"You're sure you want to use that swamp witch?" Goblin asked, his voice carrying a note of uncertainty.
With Blondie walking beside me, her cane in hand, toward Veilleuse-19—the massive red wyvern lying low in the garden—Goblin followed behind, along with Dungeon Master 05. "This is a bad idea," Goblin said.
"How so?" I asked calmly.
"How so?" He strangely echoed remaining silent for a moment before finally voicing his thoughts, "She's going to be trouble."
"You're sure that's the real reason?" I gave him a teasing, inquisitive glance.
"She's... she's only brought trouble so far," Goblin responded, meeting my gaze briefly before looking away.
"That was because she was curious about her assailant. Isn't that a very understandable reaction? In fact, we're the last people with the right to complain since we used the poor girl as bait."
"Still..." Goblin seethed, his expression one of frustration.
I chuckled. "Come on, give me your real reason—or better, give me a pertinent excuse as to why I shouldn't use her."
Sulking, Goblin muttered, "Would it be pertinent enough if I said that White wouldn't like the idea of you using her again?"
I sneered. "Not enough," I said. "She might have saved his life once, but he doesn't owe her anything anymore. And even if he still did, that's between him and her. As for me, maybe I still feel like I owe her an apology for using her as bait, but that's not stopping me from using her again."
Goblin sighed in annoyance. "You know what? Do whatever you want."
"That's what I was planning to do," I said, walking up to Veilleuse-19 and patting its scales before climbing onto its back. I helped Blondie up as well, deciding to bring her along.
Watching as Dungeon Master 05 seemed intent on following, I asked, "You're coming too?"
"Is there a reason for me not to come?" He paused, one foot on Veilleuse-19's side.
"Well, I was thinking this would be a small excursion between girls. With you tagging along, that would ruin everything."
Dungeon Master 05 put on one of those faces—a look akin to a child being denied something.
I thought, What are you, a child who's been denied something? Because that's exactly what he looked like. I offered an alternative, "How about instead you have Goblin show you the village? Spend some time between boys, and... stuff."
At that moment, the two of them looked at each other, sizing each other up for a moment before Goblin said, "You heard the lady. I'll get changed, then I'll show you the village."
As I watched Goblin make his way back to the mansion, I had Veilleuse-19 take off into the sky. Dungeon Master 05 looked up at me, his expression resembling that of a child being dropped off at school.
----------------------------------------
Flying up there, I couldn't help but take in the sight of the girl standing beside me. Her hair, styled by Goblin earlier, remained untouched by the wind. Almost immediately after taking off, she activated a barrier. The me from my early days would have frowned at the sight of a skill being used in such a manner. But I was no longer that child. I also knew that, for Blondie, the MP expense was nothing, especially considering how convenient and useful it was for reasons other than merely protecting her hair. For her, with her limited vision, she had established a certain balance that she always required, and the barrier she erected protected us both from the wind without totally sealing us in a vacuum.
In fact, I found it kind of genius. When I first rode Veilleuse-19, I faced similar challenges—weather conditions and the physical strain caused by thinner air. Back then, I was already quite durable despite being only a Hexcaster, so I faced those challenges head-on and adapted. Blondie, well, she didn't have the same resistance, so she found a way around it. Finding ways around things—that was her little specialty since her very young days. If it weren't, she definitely wouldn't have made it this far.
Sensing my gaze on her, she turned toward me. "Ma'am?"
"Nothing," I smiled at her reassuringly.
Considering her condition, one might assume that the cane she held was for assistance with locomotion, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The cane served another purpose. It was a magical enhancer, akin to my staff of importance. Its whole purpose was to improve the manifestation of magic. And, of course, much like my staff, it came with its set of elemental affinities—ones that made it clear there was no better wielder for the cane than her.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Is it still holding up, or is it slowing you down now?"
She lifted the cane to show it to me. It was an elegant piece—its shaft polished to a deep, obsidian shine that caught the light with each movement. Topping it was a golden knob, intricately carved with the visage of a noble eagle, its feathers detailed as if in mid-flight.
Identification: Typhaïne
[Status]
Name: Typhaïne
Object: M.C Amplifier and M.P-storing Staff
Stored M.P: 1842 M.P (77% of total capacity used)
Material: Paprite, Unmeltable Iron, Manacyte
Core Gemstone: Refined Manacyte (+9,500 years)
Origin: Eldoria
Age: 823 years
Creator: Master Enchanter Alaric
Owner: Blondie
Condition: Good, with minor signs of wear
[Special Attributes]
Infused Abilities:
- Elemental Affinity: Shows a strong affinity with air, lightning, and water-based magic, enhancing control and potency.
