After the summoned meeting had ended and the heroes were dispersing, Junior was about to leave the lord's mansion and head to her own hotel room. But Reina Windwell blocked her way.
"Hey, Jupiter's daughter."
Leaning against the door at an angle, the woman who blocked her path looked like some sort of third-rate thug. Yet, from this elderly mage emanated a peculiar dignity.
That irritated Junior, who frowned, while Reina gave a sly smile.
"Why haven't you come to see me? I've been waiting. Don't you want to extend your lifespan?"
"I know my own condition very well, Lady Reina."
Junior curtly responded and brushed past her.
"I know all too well that extending one's life is impossible. Do you think I haven't visited one or two temples to try to cure this illness?"
"Hmm, temples, you say."
"I don't know what you're scheming, but I'm not foolish enough to fall for such false advertising and become a pawn in your secretive agenda."
Walking briskly, Junior continued on her way, but Reina followed her with large strides. Junior fired back coldly.
"How about you focus on preparing for the next defense battle? Jormungandr, the World Serpent. Seems like it'll be a first for even you, the grand commander of the Mage Corps."
Trying to shake her off, Junior was interrupted when Reina suddenly changed the topic.
"Did you know, Jupiter's daughter? Typically, mages can only control one attribute."
"...?"
"But, very rarely, mages appear who can handle multiple attributes. And there's a common factor among these multi-attribute mages. Do you know what that is?"
Making a gun shape with her hand, Reina went, "Bang!"
"They've been attacked by magic during their infancy."
"..."
"The elemental attribute of the magic they were hit with as children embeds itself in their magical heart, forcibly awakening their affinity for that particular element."
Junior scowled and glared at Reina, who smiled, crinkles forming at the corners of her mouth.
"The magic attacks you suffered from in your childhood were Jupiter's lightning and my wind. That's why you can control lightning and wind, on top of your innate water attribute, making you a tri-elemental mage."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Like Jupiter, I'm also one of the sources of your magic. Your magical parent, shall we say?"
Snap!
Junior pointed her wand at Reina, growling menacingly.
"If you utter such disgusting words again, I'll kill you."
"Whoa, whoa, calm down and listen."
Reina continued, unfazed.
"Every time you use magic and cough up blood, feeling the strain on your body, it's because of the residual magical elements carved into your heart. Specifically, it's because of the 'foreign magical elements' that remain there. These elements keep inflicting wounds and burdens on your magic core."
"..."
"But I am the owner of the wind element that remains in your heart. Moreover, I'm 'Calamity Wind,' the one with the most precise magic control on the continent. I can clean up those remnants for you."
Reina extended her index finger, pointing at Junior's left chest.
"Reducing your magic power's burden should make your heart healthier and extend your lifespan. Convinced yet?"
"...I understand."
Sure, I understood the principle. However,
"Why are you going out of your way to help me like this? Because you're involved in the attack, like you said? Or is it guilt? A petty sense of duty? Why?"
I couldn't understand why Reina was doing all this.
What did she stand to gain from this? Why was she willing to help?
Reina shrugged her shoulders.
"Does it really matter? Considering the immediate benefits? If you take this spell, it'll certainly do more for your health than munching on spinach and tomatoes."
"..."
"Just answer 'Yes' or 'No.' I'm not the kind of woman who badgers people who don't want to be involved."
Junior bit her lower lip in contemplation.
Reina chuckled at her hesitation.
"Isn't it foolish to miss out on a valuable opportunity just because of a fragile ego?"
"…!"
"I get it if you don't like me, but if enduring a bit of humiliation can save your life, wouldn't it be stupid to miss that chance because of your pride?"
Reina lightly tapped Junior's forehead with her forefinger.
"Act like a mage, brat. Act like a mage!"
"..."
"If you can live even one more day to achieve magical prowess, you should be willing to sell your soul to the devil. That's what a mage does, right?"
Junior clenched her mouth shut and glared at Reina in displeasure.
And then—
***
...she ended up in Reina's room.
On the third floor of the barracks, in the officers' quarters, Reina, who had two rooms to herself, flung off her military cap as soon as they entered.
"No need for any delays. Let's start right away."
Reina's room was as devoid of personal touches as Jupiter's had been. All that was in there were a few sets of clothes and a pack of cigarettes.
'Is this how all transient soldiers live?'
Junior hesitated, uncomfortable and awkward in someone else's space. Reina smirked and gestured toward a seat.
"Sit wherever you like. Oh, and take off your top."
"What?"
"We're about to start. I'll be channeling my magic power into yours. Would you rather do it with your clothes on? They'll just get ruined."
"Ugh..."
Even though they were of the same sex, the idea of showing her bare body to someone else was unsettling, but her life was at stake here.
Reluctantly, Junior turned her back and removed her upper clothing.
The left side of her body was marred by rough burn scars.
Scars left 15 years ago, caught in the bombings led by Jupiter and Reina.
"..."
Gazing down at the thin, scarred back of the young mage, Reina remained expressionless.
Junior, who had now removed her pointy hat, turned around and rolled her eyes.
"So, what should I do while you perform this 'spell'?"
"Just one thing."
Grinning, Reina placed her hand above Junior's left shoulder blade.
"Don't pass out."
A cold touch made her flinch momentarily; from the tips of Reina's fingers, a magic power sharp as a knife blade began to infiltrate Junior's body.
"Cough..."
