As we enter the mansion we see a rare sight. No one is here to greet us. Sophia and Monica are probably still in the caravan. I never saw them there but I can’t imagine them going anywhere else today.

After calming myself down a little to not show that anything happened I sat on the couch along with the girls so we could see the prizes.

“Come on! Open!” Alfina says as soon as we sit. Everyone just gives her a mean look telling her to calm down.

As soon as I open the case what I can only describe as a wave of mana washes over us. After the initial shock we take a look at the contents of it. Two rings, two necklaces and two earrings.

The base material of all of these items seems to be some kind of black metal that was made to or look like stone. The rings are just two simple rings with no gems or inscriptions on them. The necklaces are two small fangs the size of my pinky put on a really bad string that I will probably have to change later as it is just a normal string. The earrings are hoops with some strange white feathers attached to them. The hoops are the size of my own ear and the feathers are more or less the same size. After everyone had their turn looking at it I took out the paper I received and began to read to the girls.

“The enchantments on the jewelry were found to be the following. Rings: Can shape their appearance to any ring that the user imagines as long as the user can wear it. Allow the sharing of mana between the users of the rings if two users each have one. In case one person is using both, their mana will be forcibly used until one of the rings are removed or the user reaches the limit of how much little mana he can have without dying.” These are interesting to say the least but not something I should give them.

“The necklaces were found to have completely different enchantments from each other, unlike the rings and earrings even though they are identical. The one on the left side of the case makes the user immune to diseases as long as he manages to charge the necklace with mana completely by itself. We are yet to find someone able to do this. The other one allows the user to convert their own mana into nutrients, food and energy. The user will not need to eat, drink, sleep and maybe go to the bathroom if used long enough. The quantity of mana used varies from user to user since no two people use the same amount of energy during the day.” These are unique. I am also dumbfounded that the girls are just listening quietly.

“The earrings should be considered one single item as they only work if being worn together. They absorb the mana of the user in small quantities while they are worn and store it inside themselves. If the user finds itself in some kind of peril one of six spells will activate depending on how much mana was stored and the situation the user finds itself in. The spells are as follow: A sonic boom that will confused and deafen everyone around the user, a magic barrier that will protect the user from spells and physical harm, varying degrees of healing, a magic explosion of the element that the user is most proficient in in the area around him, teleporting the user and lastly killing or pulverizing a target.” This one is intense. I look at the girls and they are waiting for me to give them one of the items.

I give the necklace that can prevent diseases to Zelfina, the other one I give to Maxia and finally I give the earrings to Alfina. They quickly put them on and begin to dazzle as they look at each other.

“Now you all just have to charge them.” I say.

“Thanks Lucia!” Alfina says as she hugs me. The other two do the same. I am not gonna lie, I am very happy right now. It also looks like the present made them forget about the fight.

“You earned it.” I say back to them as I hug them back. This feeling of genuine and pure gratitude towards me is something that I could count on my fingers the number of times I felt that in all my lifes. I almost begin to tear up a little before letting them go. I have no idea how long we stayed like this but it looks like I didn’t budge for at least a few minutes.

“We are not going to run away, you know.” Maxia says in a joking tone.

“Can’t a teacher enjoy the company of their students a little?” I respond in the same tone.

“It was too hot.” Alfina says as she cools herself down using her hands.

“I’m now a little afraid to know what I would have to do to earn something better than this.” Zelfina says half-jokingly.

“All of you earned those. The number of people who can use magic like us in the known world is 4 and all of them are here. It’s no small feat and all of you should be proud of that. In the future, if any of you do something great, even if no one else acknowledges it, I will give a present to match the greatness of what you did.”

After this we talk a little about what we did and found during the day before the girls go to bed. I take this opportunity to go back to the caravan and pay what I owe them before returning home.

I go to my room and try to sleep but I just can’t. I have something on my mind I can’t really grasp that is keeping me more awake than normal. It’s like I am just a few millimeters away from grabbing something but no matter how much I struggle I can’t get it. At some point I start to feel really hungry. The food I ate from the stalls would have been enough if I slept but since that isn’t the case I put some clothes on and go down to the kitchen to see what I find.

