Author’s Note: Here comes next chapter. I seem to be alternating between 5 days and 3 days for updates. I’m really looking forward to the comments after this chapter.
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Chapter 28
I had gotten back to Fio’s shop before Myura returned. Fio was in her backroom gathering the ingredients, so I helped with that. I got her to identify and name them for me too, though she added in the qualifier that most of them had to be ordered through the Merchant’s Guild because they don’t grow anywhere near here. Some didn’t even grow at all in the Empire. I asked why she couldn’t grow them and apparently it was an issue of needing a certain type of environment to grow in.
As I was getting some brief instruction about herbs and potion making tips, Myura returned and seemed momentarily happy that I was still at the shop. I guessed that she was expecting me to disappear like I had the previous day. She went back upstairs to Fio’s kitchen area and started to prepare lunch. Most of the tips I received were pretty basic instructions like how to properly prepare the herbs for use in the potions or how to make sure the herbs were still good, though that varied based on the type of herb. Of course there was way too much variety of ingredients in the shop, so she could only show me a few examples.
The best thing to come from the conversation was when Fio handed me a journal and told me to read it. I decided to excuse myself and go back upstairs to examine the contents. It was a veritable treasure trove! The journal seemed to be something that Fio had personally compiled through her experiences as a witch. I couldn’t read it of course, but there were drawings of plants, animals and even monsters with notations pointing out various parts and lots of writing beside each drawing. Lynn was saving all the information for reference later. She was especially happy since it provided her a lot of writing samples with which she could finally start deciphering the written language. I idly flipped the pages as I examined the drawings.
I also took the time to watch Myura cooking. Watching a cute girl cook is always a pleasurable experience, though Myura started to get really self conscious when I did that so I returned my attention to the journal to not distract her. She also had one other spectator who she didn’t seem to mind. Coa had woken up at the smell of cooking and had climbed her way to the top of the chair I was using, and was watching with rapt attention. It had been quite amusing and adorable in a way to watch her climb. She had slithered up one of the chair legs and all the while her tiny little wings were beating like she was attempting to fly to make herself climb faster.
Nirvi, on the other hand, was still sleeping on the chair that she had been placed on earlier. I don’t think she was going to wake up anytime soon. I wanted to play with her, but at the same time I didn’t want to wake her. What a quandary! It’s almost as big of a crisis as being trapped in the dungeon yesterday! So instead all I could do is continue to flip back and forth through this journal I can’t even read and look at the pictures. I felt like a child. I really hope Fio comes back upstairs soon or Myura finishes lunch. One or the other to please save me from this boredom!
Thankfully, I didn’t have too long to suffer in that state. “My lady, I have finished preparing lunch. Allow me to collect our hostess and then lunch may be served.” She curtsied and then went to fetch Fio. She’s being awfully respectful to Fio now. I hope it’s a good sign. I should probably have a talk with her later about her true motives. She doesn’t seem to be lying about wanting to serve me, but I think there definitely has to be more to it than just that. The question will be if she will willingly share it or not when asked.
If she’s willing to cooperate, she could be a really large boon while I’m in town. I still need to test if my shield can actually block certain types of magic attacks. I already know things like that magic mist can intrude through it, but there should hopefully be things it can defend against. For example, was a magically created fireball just a physical phenomenon generated by magic formed into a shape and propelled in some chosen direction? Or was it actually magical in nature itself? If it was just normal fire then my shield should dissipate the fire on impact. I’ll still feel some heat but only that. If it was totally magical in nature it might pass through my shield entirely. That would be an extremely dangerous outcome for me to find out at a bad time due to my glass cannon nature. So if I can get Myura’s cooperation and trust her enough to risk showing off my shield’s abilities, she should be able to blast me with some weak spell so I can see what happens. I’ve already risked letting her in my guard during bath times and nothing has happened there. In the end, it all just relies on Myura being willing to explain her true reasons. Otherwise I definitely won’t be able to trust her. Well, it would also be dependent on Lynn’s opinion.
