it felt quite okay.
‘If I were a magician with some skill, my father wouldn’t let me go so easily.’
The same goes for Chase, and Iris’s harassment would have gotten worse.
I didn’t know there would be a time when I would be grateful for my poor magic skills.
Elise smiled faintly, thinking that people have to live long and see.
“But what are you going to do, Miss? This is a salt chest you received from Jasmine.”
“Regina, I’m going to sprinkle salt around.”
“Salt? All this?”
Elise nodded and began to draw a magic circle in the salt chest.
Regina quickly shut her mouth.
Drawing a magic circle requires a high degree of concentration.
Especially Elise, who has turbid Mana, had to draw a magic circle more delicately and accurately than others.
Every time she drew a line, Elise swallowed her breath.
It didn’t take much time, but soon sweat was dripping on Elise’s forehead.
“Phew, done.”
Elise moved the craft pen to her left hand and repeated clenching and unclenching her right fist.
“What did you draw, Miss?”
“Magic to lighten the weight.”
The weight of the salt that Elise and Regina had to move and sprinkle was quite heavy.
There are two kinds of magic that can be used to lift heavy objects.
Either lighten the weight of the object or amplify the strength of the person lifting the object.
The latter was a magic that was directly applied to humans and could not be used with a magic circle.
There was no need to endure the pain of scratching the skin with a pen for temporary strength enhancement.
So Elise lowered the weight of the salt.
It was a very simple magic, and because it was short-lived, the magic was operated with Elise’s magic circle alone.
“Let’s try lifting it. Be careful, you might get hurt.”
“Hey, you’re making the weight…ugh.”
Regina, who had taken the weight of the salt lightly, gritted her teeth.
“There’s a limit to my magic. Sorry, Regina.”
It was impossible to make the salt chest as light as a feather.
“Uh, no. I was off guard, but I can lift this much with one hand.”
Regina grumbled and put strength into her legs.
For over an hour, Elise and Regina repeated the task of moving the chest and sprinkling salt around.
The ground was muddy, their shoes and dresses were a mess, and both of their faces were sweaty.
At first, they chatted, but by the time the work was finished, only the sound of their breathing could be heard.
“Miss… Is this really important?”
Regina’s arm, which had moved the empty chest back to its original place, was trembling.
“Yeah, it’s important.”
It was a matter of life and death.
Regina had more questions, but she didn’t ask.
Everything Elise had done since she started acting strangely two months ago had meaning.
‘I didn’t know what she was doing before, but it was precarious.’
Now, whatever she did, I believed in her. And the precarious atmosphere was all gone.
It felt like she had become an adult in just two months.
“If you’re done, let’s go back, Miss. It seems like dinner is ready. Have a meal and I’ll prepare your bath water.”
“I can just wipe and sleep, Regina.”
“Hey, if you don’t wash, Miss, you won’t be able to sleep because you’re uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s really okay. It’s a luxury to take a bath in a place like this.”
Elise walked ahead.
The shoes she had taken out, that they were sinking into the muddy ground, revealed themselves little by little between the dresses.
‘She’s completely changed.’
Elise was a better person compared to Iris, but she also had a line she wouldn’t give up as a noble.
A comfortable bed, morning and evening baths, shoes, etc. were those things.
But since Elise left Bedrokka, she had never complained, and she even stopped Regina, who was trying to take care of her discreetly.
Regina was stunned because she had changed so much.
“Regina, come quickly. Otherwise, we won’t have anything to eat.”
Elise smiled brightly. It was an adult’s smile.
Regina hurriedly chased after her.
****
When Karan finished preparing dinner and entered the carriage, Elise had already cleaned up all the dresses and shoes covered in mud.
Thanks to Regina’s diligence, she had also wiped her body clean. It was no different from taking a bath due to Regina’s persistence.
Thanks to that, Elise was able to pass without Karan discovering what she had done.
“It’s delicious.”
Elise tasted the stew Karan brought and admired it.
Even though there was nothing special in it, it tasted great.
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
“Is there meat in it?”
“Yes. I cut up some jerky and put it in.”
“Jerky?”
It was essential to bring jerky when traveling long distances.
Because there was no food that could replenish as much stamina as meat on the strenuous journey.