I cook some meat and vegetables to make a sandwich that I begin to eat while I drink some water. As I eat the main door of the mansion begins to open and from there I see Monica and Sophia who both look somewhat tired.

“I wasn’t expecting anyone to be awake at this hour.” Sophia says as she begins to walk towards me.

“I have no idea what time it is now. I just got up hungry and came here.”

“It is quite late.” Monica says.

“Did you two have fun?”

“We were until you almost killed that woman…” Sophia says to me somewhat angrily.

“Why?” I ask, very confused.

“Some really powerful merchants were backing her so it took a whole lot of negotiation to make peace.”

“I hope that you didn’t let anyone take advantage of you.”

“Don’t worry, Lady Sophia did things perfectly.” Monica says as she begins to wash the things I used to cook the food.

“They just wanted to ban you from competing for more prizes in that competition.” Sophia says with an evil smile.

“Looks like you beated them in the word game by the look on your face. So I don’t have to worry about anything if they decide to come back?”

“This contract says so.” She says as she shows me a magic contract.

“Well, it’s not like I wanted anything else. Just the things I got were enough.”

“Speaking of that. What did you earn?”

“Some ancient and powerful jewelry. I gave some of them to the girls as a present.”

“I don’t know anyone who would give things that expensive to children.”

“They deserved it.”

“Still, I didn’t know you had that side on you.”

“I bet all the money I can that you also have one.”

“Lady Sophia can get a little intense but you became a borderline monster there.” Monica says as she sits with us on the table.

“I was fighting for my life there. Give me a little break. You both know how desperate an animal can get in that situation.”

“It’s true…” Sophia says as she gives me a sad look.

“What?”

“Sometimes I forget that you are still a kid.”

“Age wise, yes. As for everything else… I have not been a kid for a long time…”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.” From time to time I wonder how different my life would have been if none of my misfortunes occurred or the circumstances of my birth changed.

We stay in an awkward silence for a minute or so before Sophia speaks up.

“I am going to sleep, you should too. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight!” I say to them before going back to my room where I spend the rest of the night staring at the ceiling.

Morning comes and we are all eating breakfast together. The girls are using my presents and it looks like Maxia and Zelfina changed the string themselves. Now it’s a small chain for both of them.

“You three better take good care of those things.” Sophia warns the girls. They nod in agreement while they eat.

“It’s not like they are toys. I bet Alfina even slept with the earrings on.” I say.

“They don’t hurt even if you pull them.” Alfina says as she pulls one of them a little as a demonstration.

“Jewelry shouldn’t be worn all the time.” Sophia says.

“These one kinda do.” Maxia says.

“What do they even do? Nobody told me.”

“Give me a minute.” I say as I dash to my room and get the paper I read what the jewelry does and then give it to Sophia when I come back.

Her face goes from amused to shock to panic really fast as she reads the paper.

“How much did you pay to enter that fight?” She asks me.

“5000 Kir.”

“Now I understand why those people were so afraid of you earning more things.”

“Why?”

“They were gambling with some really expensive stuff if this is the level of things that you could get.”

“Are these items really that expensive?” Zelfina asks.

“If you sold all of them I am pretty sure you would not have to work a day for the rest of your life and have some money to spare.”

“Well, it’s theirs now.”

With that our conversation comes to an end and we go about our days like normal since the caravan is going away today.

As me and Sophia are working in the office Monica brings two muscular men into the office where they drop 3 bags of coins that Sophia tells me are taxes from their day here. If you stack those bags together they are almost her size.

Besides that, nothing else out of normal happens.When the night comes, the caravan is already on its way to their next destination, wherever it is. Days go by and the next month comes.

I am again teaching the kids of the city, along with some adults who wanted to join in. I have no reason to push them away if they don’t need to work.

“Remember to always put the date on the top of the paper. Today is the 5th of Virgo, don’t forget it.” I say to everyone. Putting dates on things makes it easier to see if you are improving when you look at it later.