Myura returned upstairs with Fio and we sat over at Fio’s small kitchen table. The assortment of food was a lot like what I had been eating at the inn. Some plates with freshwater fish and some plates with different types of meat. There was also some broth. She had even prepared some wine which looked suspiciously like the wine I had asked her to buy the previous day. Myura must have gone back to the inn to get some. Myura served both Fio and I, then she stepped back and looked like she was going to forgo eating. I wasn’t very happy about that. “Myura, take a seat and eat as well.”
Myura shook her head frantically. “I wouldn’t dream of doing that, my lady! I can’t sit at the same table as my lady. It just wouldn’t be right!”
“Ahhhh, don’t start that again!” Fio chimed in. She was waving around her silverware with a piece of meat on it. “Just sit down and eat already. I can’t handle seeing you just stand there while I’m eating.”
“But..” Myura tried to say something.
“There’s no buts! Your lady and I have both said to eat, so eat!” Fio commanded.
Myura was silent as she brought a seat over to the table and sat as well. I noticed she was barely eating but it was still better than having her stand there looking out of place. It was a pretty interesting contrast between Fio and Myura’s eating habits. Fio was ravenously devouring the food in front of her while Myura was eating demurely. As for myself, I was eating pretty much as normal. I wasn’t going to stick to lady mode here like at the inn. Of course I was sharing food with Coa who had curled up on the table and was accepting all offerings any one of us would give her. I really do want to know where she puts all the food she eats. I mean she is a growing dragon but I don’t know if a few centimeters every couple of days justifies this amount of food intake.
Fio was the first to finish her lunch, and she dropped her knife on her plate with a large satisfied sigh. “I thought I was a competent cook, but I guess I’m still nothing compared to a professional maid! Thanks for the food!”
“No. I’m not that good. My mother was much better than I.” Myura said quietly, bowing her head and hiding her face.
I exchanged a glance with Fio and I could tell that she too recognized the possible bomb in Myura’s statement. This called for a change in subject! “So, Fio, about my other questions about magic?”
“Right, right. What else did you want to ask? Also, did you like my journal? It’s taken me over a decade to put all that information together you know!” Fio boasted.
I smiled. “It was very helpful in more ways than you can guess. My first question has to do with what you said earlier, that because I lacked a developed mana pool that my magic resistance would be low. Why is that?”
“Oh. That’s actually pretty simple. Your own mana doesn’t like it when foreign mana intrudes in your body. It also will naturally strengthen your body against magic too. You’re just all around stronger at taking magical damage or effects.”
“Wait, doesn’t that mean potions will have less effect on most people? You said that potions were usually made with an infusion of mana.” I questioned.
“The process involves infusing mana to create an effect, but the potions themselves are almost always without any kind of mana in them. There are some where this is not the case, like with the potions I’m going to brew for you, but magic is not required for the potions to have their effect. Just necessary for the brewing process.” Fio explained.
I wasn’t sure I entirely believed her, but I’ll accept her experience for now. “Then moving on to my next question. You said that Druids rely on nature to cast most of their spells and that they’re stronger in forests and areas like that. Does other magic work the same way? For example would water magic be stronger near a lake or some other body of water?”
“That’s a bit harder to explain. Basically yes, but probably not in the way you’re thinking of. I mean ambient magic around us can potentially become any element if we attune and manipulate it the right way. If you’re near a lake though, you wouldn’t need to create the water to use for your magic, you could just draw on the water from the lake to use instead. At the same time though, it takes a lot more control to manipulate an already existing source than one you create yourself. When you create the water or fire or whatever, it already is basically under your magic’s control. If you can manipulate it, though you can probably do a much more effective attack than one that relies on your own mana to produce. The problem is that, of course, you can’t always count on having that kind of environmental advantage. Sometimes the environment will even work against you.”