The prepared jerky was usually cut and put in a small pouch, and it was common to chew it during the journey or during meals.
It was the first time for Elise to eat it soaked in stew.
The jerky, which had absorbed the soup and became soft, was excellent in both texture and taste.
Elise kept drinking the stew and smacked her lips.
Karan watched her with satisfaction without even touching his bowl.
“Your Highness, you should eat too.”
Elise realized that she was only focusing on eating and felt embarrassed.
“I must have been watching too much. Please eat.”
Karan finally picked up his spoon.
Seeing him start eating, Elise began to focus on eating again.
For a while, the carriage was filled with the sound of their eating.
Karan stuck his gaze on the bowl.
Because he wanted to see her smacking her lips, his gaze kept drifting.
It would be a big problem if he made her uncomfortable and she felt sick.
But he wanted to see her.
The sight of her eating the food he made was so beautiful.
Karan had to grit his teeth to avoid looking at her.
“I ate well, Your Highness.”
Finally!
Karan lifted his head sharply. Elise’s eyes widened at the gaze that met her.
“…It was really delicious. I think I’ll be thinking of having it again next time.”
Elise opened her mouth as if she had to say something. Of course, everything she said was sincere.
“I’ll make it for you again next time.”
Karan was subtly bluffing.
There would be no need for him to cook when arriving at Tetris.
There would be at least ten chefs for him.
But that promise wasn’t bad. Elise smiled brightly.
“You promised, Your Highness.”
After dinner, Karan called Haltbin and Bernard to his small tent.
There was only one round table for meetings in the tent. When the three of them gathered around it, the tent was full.
In the tent, which had no function other than avoiding morning dew, Haltbin and Bernard swallowed their saliva.
Karan’s army was always short of supplies. Because the king of Tetris did not provide adequate support.
Of course, Karan could cover some parts with his own money, but he deliberately did not.
Because there was a risk of revealing his wealth to the king of Tetris, and because he did not feel any discomfort in particular.
‘We’re the only ones uncomfortable, just us!’
As if his anger was exploding, Haltbin clenched his fist.
No matter how many times he experienced it, he could not get used to the king of Tetris neglecting his master.
“Although we’ve set up camp here as it’s the only suitable place, we can’t be at ease.”
Karan leaned both hands on the desk where the map was spread out.
“We know, Your Highness. We’ve formed nine teams of two each. We plan to take turns guarding in teams of three. Don’t worry too much.”
Bernard, who was in charge of the warriors of Tetris, spoke.
“I’ll join too.”
“You can’t, Your Highness. We have a long way to go tomorrow. You need to rest as much as possible. Moreover, we expect rough roads from tomorrow onwards.”
Haltbin immediately objected.
From tomorrow onwards, we will officially enter the territory of Ragnaros. It will be impossible to avoid a clash with monsters.
“I’m not the only one going on a rough road.”
“Don’t you want the fastest breakthrough? You need to be strong for that to be possible.”
Bernard persuaded Karan. It was a reasonable reason, but Karan shook his head.
“Don’t worry. My skills won’t change just because I’ll be on guard duty.”
Haltbin sighed briefly.
“Is it because of Miss Elise?”
Karan stared only at the map.
“Your Highness, trust us.”
“I trust you.”
The answer came out straight away, but it was an empty answer.
“Your Highness, we will protect Miss Elise well. If the other guys are not enough for you, I will do it myself.”
Bernard stepped forward. Bernard was one of the top warriors in Tetris, recognized by Karan.
“You’re saying something that can’t be more wrong. Access to Elise’s carriage is prohibited. Haltbin, you too.”
Karan’s eyes became fierce.
A faint sigh flowed from the mouths of Haltbin and Bernard, but Karan ignored it.
He had no intention of sharing even the sound of Elise’s breath with others.
And protecting her was solely his responsibility.
He didn’t want to share the honor of protecting her with anyone.
Haltbin and Bernard failed to persuade Caran.
Bernard and Haltbin exchanged glances.
‘There will be no problem.’
‘We have to hope so.’
But their hopes ended up being just hopes.
Late at night, a warrior holding a torch high shouted.
“Monsters have appeared! It’s a flock of Proclizards!”
Thank you so much!❤️🔥