As I am helping some of the people there, someone pokes me while I am distracted.

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“Mess!?” I say, surprised, as I see his face that is not very good. It looks like he didn’t sleep for a month.

“We have to talk, in private.” He says somewhat angrily. I excuse myself from the class and we go to the outskirts of the city, near the forest.

“Ok, we are here.”

“You may or may not be in danger.” he says, really serious.

“And the number two comes after one.”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

“The part of the church that wants to kill you is getting serious. They found out about the angel and now a lot more people are coming against you.”

“That’s not really my problem.”

“Of course it’s your problem. They are after you!” he shouts at me.

“Hey, calm down! If they have a beef with me it’s their problem. I want peace. If they don’t, it’s their problem. Also, the Kingdom has the duty to stop the church if they try anything funny, especially against me.”

“... Now I understand why some nobles are so afraid of you.”

“Because I am strong.”

“You also don’t care about your social status.”

“Not with everyone, just with some people.”

“Well, I hope my interference helps a little. I didn’t manage to clean my registry so they can’t really do anything too showy if I am nearby.”

“What happened in the capital?”

“I really don’t want to talk too much about it. Things went bad really fast and the only reason I managed to escape is because they didn’t think I had in me to do it.”

“Good to know you finally have some backbone. Now you just need some balls.” I jokingly say.

“Not gonna lie, telling someone to fuck off feels great.”

“Anyway, you should go to the mansion and sleep, you look terrible.”

“I have not seen anything with reflection for a few days, I can’t even imagine my state right now.”

After the talk, I give him a pat on the back and we go back our ways. The day continues like normal until it’s dinner time.

“I see that you three have some nice jewelry. Very powerful. Where did you get them?” Mess says to the girls as we eat.

“Lucia gave it to us.” Maxia says.

“Yeah, she won them in a fight when a caravan came by a few days ago.” Zelfina adds.

“...” Mess is clearly down with the notice. I guess he wanted something too.

“I still have some items left if you want one so badly.” I say to him.

“What?” He asks with great interest.

“There are these two rings that can be used to transfer mana between the users. They can also change their appearance.” I tested it. Nothing special, the actual physical form of the things doesn't change beyond compressing or expanding and the appearance you think of is only an illusion.

“Thanks but no. I have no need for those.”

“You have the most mana out of all of us, I can see why.”

“If you can find stuff on this level on a caravan I better make sure I know when the next one will be.”

“They went west. I think if you leave now you will catch up with them if they are making a straight line.”

“I just got back.”

“Just saying.”

“Yeah. Mister Mess just got back, now we can sleep safely at night knowing that we have a man protecting us.” Monica jokes. Everyone laughs a little.

“If anyone who knows about our powerhouses heard you laughing they would think they went crazy.” Mess says.

“What makes you think that?” Sophia asks.

“You have your reputation Sophia so you are somewhat in the clear but that monster with blue hair has so much random stuff circulating about her that you would think she is actually a demi-god or something going by how much it’s getting out of control.”

“I don’t hear any of it.” I say.

“The more outrageous stuff probably won’t make it’s way so far south but the basics are probably well known to anyone you ask.”

“Like what?”

“Lucia, the flying swordswoman, mistress of fire, commander of thunder, owner of two big boobs! Her hair turns red with the blood of her enemies.” He says in the most cartoonish way he can.

“It’s mostly right…” I say. I then see every other woman there looking at their boobs and comparing to mine.

“Looks like you picked up a lot of information in your journey.” Sophia says.

“And most of it is not useful. You have no idea how grateful I am that we do not live near the capital. The noble life is suffocating. Too much politics.”

“I agree with you.” Sophia says.

“Same. I am not looking forward to this part of my life when I go back home.” Zelfina says.

With that our conversation begins to die down and we all go do our things like normal.

As I am taking a bath I hear a knock on my door.

“Who is it?” I ask.

“It’s me.” Monica responds.

“Come in.”

“You have a visitor. Seems urgent.”

