"Huff-huff."

A woman runs at full speed inside the castle, with her hand on the scabbard ready to do battle at any moment. Her eyes were like an eagle looking for its prey.

Passing by the maids, commoners, and guards like a gust of wind. One of the guards greeted her, but she pays no heed and continued to run in between them.

"Why is she in a hurry?"

"Maybe someone slacked at their duties again."

"O-ho, someone's gotta get their butt kicked really good."

The two guards talked about the woman, one answered raising both of his hands and shrugging like it wasn't their problem.

Finally, she reached her destination, standing in front of the door. She tried to open it, but it was locked. She knocked and knocked, unable to wait any longer due to the urgency, she decided to break it down with her sword.

The woman moved back and started her stance, removing her scabbard from the belt and holding it with her right hand, her left gripping the hilt tightly.

She took in some air and struck the door, it was cut in half despite being strong enough to receive multiple blows.

"Ahh?!!"

A female voice rings out as she cuts it. She thought that she might've hit someone. The next moment, her sword is cut, and mere inches from her neck was a sword. Its edge glowing in a bright crimson orange.

"God... mother?"

The one who spoke was a girl with long blonde hair.

~~~Maria~~~

It has already been a week since we came here. Jose introduced me to a few people he knew. He said that if I had wanted to learn Supportive and Healing magic at the Expert level, then those people would be able to teach me.

But Jose knows how to use ▪Meteor Storm▪ and it's at the Grand Master level. He said that it is just a ▪Fireball▪ spell which is invoked at the max output and is Multi-casted.

Apparently, you can call a spell your own by being creative. Then I could make my own unique spell names if I can do multi-cast?

Jose was going to teach me how to Multi-cast, but due to the invitation of Angelica, we weren't able to proceed with my teaching.

The King was really nice, every now and then. He lets us use the carriage whenever we decided to go to town. He also pays for our expenses, which we are reluctant to spend, but still, he insisted.

But I think it is only due to Angelica being his granddaughter. If it is a mere guest, he would probably let them use their own money.

Currently, I'm with Angelica eating breakfast in our room, a maid delivers our breakfast like this every day from a pushcart. Blake was still sleeping soundly in his bed.

I once started looking at his sleeping face and Angelica caught me. It seems like she doesn't mind though... and just smiles at me. Sometimes she also joins me in this spectacle and comments that she wishes she had a pen to write on his face.

They were really nice, I haven't had friends like these in the past...

I was once a student at a magic school. One time, I met with one of my professors' who's a great magician herself. She told me stories about her adventures with her friends and how she enjoyed being an adventurer. I was a child at that time, so it sounded really amazing.

After some time, I dropped out after only learning a few spells. When I became an adventurer I was overjoyed but was in for a rude awakening...

Almost all of the adventurers that I had partied with are mostly mad at me for my lack of experience and I was told a lot of times that I was only dragging the party down.

I was really depressed at that time. I had spent two months locked up in the inn without taking any quests and was literally penniless because no party wanted to take me in... I was about to lose hope.

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Then... I received a request for a magician at the adventurers guild. After much thought, I wasn't able to sleep early, it was only at dawn that I had managed to doze off. Only to wake up an hour late for our meeting.

I ran and ran as fast as I possibly could. Sweat poured all over me, but I didn't care.

I opened the door to the guild with such force that it slammed loudly. From that, I managed to get unwanted attention, the stares of other adventurers and those people who wouldn't let me join their party.

Still, I shouted "I'm sorry! I'm late!" Nobody answered... their stares were like needles painfully stabbing into me...

I gripped my staff tightly and was ready to give up... I slowly walked away. I can hear snickers and jeers at me as I take this walk of shame...

And... as if luck had befallen on me. In the sea of tables, one man waved at me, in a glimmer of hope I rushed to his side.

I apologized over and over. Then I saw a woman beside him, she was clearly mad at me.

I unintentionally stared at her. She asked if there was something on her face, I quickly answered and shook my hands, but I hadn't averted my gaze.

"Blake, I'll go to the bathroom."

"Oh, okay." [Blake]

"Ah? eh?" [Maria]