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“I suppose that all makes sense.” I said. What else could I ask about? I feel like I’ve asked everything I can think of, but at the same time I’m worried that I might be forgetting something important. Myura was busy clearing the table of the empty plates while Coa slithered around scavenging what she could off the ones that were left. Oh, seeing Coa reminded me of something Fio said before. “One last question. You said Nirvi was your familiar, does that actually mean something special?”
Fio got a mischievous smile before speaking, “How old do you think Nirvi is?”
“Well judging by her appearance, two months or so?” I asked. Ahh, crap. I don’t even know for sure if they use months as a measure of time here.
“She’s actually about a year old now.” Fio clarified.
Whew, I guess I was safe, but I don’t know for sure how long their years are either. So saying she’s a year old doesn’t tell me much. I guess I can only ask another question based on my assumed interpretation of what she just said. “In other words, she looks younger than she actually is because of being your familiar?”
“Exactly! It’s one of the few rituals I’ve ever bothered with casting. As a result of it, Nirvi here is now tied to my life. She’ll age slowly until maturity where she’ll stay. Once I die, she’ll very rapidly age and die herself. She’ll still get to live way beyond normal cat lifespan, plus since I got her as a very young kitten she’ll be extra adorable for longer! It was the perfect plan!” Fio laughed.
“I assume normally that a familiar has a more important role than just being a cuddly pet?” I inquired.
“Normally a familiar would serve as an extra mana source for the Witch to draw upon. A familiar can also act like a Witch’s eyes and ears, though the information it sends back can be a bit confusing and hard to interpret. A familiar can also fight with the Witch and act similar to a focus point through which the Witch can deliver spells. For example, you could have your familiar sneak in close to an enemy and blast the enemy from under it’s guard. A familiar would also gain some benefits like extra resistance to magic and the ability to sense magic if it didn’t already have that ability. It’s not all benefits though. A familiar must always be within a kilometer of the Witch. Also, just like the familiar is tied to the Witch, the Witch is also tied to the familiar. If the familiar was to die, the backlash on the Witch can be hefty and will cause a permanent impairment of the Witch’s abilities. A Witch can also only ever have one familiar. You can never form another contract afterwards.” Fio explained.
“Based on what you just said, could the familiar be a human or one of the other races?” I inquired.
Fio grimaced before answering. “It could, but it would be very hard to convince anyone to form a familiar contract with another person. It’s also seen as something of a taboo to do, though there’s nothing really wrong about it. Most people just find the concept of doing it to be very distasteful.”
I grinned. “Well, I think that’s all my questions so, why don’t we relax and play with the pets some more?”
Fio grinned too. “Yes!”
Myura off to the side was trying to hide her own smile, but failing greatly.
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A few hours later, with the time of day firmly settled into afternoon, Myura and I were headed back to the inn. After the busy day I had spent yesterday, I really didn’t want to do much else today. Playing at Fio’s house had also been a great way to unwind. The best result to come from the day was that Myura had greatly calmed down from her previous attitude. When I thought about it, wasn’t it a bit bizarre how quickly she had changed? She even still had a bright smile on her face rather than the serious expression that had been the norm previously. All in all, it was a definite improvement.
When we got back to the inn though, Myura instantly changed back to her previous self. I assumed it had something to do with the fact that she didn’t want to be seen not being professional. I can’t really criticize her that much since I also went into lady mode. We made it back to my room without any fuss and I went over to the sofa and stretched out and laid down.
“My lady, is there anything you need me to do?” Myura spoke up.
I thought about it. Now was as good a time as any. I established a link with her to make sure I could tell if she lied or hid things. “Myura, I want you to tell me exactly why you’re so insistent on serving me. I don’t believe I’ve done anything special to deserve this kind of service.” Myura froze and she went a bit pale. Her mind was filled with fear at being rejected and also a long suffering grief. It was clear she didn’t want to talk judging by how she stayed silent. She needed another push. “Myura, to be blunt, I can’t trust you right now. If you want my trust then you need to be honest with me.”