“Ok…” I dry myself up and put on some clothes as fast as I can and go down to meet this person.

As I go down the stairs I see a gentleman, probably in his late fifties, completely shaved, leather clothes, a crossbow and some bolts.

“Hello, have we met somewhere?” I ask as I approach him.

“We probably saw each other in Degrada sometime ago but I think that’s about it.” He calmly answers me.

“What brings you here?”

“The guild is requesting your assistance.” he says as he gives me a letter.

“Any idea what the request is?” I say as I begin to open the thing.

“No, I was given the task because I am going back home and here is on the way. It’s not something I myself will take part in.”

“Ok…” I say as I begin to read the letter. To summarize what is in there, some strange creature is flying in the outskirts of Degrada and they have no one that can both fly above the clouds and fight to check it at the moment. Also I need to do this as fast as I can.

“The look on your face tells me it’s time for me to go. Good luck.” The gentleman says as he leaves. Soon after Monica approaches me.

“What is this about?” She asks me.

“I am going to leave for a while. Looks like there is something in the sky. I hope this doesn’t take long.” I say as I begin to go out.

“I will inform Lady Sophia.”

“Thanks.” I say as I begin to fly in the direction that the letter specified.

The sky is not too cloudy but it also isn’t clear. There are a good amount of clouds that cover the sky. It’s a little chilly this high but I can heat up myself with magic.

I fly around for around half an hour without seeing anything out of the ordinary when I notice that there is a space in the clouds. Something is moving very slowly and dividing them.

I fly towards the area and hit something. After a few moments I begin to check and sure enough I am on top of something invisible, hard like metal and that is moving west.

My first thought is of an invisible airplane but there is no noise. Also, airplanes wouldn’t cut the clouds like this.

I try to check how big this thing actually is but it’s either full of holes or it has a stranger shape than what I can imagine. Just a few steps forwards or backwards is enough to make me fall, making me have to fly up again.

After a few minutes of this I give up trying to figure out the shape of this thing. I make sure to check if there isn’t anything below and when I confirm there isn’t anything besides meadows I begin to bombard the thing with spells. A few seconds later I am now above something on fire.

After a minute or so, what I am standing above, finally appears. It’s an iron blimp surrounded by runes. Probably the reason why I can fall off this thing.

I put out the fire since it’s not really doing any damage and I don’t want this to explode or fall off just yet. I fly around the blimp to see if there is anyone driving it but the gondola is empty, not only of people but anything. It is just an empty space. The door is open and as I enter I find nothing. There is no hatch to the insides of the blimp too.

As it looks like there isn’t anything alive inside the blimp I go outside and try to stop it first but to my surprise, even with various thrusters, it continues forward. I then try to push it down to the ground but it suddenly vanishes.

I desperately fly in every direction, checking every cloud but after an hour or so I give up as there is nothing.

After finding myself I make my way to Degrada adventurer’s guild. There I reported a giant object made out of metal that was floating and when I engaged with it, it teleported away. Since I don’t have any information about the origins of the blimp I can’t point fingers to anyone.

After checking that I wasn’t lying they paid me 200 Kir for the job and I went back to the mansion. The doors were locked and no one opened the door when I knocked so I got in via the window in my room.

I still can’t sleep but I at least can relax. I push all the worries that a blimp existing would cause me and meditate to recover my mana and rest my mind.

Morning comes like normal and Sophia starts to ask me about my mission.

“So, what was so urgent?”

“A giant object made of metal was floating near the clouds and splitting them. It also could turn invisible and teleport away.”

“... This is really serious. What if someone uses those things to attack other people?”

“There was no one on that thing. Also, if anything, we should be worried if it falls off somewhere. That thing looks heavy.”

“Could you stop it from falling?”

“If I had enough time, yes.”

“I am going to tell the guards to look out for this thing you described.”

Soon after we finish eating breakfast, I go to the outer wall to teach. There are a number of people qualified to work under me in the class but they didn’t reach the point where they could be trusted looking after that much money.

A week or so goes by with nothing out of normal happening but with some good developments. Everyone has a roof over their heads now, a good number of people seem to have found some kind of work, including a few of my students.