Infused Skills:
- Magic Amplification: Enhances the potency of spells cast through it by 0.35, making magic circles manifest with greater precision.
- Mana Storage: Can store up to 75% of the wielder's available M.P, up to a maximum of 2400 M.P.
[Recommended Use]
Best suited for mages specializing in water, lightning, and air-based magic or those seeking to enhance their magic weaving precision.
[Collapse]
"It's almost as pristine as when you first got it," I said, praising the care with which the hundred-year-old artifact had been kept in her hands.
"And it's still as useful as when you gave it to me," she replied.
"I'm glad for that," I said, tempted to repeat something I'd done when gifting her the wand but ultimately deciding against it. "I couldn't help but notice—its name still hasn't changed. Did you rename it, or did you just not try?"
For people who aren't Dungeon Masters, names—the ones recognized by the system—aren't something you can change easily. Just as with people’s names, changing an artifact's name takes time, effort, and belief. For well-known artifacts like this one, changing its name is a daunting task. Still, she'd had decades—centuries even—to do it, so it wasn't unreasonable to expect the artifact to go by another name by now.
Blondie shook her head. "I haven't renamed it. I think the name Typhaïne fits it well."
"I see," I nodded, mumbling in a low voice, "I guess you wouldn't be the first one to think that."
Blondie tilted her head. "What is it?"
"It's nothing," I replied. Then, a question I'd been curious about since she and Dungeon Master 05 met. "What do you think of Licht?"
She remained silent for a moment before answering. "He reminds me of Luci."
I frowned a little, trying to figure out what part of Licht could have reminded her of Dungeon Master 03.
I raised her, but I technically raised five Dungeon Masters—Dungeon Master 09, Dungeon Master 03, Dungeon Master 06, Dungeon Master 13, and finally Dungeon Master 10, who joined some years after Blondie. They had names of their own, but those were used mostly for official matters. For the most part, they went by their nicknames: White for Dungeon Master 09, Luci for Dungeon Master 03, Goblin for Dungeon Master 06, Bortz for Dungeon Master 13, and "Charlie"—a common half-elven slur—for Dungeon Master 10.
Luci stood out compared to the others with his seriousness. I supposed it was a quality that Dungeon Master 05 shared, though I’d say it was two different types of seriousness. Luci’s was the protective, supporting, big-brother type—the kind that put up with whatever you did while trying to fix the mess without much complaint. Licht, on the other hand, was serious in a tense, apprehensive, even complaining way—and I knew very well who was to blame for that.
...Wait.
As I thought, I came to realize something. Blondie might be right—they did look alike in that aspect. It was just that, unlike Luci, who put up with what I did without complaint, Licht didn’t. But surely he would have if it were Dungeon Master 07 instead of me. He was apprehensive in the first place because of my reputation. Perhaps, if I’d presented myself differently, he would have reacted just like Luci had back then.
Adjusting my assessment, I admitted, "I guess you’re right. They do look alike."
In that moment, Blondie spoke with a nostalgic tone. "I wish he were here."
I repressed a grimace.
If it weren’t for the fact that he was already on a mission of equal importance to Goblin’s, I would have chosen him over Goblin. Not that Goblin was inept, but out of the two, Luci was the one you'd be tempted to trust with your eyes closed. Unfortunately, he was already busy, and I knew for a fact that he would hate not being summoned here.
"Unfortunately, he can't be here," I said.
"I know," Blondie replied, her voice carrying a hint of sadness. "But I still wish he were. If he were, we would all be together like before," she said with a clearly nostalgic smile, before slowly returning to reality. "But without Charlie and Frank..."
Unlike earlier, I hesitated because she was now... well, grown and freshly groomed. I reached out to pat her head as I did when she was no taller than a goblin. "It's alright. You and the others did your best—there is nothing to feel bad about here. Come on, you literally managed to escape from a monarch. Those aren't just anyone, and I know what I'm talking about—I’ve been avoiding one because I can't fathom how to properly win against him. You guys managed to escape from a monarch, and better yet, you actually managed to land such a blow on one. There is nothing to be sad about here. Sure, their absence is not something to rejoice over, but they died so that all of you could be here. So the least we can do for them is bring them justice. That's what I intend to do—that's what we intend to do," I said, cheering the girl up. Then, with a bigger smile, if not an outright mischievous smirk, I added, "And if we're lucky, we might get a little more than justice out of this."