Chapter 9
"Honestly, I expected this the moment that magic circle appeared around you,
Miss." The fact that my inn would collapse, that is... Jonathan muttered,
rubbing the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, his face a mixture of
laughter and crying. "In all my years running this inn, I’ve never seen such
magic suddenly appear out of nowhere, or so many people getting swept away at
once." "......" "It’s my fault, of course, for recklessly selling such a
powerful artifact......" Jonathan finished, a faint smile returning to his face.
Elisha, who had been staring blankly at Jonathan, finally turned her gaze to
scan the surroundings. Shattered dishes beyond recognition, crushed furniture,
and raindrops pouring through a collapsed wall. To summarize it in one word...
"A complete mess." And I was trying to control myself, too. Just as Elisha
tilted her head in thought.
"This was my life, my home." Jonathan began slowly, staring at the wide hole in
the wall. "I built this inn with the inheritance my father left me as soon as I
turned twenty. The weather was exactly like this then too." "......" "I vowed to
work hard, rain or shine, and become the greatest innkeeper in this
Empire......"
"Just say you’re angry with me." To talk about his feelings like that. I thought
Dante Renard was the only one who did that. Elisha finished her piece and let
out a small sigh. Even if it were unavoidable while repelling the enemies who
invaded the inn, the responsibility clearly lay with her. It was also true she
went a bit overboard because she was in a bad mood. So, Elisha had no intention
of letting this slide. Just as Bernard had taught her.
"Step back." Having made her decision, Elisha made Jonathan step back then took
a long breath. It was a small mercy that, thanks to the heavy rain, there hadn't
been any passersby. A single mistake could have involved an ordinary person. The
bang from the inn collapsing must have sounded like thunder. That was a relief.
Even if Eric wasn't looking for her, it was better not to attract attention.
"Wait a moment." A wind of mana swirled at Elisha's feet, then a brilliant light
began to envelop the broken objects. The broken chair legs were reattached, and
the fragments of shattered glass were reshaped into whole dishes. The collapsed
wall was also restored to its original state, as if nothing had ever happened.
Jonathan stared blankly at the whole scene, his mouth open.
"This......" finally, Jonathan spoke, looking around the perfectly restored inn.
"I’ve never seen magic like this." "......" "No, I haven't even heard of such
magic existing." Normally, magic uses the elements of nature. No, not just
normally—almost all magic did. "I’m not a wizard, so I don't know much, but even
so, this......" Jonathan looked at Elisha with eyes full of disbelief.
Elisha simply shrugged her shoulders. "I invented it myself." "You did?" "No."
If someone asked her to develop a new spell, she might be able to do it, but
Elisha was more of an experimenter than a creator. The creator, on the other
hand... "Anyway, the debt has been settled." But there was no reason to tell
Jonathan that.
Just as Elisha finished her piece and was about to walk away. "W-wait, Miss!"
Jonathan hurriedly called out to stop her. Elisha turned her head slightly to
look at him. Jonathan then began to stammer, an awkward smile on his lips. "When
you said the debt was settled, surely you don't mean you’re leaving now... do
you?" "......" "I mean, ah. You don't have any money now, so if you go somewhere
else, you’ll have to trade your belongings again, and then things like what
happened today will keep happening, won't they?" "......" "If you try to buy a
house, you won't have money, so the same thing will happen, and you might end up
wandering forever, unable to settle down......" Ah, maybe that was an
exaggeration. Just as Jonathan, who had been rambling, quickly closed his mouth.
"And so?" Elisha asked, her eyes devoid of any emotion. Jonathan blinked twice
before answering firmly. "What about continuing to stay here?" With this level
of ability, she’d be welcome anywhere. Wizards were rare in the first place, and
this woman could even use magic no one had ever seen before. There had been a
small disturbance a moment ago, but that had been resolved, so it was no longer
a concern.
The fact that she is a criminal...... With this much power, she was worth
hiding. Jonathan nodded secretly to himself. Besides, after searching the wanted
posters all night, he hadn't found anyone who matched her appearance. She had
always seemed a bit odd for a criminal, so there was a chance she wasn't one at
all.
The artifact's price, high enough to run the inn for months without work; her
straightforward attitude, unlike the troublemakers who’d kick up a fuss about
cheap prices; her immense magical ability. On top of all that, a strange feeling
he couldn't ignore... "I must keep her." Having made his decision, Jonathan
spoke immediately.
"I won't charge you anything for your stay. In exchange, if there are any people
causing trouble at the inn, all you have to do is handle them......" "......"