I also received a letter from Jackelinne during this time saying that against all odds Jack managed to get sugar cane and cocoa seeds. Now she is planning to start making chocolate and is inviting me to eat some when they are ready. I have no reason to not do it as I love some chocolate. I sent a letter as soon as I could, showing interest.

During the night, as I am going to my room to rest, I hear a voice in my head.

“Hello, anyone?” What I think is a male voice says in my head.

“Hello?” I say and think.

“Finally! Where are you? I have been waiting for 4 days now.” The man says, annoyed

“I am in my house.” I just think this time.

“Your house!? How did you get there? How is this thing even working if you are so far away?”

“Pretty sure I just walked until I got here.”

“By the gods! You must have found the maze! Tell me which path you took from the camp?”

“Pretty sure I went north, through the forest.”

“Hmmm… What about the plan? When do you think you can come back?”

“That will be a problem. My memory is kinda hazy right now. Things are coming back little by little but unless someone says something to me, they are coming in chronological order. If not for some people here I would still only remember part of my childhood.” Let’s see if I can get some information.

“There was some warning about this when we were reading that book. Good thing we didn’t go together or we wouldn’t remember anything for a while. Since it seems you don’t remember, we are trying to find the Great Earth Dragon. Maybe we should have told someone what we were doing, then when you found your way there you would have remembered things faster.”

“Why? Aren’t dragons scary strong?”

“No...Actually...Why are we looking for him again?”

“Beats me.”

“Who’s this?” A female voice asks.

“Huh? Wanda?” The man asks.

“Who are you talking to?”

“You?”

“No…”

“Guess I got busted. Hello.”

“You idiot, I am gone for just 4 days and you start to talk with strangers.”

“To be fair, he was trying to talk with you.” I say.

“What do you want? What do you know?” She asks.

“Why are you after a dragon out of all things?”

“You idiot! I will strangle you!” She shouts at the man, I think.

“Sorry…” he says in a sorry tone.

“Well, it doesn't matter, you will never find us.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask.

“Because if this thing works on you, you must be someone who never sets foot outside. We are in the forest no one dares to go, near the city where it is said a demon lives.”

“So you are in the Sure-Death Forest near Sagrada? Tell me more please.”

“Gil, wasn’t this thing supposed to only work with us and maybe royalty?”

“You realise that I have no idea how this thing works, right?”

“But you managed to fix it!”

“I turned it on. Those are two different things, I told you so more than once.”

“So, the dragon, why?”

“Because we need a dragon…” She answers.

“For what?”

“To destroy a thing…”

“What thing?”

“We have no idea. The instructions said that in case of emergency we should ask the Great Earth Dragon to take care of it.”

“What thing?”

“It was big, made out of metal and could fly.”

“For fucks sake. Where did you find that thing?”

“Why do you want to know?” She asks.

“Answer me before I go find you two and ask personally.” I angrily say.

“Would you believe me if I said it just appeared near our house a few days ago?”

“Ok! And what did you do?”

“There was a book inside along with this metal cube. We took the book out of the thing and suddenly it began to fly and vanished in the clouds.” The man explains.

“The book said if that thing were to ever go to the clouds the owner of the book should go after the Great Earth Dragon and he will take care of it.” The woman explains.

“What about the maze?”

“The book says that the dragon lives in a maze that has various traps that will affect you mentally and physically.” The man says.

“And where is this maze located?” I ask.

“It’s either in the forest or the forest itself. The book doesn't explain this part very clearly.” The woman says.

“You two must be really strong to be inside the forest.”

“We are actually just on the edge of the forest.” The man explains.

“... You know, come back to Sagrada when morning comes and wait at the south gate. I am a mage and I can help you out. I also saw that flying thing and it needs to be taken care of.”

“...Alright.” They both say after a few minutes.

“Ok, I will rest now. See you two tomorrow.”

“Goodnight?” They both say to me.

As I lie on my bed and relax, there is only one thing on my mind. What the fuck is going on?