Did I offend her by any chance?! She left for the bathroom. I stood there silently staring at the woman as she got inside.

"Umm... Angelica isn't used to being stared at..." [Blake]

He said with a wry smile. It did offend her!! Wah-wah-wah!

I knelt to the guy, and even though it was shameful, I still put up with it. The stares became even more painful...

"I'm sorry if I offended her or anything. Please! Let me join your party!" [Maria]

"I... uhh... need to know my partner's decision first..." [Blake]

He averted his gaze. No... please... no...

The woman got out of the bathroom while wiping her face.

She went back here. I, still in a kneeling position directed my body to her and held both of my hands up begging.

"P-please! let me join your party!" [Maria]

She glanced at her partner and sighed.

Tears slowly form in my eyes. I'm going to be rejected... I'm gonna be rejected...

"Hahh... you can tag along..." [Angelica]

She... accepted? There, I saw the light in the dark.

"T-thank you very much!" [Maria]

That is how I met Angelica and Blake. They devised a strategy that made my role easier and more efficient. I haven't felt this kind of enjoyment for so long!

Then... we picked a quest for orc extermination. We all thought that it was a simple quest till we got to the place.

At dawn they woke me up, there was a commotion nearby. We saw knights and adventurers fighting off the orc legion scouts.

Orc legion scouts. I have read about them in books in my youth at the magic school, their drawn pictures are exactly the same, which made me shiver.

Angelica wanted to help them and Blake stops her. He said it was suicidal to charge in there.

"We can take them on! We have Maria as support!" [Angelica]

"Even with h.." [Blake]

"Right, Maria?!" [Angelica]

Angelica asked me for a decision, I get various feelings of wanting to help, but I also don't want to get them in harm's way.

"Make your decision! People are dying!" [Angelica]

"I'll help!" [Maria]

At her shout, I immediately gave my answer.

"Thank you..." [Angelica]

"We're going to get ourselves killed." [Blake]

I agree with Blake, perhaps we may be killed here... but I put my trust in my friends!

We began our attack behind them. Angelica, giving us the orders. I cast my Regular level magic ▪Flame Thrower▪ which separated the orcs and humans safely.

Eight scouts were easily felled from the fire. Blake had a bit of trouble taking them on, but Angelica was easily taking them out one by one.

"W-what is that magic?" [Maria]

She is shredding their armor like it was nothing. An orange glow covers the edge of her sword, each time she swings, a crimson arc appears. This is the first time that I saw her use this.

We managed to save them in time. There, we discovered that the legion had already destroyed two cities and that they were in the thousands.

When we returned to Cagban, we immediately ordered the evacuation and the readying of defenses.

On the day of the attack. We were totally outnumbered, the legion was like water, and each time they marched it was like watching waves from the ocean.

We fought until we noticed that some got into the city. A few of us left the front to engage them.

As we got inside we saw an adventurer thrown, with a mortal wound. Angelica asked me to Heal him, but I couldn't, my Healing magic is too low of a level to deal with these kinds of wounds...

Angelica talked to the man in his last moments. When we heard a scream she quickly took flight, leaving the both of us. She saved the pregnant wife and we escorted her to the safety of Jose's shop.

Jose was a guy that they knew, they asked me if I can help protect this place and I agreed to it.

While they were gone, we took out a lot of orcs because our magic really made a ruckus in the city. Also, I almost had an infinite amount of energy potions from Jose.

Jose was impressed by my magic, he said that if it is possible he will take me as his apprentice once this is over.

Angelica came back to the shop and said that the frontlines fell. We are going to do a risky move.

By then, she used a thing called magic crystal. It had the spell ▪Meteor Storm▪ in it that Jose imbued.

With it, they almost wiped out the whole legion. They also fought with the Orc king. I was really worried when I saw them. Especially, Angelica, I wish I was there to support them. Yet they managed to defeat the Orc king. The rest of the events soon followed.

~~~

Now, back to our breakfast. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, they were knocking frantically. We find it weird that they weren't saying anything as they knocked. Then it stopped, and I went to check it out...

"Ahh?!!" [Maria]

The door was suddenly cut apart, I screamed as it flew by me. The sound of it being destroyed woke Blake up. Angelica instantly reached for her gladius and cut the assailant's sword. As she was about to cut them down, she stopped.

"God... mother?" [Angelica]