"H-honestly, it’ll be hard to find a place with food as good as my inn. Not many
customers, but, ah, it’s still a great place to eat! You’ve tried it, so you
know, r-right!" Jonathan hurriedly added more, interpreting Elisha's silence
negatively. Elisha continued to stare at Jonathan in silence, then a faint smile
touched her lips. For a moment, Jonathan held his breath and stared in daze. She
smiled? That woman?
"Jonathan," Elisha spoke calmly, the corners of her eyes still slightly
crinkled. "You don't want me to leave," Elisha muttered to herself, her voice
tinged with a bit of happiness.
Jonathan finally regained his senses and cleared his throat with a cough.
"W-well, I’ve grown quite fond of you, and besides, you haven't stayed here long
enough to match the value of that artifact......" "......" "Anyway, what I meant
was, you can stay as long as you like. No, even a bit longer than you’d
like......"
This time, before Jonathan could finish his sentence. "Fine," Elisha said with a
small nod. An unreadable emotion flashed in her blue eyes. "I wasn't planning on
leaving now. I was just going to go up and rest." The rain that fell all night
kept me from sleeping properly. She then turned her head again and began to
walk. This time, Jonathan didn't stop her.
With every step Elisha took, the wooden stairs creaked rhythmically. Elisha let
the sound wash over her as she continued her thoughts. I’ve never seen magic
like this. Jonathan's eyes, gleaming like someone who had just discovered fire.
"I will become so great that I won't need you anymore!" after that, she
remembered the boy's determined eyes that boldly declared this. A faint smile
touched Elisha's lips once more. So great that I won't need you. Just as she
kept her promise, Eric also achieved his goal. Because the one who taught her
that magic was none other than Eric himself.
"That’s cheating!" shouted the boy, who had grown taller than Elisha by a span.
Elisha cast a fleeting glance at Eric, then turned away as if nothing had
happened.
"Your Highness is still the same, even though you’ve grown taller." "What?"
"That habit of shouting first." His Majesty would be sad if he saw you. she said
without even looking at Eric. In her hand, she held a scepter much taller than
herself. At the same time, Eric's blue eyes were fixed on the scepter in
Elisha's hand.
On his way here, everyone he passed was talking about the same thing. The story
of the scepter granted to Elisha. A unique scepter, Emperor Bernard had
personally commissioned its crafting for Elisha. Eric was extremely displeased
by it.
"He's my father," Eric said, stepping in front of Elisha. Only then did Elisha
lift her head again to stare blankly at Eric. Eric repeated with emphasis. "He
is my father."
Eric and Elisha's different-shaded blue eyes collided in mid-air. Elisha met his
gaze silently before a small smile formed on her lips and she spoke. "This is
yours, Your Highness," with a voice and tone that suggested she perfectly
understood why Eric was acting this way. The small girl continued, a faint smile
on her face. "Even if public safety has improved since then, there is no
guarantee that something like that won't happen again." "......" "That’s why His
Majesty gave me this—as a way of asking for your protection, Your Highness. So,
this is equivalent to what is yours."
Having spoken, Elisha offered the scepter she was holding to Eric. Eric stared
at the offered scepter, then turned his gaze to look at the girl seated below
him. As long as Elisha wasn't seeking Bernard's favor for herself, as long as
she wasn't threatening his position. She wasn't his competitor. As he thought
that, he felt like he had made a grave mistake. Like he’d exploded at someone
who never wanted anything in the first place...
"Are you here to protect me?" a gruff question escaped Eric's lips. It was a
question even Eric himself didn't expect to ask. Elisha blinked in daze, then
nodded her head in a small gesture. "As long as I am here." "......" "That is
what I’m supposed to do." Her tone was infinitely final, as if there were no
other reason for her existence. For a moment, Eric was speechless. His father
couldn't possibly have brought Elisha here for that reason alone. In the end, he
hadn't even realized she could use magic until "that day." But Elisha was acting
as if that were the only reason for her being here. Eric hated that intensely.
Even more so than he had when he heard people talking about the scepter a moment
ago.
"You aren't someone who has to protect me," with a look of pure determination in
his eyes, Eric opened his mouth. He couldn't stand the sight of a girl, shorter
than him, taking on a duty while carrying a scepter much larger than herself. He
wanted to tell her she wasn't obligated to carry such responsibility. Unlike
him, the Crown Prince, she wasn't bound by any such constraints. That was what
he wanted to say, but...
"Because I will become so great that I won't need you!" Why did the words that
came out of his mouth have to be this pathetic? For a moment, Eric was overcome
by an impulse to bite his tongue.
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