The pain was unbearable. Blood seeped from Junior's tightly clenched lower lip.
"Ah...Argh!"
It felt as if thousands of needles were piercing the area around her heart. Shaking violently, Junior endured the agony.
With her eyes tightly closed, Reina moved her magic power meticulously to continue the spell, sweat pouring from her like rain.
"Hang in there, Jupiter's daughter. Just a little more...!"
***
The spell ended after 15 minutes, but both Junior and Reina were nearly drained, collapsing on opposite ends of a sofa.
"I...I almost died..."
Due to the blood and mucus spewed at the end of the spell, Junior's lips were tinged red.
Reina too had burst a nosebleed from the extreme finesse required in managing her magic power. With a cloth pressed against her nose, Reina spoke.
"I managed to extract some of Jupiter's lightning magic elements that were lingering inside you with your magic power. Of course, not all of it... We'll have to do this about three more times to be roughly done."
"You want to do this three more times...? Are you serious?"
"Heh, once you feel the effects, you'll be the one begging for more."
At Reina's snide remark, Junior lightly gathered magic power at her fingertips.
'Huh?'
The left side of her chest, which always felt heavy whenever she used magic, now felt lighter.
The foreign sensation that had been stifling her chest had noticeably lessened. Opening her lips slightly, Junior moved the magic power at her fingertips around.
'Was managing magic power always this easy?'
The stress on her body had substantially reduced. Reina's spell really was effective.
"Do you believe me now?"
Puffing her chest out in pride, Reina smiled, to which Junior hesitantly nodded.
"It really...it really worked. Thank you."
"So, you're going to return the favor, right?"
"Excuse me?"
"You didn't expect to get this laborious spell for free, did you? That would be rather conscienceless."
Reina's cheeky smile deepened, making Junior's stomach churn.
Sure, the effects were positive and she was thankful, but one of the reasons she had to endure this in the first place was because of Reina. Having her aggressively push the spell, only to then immediately demand compensation, didn't sit well with Junior.
However, that 'compensation' turned out to be lighter than expected.
Snip-
Lighting a cigarette, Reina curtly said, "Tell me your story."
"My story?"
"What happened afterward. How did Jupiter end up here?"
Exhaling a long puff of smoke, the aged sorceress's profile seemed lost in deep regret.
"Tell me about the 15 years I don't know about, between you and your mother."
"..."
Junior hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking.
"Is that really all you want?"
"That's all I want."
"I really can't understand you."
"You don't need to."
Crushing the end of her cigarette with her lips, Reina smirked bitterly.
"I don't know why I'm doing this, either. Maybe I've grown sentimental with age."
"..."
"You can think of it as an old woman's nonsense... So, what do you say?"
Snip-
Junior pulled out a pipe, lit it, and took a puff. The herbal aroma wafted from the end of the pipe.
"Alright. But in return, you have to tell me as well."
"Tell you what?"
"About the time when my mom was young," Junior said, a little embarrassed.
Reina Windwell smiled warmly and nodded, "I'd be happy to share stories about my younger self, Jupiter Junior."
***
Meanwhile, on the first floor of the barracks where the Penal Squad was stationed.
"Do you really think such a massive snake exists?"
"Last time we got swallowed by that huge slime, remember? That disgusting stomach? If something that large exists in jelly form, why not a snake?"
"Riding on top of such a snake, battling for three days... Can we really do that?"
"But if we can't, even our homeland is in danger..."
Kuilan's party of five sat discussing the upcoming defense mission when—
BANG!
Suddenly, the door to the room swung open with a jarring noise. Startled, Kuilan and his bandits looked in that direction.
"Come out."
Standing there with an emotionless expression was Lucas. Behind him, Evangeline held several sheathed swords, her eyes twinkling as though expecting something.
Confused, Kuilan asked, "Come out where, Sir Knight?"
"There's a training ground over there. Follow me."
"But why the training ground all of a sudden—"
Before Kuilan could finish his sentence,
WHOOSH!
Lucas swung down the sword he was holding.
"What the hell are you doing, Sir Knight?!"
Clang!
Kuilan quickly parried the sword with his fist.
Evangeline tossed each member of the bandit party a sheathed sword. Still bewildered, they gripped the swords as Lucas growled.
"If you're not coming to the training ground, we'll do it here."
"W-what exactly are you—"
WHOOSH!
No time for questions. Lucas swung his sword again, and the bandits screamed, narrowly dodging the blow.
"Aha! I get it!" Kuilan, hastily donning his gauntlets to block Lucas's attack, shouted. "You're training us for the upcoming defense mission! Because we're weak in large monster battles, you're attacking us like a savage beast, right?!"
"... "
"You care about us so much! You're much nicer than you look, Sir Knight!"
Lucas flatly replied, "No, that's not it."
"Huh?"
"I just don't like you guys. I'm doing this because I want to beat some sense into you."
Lucas's piercing blue eyes flickered like lanterns.
"You guys were a nuisance in the last defense mission, right? Can't have that this time. I'd rather break your arms and legs here so you can't even go to the front lines. And that's what I plan to do."
All five members of the Penal Squad swallowed hard.
They had faced the empire's army often enough to be wary. They sensed it.
This knight was serious.
He really intended to beat them to death!
"Stand up straight, you ragtag bunch of bandits."
Holding his sword in front of him, Lucas growled menacingly.
"I'll show you a spell that turns you from bandits into soldiers."