Myura hung her head but then started talking. “When I was born, my mother worked as the head servant of a noble that ruled a city elsewhere in the empire. He was a great man and very wise. He treated all the servants and people of the city with respect and listened to their opinions about various matters. He encouraged them to speak up and offer those opinions. The city flourished under his management and my mother was proud to be his servant. I was also proud of my mother and proud of the lord she served. She raised me to also enter his service. She was very strict, but she also praised me when I did well so I didn’t mind. I wanted to be the best servant possible just like my mother. She even started teaching me magic. I was very happy back then.”
She stopped for a moment before continuing. “Everything changed though when the noble got sick. It was a rare illness that couldn’t be healed by magic or potions. He wasted away, all while still trying to fulfill his duties, even though my mother and the other servants tried to get him to rest. After he died, and because his wife had died early on without giving him a child, he was without an heir so the position of ruler was inherited by the son of his cousin. At first everything seemed fine. The new lord didn’t do anything outrageous and he toured the city examining how everything was handled. It seemed like he would follow in the same vein as the previous lord.”
Myura stopped again and sniffled. “It didn’t last. Some of the servants and workers in the city were thrown away or executed for odd reasons and new people came in to replace them. My mother still had her position as head servant but the new lord didn’t listen to her opinions and she found herself replaced in all but name by a new woman the lord had brought with him. The final breaking point was when I was sixteen. The new lord requested that I clean some of the guest rooms for some visitors that would arriving. Of course I followed the command, I was still too young to really question everything that had been going on. Even though my mother had warned me to be careful.”
She sniffled some more. “The orders to clean were a lie. The guests were already there waiting for me and they, they, they...” She stopped. She didn’t have to continue. I saw from her mind what she had been forced to do. Those assholes. “Anyway, my mother had been told by one of the other older servants about seeing me going off alone and she came and saw what was happening. She saved me with her magic.” She was crying for real now. “That was a mistake. My mother was executed and I was thrown out of the manor. I had nowhere to go, the lord had spread vile rumors about me and no one in the city wanted to hire me. I had to go against my mother’s teachings and steal and do other bad things just to survive.”
“Eventually I managed to leave that city and go to another one where I was not known. I registered as an adventurer and started doing work for the guild.” She stopped again. “I’m sorry my lady. I lied earlier. When I said I raised my levels as a Sorceress and Warrior to protect my chosen liege, it was a lie. I did it because I had to be strong. As I was an adventurer, I continued to wander around the empire as I worked. I can’t really say I was living though. I was alive but felt dead. My thoughts were always of those happy days when I was a child and of my strict but kind mother. It was when I got to this town that I saw this inn and found out that it served various nobles that I had a desperate and very stupid idea. I thought that if I worked here that maybe I could, like my mother, find a lord worth serving and then I could be happy again.” She started laughing while still crying. “It was such a childish idea! I had been almost thirty years old by then but I was still such a naive idiot! Yet, I couldn’t stop myself. I worked here year after year, always hoping and praying that the next guest would be worth it. They never were. Maybe my standards were too high. Maybe I was really just too afraid to abandon the comfortable job I had finally found where I could openly display my mother’s teachings.”
Then Myura raised her head and looked at me straight in the eye. “Then my lady appeared. You were so beautiful and you were kind and gentle to us servants. You thanked me every time I refilled your wine and you acted courteous to the other nobles as well. I thought maybe, maybe I had finally found my goal!”
I sighed. Everything Myura had said had been the truth, at least as far as she knew. There was no falsehoods spoken and her emotions as she told her story were all real. I had expected some kind of sad story after her reaction earlier, but this was still a bit much. In the end, she truly did, honestly just wish to serve me.
I’m not the great noble that she thinks I am though. What should I do now?