"I can't wrap my head around it," said Jasson, still lying on the ground. "I mean, I could maybe accept that you've become a mage after just a few months, but what happened yesterday was just way too much."
It was now the next morning. Perhaps the previous battle had scared away the nearby beasts, as no monsters had attacked them throughout the night. After a night of recuperation, Lena had mostly recovered, and though Jasson was still unable to get up, his spirits were high. Barry was still unconscious, but at least his bleeding had stopped.
"How are you not dead yet?" Linton asked bluntly as he walked up.
"Don't change the subject. Tell me what happened yesterday. What was that skill? Magic?" Jasson demanded.
"You're just jealous," Linton said, spreading his hands. "Look at me flying high—you're envious, right?"
"I can't even be jealous if I don't understand it," Jasson yelled back.
"Would you even understand if I explained it? Are you a mage? Do you know magic? You don't get it, so just accept that I'm amazing," Linton replied with a wave.
"But even I don't understand it," Princess Yalan chimed in from nearby. She had just returned from fetching water from a nearby stream that provided them with a fresh supply. "As a mage myself, I have no idea what kind of magic you're using. Is it really magic?"
"Of course, it's magic! Magic is limitless, didn't you know?" Linton said. "Who taught you magic? They're too rigid. Magic can be far more flexible and changeable than you think."
Princess Yalan realized Linton wasn't eager to explain his abilities. To her, what he called "magic" completely defied the basic principles of it. It was hard to even tell what kind of ability it was. But since Linton wasn't keen on discussing it, she decided not to press further.
"My teacher is Master Toraniger. If he heard you calling him rigid, he'd probably tear you apart," Princess Yalan said with a smirk.
"Rigid is rigid. Even if he tears me apart, that won't change the fact," Linton replied with a shrug.
The princess remained silent, simply staring at Linton.
"Hey, I just helped you out. Don't cause me trouble for no reason," Linton said, a bit wary.
"Well, our deal didn't include a clause where I wouldn't report you to my teacher," Yalan replied with a grin.
It was clear that the princess had become more relaxed around Linton, and her attitude had softened. Linton, noticing her smile, paused, and for a moment, the two exchanged a silent gaze. Realizing something, Princess Yalan blushed and hurriedly said, "I… I'm going to boil some water."
"Wait a minute, what's this smell of romance in the air?" Jasson teased after the princess left. "Hey, are you really making a move on the princess?"
"That's what I've been saying—you need to have some dreams in life," Linton said with a grin. "I've got a big dream, and that's to make all the boasts I made in the past come true. I'm starting with this one."
"I… I give up. I can't deal with you anymore," Jasson sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Of course, you can't deal with me. I'm your elder. I should be the one dealing with you," Linton said.
"Want me to strangle you?"
"Not a chance."
As the two continued bickering, Lena walked over and said, "Nothing unusual nearby." She had been scouting the area for any signs of monsters.
"The old man can't move for now. Looks like we'll be stuck here for a few more days," Linton said. "Can't you heal any faster? Rotating guard shifts with just three people is exhausting."
"Trust me, I want to recover faster too," Jasson replied.
"Um…" Lena suddenly spoke up, as if wanting to say something.
"Don't tell me you want to ask about my magic, too? I've already said you wouldn't understand it if I explained it," Linton said.
"No, it's not that," Lena said. "I want to know… why did you help me?"
"Help you?" Linton asked.
"You helped the princess get the Fire Devourer Beast's horn, which means I'll get a special decree from the king. This will cancel the arranged marriage between our families, just as you said. But won't this affect your family negatively? It's not a good thing for you, is it?"
"So, do you actually want to marry my brother?" Linton asked.
"Of course not! I'd rather die," Lena replied.
"Then why are you worried about it?" Linton spread his hands. "Why should I care about my brother's marriage? Let him stay single forever for all I care. He exiled me to some godforsaken village and arranged a ridiculous marriage for me. I'm happy to mess with him in return."
"Hahaha…" Jasson couldn't help but laugh. Clearly, his relationship with Jollabor wasn't great either, and the thought of Jollabor's angry face when he found out the marriage was canceled brought him some amusement.
Lena was taken aback. So, Linton had a bad relationship with his family? After a pause, she said, "But your family…"
"By the way, the Melowei family is unlikely to start a war anytime soon," Linton added. "They just fought one last year, and their forces and supplies haven't fully recovered."
"So, you were just scaring me before?" Lena asked.
"Yeah, you're too easy to scare. A couple of words and you backed down," Linton teased.
"I… I'm going to kill you!" Lena shouted.
"What's going on?" Princess Yalan, hearing the commotion, came over.
"Nothing. By the way, Princess, can I borrow your staff for a moment?" Linton suddenly asked.
"My staff?" The princess hesitated. A mage's staff was like a warrior's sword, not something to be lent out casually. But after a moment of thought, she handed it to Linton.
Linton wanted to examine the staff because he had never seen one before. The princess's staff was pure white, about 1.5 meters long, and looked like it was made of wood, though it clearly wasn't just any wood. At the top of the staff were three gemstones: a large purple one in the center, flanked by smaller red and green ones. It looked like a work of art and probably cost a fortune.
Of course, Linton wasn't just looking; he wanted to test something. He had been using a simple stick to cast magic and wondered if a proper staff would make any difference.
"I'll just try it out," Linton said as he stood up.
"Um… alright," the princess nodded, a bit confused.
Linton faced an open space nearby, but before casting a spell, he turned to the princess and said, "Step back. It could be dangerous."
"Huh?" The princess didn't quite understand why she needed to be cautious.
"Just step back," Linton insisted.
"Oh," the princess said, stepping back a few paces.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Linton cast a simple D-rank jutsu. A fireball formed and shot off to the left, completely missing his intended target.
Seeing this, Linton realized that the staff hadn't boosted his spell's power or accuracy in any way. It was the same as when he used a regular stick. Clearly, ninjutsu and magic were different after all, which left him a bit disappointed.
Princess Yalan was confused. Linton had aimed straight ahead, so why had the fireball shot off to the left? She had seen him use powerful magic before, so this miss puzzled her.
Just as she was wondering about it, a flaming figure suddenly fell from a nearby tree with a scream. The figure ran a few steps before collapsing to the ground, motionless.
Everyone froze for a moment, and then a voice shouted from the surroundings, "We've been discovered! Attack!"
Several figures in black clothing leaped out from the trees and surrounded Linton's group. These people clearly weren't friendly, as they stood with murderous intent.
"Assassins?" Lena immediately drew her sword and positioned herself in front of Princess Yalan, giving Linton a quick glance.
She had just scouted the area and hadn't noticed anything, which meant these assassins were highly skilled at hiding. Naturally, she assumed Linton had detected them, which was why he had been testing his magic.
Princess Yalan also looked at Linton in surprise, a newfound admiration in her eyes.
Of course, Linton himself was utterly confused. What just happened? Why did so many people suddenly appear? What was going on?
(End of Chapter)